Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Research examines tweets during Hurricane MarĂ­a to analyze social media use during disasters      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Understanding how social media is used during a disaster can help with disaster preparedness and recovery for future events.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather Mathematics: Statistics
Published

How climate change will impact food production and financial institutions      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a new method to predict the financial impacts climate change will have on agriculture, which can help support food security and financial stability for countries increasingly prone to climate catastrophes.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics
Published

Proof-of-principle demonstration of 3-D magnetic recording      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Research groups have made a breakthrough in the field of hard disk drives (HDD) by demonstrating the feasibility of multi-level recording using a three-dimensional magnetic recording medium to store digital information. The research groups have shown that this technology can be used to increase the storage capacity of HDDs, which could lead to more efficient and cost-effective data storage solutions in the future.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Water Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

eDNA methods give a real-time look at coral reef health      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The study underscores the crucial role of microbes in maintaining coral reef health, akin to the human gut microbiome. Hurricanes and disease outbreaks affect coral reef water microbial communities, leading to changes that may support further reef decline. Microbial analysis enables prompt assessment of disturbances' impacts on coral reefs, facilitating timely interventions to support reef ecosystems. Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis offers a noninvasive approach to study coral microbial communities and diagnose reef health.

Biology: Cell Biology Ecology: Trees Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Tracing the largest solar storm in modern times from tree rings in Lapland      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research group was able to measure a spike in radiocarbon concentration of trees in Lapland that occurred after the Carrington flare. This discovery helps to prepare for dangerous solar storms.

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

Fans are not a magic bullet for beating the heat!      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study throws cold water on the idea that fans can effectively cool you down during extremely hot weather events.

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

Experiencing extreme weather predicts support for policies to mitigate effects of climate change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Most Americans report having personally experienced the effects of extreme weather, according to new survey data. An analysis finds that a reported exposure to extreme weather is associated with support for a half-dozen pro-environmental government policies that are intended to mitigate the effects of climate change and are contained in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Engineering: Robotics Research Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General
Published

Elastocaloric cooling: Refrigerator cools by flexing artificial muscles      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

There is room for just one small bottle in the world's first refrigerator that is cooled with artificial muscles made of nitinol, a nickel-titanium alloy. But the mini-prototype is groundbreaking: it shows that elastocalorics is becoming a viable solution for practical applications. This climate-friendly cooling and heating technology is far more energy-efficient and sustainable than current methods.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Sunrise to sunset, new window coating blocks heat -- not view      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Windows welcome light into interior spaces, but they also bring in unwanted heat. A new window coating blocks heat-generating ultraviolet and infrared light and lets through visible light, regardless of the sun's angle. The coating can be incorporated onto existing windows or automobiles and can reduce air-conditioning cooling costs by more than one-third in hot climates.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather Paleontology: Climate
Published

Australia on track for unprecedented, decades-long megadroughts      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Australia could soon see megadroughts that last for more than 20 years, according to new modelling. The researchers' bleak findings are before factoring in human impact on the climate since the Industrial Revolution. According to the scientists, the findings paint a worrying picture of future droughts in Australia that are far worse than anything in recent experience.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Simple equations clarify cloud climate conundrum      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New analysis based on simple equations has reduced uncertainty about how clouds will affect future climate change.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

How extratropical ocean-atmosphere interactions can contribute to the variability of jet streams in the Northern Hemisphere      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Ocean-atmosphere coupling, the exchange in energy between the ocean and atmosphere, influences teleconnection patterns, the climate effects across vast geographical areas. However, its impact outside the tropics is unclear. A group of researchers examined the effect of ocean coupling on atmospheric circulation patterns in the Northern Hemisphere. They found that extratropical ocean-atmosphere coupling enhances teleconnection patterns and causes more meandering westerly jet streams, which are linked to extreme weather events.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Oceanography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Artificial reef designed by MIT engineers could protect marine life, reduce storm damage      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Engineers designed an 'architected' reef that can mimic the wave-buffering effects of natural reefs while providing pockets for marine life. The sustainable and cost-saving structure could dissipate more than 95 percent of incoming wave energy using a small fraction of the material normally needed.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Heat, cold extremes hold untapped potential for solar and wind energy      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Conditions that usually accompany the kind of intense hot and cold weather that strains power grids may also provide greater opportunities to capture solar and wind energy. A study found that widespread, extreme temperature events are often accompanied by greater solar radiation and higher wind speeds that could be captured by solar panels and wind turbines. The research, which looked at extensive heat and cold waves across the six interconnected energy grid regions of the U.S. from 1980-2021, also found that every region experienced power outages during these events in the past decade. The findings suggest that using more renewable energy at these times could help offset increased power demand as more people and businesses turn on heaters or air conditioners.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Severe hurricanes boost influx of juveniles and gene flow in a coral reef sponge      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A study is the first to evaluate substrate recolonization by sponges in the U.S. Virgin Islands after two catastrophic storms using genetic analyses to understand how much clonality verses sexual recruitment occurs on coral reefs post-storms. Results show that populations of clonal marine species with low pelagic dispersion, such as A. cauliformis, may benefit from increased frequency and magnitude of hurricanes to maintain genetic diversity and combat inbreeding, enhancing the resilience of Caribbean sponge communities to extreme storm events.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics Engineering: Nanotechnology Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

New method to measure entropy production on the nanoscale      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Entropy, the amount of molecular disorder, is produced in several systems but cannot be measured directly. A new equation sheds new light on how entropy is produced on a very short time scale in laser excited materials.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Cool paint coatings help pedestrians feel up to 1.5 degrees Celsius cooler in urban setting      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A real-world study has shown that the use of cool paint coatings in cities can help pedestrians feel up to 1.5 degrees Celsius cooler, making the urban area more comfortable for work and play.

Ecology: General Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Unintended consequences of fire suppression      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study reveals how fire suppression ensures that wildfires will burn under extreme conditions at high severity, exacerbating the impacts of climate change and fuel accumulation.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

A new way to quantify climate change impacts: 'Outdoor days'      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

'Outdoor days,' a new measure, describes climate change impacts by noting the number of days per year that outdoor temperatures are comfortable enough for normal outdoor activities.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Satellite data assimilation improves forecasts of severe weather      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In 2020, a line of severe thunderstorms unleashed powerful winds that caused billions in damages across the Midwest United States. A new technique that incorporates satellite data could improve forecasts -- including where the most powerful winds will occur -- for similar severe weather events.