Explore the latest insights from top science journals in the Muser Press daily roundup (June 17, 2025), featuring impactful research on climate change challenges.
In brief:
Wildfires could be harming our oceans and disrupting their carbon storage
Dr. Brian Hunt, professor in the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries (IOF), and Emily Brown, IOF research scientist, discuss how wildfires affect our waters and what this means in a changing climate.
What did you find about how fire affects water?
Brian Hunt: We focused on the mighty Fraser River basin. When forests burn, they release ash, soil particles and chemicals into the environment. In a recent study which analyzed water quality and wildfire data, we were able to link increases in the concentrations of compounds like arsenic and lead, as well as nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, to fires which had burned within the river’s basin months prior.
Using monitoring data collected by Environment Canada over the last 20 years, we calculated that up to 16.3 per cent of the variation in water quality could be attributed to wildfires. While that number might seem small, the Fraser River system is large with a lot of natural variation, so being able to attribute that much change to a singular source is surprising.
Most of the Fraser River is not used for drinking water, and our drinking water is treated, so human health isn’t at risk in that sense. The compounds measured occur naturally in rivers, but our research shows that ongoing increases in the occurrence and intensity of wildfires could impact downstream marine ecosystems. For example, increased wildfire driven nutrient supply can lead to excessive algae blooms, including toxic species, that ultimately lower oxygen and harm fish, shellfish and other animals.
Emily Brown: We also found that fire had both immediate and delayed effects on water quality, depending on how close they are to rivers. Fires in the immediate area of a river influenced water quality more quickly, due to quick mobilization of ash, nutrients and contaminants, while fires further away from rivers showed delayed effects, with their influence on water quality observed up to 12 months later.
The concern is that fire severity and frequency is increasing in this province, which could lead to worsening water quality for the whole ecosystem.
How could wildfires change the ocean’s contribution to climate change?
BH: Black carbon is formed when fires burn the carbon in trees. Black carbon cycles very slowly in the environment, especially the particulate form, and may sequester carbon from the atmosphere when it is buried in the ocean.
EB: In a study earlier this year, we found that there is an important seasonal aspect to this. Most of the water in the Fraser River currently comes from snowmelt, but with climate change, this could shift to being more rain-driven in the future. This change could lead to more rapidly degradable dissolved black carbon being exported to the ocean, which means that this carbon sequestration may lessen in the future and black carbon could become an additional source of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
What can we do?
BH: As wildfire frequency and intensity continue to rise in B.C., we need to better understand the cascading effects of fire across systems, and to integrate this knowledge into land, water and climate resilience planning. Knowing that fire plays such a significant role in water quality in this region, and having now identified some of the important indicators of fire effects, will help managers monitor water quality more closely after wildfires. We also need to research the largely unknown effects of fire on coastal ocean ecosystems in B.C.
EB: Fire is the major driver of landscape processes in the Fraser River basin, and Indigenous nations have applied fire to these landscapes for millennia to manage resources and protect their communities. Colonial fire suppression has led to fuel buildup across the province. We need to return B.C. to a more natural fire regime, including by supporting Indigenous-led fire stewardship through increased cultural and prescribed burning, the removal of jurisdictional and permitting barriers, sustained funding for training and equipment, and the establishment of Indigenous-led governance and decision-making structures.
Journal Reference:
Emily Brown, Brian P.V. Hunt, ‘Cumulative effects of fire in the Fraser River basin on freshwater quality and implications for the Salish Sea’, Science of The Total Environment 978, 179416 (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179416
Article Source:
Press Release/Material by University of British Columbia (UBC)
Illuminated changes: Enhancing D-lactic acid output with UV irradiation
Amid concerns over rising petroleum prices and resource depletion, organic compounds such as methanol are attracting attention as potential replacements. Though this bodes well in theory, the production of raw materials from methanol relies on costly chemical processes. An energy-saving, bio-based process is necessary for fully tapping into this resource.
To make this a reality, Associate Professor Ryosuke Yamada’s team at Osaka Metropolitan University’s Graduate School of Engineering has developed a Komagataella phaffii (K. phaffii) yeast strain that can efficiently produce D-lactic acid, a raw material for pharmaceuticals and bioplastics, from methanol.
