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ScienceDaily: Earth & Climate News |
| Copper-based chemicals may be contributing to ozone depletion Posted: 13 Jan 2022 12:14 PM PST As Earth's ozone layer recovers from past emissions of now-banned CFCs and halons, other chemicals are emerging as major causes of stratospheric ozone depletion. Atmospheric scientists have been searching for the sources of about one-third of the major threats, methyl bromide and methyl chloride. New research shows that copper-based compounds in common use generate these compounds when interacting with soil and seawater, with sunlight boosting production by a factor of 10. |
| Lost birds and mammals spell doom for some plants Posted: 13 Jan 2022 12:13 PM PST In one of the first studies of its kind, researchers have gauged how biodiversity loss of birds and mammals will impact plants' chances of adapting to human-induced climate warming. |
| Reducing air pollution: Policies that pay off Posted: 13 Jan 2022 08:14 AM PST Fine particle pollution affects most of the world's population, causing respiratory and cardiovascular diseases as well as premature deaths, all at a cost to society. A multidisciplinary research team has now drawn up various scenarios that would reduce the mortality caused by fine particles by two thirds over the entire conurbation, and has shown that the benefits obtained would exceed the costs of the policies implemented. |
| When water is coming from all sides Posted: 13 Jan 2022 08:14 AM PST Researchers have developed the first three-dimensional operational storm surge model. The model simulates compound surge and flooding -- especially hard in transition zones where the river meets the sea. Since April 2021, NOAA has run daily 2D and 3D compound flood models on the Frontera supercomputer. During Tropical Storm Claudette (June 2021), the three-dimensional, real-time storm surge model closely matched observations across the Gulf Coast. |
| World's largest fish breeding area discovered in Antarctica Posted: 13 Jan 2022 08:14 AM PST Near the Filchner Ice Shelf in the south of the Antarctic Weddell Sea, a research team has found the world's largest fish breeding area known to date. A towed camera system photographed and filmed thousands of nests of icefish of the species Neopagetopsis ionah on the seabed. |
| Tiger shark migrations altered by climate change Posted: 13 Jan 2022 06:21 AM PST A new study has revealed that the locations and timing of tiger shark movement in the western North Atlantic Ocean have changed from rising ocean temperatures. These climate-driven changes have subsequently shifted tiger shark movements outside of protected areas, rendering the sharks more vulnerable to commercial fishing. |
| New study shows the toll industrial farming takes on bird diversity Posted: 12 Jan 2022 12:49 PM PST A new study looking into the impacts that large industrial farming has on biodiversity found that increased farm size causes a decline in bird diversity. Researchers studied how different farming indicators impact the diversity of local birds in the farmland bordering the former Iron Curtain in Germany. They found that increased farm sizes resulted in a 15 per cent decline in bird diversity. |
| Under a moon spell: Shark attacks related to lunar phases Posted: 12 Jan 2022 11:51 AM PST New research suggests that more shark attacks occur during fuller phases of the moon. While the exact cause remains unclear, the researchers found that more shark attacks than average occur during periods of higher lunar illumination and fewer attacks than average occur during periods of lower illumination. Many different types of animals show behaviors that are linked to moon phases yet few studies to date have looked at the connections between lunar phases and shark attacks. |
| BPA exposure of the placenta could affect fetal brain development Posted: 12 Jan 2022 11:50 AM PST Scientists demonstrate the direct transmission of bisphenol A (BPA) from a mother to her developing child via the placenta could negatively impact fetal brain development. |
| Microplastic pollution linger in rivers for years before entering oceans Posted: 12 Jan 2022 11:50 AM PST Because rivers are in near-constant motion, researchers previously assumed lightweight microplastics quickly flowed through rivers, rarely interacting with riverbed sediments. With new simulations, researchers now have discovered hyporheic exchange -- a process in which surface water mixes with water in the riverbed -- can trap lightweight microplastics that otherwise might be expected to float. |
| Face masks cut distance airborne pathogens could travel in half, new study finds Posted: 12 Jan 2022 09:15 AM PST The effectiveness of face masks has been a hotly debated topic since the emergence of COVID-19. However, a new study offers more evidence that they work. Researchers found that face masks reduce the distance airborne pathogens could travel, when speaking or coughing, by more than half compared to not wearing a mask. |
| Predator species help to buffer climate change impacts on biodiversity Posted: 12 Jan 2022 09:15 AM PST Predator species may buffer the negative impacts of climate change by mitigating against the loss of biodiversity, according to new research. The team of scientists behind the discovery say their findings underline the importance of conserving biodiversity, and top predators in particular, and highlight the potential for species extinctions to worsen the effects of climate change on ecosystems. |
| Posted: 12 Jan 2022 09:15 AM PST Economic growth goes down when the number of wet days and days with extreme rainfall go up, a team of scientists finds. The data analysis of more than 1,500 regions over the past 40 years shows a clear connection and suggests that intensified daily rainfall driven by climate-change from burning oil and coal will harm the global economy. |
| Rubber material holds key to long-lasting, safer EV batteries Posted: 12 Jan 2022 09:14 AM PST For electric vehicles (EVs) to become mainstream, they need cost-effective, safer, longer-lasting batteries that won't explode during use or harm the environment. Researchers may have found a promising alternative to conventional lithium-ion batteries made from a common material: rubber. |
| Nature helps us cope with body image ‘threats’ Posted: 12 Jan 2022 07:57 AM PST A new study has found that being in nature helps people deal with negative body image by removing some of the triggers of body image anxiety, such as the focus on social media, and strengthening coping mechanisms to keep negative feelings in perspective. |
