Tipping mechanisms could spark societal change towards climate stabilization To achieve the goal of net-zero carbon by 2050 emissions need to be cut by half every decade from now on. An interdisciplinary team of researchers now explored tipping mechanisms that have the potential to spark rapid yet constructive societal changes tow
2020-01-20 00:00:00
Terrain may help identify habitats that are resilient to the effects of climate change A new paper in The Condor: Ornithological Applications, published by Oxford University Press, finds that models which use terrain features offer both practical and theoretical advantages in identifying climate resilient habitats for migratory birds whose
2020-01-16 00:00:00
The carbon footprint of dinner: How 'green' are fish sticks? Fish sticks may be a tasty option for dinner, but are they good for the planet? A new study of the climate impacts of seafood products reveals that the processing of Alaskan pollock into fish sticks, imitation crab, and fish fillets generates significant
2020-01-16 00:00:00
Cyanobacteria in water and on land identified as source of methane Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, are among the most common organisms on Earth. A research team led by the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries and Heidelberg University has now shown for the first time that Cyanobacte
2020-01-16 00:00:00
Small change for climate change: Time to increase research funding to save the world A new study shows that there is a huge disproportion in the level of funding for social science research into the greatest challenge in combating global warming -- how to get individuals and societies to overcome ingrained human habits to make the changes
2020-01-16 00:00:00
Climate change NGOs from rich countries dominate online conversation, study shows Mass communication professors at the University of Kansas analyzed a year of Twitter activity from nearly 500 climate change NGOs from 79 countries and found those from rich nations were most engaged and had the biggest audience, leaving others at risk of
2020-01-15 00:00:00
Sub-national 'climate clubs' could offer key to combating climate change 'Climate clubs' offering membership for sub-national states, in addition to just countries, could speed up progress towards a globally harmonized climate change policy, which in turn offers a way to achieve stronger climate policies in all countries. This
2020-01-15 00:00:00
A new 'cool' blue Throughout history, people have sought vibrant blue pigments. The Egyptians and Babylonians used lapis lazuli 6,000 years ago. In 1802, a French chemist synthesized cobalt blue. More recently, in 2009 scientists discovered YInMn Blue, otherwise known as &
2020-01-15 00:00:00
Plant genomes reveal the basis for adaptation to contrasting climates In the face of rapid climate change, it is important that plants can adapt quickly to new conditions to ensure their survival. Using field experiments and plant genome studies, an international research team has pinpointed areas of the genome that are aff
2020-01-14 00:00:00
Historical housing disparities linked with dangerous climate impacts Extreme heat kills more people in the United States than any other type of hazardous weather and will likely become even deadlier due to climate change. However, extreme heat does not affect all people equally. A new study by researchers at Portland State
2020-01-13 00:00:00
High temperatures due to global warming will be dramatic even for tardigrades A research group from Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen has just shown that tardigrades are very vulnerable to long-term high temperature exposures. Animals, which in their desiccated state are best known for their extraordinary tolerance to
2020-01-13 00:00:00
Climate change increases the risk of wildfires confirms new review Human-induced climate change promotes the conditions on which wildfires depend, increasing their likelihood -- according to a review of research on global climate change and wildfire risk published today.In light of the Australian fires, scientists from t
2020-01-13 00:00:00
Future subtropical warming accelerates tropical climate change In response to future fossil fuel burning, climate computer models simulate a pronounced warming in the tropical oceans. This warming can influence the El Niño phenomenon and shift weather and rainfall patterns across the globe. Despite being robustl
2020-01-13 00:00:00
Research identifies possible on/off switch for plant growth New research from UC Riverside identifies a protein that controls plant growth -- good news for an era in which crops can get crushed by climate change. When the protein, IRK, is present, the root perceives a signal telling cells not to divide.
2020-01-13 00:00:00
Climate change unlikely to drive sugar maples north Sugar maples won't be heading north anytime soon, despite climate change, according to a new study published in the Journal of Ecology.
