Showing 20 articles starting at article 701
< Previous 20 articles Next 20 articles >
Categories: Environmental: Wildfires, Geoscience: Geography
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 Early human migrants followed lush corridor-route out of Africa
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have found early human migrants left Africa for Eurasia, across the Sinai peninsula and on through Jordan, over 80-thousand years ago. Researchers have proved there was a 'well-watered corridor' which funneled hunter-gatherers through The Levant towards western Asia and northern Arabia via Jordan.
Published Ancient carbon in rocks releases as much carbon dioxide as the world's volcanoes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research has overturned the traditional view that natural rock weathering acts as a carbon sink that removes CO2 from the atmosphere. Instead, this can also act as a large CO2 source, rivaling that of volcanoes.
Published Discovery of massive undersea water reservoir could explain New Zealand's mysterious slow earthquakes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers working to image New Zealand's Hikurangi earthquake fault have uncovered a sea's worth of water buried in the Earth's crust. The water was carried down by eroding volcanic rocks and is believed to be dampening the earthquake fault, allowing it to release most of the pent-up tectonic stress through harmless slow slip earthquakes.
Published Extreme fires and heavy rainfall driving platypuses from their homes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Australia's emerging pattern of severe mega bushfires and heavy rainfall may be driving platypuses from their homes, a new study has shown. Analysis of platypus DNA in rivers and creek water samples collected before and after the Black Summer 2019-2020 megafires suggest Australia's beloved semi-aquatic monotremes might be abandoning severely bushfire-affected areas for up to 18 months after a fire, especially if heavy rainfall has followed the fire.
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 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 Ancient plant wax reveals how global warming affects methane in Arctic lakes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In a new study, researchers examined the waxy coatings of leaves preserved as organic molecules within sediment from the early-to-middle Holocene, a period of intense warming that occurred due to slow changes in Earth's orbit 11,700 to 4,200 years ago. They found that warming potentially could lead to a previously under-appreciated flux in methane emissions from lakes.
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 Plastic cloud: New study analyzes airborne microplastics in clouds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Plastic waste that accumulates on land eventually ends up in the ocean as microplastics. However, it is now speculated that microplastics are also present in the atmosphere, contained in clouds. In a new study, researchers analyzed cloud water samples from high-altitude mountains in Japan to ascertain the amount of microplastics in them. They also shed light on how these airborne particles influence cloud formation and their negative impact on the climate.
Published Atlantic walrus more vulnerable than ever to Arctic warming
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Past cycles of climate change, along with human exploitation, have led to only small and isolated stocks of Atlantic walrus remaining. The current population is at high risk of the same issues affecting them severely, according to a new study.
Published Antarctica's glacial border migrates for miles with the tide
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New measurements of how boundary between onshore glacier and floating ice shelf glides back-and- forth could help predict melting.
Published Scientists reveal what fuels wildfires in Sierra Nevada Mountains
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Wildfires in California, exacerbated by human-driven climate change, are getting more severe. To better manage them, there's a growing need to know exactly what fuels the blazes after they ignite. Scientists now report that one of the chief fuels of wildfires in California's Sierra Nevada mountains is the decades-old remains of large trees.
Published Glaciers becoming smaller and disappearing
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers show that some glaciers have disappeared entirely, some no longer show movement, some are too small to meet the 0.01 square kilometer minimum and some are actually rock glaciers -- rocky debris with ice in the pore spaces.
Published Naming and shaming can be effective to get countries to act on climate
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Enforcement is one of the biggest challenges to international cooperation on mitigating climate change in the Paris Agreement. The agreement has no formal enforcement mechanism; instead, it is designed to be transparent so countries that fail to meet their obligations will be named and thus shamed into changing behavior. A new study shows that this naming-and-shaming mechanism can be an effective incentive for many countries to uphold their pledges to reduce emissions.
Published Rivers contain hidden sinks and sources of microplastics
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research represents the first combined analysis of microplastics in water, sediment and air around a major river system. It found significant quantities of microplastics trapped in riverbed sediments, and also found they were being transported through the air and the flow of the river.
Published By air, rain and land: How microbes return after a wildfire
(via sciencedaily.com) Ecological disturbances like wildfires disrupt microbial communities. Researchers found that dispersal played a pivotal role in re-establishing surface-level communities.
Published How weather patterns will change in the future
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In a warming Pacific Northwest, summers are getting hotter and winters less cold, but the atmospheric patterns that influence the weather aren't necessarily expected to become stronger or more frequent by the end of the century, according to a new study.