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Categories: Biology: Marine, Geoscience: Geography
Published Fourteen years after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, endemic fishes face an uncertain future
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The 2010 Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the largest accidental spill in history, released almost 100 million gallons of oil, causing significant pollution. A decade later, its long-term effects remain unclear. A study investigating the impact on endemic fish species found 29 of 78 species unreported in museum collections since the spill, suggesting potential loss of biodiversity.
Published Marine microbial populations: Potential sensors of the global change in the ocean
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Animal and plant populations have been extensively studied, which has helped to understand ecosystem processes and evolutionary adaptations. However, this has not been the case with microbial populations due to the impossibility of isolating, culturing and analyzing the genetic content of the different species and their individuals in the laboratory. Therefore, although it is known that populations of microorganisms include a great diversity, this remains largely uncharacterized.
Published More sustainability in global agricultural trade
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The EU wants to ensure greater sustainability in agricultural trade with the Global South -- with the aim of minimizing the environmental and climate-damaging effects of importing crops such as soya, palm oil, coffee, and cocoa. However, this aspiration is often not fulfilled in practice. Researchers have developed a new approach to identifying options for the sustainable trade of agricultural products. This approach requires a refined analysis that shows how relevant the individual products are for the EU and the country of origin and what leverage effect they have. The researchers found that over 80% of the land deforested for EU production is used to grow soya, palm oil, cocoa, and coffee.
Published Global study reveals health impacts of airborne trace elements
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers investigated global particulate matter, revealing health risks from trace elements.
Published Ice age climate analysis reduces worst-case warming expected from rising CO2
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A detailed reconstruction of climate during the most recent ice age, when a large swath of North America was covered in ice, provides information on the relationship between CO2 and global temperature. Results show that while most future warming estimates remain unchanged, the absolute worst-case scenario is unlikely.
Published East coast mussel shells are becoming more porous in warming waters
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have found that over the last 120 years, the porosity -- or small-scale holes -- in mussel shells along the East Coast of the United States has increased, potentially due to warming waters. The study analyzed modern mussel shells in comparison to specimens in the Museum's historic collection.
Published 38 trillion dollars in damages each year: World economy already committed to income reduction of 19 % due to climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Even if CO2 emissions were to be drastically cut down starting today, the world economy is already committed to an income reduction of 19% until 2050 due to climate change, a new study finds. These damages are six times larger than the mitigation costs needed to limit global warming to two degrees. Based on empirical data from more than 1,600 regions worldwide over the past 40 years, scientists assessed future impacts of changing climatic conditions on economic growth and their persistence.
Published Marine plankton behavior could predict future marine extinctions
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Marine communities migrated to Antarctica during the Earth's warmest period in 66 million years long before a mass-extinction event.
Published Substantial global cost of climate inaction
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Pioneering study reveals that limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius could reduce the global economic costs of climate change by two thirds. If warming continues to 3 degrees Celsius, global GDP will decrease by up to 10 percent -- with the worst impacts in less developed countries.
Published Paradox of extreme cold events in a warming world
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The Warm Arctic-Cold Continent (WACC) phenomenon is the puzzling combination of Arctic warming and extreme coldness in specific mid-latitude regions. However, the progression of WACC events remains unclear amidst global warming. Scientists have now predicted a sharp decline in the WACC phenomenon post-2030s, affecting extreme weather events. These findings offer critical insights for communities, scientists, and policymakers to refine climate models and strategies and battle climate change.
Published Coral reef microbes point to new way to assess ecosystem health
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study shows that ocean acidification is changing the mix of microbes in coral reef systems, which can be used to assess ecosystem health.
Published Scientists develop framework to measure plastic emissions and bolster U.N. efforts to reduce pollution
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have developed a framework for measuring plastic emissions akin to the global standard for measuring greenhouse gas emissions. The approach boosts identification of the biggest contributors to plastic pollution from local to national levels and could help improve strategies in reducing emissions worldwide if incorporated into a global agreement on plastic pollution. Using Toronto as a model, the researchers estimated that in one year alone, Toronto emitted nearly 4,000 tonnes of plastic pollution.
Published Reproductive success improves after a single generation in the wild for descendants of some hatchery-origin Chinook salmon
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers who created 'family trees' for nearly 10,000 fish found that first-generation, wild-born descendants of hatchery-origin Chinook salmon in an Oregon river show improved fitness.
Published Huge database gives insight into salmon patterns at sea
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A massive new analysis of high seas salmon surveys is enhancing the understanding of salmon ecology, adding details about where various species congregate in the North Pacific Ocean and their different temperature tolerances. The project integrates numerous international salmon studies from the North Pacific dating back to the 1950s.
Published Fires pose growing worldwide threat to wildland-urban interface
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Fires that devastate wildland-urban interface areas are becoming more common around the globe, a trend that is likely to continue for at least the next two decades, new research finds. Such fires are especially dangerous, both because they imperil large numbers of people and because they emit far more toxins than forest and grassland fires.
Published New tagging method provides bioadhesive interface for marine sensors on diverse, soft, and fragile species
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Tagging marine animals with sensors to track their movements and ocean conditions can provide important environmental and behavioral information. Existing techniques to attach sensors currently largely rely on invasive physical anchors, suction cups, and rigid glues. While these techniques can be effective for tracking marine animals with hard exoskeletons and large animals such as sharks, individuals can incur physiological and metabolic stress during the tagging process, which can affect the quality of data collection. A newly developed soft hydrogel-based bioadhesive interface for marine sensors, referred to as BIMS, holds promise as an effective, rapid, robust, and non-invasive method to tag and track all sorts of marine species, including soft and fragile species. The BIMS tagging, which is also simple and versatile, can help researchers better understand animal behavior while also capturing oceanographic data critical for helping to better understand some impacts of climate change and for resource management.
Published Plastic pollution can kill variety of ocean embryos
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source High levels of plastic pollution can kill the embryos of a wide range of ocean animals, new research shows.
Published Yellowstone Lake ice cover unchanged despite warming climate
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source While most lakes around the world are experiencing shorter durations of ice cover, the length of time that Yellowstone Lake is covered by ice each year has not changed in the past century, possibly due to increased snowfall.
Published Most countries struggle to meet climate pledges from 2009
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Nineteen out of 34 countries surveyed failed to fully meet their 2020 climate commitments set 15 years ago in Copenhagen, according to a new study by UCL researchers.
Published Global North energy outsourcing demands more attention
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Manufacturing nations in the Global North are stockpiling energy and emission problems by outsourcing energy-intensive industrial processes to countries in the Global South.