2020-01-12 00:00:00
Plant physiology: One size may not suit all A new study published by biologists at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich demonstrates that there are no simple or universal solutions to the problem of engineering plants to enable them to cope with the challenges posed by climate change.
2020-01-10 00:00:00
Global warming is the kindling that caused extensive wildfire Professor Jong-Seong Kug and his research team identified Arctic Oscillation as the cause for the recent wildfires in Siberia. Their study forecasts wildfire activity in spring, helping to prevent carbon release and global warming.
2020-01-09 00:00:00
Pathways to changing the minds of climate deniers By reviewing the psychology behind climate change rejection, a Stanford researcher suggests four approaches that can sway climate deniers and help overcome obstacles to implementing solutions.
2020-01-08 00:00:00
Ocean acidification is damaging shark scales Sharks have unusual type of scales referred to as 'denticles.' A research group from South Africa and Germany that includes Jacqueline Dziergwa and Professor Dr. Christopher Bridges from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) has examined the imp
2020-01-08 00:00:00
Grower citizen science project uses collaboration to improve soil health The Grower Citizen Science Project is a collaboration between soil scientists and growers in the southern High Plains of Texas. Growers have collected soil samples, measured carbon dioxide fluxes, and shared yield data with scientists. Scientists have ins
2020-01-06 00:00:00
Climate change hope for hydrogen fuel A trial where hydrogen is added to natural gas raises hopes of a low-carbon heating revolution.
2020-01-02 00:02:26
Climate change and deforestation could decimate Madagascar's rainforest habitat by 2070 A study in Nature Climate Change has found that, left unchecked, the combined effects of deforestation and human-induced climate change could eliminate Madagascar's entire eastern rainforest habitat by 2070, impacting thousands of plants, mammals, reptile
2020-01-02 00:00:00
Climate signals detected in global weather Searched for and found: climate researchers can now detect the fingerprint of global warming in daily weather observations at the global scale. They are thus amending a long-established paradigm: weather is not climate -- but climate change can now be det
2020-01-02 00:00:00
A fragile balance The sea encircling Antarctica mixes water from all the ocean basins. This circulating pattern influences the exchange of carbon dioxide (CO2) between the ocean and the atmosphere. A study by an international research team, led by Dr. Torben Struve from th
2019-12-30 00:00:00
Replacing one gas with another helps efficiently extract methane from permafrost Scientists from Skoltech and Heriot-Watt University proposed extracting methane by injecting flue gas into permafrost hydrate reservoirs. Since the flue gas contains carbon dioxide, the new technology will also contributes to reduction of this greenhouse
2019-12-30 00:00:00
North Atlantic Current may cease temporarily in the next century The North Atlantic Current transports warm water from the Gulf of Mexico towards Europe, providing much of north-western Europe with a relatively mild climate. However, scientists suspect that meltwater from Greenland and excessive rainfall could interfer
2019-12-30 00:00:00
Powder, not gas: A safer, more effective way to create a star on Earth PPPL scientists have found that sprinkling a type of powder into fusion plasma could aid in harnessing the ultra-hot gas within a tokamak facility to produce heat to create electricity without producing greenhouse gases or long-term radioactive waste.
