Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Where coral reefs may be buffered against warming oceans      (via sciencedaily.com) 

As warming ocean temperatures threaten the existence of coral reefs, scientists have successfully used an extremely high-resolution computer simulation of ocean circulation to identify possible 'thermal refugia' where these biodiverse ecosystems are more likely to survive.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Computer modelling aims to inform restoration, conservation of coral reefs      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A research team has created a computer modelling program to help scientists predict the effect of climate damage and eventual restoration plans on coral reefs around the globe. This is a critical objective because climate change is killing many coral species and can lead to the collapse of entire coral reef ecosystems, according to researchers.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Burro-ing into the past      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new study reveals that introduced donkeys and indigenous pumas are helping to resurrect extinct food webs in Death Valley.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Wildfires
Published

Smoke from Western wildfires can influence Arctic sea ice      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Sea ice and wildfires may be more interconnected than previously thought, according to new research.

Computer Science: Encryption Mathematics: Puzzles
Published

A key role for quantum entanglement      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A method known as quantum key distribution has long held the promise of communication security unattainable in conventional cryptography. An international team of scientists has now demonstrated experimentally, for the first time, an approach to quantum key distribution that is based on high-quality quantum entanglement -- offering much broader security guarantees than previous schemes.

Computer Science: Encryption
Published

Quantum cryptography: Hacking is futile      (via sciencedaily.com) 

An international team has successfully implemented an advanced form of quantum cryptography for the first time. Moreover, encryption is independent of the quantum device used and therefore even more secure against hacking attempts.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

For dairy farmers, where does the time go?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Globally, dairy producers face increasing challenges regarding sustainability, including declining numbers of workers in the agricultural sector, while continuing to meet increasing demand for nutritious and affordable food. Dairy systems must now focus on more sustainable production that reflects economic, environmental, and social goals. A new report explores labor time-use on Irish pasture-based dairy farms in the busy spring and summer seasons.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Going against the flow: Scientists reveal garden eels' unique way of feeding      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new lab study on garden eels shows how these shy creatures use their burrows, and change their movement and posture, when feeding in strong currents.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Desert climate overtaking more of Central Asia      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Rising annual temperatures and dwindling yearly precipitation across the mid-latitudes of Central Asia have extended its desert climate 60 miles northward since the 1980s, says a recent study.

Computer Science: Encryption Mathematics: Puzzles
Published

'Pulling back the curtain' to reveal a molecular key to The Wizard of Oz      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Many people and companies worry about sensitive data getting hacked, so encrypting files with digital keys has become more commonplace. Now, researchers have developed a durable molecular encryption key from sequence-defined polymers that are built and deconstructed in a sequential way. They hid their molecular key in the ink of a letter, which was mailed and then used to decrypt a file with text from a classic story.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Arctic shrub expansion limited by seed dispersal and wildfire      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists investigating the growth of Arctic vegetation have found that seed dispersal and fire will slow its land expansion in the long term, despite more favorable conditions from a warming planet.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Why corals glow even in the depths of the sea      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new study reveals that the phenomenon in deep reefs in which corals display glowing colors (fluorescence) is intended to serve as a mechanism for attracting prey. The study shows that the marine animals on which corals prey recognize the fluorescent colors and are attracted to them.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Air samples from Arctic region show how fast Earth is warming      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers report direct observations of size-resolved ice nucleating particles in the central Arctic, spanning the entire sea ice growth and decline cycle. Their results show a strong seasonality of these particles, with lower concentrations in the winter and spring, and enhanced concentrations during summer melt from local biology.

Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Ozone depletion over North Pole produces weather anomalies      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have established that the destruction of ozone over the Arctic in the spring causes abnormal weather throughout the northern hemisphere, with many places being warmer and drier than average -- or too wet.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Birdwatching brings millions of dollars to Alaska      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New research found that nearly 300,000 birders traveled to the state and spent about $378 million in 2016. Birdwatching supported roughly 4,300 jobs in Alaska that year.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Arctic temperatures are increasing four times faster than global warming      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new analysis of observed temperatures shows the Arctic is heating up more than four times faster than the rate of global warming. The trend has stepped upward steeply twice in the last 50 years, a finding missed by all but four of 39 climate models.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Thawing permafrost is shaping the global climate      (via sciencedaily.com) 

How is climate change affecting the permanently frozen soils of the Arctic? What will the consequences be for the global climate, human beings, and ecosystems? And what can be done to stop it?

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Genome of voracious desert locust sequenced      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The first high-quality genome of the desert locust -- those voracious feeders of plague and devastation infamy and the most destructive migratory insect in the world -- has been produced. The genome of the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) is enormous at just under 9 billion base pairs, nearly three times the size of the human genome. The size of the desert locust's chromosomes is remarkable; compare them to those of the model fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, the first insect genome ever assembled. Many of the desert locust's individual chromosomes are larger than the entire fruit fly genome. Next to the fruit fly, it's like an 18-wheeler next to a compact car.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Proactive approaches needed to enable ecosystems to adapt to climate change      (via sciencedaily.com) 

As the need to address climate change becomes increasingly urgent so too does the concurrent need for proactive stewardship of the Earth's rapidly changing biosphere, according to new research.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Melting Arctic ice could transform international shipping routes, study finds      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Melting ice in the Arctic Ocean could yield new trade routes in international waters, reducing the shipping industry's carbon footprint and weakening Russia's control over trade routes through the Arctic, a study found.