| Ecological tradeoff? Utility-scale solar energy impedes endangered Florida panthers Posted: 12 Jan 2022 07:57 AM PST Reducing the energy industry's carbon footprint in the sunshine state is impeding a large carnivore's paw-print. A study is the first to document the effect of utility-scale solar energy (USSE) facilities in Peninsular Florida on both habitat suitability and connectivity for any large carnivore. The study examined 45 USSE facilities equaling 27,688 acres. |
| Thaw of permafrost has vast impact on built environment Posted: 12 Jan 2022 07:56 AM PST Permafrost has a central role in the sustainable development of the Arctic region. The thaw of permafrost is set to damage buildings and roads, leading to tens of billions of euros in additional costs in the near future, according to an international review. |
| Paradigm shift: Methanogenic microbes not always limited to methane Posted: 12 Jan 2022 07:56 AM PST Microbiologists show that methanogenic archaea do not always need to form methane to survive. It is possible to bypass methanogenesis with the seemingly simpler and more environmentally friendly acetogenic energy metabolism. These new findings provide evidence that methanogens are not nearly as metabolically limited as previously thought, and suggest that methanogenesis may have evolved from the acetyl-CoA pathway - an important step towards fully understanding the ecology, biotechnology, and evolution of archaea. |
| Clothes dryers are an underappreciated source of airborne microfibers Posted: 12 Jan 2022 06:39 AM PST No one likes when their favorite clothes develop holes or unravel after many laundry cycles. But what happens to the fragments of fabric and stitching that come off? Although it's known that washing clothes releases microfibers into wastewater, it's unclear how drying impacts the environment. Now, a pilot study reports that a single dryer could discharge up to 120 million microfibers annually -- considerably more than from washing machines. |
| Common household cleaner can boost effort to harvest fusion energy on Earth Posted: 11 Jan 2022 04:30 PM PST Path-setting findings demonstrate for the first time a novel regime for confining heat in stellarators. The demonstration could advance the twisty design as a blueprint for future fusion power plants. |
| Ancient Mesopotamian discovery transforms knowledge of early farming Posted: 11 Jan 2022 12:37 PM PST Researchers have unearthed the earliest definitive evidence of broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum) in ancient Iraq, challenging our understanding of humanity's earliest agricultural practices. |
| Safe drinking water remains out of reach for many Californians Posted: 11 Jan 2022 12:36 PM PST An estimated 370,000 Californians rely on drinking water that may contain high levels of arsenic, nitrate or hexavalent chromium, and contaminated drinking water disproportionately impact communities of color in the state, finds a new analysis. Because this study is limited to three common contaminants, results likely underestimate the actual number of Californians impacted by unsafe drinking water. |
| Researchers find concerns for animals tied to same habitats Posted: 11 Jan 2022 12:36 PM PST While site fidelity may be beneficial for animals when environmental conditions don't change very fast, those benefits may not be realized in the ever-changing world dominated by humans, researchers have found through a review of scientific literature. |
| Watering holes bring together wildlife, and their parasites Posted: 11 Jan 2022 12:36 PM PST The sun rises on the savannas of central Kenya. Grasses sway in the wind as hoof-steps fall on the dusty ground. A menagerie of Africa's iconic wildlife congregates around a watering hole to quench their thirst during the region's dry season. |
| New model examines the effects of toxicants on populations in polluted rivers Posted: 11 Jan 2022 12:36 PM PST A new mathematical model describes the interactions between a population and a toxicant in a river environment, enabling researchers to study how the way in which a pollutant moves through a river affects the wellbeing and distribution of the river's inhabitants. |
| Wearable air sampler assesses personal exposure to SARS-CoV-2 Posted: 11 Jan 2022 09:04 AM PST Researchers have developed a passive air sampler clip that can help assess personal exposure to SARS-CoV-2, which could be especially helpful for workers in high-risk settings, such as restaurants or health care facilities. |
| Posted: 11 Jan 2022 08:20 AM PST Researchers have discovered the first in-situ evidence of chlorophyll remnants in a billion-year-old multicellular algal microfossil preserved in shales from the Congo Basin. This discovery has made it possible to unambiguously identify one of the first phototrophic eukaryotic organisms in the fossil record. This research opens up new perspectives in the study of the diversification of eukaryotes within the first ecosystems. |
| Biomass burning increases low clouds over southeastern Asia Posted: 11 Jan 2022 08:20 AM PST Clouds have significant impact on the energy balance of the Earth system. Low clouds such as Stratocumulus, Cumulus and Stratus cover about 30 percent of the Earth surface and have a net cooling effect on our climate. What counteracts global warming, can have economic consequences: a persistently dense and low cloud cover over land can reduce agricultural production and the solar-power generation. Understanding the factors governing low cloud cover is not only important for regional weather forecasting and global climate prediction but also for their socioeconomic effects. |
| Overcoming a bottleneck in carbon dioxide conversion Posted: 11 Jan 2022 08:19 AM PST A new study reveals why some attempts to convert carbon dioxide into fuel have failed, and offers possible solutions. |
| Posted: 11 Jan 2022 08:19 AM PST Arctic coasts are characterized by sea ice, permafrost and ground ice. This makes them particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, which is already accelerating rapid coastal erosion. |
| Plants rely on the CLASSY gene family to diversify their epigenomes Posted: 11 Jan 2022 06:13 AM PST A team has shown that the CLASSY gene family regulates which parts of the genome are turned off in a tissue-specific manner. The work identifies the CLSY genes as major factors underlying epigenetic diversity in plant tissues. This research has broad implications for both agriculture and medicine. |
| Low oxygen and sulfide in the oceans played greater role in ancient mass extinction Posted: 10 Jan 2022 03:48 PM PST Researchers have new insight into the complicated puzzle of environmental conditions that characterized the Late Ordovician Mass Extinction (LOME), which killed about 85% of the species in the ocean. |
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