Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Coastal water pollution transfers to the air in sea spray aerosol and reaches people on land      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New research has confirmed that coastal water pollution transfers to the atmosphere in sea spray aerosol, which can reach people beyond just beachgoers, surfers, and swimmers.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Landslides Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate
Published

Reassessment of Storegga event: Second major landslide recognized      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Submarine landslides have a large tsunami potential and occurred on the central Norwegian shelf more frequently in the past than previously thought. Scientists investigate the Nyegga landslide off the coast of Norway. The submarine landslide occurred in the same area as the well-known Storegga event 8,150 years ago. The new findings suggest that approximately one-third of the seafloor material missing -- previously attributed to the Storegga event -- was removed by the Nyegga event 20,000 years ago. This raises questions about the frequency of large submarine landslides and their associated tsunami hazard.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Offbeat: Computers and Math
Published

Will future computers run on human brain cells?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A 'biocomputer' powered by human brain cells could be developed within our lifetime, according to researchers who expect such technology to exponentially expand the capabilities of modern computing and create novel fields of study.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate
Published

Climate trends in the west, today and 11,000 years ago      (via sciencedaily.com) 

What we think of as the classic West Coast climate began just about 4,000 years ago, finds a study on climate trends of the Holocene era.

Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Mysteries of the Earth: Researchers predict how fast ancient magma ocean solidified      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Previous research estimated that it took hundreds of million years for the ancient Earth's magma ocean to solidify, but new research narrows these large uncertainties down to less than just a couple of million years.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Nanotechnology Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: Plants and Animals Physics: Optics
Published

Tiny new climbing robot was inspired by geckos and inchworms      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A tiny robot that could one day help doctors perform surgery was inspired by the incredible gripping ability of geckos and the efficient locomotion of inchworms.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Published

Real or fake text? We can learn to spot the difference      (via sciencedaily.com) 

While apprehensions about employment and schools dominate headlines, the truth is that the effects of large-scale language models such as ChatGPT will touch virtually every corner of our lives. These new tools raise society-wide concerns about artificial intelligence's role in reinforcing social biases, committing fraud and identity theft, generating fake news, spreading misinformation and more. A team of researchers is seeking to empower tech users to mitigate these risks. The authors demonstrate that people can learn to spot the difference between machine-generated and human-written text.

Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Satellites observe speed-up of Glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Glaciers -- giant blocks of moving ice -- along Antarctica's coastline are flowing faster in the summer because of a combination of melting snow and warmer ocean waters, say researchers. On average, the glaciers travel at around one kilometre a year. But a new study has found a seasonal variation to the speed of the ice flow, which speeded up by up to 22 % in summer when temperatures are warmer. This gives an insight into the way climate change could affect the behaviour of glaciers and the role they could play in raising sea levels.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Marine heatwaves decimate sea urchins, molluscs and more at Rottnest      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers believe rising sea temperatures are to blame for the plummeting number of invertebrates such as molluscs and sea urchins at Rottnest Island off Western Australia, with some species having declined by up to 90 per cent between 2007 and 2021.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Sea stars able to consume kelp-eating urchins fast enough to protect kelp forests, research shows      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have provided the first experimental evidence that a species of endangered sea star protects kelp forests along North America's Pacific Coast by preying on substantial numbers of kelp-eating urchins.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

As sea ice declines in the Arctic, bowhead whales are adjusting their migration patterns      (via sciencedaily.com) 

As sea ice declines in the Arctic, bowhead whales are staying north of the Bering Strait more frequently, a shift that could affect the long-term health of the bowhead population and impact the Indigenous communities that rely on the whales, a new study shows.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

Robot helps students with learning disabilities stay focused      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Engineering researchers are successfully using a robot to help keep children with learning disabilities focused on their work.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Oceanography Geoscience: Severe Weather Paleontology: Climate
Published

New knowledge about ice sheet movement can shed light on when sea levels will rise      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The trawling of thousands of satellite measurements using artificial intelligence has shown researchers that meltwater in tunnels beneath Greenland's ice sheet causes it to change speed, and in some places, accelerate greatly towards the ocean. This can increase melting, especially in a warming climate, which is why the study's researchers think that it is important to keep an eye on.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Food quality matters for southern resident killer whales      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Not all Chinook salmon are created equal, and this has a major impact on the energetics for southern resident killer whales. A recent study quantified the lipid content in Fraser River Chinook salmon -- the southern resident's preferred meal -- and found that spring-run Chinook salmon, the earliest to arrive to the Salish Sea are lipid-rich and energy dense; a critical factor for the killer whales who prey on them. Fraser River Chinook salmon that come later in the season have lower energy density.

Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Oceanography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Feedback loops make climate action even more urgent, scientists say      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have identified 26 global warming accelerators known as amplifying feedback loops that the researchers say aren't being properly included in climate models. They note that the findings add urgency to the need to respond to the climate crisis and provide a roadmap for policymakers aiming to avert the most severe consequences of a warming planet.

Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate Paleontology: General
Published

Climate: Lessons from the latest global warming      (via sciencedaily.com) 

56 million years ago, the Earth experienced one of the largest and most rapid climate warming events in its history: the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), which has similarities to current and future warming. This episode saw global temperatures rise by 5-8°C. It was marked by an increase in the seasonality of rainfalls, which led to the movement of large quantities of clay into the ocean, making it uninhabitable for certain living species. This scenario could be repeated today.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Whale warning as clock ticks towards deep-sea mining      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Seabed mining could soon begin in the deep ocean -- but the potential impact on animals including whales is unknown, researchers have warned.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Acceleration of global sea level rise imminent past 1.8 degrees planetary warming      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A study shows that an irreversible loss of the ice sheets, and a corresponding acceleration of sea level rise, may be imminent if global temperature cannot be stabilized below 1.8 degrees Celsius.