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Categories: Geoscience: Earth Science, Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published Putting sound waves to work to create safer public spaces
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Absorbing excess sound to make public environments like theaters and concert halls safer for hearing and using the unwanted sound waves to create electricity is the aim of a new paper. The authors built a system of piezoelectric sensors that can be installed in walls, floors, and ceilings to absorb sound waves and collect their energy. They used computer simulations to fine-tune variables including the voltage needed to power the main device component, the frequency and intensity of the input sound, and piezoelectric sensors tested in parallel and serial configurations.
Published Earth's surface water dives deep, transforming core's outer layer
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study has revealed that water from the Earth's surface can penetrate deep into the planet, altering the composition of the outermost region of the metallic liquid core and creating a distinct, thin layer. Illustration of silica crystals coming out from the liquid metal of the Earth's outer core due to a water-induced chemical reaction.
Published Faster Arctic warming hastens 2C rise by eight years
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The Arctic is currently warming nearly four times faster than the global average rate. The new study aimed to estimate the impact of this faster warming on how quickly the global temperature thresholds of 1.5C and 2C, set down in the Paris Agreement, are likely to be breached.
Published 'Cooling glass' blasts building heat into space
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers aiming to combat rising global temperatures have developed a new 'cooling glass' that can turn down the heat indoors without electricity by drawing on the cold depths of space. The new technology, a microporous glass coating, can lower the temperature of the material beneath it by 3.5 degrees Celsius at noon, and has the potential to reduce a mid-rise apartment building's yearly carbon emissions by 10 percent.
Published Some of today's earthquakes may be aftershocks from quakes in the 1800s
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In the 1800s, some of the strongest earthquakes in recorded U.S. history struck North America's continental interior. Almost two centuries later, the central and eastern United States may still be experiencing aftershocks from those events, a new study finds.
Published Aerosols: When scents influence our climate
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Tiny particles that form from molecules in the air play an important role for climate change. But until now, the have been poorly understood. Scientists have now analyzed how these particles form.
Published Diverse forests hold huge carbon potential, as long as we cut emissions
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New study estimates that natural forest recovery could capture approximately 226 Gigatonnes (Gt) of carbon, but only if we also reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Achieving these results requires community-driven efforts to conserve and restore biodiversity. In brief: Forests have the potential to capture 226 Gigatonnes (Gt) of carbon in areas where they would naturally exist. This forest potential can only be achieved alongside emissions cuts. Sixty-one percent of the forest potential can be achieved by protecting existing forests and allowing them to regrow to maturity. Thirty-nine percent can be achieved by reconnecting fragmented landscapes through community-driven ecosystem restoration and management. A natural diversity of species is needed to maximize the forest carbon potential.
Published Yucatán's underwater caves host diverse microbial communities
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source With help from an experienced underwater cave-diving team, researchers have constructed the most complete map to date of the microbial communities living in the submerged labyrinths beneath Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. Researchers found the cave system's microbiome is distinct from the nearby sea, and microbial communities vary between cave systems forming distinct 'neighborhoods.'
Published New AI noise-canceling headphone technology lets wearers pick which sounds they hear
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed deep-learning algorithms that let users pick which sounds filter through their headphones in real time. Either through voice commands or a smartphone app, headphone wearers can select which sounds they want to include from 20 classes, such as sirens, baby cries, speech, vacuum cleaners and bird chirps.
Published Scientists caution against a reliance on mechanical devices to clear water bodies of plastic
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An international group of scientists has called for the United Nations Treaty on Plastic Pollution to focus more on measures to reduce the production and consumption of plastics and the prevention of future plastic waste, rather than on the unselective removal of waste already in the water.
Published Barnacle bends shape to fend off warm-water sea snails on the move
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Some barnacles are 'morphing' to protect themselves from predatory warm-water sea snails, which are expanding into their territory due to climate change.
Published Plastics treaty must tackle problem at source
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The new Global Plastics Treaty must tackle the problem at source, researchers say. They say the treaty must prioritize 'upstream' issues: cutting total production and consumption of plastics, phasing out hazardous chemicals and tackling fossil fuel subsidies.
Published Lightning identified as the leading cause of wildfires in boreal forests, threatening carbon storage
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Most wildfires in boreal forests, such as those in Canada, are caused by lightning strikes, according to a study aimed at attributing fire ignition sources globally.
Published Greenland's glacier retreat rate has doubled over past two decades
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study documents how Greenland's peripheral glaciers have changed from 1890 to 2022. Using satellite images and a unique archive of historical aerial photos, researchers documented changes in the lengths of more than 1,000 of the country's glaciers over the past 130 years. Although glaciers in Greenland have experienced retreat throughout the last century, the rate of their retreat has rapidly accelerated over the last two decades.
Published 'Alien' wasps thriving in tropical forests
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers say they have discovered high diversity of Darwin wasps in a tropical rainforest in Brazil, wasps which were previously thought to thrive more in cooler habitats.
Published Maps reveal biochar's potential for mitigating climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Twelve countries have the technical ability to sequester over 20% of their current total greenhouse gas emissions by converting crop residues to biochar. Bhutan leads the way with the potential to sequester 68% of its emissions in the form of biochar, followed by India, at 53%.
Published Window to the past: New microfossils suggest earlier rise in complex life
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Microfossils may capture a jump in the complexity of life that coincided with the rise of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere and oceans, according to an international team of scientists.
Published Africa's dangerous air pollution levels are a global problem, says new research
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new report has brought to light the challenge of air pollution levels in Africa and why international action is needed to combat it.
Published How to eat our way out of the climate crisis
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers conducted a study to determine if replacing dietary fats from palm oil, soy and other agricultural crops with fats created synthetically in chemical or biological processes could help reduce climate change-causing greenhouse gases. The researchers' analysis finds a reduction in carbon emissions and other benefits, such the opening of agricultural lands to reforestation which benefits biodiversity and creates a carbon sink.
Published Keeping an eye on the regions when it comes to climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Up to now, the results of climate simulations have sometimes contradicted the analysis of climate traces from the past. Physicists and climatologists have now brought together experts in climate models and climate tracks to clarify how the discrepancies come about. The surprising result has now been published: in a way, both sides are right. Climate models correctly simulate global temperature trends, but often underestimate the strength of regional climate fluctuations, especially over the course of decades to centuries.