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Categories: Ecology: Sea Life, Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published The Gulf Stream is warming and shifting closer to shore
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The Gulf Stream is intrinsic to the global climate system, bringing warm waters from the Caribbean up the East Coast of the United States. As it flows along the coast and then across the Atlantic Ocean, this powerful ocean current influences weather patterns and storms, and it carries heat from the tropics to higher latitudes as part of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. A new study now documents that over the past 20 years, the Gulf Stream has warmed faster than the global ocean as a whole and has shifted towards the coast. The study relies on over 25,000 temperature and salinity profiles collected between 2001 and 2023.
Published Climate-driven extreme heat may make parts of Earth too hot for humans
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source If global temperatures increase by 1 degree Celsius (C) or more than current levels, each year billions of people will be exposed to heat and humidity so extreme they will be unable to naturally cool themselves, according to interdisciplinary research. Results indicated that warming of the planet beyond 1.5 C above preindustrial levels will be increasingly devastating for human health across the planet.
Published Consistent metabolism may prove costly for insects in saltier water
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Increased salinity usually spells trouble for freshwater insects like mayflies. A new study finds that the lack of metabolic responses to salinity may explain why some freshwater insects often struggle in higher salinity, while other freshwater invertebrates (like mollusks and crustaceans) thrive.
Published Climate change brings earlier arrival of intense hurricanes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research has revealed that since the 1980s, Category 4 and 5 hurricanes (maximum wind speed greater than 131 miles per hour) have been arriving three to four days earlier with each passing decade of climate change.
Published Shining a light on tiny, solar-powered animals
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Acoels have been found to host a wide diversity of symbiotic, photosynthetic microalgae.
Published Comfort with a smaller carbon footprint
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a data-driven AI algorithm for controlling the heating and cooling of an office building. The system does not require ambient sensors or specific knowledge of the building's rooms. During heating operations, the system was able to achieve energy savings of up to 30%, which can represent significant reductions to cost and environmental impact.
Published Two-dimensional compounds can capture carbon from the air
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Some of the thinnest materials known to humankind -- MXene and MBene compounds -- may provide solutions to scientists in their quest to curb the effects of global warming. These substances are only a few atoms thick, making them two-dimensional. Because of their large surface area, the materials have the potential to absorb carbon dioxide molecules from the atmosphere, which could help reduce the harmful effects of climate change by safely sequestering carbon dioxide, according to a review study.
Published Study identifies jet-stream pattern that locks in extreme winter cold, wet spells
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Winter is coming—eventually. And while the earth is warming, a new study suggests that the atmosphere is being pushed around in ways that cause long bouts of extreme winter cold or wet in some regions. The study’s authors say they have identified giant meanders in the global jet stream that bring polar air southward, locking in frigid or wet conditions concurrently over much of North America and Europe, often for weeks at a time. Such weather waves, they say, have doubled in frequency since the 1960s. In just the last few years, they have killed hundreds of people and paralyzed energy and transport systems.
Published Hot weather hits productivity -- even in air-conditioned factories
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Hot weather reduces workers’ productivity – even if their workplace is air conditioned.
Published Controlled burns help prevent wildfires; Climate change is limiting their use
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Climate change means the American West will have 17% fewer safe days to light prescribed fires for wildfire management, according to new research. Winter, however, will see a net 4% increase in the number of favorable days. Implementing controlled burns in the West will require changes to policy and the availability of firefighters.
Published DNA from discarded whale bones suggests loss of genetic diversity due to commercial whaling
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Commercial whaling in the 20th century decimated populations of large whales but also appears to have had a lasting impact on the genetic diversity of today’s surviving whales, new research shows.
Published Sustainable protection of rapidly subsiding coastlines with mangroves
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Along the Asian coast lines there are many areas where rural communities experience alarming rates of sea level rises due to land subsidence up to 10 cm per year. This causes tremendous challenges on how to live there and protect these coasts. Scientists have now investigated the potential and limitation of mangrove restoration as a cost-effective and sustainable solution for coastal protection in rapidly subsiding areas.
Published Climate and human land use both play roles in Pacific island wildfires past and present
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source It’s long been understood that human settlement contributes to conditions that make Pacific Islands more susceptible to wildfires, such as the devastating Aug. 8 event that destroyed the Maui community of Lahaina. But a new study from fire scientist shows that climate is an undervalued part of the equation.
Published Groundbreaking mathematical proof: New insights into typhoon dynamics unveiled
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A research team has provided irrefutable proof that certain spherical vortices exist in a stable state.
Published Explosion in fish biodiversity due to genetic recycling
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The rapid formation of 500 different species of fish in a single lake, each with specialized ecological roles, resulted from a small but genetically diverse hybrid population.
Published Did animal evolution begin with a predatory lifestyle?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Surprising findings on the development of sea anemones suggest that a predatory lifestyle molded their evolution and had a significant impact on the origin of their nervous system. The researchers were able to show that the young life stages (larvae) of the small sea anemone Aiptasia actively feed on living prey and are not dependent on algae. To capture its prey, the anemone larvae use specialized stinging cells and a simple neuronal network.
Published Polyps as pixels: Innovative technique maps biochemistry of coral reefs
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Using an innovative new approach to sampling corals, researchers are now able to create maps of coral biochemistry that reveal with unprecedented detail the distribution of compounds that are integral to the healthy functioning of reefs.
Published A turtle time capsule: DNA found in ancient shell
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Paleontologists discover possible DNA remains in fossil turtle that lived 6 million years ago in Panama, where continents collide.
Published Why are killer whales harassing and killing porpoises without eating them?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source For decades, fish-eating killer whales in the Pacific Northwest have been observed harassing and even killing porpoises without consuming them —- a perplexing behavior that has long intrigued scientists.
Published Whales Around the World Play With Kelp Clumps
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new article has analyzed another understudied behavior in baleen (filter-feeding) whales such as humpback whales in different populations across the northern and southern hemispheres. They appeared to roll around and 'play' with clumps of kelp and seaweed at the water's surface. The research also emphasizes that the behavior was similar in different individuals, regardless of where in the world it occurred.