In their research, the team used ultraviolet irradiation to damage K. phaffii cell DNA and induce gene mutations to improve D-lactic acid output. The exposure to ultraviolet rays successfully created a new strain, DLac_Mut2_221, that produces approximately 1.5 times more D-lactic acid.
“Further, we performed genetic analyses using next-generation sequencers and identified the genes involved in improving D-lactic acid productivity,” stated Professor Yamada. “Going forward, we plan to further improve the efficiency of D-lactic acid production from K. phaffii and develop technologies for producing other useful compounds from methanol.”
Journal Reference:
Yoshifumi Inoue, Kaito Nakamura, Ryosuke Yamada, Takuya Matsumoto, Hiroyasu Ogino, ‘Improvement of D-lactic acid production from methanol by metabolically engineered Komagataella phaffii via ultra-violet mutagenesis’, Metabolic Engineering Communications 20, e00262 (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.mec.2025.e00262
Article Source:
Press Release/Material by Osaka Metropolitan University
Early online research from journals of the American Meteorological Society
The American Meteorological Society continuously publishes research on climate, weather, and water in its 12 journals. Many of these articles are available for early online access–they are peer-reviewed, but not yet in their final published form. Below are some recent examples.
JOURNAL ARTICLES
Exploring The Role of Air Mass Type and Weather on Shooting Incidents in New York City
Weather, Climate, and Society
Hot, dry air masses=increased gun violence in NYC. Previous studies have suggested that shootings increase during hot weather in New York City. This study looks at the overall characteristics of the air masses dominant over the city, yielding a more accurate picture of how weather relates to gun violence. The authors find that on the whole, “hotter, drier air masses tend to increase shootings, especially in the spring, while cooler, wetter air masses tend to decrease shootings, especially in the summer.”
Comparison of 2018–22 Tropical Cyclone Track Forecasts Before and After NOAA G-IV Missions
Weather and Forecasting
NOAA hurricane flights improve tropical cyclone track forecasts. Wind data from flights into tropical cyclones by the NOAA Gulfstream IV jet–such as Hurricane Hunter missions–improved forecasts of a storm’s path by up to 24% on average, based on 2018-2022 data. The authors ran model forecasts (using both U.S. and European models) with and without dropwindsonde data from Gulfstream flights, and found that the first track forecast to incorporate the data for a given cyclone saw the greatest improvement.
The Conditional Effects of Air Conditioning: How Air Conditioning Affects Climate Change Views by Partisanship in Los Angeles County
Weather, Climate, and Society
L.A. Republicans without air conditioning are more likely to be concerned about climate change. Data from the Los Angeles Barometer survey suggest that L.A.-area Republicans without access to air conditioning are “more likely to consider climate change a human-caused threat and more likely to support individual and government action to address climate change” compared with Republicans who had central air. Democrats did not show a similar divide.
The Cost of Weather-Related Traffic Collisions
Weather, Climate, and Society
Weather-related traffic accidents cost North Carolina. A study of 2013–19 data from North Carolina counties found that common adverse weather conditions like rain, wind, and extreme temperatures contributed to around 7,805 extra traffic collisions per year in the state, and around $961 million in costs to society. Different conditions have disparate impacts on collision outcomes for vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians, with each county seeing thousands to millions of dollars’ worth of costs per day of exposure to adverse weather.
Extreme Weather Experiences, Emotional Reactions to Messages, and Support for Pro-Climate Policies
Weather, Climate, and Society
Political conservatives who have experienced extreme weather are somewhat more receptive to climate communications. Using data from Pew’s American Trends Panel, the authors found that personal experiences with extreme weather may enhance political conservatives’ receptiveness to messages about climate action, moderating their emotional responses and subtly shifting their preferences around energy policy toward pro-climate positions.
Quantifying the Effects of the KULM Radar on Local Report Climatology, Operational Metrics, and Casualty Impacts of Tornadoes
Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology
Increased tornado reports, fewer casualties followed installation of new weather radar. In 2016, the University of Louisiana Monroe began operating a Doppler radar in an area with previously poor radar coverage. Results indicate more than a seven-fold increase in the number of annual tornado reports, fewer false alarms, and a lower annual casualty rate. Investing in supplemental radars has the potential to improve National Weather Service warnings and provide public value.
