Most recent 40 articles: Science Daily - Earth and Climate
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'Drowning Continent': Western Australian Coastline's Complex History - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · A new Curtin University study investigating the complex evolution of two iconic Western Australian landmarks, has traced their transformation over thousands of years and offers a glimpse into their future. Study lead Dr Andreas Zametzer said the study's dive teams found particular types of mineral grains offshore, which confirmed the complex geological histories of Rottnest Island (Wadjemup in the Noongar language) and the Swan River (Derbarl Yerrigan). The distinct group of ancient grains off Rottnest Island was dated as up to 3.6 billion years old. These same grains can be traced into the modern Swan River estuary and the Avon River tributary which had delivered ... Read more ... |
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A 'Worrying Confluence' of Flood Risk, Social Vulnerability and Climate Change Denial - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · In certain parts of the United States, especially Appalachia, New England and the Northwest, the ability of residents to prepare for and respond to flooding is being undercut on three different levels. This is according to a new study from the University of Michigan's School for Environment and Sustainability. "It's a very worrying confluence that does keep me up," said Joshua Newell, a professor with the school's Center for Sustainable Systems and senior author of the study. "The communities that are most at risk of catastrophic flooding are the least prepared and the least likely to get prepared." He has termed this three-fold susceptibility "triple ... Read more ... |
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A Compost in the Sea That Produces Oxygen - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · Posidonia, a flowering plant emblematic of the Mediterranean Sea, commonly known as Neptune grass, forms vast meadows (underwater prairies) in shallow waters (less than 40m deep). "It is a terrestrial plant that recolonised the marine environment several million years ago, a small quirk of Evolution," explains Alberto Borges, an oceanographer at ULiège. "Like most terrestrial plants in our regions, Posidonia loses its oldest leaves in autumn. These dead leaves accumulate as litter (like at the base of trees) in large patches near the seagrass meadows." It is these accumulations of dead leaves and their breakdown and transformation that interested the researchers who travelled ... Read more ... |
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A Natural Climate Change Laboratory in Japan Reveals the Adaptation Dynamics of Fishers - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · A new scientific study published this Wednesday in the journal People and Nature reveals the complex relationship between the impacts of climate change and the adaptive responses of coastal fishers in one of the areas most affected by these environmental changes: the southern coasts of Japan. Warming waters and strong currents flowing northward are rapidly transforming the macroalgal beds along these coasts, as reef-building corals, subtropical herbivorous fish, and other warm-water species expand their territory northward. This global phenomenon, known as tropicalization, is threatening temperate ecosystems worldwide, from macroalgal beds in Japan and Australia to seagrass meadows ... Read more ... |
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A New Era of Solar Observation - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · For the first time, scientists have taken near-daily measurements of the Sun's global coronal magnetic field, a region of the Sun that has only been observed irregularly in the past. The resulting observations are providing valuable insights into the processes that drive the intense solar storms that impact fundamental technologies, and thus lives and livelihoods, here on Earth. An analysis of the data, collected over eight months by an instrument called the Upgraded Coronal Multi-channel Polarimeter (UCoMP), is published today in Science. The solar magnetic field is the primary driver of solar storms, which can pose threats to power grids, communication systems, and ... Read more ... |
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A Novel Method to Split Water to Create Hydrogen -- A Clean Source of Fuel - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · Scientists are urgently searching for clean fuel sources -- such as hydrogen -- to move towards carbon neutrality. A breakthrough for improving the efficiency of the photocatalytic reaction that splits water into hydrogen has been made by a team of researchers from Tohoku University, Tokyo University of Science and Mitsubishi Materials Corporation. "Water-splitting photocatalysts can produce hydrogen (H2) from only sunlight and water," explains Professor Yuichi Negishi, the lead researcher of this project (Tohoku University), "However, the process hasn't been optimized sufficiently for practical applications. If we can improve the activity, hydrogen can be harnessed for the ... Read more ... |
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Advancement in 3D-Printed Concrete Promises Strength, Durability and Lower Carbon Emissions - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · "Our goal was to design a printable concrete that performs better and is more eco-friendly," said Osman Ozbulut, a professor at UVA's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. "The addition of graphene to LC2 cement offers a unique opportunity to lower carbon emissions while maintaining the strength and flexibility required for 3D printed construction." The study, which explored the flow properties, mechanical performance and environmental impacts of this material, was led by visiting scholar Tugba Baytak and UVA's Tawfeeq Gdeh, doctoral researchers at Resilient and Advanced Infrastructure Laboratory at University of Virginia. Collaborating with researchers at ... Read more ... |
