Filters:
Earth May Be 140 Years Away From Reaching Carbon Levels Not Seen in 56 Million Years
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Total human carbon dioxide emissions could match those of Earth's last major greenhouse warming event in fewer than five generations, new research finds.
Earth May Be 140 Years Away From Reaching Carbon Levels Not Seen in 56 Million Years
University of Michigan
Total human carbon dioxide emissions could match those of Earth's last major greenhouse warming event in fewer than five generations, according to a new University of Michigan study.
Research underscores importance of cold-temperature variability in evaluating climate change
Binghamton University, State University of New York
New research from Binghamton University, State University of New York, highlights the importance of considering cold temperature variability, and not just warming temperatures, when evaluating the impact of climate change.
Fossil Fuel Combustion Is the Main Contributor to Black Carbon Around the Arctic, International Study Finds
Baylor University
Fossil fuel combustion is the main contributor to black carbon collected at five sites around the Arctic, which has implications for global warming, according to a study by an international group of scientists that included a team from Baylor University.
Why North Carolinian boats are fishing off New Jersey's coast -- and how a CSF might help
Princeton University
As the oceans warm in response to climate change, fishing boats in the Mid-Atlantic that focus on only one or two species of fish are traveling more than 250 miles farther north than they did 20 years ago, while others catching a wide diversity of species have not changed fishing location, reported Talia Young, a postdoctoral research associate in ecology and evolutionary biology at Princeton.
Sandia research investigates how organic reactions affect Earth's atmosphere
Sandia National Laboratories
LIVERMORE, Calif. -- Volatile organic compounds can be found in the air -- everywhere. A wide range of sources, including from plants, cooking fuels and household cleaners, emit these compounds directly. They also can be formed in the atmosphere through a complex network of photochemical reactions.Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories and colleagues from other institutions investigated the reactions of hydroxyl and methylperoxy radicals to understand their impact on the atmosphere's ability to process pollutants.
Political and policy feedbacks in the climate system
University of California, Santa Barbara
Matto Mildenberger, University of California Santa Barbara explains how perceived experiences with climate change in the United States can be linked to political shifts in Congress, culture and society.
In Disasters, Twitter Influencers Get Out-Tweeted
University of Vermont
A first-of-its-kind study on Twitter use during 5 of the costliest U.S. natural disasters offers potentially life-saving insights. The research, in PLOS ONE, finds that Twitter users with small networks (100-200 followers) increase activity more than those with larger networks in these situations. It also finds that each disaster type (hurricanes, tornadoes, floods) has a unique pattern of social media use.
Gallery 400 exhibit explores effects of climate insecurity across the planet
University of Illinois at Chicago
Gallery 400 exhibit at UIC looks at climate insecurity around the world.
Climate change increases potential for conflict and violence
Iowa State University
Climate change is accelerating the severity of natural disasters, which will have a direct and indirect effect on violence and aggression, according to a new study. Iowa State researchers have identified three ways climate change will increase the likelihood of violence.
WCS Awards $2.5 Million to 13 U.S. Conservation Projects Implementing Innovative Approaches to Help Wildlife Adapt to Climate Change
Wildlife Conservation Society
WCS has announced 13 new grants to nonprofit organizations implementing on-the-ground, science-driven projects that will help wildlife and ecosystems adapt to climate change.
Rensselaer researcher and author of PNAS study on decline of Puerto Rican arthropod populations available as source for global decline in insect populations
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)
Many Arctic lakes give off less carbon than expected
University of Washington
New research by the University of Washington and U.S. Geological Survey suggests many Arctic lakes pose little threat to global carbon levels, at least for now.
Understanding tropical rainfall, both past and present
Washington University in St. Louis
A drop of rainwater that falls on a cassava field in Uganda takes a different path than one that falls 500 miles east in Somalia. Knowing where rain comes from now, and where it might come from under future climate scenarios, is important for the millions of people who rely on subsistence agriculture to survive. Research from Washington University in St Louis offers a new tool for tracking the rainwater race.