Characterizing Rainfall and Land Surface Conditions Associated with Lightning-Initiated Wildfires
Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology
Less rain, more lightning-sparked wildfires. A study of lighting-initiated wildfires (LIWs) in the United States found that LIWs were more likely after days of declining soil moisture with plants stressed by dryness. Rain rates were most important for determining whether LIWs would occur, but dry surface soil (with more water deep down) was also common at ignition sites.
Synthesis of Publications on the Anomalous June 2021 Heat Wave in the Pacific Northwest, United States and Canada
Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society
2021 PNW heat wave: causes and effects. A synthesis of research on 2021’s Pacific Northwest heat wave found that “a persistent, extraordinarily strong ridge of high pressure was a primary driver,” with contributors like moisture from the tropical Pacific, high solar radiation, and unusually dry soils. Climate change contributed by increasing average temperatures, but it’s unclear whether it disproportionately increased temperature extremes. Mortality, heat-induced illness, and the number of visits to emergency departments during the 2021 heat wave were anomalously high, especially among older and low-income people, those who lived alone, and those without functioning a/c.
Impact of Atmospheric Rivers on Electromagnetic Ducting as Diagnosed from Dropsondes
Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology
Atmospheric rivers create channels for electromagnetic radiation. Electromagnetic ducting, in which atmospheric conditions create a layer that traps and channels electromagnetic waves, is crucial for radio wave propagation in communication, radar, and navigation systems. Analysis of data from Atmospheric River Reconnaissance flights finds that atmospheric rivers (ARs) play a significant role in determining the frequency and properties of electromagnetic ducts, suggesting that large changes in airmass density lead to deeper ducts that can trap larger wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation.
Global Land-Lake Thermal Contrast in a Warming World
Journal of Climate
Lakes’ weather impact may change with warming. Lakes exert strong influence on local weather and climate due to large differences in their temperature from that of nearby land (on average worldwide, across seasons and time of day, lakes are warmer than the land around them). This study suggests that under a high-emissions global warming scenario, warming of land surfaces will lead to lakes being on average cooler than surrounding land by the end of the century. Lake breezes are likely to intensify.
A Linear Analysis of the Heating Footprints of the US Mesoscale Convective Systems in the Northern Extratropical Synoptic Variability
Journal of Climate
Localized U.S. storm systems may alter weather as far away as Europe. A modeling study suggests that convective heating from mesoscale convective systems (thunderstorm complexes) over the United States could alter weather patterns as far away as the North Atlantic and Europe “for days or even longer.” Heat released from these storms can add energy to larger-scale weather patterns, with implications for regional and global climate.
***
NOAA/NASA/NSF research spotlights
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is the parent agency of the National Weather Service. NOAA’s research arm, the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, is threatened with elimination under 2026 budget plans, as is much of the research that takes place at the National Air and Space Administration (NASA) or is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Some of the research that takes place through these funds and agencies:
U.S.-based hurricane track forecasts for the North Atlantic are improving: While European hurricane models have been considered the most reliable globally, U.S. models have been catching up to them since 2019, this study finds. “Various FV3 (Finite-Volume Cubed-Sphere Dynamical Core)-based models, including [the] National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) operational Global Forecast System (GFS), [NCEP’s] newly operational Hurricane Analysis and Forecast System (HAFS), and [the] research-oriented Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) System for High-resolution prediction on Earth-to-Local Domains (SHiELD), have consistently demonstrated improved hurricane forecasts in the North Atlantic basin.”
Flights over the ocean help quantify climate change: Read about the NASA ACTIVATE mission, studying aerosol-cloud interactions (ACI) over the northwest Atlantic, which represent the largest uncertainty in estimating total anthropogenic-radiative forcing (i.e., human contributions to climate change).
An accessible home for Antarctic research: Read about the NSF-funded Antarctic Meteorological Research and Data Center (AMRDC) Data Repository, which aims to house and archive current and future Antarctic meteorological research.
Article Source:
Press Release/Material by American Meteorological Society (AMS)
Featured image credit: Gerd Altmann | Pixabay
