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

A novel approach to tracking conservation reveals more areas may be conserved than currently accounted for      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international team of conservation researchers and practitioners has developed an inclusive inventory approach for tracking global conservation areas, with an emphasis on local data and expertise. Applying this approach across the nine countries spanning the Amazon Rainforest identified a wide array of conservation areas with greater diversity and area coverage than existing tracking systems showed.

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

Rate of global warming caused by humans at an all-time high, say scientists      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Global warming caused by humans is advancing at 0.26 C per decade -- the highest rate since records began, according to new research by over 50 leading international scientists.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Marine Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Exploring three frontiers in marine biomass and blue carbon capture      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study offers first-time insights into three emerging climate innovations to safeguard or increase the carbon naturally captured by ocean and coastal ecosystems: rapid interventions to save the Great Barrier Reef, satellite-tracked kelp beds in the deep ocean, and seagrass nurseries in the United Kingdom.

Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Rocky shores of Pacific Northwest show low resilience to changes in climate      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A 15-year period ending in 2020 that included a marine heat wave and a sea star wasting disease epidemic saw major changes in the groups of organisms that live along the rocky shores of the Pacific Northwest.

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

Summer droughts in Northern hemisphere increasingly likely as seasonal streamflows change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Declining snowfall is changing the seasonal patterns of streamflow throughout the Northern hemisphere boosting chances of water shortages in the summer, scientists have found.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Engineering: Graphene Engineering: Nanotechnology Physics: General
Published

Towards next-gen functional materials: direct observation of electron transfer in solids      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Nanoscale electron transfer (ET) in solids is fundamental to the development of multifunctional materials. However, ET in solids is not yet clearly understood. Now, researchers achieved a direct observation of solid-state ET through X-ray crystal analysis by fabricating a novel double-walled non-covalent crystalline nanotube, which can absorb electron donor molecules and maintain its crystalline structure during ET. This innovative approach can lead to the design of novel functional materials soon.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Energy: Fossil Fuels Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Innovative demand strategies for clean energy      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A perspective piece describes innovative strategies that significantly reduce both resource consumption and fossil fuel emissions.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Genetics Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Nature Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Key nutrients help plants beat the heat      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have discovered some of the molecular mechanisms controlling how plants -- including important crops like soybean and rice -- will respond to rising global temperatures, finding higher temperatures make root systems grow faster, but sustaining this increased growth speed depends on high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in the soil. The discoveries point to the necessity of nitrogen and phosphorus-rich soil to promote crop growth and create nutritious crops, in addition to aiding a mission to create more resilient crops in the face of climate change.

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

Microscopic defects in ice shape how massive glaciers flow, study shows      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A glacier's flow depends on how microscopic defects move through the ice, according to new research that also yielded a new model for predicting how glaciers will flow, ultimately contributing to sea-level rise.

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

Shape and depth of ocean floor profoundly influence how carbon is stored there      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The movement of carbon between the atmosphere, oceans and continents -- or carbon cycle -- regulates Earth's climate, with the ocean playing a major role in carbon sequestration. A new study finds that the shape and depth of the ocean floor explain up to 50% of the changes in depth at which carbon has been sequestered there over the past 80 million years. While these changes have been previously attributed to other causes, the new finding could inform ongoing efforts to combat climate change through marine carbon sequestration.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Urgent need for action now for increasing threat from invasive alien species      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Urgent action now is needed to tackle the major and growing global issue of invasive alien species, says a team of 88 experts from 47 countries. The paper follows the (IPBES) thematic assessment report on invasive alien species and their control. The experts say co-developing management actions with multiple stakeholders including government and private sector stakeholders, and Indigenous Peoples and local communities will be critical to achieving success in addressing biological invasions.

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

Arctic melting heavily influenced by little-studied meteorological phenomena      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of scientists has combined paleoclimatic data from the last 2,000 years with powerful computer modeling and in-the-field research on lake sediments and tree rings to show that an understudied phenomenon, known as atmospheric blocking, has long influenced temperature swings in the Arctic. As temperatures warm due to climate change, atmospheric blocking will help drive ever-wilder weather events. The study focused on the Norwegian Arctic archipelago, Svalbard, at the edge of the Arctic Ocean.

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

Thawing permafrost: Not a climate tipping element, but nevertheless far-reaching impacts      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Permafrost soils store large quantities of organic carbon and are often portrayed as a critical tipping element in the Earth system, which, once global warming has reached a certain level, suddenly and globally collapses. Yet this image of a ticking timebomb, one that remains relatively quiet until, at a certain level of warming, it goes off, is a controversial one among the research community. Based on the scientific data currently available, the image is deceptive, as an international team has shown in a recently released study. According to their findings, there is no single global tipping point; rather, there are numerous local and regional ones, which 'tip' at different times, producing cumulative effects and causing the permafrost to thaw in step with climate change.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Crucial shift in River Nile's evolution during ancient Egypt discovered      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have explored how the River Nile evolved over the past 11,500 years and how changes in its geography could have helped shape the fortunes of ancient Egyptian civilization. Research reveals a major shift in the Nile around four thousand years ago, after which the floodplain in the Nile Valley around Luxor greatly expanded.

Biology: Marine Biology: Microbiology Chemistry: General Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Fungus breaks down ocean plastic      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A fungus living in the sea can break down the plastic polyethylene, provided it has first been exposed to UV radiation from sunlight. Researchers expect that many more plastic degrading fungi are living in deeper parts of the ocean.

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

Greenhouses cover more and more of Earth's surface      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Greenhouse cultivation is booming globally, especially in the Global South -- and across one country in particular. This is revealed in a new study that deploys detailed satellite imagery and AI to map greenhouses across the planet. According to the researchers, the development is a source of both promise and concern.

Ecology: General Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Researchers call for return of Sumas Lake following devastating 2021 floods      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new proposal has emerged in response to the November 2021 floods that swept Sumas Prairie in the Fraser Valley, British Columbia, causing mass evacuations and millions in damages. Instead of rebuilding the dykes to manage water flows and prevent future floods, scientists, along with members of the Sumas First Nation and other research partners, suggest an alternative: let Sumas Lake, which was drained in the early 1920s and converted into the farmland known as Sumas Prairie, return to its natural state. This can be done by buying out properties on the lakebed -- a solution that is projected to cost around $1 billion, less than half of the estimated $2.4 billion cost of repairing the dykes and installing a new pump station.