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AI-Trained CCTV in Rivers Can Spot Blockages and Reduce Floods - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · Machine learning-equipped camera systems can be an effective and low-cost flood defence tool, researchers show. Smart CCTV systems trained to spot blockages in urban waterways could become an important future tool in flood prevention, new research published today has found. Culverts, which number over 1 million in the UK and are in almost every city, town or built-up area, allow streams and rivers to flow under roads, railway embankments and housing developments, meaning they are an important but hidden part of waterways and infrastructure. Trash screens, usually a set of bars, are mounted at culvert entrances to stop debris from passing through. When a culvert ... Read more ... |
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Alaska's Iliamna Lake Harbor Seals Genetically Isolated from Entire Pacific Ocean - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · There are only five seal populations worldwide that live year-round in freshwater habitats. The Baikal seal, probably the most well-known, lives in the deepest, oldest lake in the world, 1,600 kilometers from the ocean in Lake Baikal, central Siberia. However, perhaps the most enigmatic population of freshwater seals can be found a little closer to home in Alaska's Iliamna Lake. Despite their wider anonymity, the Iliamna seals have long been known to the Dena'ina Athabascan and Central Yupik peoples of southwestern Alaska, who have deep cultural and dietary ties to this small pinniped. Unlike other freshwater seal populations globally, the seals in Alaska's largest lake have ... Read more ... |
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Antarctic 'Greening' at Dramatic Rate - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · Vegetation cover across the Antarctic Peninsula has increased more than tenfold over the last four decades, new research shows. The Antarctic Peninsula, like many polar regions, is warming faster than the global average, with extreme heat events in Antarctica becoming more common. The new study -- by the universities of Exeter and Hertfordshire, and the British Antarctic Survey -- used satellite data to assess how much the Antarctic Peninsula has been "greening" in response to climate change. It found that the area of vegetation cover across the Peninsula increased from less than one square kilometre in 1986 to almost 12 square kilometres by 2021. In a ... Read more ... |
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As Temperatures Rise, Researchers Identify Mechanisms Behind Plant Response to Warming - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · Microscopic pores on the surface of leaves called stomata help plants "breathe" by controlling how much water they lose to evaporation. These stomatal pores also enable and control carbon dioxide intake for photosynthesis and growth. As far back as the 19th century, scientists have known that plants increase their stomatal pore openings to transpire, or "sweat," by sending water vapor through stomata to cool off. Today, with global temperatures and heat waves on the rise, widening stomatal pores are considered a key mechanism that can minimize heat damage to plants. But for more than a century, plant biologists have lacked a full accounting of the genetic and molecular ... Read more ... |
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Assessing the Real Climate Costs of Manufacturing - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · Producing materials such as steel, plastics and cement in the United States alone inflicts $79 billion a year in climate-related damage around the world, according to a new study by engineers and economists at the University of California, Davis. Accounting for these costs in market prices could encourage progress toward climate-friendly alternatives. "We wanted to look at the cost to society to produce these materials," said Elisabeth Van Roijen, a recent Ph.D. graduate from the UC Davis Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and lead author on the paper, published Oct. 24 in Environmental Research Letters. Van Roijen, undergraduate researcher Paikea Colligan ... Read more ... |
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Better Ocean Connectivity Boosts Reef Fish Populations - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · Connectivity particularly impacted herbivorous reef fish groups, which are most critical to coral reef resilience, providing evidence that decision-makers should incorporate connectivity into how they prioritise conservation areas. The study also revealed that, alongside oceanographic connectivity, sea surface temperature and levels of chlorophyll (the green pigment in plants that drives photosynthesis) strongly predict reef fish distribution and abundance in the WIO. Protecting reefs is essential in this area, particularly for rapidly growing local communities, which are highly dependent on reefs and vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Lead author Laura Warmuth ... Read more ... |
