ScienceDaily: Earth & Climate News |
| Posted: 22 Mar 2022 12:09 PM PDT A series of studies on endangered species that make their homes on the border of Vietnam and China underscores the growing importance of transboundary conservation efforts in the face of climate change. As the world warms, many plant and animal species migrate from their traditional habitats, increasing the likelihood of local and global extinctions. |
| Nature study: Ocean life may adapt to climate change, but with hidden costs Posted: 22 Mar 2022 12:09 PM PDT A new study shows that some ocean animals may be able evolve their way out of troubles caused by climate change -- but at a high cost. By artificially evolving 23 generations of a marine copepod, Acartia tonsa, a team of scientists found that the tiny creatures could adapt to the high temperatures and carbon dioxide levels forecast for the warming oceans. But to get there, the populations had to spend a lot of their genetic flexibility -- leaving them vulnerable to new stresses, like low food. |
| Environmentally conscious consumers more likely to buy chicken raised on insects or algae Posted: 22 Mar 2022 09:25 AM PDT Eating chicken raised on a diet of bugs or algae may sound downright unappetizing to some, but there are ways to make the idea more palatable to at least one type of food shopper. Consumers who are environmentally aware will likely warm up to the idea of using alternative proteins like insect meal in poultry feed if they're given enough information about the health and environmental benefits, a new study shows. |
| Bionic wing flaps improve wind energy efficiency Posted: 22 Mar 2022 08:13 AM PDT Scientists show a bionic approach combining features of a seagull's wing with an engineered flow control accessory, known as a Gurney flap, can greatly improve wind turbine performance. To achieve the best aerodynamic performance, the scientists simulated the use of the combined flow control accessory in a variety of situations, including high and low angle of attack and pre- and post-stall scenarios. They compared their computational simulations to experimental results for an aircraft wing undergoing a dynamic stall. |
| Much more than average, single-cell analysis reveals heterogeneity in metal adsorption Posted: 22 Mar 2022 08:13 AM PDT A research team has reported an in-depth analysis of precious metal adsorption onto Galdieria sulphuraria algae. The combination of X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy and single-cell inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry allowed the cell population behavior to be related to chemical interactions that occurred between the metals and the cell surface. The insight is expected to contribute to the development of environmentally friendly cell-derived approaches for metal recycling and wastewater treatment. |
| Hawaiian-Emperor undersea mystery revealed with supercomputers Posted: 22 Mar 2022 08:13 AM PDT Kinematic plate reconstructions and high-resolution global dynamic models developed to quantify the amount of Pacific Plate motion change associated with the Hawaiian -- Emperor Bend. Scientists are hopeful this basic research into Pacific Plate motion can be applied to other associated phenomena such as large earthquakes. |
| Posted: 22 Mar 2022 08:13 AM PDT Using multiple high-resolution satellite datasets, researchers found that tropical carbon loss has doubled over the past two decades due to excessive forest removal in the tropics. The tropics are an important ecosystem as they store massive amounts of carbon in their woody vegetation and soil -- but they have suffered from extensive forest clearance since 2001. The researchers analyzed the gross forest carbon loss associated with forest removal in the tropics during the 21st century. |
| Finding ways to turn down the heat in cities Posted: 21 Mar 2022 12:04 PM PDT Rooftop gardens and greenery can help ease some of the severe heat in cities, according to research from climate scientists. |
| New enzyme discovery is another leap towards beating plastic waste Posted: 21 Mar 2022 12:04 PM PDT Scientists who helped to pioneer the use of enzymes to eat plastic have taken an important next step in developing nature-based solutions to the global plastics crisis. They have characterized an enzyme that has the remarkable capacity to help break down terephthalate (TPA), one of the chemical building blocks of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, which is used to make single-use drinks bottles, clothing and carpets. |
| Upcyling polyester could reduce plastic waste Posted: 21 Mar 2022 12:04 PM PDT Less than 10% of the 380 million metrics tons of annually produced plastics are currently recycled in the U.S., creating a global environmental threat caused by plastic production and the absorption of millions of tons of waste into bodies of water each year. When you look at plastics like polyester, that percentage goes down. |
| Tree cover helps gray foxes coexist with coyotes in the country Posted: 21 Mar 2022 10:22 AM PDT Preserving tree cover may be essential in helping the gray fox survive with coyotes in rural areas, researchers found in a new study. |
| Wind, solar could replace coal power in Texas Posted: 21 Mar 2022 08:59 AM PDT A fraction of the wind and solar projects already proposed in Texas could eliminate the state's remaining coal power plants and their emissions, according to engineers. |
| Classifying weather to tease out how aerosols influence storms Posted: 21 Mar 2022 08:58 AM PDT A new study used artificial intelligence to analyze 10 years of weather data collected over southeastern Texas to identify three major categories of weather patterns and the continuum of conditions between them. The study will help scientists seeking to understand how aerosols -- tiny particles suspended in Earth's atmosphere -- affect the severity of thunderstorms. |
| Vegetable oil emissions study reveals urgent need for greener growing solutions Posted: 21 Mar 2022 08:58 AM PDT A new global study has revealed the extent of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by vegetable oil production, highlighting the need for more sustainable growing solutions. |
| COVID-19 pandemic fueled massive growth in green industry Posted: 21 Mar 2022 07:37 AM PDT The COVID-19 pandemic hasn't been a great couple of years. But for the green industry, like plant nurseries and greenhouses, it's been a boon. But will the uptick in gardening last once the last coronavirus restrictions are lifted? Probably not to the same extreme levels, according to new research. But for some, the introduction to gardening may have been just what they needed to dive into a new hobby. |
| Why groundwater is one of our most precious resources Posted: 21 Mar 2022 07:37 AM PDT From the Murray-Darling system to Great Artesian Basin, 'invisible' underground groundwater is often the only water supply available across the vast majority Australia where its annual contribution to GDP is estimated at more than $6.8 billion a year. However, overuse of groundwater during droughts and aquifer depletion has already seen water crises, including in Australia's 'food bowl' the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB), California and Cape Town in South Africa, with more likely to follow with groundwater management largely reactive and unlikely to avert more crises as climate change accelerates and populations grow. |
| Identifying toxic materials in water with machine learning Posted: 21 Mar 2022 06:19 AM PDT Waste materials from oil sands extraction, stored in tailings ponds, can pose a risk to the natural habitat and neighboring communities when they leach into groundwater and surface ecosystems. Until now, the challenge for the oil sands industry is that the proper analysis of toxic waste materials has been difficult to achieve without complex and lengthy testing. And there's a backlog. For example, in Alberta alone, there are an estimated 1.4 billion cubic meters of fluid tailings. |
| New ways to improve urban wetlands Posted: 21 Mar 2022 06:19 AM PDT New studies provide valuable insights into removing toxins from polluted waterways and improving filtration at urban wetlands. One study found a wetland plant capable of reducing PFAS in soil and water, and another looked for better urban wetland water flow management during summer. |
| New technology to make charging electric cars as fast as pumping gas Posted: 21 Mar 2022 06:19 AM PDT New technology to make charging electric cars as fast as pumping gas. Quantum charging will cut the charging time of electric vehicles from ten hours to three minutes. |
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