2019-12-23 00:00:00
OU geoscientists document 300 million year old atmospheric dust Dust plays a crucial role in the life and health of our planet. In our modern world, dust-borne nutrients traveling in great dust storms from the Saharan Desert fertilize the soil in the Amazon Rainforest and feed photosynthetic organisms like algae in th
2019-12-23 00:00:00
Cultural evolution caused broad-scale historical declines of large mammals across China Researchers from Aarhus University and Nanjing University have shown that cultural evolution overshadowed climate change in driving historical broad-scale megafauna dynamics across China. By mining Chinese administrative records for data on species distri
2019-12-23 00:00:00
Climate change not the only threat to vulnerable species, habitat matters Though climate change is becoming one of the greatest threats to the Earth's already stressed ecosystems, it may not be the most severe threat today for all species, say authors of a new report on the effects of deforestation on two lemur species in Madag
2019-12-23 00:00:00
Study suggests obesity associated with greater greenhouse gas emissions A new analysis suggests that the increasing average body size of people on Earth, in addition to the growing world population may further challenge attempts to reduce man-made carbon dioxide emissions, according to a paper published online in Obesity, the
2019-12-20 00:00:00
Genetic variation gives mussels a chance to adapt to climate change Existing genetic variation in natural populations of Mediterranean mussels allows them to adapt to declining pH levels in seawater caused by carbon emissions. A new study by biologists from the University of Chicago shows that mussels raised in a low pH e
2019-12-20 00:00:00
Forecast to help shellfish growers weather toxicity The same technology that powers facial recognition and self-driving cars may soon help Maine's shellfish industry protect people from the dangerous effects of harmful algal blooms. A recent paper reports how researchers can use these deep learning algorit
2019-12-19 00:00:00
Amazon forest regrowth much slower than previously thought The regrowth of Amazonian forests following deforestation can happen much slower than previously thought, a new study shows.The findings could have significant impacts for climate change predictions as the ability of secondary forests to soak up carbon fr
2019-12-19 00:00:00
The majority consider themselves more environmentally friendly than others Research from the University of Gothenburg shows that we tend to overestimate our personal environmental engagement. In a study with participants from Sweden, the United States, England, and India, most participants were convinced that they acted more env
2019-12-19 00:00:00
Wetlands will keep up with sea level rise to offset climate change Sediment accrual rates in coastal wetlands will outpace sea level rise, enabling wetlands to increase their capacity to sequester carbon, a study from the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, shows.
2019-12-19 00:00:00
If the world can capture carbon, there's capacity to store it Humankind will need to harness carbon capture and storage technologies to help keep global warming to 2 degrees C or less. New research shows that there's plenty of room to store captured CO2 -- in offshore geologic rock formations.
2019-12-18 00:00:00
Applying physics principle yields grim prediction on hurricane destruction in an era Global warming could well lead to hurricanes more powerful than meteorologists currently forecast. A physicist noticed that one of the principles of physics -- phase transition -- did not appear in the scientific literature of meteorology. Using 60 years
2019-12-17 00:00:00
Effects of natural gas assessed in study of shale gas boom in Appalachian basin A new study estimated the cumulative effects of the shale gas boom in the Appalachian basin in the early 2000s on air quality, climate change, and employment. The study found that effects on air quality and employment followed the boom-and-bust cycle, but
2019-12-17 00:00:00
Plant-eating insects disrupt ecosystems and contribute to climate change A new study from Lund University in Sweden shows that plant-eating insects affect forest ecosystems considerably more than previously thought. Among other things, the insects are a factor in the leaching of nutrients from soil and increased emissions of c
2019-12-17 00:00:00
Limiting global warming would relieve populations from wet and dry extremes in China Scientists find that heavy precipitation events would intensify with global warming all over China, affecting all the populations around. Meanwhile, dry extremes would intensify in South China and exert adverse impact on the large population there.
2019-12-17 00:00:00
Seasonal forecasts challenged by Pacific Ocean warming Research has found global warming will make it more difficult to predict multi-year global climate variations, a consequence of changes to long-term climate variability patterns in the Pacific Ocean.
2019-12-17 00:00:00
The uncertain role of natural gas in the transition to clean energy A new MIT study examines the opposing roles of natural gas in the battle against climate change -- as a bridge toward a lower-emissions future, but also a contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.