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Biodegradable Nano-Ribbons for Energy, IT, Meds - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · Step aside hard, rigid materials. There is a new soft, sustainable electroactive material in town -- and it's poised to open new possibilities for medical devices, wearable technology and human-computer interfaces. Using peptides and a snippet of the large molecules in plastics, Northwestern University materials scientists have developed materials made of tiny, flexible nano-sized ribbons that can be charged just like a battery to store energy or record digital information. Highly energy efficient, biocompatible and made from sustainable materials, the systems could give rise to new types of ultralight electronic devices while reducing the environmental impact of electronic ... Read more ... |
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Breathing Deep: A Metabolic Secret of Ethane-Consuming Archaea Unraveled - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · Seeps on the deep seafloor naturally emit alkanes, which are pollutants that are potentially dangerous to life and act on global warming. Fortunately, the sediments around the seeps host microbes that act as a biological filter: They consume most of the alkanes before their release into the oceans and our atmosphere. This so-called anaerobic oxidation of alkanes is an important yet poorly understood microbial process. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen, Germany, now present a study on the degradation of ethane, the second most abundant alkane in seeps. They characterized enzymes involved in the process and found that their reaction breaks an ... Read more ... |
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Capturing Carbon from the Air Just Got Easier - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · Capturing and storing the carbon dioxide humans produce is key to lowering atmospheric greenhouse gases and slowing global warming, but today's carbon capture technologies work well only for concentrated sources of carbon, such as power plant exhaust. The same methods cannot efficiently capture carbon dioxide from ambient air, where concentrations are hundreds of times lower than in flue gases. Yet direct air capture, or DAC, is being counted on to reverse the rise of CO2 levels, which have reached 426 parts per million (ppm), 50% higher than levels before the Industrial Revolution. Without it, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we won't reach ... Read more ... |
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Catastrophically Warm Predictions Are More Plausible Than We Thought - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · What will the future climate be like? Scientists around the world are studying climate change, putting together models of the Earth's system and large observational datasets in the hopes of understanding -- and predicting over the next 100 years -- the planet's climate. But which models are the most plausible and reflect the future of the planet's climate the best? In an attempt to answer that question and evaluate the plausibility of a given model, EPFL scientists have developed a rating system and classified climate model outputs generated by the global climate community and included in the recent IPCC report. The EPFL climate scientists find that roughly a third of the ... Read more ... |
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Changing Watering Practices to Improve Tomato Plant Health - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · Some people believe that talking to your plants makes them thrive. While there's limited scientific support for sound improving plant health, there's a growing amount of evidence about the benefits of mechanical stimulation, like touch, wind or rain. Researchers reporting in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry examined the impact of watering practices on tomato plants. They found that the size of the water droplets affected plant growth and resistance to pests and pathogens. Climate change threatens crop production as rising temperatures, unstable rainfall patterns, and more insects and diseases endanger plant health and yields. Thus, there is growing pressure to ... Read more ... |
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Chickpeas: Sustainable and Climate-Friendly Foods of the Future - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · Climate change has a negative impact on food security. An international research team led by Wolfram Weckwerth from the University of Vienna has now conducted a study to investigate the natural variation of different chickpea genotypes and their resistance to drought stress. The scientists were able to show that chickpeas are a drought-resistant legume plant with a high protein content that can complement grain cultivation systems even in urban areas. The study was recently published in the specialist magazine The Plant Biotechnology. Long periods of drought stress have also become a reality in Central Europe due to climate change, a major threat to plant productivity, ... Read more ... |
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Climate Change Impacts Internal Migration Worldwide - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · The influence of climate change on migration, both current and future, has garnered significant attention from the public and policymakers over the past decade. A new IIASA-led study has provided the first comprehensive analysis of how climate factors -- specifically drought and aridity -- affect internal migration. While public discourses often focus on international migration, existing scientific evidence indicates that when climatic factors drive migration, it often results in short distance moves within national borders. However, there is a lack of scientific studies examining climate-induced internal migration across different countries. The new study, published in Nature ... Read more ... |