Controls on Nitrogen Nutrient Availability in the Arctic Tundra
Soil moisture is key to determining plant growth and nutrient cycling in complex tundra landscapes.
Seasons Change: Researchers Provide New Definition for Major Indian Monsoon Season
Florida State University
Florida State University Professor of Meteorology Vasu Misra has used detailed surface temperature analyses to develop the first-ever objective definition for the Northeast Indian Monsoon
Global Climate Trend Since Dec. 1 1978: +0.13 C Per Decade
University of Alabama Huntsville
Global Temperature Report: January 2019
Near-Term Ocean Warming Around Antarctica Affects Long-Term Rate of Sea Level Rise
Scientists investigate a threshold for rapid ice-sheet degradation in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.
Revising the history of big, climate-altering volcanic eruptions
University of Maryland, College Park
For all their destructive power, most volcanic eruptions are local events. Lava flows tend to reach only a few miles at most, while airborne ash and soot travel a little farther. But occasionally
Early spring rain boosts methane from thawing permafrost by 30 percent
University of Washington
A UW-led team has found that early spring rainfall warms up a thawing permafrost bog in Alaska and promotes the growth of plants and methane-producing microbes.
Story tips from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, February 4, 2019
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory used machine learning to map vegetation in Alaskan tundra; ORNL taps machine learning to better predict home-to-work commuting; Univ of South Carolina investigates oxygen-reducing perovskites in fuel cells using ORNL neutrons; decades of data showed salt purity trends leading to inconsistent corrosion of alloys.
Disappearing into the sea
Penn State College of Engineering
The remote town of Barrow, Alaska, home to more than 4,000 people, touts picturesque views of the Arctic Ocean as well as an unparalleled connection to the Alaskan wild, but underneath its stunning beauty lies a major global crisis - permafrost coastal erosion - causing Barrow to gradually slip into the sea.
Once-abundant sea stars imperiled by disease along West Coast
University of California, Davis
The combination of ocean warming and an infectious wasting disease has devastated populations of large sunflower sea stars once abundant along the West Coast of North America in just a few years, according to research co-led by the University of California
The new abnormal in climate disruption includes a new normal in weather extremes, U of R professor says.
University of Redlands
Hurricane Katrina's aftermath included spike in heart disease hospitalizations
Tufts University
Hospitalizations for cardiovascular disease rose precipitously in Orleans and Jefferson parishes after Hurricane Katrina. The increase in rates lasted for more than one month after landfall and rates were higher among the older black population, compared to the older white population.
WashU Expert: Mosquitoes and ticks do better in extreme cold than we do
Washington University in St. Louis
With paper-weight wings and spindly legs, the mosquito hardly seems built to handle the cold. The secret to its survival is eggs built to withstand freezing temperatures. Even if some eggs die off during extreme cold, mosquito populations rebound quickly. The same holds true for ticks that can wait out a cold snap far below a forest's layer of leaves.
Predicting Urban and Coastal Microclimates
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Brookhaven Lab recently deployed a mobile atmospheric laboratory in urban and coastal areas to improve microclimate forecasting.
Newly published paper examines river ecology on a global scale
University of Utah
A study that brought together data from around the world has led to new findings on the effect of climatic factors on river ecosystems. The study, published in the latest issue of the journal Science Advances, found that climatic factors such as temperature and moisture influenced carbon-cycling rates--decomposition rate of organic matter--of river and riparian zones at the global scale. Carbon cycling is critical for the functioning of systems ranging from local food webs to the global climate.
Getting To Know the Microbes that Drive Climate Change
The genetics of viruses living along a permafrost thaw gradient may help scientists better predict the pace of climate change.
