Most recent 40 articles: Science Daily - Earth and Climate
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'Winners and Losers' as Global Warming Forces Plants Uphill - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · Some plant species will "win" and others will "lose" as global warming forces them to move uphill, new research shows. Scientists examined the current range of more than 7,000 plant species in Brazil's Cerrado savanna, and estimated shifts based on warming by 2040. The fate of plant species will depend on where they live: lowland species can move uphill for cooler conditions, but mountain plants have nowhere to go. The study was carried out by the universities of Exeter and Campinas, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and Trinity College Dublin. "Every plant and animal species has a 'geographical range' -- the area where conditions are suitable for it to ... Read more ... |
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2020 Extreme Weather Event That Brought Fires and Snow to Western US - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · The same weather system that led to the spread of the devastating Labor Day wildfires in 2020 brought record-breaking cold and early-season snowfall to parts of the Rocky Mountains. Now, new research from Portland State is shedding light on the meteorology behind what happened and the impacts of such an extreme weather event. "It's really interesting to see such an amplified pattern result in opposing extremes in the Pacific Northwest and the Rocky Mountains," said Emma Russell, a master's student in geography and lead author of the study published in the journal Weather and Climate Extremes. A high-pressure ridge was responsible for the extremely warm temperatures ... Read more ... |
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8 in 10 Lizards Could Be at Risk Due to Deforestation - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · In Colorado, people flock to the Rocky Mountains when the summer heat gets unbearable. Animals seek shelter too when temperatures become extreme, and forests serve as critical sanctuaries for small tree-dwelling animals like lizards. In a new study published March 5 in the journal Nature Climate Change, scientists from the University of Colorado Boulder and Tel Aviv University in Israel revealed that deforestation combined with climate change could negatively impact 84% of North America's lizards by the end of the century. Nearly one in five could face population decline. Unlike mammals that can maintain their body temperatures in a variety of ways -- sweating when it ... Read more ... |
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A Better Handle on the Emissions Budget for the Paris Climate Targets - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · A team of scientists from the University of Exeter, Met Office and Imperial College have found a new way to calculate the total carbon emissions consistent with the Paris climate targets of 1.5oC and 2oC of global warming. Although the exceptionally warm climate in 2023 was close to exceeding the 1.5oC level, the Paris targets relate to the average warming over ten or more years. The new study answers the question: how much carbon have we got left before we pass the Paris limits? About 15 years ago, climate scientists discovered a remarkably useful fact about climate change. Despite the vast complexity of the climate system, global warming depends ... Read more ... |
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A Coral Superhighway in the Indian Ocean - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · Despite being scattered across more than a million square kilometres, new research has revealed that remote coral reefs across the Seychelles are closely related. Using genetic analyses and oceanographic modelling, researchers at Oxford University demonstrated for the first time that a network of ocean currents scatter significant numbers of larvae between these distant islands, acting as a 'coral superhighway.' These results are published today in Scientific Reports. Dr April Burt (Department of Biology, University of Oxford, and Seychelles Islands Foundation), lead author of the study, said: 'This discovery is very important because a key factor in coral reef recovery is ... Read more ... |
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A New Way to Quantify Climate Change Impacts: 'Outdoor Days' - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · For most people, reading about the difference between a global average temperature rise of 1.5 C versus 2 C doesn't conjure up a clear image of how their daily lives will actually be affected. So, researchers at MIT have come up with a different way of measuring and describing what global climate change patterns, in specific regions around the world, will mean for people's daily activities and their quality of life. The new measure, called "outdoor days," describes the number of days per year that outdoor temperatures are neither too hot nor too cold for people to go about normal outdoor activities, whether work or leisure, in reasonable comfort. Describing the impact of ... Read more ... |
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A Solar Cell You Can Bend and Soak in Water - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · One of the potential uses of organic photovoltaics is to create wearable electronics -- devices that can be attached to clothing that can monitor medical devices, for example, without requiring battery changes. However, researchers have found it challenging to achieve waterproofing without the use of extra layers that end up decreasing the flexibility of the film. Now, in work published in Nature Communications, a group of scientists have been able to do precisely that. They took on the challenge of overcoming a key limitation of previous devices, which is that it is difficult to make them waterproof without reducing the flexibility. Photovoltaic films are typically made of ... Read more ... |
