Using energy piles for geothermal heat exchange in buildings offers a sustainable alternative to traditional temperature regulators. However, designing these systems is often complex. Now, researchers from Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan, have developed a simplified modeling framework to improve the design of energy pile systems. Using a combination of finite element modeling and field testing, they quantified the thermal interference between piles and soft clay soil—offering insights for quicker and enhanced geothermal performance.

New research from northern Scandinavia and Svalbard reveals that Arctic lakes could emit more methane as climate change increases lake and ecosystem productivity. The study highlights how even modest warming can drive greenhouse gas emissions from Arctic sediments—fuelled by lake algal production and plant growth around the lakes.

As tropical fishes colonise new habitats in temperate oceans, made available to them because of ocean warming, researchers have found that those who shoal alongside neighbours that are native to the area learn behaviours that help them thrive.

As global climate change intensifies, ocean acidification is becoming a ‘relentless killer’ threatening coral reef ecosystems. Recently, a research paper published in the international authoritative journal Research has revealed diverse survival strategies of reef-building corals in response to ocean acidification, providing a new perspective for understanding and protecting this fragile marine ecosystem.

New Arizona State University-led research findings from studying over two decades of satellite observations reveal that the Earth’s continents have experienced unprecedented freshwater loss since 2002, driven by climate change, unsustainable groundwater use and extreme droughts. The study highlights the emergence of four continental-scale “mega-drying” regions, all located in the northern hemisphere, and warns of severe consequences for water security, agriculture, sea level rise, and global stability. The research team reports that drying areas on land are expanding at a rate roughly twice the size of California every year. And, the rate at which dry areas are getting drier now outpaces the rate at which wet areas are getting wetter, reversing long-standing hydrological patterns. The negative implications of this for available freshwater are staggering. 75% of the world’s population lives in 101 countries that have been losing freshwater for the past 22 years.