In the news you might hear stories about carbon offsets, especially in the context of tree planting. How do scientists actually know how much carbon a forest is using? One of the major methods uses an eddy flux tower, which is what you see here. Dozens of meters above the forest floor, on a precarious…

Heavy rain in the desert today – sleet and snow where I was hiking. These rains play an important role in shaping the desert community, because they control the growth of winter annual plants. Many plants maintain a large seed bank in the soil, and only grow when conditions are good. This helps these species…