Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies

On Feb 24 at 11am PST, join #WFFRC co-PI @brian-j-harvey.bsky.social + Michele Buonanduci to learn about the latest results from their Burn Severity Atlas, a resource designed to support fire science, management, and decision-making in the Western US. Register here: www.westernfireforest.org/events

Amazon River is seeing more droughts and floods due to climate change In a Q&A, Cary scientist Steve Hamilton explains why extreme swings between record-breaking floods and record-breaking droughts may become the Amazon’s new ‘normal’, and why it matters for people and ...

In 2023, water levels in the Amazon dropped to record lows, killing 100s of river dolphins. But Amazon floods have also been trending worse. Cary’s Steve Hamilton is documenting the extreme highs and lows, and what it means for people, ecosystems, and the planet www.caryinstitute.org/news-insight...

Recovering tropical forests grow back nearly twice as fast with nitrogen A new study coauthored by Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies ecologist Sarah Batterman estimates that if recovering tropical forests had enough nitrogen in their soils, they might absorb up to an add...

Recovering tropical forests grow back ~2x as fast when they have enough nitrogen, says a new @natcomms.nature.com paper coauthored by Cary’s Sarah Batterman. Paper suggests strategies to naturally boost soil N and speed up trees' CO2 absorption for ~10 years www.caryinstitute.org/news-insight...

Cary scientist a key partner in newly formed Eastern Fire Network Large wildfires are becoming more frequent in the eastern US, accelerating risks to people, property, and ecosystems. To help address these threats, Winslow Hansen, an ecologist at Cary Institute of E...

caryinstitute.bsky.social's Winslow Hansen is a key partner in the new Eastern Fire Network based at #PennState. He'll bring tools and findings from his western fire work with #WFFRC to accelerate science, solutions, and safer communities in the eastern US www.caryinstitute.org/news-insight...

Nearly three-quarters of western US overdue for wildfires New research has found nearly 38 million hectares of land in the western United States is historically behind on its burning, leaving those lands in a “fire deficit.” Cary's Winslow Hansen will presen...

Nearly three-quarters of the western US is overdue for wildfires, says @caryinstitute.bsky.social’s Winslow Hansen, who will present the findings and potential solutions on Dec 18 at #AGU25 #WFFRC @agu.org www.caryinstitute.org/news-insight...

Tracking hemlock health across the Catskills A graduate student shares their summer research as part of the Catskill Science Collaborative Fellowship. The student travelled across the Catskills to measure how hemlock health varies from place to ...

A #CatskillScienceCollaborative fellow from @paceuniversity.bsky.social shares how he is tracking an invasive pest's impacts on hemlock forest health: www.caryinstitute.org/news-insight...
College/uni profs: Apply by Jan 9 for funding to mentor a student in paid #SummerResearch in the #Catskills

On Thu, Dec 11 @ 11am ET, join us for a virtual science seminar with @caryinstitute.bsky.social's Dr. Kathleen Weathers: Ecological Puzzles & Passion: Tales of Cyanos, Sensors, & Community Science. Free + open to all. #ecology Register: www.eventbrite.com/e/ecological...

On Thu, Dec 4 @ 11am ET, join us for a virtual science seminar with @bostonu.bsky.social's Dr. Kelly Aho: Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Streams and Rivers. Free + open to all. #ecology Register: www.eventbrite.com/e/greenhouse...

#CatskillScienceCollaborative Fellow Ashok Jacob shares how his research may help keep NYC’s drinking water clean. RFP now open for 2026 CSC Fellows! Profs interested in mentoring a student for paid summer research (up to $18K) in the #Catskills apply by Jan 9. www.caryinstitute.org/news-insight...

Will extra CO2 help plants grow faster and soak up more carbon? New @pnas.org study led by @sfu.ca + coauthored by Cary’s Sarah Batterman finds this effect and its ability to mitigate climate change is overestimated by ~11%. The limiting factor: soil nitrogen. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Careers at Cary Opportunities for employment at Cary Institute.

Positions available now.
Ecology Education Intern: Apply by Dec 5!
To learn more and to apply, visit: caryinstitute.org/about/careers-cary
#ecology #jobs #hiringnow

Coauthor institutions include:
@ufmgbr.bsky.social
@unicampoficial.bsky.social
@semadgoias.bsky.social

Grasslands + savannas should be recognized in climate finance mechanisms, argues a #COP30 policy brief coauthored by Cary’s Amy Zanne. These ecosystems store large amounts of carbon + support water security, biodiversity + more.
tinyurl.com/3s8xhjvx

On Thu, Nov 20 @ 11am ET, join us for a virtual science seminar with @rockefeller.edu's @flamholz.bsky.social: Statistical Approaches to Soil Carbon Dynamics. Free + open to all. #ecology Register: www.eventbrite.com/e/statistica...

Catskill Research Fellowships Teacher fellowship opportunities at Cary Institute.

The #CatskillScienceCollaborative is seeking proposals from college or university professors interested in mentoring a student for paid summer research in the #Catskills.

For more info + to apply by Jan 9, 2026:
www.caryinstitute.org/eco-inquiry/...

Earth System Engineers Take Planetary Alterations to Extreme Scales - Eos A new framework argues Earth scientists should employ the concept of ecosystem engineering across geologic time and space.