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A Theory Linking Ignition With Flame Provides Roadmap to Better Combustion Engines - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · In a study published on January 18, 2024 in the journal Physics of Fluids, researchers from Tohoku University theoretically linked ignition and deflagration in a combustion system, unlocking new configurations for stable, efficient combustion engines due to the possible existence of any number of steady-state solutions. "A better understanding of combustion dynamics will also support the development of safer, more sustainable engineering solutions," said Kaoru Maruta, also from the Institute of Fluid Science. Combustion dynamics involves complex coupled fluid and chemical reactions. Researchers use computational fluid dynamics to help them better understand and control ... Read more ... |
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A Wetter World Recorded in Australian Coral Colony - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · When climate scientists look to the future to determine what the effects of climate change may be, they use computer models to simulate potential outcomes such as how precipitation will change in a warming world. But University of Michigan scientists are looking at something a little more tangible: coral. Examining samples from corals in the Great Barrier Reef, the researchers discovered between 1750 and present day, as the global climate warmed, wet-season rainfall in that part of the world increased by about 10%, and the rate of extreme rain events more than doubled. Their results are published in Nature, Communications Earth and Environment. "Climate scientists ... Read more ... |
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Across Oceans and Millennia: Decoding the Origin and History of the Bottle Gourd - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · In a fascinating dive into the past, a team of researchers from the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) and USDA has uncovered intriguing details about the origins and spread of the bottle gourd, one of the oldest domesticated crops. Their research, recently published in New Phytologist, unveils the genetic diversification and population history of this hard-shelled plant that was used to make bottles, instruments, and containers for over 10,000 years by ancient civilizations. The bottle gourd, known scientifically as Lagenaria siceraria, is a plant deeply intertwined with human civilization. Imagine a plant that voyages across oceans, adapts to new environments, and becomes a ... Read more ... |
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After Decades of Arctic Sea Ice Getting Faster and More Hazardous for Transport, Models Suggest a Dramatic Reversal Is Coming - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · Will ice floating in the Arctic Ocean move faster or slower over the coming decades? The answer to this question will tell us whether marine transportation can be expected to get more or less hazardous. It might also have important implications for the rate of ice cover loss, which is hugely consequential for Northern Indigenous communities, ecosystems, and the global climate system. While observational data suggest the trend has been towards faster sea ice speeds, climate models project that those speeds will slow down during the summer season. This contrast has led to some questions around the plausibility of the model projections. In a new paper published today in The ... Read more ... |
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AI Analysis of Historical Satellite Images Show USSR Collapse in 1990s Increased Methane Emissions, Despite Lower Oil and Gas Production - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · The collapse of the former Soviet Union in 1991 had social, political and economic effects worldwide. Among them was a suspected role in slowing human-generated methane emissions. Methane had been rising steadily in the atmosphere until about 1990. Atmospheric scientists theorized that economic collapse in the former USSR led to less oil and gas production, and thus a slowdown in the rise of global methane levels, which has since resumed. But new University of Washington research uses early satellite records to dispute that assumption. The study, published March 12 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, finds that methane emissions in Turkmenistan, a former ... Read more ... |
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Air Filters and Scheduled Window Opening Can Reduce Classroom Pollution by Up to 36% - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · Air filters and opening windows can reduce classroom pollution by up to 36% -- Surrey study To improve air quality in classrooms, schools should use air purifiers during the school day and open the windows after hours. That's according to a new study from the University of Surrey. In England, 7,800 schools are in locations where air pollution breaches WHO limits. Last month, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced that air purifiers would be installed in 200 of them. Nidhi Rawat, a researcher at Surrey's Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE), said: "Alternating purifiers with scheduled window openings is an effective way to clean up classroom ... Read more ... |
