Chemistry: Thermodynamics Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Scientists propose guidelines for solar geoengineering research      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

To guide future research into solar geoengineering, an international group of scientists is making specific recommendations for evaluating proposals in order to identify the most feasible and legitimate scenarios for stratospheric aerosol intervention.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Environmental: Water Environmental: Wildfires
Published

New gels could protect buildings during wildfires      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a sprayable gel that creates a shield to protect buildings from wildfire damage. It lasts longer and is more effective than existing commercial options.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Biology: Zoology Environmental: Water Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Creature the size of a dust grain found hiding in California's Mono Lake      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Mono Lake is a beautiful but harsh environment, its salty and arsenic-laced water home to brine shrimp, alkali flies and little else. Scientists recently discovered an unsuspected resident, however, a microscopic creature -- a choanoflagelatte -- that forms colonies that harbor their own unique bacterial microbiomes. The creature, part of the sister group to all animals, could shed light on the evolution of animals' intimate interactions with bacteria and the rise of multicellular life.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Life from a drop of rain: New research suggests rainwater helped form the first protocell walls      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research shows that rainwater could have helped create a meshy wall around protocells 3.8 billion years ago, a critical step in the transition from tiny beads of RNA to every bacterium, plant, animal, and human that ever lived.

Ecology: Nature Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

A deep dive for environmental data on coastal oceans      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study addresses the lack of data on how much human-generated carbon dioxide is present in coastal oceans -- the saltwater ecosystems that link the land and sea. Capturing this data is crucial to calculating how much emissions must be cut in the future.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Physics: Optics
Published

Chalk-based coating creates a cooling fabric      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In the scorching heat of summer, anyone who spends time outside could benefit from a cooling fabric. While there are some textiles that reflect the sun's rays or wick heat away, current options require boutique fibers or complex manufacturing processes. But now, demonstrations of a durable chalk-based coating show it can cool the air underneath treated fabric by up to 8 degrees Fahrenheit.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Research shows reducing future global flooding hinges on cutting greenhouse gas emissions      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Pioneering research forecasts worldwide flooding is likely to be significantly worse in future decades if countries fail to meet official pledges to cut carbon emissions.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Technology Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Eco-friendly cooling device with record-breaking efficiency      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed an eco-friendly refrigeration device with record-breaking cooling performance in the world, setting to transform industries reliant on cooling and reduce global energy use. With a boost in efficiency of over 48%, the new elastocaloric cooling technology opens a promising avenue for accelerating the commercialization of this disruptive technology and addressing the environmental challenges associated with traditional cooling systems.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Computer Science: General Energy: Nuclear Physics: General
Published

Quenching the intense heat of a fusion plasma may require a well-placed liquid metal evaporator      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New fusion simulations of the inside of a tokamak reveal the ideal spot for a 'cave' with flowing liquid lithium is near the bottom by the center stack, as the evaporating metal particles should land in just the right spot to dissipate excess heat from the plasma.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

AI approach to drought zoning      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A recent study shows that climate change may cause many areas in Canada to experience significant droughts by the end of the century. In response, the researchers have introduced an advanced AI-based method to map drought-prone regions.

Energy: Technology Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water
Published

Hydropower generation projected to rise, but climate change brings uncertain future      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Although climate change may bring increased precipitation to many parts of the United States, some areas may face drier conditions and lower streamflow, resulting in decreased hydropower generation.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Sharing risk to avoid power outages in an era of extreme weather      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Heat waves, droughts, and fires place growing stress on the West's electric grid. New research suggests that more integrated management of electricity resources across the region could significantly reduce the risk of power outages and accelerate the transition to clean energy.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Incorporating humidity improves estimations of climate impacts on health      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Governments, medical institutions and other bodies require accurate models on health-related matters in order to better organize their activities. Climate change has measurable impacts on society, including on human mortality. However, current models to assess the health impacts of climate change do not account for every environmental parameter, especially humidity, which could influence heat stress perceived by the human body, leaving room for improvement. Researchers have now incorporated humidity data from hundreds of cities into so-called heat stress indicators (HSIs) and assessed their performances in predicting heat-related deaths.

Biology: Biochemistry Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Researchers develop index to quantify circular bioeconomy      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

As the world faces the challenges of mitigating climate change and providing resources for a growing population, there is increasing focus on developing circular economies for sustainable production. But to evaluate strategies and impacts, it is necessary to have reliable metrics. Researchers have now developed a Circularity Index that provides a comprehensive method to quantify circularity in bioeconomic systems. In a new paper, they outline the method and apply it to two case studies -- a corn/soybean farming operation and the entire U.S. food and agriculture system.

Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Forest loss intensifies climate change by increasing temperatures and cloud level, which leads to decrease of water      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers report that deforestation during the last two decades induced a higher warming and cloud level rise than that caused by climate change, which threatens biodiversity and water supply in African montane forests.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Thermodynamics Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

New twist on synthesis technique promises sustainable manufacturing      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers developed a new method known as flash-within-flash Joule heating (FWF) that could transform the synthesis of high-quality solid-state materials, offering a cleaner, faster and more sustainable manufacturing process.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography
Published

Nitrogen interventions as a key to better health and robust ecosystems      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international research team combined multidisciplinary methods to evaluate how nitrogen interventions could improve air quality and reduce nitrogen deposition. Their study found that interventions, such as improving fuel combustion conditions, increasing agricultural nitrogen use efficiency, and reducing food loss and waste, could significantly lower premature deaths attributed to air pollution, crop losses, and ecosystems risks.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Technology Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Revolutionizing thermoelectric technology: Hourglass-shaped materials achieve a 360% efficiency boost      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A groundbreaking technology has been unveiled that improves the efficiency of thermoelectric materials, which are key in converting waste heat into electricity, by altering their geometry to resemble an hourglass. Unlike previous research that solely depended on the material properties of thermoelectric substances, this new approach is expected to have widespread applications in thermoelectric power generation.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Why isn't Colorado's snowpack ending up in the Colorado River? New research suggests the problem might be the lack of spring rainfall      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The Colorado River and its tributaries provide water for hydropower, irrigation and drinking water in seven U.S. states and Mexico. But since 2000, water managers have struggled to predict how much water will come from the snowpack. The problem lies with the lack of rainfall in the spring, according to new research.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Engineering: Robotics Research Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Intelligent soft robotic clothing for automatic thermal adaptation in extreme heat      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

As global warming intensifies, people increasingly suffer from extreme heat. For those working in a high-temperature environment indoors or outdoors, keeping thermally comfortable becomes particularly crucial. A team has now developed thermally-insulated and breathable soft robotic clothing that can automatically adapt to changing ambient temperatures, thereby helping to ensure worker safety in hot environments.