Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Technology Environmental: General Physics: Optics
Published

Stacking molecules like plates improves organic solar device performance      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers found that how well light-converting molecules stack together in a solid is important for how well they convert light into electric current. A rigid molecule that stacked well showed excellent electricity generation in an organic solar cell and photocatalyst, easily outperforming a similar flexible molecule that did not stack well. This new way of improving the design of molecules could be used to pioneer the next generation of light-converting devices.

Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

The race to discover biodiversity: 11 new marine species and a new platform for rapid species description      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new paper describes a ground-breaking experiment that united 25 independent taxonomists from 10 countries. The initiative boasts the discovery of 11 new marine species from all over the globe, occurring at depths from 5.2 to 7081 meters. It also represents a significant step forward in accelerating the pace at which new marine species are described and published.

Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate Paleontology: General
Published

Greenland fossil discovery reveals increased risk of sea-level catastrophe      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Seeds, twigs, and insect parts found under two miles of ice confirm Greenland's ice sheet melted in the recent past, the first direct evidence that the center -- not just the edges -- of the two-mile-deep ice melted away in the recent geological past. The new research indicates that the giant ice sheet is more fragile than scientists had realized until the last few years -- and reveals increased risk of sea-level catastrophe in a warmer future.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Link between global warming and rising sea levels      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study suggests that Earth's natural forces could substantially reduce Antarctica's impact on rising sea levels, but only if carbon emissions are swiftly reduced in the coming decades. By the same token, if emissions continue on the current trajectory, Antarctic ice loss could lead to more future sea level rise than previously thought.

Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Sea level changes shaped early life on Earth, fossil study reveals      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Shifts in the Earth's continental plates that drove long-term changes in sea level set the stage for the evolution of the earliest animals on Earth, a study suggests.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: General Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Combined effects of plastic pollution and seawater flooding amplify threats to coastal plant species      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study highlights how a combination of environmental stressors -- namely plastic pollution and seawater flooding -- can increase the threats faced by plants in some of the planet's critical ecosystems. It showed that both stressors had some effects on the species tested, but being exposed to both microplastics and flooding together -- a threat likely to increase as a result of climate change and plastic use -- had a more pronounced impact on their resource allocation.

Biology: Zoology Ecology: Endangered Species Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Climate change may lead to shifts in vital Pacific Arctic fisheries      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Commercially important marine fish and invertebrate species will likely shift northwards under a warmer climate, according to new research.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Engineering researchers crack the code to boost solar cell efficiency and durability      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Photovoltaic (PV) technologies, which convert light into electricity, are increasingly applied worldwide to generate renewable energy. Researchers have now developed a molecular treatment that significantly enhances the efficiency and durability of perovskite solar cells. Their breakthrough will potentially accelerate the large-scale production of this clean energy.

Biology: Biochemistry Ecology: Extinction Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

3D models provide unprecedented look at corals' response to bleaching events      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Marine biologists are providing a glimpse into coral 'bleaching' responses to stress, using imaging technology to pinpoint coral survival rates following multiple bleaching events off the island of Maui. Using a time series of coral reef 3D models from Maui, the researchers tracked the bleaching response of 1,832 coral colonies from 2014 to 2021. The seven-year data set provided detailed imagery of the reefs year-by-year, allowing the team to identify patterns of coral growth and survivorship through sequential bleaching events that occurred in 2015 and 2019.

Archaeology: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate
Published

Underwater mapping reveals new insights into melting of Antarctica's ice shelves      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Clues to future sea level rise have been revealed by the first detailed maps of the underside of a floating ice shelf in Antarctica. An international research team deployed an unmanned submersible beneath the Dotson Ice Shelf in West Antarctica.

Environmental: Water Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Barriers designed to prevent saltwater intrusion may worsen inland flooding      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Building protection barriers without accounting for potential inland flooding risks from groundwater can eventually worsen the very issues they aim to solve.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

What's the weather like in the deep sea?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study has revealed how even the deepest seafloors are affected by the daily back-and-forth of the tides, and the change of the seasons, and that currents at the bottom of the ocean are far more complicated than previously thought. These findings are helping us understand the deep-sea pathways of nutrients that support important deep-sea ecosystems, assess where microplastics and other pollutants accumulate in the ocean, and reconstruct past climate change.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General Physics: Optics
Published

More electricity from the sun      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A coating of solar cells with special organic molecules could pave the way for a new generation of solar panels. This coating can increase the efficiency of monolithic tandem cells made of silicon and perovskite while lowering their cost -- because they are produced from industrial, microstructured, standard silicon wafers.

Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography Geoscience: Volcanoes
Published

Recent volcanic 'fires' in Iceland triggered by storage and melting in crust      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have detected geochemical signatures of magma pooling and melting beneath the subsurface during the 'Fagradalsfjall Fires', that began on Iceland's Reykjanes peninsula in 2021. Samples show that the start of the eruption began with massive pooling of magma, contrasting initial hypothesis for magma ascent straight from the mantle.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Zoology Chemistry: Biochemistry Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

North Sea oil and gas extraction spikes pollution by 10,000 percent, study finds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

North Sea oil and gas extraction can cause pollution to spike by more than 10,000 percent within half a kilometer around off-shore sites, a study has found. The research has uncovered the true impact on Britain's seabed life -- with the number of species plummeting nearly 30 percent near platforms.

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Published

New understanding of fly behavior has potential application in robotics, public safety      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have identified an automatic behavior in flies that helps them assess wind conditions -- its presence and direction -- before deploying a strategy to follow a scent to its source. The fact that they can do this is surprising -- can you tell if there's a gentle breeze if you stick your head out of a moving car? Flies aren't just reacting to an odor with a preprogrammed response: they are responding in context-appropriate manner. This knowledge potentially could be applied to train more sophisticated algorithms for scent-detecting drones to find the source of chemical leaks.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Nuclear Energy: Technology Physics: General Physics: Optics
Published

Fresh light on the path to net zero      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have used magnetic fields to reveal the mystery of how light particles split. Scientists are closer to giving the next generation of solar cells a powerful boost by integrating a process that could make the technology more efficient by breaking particles of light photons into small chunks.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General
Published

Climate change will bring more turbulence to flights in the Northern Hemisphere, study finds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A type of invisible, unpredictable air turbulence is expected to occur more frequently in the Northern Hemisphere as the climate warms. Known as clear air turbulence, the phenomenon also increased in the Northern Hemisphere between 1980 and 2021.

Chemistry: General Energy: Alternative Fuels
Published

Indoor solar cells that maximize the use of light energy      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Chemists have synthesized materials that can improve solar elements for indoor use. Such photovoltaic cells, which can also be integrated into various electronic devices, generate electricity even in low-light conditions.