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Alaska Dinosaur Tracks Reveal Lush Environment - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · A large find of dinosaur tracks and fossilized plants and tree stumps in far northwestern Alaska provides new information about the climate and movement of animals near the time when they began traveling between the Asian and North American continents roughly 100 million years ago. The findings by an international team of scientists led by paleontologist Anthony Fiorillo were published Jan. 30 in the journal Geosciences. Fiorillo researched in Alaska while at Southern Methodist University. He is now executive director of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. University of Alaska Fairbanks geology professor Paul McCarthy, with the UAF Geophysical Institute ... Read more ... |
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All Countries' Agri-Environmental Policies at a Glance - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · There can be no analysis without data. In this spirit, researchers from the University of Bonn and the Swiss Federal Institution of Technology (ETH) Zurich have published a database containing over 6,000 agri-environmental policies, thus enabling their peers as well as policymakers and businesses to seek answers to all manner of different questions. The researchers have used two examples to demonstrate how this can be done: how a country's economic development is linked to its adoption of agri-environmental policies and how such policies impact soil erosion. Their study has now been published in Nature Food. Although agriculture is vital for our survival and well-being, it is ... Read more ... |
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Antarctica's Coasts Are Becoming Less Icy - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · An increase in pockets of open water in Antarctica's sea ice (polynyas) may mean coastal plants and animals could one day establish on the continent, University of Otago-led research suggests. "These trends are fascinating -- and we haven't noticed them before," Dr Duffy says. "We're not completely sure what is driving the cyclical pattern, but the ecological implications could be huge." Co-author Dr Ariaan Purich, a scientist at Monash University in Australia who studies ocean-atmosphere interactions, says the cyclical patterns appear to line up with atmospheric drivers including the Southern Annular Mode, a climate phenomenon that circles Antarctica and influences ... Read more ... |
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Arctic Could Become 'Ice-Free' Within a Decade - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · The Arctic could see summer days with practically no sea ice as early as the next couple of years, according to a new study out of the University of Colorado Boulder. The findings, published March 5 in the journal Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, suggest that the first ice-free day in the Arctic could occur over 10 years earlier than previous projections, which focused on when the region would be ice-free for a month or more. The trend remains consistent under all future emission scenarios. By mid-century, the Arctic is likely to see an entire month without floating ice during September, when the region's sea ice coverage is at its minimum. At the end of the century, ... Read more ... |
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Arctic Nightlife: Seabird Colony Bursts With Sound at Night - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · Acoustic recordings of a colony of little auks reveal their nocturnal activities and offer valuable monitoring means for avian biology in the Arctic. A collaborative study conducted by researchers from the Arctic Research Center at Hokkaido University and the Department of Ecoscience at Aarhus University, Denmark, delves into the captivating activities of the most abundant seabird in the North Atlantic (little auk, Alle alle). The study sheds light on birds' daily rhythmic behavior under the endless daylight of the Arctic summer. Led by Associate Professor Evgeny A. Podolskiy, Hokkaido University, the findings were published in the journal Communications Biology. In the ... Read more ... |
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Artificial Reef Designed by MIT Engineers Could Protect Marine Life, Reduce Storm Damage - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · The beautiful, gnarled, nooked-and-crannied reefs that surround tropical islands serve as a marine refuge and natural buffer against stormy seas. But as the effects of climate change bleach and break down coral reefs around the world, and extreme weather events become more common, coastal communities are left increasingly vulnerable to frequent flooding and erosion. An MIT team is now hoping to fortify coastlines with "architected" reefs -- sustainable, offshore structures engineered to mimic the wave-buffering effects of natural reefs while also providing pockets for fish and other marine life. The team's reef design centers on a cylindrical structure surrounded by four ... Read more ... |
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Artificial Streams Reveal How Drought Shapes California's Alpine Ecosystems - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · A network of artificial streams is teaching scientists how California's mountain waterways -- and the ecosystems that depend on them -- may be impacted by a warmer, drier climate. Over the next century, climate change is projected to bring less snowfall to the Sierra Nevada. Smaller snowpacks, paired with warmer conditions, will shift the annual snowmelt earlier into the year, leaving less water to feed streams and rivers during the hot summer months. By 2100, mountain streams are predicted to reach their annual base, or "low-flow," conditions an average of six weeks earlier in the season than now. In a new study, University of California, Berkeley, researchers used a ... Read more ... |
