Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate
Published

How salt from the Caribbean affects our climate      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Past cold periods such as the Little Ice Age were associated with reduced strength of North Atlantic currents and increased surface salinity in the Caribbean. This was accompanied by disturbances in the distribution of salt to the north leading to longer, stronger cooling phases in the northern hemisphere.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate
Published

How a climate model can illustrate and explain ice-age climate variability      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

During the last ice age, the last glacial maximum about 20,000 years ago, the climate in the North Atlantic underwent much greater multi-centennial variability than it does in the present warm period. This is supported by evidence found in ice and seafloor cores. Researchers have now shown, based on a climate model, that internal mechanisms such as temperature and salinity distribution in the ocean are driving this multi-centennial variability.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Paleontology: Climate Paleontology: General
Published

Study links changes in global water cycle to higher temperatures      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study takes an important step toward reconstructing a global history of water over the past 2,000 years. Using geologic and biologic evidence preserved in natural archives -- including 759 different paleoclimate records from globally distributed corals, trees, ice, cave formations and sediments -- the researchers showed that the global water cycle has changed during periods of higher and lower temperatures in the recent past.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Paleontology: Climate
Published

New map of 20th century land use in Britain helps researchers demystify biodiversity change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have mapped how land use changed across Britain throughout the last century. The new map reveals how and where some 50 per cent of semi-natural grassland was lost, including 90 per cent of the country's lowland meadows and pasture, as the nation intensified its agriculture.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR)
Published

Virtual meetings tire people because we're doing them wrong      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research suggests sleepiness during virtual meetings is caused by mental underload and boredom. Earlier studies suggested that fatigue from virtual meetings stems from mental overload, but new research shows that sleepiness during virtual meetings might actually be a result of mental underload and boredom.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate
Published

Meltwater flowing beneath Antarctic glaciers may be accelerating their retreat      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new Antarctic ice sheet modeling study suggests that meltwater flowing out to sea from beneath Antarctic glaciers is making them lose ice faster.   

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Robot stand-in mimics movements in VR      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a souped-up telepresence robot that responds automatically and in real-time to a remote user's movements and gestures made in virtual reality.

Environmental: Water Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography Geoscience: Volcanoes Paleontology: Climate
Published

Mystery of volcanic tsunami solved after 373 years      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The explosion of the underwater volcano Kolumbo in the Aegean Sea in 1650 triggered a destructive tsunami that was described by historical eye witnesses. A group of researchers has now surveyed Kolumbo's underwater crater with modern imaging technology and reconstructed the historical events. They found that the eyewitness accounts of the natural disaster can only be described by a combination of a landslide followed by an explosive eruption.

Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues Paleontology: Climate Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Sediment core analysis supports new epoch characterized by human impact on planet      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists analyzed open-source data to track vegetation changes across North America since the end of the Pleistocene Epoch, and conclude that humans have had as much of an impact on the landscape as the retreat of the glaciers at the end of the Ice Age. 

Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Climate
Published

Raining cats and dogs: Global precipitation patterns a driver for animal diversity      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team has identified several factors to help answer a fundamental ecological question: why is there a ridiculous abundance of species some places on earth and a scarcity in others? What factors, exactly, drive animal diversity? They discovered that what an animal eats (and how that interacts with climate) shapes Earth's diversity.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate
Published

Light, freshwater sticks to Greenland's east coast      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Meltwater that runs along the east coast of Greenland, hardly enters the open ocean before reaching the western side of the island.  In the changing climate, fresh water from Greenland and the Arctic could disrupt the circulation in the Atlantic Ocean.

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

Simulating cold sensation without actual cooling      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The perception of persistent thermal sensations, such as changes in temperature, tends to gradually diminish in intensity as our bodies become accustomed to the temperature. This phenomenon leads to a shift in our perception of temperature when transitioning between different scenes in a virtual environment. Researchers have now developed a technology to generate a virtual cold sensation via a non-contact method without physically altering the skin temperature.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather Paleontology: Climate Paleontology: General
Published

New study finds 50-year trend in hurricane escalation linked to climate change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research by climate scientists indicates that there have been great changes to Atlantic hurricanes in just the past 50 years, with storms developing and strengthening faster.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR)
Published

Virtual reality helps people with hoarding disorder practice decluttering      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study lets patients practice letting go of treasured objects in simulations of their own homes.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate
Published

Ice sheet surface melt is accelerating in Greenland and slowing in Antarctica      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Surface ice in Greenland has been melting at an increasing rate in recent decades, while the trend in Antarctica has moved in the opposite direction, according to researchers.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR)
Published

Virtual driving assessment predicts risk of crashing for newly licensed teen drivers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research found that driving skills measured at the time of licensure on a virtual driving assessment (VDA), which exposes drivers to common serious crash scenarios, helps predict crash risk in newly licensed young drivers. This study brings the research community one step closer to identifying which skill deficits put young new drivers at higher risk for crashes. With this cutting-edge information, more personalized interventions can be developed to improve the driving skills that prevent crashes.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate
Published

Over 40 percent of Antarctica's ice shelves reduced in volume over 25 years      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

71 of the 162 ice shelves that surround Antarctica have reduced in volume over 25 years from 1997 to 2021, with a net release of 7.5 trillion tons of meltwater into the oceans, say scientists.  They found that almost all the ice shelves on the western side of Antarctica experienced ice loss. In contrast, most of the ice shelves on the eastern side stayed the same or increased in volume.  Over the 25 years, the scientists calculated almost 67 trillion tonnes of ice was exported to the ocean, which was offset by 59 trillion tons of ice being added to the ice shelves, giving a net loss of 7.5 trillion tons. 

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate
Published

Large swings in past ocean oxygen revealed      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

As the climate warms, there is major concern that Earth's ocean will lose oxygen. A study has revealed that locked in ancient deep-sea sediments is evidence for oxygen loss in the world's ocean during past glacial periods, indicating that widespread oxygen loss with current climate change may not be permanent.