2019-12-16 00:00:00
Underwater pile driving noise causes alarm responses in squid Exposure to underwater pile driving noise, which can be associated with the construction of docks, piers, and offshore wind farms, causes squid to exhibit strong alarm behaviors, according to a study by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) research
2019-12-16 00:00:00
Planetary boundaries: Interactions in the Earth system amplify human impacts Transgressing one planetary boundary can amplify human impacts on another one. For the first time, an international team of scientists now quantified some of the planetary-scale interactions in the Earth system. These biophysical interactions have in fact
2019-12-16 00:00:00
Big step in producing carbon-neutral fuel: Silver diphosphide A new chemical process described in the journal Nature Communications does in the lab what trees do in nature -- it converts carbon dioxide into usable chemicals or fuels.
2019-12-16 00:00:00
Climate change could make RSV respiratory infection outbreaks less severe, more common Princeton University-led researchers studied annual outbreaks of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in one of the first examinations of how climate change could affect diseases transmitted directly from person to person. They found that while outbreaks of
2019-12-16 00:00:00
Connecting the prehistoric past to the global future Research on global biodiversity has long assumed that present-day biodiversity patterns reflect present-day factors, namely contemporary climate and human activities. A new study shows that climate changes and human impacts over the last 100,000 years con
2019-12-16 00:00:00
Study highlights high cost of fossil fuel pollution on children's health A new study by researchers at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health is the first to compile the estimated per-case costs of 6 childhood health conditions linked to air pollution -- esti
2019-12-12 00:00:00
Climate cycles and insect pests drive migration timing of reindeer's North American cousin A new study led by a University of Maryland biologist discovered two unexpected drivers for migration timing that dispute long-held assumptions and provide insight into potential future effects of climate change on caribou. First, the start of migration i
2019-12-12 00:00:00
Novel study underscores microbial individuality A single drop of seawater can contain a wide representation of ocean microbes from around the world -- revealing novel insights into the ecology, evolution and biotechnology potential of the global microbiome. A new publication in Cell reports a staggerin
2019-12-12 00:00:00
Supporting structures of wind turbines contribute to wind farm blockage effect Much about the aerodynamic effects of larger wind farms remains poorly understood. New work in this week's Journal of Renewable and Sustainably Energy looks to provide more insight in how the structures necessary for wind farms affect air flow. Using a tw
2019-12-12 00:00:00
Martian aurora offers climate change clues, Embry-Riddle reports A newly published study reveals that a type of Martian aurora originally detected by NASA's MAVEN spacecraft is in fact the most common aurora on the Red Planet, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University researchers said. The research suggests a way to track w
2019-12-12 00:00:00
Estimates of ecosystem carbon mitigation improved towards the goal of the Paris agreement The recent reports from the IPCC concluded that new land-use options to enhance the terrestrial carbon sink are needed to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate. As a result of the integrated analysis, the research team led by Masayuki Kondo, an
2019-12-12 00:00:00
Scientists link decline of Baltic cod to hypoxia -- and climate change If you want to know how climate change and hypoxia -- the related loss of oxygen in the world's oceans -- affect fish species such as the economically important Baltic cod, all you have to do is ask the fish. Those cod, at least, will tell you that hypoxi
2019-12-11 00:00:00
Recommendations for responding to the Fridays for Future movement The level of public concern about climate change has risen significantly in recent years. The Fridays for Future movement enjoys broad political and public support, but this has so far not translated into tangible changes. The Institute for Advanced Susta
2019-12-11 00:00:00
Could dark carbon be hiding the true scale of ocean 'dead zones'? The impact of climate change on the world's oceans is becoming increasingly known but new research suggests current computer models could be omitting a crucial piece of evidence when it comes to assessing the scale of ocean dead zones.
2019-12-10 00:00:00
Natural ecosystems protect against climate change The identification of natural carbon sinks and understanding how they work is critical if humans are to mitigate global climate change. Tropical coastal wetlands are considered important but, so far, there is little data to show the benefits. This study,
2019-12-10 00:00:00
All Bitcoin mining should be environmentally friendly The energy used to mine for cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin is on par with the energy consumed by Ireland. Naoki Shibata reports a new blockchain algorithm, proof-of-search, that redirects the wasted energy to solve for optimization problems in fields such
2019-12-10 00:00:00
Greenland ice losses rising faster than expected Greenland is losing ice seven times faster than in the 1990s and is tracking the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's high-end climate warming scenario, which would see 40 million more people exposed to coastal flooding by 2100.