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Asian Aerosols' Impact on Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · Since the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) was first monitored in 2004, it has been the focus of thousands of scientific papers and even a blockbuster movie that grossed more than $552 million worldwide. Jian Lu, Earth scientist at the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), co-authored the article with a team of international scientists from the Ocean University of China and the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Germany. Taking climate center stage One parcel of water will take about 1,000 years to travel the full length of the AMOC. Often referred to as a conveyor belt, this complex system of currents ... Read more ... |
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Breakthrough Research Enables High-Density Hydrogen Storage for Future Energy Systems - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · A groundbreaking development in efficient hydrogen storage has been reported by Professor Hyunchul Oh in the Department of Chemistry at UNIST, marking a significant advancement in future energy systems. This innovative research centers around a nanoporous magnesium borohydride structure (Mg(BH₄)₂), showcasing the remarkable capability to store hydrogen at high densities even under normal atmospheric pressure. The reported material exhibits an impressive hydrogen storage capacity of 144 g/L per volume of pores, surpassing traditional methods, such as storing hydrogen as a gas in a liquid state (70.8 g/L). Additionally, the density of hydrogen molecules within the ... Read more ... |
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Century-Old Powdered Milk in Antarctica - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · In a remarkable discovery, whole milk powder manufactured in New Zealand in 1907 and transported to Antarctica with explorers seeking the South Pole was unveiled after more than a century. The find has allowed dairy researchers to answer the question: Is the milk we enjoy today different from the milk consumed in previous generations?Now, a new comparative study in the Journal of Dairy Science, published by the American Dairy Science Association and Elsevier, has peered back in time to demonstrate that -- despite advancements in selective breeding and changes to farm practices -- milk of the past and milk today share more similarities than differences and are still crucial building ... Read more ... |
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Climate Change Alters the Hidden Microbial Food Web in Peatlands - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · The humble peat bog conjures images of a brown, soggy expanse. But it turns out to have a superpower in the fight against climate change. For thousands of years, the world's peatlands have absorbed and stored vast amounts of carbon dioxide, keeping this greenhouse gas in the ground and not in the air. Although peatlands occupy just 3% of the land on the planet, they play an outsized role in carbon storage -- holding twice as much as all the world's forests do. The fate of all that carbon is uncertain in the face of climate change. And now, a new study suggests that the future of this vital carbon sink may be affected, at least in part, by tiny organisms that are often ... Read more ... |
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Climate Change Will See Australia's Soil Emit CO2 and Add to Global Warming - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · New Curtin University research has shown the warming climate will turn Australia's soil into a net emitter of carbon dioxide (CO2), unless action is taken. Soil helps to keep the planet cool by absorbing carbon, however as the climate gets warmer its ability to retain carbon decreases -- and in some instances can start to release some carbon back into the air. A global research team -- led by Professor Raphael Viscarra Rossel from Curtin's School of Molecular and Life Sciences -- predicted the changes in the amount of carbon in Australia's soil between now and the year 2100. To do so, the team ran simulations using three different paths for society: an eco-focused ... Read more ... |
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Climate Policies to Reduce Motor Vehicle Emissions Can Improve Children's Health, Save Money - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · A new study finds that policies to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from motor vehicles combined with investments in electric vehicles and public transportation would reduce air pollution and bring large benefits to children's health. They would also save money. The findings by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health with collaborators at the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the Boston University School of Public Health appear in the journal Environmental Research Letters. Under TCI, fuel suppliers would be required to purchase carbon emissions allowances, the proceeds of which ... Read more ... |
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Convergent Evolution of Algal CO2-Fixing Organelles - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · Plants and algae fix carbon through photosynthesis, which converts CO2 to organic carbon. This biological process is catalyzed by the Rubisco enzyme, the most abundant protein on Earth. In many algae, Rubisco is densely packed into a microcompartment called the pyrenoid, which plays an important role in the CO2 accumulation in aquatic environments. Notably, approximately one-third of global carbon fixation is estimated to occur within algal pyrenoids. Apart from Rubisco, the primary component of pyrenoids, the pyrenoid-associated proteins in most algae remain unclarified. In this study, pyrenoid-associated proteins in a marine chlorarachniophyte alga were identified through a ... Read more ... |
