The Conversation

A federal program to help the Murray-Darling environment accidentally lowered water levels – but not as much as previous reports had feared. Q J Wang, Professor, University of Melbourne Avril Horne, Research fellow, Department of Infrastructure Engineering, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Seagrass may look unassuming, but healthy oceans depend on the huge meadows that grow in temperate and tropical waters. Valentina Hurtado-McCormick, PhD Candidate, University of Technology Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Vanuatu has banned them outright, while many Chinese families use just one every 24 hours. So why are Australians still sending millions of dirty nappies to landfill every single day? Kelly Dombroski, Senior Lecturer in Human Geography, University of Canterbury Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Tiny fairy wasps are so small they can lay their eggs inside other insects eggs, but they punch above their weight when it comes to keeping pests down. Manu Saunders, Research fellow, University of New England Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The Washington Post's weather editor explains how digital media changed the way we connect to the weather, and why it's wrong for weather editors to leave climate change out of the discussion. Andrea Carson, Associate Professor at La Trobe University. Department of Politics, Media and Philosophy, La Trobe University Lawrie Zion, Professor of Journalism, La Trobe University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Strictly enforced no-take marine areas benefit everyone, from the fish to fishers. Dustin Marshall, Professor, Marine Evolutionary Ecology, Monash University Liz Morris, Administration Manager, Monash University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

When we build marinas, ports, jetties and coastal defences we introduce hard structures that weren’t there before, and which reduce the amount of sunlight hitting the water. Martino Malerba, Postdoctoral Fellow, Monash University Craig White, Head, Evolutionary Physiology Research Group, Monash University Dustin Marshall, Professor, Marine Evolutionary Ecology, Monash University Liz Morris, Administration Manager, Monash University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

World Heritage globally is threatened by climate change, in all sorts of ways. A new tool identifies the key risks and best strategies for both natural and cultural wonders. Scott Heron, Senior Lecturer, James Cook University Jon C. Day, PSM, Post-career PhD candidate, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Greenland's ice made headlines in June, as warm weather made for unseasonably widespread melting. And though this summer is still unfolding, the human fingerprint on Greenland's ice can't be denied. Nerilie Abram, ARC Future Fellow, Research School of Earth Sciences; Chief Investigator for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Flushable wipes have won a victory in the Federal Court, but you still shouldn't put them down the toilet. Ian Wright, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science, Western Sydney University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Emperor penguins have a few hidden tricks to stay warm, like blood vessels in the nose arranged so they can regain most of the heat that would be lost by breathing. Jane Younger, Research Fellow, University of Bath Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

In a time of populist momentum to 'build a wall', your front fence says more than you think. Katherine Wilson, Journalist, author and educator, Swinburne University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The endangered Hector's dolphins are found only in coastal seas in New Zealand, but conservation experts describe New Zealand's proposed protection plan for the marine mammals as misleading. Elisabeth Slooten, Professor, University of Otago Steve Dawson, Professor, University of Otago Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

White cedar grows across Asia and Australia, as a hardy and resilient deciduous. Gregory Moore, Doctor of Botany, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Academia can play an important role by helping institutions break out of their silos to improve large carnivore conservation. Euan Ritchie, Associate Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Abi Vanak, University of KwaZulu-Natal Benjamin Scheele, Research Fellow in Ecology, Australian National University Laurentiu Rozylowicz, Center for Environmental Research and Impact Studies, University of Bucharest Tibor Hartel, Invited user Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Sydney has joined more than 600 local governments around the world – as well as the national governments of the UK and Canada – in putting the climate crisis at the heart of all policy decisions. Chris Turney, Professor of Earth Science and Climate Change, ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, UNSW Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Because it happened within the Australian Plate rather than at a plate boundary, shockwaves from the quake travelled more efficiently to Darwin than to cities closer to the epicentre. Brendan Duffy, Lecturer in Applied Geoscience, University of Melbourne Mark Quigley, Associate professor, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Severe coral bleaching may have been the crucial factor in bringing home the reality of climate change for many people. Matt Curnock, Social Scientist, CSIRO Scott Heron, Senior Lecturer, James Cook University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Human eyes are very complex and are good at doing many jobs at once, while spiders have different sorts of eyes that do different jobs. Samantha Nixon, PhD, The University of Queensland Andrew Walker, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Fake meat may be the food of the future. Leigh Ackland, Professor in Molecular Biosciences, Deakin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.