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Climate Report Warns of Escalating Crisis, Urges Immediate Action as UN Summit Nears - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · An international coalition led by Oregon State University scientists concludes in its annual report published today that the Earth's worsening vital signs indicate a "critical and unpredictable new phase of the climate crisis" and that "decisive action is needed, and fast." The collaboration directed by OSU's William Ripple and former postdoctoral researcher Christopher Wolf outlines areas where policy change is needed -- energy, pollutants, nature, food and economy -- in "The 2024 State of the Climate Report: Perilous Times on Planet Earth," published in BioScience. "A large portion of the very fabric of life on our planet is imperiled," said Ripple, a distinguished ... Read more ... |
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Climate Scientist Identifying Water Requirements for Climate Mitigation Through Ecosystem Restoration - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · Worldwide, deforestation and farming practices are responsible for the degradation of vital ecosystems. While there is a significant amount of interest in climate mitigation by restoring those degraded lands with forests and other ecosystems, it is unclear how feasible that would be and the resulting benefits. Previous studies have not considered the effects of ecosystem restoration on available water resources and in environments with water constraints. Water scarcity is already a key issue worldwide that is likely to only get worse in the future. Josh Fisher, Associate Professor of Environmental Science at Chapman's Schmid College of Science and Technology said, "There is a ... Read more ... |
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Climate Scientists Express Their Views on Possible Future Climate Scenarios in a New Study - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · A new survey of climate experts reveals that a majority believes the Earth to be headed for a rise in global temperatures far higher than the 2015 Paris Agreement targets of 1.5 to well-below 2°C. The study was published in the Nature journal Communications Earth & Environment. It also shows that two-thirds of respondents -- all of them authors on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) -- believe we may succeed in achieving net zero CO2 emissions during the second half of this century. This indicates some optimism that mitigation efforts may be starting to bend the emissions curve toward what would be needed to achieve the Paris temperature goal. A ... Read more ... |
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Combining Satellite Methods Provides Drought Detection from Space - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · Observing sites like the Amazon basin from space has underscored the capability of satellites to better detect signs of drought, according to a new study. Led by Military University of Technology Poland and Griffith University, the researchers combined two advance satellite-based methods to improve monitoring of hydrological droughts. Advance satellite-based methods, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) and the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), have been invaluable in tracking changes in global freshwater, including groundwater. However, Dr Christopher Ndehedehe, a co-author and an ARC DECRA Fellow at Griffith's Australian Rivers Institute ... Read more ... |
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Computer Simulations Point the Way Towards Better Solar Cells - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · More stable and efficient materials for solar cells are needed in the green transition. So-called halide perovskites are highlighted as a promising alternative to today's silicon materials. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden, have gained new insights into how perovskite materials function, which is an important step forward. Halide perovskites is the collective name for a group of materials that are considered very promising and cost-effective for flexible and lightweight solar cells and various optical applications, such as LED lighting. This is because many of these materials absorb and emit light in an extremely efficient way. However, perovskite ... Read more ... |
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Cool Roofs Could Have Saved Lives During London's Hottest Summer, Say Researchers - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · As many as 249 lives could have been saved in London during the 2018 record-setting hot summer had the city widely adopted cool roofs, estimates a new study by researchers at UCL and the University of Exeter. The paper, published in Nature Cities, analysed the cooling effect that roofs painted white or other reflective colours would have on London's ambient temperature between June and August 2018, the city's hottest summer. From June through August, the average temperature around London was 19.2 degrees C, about 1.6 degrees warmer than average for that time of year. Urban environments tend to absorb a lot of heat and are usually a few degrees warmer than the surrounding ... Read more ... |
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Creating a Spatial Map of the Sea: New Research Visualizes How Fishing Communities Can Change Fishing Habits to Adapt to Climate Change - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · In a massive research project spanning five years and stretching the length of the Northeast seaboard, a Wellesley College professor is examining how various fishing communities can change their fishing habits in order to adapt to climate change. Rebecca Selden, an assistant professor of biological sciences at Wellesley, is creating a "spatial sea map" designed to illustrate the adaptive styles of 266 fishing communities stretching across the East Coast from North Carolina to Maine. Her research, conducted with colleagues from four other institutions, was published on October 15 in ICES Journal of Marine Science. Selden's project is one of the first to provide detailed, ... Read more ... |
