University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability

The Amazon needs science that is not only about the region, but built in and for the region.

That’s the idea behind a new collaboration between the University of Michigan and the Federal University of Pará in Brazil. More than 50 researchers, professors and students recently gathered in Belém for a workshop focused on data analysis, remote sensing, artificial intelligence, ecological modeling and scenario building for the future of the Amazon.

“This collaboration will involve interchange between the two institutions involving education, research, outreach and communication to advance science and public policy for people and nature in the Amazon,” said Peter Reich, SEAS professor and director of the Institute for Global Change Biology.

Read more about the partnership and the researchers working to strengthen scientific capacity in the Amazon:

The forest teaches: Brazil-US partnership trains young scientists in the Amazon A workshop hosted by the University of Michigan and the Federal University of Pará in Brazil is preparing early career researchers to tackle some of the Amazon Rainforest's most pressing challenges.

New research from U-M’s Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR) suggests that after decades of declining ice cover, the Great Lakes could see a temporary increase in average annual ice cover over the next decade or so.

But there’s an important caveat: more ice doesn’t mean climate change is reversing. Researchers say a potential rebound would be a temporary respite against a 125-year warming trend.

While Great Lakes ice cover is slipping, a 'temporary respite' may be on the way There's good news and bad news for folks who love a good coat of ice on the Great Lakes for the activities and businesses it supports.

As Michigan experiences more frequent flooding, heavier rainfall, warmer winters and extreme heat, donor support is enabling U-M researchers, including SEAS Associate Professor Drew Gronewold, to study how these changes affect the Great Lakes, public health and local communities.

The calm after the storm: U-M research confronts extreme weather—and aims to curb its effects The forecast is severe: warmer winters, heavier rainfall. Here’s how U-M is leading the charge for a brighter future.

A new U-M study found that one of the world's largest groups of birds evolved in rapid bursts, often during periods of major climate change.

Using an AI tool to analyze more than 15,000 museum bird skeletons across 2,000+ species, researchers uncovered evidence supporting a long-standing evolutionary theory while demonstrating the power of combining AI with natural history collections.

The findings also offer new clues about how species may respond to today's changing climate.

AI tool reveals climate shifts may have fueled bursts of bird evolution University of Michigan researchers have used an AI tool to demonstrate that birds in the group Passeriformes evolved in rapid evolutionary bursts and that these bursts frequently coincided with climate shifts throughout Earth's history.

In the fight against coffee pests, known as coffee berry borers, ants are allies, but a new discovery by Jonathan “Jonno” Morris (MS '16, PhD '24) has revealed there may be a new feature to this protection.

Ecologists have known that large ants eat the berry borers, thus hindering the pests’ ability to colonize coffee plants, and that small ants can root the borers out of the homes they make for themselves in coffee fruits. Now, Morris has, for the first time, observed that small ant species can then use the habitats in the fruits to reproduce.

U-M researcher discovers new ant behavior that could help protect coffee from pests Ants are known allies in the fight against coffee pests known as coffee berry borers. Now, a discovery made by Jonathan "Jonno" Morris while he was a University of Michigan graduate student has revealed there may be a new dimension to this protection.

While humans may not love ants, they help protect our coffee from pests known as coffee berry borers, setting up a "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" situation. New research from the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability shows that some ant species can take this to a new level: "The house of my enemy is a good place to reproduce."

Read more about this newly-discovered ant behavior at the link in the first comment.

As climate change makes farming more unpredictable, how can the world produce more food while reducing its environmental footprint?

New research from SEAS professor Meha Jain highlights how advances in satellite technology are transforming agriculture. By combining high-resolution satellite imagery with analytical tools, researchers can help governments and organizations identify where sustainable farming practices will have the greatest impact.

From up on high: A view from space for a future for small farms New research examines the impacts of environmental change on agricultural production and the strategies farmers may adopt to mitigate negative effects.

Protecting clean air, fresh water, and safe food takes more than responding to the latest crisis.

In a new op-ed, Dean Jonathan Overpeck and Professor Mike Shriberg make the case for investing in climate solutions, strengthening regional food systems, protecting our water, and building a more resilient future.

Michigan health plagued by wildfires, smokes and floods | Opinion Michiganders have been suffering from hazardous wildfire smoke, a cyclosporiasis outbreak and floods. They are not mere coincidences.

When a food recall or supply chain disruption makes headlines, it raises an important question: How well do we really know where our food comes from?

In a new commentary, U-M faculty member Amanda Maria Edmonds explores why, while industrial food systems feed millions, local and regional food systems play a critical role in building resilience.

A Michigander’s case for investing In local food systems We shouldn't need a crisis to remind us to keep our next meal closer to home—and we shouldn't have to wait for the next one to build the systems that make that possible, affordable and accessible for all families, writes University of Michigan Program in the Environment (PitE) faculy member Amanda...

Since 2010, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has provided over $5 billion to improve the quality of the region’s environment while surviving multiple attempts to reduce its funding or eliminate it altogether. Mike Shriberg, professor of practice and engagement with the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability and director of the University of Michigan Water Center at the U-M Graham Sustainability Institute explains how lessons learned can be applied beyond the Great Lakes.

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