Most recent 20 articles: PHYS.ORG - Earth
 |
Japan's Sapporo sees earliest 25C day since records began - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 15) |
|
Apr 15 · Temperatures in Japan's northern city of Sapporo - famous for skiing - on Monday passed 25 degrees Celsius at the earliest point of any year on record, a weather agency official said.
Sapporo, the main city on the island of Hokkaido, hosted the 1972 Winter Olympics and each February holds a snow festival where massive ice sculptures draw tens of thousands of visitors.
"The temperature in Sapporo hit 26 degrees... and is still rising," Shuichi Yoshida, an official at the regional headquarters of the Japan Meteorological Agency, told AFP in the early afternoon.
It is the earliest that temperatures in the city have passed 25 degrees Celsius (77 Fahrenheit), which the ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Swiss climate policy in spotlight after court ruling - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 15) |
|
Apr 15 · Switzerland, known for pristine countryside and snow-capped peaks, is facing scrutiny of its environmental policies after becoming the first country faulted by an international court for failing to do enough against climate change.
The European Court of Human Rights's ruling last week highlighted a number of failings in Swiss policies, but experts stressed that the wealthy Alpine country was not necessarily doing much worse than its peers.
"The judgment made it really clear that there are critical gaps in the Swiss domestic regulatory framework," said Tiffanie Chan, a policy analyst at the London School of Economics and Political Science specializing in climate change laws. Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Switch to green wastewater infrastructure could reduce emissions and provide huge savings, new research finds - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 15) |
|
Apr 15 · The comprehensive findings from Colorado State University were highlighted in Nature Communications Earth & Environment in a first-of-its-kind study. The work from the Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering explores the potential economic tradeoffs of switching to green infrastructure and technology solutions that go beyond existing gray-water treatment practices.
Built off data collected at over 22,000 facilities, the report provides comprehensive baseline metrics and explores the relationship among emissions, costs and treatment capabilities for utility operators and decision-makers.
Braden Limb is the first author on the paper and a Ph.D. student in the Department ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Tropical forests can't recover naturally without fruit eating birds, carbon recovery study shows - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 15) |
|
Apr 15 · Fruit eating birds such as the Red-Legged Honeycreeper, Palm Tanager, or the Rufous-Bellied Thrush play a vital role in forest ecosystems by consuming, excreting, and spreading seeds as they move throughout a forested landscape.
Between 70% to 90% of the tree species in tropical forests are dependent on animal seed dispersal. This initial process is essential for allowing forests to grow and function. While earlier studies have established that birds are important for forest biodiversity, researchers at the Crowther Lab now have a quantitative understanding of how they contribute to forest restoration.
The new study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Scientists find vast numbers of illegal 'ghost roads' used to crack open pristine rainforest - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 14) |
|
Apr 14 · In an article published in Nature, my colleagues and I show that illicit, often out-of-control road building is imperiling forests in Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea. The roads we're studying do not appear on legitimate maps. We call them "ghost roads."
What's so bad about a road? A road means access. Once roads are bulldozed into rainforests, illegal loggers, miners, poachers and landgrabbers arrive. Once they get access, they can destroy forests, harm native ecosystems and even drive out or kill indigenous peoples. This looting of the natural world robs cash-strapped nations of valuable natural resources. Indonesia, for instance, loses around A$1.5 billion each year ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Tandem heat waves, storm surges increasingly batter coasts: Study - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 14) |
|
Apr 14 · Coastal communities need to prepare for simultaneous extreme weather events as heat waves increasingly overlap with surges in sea levels due to climate change, a study published on Thursday warned.
Extreme heat and sea levels are typically monitored and studied individually but researchers from Hong Kong Polytechnic University found they were occurring simultaneously - a phenomenon that could multiply fivefold by mid-century.
The study's lead author, Mo Zhao, told AFP these events pose "very dangerous" risks, from deadly heat to floods, that may "exceed the coping capacity" of communities to respond.
"We don't have sufficient resources or sufficient human resources ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Americans more willing to pay for climate action after extreme weather - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 13) |
|
Apr 13 · Trump voters who reported experiencing an extreme weather event were more likely to vote in favor of a clean energy referendum than Trump voters who had not experienced such events.
"Despite people's beliefs about climate change being human-caused, despite people's political affiliation—both of which we know have really strong impacts on how people think about climate change—we find that when people have experienced extreme events, they are more likely to support climate mitigation policy, even if it costs more money," says study co-author Rachelle Gould of University of Vermont (UVM).