Humpback whales' songs associated with subarctic feeding areas appear complex, progressive, and resemble tropical winter breeding-associated songs
PLOS
Humpback whales overwintering in feeding areas may sing complex, progressive songs which closely resemble those associated with breeding grounds, according to a study published January 23, 2019 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Edda E. Magnusdottir and Rangyn Lim from the University of Iceland.
Climate Change Tipping Point Could Be Coming Sooner than We Think
Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science
A Columbia Engineering study confirms the urgency to tackle climate change. While it's known that extreme weather events can affect the year-to-year variability in carbon uptake, and some researchers have suggested that there may be longer-term effects, this study is the first to actually quantify the effects through the 21st century and demonstrates that wetter-than-normal years do not compensate for losses in carbon uptake during dryer-than-normal years, caused by events such as droughts or heatwaves.
A New Way to Predict Sea Breezes May Benefit Offshore Wind Farms
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
The proposed, multimillion-dollar offshore wind farms industry may benefit from a Rutgers-led study that used sophisticated forecasting to understand sea breezes and make them a more predictable source of energy.
Farm Manure Boosts Greenhouse Gas Emissions - Even in Winter
University of Vermont
Researchers have shown, for the first time, that manure used to fertilize croplands in spring and summer can dramatically increase greenhouse gas emissions in winter. While it's known that farmers' decisions to add nutrients to their fields affects greenhouse gas emissions during the growing season, the study is the first to show that these choices have long-lasting effects, especially as winters warm and soils thaw more frequently.
IU Study Predicts How Air Pollutants From U.S. Forest Soils Will Increase with Climate Change
Indiana University
Scientists predict that certain regions of the United States will experience higher levels of pollutants that cause smog, acid rain and respiratory problems due changes in forest soils from climate change.
Observing Clouds in Four Dimensions
Six cameras are revolutionizing observations of shallow cumulus clouds.
A Challenging Future for Tropical Forests
Mortality rates of moist tropical forests are on the rise due to environmental drivers and related mechanisms.
Rapid Lake Draining on Ice Sheets Changes How Water Moves in Unexpected Ways
Widespread fracturing during lake drainage triggers vertical shafts to form that affect the Greenland Ice Sheet.
Emperor penguins' first journey to sea
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Emperor penguin chicks hatch into one of Earth's most inhospitable places--the frozen world of Antarctica. Childhood in this environment is harsh and lasts only about five months, when their formerly doting parents leave the fledglings to fend for themselves.
Right green for crop, environment, wallet
American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)
Researchers found an efficient approach to managing nitrogen in agriculture and reducing its environmental impact. It's all about being green.
Microbial Types May Prove Key to Gas Releases from Thawing Permafrost
Scientists discover key types of microbes that degrade organic matter and release carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere.
PG&E bankruptcy result of being unprepared for catastrophic and overwhelming effects of climate change, UR professor says.
University of Redlands
How does the freeze-thaw cycle impact soil?
Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)
Winter soil freezes, heaves, and moves! The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) Jan. 15 Soils Matter blog looks at the freeze-thaw cycle, how it changes soil on a microscopic level, and the reaction of Alaska's unique permafrost soils.
ESF Power Plant Saves Money and Reduces Carbon Footprint
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry is saving over half a million dollars a year on heat and electricity with a high-performance combined-heat-and-power system fueled by natural gas and wood pellets, and designed to capture waste energy for heating buildings.
Supercomputer Simulations Reveal New Insight on Sea Fog Development
A recently published study by an international team of researchers has shed new light on how and why a particular type of sea fog forms, using detailed supercomputer simulations to provide more accurate predictions of its occurrence and patterns to help reduce the number of maritime mishaps.
Antarctic ice sheet could suffer a one-two climate punch
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Variations in the axial tilt of the Earth have significant implications for the rise and fall of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, the miles-deep blanket of ice that locks up huge volumes of water that, if melted, would dramatically elevate sea level and alter the world's coastlines. New research matches the geologic record of Antarctica's ice with the periodic astronomical motions of the Earth.
