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.

A new study offers the first direct evidence that deep-dwelling mesopelagic fish, which account for up to 94 percent of global fish biomass, excrete carbonate minerals at rates comparable to shallow-water species. The findings validate previous global models suggesting that marine fish are major contributors to biogenic carbonate production in the ocean.

Researchers from Prof. Quan-You Liu's team at Peking University decoded the complex accumulation mechanisms of China’s nonmarine shale oil, overcoming challenges from extreme geological heterogeneity. Through analysis of the Bohai Bay Basin, the research team revealed that the synergistic coupling of multiple geological factors governs shale oil accumulation and established multi-scale, multi-factor accumulation models for non-marine shale oil. Their new predictive model pinpoints high-yield "sweet spots," validated by drilling success, offering a roadmap for efficient exploration and extraction of nonmarine shale oil.

Scientists conducted the first-ever study of an island’s soil microbiome—on Crete—all in one day—a major challenge since the Greek island is about 160-miles long and rises more than 8,000 feet above sea level.