For the study, researchers from UVM and University of Colorado examined ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Biden rule hikes fees for oil projects on public lands - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 13) |
|
Apr 13 · Oil companies drilling on public lands must post larger bonds and pay higher royalties under a rule finalized Friday by the Biden administration.
The bonding requirements for development increased to $150,000 from $10,000, a level set in 1960 that no longer covers potential cleanup costs, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) said in a press release.
In another shift, the Department of the Interior lifted royalty rates for leases to 16.67 percent from the previous level of 12.5 percent.
The changes were described by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland as the most significant reform to the leasing program "in decades" but were criticized by petroleum interests.
They ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Saturday Citations: Listening to bird dreams, securing qubits, imagining impossible billiards - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 13) |
|
Apr 13 · It's Saturday, which means that in a universe where the arrow of time moves backward, people have to go to work tomorrow. In such a hypothetical universe, Garfield hates Fridays - tough to imagine. This week, we looked at several hundred breaking science developments, four of which I've highlighted here, including a new geoengineering study, a quantum infosec breakthrough, and listening in on the melodious dreams of birds.
During the solar eclipse on Monday, as the light across Brooklyn grew dimmer and the temperature dropped a noticeable eight degrees, it occurred to me: Blocking the sun is a great way to cool the atmosphere (I have an associate's degree from an accredited ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Study lists world's 'forever chemical' hotspots - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 13) |
|
Apr 13 · Dangerous concentrations of long-lingering "forever chemicals" have been found in surface and groundwater worldwide, according to a study released Tuesday that showed Australia, the United States and Europe as hotspots.
A paper published in the journal Nature Geoscience analyzed data from 45,000 water samples globally and found a "substantial fraction" had levels of PFAS - per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances - above recommended levels.
Found in everyday products such as non-stick frying pans, food packaging and waterproof clothing, the substances have been linked to serious health conditions including cancer and birth defects.
They have been found everywhere from ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
As climate change progresses, new rainfall patterns may affect plants worldwide - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 12) |
|
Apr 12 · April showers are increasingly becoming deluges due to climate change, and May flowers will never be the same. And it's not just April; the warming of the planet is causing a year-round, worldwide trend toward more intense but less frequent rainfalls, a dynamic that will increasingly impact plants worldwide, according to a University of Maryland-led study published in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment.
Already in most regions, more than half of the total yearly rainfall occurs on the 12 wettest days of the year - a number likely to shrink as rainfall becomes more concentrated in fewer days.
Longer dry periods interspersed with stronger downpours tend to benefit plants ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
BepiColombo detects escaping oxygen and carbon in unexplored region of Venus's magnetosphere - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 12) |
|
Apr 12 · Detections in a previously unexplored region of Venus's magnetic environment show that carbon and oxygen are being accelerated to speeds where they can escape the planet's gravitational pull. The results have been published in Nature Astronomy.
Lina Hadid, CNRS researcher at the Plasma Physics Laboratory (LPP) and lead author of the study said, "This is the first time that positively charged carbon ions have been observed escaping from Venus's atmosphere. These are heavy ions that are usually slow moving, so we are still trying to understand the mechanisms that are at play. It may be that an electrostatic 'wind' is lifting them away from the planet, or they could be ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Biden plans sweeping effort to block Arctic oil drilling - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 12) |
|
Apr 12 · The U.S. set aside 23 million acres of Alaska's North Slope to serve as an emergency oil supply a century ago. Now, President Joe Biden is moving to block oil and gas development across roughly half of it.
The initiative, set to be finalized within days, marks one of the most sweeping efforts yet by Biden to limit oil and gas exploration on federal lands. It comes as he seeks to boost land conservation and fight climate change - and is campaigning for a second term on promises to do more of it.
The changes wouldn't affect ConocoPhillips's controversial 600-million-barrel Willow oil project in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. But oil industry leaders say the plan is ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Despite what you might hear, weather prediction is getting better, not worse - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 12) |
|
Apr 12 · This led to debate in the media and during senate estimates around the Bureau of Meteorology's ability to make accurate predictions as the climate changes. The value of seasonal forecasting in particular has been called into question.
Weather prediction has actually improved in recent years. And there are exciting developments on the horizon involving artificial intelligence. But the effect of future climate change on weather and seasonal prediction is not yet well understood.
