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

Secondary forests more sensitive to drought than primary forests      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The dry summer of 2018 hit Swedish forests hard -- and hardest affected were the managed secondary forests.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Offbeat: Computers and Math
Published

Way cool: 'freeze ray' technology      (via sciencedaily.com) 

An unusual discovery is now being developed as an on-demand cooling solution for high-flying military electronics.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Nuclear
Published

Fusion model hot off the wall      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Heat load mitigation is critical to extending the lifetime of future fusion device. Researchers have found a way to explain the rotational temperatures measured in three different experimental fusion devices in Japan and the United States. Their model evaluates the surface interactions and electron-proton collisions of hydrogen molecules.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

New research method determines health impacts of heat and air quality      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The planet experienced the hottest day on record earlier this month and climate projections estimate the intensity of heat waves and poor air quality will increase and continue to cause severe impacts. Researchers have refined and expanded a method of data collection to assess their health impacts.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Risk of fatal heart attack may double in heat wave and high fine particulate pollution days      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An analysis of more than 202,000 heart attack deaths between 2015-2020 in a single Chinese province found that days that had extreme heat, extreme cold or high levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution were significantly associated with the risk of death from a heart attack, especially in women and older adults.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics
Published

Novel thermal sensor could help drive down the heat      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Excess heat from electronic or mechanical devices is a sign or cause of inefficient performance. In many cases, embedded sensors to monitor the flow of heat could help engineers alter device behavior or designs to improve their efficiency. For the first time, researchers exploit a novel thermoelectric phenomenon to build a thin sensor that can visualize heat flow in real time. The sensor could be built deep inside devices where other kinds of sensors are impractical. It is also quick, cheap and easy to manufacture using well-established methods.

Geoscience: Oceanography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Long-term changes in waves and storm surges have not impacted global coastlines      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Changes in ocean wave and storm conditions have not caused long-term impacts on sandy coastlines in the past 30 years, a new study has found.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Climate science is catching up to climate change with predictions that could improve proactive response      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In Africa, climate change impacts are experienced as extreme events like drought and floods. It has now been possible to predict and monitor these climatic events, providing early warning of their impacts on agriculture to support humanitarian and resilience programming in the most food insecure countries of the world.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics
Published

Catalyst can control methane emissions in natural gas engines      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A catalyst using a single or just a few palladium atoms removed 90% of unburned methane from natural gas engine exhaust at low temperatures in a recent study. While more research needs to be done, the advance in single atom catalysis has the potential to lower exhaust emissions of methane, one of the worst greenhouse gases that traps heat at about 25 times the rate of carbon dioxide. Researchers showed that the single-atom catalyst was able to remove methane from engine exhaust at lower temperatures, less than 350 degrees Celsius (662 degrees Fahrenheit), while maintaining reaction stability at higher temperatures.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Nuclear
Published

A non-covalent bonding experience      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Putting a suite of new materials synthesis and characterization methods to the test, a team of scientists has developed 14 organic-inorganic hybrid materials, seven of which are entirely new.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics
Published

Droplet levitation is a new way to explore airborne viruses and microorganisms      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers report achieving self-sustaining and long-term levitation of millimeter-sized droplets of several different liquids without any external forces. To get the droplets to levitate, they use solutocapillary convection, which occurs when a surface tension gradient is formed by nonuniform distribution of vapor molecules from the droplet at the pool surface. Further exploring the effects of various external conditions on self-sustained droplet levitation will reveal whether it can be harnessed and adapted for microbiology and biochemistry applications.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Our favorite vintages and their precarious mountainside homes are at risk due to climate change, environmental scientists warn      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Tucked into the hillsides of Italy, Portugal, and Spain, some of the world's most famous -- and most difficult to maintain -- vineyards are heralded for their unique flavor profiles and centuries of tradition. But as extreme weather and changing socioeconomic conditions make this so-called 'heroic viticulture' even more challenging, scientists worry these grapes and their cultural histories are at risk. Researchers argue that farmers and scientists must work together to protect some of the world's most celebrated wines.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Small-winged and lighter colored butterflies likely to be at greatest threat from climate change      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Small-winged and lighter colored butterflies likely to be at greatest threat from climate change. The family, wing length and wing colour of tropical butterflies all influence their ability to withstand rising temperatures, say ecologists. The researchers believe this could help identify species whose survival is under threat from climate change.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Geoscience: Severe Weather Mathematics: Modeling
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Supercomputer used to simulate winds that cause clear air turbulence      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Using Japan's most powerful supercomputer, researchers reproduced cases of clear air turbulence around Tokyo. They simulated the fine vortices responsible for this dangerous phenomenon. The usefulness of the simulation in predicting turbulence was confirmed by comparing simulation data with data from aircraft recordings. This research should improve the forecasting of turbulence.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics
Published

Thermal cloak passively keeps electric vehicles cool in the summer and warm in the winter      (via sciencedaily.com) 

When an electric vehicle is parked outside, its temperature can swing wildly from day to night and season to season, which can lead to deterioration of the battery. To dampen these fluctuations and extend the battery's lifespan, researchers have designed an all-season thermal cloak that can cool an electric vehicle by 8°C on a hot day and warm it by 6.8°C at night. The cloak, made predominantly of silica and aluminum, can do so passively without outside energy input and operates without any modification between hot or cold weather.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics
Published

The ground is deforming, and buildings aren't ready      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new study has linked underground climate change to the shifting ground beneath urban areas. The phenomenon is affecting all major urban areas around the globe, causing civil structures and infrastructures to crack.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics
Published

Sweat it out: Novel wearable biosensor for monitoring sweat electrolytes for use in healthcare and sports      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Wearable sensors are becoming a promising tool in personalized healthcare and exercise monitoring. In a recent study, researchers develop a novel wearable chemical sensor capable of measuring the concentration of chloride ions in sweat. By using a heat-transfer printing technique, the proposed sensor can be applied to the outer surface of common textiles to prevent skin irritation and allergies, and could also be useful in the early detection of heat stroke and dehydration.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics
Published

Climate-friendly air conditioning inspired by termites      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The climate control used by termites in their mounds could inspire tomorrow's climate-smart buildings. New research shows that future buildings inspired by the termites could achieve the same effect as traditional climate control, but with greater energy efficiency and without its carbon dioxide footprint.

Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Marine heat waves caused mass seabird die-offs, beach surveys show      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research uses data collected by coastal residents along beaches from central California to Alaska to understand how seabirds have fared in recent decades. The paper shows that persistent marine heat waves lead to massive seabird die-offs months later.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Offbeat: Computers and Math
Published

Researchers create highly conductive metallic gel for 3D printing      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed a metallic gel that is highly electrically conductive and can be used to print three-dimensional (3D) solid objects at room temperature.