You’ve heard of ecosystem engineers. Earth system engineers have even larger, longer impacts on the planet. 🌏 🧪 #ExtremeEarthMakeover eos.org/articles/ear...

On Thu, Nov 13 @ 11am ET, join us for a virtual science seminar with @aarhusuniint.bsky.social's Dr. Robert Ladwig: Rethinking Aquatic Ecosystem Models. Free + open to all. #ecology Register: www.eventbrite.com/e/rethinking...

Extreme warming of Amazon waters in a changing climate In 2023, an unprecedented drought and heat wave severely affected Amazon waters, leading to high mortality of fishes and river dolphins. Five of 10 lakes monitored had exceptionally high daytime water...

In 2023, Amazonian lakes reached record low water levels and high temps, killing off fish + dolphins, + stranding riverside communities. Findings published today in @science.org, led by Mamirauá Institute with @caryinstitute.bsky.social coauthors www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adr4029

In the US, Western rivers may be allies in the fight against climate change For decades, scientists have generally thought that rivers emit more carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, than they take in. But a new analysis of every river network in the contiguous United States — in...

Rivers in dry landscapes are absorbing more CO2 than we thought, according to a new @science.org paper led by Cary’s Taylor Maavara. The team found that, under certain conditions, rivers can even act as carbon sinks. www.caryinstitute.org/news-insight...

On Thu, Nov 6 @ 11am ET, join us for a virtual science seminar with UCLA Fielding School of Public Health's Dr. Claire Schollaer: Downscaling Method Matters: Projecting Future Valley Fever Seasonality. Free + open to all. #ecology Register: www.eventbrite.com/e/downscalin...

On Thu, Oct 30 @ 11am ET, join us for a virtual science seminar with @slu-official.bsky.social's @ajmiller4233.bsky.social
capturing the Perennial Plant Phenotype. Free + open to all. #ecology #agriculture Register: www.eventbrite.com/e/capturing-...

Forests recovering from acid rain mine rocks for nutrients, leading to less acidic streams and more acid-sensitive soils In the White Mountains of New Hampshire, the streams are telling us a story about forest recovery following acid rain and logging. According to a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy o...

New @pnas.org study on 60 yrs of watershed data @ Hubbard Brook is first to show that in forests recovering from acid rain + logging, trees mine rocks for minerals, w/ impacts on soils & streams. Led by @drbiogc.bsky.social, @caryinstitute.bsky.social coauthors. www.caryinstitute.org/news-insight...

I had such a wonderful time visiting @caryinstitute.bsky.social last week. Everyone was so kind & generous & curious. Feel like I made a bunch of new science pals!
Thanks to my longtime pal Amy Zanne for the invite.

Cary brings Earth science learning to Baltimore City Public Schools As the Next Generation Science Standards go into effect in many states, schools across the nation are scrambling to update their curricula. The standards emphasize real-world scientific skills, and di...

.@caryinstitute.bsky.social’s EarthX project is helping to bring Earth science lessons to nearly 10,000 high school students in @baltcityschools.bsky.social, making them better prepared to engage with problems of environmental sustainability. www.caryinstitute.org/news-insight...

On Thu, Oct 23 @ 11am ET, join us for a virtual science seminar with @cornelluniversity.bsky.social's Dr. Aaron Sexton: Time to Abandon the Urban Biotic Homogenization Hypothesis. Free + open to all. #ecology Register: www.eventbrite.com/e/time-to-ab...

Building a burn severity atlas to track changing wildfires in real time This summer, scientists bushwhacked their way to 80 sites in Colorado, New Mexico, and California that burned in 15 fires during 2024, collecting data to create an atlas of burn severity that will cov...

#WFFRC member @brian-j-harvey.bsky.social is combining field + satellite data to create an atlas of wildfire burn severity across the Western US, to inform prescribed burning and future fire management strategies. #WFFRC is led by @caryinstitute.bsky.social www.caryinstitute.org/news-insight...

Thriving together: Understanding how we can improve urban life not just for people, but for plants and animals, too In our team’s last blog post, Cary Institute’s Shannon LaDeau explained the potential ecological importance of greening efforts in cities, and how local residents and community organizations can get i...

What role do urban green spaces play in curbing the global loss of biodiversity? Defining Urban Biodiversity (a project btw @caryinstitute.bsky.social’s @slladeau.bsky.social and @scenichudson.bsky.social) is exploring this question + more. #NatureinCities www.caryinstitute.org/news-insight...

On Thu, Oct 16 @ 11am ET, join us for a virtual science seminar with @cornelluniversity.bsky.social's @gigirose.bsky.social:
Pixels with Perspective: Scale-Dependent Grassland Change in Mongolia. Free + open to all. #ecology Register: www.eventbrite.com/e/pixels-wit...

‪How to write a scientific paper in 15 steps. Rooted in the logic of discovery, this approach demystifies the writing process and begins with a narrative arc. #ScientificWriting #PLOSComputationalBiology @bahanbug.bsky.social @jdrakephd.bsky.social

Read more: journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol...

Commentary: Harmful algal bloom in Hudson may be unprecedented, but it won't be the last State leaders must see this outbreak as a call to action to prepare for the next one.

Cary's Chris Solomon + @riverkeeper.org's Dan Shapley
on what needs to be done to prevent and manage future harmful algal blooms in the Hudson River. "With this bloom, the river is telling us something. We should listen."
www.timesunion.com/opinion/arti...