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Curbing Air Pollution Control Devices Would Cost Thousands of Lives and Billions of Dollars - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · A new commentary found that power plants' use of these devices saved up to 9,100 lives and up to $100 billion in health costs in 2023. These estimates reveal the substantial health benefits that could be at stake if the next presidential administration implements policies that aim to weaken the Clean Air Act and limit the regulatory authority of the EPA. Air pollution control devices (APCDs) prevented up to 9,000 deaths and saved up to $100 billion in health costs in 2023, according to new estimates published in an American Journal of Public Health editorial. But these public health benefits will be sharply reduced in future years if a future presidential administration ... Read more ... |
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Decades-Long Research Reveals New Understanding of How Climate Change May Impact Caches of Arctic Soil Carbon - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · Utilizing one of the longest-running ecosystem experiments in the Arctic, a Colorado State University-led team of researchers have developed a better understanding of the interplay among plants, microbes and soil nutrients -- findings that offer new insight into how critical carbon deposits may be released from thawing Arctic permafrost. Estimates suggest that Arctic soils contain nearly twice the amount of carbon that is currently in the atmosphere. As climate change has caused portions of Earth's northernmost polar regions to thaw, scientists have long been concerned about significant amounts of carbon being released in the form of greenhouse gases, a process fueled by microbes. Read more ... |
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Declines in Plant Resilience Threaten Carbon Storage in the Arctic - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · Rapid warming has impacted the northern ecosystem so significantly that scientists are concerned the region's vegetation is losing the ability to recover from climate shocks, suggests a new study. Their findings revealed that due to frequent disturbances like wildfires that raze down vegetation and persistent drought and deforestation that starve both the land and wildlife, the resilience of many plant communities in southern boreal forests -- or their ability to recover after these events -- significantly decreased over time. This may affect the Arctic carbon budget, foreshadowing a future where the region is likely to become a carbon source instead of remaining a carbon sink ... Read more ... |
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Deep Learning Illuminates Atmospheric Blocking Events of Past, Future - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · Atmospheric blocking events are persistent, high-impact weather patterns that occur when large-scale high-pressure systems become stationary and divert the jet stream and storm tracks for days to weeks, and can be associated with record-breaking flooding or heat waves, such as in Europe in 2023. In a new study, University of Hawai'i at Manoa atmospheric scientist Christina Karamperidou used a deep learning model to infer the frequency of blocking events over the past 1,000 years and shed light on how future climate change may impact these significant phenomena. "This study set out to extract a paleoweather signal from paleoclimate records using a deep learning model that ... Read more ... |
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Despite Progress, China Remains Tethered to Coal as Climate Change Pressures Mount - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · A new paper from the University of California San Diego details how China faces numerous political, economic and technological obstacles as it tries to transition away from coal -- the country's primary energy source -- while balancing the need to combat climate change with the need for energy security. Despite its commitment to "phase down" coal, China recently has been permitting and constructing coal plants at rates not seen in a decade. "There is an increased focus on energy security in China -- in 2021, the country experienced its worst power outages in decades, affecting 20 provinces," said the paper's author, Michael Davidson, an assistant professor with a joint ... Read more ... |
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Drier Winter Habitat Impacts Songbirds' Ability to Survive Migration - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · A new study from researchers at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) shows environmental conditions in migratory birds' winter homes carry over to affect their ability to survive spring migration and the breeding season. While scientists have long known that the quality of winter, or non-breeding, habitat influences migratory birds' migration timing and reproductive success, the study, published today in Current Biology, marks the first time researchers have linked winter conditions with migration survival. Analysis of the data for both the Kirtland's warbler and the black-throated blue warbler revealed reduced rainfall and diminished ... Read more ... |
