VOL. 102 | NO. 6 Houston’s Rare JUNE 2021 Winter Thundersnow Aerosol Scientists Pivot to COVID Sea Cucumber Heroes URBAN FORESTS Scientists and community planners are partnering to protect our vital city canopies. FROM THE EDITOR Editor in Chief Heather Goss,
[email protected] AGU Staff Growing Healthy City Canopies Vice President, Communications, Amy Storey Marketing,and Media Relations Editorial hen asked to imagine Washington, D.C., where AGU Manager, News and Features Editor Caryl-Sue Micalizio is headquartered, people who don’t live here prob- Science Editor Timothy Oleson ably think of all our large, marble columns and Associate Editor Alexandra Scammell W News and Features Writer Kimberly M. S. Cartier monuments surrounded by lots and lots of concrete. But run- News and Features Writer Jenessa Duncombe ning right down the middle of the city is Rock Creek Park, nearly 710 hectares (1,754 acres) of trees, trails, and streams Production & Design Manager, Production and Operations Faith A. Ishii that were designated a national park in 1890. This is an “urban Production and Analytics Specialist Anaise Aristide forest” of perhaps the most obvious kind—a beautiful, pro- Assistant Director, Design & Branding Beth Bagley tected piece of nature in the middle of a city. Senior Graphic Designer Valerie Friedman Senior Graphic Designer J. Henry Pereira These ecosystems are hugely important to city dwellers, but Graphic Design Intern Claire DeSmit they don’t need to be nearly as large as Rock Creek Park to pro- vide benefits. Single trees planted along a street, small neigh- Marketing Communications Specialist Maria Muekalia borhood parks, and shrubs lining a thoroughfare can have sig- Assistant Director, Marketing & Advertising Liz Zipse nificant impact on human health, local air quality and water systems, and even the economy.