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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. In our June issue of Eos, we look at the growing body of research on this vital city greenery. Advertising Courtney L. Peterson and colleagues walk us through the canopies of three U.S. cities—Albu- Display Advertising Steve West [email protected] querque, N.M.; Austin, Texas; and Durango, Colo.—and how local government is starting to Recruitment Advertising [email protected] work with researchers to better manage and adapt their green spaces. As climate change exac- erbates the urban heat island effect, among other issues, protecting local trees and their cool- Science Advisers ing benefits is essential. Read more on page 20. Geomagnetism, Paleomagnetism, Julie Bowles Cities are, of course, made up of a complex amalgam of privileged and underserved com- and Electromagnetism Space Physics and Aeronomy Christina M. S. Cohen munities, with different levels of access to urban benefits. (Rock Creek Park, which runs Cryosphere Ellyn Enderlin through the northern half of the city, is an excellent example; the households in D.C. with the Study of the Earth’s Deep Interior Edward J. Garnero lowest median incomes are in the south and across a river.) If you’re wondering what that has Geodesy Brian C. Gunter History of Geophysics Kristine C. Harper to do with science, turn to page 34, where we report on researchers doing the hard work in Planetary Sciences Sarah M. Hörst communities to create green infrastructure using equity-focused development strategies. Natural Hazards Michelle Hummel Urban forests also face unique, city- dwelling dangers. On page 26, we report on trees in Volcanology, Geochemistry, and Petrology Emily R. Johnson Societal Impacts and Policy Sciences Christine Kirchhoff Boston, Mass., that neighborhood residents realized were dying from gas leaks in the pipes Seismology Keith D. Koper under the street. Scientists partnered with local activists and have made real, legislative change Tectonophysics Jian Lin that’s not only keeping their streets greener but playing a part in greening the state’s entire Near-Surface Geophysics Juan Lorenzo Earth and Space Science Informatics Kirk Martinez energy system. Mineral and Rock Physics Sébastien Merkel We’re going to be talking more about scientists’ role in our communities this year—“Science Ocean Sciences Jerry L. Miller Is Society” is the theme of AGU’s Fall Meeting 2021. Turn to page 18 to read about Raleigh Mar- Global Environmental Change Hansi Singh Education Eric M. Riggs tin’s experience as a geoscientist fellow on the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis in the Hydrology Kerstin Stahl U.S. House of Representatives. You don’t need to roll up to one of D.C.’s marble- columned Tectonophysics Carol A. Stein buildings to be part of effective change though—Martin offers several recommendations for Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology Kaustubh Thirumalai anyone interested in talking to their local policymakers about making good decisions sup- Atmospheric Sciences Mika Tosca Nonlinear Geophysics Adrian Tuck ported by scientific evidence. Biogeosciences Merritt Turetsky Is the weather nice where you are today? If so, I recommend heading outside and finding a Hydrology Adam S. Ward lovely tree to read our June issue underneath. Diversity and Inclusion Lisa D. White Earth and Planetary Surface Processes Andrew C. Wilcox Atmospheric and Space Electricity Yoav Yair GeoHealth Ben Zaitchik ©2021. AGU. All Rights Reserved. Material in this issue may be photocopied by individual scientists for research or classroom use. Permission is also granted to use short quotes, figures, and tables for publication in scientific books and journals. For permission for any other uses, contact the AGU Publications Office. Eos (ISSN 0096-3941) is published monthly by AGU, 2000 Florida Ave., NW, Heather Goss, Editor in Chief Washington, DC 20009, USA. Periodical Class postage paid at Washington, D.C., and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Member Service Center, 2000 Florida Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009, USA Member Service Center: 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Eastern time; Tel: +1-202-462-6900; Fax: +1-202-328-0566; Tel. orders in U.S.: 1-800-966-2481; [email protected]. Submit your article proposal or suggest a news story to Eos at bit.ly/Eos-proposal. Views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect official positions of AGU unless expressly stated. Randy Fiser, Executive Director/CEO SCIENCE NEWS BY AGU // Eos.org 1 CONTENT 26 20 34 Features 20 Community Forests Prepare 26 The Surprising Root for Climate Change of the Massachusetts Fight By Courtney L. Peterson et al. Against Natural Gas In three U.S. cities, city managers are working with By Jenessa Duncombe scientists to keep their trees alive and thriving. This is how activism gets turned into science and codified into state law. On the Cover Credit: Claire DeSmit 34 Growing Equity in City Green Space By Kimberly Cartier Urban forest management requires a deep understanding of the complex relationship residents have with green spaces. 2 Eos // JUNE 2021 CONTENT 5 11 6 43 Columns From the Editor Research Spotlight 1 Growing Healthy City Canopies 40 A 50,000-Year History of Current Flow Yields New Climate Clues News 41 An Innovative Approach to Investigating Subduction Slip Budgets | Global Warming Causes 4 Turf’s Dirty Little Secret Uneven Changes in Heat Stress Indicators 5 Ancient Acidic Lakes May Have Harbored Life 42 The Gaps in Environmental Networks Across Latin America 6 Scientists Map Africa’s Groundwater Recharge 43 How Did Diatoms Evolve to Swap Zinc for the First Time for the Toxic Metal Cadmium? | The Space Dust That 8 A Reminder of a Desert’s Past, Before Dingo Removal Causes Zodiacal Light Might Come from Mars 9 Rare Wintertime Thunderstorms Recorded 44 The First Angstrom-Scale View of Weathering | over the U.S. Gulf Coast Earthquakes Can Acidify Groundwater 10 Aerosol Scientists Try to Clear the Air 45 Parsing Routes to Aquifer Recharge Along Mountain Fronts About COVID- 19 Transmission 11 Making the Universe Blurrier Editors’ Highlights 13 Oak Trees Offer a Continuous Climate Record for Central Europe 46 Dawn Storms at Jupiter | Cellular Radio Signals 14 Sea Cucumbers: The Excremental Heroes of Coral Provide New Data on Smoke Particulates Reef Ecosystems 15 Aerial Photographs Uncover Bogotá’s Indigenous Positions Available Hydraulic System 47 Current job openings in the Earth and space sciences 17 A Space Hurricane Spotted Above the Polar Cap Opinion Postcards from the Field 48 Modern analogues for ancient stromatolites 18 How Scientists Can Engage to Solve the Climate Crisis AmericanGeophysicalUnion @AGU_Eos company/american-geophysical-union AGUvideos americangeophysicalunion americangeophysicalunion SCIENCE NEWS BY AGU // Eos.org 3 NEWS Turf’s Dirty Little Secret ustralian scientists have found that more gas production. Agriculture emits the bicide likely prohibits new growth and frees grassy sports fields used for soccer, most nitrous oxide of any sector. up more soil nitrogen for hungry microbes, A cricket, and baseball can release a As the world urbanizes, scientists are researchers said. potent greenhouse gas into the environment. studying how nitrous oxide emissions are Aerating, fertilizing, and watering for the A yearlong study at La Trobe University in concentrated outside the agricultural realm. oncoming sports season also increased Melbourne, suggests that mowing, fertilizing, A better understanding of how sports fields nitrous oxide emissions. Watering decreases and applying herbicides to turfgrass sports contribute to emissions could help mitigate the microbes’ access to oxygen, making them fields contributes to the release of large