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Categories: Engineering: Nanotechnology, Geoscience: Geography
Published Pacific Northwest snowpack endangered by increasing spring heatwaves
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Even in the precipitation-heavy Pacific Northwest, more frequent heatwaves are threatening a key source of water supply. A Washington State University study that intended to look at snow melting under a single, extreme event, the 2021 'heat dome,' instead revealed an alarming, longer-term rising trend of successive heatwaves melting snowpack earlier in the year. From temperature records spanning from 1940 to 2021, springtime heatwaves in the region have doubled in frequency, intensity or both since the mid-1990s. The findings have implications for many areas worldwide that are dependent on snow-capped mountains to provide summer water since heatwaves have been on the rise globally.
Published Highly resolved precipitation maps based on AI
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Strong precipitation may cause natural disasters, such as floodings or landslides. Global climate models are required to forecast the frequency of these extreme events, which is expected to change as a result of climate change. Researchers have now developed a first method based on artificial intelligence (AI), by means of which the precision of coarse precipitation fields generated by global climate models can be increased. The researchers succeeded in improving spatial resolution of precipitation fields from 32 to two kilometers and temporal resolution from one hour to ten minutes. This higher resolution is required to better forecast the more frequent occurrence of heavy local precipitation and the resulting natural disasters in future.
Published Free electric vehicle charging at work? It's possible with optimum solar
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The global surge in electric vehicle sales has prompted an Australian university to explore how it could offer free or nominal EV charging facilities to staff and students by optimizing its solar PV system and minimizing workplace electricity costs.
Published Spinning up control: Propeller shape helps direct nanoparticles
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Self-propelled nanoparticles could potentially advance drug delivery and lab-on-a-chip systems -- but they are prone to go rogue with random, directionless movements. Now, an international team of researchers has developed an approach to rein in the synthetic particles.
Published New study sheds light on how much methane is produced from Arctic lakes and wetlands
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New study looked at lakes in the Arctic, including those at Alaska's Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge, to shed light on how much methane is produced from Arctic lakes and wetlands. Small unmapped lakes in the Arctic are far less abundant than previously thought, greatly reducing the cumulative methane emissions they were thought to contribute to Earth's atmosphere.
Published In a new light -- new approach overcomes long-standing limitations in optics
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source When you look up at the sky and see clouds of wondrous shapes, or struggle to peer through dense, hazy fog, you're seeing the results of 'Mie scattering', which is what happens with light interacts with particles of a certain size. There is a growing body of research that aims to manipulate this phenomenon and make possible an array of exciting technologies. Researchers have now developed a new means of manipulating Mie scattering from nanostructures.
Published Underwater architects: The 'burrowing effect' of foraminifera on marine environments
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Impact of single-cell organisms on sediment oxygen levels and bacterial diversity measured for the first time.
Published New geophysical technique enhances imaging of fluid-filled rocks finding connections with microearthquakes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have recently introduced a new method called ambient noise differential adjoint tomography, which allows researchers to visualise rocks with fluids better, leading to potential advancements in the discovery of water and oil resources, as well as applications in urban geologic hazard and early warning systems for tsunamis and the understanding of the water cycle.
Published Chance twists ordered carbon nanotubes into 'tornado films'
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have developed two new methods to create ordered carbon nanotube films with either a left- or right-handed chiral pattern.
Published Climate change will increase wildfire risk and lengthen fire seasons
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Wildfires are some of the most destructive natural disasters in the country, threatening lives, destroying homes and infrastructure, and creating air pollution. In order to properly forecast and manage wildfires, managers need to understand wildfire risk and allocate resources accordingly.
Published Coral reefs in peril from record-breaking ocean heat
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Record breaking marine heatwaves will cause devastating mass coral bleaching worldwide in the next few years, according to a coral reef scientist.
Published Adapting to hypoxia: Zooplankton influence the efficiency of the biological carbon pump in the Humboldt Current off Peru
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Marine organisms play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle. Phytoplankton absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and sequester it in organic matter that sinks to the deep ocean where it can be stored for long periods of time. Until now, this process -- the biological carbon pump -- was thought to be particularly efficient in oxygen-poor areas. A new study suggests that the influence of certain zooplankton species on the biological carbon pump has been underestimated.
Published Polaritons open up a new lane on the semiconductor highway
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source On the highway of heat transfer, thermal energy is moved by way of quantum particles called phonons. But at the nanoscale of today's most cutting-edge semiconductors, those phonons don't remove enough heat. That's why researchers are focused on opening a new nanoscale lane on the heat transfer highway by using hybrid quasiparticles called 'polaritons.'
Published Protected areas in Thailand are at a higher risk of forest fires when located away from indigenous communities
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Research has found that national parks and protected areas are at a higher risk of forest fires when located farther away from indigenous communities. Based on the analysis of satellite images from Thailand and case studies from other Southeast Asian countries, the research demonstrates that policymakers can achieve improvements in forest health by working collaboratively with indigenous communities. Involving communities results in reduction of forest fires and air pollution.
Published Bowtie resonators that build themselves bridge the gap between nanoscopic and macroscopic
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Two nanotechnology approaches converge by employing a new generation of fabrication technology. It combines the scalability of semiconductor technology with the atomic dimensions enabled by self-assembly.
Published Climate change shown to cause methane to be released from the deep ocean
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research has shown that fire-ice -- frozen methane which is trapped as a solid under our oceans -- is vulnerable to melting due to climate change and could be released into the sea.
Published Greenhouse gases in oceans are altered by climate change impact on microbes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The ocean is a global life-support system, and climate change causes such as ocean warming, acidification, deoxygenation, and nitrogen-deposition alter the delicate microbial population in oceans. The marine microbial community plays an important role in the production of greenhouse gases like nitrous oxide and methane. Scientists have explored the climate change impact on marine microbes. Their research helps raise awareness about climate change severity and the importance of ocean resources.
Published The ocean may be storing more carbon than estimated in earlier studies
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The ocean's capacity to store atmospheric carbon dioxide is some 20% greater than the estimates contained in the latest IPCC report. Scientists looked at the role played by plankton in the natural transport of carbon from surface waters down to the seabed. Plankton gobble up carbon dioxide and, as they grow, convert it into organic tissue via photosynthesis.
Published Plant nurseries are exacerbating the climate-driven spread of 80% of invasive species
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have provided detailed maps of how 144 common invasive plants species will react to 2° Celsius of climate change in the eastern U.S., as well as the role that garden centers currently play in seeding future invasions.
Published New implants linked to less infection and better recovery from orthopedic surgery
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Superior knee and hip replacements are a step closer after researchers further test and develop a new orthopedic implant coating which has the strong ability to ward off infection -- as well as stimulate bone growth. The technology consists of novel Silver-Gallium (Ag-Ga) nano-amalgamated particles that can be easily applied to medical device surfaces.