Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Recovering phosphorus from sewage sludge ash      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Chemical and heat treatment of sewage sludge can recover phosphorus in a process that could help address the problem of diminishing supplies of phosphorus ores.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

New offshore wind turbines can take away energy from existing ones      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Interactions between wind turbines could reduce power output by 30% in proposed offshore wind farm areas along the East Coast, new research has found. In all, the farms could still meet 60% of the electricity demand of New England.

Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Climate change could become the main driver of biodiversity decline by mid-century      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Global biodiversity has declined between 2% and 11% during the 20th century due to land-use change alone, according to a large multi-model study. Projections show climate change could become the main driver of biodiversity decline by the mid-21st century.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Voluntary corporate emissions targets not enough to create real climate action      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Companies' emissions reduction targets should not be the sole measure of corporate climate ambition, according to a new perspective paper.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Estimating emissions potential of decommissioned gas wells from shale samples      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Extracting natural gas from shale formations can provide an abundant, lower-carbon footprint fossil fuel, but also creates concerns over increased methane emissions. Researchers have now developed a new tool that can estimate the emission potential of shale wells after they are no longer active.

Biology: Botany Chemistry: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Scientists released long-term data of ground solar-induced fluorescence to improve understanding of canopy-level photosynthesis      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A recent study utilized ground-based instruments to measure solar-induced fluorescence (SIF) that reflect plant health and photosynthesis.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography
Published

The longer spilled oil lingers in freshwater, the more persistent compounds it produces      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Oil is an important natural resource for many industries, but it can lead to serious environmental damage when accidentally spilled. While large oil spills are highly publicized, every year there are many smaller-scale spills into lakes, rivers and oceans. The longer that oil remains in freshwater, the more chemical changes it undergoes, creating products that can persist in the environment.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Warming Arctic reduces dust levels in parts of the planet      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Dust can have a huge impact on local air quality, food security, energy supply and public health. Previous studies have found that dust levels are decreasing across India, particularly northern India, the Persian Gulf Coast and much of the Middle East, but the reason has remained unclear. Researchers found that the decrease in dust can be attributed to the Arctic warming much faster than the rest of the planet, a phenomenon known as Arctic amplification. This process destabilizes the jet stream and changes storm tracks and wind patterns over the major sources of dust in West and South Asia.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Scientists replace fishmeal in aquaculture with microbial protein derived from soybean processing wastewater      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have successfully replaced half of the fishmeal protein in the diets of farmed Asian seabass with a 'single cell protein' cultivated from microbes in soybean processing wastewater, paving the way for more sustainable fish farming practices.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Zoology Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

How do birds flock? Researchers do the math to reveal previously unknown aerodynamic phenomenon      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

How do birds fly in a coordinated and seemingly effortless fashion? Part of the answer lies in precise, and previously unknown, aerodynamic interactions, reports a team of mathematicians. Its breakthrough broadens our understanding of wildlife, including fish, who move in schools, and could have applications in transportation and energy.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geology
Published

Human activities have an intense impact on Earth's deep subsurface fluid flow      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Hydrologists predict human-induced underground fluid fluxes to rise with climate change mitigation strategies like carbon sequestration.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Computer Science: General Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Nature Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Artificial intelligence helps scientists engineer plants to fight climate change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists are using artificial intelligence software to analyze plant root systems, laying out a protocol that can be applied to gather data on crop and model plant phenotypes (physical characteristics) more efficiently and with equal or greater accuracy than existing methods.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Physics: Optics
Published

How light can vaporize water without the need for heat      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers discovered that light can cause evaporation of water from a surface without the need for heat. This 'photomolecular effect' could be important for understanding climate change and for improving some industrial processes.

Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Can climate change accelerate transmission of malaria? Pioneering research sheds light on impacts of temperature      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A groundbreaking study combined novel experimental data within an innovative modeling framework to examine how temperature might affect transmission risk of malaria in different environments in Africa.

Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Diversity and productivity go branch-in-branch      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers found that forests with higher trait diversity not only adapt better to climate change but may also thrive. The study unveiled how tree functional trait diversity plays a pivotal role in mitigating climate warming. In the face of environmental stress, these diverse trees have been shown to maintain higher productivity levels, in contrast to monoculture forests.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Nanofibers rid water of hazardous dyes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A special nanostructure has been developed to filter a widespread class of harmful dyes from water. A crucial component is a material that is considered waste: used cellulose, for example in the form of cleaning cloths or paper cups. The cellulose is utilized to coat a fine nano-fabric to create an efficient filter for polluted water.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Securing competitiveness of energy-intensive industries through relocation: The pulling power of renewables      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Countries with limited potential for renewables could save up to 20 percent of costs for green steel and up to 40 percent for green chemicals from green hydrogen if they relocated their energy-intensive production and would import from countries where renewable energy is cheaper.

Energy: Batteries Energy: Technology Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

This salt battery harvests osmotic energy where the river meets the sea      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Estuaries -- where freshwater rivers meet the salty sea -- are great locations for birdwatching and kayaking. In these areas, waters containing different salt concentrations mix and may be sources of sustainable, 'blue' osmotic energy. Researchers report creating a semipermeable membrane that harvests osmotic energy from salt gradients and converts it to electricity. The new design had an output power density more than two times higher than commercial membranes in lab demonstrations.

Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Modeling broader effects of wildfires in Siberia      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

As wildfires in Siberia become more common, global climate modeling estimates significant impacts on climate, air quality, health, and economies in East Asia and across the northern hemisphere.