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ScienceDaily: Earth & Climate News |
| On ancient Earth, it never rained but it poured Posted: 03 Nov 2021 05:04 PM PDT In a new study, researchers found that during epochs of extreme heat -- 20 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than today -- Earth may have experienced cycles of dryness followed by massive rain storms hundreds of miles wide that could dump more than a foot of rain in a matter of hours. The research not only sheds light on Earth's distant past and far-flung future but may also help to understand the climates of exoplanets orbiting distant stars. |
| History of insect invasions offer insight into the future Posted: 03 Nov 2021 12:51 PM PDT Results from a recently published study suggest that efforts to reduce biological hitchhiking on live plant imports, often referred to as 'biosecurity,' are working. However, more than a century of invasion by Hemiptera insects also suggests that increased trade might offset the effects of improved biosecurity. As many as 25 percent of invading Hemiptera insects may have yet to be detected in the nation's forests and agricultural fields. |
| Mapping annual wildfire probabilities across California Posted: 03 Nov 2021 12:08 PM PDT Researchers have uncovered new insights into the dynamics that underlie the probabilities of wildfire across the state of California. |
| Posted: 03 Nov 2021 12:08 PM PDT For the past seven years, an autonomous robotic rover, Benthic Rover II, has been continuously operational 225 kilometers off the coast of central California and 4,000 meters below the ocean's surface. This innovative mobile laboratory has further revealed the role of the deep sea in cycling carbon. The data collected by this rover are fundamental to understanding the impacts of climate change on the ocean. |
| 1,000 years of glacial ice reveal 'prosperity and peril' in Europe Posted: 03 Nov 2021 11:01 AM PDT Europe's past prosperity and failure, driven by climate changes, has been revealed using thousand-year-old pollen, spores and charcoal particles fossilized in glacial ice. This first analysis of microfossils preserved in European glaciers unveils earlier-than-expected evidence of air pollution and the roots of modern invasive species problems. |
| Color-changing indicator predicts algal blooms Posted: 03 Nov 2021 11:01 AM PDT Murky green algal blooms are more than a major eyesore; they reveal that a body of water could be unsafe for swimming or drinking. Currently, however, there isn't an effective warning system for impending blooms. Now, researchers report an indicator that changes color when exposed to rising levels of alkaline phosphatase -- an enzyme that forecasts phytoplankton's exponential growth. This change can be detected by the naked eye or a smartphone. |
| A natural CO2-sink thanks to symbiotic bacteria Posted: 03 Nov 2021 11:01 AM PDT Seagrasses cover large swathes of shallow coastal seas, where they provide a vital habitat. They also remove large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and store it in the ecosystem. However, seagrasses need nutrients to thrive, particularly nitrogen. Up to now, researchers have assumed that the plants take up the nitrogen primarily from the surrounding seawater and sediment. However, in many of the regions where seagrasses are most successful there is little nitrogen to be found. Researchers now show that seagrass in the Mediterranean Sea lives in symbiosis with bacteria that reside in their roots and provide the nitrogen necessary for growth. Such symbioses were previously only known from land plants. |
| Whales are more important ecosystems engineers than previously thought Posted: 03 Nov 2021 11:01 AM PDT Research on whale feeding highlights how the precipitous decline of large marine mammals has negatively impacted the health and productivity of ocean ecosystems. |
| Turning plastic grocery bags into sustainable fuel Posted: 03 Nov 2021 10:59 AM PDT Researchers report using catalytic pyrolysis to turn plastic wastes into a valuable fuel source. They focused on recycling plastic and upgrading plastic into other products or converting it to a vapor with heat, which met a catalyst and turned into the desired fuel-like product. This pyrolytic process transforms primary organic waste into a sustainable fuel or other valuable chemical. |
| Let’s talk about the 1,800-plus 'young' volcanoes in the US Southwest Posted: 03 Nov 2021 08:54 AM PDT They're born. They live once, erupting for a period that might last for days, years or decades. Then, they go dark and die. This narrative describes the life of a monogenetic volcano, a type of volcanic hazard that can pose important dangers despite an ephemeral existence. The landscape of the southwestern U.S. is heavily scarred by past eruptions of such volcanoes, and a new study marks a step toward understanding future risks for the region. |