As climate scientists, we know seven- to 14-day forecasts and seasonal predictions stack up pretty well when it comes to the crunch. That's because agencies such as the Bureau check the success of ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Environmental groups grateful but vigilant after Key Bridge collapse - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 12) |
|
Apr 12 · When Alice Volpitta watched the video of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, and the trucks tumbling into the Patapsco River in the darkness, she thought first for the people who had fallen.
And as her mind raced, the Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper thought of the river.
"What's on that ship?" thought Volpitta, of environmental nonprofit Blue Water Baltimore.
As it turned out, the massive container ship that struck the bridge carried more than 1 million gallons of fuel and 4,679 shipping containers, 56 of them filled with hazardous materials.
But, for the most part, two weeks after the collapse, environmental advocates are breathing a sigh of ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Exoplanets true to size: New model calculations shows impact of star's brightness and magnetic activity - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 12) |
|
Apr 12 · The data revealed evidence of large quantities of water vapor, methane, and even, for the first time, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of WASP-39b. A minor sensation, but there is still one fly in the ointment: researchers have not yet succeeded in reproducing all the crucial details of the observations in model calculations. This stands in the way of an even more precise analysis of the data.
In the new study led by the MPS, the authors, including researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (U.S.), the Space Telescope Science Institute (U.S.), Keele University (United Kingdom), and the University of Heidelberg (Germany), show a way to overcome this ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Fewer showers, less laundry, as water cuts hit Bogota - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 12) |
|
Apr 12 · Residents of Bogota are facing fewer showers, minimal laundry loads and dirty cars as the Colombian capital imposes water rations due to a severe drought aggravated by the El Niño climate phenomenon.
Bogota has become the latest major city around the world to face a water crisis in recent years due to intense dry spells and President Gustavo Petro vowed Thursday to boost investment to protect the valuable resource.
Some 10 million people in the Colombian capital and surrounds are being impacted by new restrictions that impose 24-hour water cuts every ten days by sector.
"The situation is critical," said Mayor Carlos Fernando Galan.
In the mountainous suburb ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
NASA unveils probe bound for Jupiter's possibly life-sustaining moon - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 12) |
|
Apr 12 · US space scientists on Thursday unveiled the interplanetary probe NASA plans to send to one of Jupiter's icy moons as part of humanity's hunt for extra-terrestrial life.
The Clipper spacecraft is due to blast off in October bound for Europa, one of dozens of moons orbiting the solar system's biggest planet, and the nearest spot in our celestial neighborhood that could offer a perch for life.
"One of the fundamental questions that NASA wants to understand is, are we alone in the cosmos?" Bob Pappalardo, the mission's project scientist told AFP.
"If we were to find the conditions for life, and then someday actually find life in a place like Europa, then that would ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Oceanographers uncover the vital role of mixing down of oxygen in sustaining deep sea health - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 12) |
|
Apr 12 · "There is growing concern for the health of our coastal oceans as the climate warms because warmer water holds less oxygen. Living creatures in the ocean are reliant on oxygen to survive in the same way as animals on land are. Oxygen is also used up as rotting matter decomposes in the depths of the ocean. This creates a summer oxygen deficit in the deep seas around the UK. Unfortunately, as our climate warms, this deficit is forecast to grow," lead author Professor Tom Rippeth of Bangor University explains.
The formation of stratification in the summer in the deeper water around the UK isolates the deep water from the atmosphere, which is the main source of oxygen.
These ... Read more ...
|
|
|
|
Q&A: El Niño drought leaves Zimbabwe's Lake Kariba only 13% full - a disaster for people and wildlife - PHYS.ORG - Earth (Apr 12) |
|
Apr 12 · Historian and social scientist Joshua Matanzima grew up at Lake Kariba and has spent the past 10 years researching socioeconomic life there. He discusses the impact of the latest drought on the people of the area.
Where is Kariba Dam and what purposes does it serve?
The 280 kilometer long, man-made Lake Kariba is part of the Kariba Dam, which was built between 1955 and 1959 in the Zambezi river basin between Zambia and Zimbabwe. The dam provides hydroelectric power to the Kariba north power station on the Zambian side and Kariba south power station on the Zimbabwean side. These provide most of the electricity for the two nations.
The remote Kariba Dam, about five ... Read more ...
|
|
|