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Cool Paint Coatings Help Pedestrians Feel Up to 1.5 Degrees Celsius Cooler in Urban Setting - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · A real-world study by researchers at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has shown that the use of cool paint coatings in cities can help pedestrians feel up to 1.5 degrees Celsius cooler, making the urban area more comfortable for work and play. Cool paint coatings contain additives that reflect the sun's heat to reduce surface heat absorption and emission. They have been touted as one way to cool down the urban area and mitigate the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, a phenomenon in which urban areas experience warmer temperatures than their outlying surroundings. To date, most studies of cool paint coatings have been either simulation-based or ... Read more ... |
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Cost of Direct Air Carbon Capture to Remain Higher Than Hoped - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · The cost of removing large quantities of CO2 from the air will fall in the medium term, but not as much as previously hoped. This is the conclusion reached by ETH researchers on the basis of new calculations. Efforts to reduce carbon emissions should therefore continue at pace, says the research team. Switzerland plans to reduce its net carbon emissions to zero by no later than 2050. To achieve this, it will need to drastically reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. In its climate strategy, the Swiss government acknowledges that some of these emissions, particularly in agriculture and industry, are difficult or impossible to avoid. Swiss climate policy therefore envisages ... Read more ... |
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Crawfish Could Transfer Ionic Lithium from Their Environment Into Food Chain - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · From cell phones to watches to electric cars, lithium-ion rechargeable batteries power a plethora of devices. The increased use of this technology means more lithium could find its way into the environment as consumers discard electronic products. Now, researchers describe how lithium can accumulate in a common Southern crustacean: the crawfish. As the season for catching and eating mudbugs comes into full swing, the researchers' findings highlight the potential implications for public health and the environment. "As aquatic organisms, crawfish can take up large amounts of lithium dissolved in water. Because other creatures -- including people -- eat crawfish, looking at them ... Read more ... |
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Curbing Coal-Burning Emissions Translates to Health Gains for Children - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · Residential heating by coal has for decades been the major contributor to the high levels of air pollution in Kraków, Poland. New research finds a nearly 40 percent decline in the annual average concentration of respirable particulate matter (PM2.5) in Kraków, Poland, between 2010 and 2019 following the implementation of policies targeting emissions from the burning of coal and other solid fuels. Researchers show the improvement in air quality translated to substantial benefits for children's outcomes, including fewer cases of asthma and better birth outcomes. The findings by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Jagiellonian ... Read more ... |
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Curbside Collection Improves Organic Waste Composting, Reduces Methane Emissions - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · Most organic household waste ends up in landfills where it generates methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Composting food and garden waste instead of sending it to landfills can significantly reduce methane emissions and help mitigate global warming. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign explores the effects of curbside compost collection programs in New South Wales, Australia. "Governments around the world are interested in composting organic waste and reducing their methane emissions, and they are looking for ways to make waste collection more convenient for households. As municipal composting services were being rolled out in Australia, we wanted to ... Read more ... |
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Diverse Habitats Help Salmon Weather Unpredictable Climate Changes - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · Restored salmon habitat should resemble financial portfolios, offering fish diverse options for feeding and survival so that they can weather various conditions as the climate changes, a new study shows. "The fish need all the different opportunities," said Flora Cordoleani, a NOAA Fisheries and University of California Santa Cruz researcher who led the research published this week in Ecosphere. "Fish with one life history that favors certain habitat are not going to save the population in the long term. We need diverse habitats to support diverse life histories that help provide resilience." Life history refers to salmon traits such as their juvenile migration timing, ... Read more ... |
