Feature Channels: Environmental Science

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Released: 16-Sep-2020 12:20 PM EDT
New Great Lakes modeling improves operational forecast system
Michigan Technological University

Forecasting the water levels, temperatures, and currents of the Great Lakes is important because conditions on the lakes affect commerce, recreation, and community well-being. These forecasts comprise the Great Lakes Operational Forecast System (GLOFS), an automated model-based prediction system operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Michigan Tech helps NOAA improve the GLOFS model.

Released: 16-Sep-2020 12:10 PM EDT
Marine animals live where ocean is most ‘breathable,’ but ranges could shrink with climate change
University of Washington

Research shows that many marine animals already inhabit the maximum range of breathable ocean that their physiology allows. The findings are a warning about climate change: Since warmer waters harbor less oxygen, stretches of ocean that are breathable today for a species may not be in the future.

Released: 16-Sep-2020 8:30 AM EDT
FAU Lands $11 Million from U.S. Office of Naval Research for Oceanic Bioluminescence
Florida Atlantic University

FAU’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute has landed an $11,179,001 four-year contract from the U.S. Office of Naval Research to develop a next-generation, high-intake, compact, bathyphotometer sensor for natural oceanic bioluminescence assessments. Bioluminescent creatures are found throughout marine habitats and their “glowing” energy released from chemical reactions is used to warn or evade predators, lure or detect prey and communicate with the same species. Research surrounding bioluminescence will soon serve as an important tool to protect U.S. coastlines.

Released: 15-Sep-2020 7:05 PM EDT
Tail regeneration in lungfish provides insight into evolution of limb regrowth
University of Chicago Medical Center

A new study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B from researchers at the University of Chicago and Universidade Federal do Pará explores regenerative ability in the tails of West African lungfish for the first time, and finds that the process shares many of the same traits as tail regeneration in salamanders. Their results indicate that this trait was likely found in a common ancestor – and provide a new opportunity for better understanding and harnessing the mechanisms of limb regrowth.

Released: 15-Sep-2020 4:25 PM EDT
Tracking hammerhead sharks reveals conservation targets to protect a nearly endangered species
Nova Southeastern University

They are some of the most iconic and unique-looking creatures in our oceans. While some may think they look a bit “odd,” one thing researchers agree on is that little is known about hammerhead sharks. And thanks to a team of researchers, that's about to change.

Released: 15-Sep-2020 3:55 PM EDT
Wolf Pups Born in Isle Royale National Park
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Isle Royale National Park and the SUNY College of Environmental Sciences and Forestry (ESF) have documented reproduction for wolves introduced to Isle Royale in 2018 and 2019, a key element of the National Park Service wolf introduction program’s success. GPS collar data and images from remote cameras suggest pups were born in 2019 and 2020. An exact number of pups is yet to be determined.

Released: 15-Sep-2020 3:05 PM EDT
FSU communication, engineering researchers awarded grant to study natural disaster response
Florida State University

When Hurricane Michael devastated rural inland communities in the Florida Panhandle in 2018, public libraries played a critical role in the natural disaster response. It also exposed the need for improved upon procedures and policies for public libraries responding to natural disasters.

   
Released: 15-Sep-2020 2:35 PM EDT
Study reveals impact of centuries of human activity in American tropics
University of East Anglia

The devastating effects of human activity on wildlife in the American tropics over the last 500 years are revealed in a new study published today.

Released: 15-Sep-2020 12:05 PM EDT
Study: Decreasing Wildfires Observed Over Central Africa
University at Albany, State University of New York

A new observational study has revealed a decreasing burned area trend that could impact African ecosystems.

Released: 15-Sep-2020 8:40 AM EDT
Ocean Algae Get “Coup de Grace” from Viruses
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

Scientists have long believed that ocean viruses always quickly kill algae, but Rutgers-led research shows they live in harmony with algae and viruses provide a “coup de grace” only when blooms of algae are already stressed and dying. The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, will likely change how scientists view viral infections of algae, also known as phytoplankton – especially the impact of viruses on ecosystem processes like algal bloom formation (and decline) and the cycling of carbon and other chemicals on Earth.

Released: 14-Sep-2020 5:45 PM EDT
Using Nature-Inspired Designs To Protect Coastal Communities
Texas A&M University

Nearly half the world’s population lives within 100 kilometers of a coastline, putting them at risk of rising sea levels, eroding coastlines and more frequent storms and hurricanes. Dr. Jens Figlus and his team are safeguarding these coastal communities through better designed hybrid coastal structures.

Released: 14-Sep-2020 4:20 PM EDT
Florida State-led team offers new rules for algae species classification
Florida State University

A team of evolutionary biologists and ecologists, led by a Florida State University researcher, has a new idea for how scientists should classify algae species.

Released: 14-Sep-2020 3:45 PM EDT
DHS S&T Provides Critical Chemical Hazard Support as Gulf Coast Braces for Major Storm
Homeland Security's Science And Technology Directorate

With Hurricane Sally expected to make landfall on Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) Chemical Security Analysis Center (CSAC) is providing critical chemical hazard support.

Released: 14-Sep-2020 12:40 PM EDT
Digging into soil organic matter
Iowa State University

A new study found patterns in how soil organic matter forms across a wide range of climate types. Understanding how soils break down or preserve organic matter is important because organic matter plays a central role in the kind of services soils can provide, such as whether they make good agricultural soils or if they can sequester carbon to slow climate change.

Released: 14-Sep-2020 11:10 AM EDT
Michigan Tech expert available: Mega wildfires release soil carbon into the atmosphere
Michigan Technological University

Evan Kane, soil carbon expert, is available to speak about how increasingly severe wildfires are accelerating the climate change feedback loop.

11-Sep-2020 8:10 AM EDT
Climate change triggers migration
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)

According to a new study, environmental hazards affect populations worldwide and can drive migration under specific conditions, especially in middle-income and agricultural countries.



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