Ecology: Nature Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

A century of reforestation helped keep the eastern US cool      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Widespread 20th-century reforestation in the eastern United States helped counter rising temperatures due to climate change, according to new research. The authors highlight the potential of forests as regional climate adaptation tools, which are needed along with a decrease in carbon emissions.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Mathematics: Modeling
Published

Innovations in depth from focus/defocus pave the way to more capable computer vision systems      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In an image, estimating the distance between objects and the camera by using the blur in the images as clue, also known as depth from focus/defocus, is essential in computer vision. However, model-based methods fail when texture-less surfaces are present, and learning-based methods require the same camera settings during training and testing. Now, researchers have come up with an innovative strategy for depth estimation that combines the best of both the worlds to solve these limitations, extending the applicability of depth from focus/defocus.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

New study points to more climate extremes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study has found similarities between long-term climatic changes in South Australia and temperate agricultural areas in Argentina -- highlighting similarities across these Southern Hemisphere countries. As temperature records tumble, and the threat of bushfires and dry conditions looms large, researchers renew the urgency of calls to make more concerted efforts to prepare for climate extremes in South Australia.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

One person can supervise 'swarm' of 100 unmanned autonomous vehicles      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Research involving has shown that a 'swarm' of more than 100 autonomous ground and aerial robots can be supervised by one person without subjecting the individual to an undue workload.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

In a warming world, climate scientists consider category 6 hurricanes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

For more than 50 years, the National Hurricane Center has used the Saffir-Simpson Windscale to communicate the risk of property damage; it labels a hurricane on a scale from Category 1 (wind speeds between 74 -- 95 mph) to Category 5 (wind speeds of 158 mph or greater). But as increasing ocean temperatures contribute to ever more intense and destructive hurricanes, climate scientists wondered whether the open-ended Category 5 is sufficient to communicate the risk of hurricane damage in a warming climate.

Computer Science: General Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR)
Published

Bringing together real-world sensors and VR to improve building maintenance      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new system that brings together real-world sensing and virtual reality would make it easier for building maintenance personnel to identify and fix issues in commercial buildings that are in operation.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Death toll shows extreme air pollution events a growing urban threat      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research has estimated that 1454 avoidable deaths (one person every five days) occurred in Australian capital cities in the past 20 years because of fine particle air pollution from extreme events such as bushfires and dust storms, wood-heater smoke or industrial accidents.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Fungal-rich soil may improve green roofs      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Green roofs have become increasingly popular thanks to their benefits related to climate adaptation, mitigation, and urban biodiversity management. But, in the U.S., green roofs are typically planted with non-native plants in sterile soils, and their effectiveness declines over time. A new study finds that managing green roof soil microbes boosts healthy urban soil development, which is a methodology that could be applied to support climate resilience in cities.

Environmental: Water Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Compounding risks of atmospheric river storms      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

When storms hit back-to-back, the flooding -- and economic damages -- are even worse than expected.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Oceanography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Self-powered movable seawall for tsunami protection and emergency power generation      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A movable seawall system, capable of generating sufficient electricity to raise gates and protect ports against tsunamis, has been proposed by researchers. The system has been found feasible in areas prone to Nankai Trough earthquake tsunamis. Additionally, it can generate surplus energy to supply emergency power to ports during power outages that commonly occur in natural disasters. This innovative system integrates disaster prevention with the use of renewable energy.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Global warming has a bigger effect on compact, fast-moving typhoons      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

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.

Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Paper provides a clearer picture of severe hydro hazards      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study now provides a global examination of drought-pluvial volatility -- or the tendency to shift from one weather extreme to another.

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

New tool predicts flood risk from hurricanes in a warming climate      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new method predicts how much flooding a coastal community is likely to experience as hurricanes evolve due to climate change. Using New York as a test case, the model predicts Hurricane Sandy-level flooding will occur roughly every 30 years by 2099.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Links discovered between weather patterns and power outages could help UK protect itself from disruptive weather      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The behavior of specific weather patterns and their impact on power faults could be used to develop a weather pattern - conditioned fault forecasting system for power system operators.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Wobbling particles in the sky      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Tiny particles such as ice crystals or ash particles tend to oscillate as they settle through the atmosphere. In their experiments, the scientists were able to track non-spherical particles of size smaller than 1 millimeter with unprecedented accuracy. Their observations gave rise to a model which can help to refine prediction on air pollutants or weather forecasts.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Climate change linked to spread of diarrheal illness      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Temperature, day length and humidity have been found to be linked to the increased spread of a diarrheal illness a new study reveals. The findings could help predict further outbreaks of the illness, potentially leading to better preparedness within health services.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Geoscience: Severe Weather Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Butterflies could lose spots as climate warms      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Female meadow brown butterflies have fewer spots if they develop in warmer weather -- so climate change could make them less spotty, new research shows.