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Early Human Species Benefited from Food Diversity in Steep Mountainous Terrain - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · A new study published in the journal Science Advances by researchers at the IBS Center for Climate Physics (ICCP) at Pusan National University in South Korea shows that the patchwork of different ecosystems found in mountainous regions played a key role in the evolution of humans. A notable feature of the archeological sites of early humans, members of the genus Homo known as hominins, is that they are often found in and near mountain regions. Using an extensive dataset of hominin fossils and artifacts, along with high-resolution landscape data and a 3-million-year-long simulation of Earth's climate, the team of scientists from ICCP have provided a clearer picture of how and ... Read more ... |
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El Niño Linked to Accelerated Ice Loss in Tropics - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · Natural climate patterns such as El Niño are causing tropical glaciers to lose their ice at an alarming rate, a new study has found. A phenomenon that typically occurs every two to seven years, El Niño causes much warmer than average ocean temperatures in the eastern Pacific, significantly affecting weather around the globe. The Quelccaya Ice Cap (QIC) in the Peruvian Andes has been shown to be sensitive to these climate shifts, but the extent to which El Niño contributes to its continued shrinkage has, to date, been unclear. Now, using images captured by NASA Landsat satellites over the past four decades, researchers have confirmed that the ... Read more ... |
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Engineers Unveil Breakthrough in Ultra-Clean Biofuel Technology - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · "The current research demonstrates how viscous bio-waste can be transformed to clean energy by the Baylor combustion technology," said lead author Lulin Jiang, Ph.D., principal investigator of the CAC Lab and assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Baylor, who 's School of Engineering and Computer Science. Significance for biofuel industry, environmental impact Conventional injectors struggle to burn glycerol -- an abundant byproduct of biodiesel production -- due to its high viscosity, though it has moderate energy density. In contrast, the SB injector's ability to handle glycerol without requiring costly fuel preheating or processing could transform ... Read more ... |
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Environmental DNA and Epidemics in Wood Frogs - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · Tracy Rittenhouse, associate professor of natural resources and the environment in UConn's College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR), was doing an experiment to study ranavirus epidemics in wood frogs. When Meghan Parsley, then a Ph.D. student at Washington State University, heard about it, she realized the approach would be ideal to study some questions she had about environmental DNA (eDNA) as well. The two connected and began collaborating to answer multiple scientific questions through one experiment conducted at UConn. "This project occurred by happenstance in a really wonderful way," Rittenhouse says. "It's been a great collaboration between ... Read more ... |
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Environmental Quality of Life Benefits Women Worldwide - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · Global evidence has revealed that women's environmental quality of life is key to their overall quality of life and health, according to a study published October 2, 2024, in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Suzanne Skevington from the University of Manchester, U.K., and colleagues. Gender inequalities in health-related quality of life are generally few and small, even in large surveys. Yet many generic measures limit assessment to quality of life overall and its physical and psychological dimensions, while overlooking internationally important environmental, social, and spiritual quality of life. To overcome this limitation, Skevington and colleagues collected data using ... Read more ... |
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Ethical Framework Aims to Counter Risks of Geoengineering Research - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · As interest grows in geoengineering as a strategy for tackling global warming, the world's largest association of Earth and space scientists today launched an ethical framework as a guide to responsible decision-making and inclusive dialogue. The report, facilitated by the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and advised by a global panel of experts, says any research into large-scale interventions in Earth's climate system must be grounded in sound ethical principles so society can make informed choices about whether to deploy them. It warns that the unintended consequences of large-scale deployment are largely unknown. "Climate change requires immediate action, and our ... Read more ... |
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Evaluating the Link Between Chemicals and Declining Insect Populations - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Oct 24) |
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Oct 24 · Few people are fans of stink bugs, mosquitoes, or boll weevils, but insects play a key role in the circle of life that makes up the planet's environment. In fact, world-renowned biologist E. O. Wilson famously declared that if insects vanished, our environment would collapse. Scientists have noted that insect behaviour has been changing, and their populations are declining -- on average 2-3% per year. This has prompted them to investigate the potential causes of this change, such as habitat loss due to overdevelopment, climate change, and chemical use. These fruit fly larvae came from multiple geographic locations, and the researchers followed their developmental time, ... Read more ... |
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