ScienceDaily: Earth & Climate News

Triggered by the 2015-16 El Niño, extreme drought and associated mega-wildfires caused the death of around 2.5 billion trees and plants and emitted 495 million tons of CO2 from an area that makes up just 1.2 per cent of the entire Brazilian Amazon rainforest, and 0.01 per cent of the whole biome.

New research examines commuter characteristics to better understand how factors such as departure time, frequency, and commute length are associated with exposure to air pollution. Using personal air pollution monitors, the research clustered commuters to determine whether these clusters were associated with traffic pollution exposures. The study reveals that commuters that travel during rush hour have higher overall exposure to traffic-related air pollution compared to sporadic commuters, though the difference was not statistically significant.

A new approach to analyse satellite measurements of Earth's cloud cover reveals that clouds are very likely to enhance global heating.

New research has found marine seismic surveys used in oil and gas exploration are not impacting the abundance or behaviour of commercially valuable fishes in the tropical shelf environment in north-western Australia.

A new study shows that DNA duplication has been vitally important throughout the evolutionary history of gymnosperms, a diverse group of seed plants that includes pines, cypresses, sequoias, ginkgos and cycads.

Researchers have found a low-cost way to solve one half of the water-splitting equation to produce hydrogen as clean energy -- using sunlight to efficiently split off oxygen molecules from water. The finding represents a step forward toward greater adoption of hydrogen as a key part of our energy infrastructure.

What's a hungry marine microbe to do when the pickings are slim? It must capture nutrients - nitrogen, phosphorus, or iron - to survive, yet in vast expanses of the ocean, nutrients are extremely scarce.

When it comes to transitioning from carbon-based to renewable source energy systems, Americans are on board. They're less keen, however, having these new energy infrastructures built close to their homes.

A new study shows how biometric data can be used to find potentially challenging and dangerous areas of urban infrastructure. By analyzing eye-tracking data from cyclists navigating Philadelphia's streets, researchers found that these individual-based metrics can provide a more proactive approach for designing safer roadways for bicyclists and pedestrians.

New research shows that modelling hyperspectral- and thermal-based plant traits can help in the early detection of Phytophthora-induced symptoms in oak decline.

Researchers have found that when fruit bats forage in the city (Tel Aviv), they are much more exploratory and enjoy the diversity of urban life, visiting a variety of fruit trees every night and tasting as wide a variety of foods as possible. In contrast, rural bats living in Beit Guvrin focus on only one or two fruit trees every night.

This summer, if you see a butterfly with wings that are blue on top with orange spots underneath, you may have crossed paths with a male European Common Blue (or Polyommatus icarus), a newly introduced species in Canada. Could it be a fluke? Probably not, according to a group of researchers who have taken a close look at this captivating blue creature.

The economic and environmental pros and cons of melting Arctic ice creating shorter shipping routes through the polar region are weighed up in ground-breaking research from experts in energy and transport. They conclude that policy makers must properly assess the environmental trade-offs and costs in addition to the commercial benefits and opportunities in Arctic shipping. The authors also want to see more incentives to drive technological developments that will accelerate the uptake of green fuels and technologies.

Butterflies and moths are among the most diverse animal groups. Scientists have found as many as 5,000 species from the Alps alone. Having been a place of intensive research for 250 years, it is considered a sensation if a new species is discovered from the mountain range these days.