Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

When is an aurora not an aurora?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

While auroras occur at high latitude, the associated phenomena Steve and the picket fence occur farther south and at lower altitude. Their emissions also differ from aurora. A physics graduate student has proposed a physical mechanism behind these emissions, and a rocket launch to test the theory. She argues that an electric field in the upper atmosphere parallel to Earth's magnetic field could explain the green picket fence spectrum and perhaps Steve and the enhanced aurora.

Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Climate change will increase wildfire risk and lengthen fire seasons      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Wildfires are some of the most destructive natural disasters in the country, threatening lives, destroying homes and infrastructure, and creating air pollution. In order to properly forecast and manage wildfires, managers need to understand wildfire risk and allocate resources accordingly.

Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

How ChatGPT could help first responders during natural disasters      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers train AI to accurately recognize addresses and other location descriptions in Hurricane Harvey social media posts.

Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

New study identifies the greatest threat to wildlife across North America and Canada: people      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A biology student studied more than 600,000 wildlife rehabilitation center records to look at the human impact on wild animals, from lead poisonings to window strikes to vehicle collisions.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Zoology Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Artificial light is luring birds to cities and sometimes to their deaths      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists used weather radar data to map bird stopover density in the United States and found that artificial light is a top indicator of where birds will land. City lights lure birds into what can be an ecological trap -- with buildings that lead to collisions, less habitat, scarcer food, and more people and cats. The study provides the first continent-wide maps of migration stopover hotspots in the contiguous United States, and knowing these broadscale layover patterns can help in the development of conservation plans. 

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Geoscience: Severe Weather Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Space Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

One of the largest magnetic storms in history quantified: Aurorae covered much of the night sky from the Tropics to the Polar Regions      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international multidisciplinary team consisting of solar physicists, geophysicists, and historians from nine countries analysed observations of an extreme solar-terrestrial storm reported in historical records from February 1872. Their findings confirm that a moderate sunspot group triggered one of the largest magnetic storms ever recorded, almost covering the entire night sky with colourful aurorae in both hemispheres. If such an extreme storm occurred today, it would severely disrupt modern technological infrastructure. Their study emphasizes the importance of looking at historical records in light of modern scientific knowledge.

Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Being prepared for storm surges on the Baltic Sea coast      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The record storm surge in October 2023 caused severe damage to the German Baltic coast. Effective adaptation scenarios to rising sea levels are therefore becoming increasingly urgent. In two recent studies, researchers have modeled both the flooding extent along the Baltic Sea coastal areas and two possible upgrades for current dike lines in high resolution. They modeled various storm surge and sea level rise scenarios.

Biology: Biochemistry Ecology: Trees Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Severe Weather Paleontology: Climate
Published

600 years of tree rings reveal climate risks in California      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The San Joaquin Valley in California has experienced vast variability in climate extremes, with droughts and floods that were more severe and lasted longer than what has been seen in the modern record, according to a new study of 600 years of tree rings from the valley.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Geoscience: Severe Weather Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

Solar activity likely to peak next year      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have discovered a new relationship between the Sun's magnetic field and its sunspot cycle, that can help predict when the peak in solar activity will occur. Their work indicates that the maximum intensity of solar cycle 25, the ongoing sunspot cycle, is imminent and likely to occur within a year.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Giant sea salt aerosols play major role in Hawai'i's coastal clouds, rain      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study from atmospheric scientists revealed that the coastline can produce up to five times the concentration of giant sea salt aerosols compared to the open ocean and that coastal clouds may contain more of these particles than clouds over the open ocean -- affecting cloud formation and rain around the Hawaiian Islands. 

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

A fifth higher: Tropical cyclones substantially raise the Social Cost of Carbon      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Extreme events like tropical cyclones have immediate impacts, but also long-term implications for societies. A new study now finds: Accounting for the long-term impacts of these storms raises the global Social Cost of Carbon by more than 20 percent, compared to the estimates currently used for policy evaluations. This increase is mainly driven by the projected rise of tropical-cyclone damages to the major economies of India, USA, China, Taiwan, and Japan under global warming.

Engineering: Robotics Research Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
Published

AI finds formula on how to predict monster waves      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Using 700 years' worth of wave data from more than a billion waves, scientists have used artificial intelligence to find a formula for how to predict the occurrence of these maritime monsters. Long considered myth, freakishly large rogue waves are very real and can split apart ships and even damage oil rigs.

Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography Geoscience: Severe Weather Paleontology: Climate Paleontology: General
Published

Deep dive on sea level rise: New modelling gives better predictions on Antarctic ice sheet melt      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Using historical records from around Australia, an international team of researchers have put forward the most accurate prediction to date of past Antarctic ice sheet melt, providing a more realistic forecast of future sea level rise.   The Antarctic ice sheet is the largest block of ice on earth, containing over 30 million cubic kilometers of water.   Hence, its melting could have a devasting impact on future sea levels. To find out just how big that impact might be, the research team turned to the past.  

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: General Ecology: Research Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Idai vs. Impalas: New study shows in real-time what helps mammals survive a natural disaster      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

After a massive cyclone transformed the ecosystem of Gorongosa National Park, researchers studied the immediate and knock-on impacts to garner lessons for wildlife managers around the world.

Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Nature Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Temperature variability reduces nesting success      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Many songbirds are nesting earlier in spring because of warmer temperatures brought about by climate change. But the shift brings another danger that is especially deadly for nestlings: greater exposure to temperature variability in the form of cold snaps and heat waves. 

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Not so silver lining: Microplastics found in clouds could affect the weather      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

From the depths of the seas to snow on mountains and even the air above cities, microplastics are turning up increasingly often. Now, researchers have analyzed microplastics in clouds above mountains. They suggest that these tiny particles could play a role in cloud formation and, in turn, affect weather.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

How climate change could be affecting your brain      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new element of the catastrophic impacts of climate change is emerging -- how global warming is impacting the human brain.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Wildfire, drought cause $11.2 billion in damage to private timberland in three Pacific states, study finds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Wildfires and drought have led to $11.2 billion in damages to privately held timberland in California, Oregon and Washington over the past two decades, a new Oregon State University study found.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Designing cities for 21st-century weather      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have investigated how changes in urban land and population will affect future populations' exposures to weather extremes under climate conditions at the end of the 21st century. They used a data-driven model to predict how urban areas across the country will grow by 2100, and found that how a city is laid out or organized spatially has the potential to reduce population exposures to future weather extremes.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

New cooling ceramic can enhance energy efficiency for the construction sector and help combat global warming      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have made a significant breakthrough in developing a passive radiative cooling (PRC) material. The material, known as cooling ceramic, has achieved high-performance optical properties for energy-free and refrigerant-free cooling generation. Its cost-effectiveness, durability and versatility make it highly suitable for commercialization in numerous applications, particularly in building construction.