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Categories: Geoscience: Geography, Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published Engineers unmask nanoplastics in oceans for the first time, revealing their true shapes and chemistry



Millions of tons of plastic waste enter the oceans each year. The sun's ultraviolet light and ocean turbulence break down these plastics into invisible nanoparticles that threaten marine ecosystems. In a new study, engineers have presented clear images of nanoplastics in ocean water off the coasts of China, South Korea and the United States, and in the Gulf of Mexico. These tiny plastic particles, which originated from such consumer products as water bottles, food packaging and clothing, were found to have surprising diversity in shape and chemical composition.
Published Source rocks of the first real continents



Geoscientists have uncovered a missing link in the enigmatic story of how the continents developed- - a revised origin story that doesn't require the start of plate tectonics or any external factor to explain their formation. Instead, the findings rely solely on internal geological forces that occurred within oceanic plateaus that formed during the first few hundred million years of Earth's history.
Published Unprecedented ocean heating shows risks of a world 3°C warmer



New research examines the causes of the record-breaking ocean temperatures witnessed in 2023.
Published Greenland is a methane sink rather than a source



Researchers have concluded that the methane uptake in dry landscapes exceeds methane emissions from wet areas across the ice-free part of Greenland. The results of the new study contribute with important knowledge for climate models. The researchers are now investigating whether the same finding applies to other polar regions.
Published As sea otters recolonize California estuary, they restore its degraded geology



As sea otters recolonize a California estuary, they are restoring its degraded geology by keeping populations of overgrazing marsh crabs in check, a new study shows. The crabs' appetite for plant roots, and their tunneling behavior had caused many of the estuary's marshes and creekbanks to erode and collapse in the otters' absence. Today, erosion has slowed by up to 90% in areas with large otter populations and marshes and streambeds are restabilizing.
Published Black summer bushfires in Australia wiped $2.8 billion from tourism supply chain



First input-output economic analysis of the 2019-20 Australian fires also found 7300 jobs were lost. The study highlights economic vulnerabilities to extremes of climate change.
Published Geoengineering may slow Greenland ice sheet loss



Modeling shows that stratospheric aerosol injection has the potential to reduce ice sheet loss due to climate change.
Published New research shows how pollutants from aerosols and river run-off are changing the marine phosphorus cycle in coastal seas



New research sheds light on how pollutants from aerosols and river run-off are impacting coastal seas. The research identified an 'Anthropogenic Nitrogen Pump' which changes the phosphorus cycle and therefore likely coastal biodiversity and associated ecosystem services.
Published Some plastic straws degrade quicker than others



Not all plastics are created the same, and some last longer in the ocean than others. Scientists have been working for years to quantify the environmental lifetimes of a wide range of plastic goods to see which have the shortest and longest lifespans in the ocean. To determine what plastics persist in the ocean, the team tests different products in large tanks that recreate the natural ocean environment.
Published Rising sea levels could lead to more methane emitted from wetlands



A Bay Area wetlands ecosystem that was expected to serve as a carbon sink is emitting surprisingly high levels of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. The study suggests factors governing carbon cycles in these habitats are even more complex than we thought.
Published Sound-powered sensors stand to save millions of batteries



Researchers are developing a new type of sensor that reacts to certain sound waves, causing it to vibrate. The sensor is a metamaterial that acquires its special properties through the structuring of the material. Passive sound-sensitive sensors could be used to monitor buildings, earthquakes or certain medical devices and save millions of batteries.
Published How waves and mixing drive coastal upwelling systems



Large coastal upwelling systems along the eastern margins of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans are among the most biologically productive and biodiverse regions of the world's oceans. Typically, the strength and timing of upwelling in such systems are linked to the prevailing winds. Interestingly, in some tropical regions, high levels of productivity occur even when the upwelling favorable winds are weak.
Published Achieving sustainable urban growth on a global scale



An international group of leading scientists call for an urgent change in the governance of urban expansion as the world's cities continue to grow at unprecedented rates.
Published Virtual noise assessment for passenger jet of the future



Instead of tubular commercial aircraft, other designs could be used in the future: Jets with a blended wing body would fly more efficiently and make less noise -- but how would the noise emissions from these new types of aircraft affect people?
Published Unexpected biodiversity on the ocean floor



Hydrothermal vents and manganese nodule fields in the deep oceans contain more biodiversity than expected.
Published Global warming has a bigger effect on compact, fast-moving typhoons



A group has found that larger, slow-moving typhoons are more likely to be resilient to the effects of global warming. However, more compact, fast-moving storms are more likely to be sensitive. These findings suggest an improved method for projecting the strength of typhoons under global warming conditions.
Published War in Ukraine severely limits ability to track Arctic climate change



Scientists no longer have direct access to data from Russian Arctic research stations. Without this data, our view of climate changes in the region is increasingly biased, new research shows.
Published Paper provides a clearer picture of severe hydro hazards



A new study now provides a global examination of drought-pluvial volatility -- or the tendency to shift from one weather extreme to another.
Published A large percentage of European plastic sent to Vietnam ends up in nature



Despite strict EU regulations on plastic recycling, there is little oversight on plastic waste shipped from the EU to Vietnam. A large percentage of the exported European plastic cannot be recycled and gets dumped in nature, according to recent research.
Published Marine heat waves trigger shift in hatch dates and early growth of Pacific cod



Marine heat waves appear to trigger earlier reproduction, high mortality in early life stages and fewer surviving juvenile Pacific cod in the Gulf of Alaska, a new study shows. These changes in the hatch cycle and early growth patterns persisted in years following the marine heat waves, which could have implications for the future of Gulf of Alaska Pacific cod, an economically and culturally significant species.