Racial inequality in the deployment of rooftop solar energy in the U.S.
Tufts University
Although the popularity of rooftop solar panels has skyrocketed because of their benefits to consumers and the environment, the deployment has predominantly occurred in white neighborhoods, even after controlling for household income and home ownership, according to a study by researchers from Tufts University and the University of California, Berkeley, published today in the journal Nature Sustainability.
Elephants take to the road for reliable resources
Ecological Society of America
An elephant never forgets. This seems to be the case, at least, for elephants roaming about Namibia, looking for food, fresh water, and other resources.
Texas expert has big plans as UAH director of Unmanned Aerial Systems Programs
University of Alabama Huntsville
Jerry Hendrix has joined the Rotorcraft Systems Engineering and Simulation Center (RSESC) at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) as its director of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Programs responsible for UAS research.
Can the Bumps on a Beetle Wing Solve our Water Problems?
Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB)
Climate change, pollution, and a multitude of threats are putting our freshwater supplies at risk. Water collection and purification technologies are becoming increasingly important, especially in major urban areas. In places such as the San Francisco Bay area, access to freshwater is limited. There, fog collection technologies have piqued the interest of many engineers looking to mediate the shortage of freshwater.
Long Term AG Change Impacts Stream Water Quality
American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)
A new study examines how the switch to conservation tillage has impacted a southwestern Ohio lake over the past decades. From 1994 to 2014, an unusually long timespan, the researchers measured concentrations of suspended sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorus in streams draining into Acton Lake.
Dust threatens Utah's 'Greatest Snow on Earth'
University of Utah
New University of Utah research found that dust deposition speeds up snowmelt in Utah's Wasatch Mountains. Scientists found that a single dust storm on April 13, 2017, deposited half of all dust for the season. The additional sunlight absorbed by the dust-darkened snow surface led to snow melting a week earlier.
New study first to predict which oil and gas wells are leaking methane
University of Vermont
A new study in Environmental Geosciences is the first to predict, with up to 87% accuracy, which oil and natural wells are most likely to be leaking methane. Research published in Science estimated that natural gas wells are leaking 60% more methane than the EPA estimates.
Cyanobacteria Study Seeks to Reveal Evolution of Oxygen on Earth
California State University, Fullerton
In Hope Johnson's Dan Black Hall laboratory, she and student researchers are growing cultures of cyanobacteria -- bacteria that produces oxygen during photosynthesis.
Clouds with a chance of warming
Argonne National Laboratory
Researchers from Argonne's Environmental Science division participated in one of the largest collaborative atmospheric measurement campaigns in Antarctica in recent decades.
'Sonic Thunder' explores shock waves
South Dakota State University
A sonic boom and a thunderclap may seem like different phenomena, but their behavior is the same--that's one of the approaches used to explain shock waves in "Sonic Thunder."
Researchers develop a new houseplant that can clean your home's air
University of Washington
Researchers at the University of Washington have genetically modified a common houseplant to remove chloroform and benzene from the air around it.
The Secret Life of Cloud Droplets
Michigan Technological University
Do water droplets cluster inside clouds? Researchers confirm two decades of theory with an airborne imaging instrument.
Peanuts that do more with less water
American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)
Researchers are studying peanut varieties to find a 'water conservation' trait. It would help the plant maintain a high yield during a drought.
Drought Stress Changes Microbes Living at Sorghum's Roots
Scientists explore how drought-tolerant plants communicate to nearby microorganisms, suggesting ways to engineer more resilient bioenergy crops.
Small Particles Play Large Role in Tropical Thunderstorms
Ultrafine aerosol particles produce bigger storm clouds and more precipitation than larger aerosols in pristine conditions.
New research suggests forests, like humans, require a balanced diet
West Virginia University - Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
The world's forests are on a fast food diet of carbon dioxide, which is currently causing them to grow faster. But a researcher at West Virginia University, along with an international team of scientists, finds evidence suggesting that forest growth may soon peak as the trees deplete nitrogen in the soil over longer growing seasons.
