Abstract Shaun Quegan discusses the upcoming ESA BIOMASS mission, charged with monitoring health of Earth's forests.

www.sciencemag.org SCIENCE VOL 326 18 DECEMBER 2009 1581 COVER Ardipithecus ramidus, a possible human ancestor, inhabited then-wooded regions of Ethiopia 4.4 million years ago. This year, studies of the fossilized skeleton of a member of the species raised surprising questions about how key human traits evolved. See the Breakthrough of the Year special section beginning on page 1598 and at www....

The persistence of the biocontrol agent Pseudomonas fluorescens CHA0 in the surface horizon of 12 large outdoor lysimeters planted with winter wheat, Phacelia tanacetifolia followed by spring wheat, or maize was monitored for 1 year. Soil was inoculated with a spontaneous rifampin-resistant mutant (CHA0-Rif) of CHA0, and the strain was studied by using colony counts, Kogure's direct viable coun...

Drought is common in rangeland environments and an understanding of its impacts on the structure and function of rangeland ecosystems is paramount for developing effective management strategies. This research was the second of a series of studies investigating the impacts of varying seasonal droughts on northern Great Plains rangelands. Research was conducted on native rangeland during the 1998...

Nutrient losses from residential lawns and landscapes can negatively impact water quality. Information about nutrient leaching from established residential landscapes containing a mixture of woody ornamental plants and turfgrass is limited. The objective of our study was to determine the effect of vegetation cover (turfgrass vs. woody ornamental) on nutrient leaching from established landscapes...

Deep percolation enhancement from recycled wastewater irrigation may contribute to salt accumulation and water table elevation that can ultimately cause soil and ground water degradation. Variation of drainage rate and solute leaching were investigated in an urban park containing heterogeneous landscape plants that were irrigated with recycled wastewater. Field monitoring was undertaken at Veal...

an accurate determination of evapotranspiration is required for many studies that involve estimation of the water balance. one methodology is the use of lysimeters. considering the semiarid climate of kerman province, in southeastern parts of iran, the only operating electronic weighing lysimeter in the country was used for calculating daily eto from april 2004 to march 2005 in three different ...