Soil properties modulate actual evapotranspiration and precipitation impacts on crop yields in the USA.

Crop yields are affected by hydroclimatic and edaphic conditions, but their interacting roles are often neglected when assessing crop yields at the regional scale. Moreover, often used hydroclimatic conditions such as precipitation and temperature are not as physiologically linked to primary production and yields as actual evapotranspiration. Using statistical models, we quantified the combined effects of edaphic and hydroclimatic conditions on county yields of irrigated rice and rainfed corn, soybean, and spring and winter wheat in the USA (2000-2019).

Pathways from research to sustainable development: Insights from ten research projects in sustainability and resilience.

Drawing on collective experience from ten collaborative research projects focused on the Global South, we identify three major challenges that impede the translation of research on sustainability and resilience into better-informed choices by individuals and policy-makers that in turn can support transformation to a sustainable future. The three challenges comprise: (i) converting knowledge produced during research projects into successful knowledge application; (ii) scaling up knowledge in time when research projects are short-term and potential impacts are long-term; and (iii) scaling up knowledge across space, from local research sites to larger-scale or even global impact. Some potential pathways for funding agencies to overcome these challenges include providing targeted prolonged funding for dissemination and outreach, and facilitating collaboration and coordination across different sites, research teams, and partner organizations.

The role of operators in sustainable whale-watching tourism: Proposing a continuous training framework.

Whale watching is considered a form of green tourism, but can affect marine ecosystems, impacting cetaceans' behavior and potentially increasing acoustic pollution. A more sustainable whale-watching practice should employ a comprehensive approach involving all stakeholders, but whale-watching operators are rarely involved. We propose a method to assess whale-watching operators' perceptions regarding the possible effects of their activity on marine fauna and preferred mitigation solutions, by means of online questionnaires and website communication strategies.