| Hand washing and sanitizing not enough: Close that toilet lid after flushing! Posted: 03 Nov 2021 08:54 AM PDT Leaving toilet lids open after flushing can disperse contaminated droplets beyond a metre and remain in the air for 30 minutes. This is one of the findings revealed in a global review of the risks of bacterial and viral transmission in public bathrooms. |
| Electric soot collector shows promise in mitigating emissions from residential biomass combustion Posted: 03 Nov 2021 08:54 AM PDT A new study introduces a novel method to reduce particulate emissions from residential biomass combustion: the high-temperature electric soot collector, HiTESC. In HiTESC, an electrically insulated high-voltage electrode is installed in a combustion chamber, which generates an electric field. |
| Worldwide distribution, drivers and trends of sudden droughts Posted: 03 Nov 2021 07:50 AM PDT You may know the risks associated with flash floods, but what about flash droughts? Flash droughts are described as rapidly developing, unexpected periods of drought that can cause severe impacts to agricultural and ecological systems and cause ripple effects that extend even further. |
| New software predicts the movements of large land animals Posted: 03 Nov 2021 07:50 AM PDT New software helps determine the movements of large wild animals thereby minimizing conflicts with people. The software is simpler than measurements obtained using radio transmitters and can be used where conventional methods fail. |
| Using microbes to make carbon-neutral fuel Posted: 03 Nov 2021 05:26 AM PDT A team of biologists and engineers modified a microbe so that it can produce a biofuel using only three renewable and naturally abundant source ingredients: carbon dioxide, solar panel-generated electricity and light. The resulting biofuel, n-butanol, is an authentically carbon-neutral fuel alternative that can be used in blends with diesel or gasoline. |
| Harnessing Thor’s Hammer: How forensic science is unlocking the mysteries of fatal lightning strikes Posted: 03 Nov 2021 05:26 AM PDT New research could help forensic teams understand whether people or animals were the victims of fatal lightning strikes, based solely upon an analysis of their skeletons. |
| Hungry caterpillars an underappreciated driver of carbon emissions Posted: 03 Nov 2021 05:26 AM PDT A study has found that periodic mass outbreaks of leaf-munching caterpillars can improve the water quality of nearby lakes - but may also increase the lakes' carbon dioxide emissions. |
| Three ways to reduce the carbon footprint of food purchased by US households Posted: 03 Nov 2021 05:26 AM PDT Most consumers want to make food purchases that are smart for their wallets, their health and the environment. And while switching to a vegetarian or vegan diet can lower one's impact on greenhouse gas emissions, it may not be realistic or healthful for everyone. Now, researchers report three ways that Americans can reduce the carbon footprint of their food purchases, without requiring drastic dietary changes. |
| Tidal stream power can aid drive for net-zero and generate 11% of UK’s electricity demand Posted: 02 Nov 2021 06:01 PM PDT A day before world leaders meet at COP26 to discuss the importance of clean energy, scientists from across the UK say that harnessing the power of the ocean's tidal streams can provide a predictable and reliable means of helping to meet the country's future energy demand. |
| Forest fires linked to low birth weight in newborns Posted: 02 Nov 2021 11:07 AM PDT Women exposed to smoke from landscape fires during pregnancy are more likely to give birth to babies with low or very low birth weights, according to new findings. |
| Movement of plankton between tropical marine ecosystems drives 'sweet spots' for fishing Posted: 02 Nov 2021 11:06 AM PDT A new analysis suggests that the movement of plankton and plankton-eating fish play a central role in driving local spikes of extreme biological productivity in tropical coral reefs, creating 'sweet spots' of abundant fish. |
| Better models of atmospheric ‘detergent’ can help predict climate change Posted: 02 Nov 2021 09:54 AM PDT Earth's atmosphere has a unique ability to cleanse itself by way of invisible molecules in the air that act as minuscule cleanup crews. The most important molecule in that crew is the hydroxyl radical (OH), nicknamed the 'detergent of the atmosphere' because of its dominant role in removing pollutants. New research will aid in building more accurate computer models of OH. The study has important implications in advancing policies to combat climate change. |
| C4 bioenergy grass: Working towards higher productivity under fluctuating light Posted: 02 Nov 2021 09:54 AM PDT Biologists evaluated limitations to photosynthetic efficiency of bioenergy grass species during fluctuating light. |
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