Microsoft/National Geographic Grant Will Advance Penguin Colony Location Research
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook University Associate Professor Heather J. Lynch is a recipient of a Microsoft/National Geographic AI for Earth Innovation Grant, devised to advance the uses of artificial intelligence in scientific exploration and research on critical environmental challenges.
For These Critically Endangered Marine Turtles, Climate Change Could be a Knockout Blow
Florida State University
Researchers from FSU's Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science suggest that projected increases in air temperatures, rainfall inundation and blistering solar radiation could significantly reduce hawksbill hatching success at a selection of major nesting beaches.
Future Loss of Arctic Sea-Ice Cover Could Contribute to the Substantial Decrease in California's Rainfall
A new modeling framework helps understand the consequences of future sea-ice loss in the Arctic.
An Energy-Efficient Way to Stay Warm: Sew High-Tech Heating Patches to Your Clothes
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
What if, instead of turning up the thermostat, you could warm up with high-tech, flexible patches sewn into your clothes - while significantly reducing your electric bill and carbon footprint? Engineers at Rutgers and Oregon State University have found a cost-effective way to make thin, durable heating patches by using intense pulses of light to fuse tiny silver wires with polyester. Their heating performance is nearly 70 percent higher than similar patches created by other researchers, according to a Rutgers-led study in Scientific Reports.
Climate Change: Wake Forest University Experts
Wake Forest University
Cloud or no cloud, that is the question
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Feature RICHLAND, Wash. -- Kids lying on their backs in a grassy field might scan the clouds for images--perhaps a fluffy bunny here and a fiery dragon over there. Often, atmospheric scientists do the opposite--they search data images for the clouds as part of their research to understand Earth systems.Manually labeling data images pixel by pixel is time-consuming, so researchers rely on automatic processing techniques, such as cloud detection algorithms.
Under snow, underfoot: soils in winter
Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)
Chilling sub-zero temperatures. Astounding snowfalls. The weather outside is frightful. Yet under the snow and frost, life in soils carries on! Soils Matter, Soil Science Society of America's science-based blog, provides insights to soils in winter and the organisms that live there.
Sierra Snowpack Could Drop Significantly By End of Century
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
A future warmer world will almost certainly feature a decline in fresh water from the Sierra Nevada mountain snowpack. Now a new study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory that analyzed the headwater regions of California's 10 major reservoirs, representing nearly half of the state's surface storage, found they could see on average a 79 percent drop in peak snowpack water volume by 2100.
Health Experts Call on EPA to Reverse Decision to Eliminate Pollutant-Specific Panels
American Thoracic Society (ATS)
In a letter to EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler members of the scientific community expressed concern about the agency's decision to dissolve pollutant-specific advisory panels, including one charged with setting the National Ambient Air Quality Standard or NAAQS for airborne particulate matter or PM.
UNH Researchers Find Unexpected Impact of Hurricanes on Puerto Rico's Watershed
University of New Hampshire
Researchers at the University of New Hampshire have found unprecedentedly high levels of nitrate, an essential plant nutrient, in streams and watersheds of Puerto Rico for a year after two consecutive major hurricanes in 2017. This high amount of nitrate may have important climate change implications that could harm forest recovery and threaten ecosystems along Puerto Rico's coastline by escalating algal blooms and dead zones.
Low Oxygen and pH Levels in Estuaries Causing More Death to Larval Blue Crabs
Stony Brook University
Inhabiting a vast network of estuaries along the Atlantic coast, blue crabs are ecologically important and represent one of the valuable and prized fisheries in the United States. Blue crabs spawn in estuaries at a time of year when water-quality issues such as low dissolved oxygen (hypoxia) and low pH (acidification) can be the most persistent and severe. A group from the lab of Christopher Gobler, a professor in the School of Marine Science (SoMAS) at Stony Brook University, investigated the effects of these individual and combined stressors on early life stages of the blue crab. Their study, recently published in PLoS One, provides evidence that larval blue crabs experience increased mortality when exposed to low oxygen and/or low pH conditions at levels routinely found in degraded estuaries.
