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Update of a local tree field guide offers ‘antidote for plant blindness’
A many-trunked tree just blooming in spring sprawls at Morris Arboretum

An icon at Morris Aboretum, a many-trunked katsura tree is among those specimens featured in “Philadelphia Trees.” It was planted in the early 1900s.

(Image: Paul W. Meyer)

Update of a local tree field guide offers ‘antidote for plant blindness’

A new edition of “Philadelphia Trees,” coauthored by former Morris Arboretum director Paul W. Meyer, Catriona Bull Briger, and Edward Sibley Barnard offers tips for identifying tree species and highlights some of the most notable trees in the region, including many on Penn’s campus.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Scientists say climate change goosed New Zealand storm fury
Associated Press

Scientists say climate change goosed New Zealand storm fury

Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that climate models in general are insufficient to describe all of climate change’s impacts on extreme weather.

Who, What, Why: Tess Kuracina tends to the ‘BioPond,’ a beloved campus oasis
Person poses by the Biopond on Penn's campus

The BioPond, as it’s widely known, sits amid campus buildings, offering a place of respite for both the Penn community and the broader West Philadelphia community. Its accessibility sets it apart from many botanical gardens, Kuracina says.

nocred

Who, What, Why: Tess Kuracina tends to the ‘BioPond,’ a beloved campus oasis

As garden supervisor for the treasured green space formally known as the James G. Kaskey Memorial Park, Kuracina plans, plants, waters, and weeds, aiming to make it ‘more beautiful and special every year.’

Katherine Unger Baillie

From glacier ice, a wealth of scientific data
Two scientists walk on glacier ice near a river and mountains

Jade Hatton and Anna Polášková of the CryoEco Group at Prague’s Charles University, collaborators of the BiCycles Lab, work in Greenland’s Upernavik region.

(Image: Jack Murphy)

From glacier ice, a wealth of scientific data

Biogeochemist Jon Hawkings of the School of Arts & Sciences and his lab study glaciers to understand the cycling of elements through Earth’s waters, soils, and air in its coldest regions, with implications for climate change, ecosystem health, and more.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Tracking Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s biggest campaign promises
Spotlight PA

Tracking Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s biggest campaign promises

Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 is possible for Pennsylvania but will require Gov. Josh Shapiro to convince voters that legislative Republicans are blocking efforts to create a livable future.

Tackling threat of mudslides in soaked California
Associated Press

Tackling threat of mudslides in soaked California

Douglas Jerolmack of the School of Arts & Sciences says that debris basins can be costly, becoming overwhelmed by new landslides or mudslides that have been worsened by climate change.

Oceans break record for highest temperatures four years in a row
Smithsonian Magazine

Oceans break record for highest temperatures four years in a row

A co-authored study by Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences finds that the world’s oceans have hit their warmest temperatures on record for the fourth year in a row.

Ocean heat content hits record high, a sign of global warming
Axios

Ocean heat content hits record high, a sign of global warming

Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that ocean-heat content continues to consistently set records every year, separate from surface warming factors like El Niño.

The science behind the oldest trees on earth
Smithsonian Magazine

The science behind the oldest trees on earth

Jared Farmer of the School of Arts & Sciences shares an excerpt from his recent book, “Elderflora: A Modern History of Ancient Trees.”