2019-12-10 00:00:00
A sustainable new material for carbon dioxide capture In a joint research study from Sweden, scientists from Chalmers University of Technology and Stockholm University have developed a new material for capturing carbon dioxide. The new material offers many benefits -- it is sustainable, has a high capture ra
2019-12-09 00:00:00
Research shows ramping up carbon capture could be key to mitigating climate change As the world gathers in Madrid to discuss how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to fight climate change, a newly released study makes the case that trapping emissions underground could go a long way toward solving the problem.
2019-12-09 00:00:00
Last remaining glaciers in the Pacific will soon melt away The last remaining tropical glaciers between the Himalayas and the Andes will disappear in the next decade -- and possibly sooner -- due to climate change, a new study has found.The glaciers in Papua, Indonesia, are "the canaries in the coal mine&quo
2019-12-09 00:00:00
Megadroughts fueled Peruvian cloud forest activity New research from Florida Tech found that strong and long-lasting droughts parched the usually moist Peruvian cloud forests, spurring farmers to colonize new cropland. Findings also included evidence that recovery from some climate change-related damage i
2019-12-09 00:00:00
Tackling air pollution: researchers present emissions inventory for Nepal Data on emission amounts and sources have an important role to play in shaping policy on climate protection and air quality. Now, scientists from the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Potsdam, Germany, have presented the first high-r
2019-12-09 00:00:00
Climate change and the threat to global breadbaskets Extreme climatic conditions could lead to an increased risk of unusually low agricultural harvests if more than one global breadbasket is affected by adverse climate conditions at the same time. The findings of a new IIASA study show that these breadbaske
2019-12-09 00:00:00
Newly identified jet-stream pattern could imperil global food supplies, says study Scientists have identified systematic meanders in the globe-circling northern jet stream that have caused simultaneous crop-damaging heat waves in widely separated breadbasket regions-a previously unquantified threat to global food production that, they s
2019-12-09 00:00:00
UM-led experiment closes critical gap in weather forecasting Scientists working on the next frontier of weather forecasting are hoping that weather conditions 3-to-4 weeks out will soon be as readily available as seven-day forecasts. Having this type of weather information--called subseasonal forecasts--in the hand
2019-12-06 00:00:00
How saving the ozone layer in 1987 slowed global warming It may have been an accidental side effect but new research shows that when the world's nations signed the Montreal Protocol in 1987 to ban CFCs and save the ozone layer they also signed an agreement that has already done more to slow global warming than
2019-12-06 00:00:00
Gulf Coast corals face catastrophe Gulf of Mexico coral reefs may only be saved by a dramatic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions beyond those called for in the Paris Agreement, according to Rice University-led research.
2019-12-05 00:00:00
Can Arctic 'ice management' combat climate change? According to a much-debated geo-engineering approach, both sea-ice retreat and global warming could be slowed by using millions of wind-powered pumps, drifting in the sea ice, to promote ice formation during the Arctic winter.
2019-12-05 00:00:00
Detecting solar flares, more in real time Computers can learn to find flares and other events in vast streams of solar images to help forecasters issue timely alerts, according to a new study in the Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate. The machine-learning technique, developed by CIRES and
2019-12-03 00:00:00
Co-combustion of wood and oil-shale reduces carbon emissions Utilization of fossil fuels, which represents an increasing environmental risk, can be made more environmentally friendly by adding wood -- as concluded based on the preliminary results of the year-long study carried out by thermal engineers of Tallinn Un
2019-12-03 00:00:00
Raising plants to withstand climate change Success with improving a model plant's response to harsh conditions is leading plant molecular researchers to move to food crops including wheat, barley, rice and chickpeas. Flinders University and La Trobe researchers in Australia are focusing on genes t
2019-12-03 00:00:00