Animals help mitigate climate change through influence on carbon cycle, according to interdisciplinary team of remote sensing scientists
Northern Arizona University
Scott Goetz and Chris Doughty of Northern Arizona University participated in a study published in the journal Science that shows animals play a significant role in mitigating the effects of climate change by mediating carbon exchange between ecosystems and the atmosphere.
Solar Base Station Gets Upgrade
Brookhaven National Laboratory
The improvements will facilitate solar energy research conducted by scientists from Brookhaven Lab and outside institutions.
Arctic ice model upgrade to benefit polar research, industry and military
Los Alamos National Laboratory
An update for an internationally vital sea-ice computer model developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory with several collaborating groups, called CICE version 6.0, is being released this week, a timely tool that supports more accurate forecasting of ice occurrence and global climate modeling.
Can Sudden Weather Change Cause Strokes?
Rush University Medical Center
Dramatic changes in barometric pressure may increase the incidence of a type of stroke known as spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage, a study found.
WIU Administrator, Students Help with Taylorville Tornado Damage Assessment
Western Illinois University
MACOMB, IL - A Western Illinois University administrator and two students were headed outside the classroom Monday morning to assist with assessing the damage caused by the tornadoes impacting central Illinois Saturday afternoon.
New Experimental Red Tide Respiratory Forecast Will Help Public Know Their Risks When They Visit the Beach
Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System-Regional Association (GCOOS-RA)
Pinellas County residents and visitors who are susceptible to the respiratory impacts of Florida's red tide -- especially people with asthma and other chronic lung diseases -- now have a new tool that will help them know their risks before they visit area beaches during red tides.
Bioarchaeologist receives NSF grant to study rise and fall of ancient societies in southern Peru
Northern Arizona University
Corina Kellner of Northern Arizona University will use a Senior Archaeology Award to fund two summers of research in southern Peru to study the development, expansion and collapse of the Nasca and Wari societies during the Andean Middle Horizon period at Huaca del Loro.
Moviemaking mimics nature for creative control and a more realistic look
Dartmouth College
HANOVER, N.H. - November 29, 2018 - A new theory based on the physics of cloud formation and neutron scattering could help animators create more lifelike movies, according to a Dartmouth-led study. Software developed using the technique focuses on how light interacts with microscopic particles to develop computer-generated images.
Wetland Experts Explain Role of Vital Carbon Sinks Carbon Cycle in New Report
Michigan Technological University
UNLV Climate Change Expert Explains the Impacts of Hotter Temperatures in Light of New Climate Assessment
University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV)
Swapping Bacteria May Help 'Nemo' Fish Cohabitate with Fish-Killing Anemones
The fish killer and the fish live in harmony: But how the clownfish thrive in the poisonous tentacles of the anemone remains a mystery. A new study tackles the iconic conundrum from the microbial side.
Optimal Foraging: How Soil Microbes Adapt to Nutrient Constraints
How microbial communities adjust to nutrient-poor soils at the genomic and proteomic level gives scientists insights into land use.
Threatened Tropical Coral Reefs Form Complex, Ancient Associations with Bacteria, Researchers Say
University of Washington
In a study published Nov. 22 in Nature Communications, scientists at the University of Washington Bothell, Pennsylvania State University and Oregon State University report that coral bacteria are surprisingly diverse and that different sections of the coral body host unique communities of bacteria.
