Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Technology
Published

Corralling ions improves viability of next generation solar cells      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have discovered that channeling ions into defined pathways in perovskite materials improves the stability and operational performance of perovskite solar cells. The finding paves the way for a new generation of lighter, more flexible, and more efficient solar cell technologies suitable for practical use.

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

Clues about the Northeast's past and future climate from plant fossils      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A team of researchers is working to understand the details of the climate for the eastern portion of the United States from the Miocene, which unfortunately is a blank spot on paleo-climate maps. New findings suggest the future climate will be very close to the warmer, wetter, and more homogeneous climate similar to conditions experienced 5 million years ago.

Geoscience: Severe Weather Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

Why do Earth's hemispheres look equally bright when viewed from space?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

When seen from space, Earth's hemispheres -- northern and southern -- appear equally bright. For years, the brightness symmetry between hemispheres remained a mystery. In a new study, researchers reveal a strong correlation between storm intensity, cloudiness and the solar energy reflection rate in each hemisphere. They offer a solution to the mystery, alongside an assessment of how climate change might alter the reflection rate in the future.

Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

A fifth of California's Sierra Nevada conifer forests are stranded in habitats that have grown too warm for them      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers created maps showing where warmer weather has left trees in conditions that don't suit them, making them more prone to being replaced by other species. The findings could help inform long-term wildfire and ecosystem management in these 'zombie forests.'

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

Researcher discovers threshold that triggers drought response in forests      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Missouri is home to an array of natural resources, with forests among the state's most valuable ecosystems. As warmer temperatures fueled by climate change affect ecosystems globally, forests are under stress to adapt to these changes and ensure their survival in a warmer world. Researchers now introduce the 'ecosystem wilting point' concept, which explains how whole forests respond to drought.

Energy: Alternative Fuels
Published

Salt could play key role in energy transition      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A common ingredient -- salt -- could have a big role to play in the energy transition to lower carbon energy sources. A study describes how large underground salt deposits could serve as hydrogen holding tanks, conduct heat to geothermal plants, and influence CO2 storage. It also highlights how industries with existing salt expertise, such as solution mining, salt mining, and oil and gas exploration, could help.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Technology Engineering: Nanotechnology Physics: Optics
Published

Nanoparticles self-assemble to harvest solar energy      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers design a solar harvester with enhanced energy conversion capabilities. The device employs a quasiperiodic nanoscale pattern, meaning most of it is an alternating and consistent pattern, while the remaining portion contains random defects that do not affect its performance. The fabrication process makes use of self-assembling nanoparticles, which form an organized material structure based on their interactions with nearby particles without any external instructions. Thermal energy harvested by the device can be transformed to electricity using thermoelectric materials.

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

New knowledge about ice sheet movement can shed light on when sea levels will rise      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The trawling of thousands of satellite measurements using artificial intelligence has shown researchers that meltwater in tunnels beneath Greenland's ice sheet causes it to change speed, and in some places, accelerate greatly towards the ocean. This can increase melting, especially in a warming climate, which is why the study's researchers think that it is important to keep an eye on.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Detecting the impact of drought on plants with user-friendly and inexpensive techniques      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Climate change is aggravating the impact of droughts -- one of the factors that only affect plant physiology -- on all plant ecosystems worldwide. Although new tools have been developed to detect and assess drought stress in plants -- transcriptomic or metabolomic technologies, etc. -- they are still difficult to apply in natural ecosystems, especially in remote areas and developing countries.

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

Feedback loops make climate action even more urgent, scientists say      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have identified 26 global warming accelerators known as amplifying feedback loops that the researchers say aren't being properly included in climate models. They note that the findings add urgency to the need to respond to the climate crisis and provide a roadmap for policymakers aiming to avert the most severe consequences of a warming planet.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather Offbeat: Earth and Climate
Published

Keeping drivers safe with a road that can melt snow, ice on its own      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Slipping and sliding on snowy or icy roads is dangerous. Salt and sand help melt ice or provide traction, but excessive use is bad for the environment. And sometimes, a surprise storm can blow through before these materials can be applied. Now, researchers ave filled microcapsules with a chloride-free salt mixture that's added into asphalt before roads are paved, providing long-term snow melting capabilities in a real-world test.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Physics: Optics
Published

Perovskites, a 'dirt cheap' alternative to silicon, just got a lot more efficient      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers typically synthesize perovskites in a wet lab, and then apply the material as a film on a glass substrate and explore various applications. A team has instead proposes a novel, physics-based approach, using a substrate of either a layer of metal or alternating layers of metal and dielectric material -- rather than glass.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Technology
Published

Physicists solve durability issue in next-generation solar cells      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Physicists jumped a major hurdle standing in the way of the commercialization of solar cells created with halide perovskites as a lower-cost, higher-efficiency replacement for silicon when generating electricity from the sun.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

How to make hydrogen straight from seawater -- no desalination required      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed a cheaper and more energy-efficient way to make hydrogen directly from seawater, in a critical step towards a truly viable green hydrogen industry. The new method splits the seawater directly into hydrogen and oxygen -- skipping the need for desalination and its associated cost, energy consumption and carbon emissions.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Technology Physics: Optics
Published

Research reveals thermal instability of solar cells but offers a bright path forward      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers reveal the thermal instability that happens within the cells' interface layers, but also offers a path forward towards reliability and efficiency for halide perovskite solar technology.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Endangered Bahamas bird may be lost from island following hurricane      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The endangered Bahama Warbler may be surviving on just one island following Hurricane Dorian's devastation in 2019, according to researchers. A new study shows the bird's distribution and ecology on Grand Bahama before the hurricane struck. But the team says that the warbler may now only survive on neighboring Abaco island, after hurricane Dorian destroyed the bird's forest habitat on Grand Bahama. The research comes from the same team that found what is thought to have been the last living Bahama Nuthatch, previously thought to have been extinct.

Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Fossil Fuels Engineering: Nanotechnology Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

'Game-changing' findings for sustainable hydrogen production      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Hydrogen fuel could be a more viable alternative to traditional fossil fuels, according to University of Surrey researchers who have found that a type of metal-free catalysts could contribute to the development of cost-effective and sustainable hydrogen production technologies.

Energy: Technology Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Severe weather straining electrical grids: New research mitigates demand surges, increasing grid reliability and reducing costs      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Concerns are mounting among policymakers and utility companies amid the impact of severe weather on the nation's electrical grids. In recent months, electrical grids in Texas have been tested to the point of near failure. So it seems like perfect timing that new research identifies a new method that provides the best way to utilize 'direct load control contracts' to mitigate electricity demand surges, increase grid reliability and reduce electricity cost. All of this right down to the individual household.

Archaeology: General Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

New research suggests drought accelerated empire collapse      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The collapse of the Hittite Empire in the Late Bronze Age has been blamed on various factors, from war with other territories to internal strife. Now, scientists have used tree ring and isotope records to pinpoint a more likely culprit: three straight years of severe drought.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Oceanography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Devastating cost of future coastal flooding for many developing nations predicted in new study      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New global modelling predicts the devastating socioeconomic impacts of future extreme coastal flooding for developing nations caused by climate change, with Asia, West Africa and Egypt facing severe costs in the coming decades.