ScienceDaily: Earth & Climate News |
| How to clean solar panels without water Posted: 11 Mar 2022 11:14 AM PST Dust that accumulates on solar panels is a major problem, but washing the panels uses huge amounts of water. Engineers have now developed a waterless cleaning method to remove dust on solar installations in water-limited regions, improving overall efficiency. |
| Mirror image biomolecule helps marine sea squirts lose their tails Posted: 11 Mar 2022 11:14 AM PST Researchers have found that D-serine, the structural mirror image of L-serine, regulates tissue migration in the marine organism Ciona during its juvenile-to-adult transformation. D-serine binds to NMDAR, leading to the formation and release of a vesicle that assists in tail regression in Ciona. This finding provides the first description of a biological function of a D-amino acid in a non-mammal chordate, elucidating vesicle release mechanisms in organisms other than mammals. |
| Stemming the tide of invasive species in Great Lakes Posted: 11 Mar 2022 11:06 AM PST New research shows that a bi-national regulation targeting ships entering the Great Lakes since the mid-2000s has been remarkably effective in reducing a large proportion of the invasive species in the world's largest freshwater ecosystem. |
| Posted: 11 Mar 2022 08:53 AM PST When we think of ions, we usually think of single atoms that have lost or gained some electrons, but entire molecules can also become ions. Physicists now show that cold molecular ions can be created using a new method, and that they are a very useful tool for detecting small amounts of other, regular molecules. |
| Chemical analysis reveals effects of wildfire smoke on grapes and wines Posted: 11 Mar 2022 08:53 AM PST As wildfire season in the West grows in length and severity, it is taking a toll on the wine industry through the effects of wildfire smoke on the quality of wine grapes. Volatile compounds in the smoke from wildfires can be absorbed by grapes and produce an unpleasant taste known as 'smoke taint' in wines made from affected grapes. A new study provides valuable data and guidelines for using analytical chemistry to identify grapes and wines affected by smoke taint. |
| Posted: 11 Mar 2022 08:53 AM PST It is well known that methane, a greenhouse gas, is produced by special microorganisms, for example in the intestines of cows, or in rice fields. For some years, scientists had also observed the production of methane in plants and fungi, without finding an explanation. Now researchers have shed light on the underlying mechanism. Their findings suggest that all organisms release methane. |
| Bacteria on intertidal rockweed across the North Atlantic Posted: 11 Mar 2022 08:53 AM PST Algae such as rockweeds are a fundamental part of marine ecosystems, providing habitat and food to many other marine organisms while also providing ecosystem services like oxygenation of the water. In turn, algae depend on bacteria to maintain their normal shapes and health. New sequencing methods are illuminating the relationships between marine bacteria and marine algae, as demonstrated in research by 15 scientists from countries across the North Atlantic. The published study contributes to the understanding how sensitive important algae are to the changing environment. |
| Watershed size plays major role in filtering pollutants, researchers find Posted: 10 Mar 2022 02:08 PM PST Research has found that watershed size plays a major role in a river network's ability to do this work. The findings further the understanding of which estuaries and coastal areas will be more impacted by human development in their watersheds and also casts a light on the intricacies of the global carbon cycle. |
| Gamification, past habits may impact future eco-friendly tendencies differently Posted: 10 Mar 2022 02:08 PM PST Green consumer habits may not be impacted by gamification practices, but people who purchased environmentally friendly products in the past are likely to continue to do so, according to a team of researchers, who theorized that adding gamification techniques to a consumer's eco-friendly purchasing habits would perpetuate green consumerism. |
| Past global photosynthesis reacted quickly to more carbon in the air Posted: 10 Mar 2022 11:37 AM PST Ice cores allow climate researchers to look 800,000 years back in time: atmospheric carbon acts as fertilizer, increasing biological production. The mechanism removes carbon from the air and thereby dampens the acceleration in global warming. |
| Heat stress for cattle may cost billions by century's end, study finds Posted: 10 Mar 2022 11:37 AM PST Climate change poses a potentially devastating economic threat to low-income cattle farmers in poor countries due to increasing heat stress on the animals. Globally, by the end of this century those producers may face financial loss between $15 and $40 billion annually. |
| New observations from ICESat-2 show remarkable Arctic sea ice thinning in just three years Posted: 10 Mar 2022 11:37 AM PST Over the past two decades, the Arctic has lost about one-third of its winter sea ice volume, largely due to a decline in sea ice that persists over several years, called multiyear ice, according to a new study. The study also found sea ice is likely thinner than previous estimates. Seasonal sea ice, which melts completely each summer rather than accumulating over years, is replacing thicker, multiyear ice and driving sea ice thinning trends, according to the new research. |
