Daily environment roundup - March 31, 2015

The vast majority of the world's remaining forests are fragmented. In other words, the forests that we see today are "...increasingly isolated from other forests by a sea of transformed lands, and they are found in ever-smaller sized patches." says a new study. This means that only the Amazon and the Congo are the two major forests left in the world, says Christian Science Monitor.

Another study says that "The amount of moisture transpired from leaves increases for some tree species but drops on average." because of climate change.

Global climate change disturbs seafloor ecosystems on continental margins and required millions of years for ecological recovery, says a paper published in PNAS.

Around 8 million metric tonnes of plastic go into the oceans every year.

Today, 99 percent of our transoceanic data traffic—including phone calls, text and e-mail messages, —travels across the oceans via undersea cables, says a new book by New York University assistant professor of media, culture and communication Nicole Starosielski.

Read an excellent article on floral signals sent by plants.

A study by scientists from 20 countries show that lake temperatures have increased at a much higher rate than air temperatures.

While India is focused on auctioning of coal blocks, "...Beijing is closing its last major coal power station next year in an attempt to tackle air pollution which is costing the economy more than 10% of its GDP."  A lead story in Indian Express says nobody acted on the worsening air pollution in New Delhi, India's capital city.

A paper published in the leading medical journal BMJ says that increased exposure to particulate matter in the air can increase anxiety levels and the chances of stroke in women.