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Categories: Ecology: Research, Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published 120-year-old storm's secrets key to understanding weather risks
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The conversion of handwritten weather records into digital information will help weather better understand future weather risks.
Published A more precise model of the Earth's ionosphere
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The ionosphere -- the region of geospace spanning from 60 to 1000 kilometers above the Earth -- impairs the propagation of radio signals from global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) with its electrically charged particles. This is a problem for the ever higher precision required by these systems -- both in research and for applications such as autonomous driving or precise orbit determination of satellites. Models of the ionosphere and its uneven, dynamic charge distribution can help correct the signals for ionospheric delays, which are one of the main error sources in GNSS applications. Researchers have presented a new model of the ionosphere, developed on the basis of neural networks and satellite measurement data from 19 years. In particular, it can reconstruct the topside ionosphere, the upper, electron-rich part of the ionosphere much more precisely than before. It is thus also an important basis for progress in ionospheric research, with applications in studies on the propagation of electromagnetic waves or for the analysis of certain space weather events, for example.
Published Significant variation in anatomy of human guts
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research finds there is significant variation in the anatomy of the human digestive system, with pronounced differences possible between healthy individuals. The finding has implications for understanding the role that the digestive tract's anatomy can play in affecting human health, as well as providing potential insights into medical diagnoses and the microbial ecosystem of the gut.
Published Newly sequenced hornet genomes could help explain invasion success
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The genomes of two hornet species, the European hornet and the Asian hornet (or yellow-legged hornet) have been sequenced.
Published Biologists discover bees to be brew masters of the insect world
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have made a remarkable discovery about cellophane bees -- their microbiomes are some of the most fermentative known from the insect world. These bees, which are named for their use of cellophane-like materials to line their subterranean nests, are known for their fascinating behaviors and their important ecological roles as pollinators. Now, researchers have uncovered another aspect of their biology that makes them even more intriguing.
Published A once-stable glacier in Greenland is now rapidly disappearing
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source As climate change causes ocean temperatures to rise, one of Greenland's previously most stable glaciers is now retreating at an unprecedented rate, according to a new study.
Published Nature's chefs: Scientists propose food-making as means of understanding species interactions
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An interdisciplinary group of researchers is proposing a new way to think of some interactions between species, classifying a variety of plants, animals and fungi as 'nature's chefs.' Specifically, nature's chefs are organisms that provide food -- or the illusion of food -- to other organisms. The concept offers a new perspective on species interactions, which can inform how people think about food across the tree of life as well as disparate research disciplines.
Published The diversity of present tree species is shaped by climate change in the last 21,000 years
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new global survey of 1000 forest areas shows how climate change since the peak of the last ice age has had a major impact on the diversity and distribution of tree species we see today. The results can help us predict how ecosystems will react to future changes, thus having an impact on conservation management around the globe.
Published Coastal species persist on high seas on floating plastic debris
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The high seas have been colonized by a surprising number of coastal marine invertebrate species, which can now survive and reproduce in the open ocean, contributing strongly to the floating community composition. Researchers found coastal species, representing diverse taxonomic groups and life history traits, in the eastern North Pacific Subtropical Gyre on over 70 percent of the plastic debris they examined. Further, the debris carried more coastal species than open ocean species.
Published Temperature, drought influencing movement of Plains bison
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Temperature and severe drought can drive movement among herds of Plains bison, says a recent study. The team's GPS-backed data suggests that conserving the once-endangered species could depend on accounting for the climate extremes that Plains bison will likely encounter moving forward.
Published Software to untangle genetic factors linked to shared characteristics among different species
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have developed a software package to help answer key questions about genetic factors associated with shared characteristics among different species.
Published Scientists develop new way to measure wind
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Atmospheric scientists have developed an algorithm that uses data from water vapor movements to measure wind. This could help predict extreme events like hurricanes.
Published New look at climate data shows substantially wetter rain and snow days ahead
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new look at climate data shows that, by the end of the century, the heaviest days of rain and snowfall across much of North America will likely release 20 to 30 percent more moisture than they do now. Much of the increased precipitation will occur in winter, potentially exacerbating flooding in regions such as the upper Midwest and the west coast. Researchers also found that heavy precipitation days historically experienced once in a century will become more frequent -- as often as once every 30 or 40 years in the Pacific Northwest and southeastern United States.
Published Wildfires and animal biodiversity
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Wildfires. Many see them as purely destructive forces, disasters that blaze through a landscape, charring everything in their paths. But a new study reminds us that wildfires are also generative forces, spurring biodiversity in their wakes.
Published Shift to 'flash droughts' as climate warms
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source 'Flash droughts' have become more frequent due to human-caused climate change and this trend is predicted to accelerate in a warmer future, according to new research.
Published Predictive power of climate models may be masked by volcanoes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Simulated volcanic eruptions may be blowing up our ability to predict near-term climate, according to a new study.
Published Timing of snowshoe hare winter color swap may leave them exposed in changing climate, study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study, which used 44 years of data, shows that as the globe has warmed, altering the timing and amount of snow cover, snowshoe hares' winter transformation may be out of sync with the color of the background environment; this may actually put them at a greater disadvantage.
Published Increased droughts are disrupting carbon-capturing soil microbes, concerning ecologists
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Soil stores more carbon than plants and the atmosphere combined, and soil microbes are largely responsible for putting it there. However, the increasing frequency and severity of drought, such as those that have been impacting California, could disrupt this delicate ecosystem. Microbial ecologists warn that soil health and future greenhouse gas levels could be impacted if soil microbes adapt to drought faster than plants do.
Published Stopping storms from creating dangerous urban geysers
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers develop a computational model of stormwater piping to study storm geysers. They used this model to understand why storm geysers form, what conditions tend to make them worse, and what city planners can do to prevent them from occurring. The authors say the best cure for a storm geyser is bigger pipes; however, that advice is little help to cities with existing pipeline infrastructure. In these systems, the focus must be on minimizing the potential damage by reducing the height of the geysers, the volume of expelled water, or the resulting damage to the pipeline.
Published Lightning strike creates phosphorus material
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A lightning strike in New Port Richey, Florida, led to a chemical reaction creating a new material that is transitional between space minerals and minerals found on Earth. High-energy events, such as lightning, can cause unique chemical reactions. In this instance, the result is a new material -- one that is transitional between space minerals and minerals found on Earth.