Showing 20 articles starting at article 1201
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Categories: Ecology: Sea Life, Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published Global flash droughts expected to increase in a warming climate
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have published new findings on how our warming climate will affect the frequency of flash droughts and the risk to croplands globally.
Published Groundbreaking images of root chemicals offer new insights on plant growth
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Applying imaging technology to plant roots, researchers have developed a new understanding of chemicals that are responsible for plant growth. The chemical 'roadmap' identifies where key molecules are distributed along corn roots and how their placement factors into the plant's maturation.
Published Twisting under the stroboscope -- Controlling crystal lattices of hybrid solar cell materials with terahertz light
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source To overcome global energy challenges and fight the looming environmental crisis, researchers around the world investigate new materials for converting sunlight into electricity. Some of the most promising candidates for high-efficiency low-cost solar cell applications are based on lead halide perovskite (LHP) semiconductors. Despite record-breaking solar cell prototypes, the microscopic origin of the surprisingly excellent optoelectronic performance of this material class is still not completely understood. Now, an international team of physicists and chemists has demonstrated laser-driven control of fundamental motions of the LHP atomic lattice.
Published Saving our soil: How to extend US breadbasket fertility for centuries
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The Midwestern United States has lost 57.6 billion tons of topsoil due to farming practices over the past 160 years, and the rate of erosion, even following the U.S. Department of Agriculture's guidelines, is still 25 times higher than the rate at which topsoil forms. Yet, we need not despair: researchers recently reported that no-till farming, which is currently practiced on 40 percent of cropland acres in the Midwest, can extend our current level of soil fertility for the next several centuries. This has implications for everything from food security to climate-change mitigation.
Published Iron-rich rocks unlock new insights into Earth's planetary history
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study suggests iron-rich ancient sediments may have helped cause some of the largest volcanic events in the planet's history.
Published Deep sea surveys detect over five thousand new species in future mining hotspot
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source There is a massive, mineral-rich region in the Pacific Ocean -- about twice the size of India -- called the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), which has already been divided up and assigned to companies for future deep-sea mining. To better understand what may be at risk once companies start mining, a team of biologists has built the first 'CCZ checklist' by compiling all the species records from previous research expeditions to the region. Their estimates of the species diversity of the CCZ included a total of 5,578 different species, an estimated 88% - 92% of which are entirely new to science.
Published Global macrogenetic map of marine habitat-forming species
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Species known as marine habitat-forming species -- gorgonians, corals, algae, seaweeds, marine phanerogams, etc.-- are organisms that help generate and structure the underwater landscapes. These are natural refuges for other species, and provide biomass and complexity to the seabeds. But these key species in marine ecosystems are currently threatened by climate change and other perturbations derived from human activity. Now, a study warns that even in the marine protected areas (MPAs) the genetic diversity of structural species is not protected, although it is essential for the response and adaptation of populations to changes that alter the natural environment.
Published New method predicts extreme events more accurately
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study has used global storm-resolving simulations and machine learning to create an algorithm that can deal separately with two different scales of cloud organization: those resolved by a climate model, and those that cannot be resolved as they are too small. This new approach addresses the missing piece of information in traditional climate model parameterizations and provides a way to predict precipitation intensity and variability more precisely.
Published Extinct offshore volcano could store gigatons of carbon dioxide
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study concludes that an extinct volcano off the shore of Portugal could store as much as 1.2-8.6 gigatons of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of ~24-125 years of the country's industrial emissions. For context, in 2022 a total of 42.6 megatons (0.0426 gigatons) of carbon dioxide was removed from the atmosphere by international carbon capture and storage efforts, according to the Global CCS Institute. The new study suggests that carbon capture and storage in offshore underwater volcanoes could be a promising new direction for removal and storage of much larger volumes of the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere.
Published Researchers want to use 'biochar' to combat climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new review of research suggests that the nature-based technology biochar -- a carbon-rich material -- could be an important tool to use in agriculture to help mitigate climate change.
Published Montreal protocol is delaying first ice-free Arctic summer
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research shows that the 1987 global treaty, designed to protect the ozone layer, has postponed the occurrence of the first ice-free Arctic by as much as 15 years.
Published How a drought affects trees depends on what's been holding them back
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Droughts can be good for trees. Certain trees, that is. Contrary to expectation, sometimes a record-breaking drought can increase tree growth. Why and where this happens is the subject of a new article.
Published What you count is not necessarily what counts
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Seawater is full of bacteria, hundreds of thousands live in every liter. But the sheer number of bacteria living in the water does not necessarily mean a lot. More important is how active they are and how quickly they duplicate.
Published Fine particulate matter catalyzes oxidative stress in the lungs
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Study sheds new light on the adverse health effects of air pollution: hydrogen peroxide production of fine particles may not be as important as previously assumed. A new study reveals that the adverse health effects of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) are attributable to the conversion of peroxides into more reactive species such as the hydroxyl radical (OH) rather than the direct chemical production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as previously thought.
Published Eruption of Tonga underwater volcano found to disrupt satellite signals halfway around the world
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers found that the Hunga-Tonga eruption was associated with the formation of an equatorial plasma bubble in the ionosphere, a phenomenon associated with disruption of satellite-based communications. Their findings also suggest that a long-held atmospheric model should be revised.
Published Microorganisms' climate adaptation can slow down global warming
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study shows that the ability of microorganisms to adapt to climate warming will slow down global warming by storing carbon in soil.
Published Corals mark friendly algae for ingestion -- revealing possible conservation target
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Biologists reveals how coral cells tag friendly algae before ingesting them, initiating a mutually beneficial relationship. This information could guide next-level coral conservation efforts.
Published Fossil of mosasaur with bizarre 'screwdriver teeth' found in Morocco
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have discovered a new species of mosasaur, a sea-dwelling lizard from the age of the dinosaurs, with strange, ridged teeth unlike those of any known reptile. Along with other recent finds from Africa, it suggests that mosasaurs and other marine reptiles were evolving rapidly up until 66 million years ago, when they were wiped out by an asteroid along with the dinosaurs and around 90% of all species on Earth.
Published Perfect 'pathogen' storm: Vibrio bacteria, Sargassum and plastic marine debris
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Little is known about the ecological relationship of Vibrio bacteria with Sargassum. Evidence also is sparse as to whether vibrios colonizing plastic marine debris and Sargassum could potentially infect humans. As summer kicks off and efforts are underway to find solutions to repurpose Sargassum, could these substrates pose a triple threat to public health? Results of a study representing the first Vibrio spp. genome assembled from plastic finds Vibrio pathogens have the unique ability to 'stick' to microplastics, harboring potent opportunistic pathogens.
Published New use for A.I.: Correctly estimating fish stocks
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A newly published artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm is allowing researchers to quickly and accurately estimate coastal fish stocks without ever entering the water.