Max Planck Society (Max Planck Gesellschaft)
Max Planck Society (Max Planck Gesellschaft) is a research center that is part of the pulse of the water sector. Here we bring together everything it publishes on Smart Water Magazine: its news, its blogs and the events it takes part in.
Groundwater threatened by droughts and heavy rainfalls
Extreme climate events endanger groundwater quality and stability, when rain water evades natural purification processes in the soil. This was demonstrated in long-term groundwater analyses using new analytical methods, as described in a recent study in Nature Communications. As billions of people rely on sufficient and clean groundwater for drinking, understanding the impacts of climate extremes on […]
Rainfall induces bursts of natural nanoparticles that can form clouds above the Amazon rainforest
Atmospheric aerosol particles are essential for the formation of clouds and precipitation, thereby influencing the Earth's energy budget, water cycle, and climate. However, the origin of aerosol particles in pristine air over the Amazon rainforest during the wet season is poorly understood. Atmospheric aerosol particles are essential for the formation of clouds and precipitation, thereby influencing […]
Bacteria in lakes fight climate change
Aerobic methane-oxidizing bacteria are also permanently active in oxygen-free water.
Breathing poison: Microbial life on nitric oxide respiration
In a long-term culture, scientists find and characterize two new microorganisms growing on the toxic gas nitric oxide, reducing it completely to N2.
Overall warming of up to 5°C in this century projected for Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East
Unprecedented and societally disruptive extreme weather events, including heat waves, droughts, dust storms and torrential rains, will soon become a reality unless immediate, ambitious, and transboundary climate action is taken, warns latest scientific assessment of state-of-climate in the region.
Ecosystems get increasingly thirsty due to climate change
A new study shows that future ecosystem functioning will increasingly depend on water availability. Using recent simulations from climate models, an international team of scientists found several "hot spot regions" where increasing water limitation strongly affects ecosystems. These include Central Europe, the Amazon, and western Russia. Pinpointing such regions is essential: Healthy ecosystems are vital […]
Indian Ocean warming could weaken summer monsoon rainfall in South Asia
The South Asian monsoon, also known as Indian summer monsoon (ISM), is crucial for the food security and socioeconomic well-being of 40% of the world's population. From a historical perspective, fluctuations in monsoon rainfall have been linked to the rise and fall of civilizations in the Indian subcontinent. Now researchers are increasingly concerned that global […]
Artificial Intelligence now provides sharper images of lunar craters that contain water ice
The Moon’s polar regions are home to craters and other depressions that never receive sunlight. A group of researchers led by the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany has presented the highest-resolution images to date covering 17 such craters. Craters of this type could contain frozen water, making them attractive targets for […]
Climate change increases migration at the expense of the poor
A climate game developed by Max Planck researchers shows that global cooperation can be possible – although not without effort.