Published Jun 12, 2023 by Amy Loeffler/Uaf

Microbiology professor Mary Beth Leigh and the team found that planting grasses or adding fertilizer, or a combination of both, to a contaminated site had surprisingly persistent effects on the microbes associated with local vegetation.

The study, recently published in the journal Microbiology Spectrum, indicates that an even greater importance should be placed on initial phytoremediation strategies— the use of plants to restore environments contaminated by pollutants.

Published Jun 12, 2023 by Cheryl Pierce, Purdue University

One of Alaska's most active volcanoes has been erupting since May 2021, but the location of intense seismic activity has moved around during that time. Scientists have wondered why, and now, new belowground imaging reveals the volcano actually has two magma chambers, which have driven the ever-shifting eruption.

The team of researchers studied the seismic data from the Great Sitkin Volcano in Alaska's Aleutian Arc, which has been erupting since May 26, 2021, with ongoing lava effusion since late July 2021.

The team recently published their findings, "Double Reservoirs Imaged Below Great Sitkin Volcano, Alaska, Explain the Migration of Volcanic Seismicity," in the American Geophysical Union's Geophysical Research Letters.

Published Jun 12, 2023

A team of leading oceanographers recently reviewed current research analyzing the waters that flow between the Arctic and subarctic oceans. The warming of the Arctic Ocean and the increase in freshwater exports to the North Atlantic Ocean could have significant impacts on marine life and the evolution of the climate.

Notable changes have been observed in the inflows and outflows of the Arctic Ocean over the past decade, including unprecedented high temperatures and remarkably low salinities. Models suggest additional ocean heat transfer to the Arctic Ocean in the future due to warming inflow waters, which will lead to amplified warming in the Arctic Ocean. 

The researchers published their review in the June 1 issue of the journal Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Research.