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Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

A clear blue river winds through a reedy wetland, reflecting the clouds overhead. A wooden boardwalk with rails overlooks the river on the right.

Hot, Fresh & Flooded: These Wetlands Spew Out the Most Methane

Your local wetland could send hundreds of tons of planet-warming methane into the atmosphere every year. Or virtually none.

Head and shoulders photo of Denise Breitburg, a woman with glasses and shoulder-length gray hair, with forested mountains in the background.

Wait, the Ocean Is Losing Oxygen? Q&A With Denise Breitburg

Marine ecologist Denise Breitburg explains how oxygen loss is crippling our oceans, and why it needs to be included as the tenth "planetary boundary"

Uzay Sezen, wearing a red hard hat, kneels in a forest with a crossbow on his left and a sample of green leaves in front of him

How Crossbows Can Tell Us Which Genes Trees Are Turning On…and Off

What's a scientist to do, when you need to reach the highest leaves in the forest and a giant crane isn't an option? Learn to use a crossbow.

A swarm of yellow fish and silver fish with yellow tailfins swim around a coral reef

Adult Fish Aren't Truly 'Protected' in Many Marine Protected Areas

To replenish adult spawners, marine protected areas need strong enforcement and climate-friendly design

Pools of water flood a green marsh, under a misty sky

How Much Can Wetlands Fight Climate Change? A New Carbon Atlas Has The Answers.

The Coastal Carbon Atlas and Library map how wetlands store carbon around the world—and put open data to work for the environment.

Black monkey perches in a tree staring directly at camera

Eight Weird and Wondrous Discoveries From 2023

Life on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the true power of nature sanctuaries and more wild discoveries from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.

Underwater photo of a pink and gold coral reef in bright blue water, with small blue and yellow fish. A blurry reflection of the reef appears in the water at the top of the photo.

New Study Reveals Large Holes In America’s Ocean Protection. Here’s How We Can Fix Them.

Many governments are leaning on marine protected areas to fight biodiversity loss. But in America, ocean protections are uneven and often weak, leading scientists to call for new strategies.

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