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Drought, Soil Desiccation Cracking, and Carbon Dioxide Emissions: An Overlooked Feedback Loop Exacerbating Climate Change - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · The accuracy of climate models depends on many factors -- greenhouse gas emissions from industrial and transportation activity, farm animal "emissions," urban growth and loss of forests, and solar reflections off snow and ground cover. Natural phenomena like volcanic eruptions also contribute and are incorporated into models. However, some other natural processes have been overlooked. Farshid Vahedifard, professor and Louis Berger Chair in civil and environmental engineering, points to an important one that lies directly beneath our feet and covers most of our planet above water. In a study published in Environmental Research Letters, Vahedifard notes that soil stores 80 ... Read more ... |
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Droughts in Europe Could Be Avoided With Faster Emissions Cuts - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · Rapid climate action could mean devastating dry periods in the Mediterranean become less frequent by the end of the century, a new study shows. Advanced computer modelling suggests summer rainfall in southern Europe could decline by up to 48% by the year 2100 if emissions of greenhouse gases continue to rise rapidly, but much of this projected decline could be avoided by reaching net-zero emissions as soon as possible. The study, led by scientists at the University of Reading, published today (Monday 25 March) in Geophysical Research Letters, provides additional evidence to motivate accelerated climate action and prevent drastic rainfall decline, more droughts and more ... Read more ... |
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Earth's Earliest Forest - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · The oldest fossilised forest known on Earth -- dating from 390 million years ago -- has been found in the high sandstone cliffs along the Devon and Somerset coast of South West England. The fossils, discovered and identified by researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Cardiff, are the oldest fossilised trees ever found in Britain, and the oldest known fossil forest on Earth. This fossil forest is roughly four million years older than the previous record holder, which was found in New York State. The fossils were found near Minehead, on the south bank of the Bristol Channel, near what is now a Butlin's holiday camp. The fossilised trees, known as Calamophyton, ... Read more ... |
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Economic Losses from Climate Change - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · Global GDP loss from climate change will increase exponentially the warmer the planet gets when its cascading impact on global supply chains is factored in, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in Nature, is the first to chart "indirect economic losses" from climate change on global supply chains that will affect regions that would have been less affected by projected warming temperatures. These previously unquantified disruptions in supply chains will further exacerbate projected economic losses due to climate change, bringing a projected net economic loss of between $3.75 trillion and $24.7 trillion in adjusted 2020 dollars by 2060, depending ... Read more ... |
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Enormous Ice Loss from Greenland Glacier - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · Ground-based measuring devices and aircraft radar operated in the far northeast of Greenland show how much ice the 79° N-Glacier is losing. According to measurements conducted by the Alfred Wegener Institute, the thickness of the glacier has decreased by more than 160 metres since 1998. Warm ocean water flowing under the glacier tongue is melting the ice from below. High air temperatures cause lakes to form on the surface, whose water flows through huge channels in the ice into the ocean. One channel reached a height of 500 metres, while the ice above was only 190 metres thick, as a research team has now reported in the scientific journal The Cryosphere. A rustic camp in ... Read more ... |
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Even Inactive Smokers Are Densely Colonized by Microbial Communities - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · With its high pressure, darkness and nutrient deficiency, the deep sea is generally not a hospitable place. But in the presence of heat and a rich influx of energy-rich fluids, as is the case at active hydrothermal vents, numerous fish, shellfish, and microorganisms are able to settle there. But what happens to these biotic communities when the source of hot fluids is exhausted? The chimneys form over long time periods when seawater seeps through cracks into the Earth's crust, is warmed there, then dissolves and takes up minerals on its way back up to the ocean floor. This hot, mineral-rich, and often smokey water seeks the most pervious path through the Earth's crust and ... Read more ... |
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Evolution of the Most Powerful Ocean Current on Earth - Science Daily - Earth and Climate  (Mar 24) |
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Mar 24 · The Antarctic Circumpolar Current plays an important part in global overturning circulation, the exchange of heat and CO2 between the ocean and atmosphere, and the stability of Antarctica’s ice sheets. An international research team led by the Alfred Wegener Institute and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory have now used sediments taken from the South Pacific to reconstruct the flow speed in the last 5.3 million years. Their data show that during glacial periods, the current slowed; during interglacials, it accelerated. Consequently, if the current global warming intensifies in the future, it could mean that the Southern Ocean stores less CO2 and that more heat reaches ... Read more ... |
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