Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Sea temperatures control the distributions of European marine fish      (via sciencedaily.com) 

An analysis extending from southern Portugal to northern Norway highlights the importance of temperature in determining where fish species are found.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Arctic river channels changing due to climate change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of international researchers have found that the rivers in Arctic Canada and Alaska are not behaving as expected in response to the warming climate. The study focused on large rivers in the region and their movement through permafrost terrain. Their findings highlight the impact of atmospheric warming on these vital waterways.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Life in the smoke of underwater volcanoes      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Disconnected from the energy of the sun, the permanently ice-covered Arctic deep sea receives miniscule amounts of organic matter that sustains life. Bacteria which can harvest the energy released from submarine hydrothermal sources could thus have an advantage. Scientists found bacteria uniquely adapted to this geo-energy floating in deep-sea waters. They describe the role of these bacteria for biogeochemical cycling in the ocean.

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

How climate change threatens Asia's water tower      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Tibet is known as the 'Water Tower of Asia,' providing water to about 2 billion people and supporting critical ecosystems in High Mountain Asia and the Tibetan Plateau, where many of the largest Asian river systems originate. This region is also one of the areas most vulnerable to the compounding effects of climate change and human activities. Researchers are identifying policy changes that need to happen now to prepare for the future impacts projected by climate models.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers Offbeat: Computers and Math Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

In the world's smallest ball game, scientists throw and catch single atoms using light      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers show that individual atoms can be caught and thrown using light. This is the first time an atom has been released from a trap -- or thrown -- and then caught by another trap. This technology could be used in quantum computing applications.

Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

To help dry forests, fire needs to be just the right intensity, and happen more than once      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Research into the ability of a wildfire to improve the health of a forest uncovered a Goldilocks effect -- unless a blaze falls in a narrow severity range, neither too hot nor too cold, it isn't very good at helping forest landscapes return to their historical, more fire-tolerant conditions.

Biology: Botany Biology: Zoology Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Plant roots fuel tropical soil animal communities      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A research team has shed new light on the importance of plant roots for below-ground life, particularly in the tropics. Millions of small creatures toiling in a single hectare of soil including earthworms, springtails, mites, insects, and other arthropods are crucial for decomposition and soil health. For a long time, it was believed that leaf litter is the primary resource for these animals. However, this recent study is the first to provide proof that resources derived from plant roots drive soil animal communities in the tropics.

Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Two-dimensional quantum freeze      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have succeeded in simultaneously cooling the motion of a tiny glass sphere in two dimensions to the quantum ground-state. This represents a crucial step towards a 3D ground-state cooling of a massive object and opens up new opportunities for the design of ultra-sensitive sensors.

Environmental: Ecosystems Mathematics: Statistics Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: Plants and Animals Offbeat: Space Space: Exploration Space: General
Published

Can artificial intelligence help find life on Mars or icy worlds?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have mapped the sparse life hidden away in salt domes, rocks and crystals at Salar de Pajonales at the boundary of the Chilean Atacama Desert and Altiplano. Then they trained a machine learning model to recognize the patterns and rules associated with their distributions so it could learn to predict and find those same distributions in data on which it was not trained. In this case, by combining statistical ecology with AI/ML, the scientists could locate and detect biosignatures up to 87.5 percent of the time and decrease the area needed for search by up to 97 percent.

Chemistry: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers Engineering: Nanotechnology Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

An innovative twist on quantum bits: Tubular nanomaterial of carbon makes ideal home for spinning quantum bits      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists develop method for chemically modifying nanoscale tubes of carbon atoms, so they can host spinning electrons to serve as stable quantum bits in quantum technologies.

Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Drones detect moss beds and changes to Antarctica climate      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers are using drones with highly advanced sensors and AI to map large areas and to study changes to Antarctica's climate.

Biology: Botany Computer Science: General Ecology: General Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Phone-based measurements provide fast, accurate information about the health of forests      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed an algorithm that uses computer vision techniques to accurately measure trees almost five times faster than traditional, manual methods.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Wildfires
Published

Wildfires in 2021 emitted a record-breaking amount of carbon dioxide      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Carbon dioxide emissions from wildfires, which have been gradually increasing since 2000, spiked drastically to a record high in 2021, according to an international team of researchers.

Archaeology: General Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues Paleontology: Climate Paleontology: General
Published

Wisconsin cave holds tantalizing clues to ancient climate changes, future shifts      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A newly published study of a stalagmite found in Cave of the Mounds reveals previously undetected history of the local climate going back thousands of years. Researchers describe evidence for an ice age punctuated by massive and abrupt warming events across much of the Northern Hemisphere.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Earlier take-off could lead to fewer bumblebees and less pollination      (via sciencedaily.com) 

With the arrival of spring, bumblebee queens take their first wing beat of the season and set out to find new nesting sites. But they are flying earlier in the year, as a result of a warmer climate and a changing agricultural landscape, according to new research.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Putting a price tag on the amenity value of private forests      (via sciencedaily.com) 

When it comes to venturing into and enjoying nature, forests are the people's top choice -- at least in Denmark. This is also reflected in the sales prices of properties with private forest. But beyond earnings potential, this study puts a price tag on the so-called amenity value of Danish private forests.

Biology: Marine Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Coral-friendly sunscreen provides better UV protection than existing options      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed a prototype for coral-reef-friendly sunscreens by using polymerization to create large molecules that still block UV radiation but are too big to penetrate our skin, coral, and algae. The polymeric UV filter was more effective at preventing sunburn in mice than existing sunscreens.

Ecology: Nature Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

On a warming planet, these Arctic geese rapidly found (and shared) a new migratory route      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

As the planet warms, animals that breed in the Arctic are at particular risk. But a new study offers some encouraging news: in an apparent reaction to pressures along their former migratory route, a population of Arctic geese has rapidly adjusted, forming a new migration route and breeding location almost 1,000 kilometers from their original stomping grounds.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Deforestation in the tropics linked to a reduction in rainfall      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Deforestation is resulting in reduced rainfall across large parts of the tropics, according to new research. People living in tropical forest communities have often complained that the climate gets hotter and drier once trees are cleared but until now, scientists have not been able to identify a clear link between the loss of tree cover and a decline in rainfall.