Expert's research shows we've been underestimating soot's effect on global warming
Washington University in St. Louis
How to Convert Climate-Changing Carbon Dioxide into Plastics and Other Products
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Rutgers scientists have developed catalysts that can convert carbon dioxide - the main cause of global warming - into plastics, fabrics, resins and other products. The electrocatalysts are the first materials, aside from enzymes, that can turn carbon dioxide and water into carbon building blocks containing one, two, three or four carbon atoms with more than 99 percent efficiency.
New Jersey Weather Observers Sought for Rutgers-Coordinated Network
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Do you want to help scientists at Rutgers University keep track of the weather in New Jersey? The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS), a nationwide volunteer network for observing precipitation, is seeking volunteer weather observers throughout the Garden State.
Amazonian Peatlands May Soon Switch From a Carbon Sink to a Carbon Source
Arizona State University (ASU)
Until humans can find a way to geoengineer ourselves out of the climate disaster we've created, we must rely on natural carbon sinks, such as oceans and forests, to suck carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. These ecosystems are deteriorating at the hand of climate change. Once destroyed, they may not only stop absorbing carbon from the atmosphere, but start emitting it.
UCI and Singapore Researchers Find Source of 2015 Southeast Asia Smoke Cloud
University of California, Irvine
Smoke from widespread fires in Indonesia in the summer and fall of 2015 hung heavily over major urban centers in Southeast Asia, causing adverse health effects for millions of people. The afflicted could not have known that the polluted air they were breathing contained carbon from plants that were alive during the Middle Ages.
Law of soot light absorption: Current climate models underestimate warming by black carbon aerosol
Washington University in St. Louis
Researchers in the School of Engineering & Applied Science have discovered a new, natural law that sheds light on the fundamental relationship between coated black carbon and light absorption.
Climate change will likely cause darker tropical forests
Northern Arizona University
Christopher Doughty and a team of researchers studied more than 4,000 leaves in the tropics of Peru. Not only did they find that climate change will likely cause leaves to become thinner, but these leaves will become darker and absorb more of the sun's energy as the planet warms.
More Than H2O: Technology Simultaneously Measures 71 Elements in Water, Other Liquids
New York University
A new method for simultaneous measurement of 71 inorganic elements in liquids--including water, beverages, and biological fluids--makes element testing much faster, more efficient, and more comprehensive than was possible in the past.
Ocean Warming
University of Delaware
New research has uncovered a previously unaccounted for pathway transporting heat from the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean, and even further to the Southern Ocean, which surrounds Antarctica. It has implications for climate change and what we know about global warming.
New resources support tribes in preparing for climate change
University of Washington
The University of Washington Climate Impacts Group and regional tribal partners have developed a collection of resources that may be useful to tribes at any stage in the process of evaluating their vulnerability to climate change. The project is a partnership among tribes, tribal associations, universities and the federal government.
First tally of U.S.-Russia polar bears finds a healthy population
University of Washington
The first assessment of polar bears that live in the biologically rich Chukchi Sea region that spans the U.S. and Russia, finds that the population is healthy and not yet suffering from declining sea ice.
Climate Simulations Project Wetter, Windier Hurricanes
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
New supercomputer simulations by climate scientists at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have shown that climate change intensified the amount of rainfall in recent hurricanes such as Katrina, Irma, and Maria by 5 to 10 percent. They further found that if those hurricanes were to occur in a future world that is warmer than present, those storms would have even more rainfall and stronger winds.
Colder, Darker Climates Increase Alcohol Consumption and Liver Disease
People living in colder regions with less sunlight consume more alcohol and experience more alcoholic liver disease.
Kawasaki Disease: One Disease, Multiple Triggers
University of California San Diego Health
Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and international collaborators have evidence that Kawasaki Disease (KD) does not have a single cause. By studying weather patterns and geographical distributions of patients in San Diego, the research team determined that this inflammatory disease likely has multiple environmental triggers influenced by a combination of temperature, precipitation and wind patterns.
Evacuation Expert on Wildfires: 'Get Out Before Flames Reach You'
Northwestern University