| Ice-ocean interactions are accelerating melting in West Antarctica Posted: 10 Mar 2022 11:37 AM PST An analysis of Antarctica's Pope, Smith and Kohler glaciers has revealed an aggressive pattern of retreat connected to high melt rates of floating ice in the Amundsen Sea Embayment sector of West Antarctica. |
| Water determines magma depth, a key to accurate models of volcanic activity, eruption Posted: 10 Mar 2022 11:37 AM PST Around the world, between 40 and 50 volcanoes are currently erupting or in states of unrest, and hundreds of millions of people are at risk of hazards posed by these potentially active volcanos. Yet, despite the profound hazards posed to human life and property by volcanic eruptions, humanity still cannot reliably and accurately predict them, and even when forecasts are accurately made by experts, they may not afford ample time for people to evacuate and make emergency preparations. |
| Hawaiian corals show surprising resilience to warming oceans Posted: 10 Mar 2022 08:51 AM PST A long-term study of Hawaiian coral species provides a surprisingly optimistic view of how they might survive warmer and more acidic oceans resulting from climate change. |
| Using cell phone GNSS Networks to monitor crustal deformation Posted: 10 Mar 2022 08:51 AM PST The Global Navigation Satellite System associated with a Japanese cell phone carrier can enhance monitoring of crustal deformation changes for earthquake early warning models. |
| Posted: 10 Mar 2022 08:51 AM PST Animals often use highly specific signals to warn their herd about approaching predators. Surprisingly, similar behaviors are also observed among plants. Shedding more light on this phenomenon, researchers have discovered one such mechanism. Using Arabidopsis thaliana as a model system, the researchers have shown that herbivore-damaged plants give off volatile chemical 'scents' that trigger epigenetic modifications in the defense genes of neighboring plants. These genes subsequently trigger anti-herbivore defense systems. |
| One step closer to artificial rhino eggs Posted: 10 Mar 2022 08:51 AM PST To prevent the extinction of the northern white rhino, researchers are attempting to create artificial egg cells from stem cells. A team has now revealed that they are one step closer to achieving this goal. |
| More 'losers' than 'winners' among plants in the age of humans Posted: 10 Mar 2022 08:50 AM PST A new analysis spanning more than 86,000 plant species finds that on this human-dominated planet, many more species of plants are poised to 'lose' rather than 'win.' T |
| 'Seafloor fertilizer factory' helped breathe life into Earth Posted: 10 Mar 2022 08:43 AM PST Scientists reveal a new part of the recipe for complex life on planets, and it involves the onset of a microbial fertilizer factory on the Earth's seafloor roughly 2.6 billion years ago. |
| Cutting HFCs to cool the Earth Posted: 10 Mar 2022 08:42 AM PST To have a better chance of holding global warming to 1.5°C, we need to accelerate the phase-down of HFC refrigerants under the Montreal Protocol. This could also reduce pollution and improve energy access. |
| Relocating farmland could turn back clock twenty years on carbon emissions, say scientists Posted: 10 Mar 2022 06:59 AM PST Scientists have produced a map showing where the world's major food crops should be grown to maximize yield and minimize environmental impact. This would capture large amounts of carbon, increase biodiversity, and cut agricultural use of freshwater to zero. |
| Florida's 76,000 stormwater ponds emit more carbon than they store Posted: 09 Mar 2022 01:55 PM PST As Florida and other states become more urbanized, an increasing number of stormwater ponds are built. Florida already has 76,000 such ponds. The newer ones emit more carbon than they store, a new study finds. Researchers hope this finding will inform policy makers and others about when, where and how to install stormwater ponds. |
| Climate change and lithium mining negatively influence flamingos, study finds Posted: 09 Mar 2022 07:45 AM PST Chile's saltwater lake closest to lithium mining activity has lost 10 to 12 percent of its flamingo population in the past 11 years. Although climate change has caused numerous saltwater lakes in the region to shrink, the flamingo population at the other lakes has held steady. As lithium mining increases to supply the metal to electric vehicles and other products, the effect could spread, according to new research. |
| Beheaded croc reveals ancient family secrets Posted: 09 Mar 2022 07:45 AM PST The partially fossilized remains of a giant extinct crocodilian that could have been ritualistically beheaded explain how modern crocodilian species may have evolved. Discovered in southern China, the new species is estimated to have been 6 meters long and the top predator of its environment. Human migration into southern China and subsequent hunting might have driven it to extinction only a few hundred years ago. The discovery may impact knowledge of ancient Chinese civilization. |
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