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

Industrial pollution leaves its mark in Mediterranean corals      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

For the first time, pollutants from burning fossil fuels have been found embedded in corals, offering scientists a potential new tool to track the history of pollution, finds a new study.

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

Researchers unveil method to detect 'forever chemicals' in under 3 minutes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

PFAS have earned the name 'forever chemicals' with good reason -- the human-made compounds, which can take thousands of years to degrade and are found in everything from grease-resistant food packaging to water-repellent clothing, have made their way into nearly half the U.S. tap water supply.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: General Biology: Zoology Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography
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Foul fumes pose pollinator problems      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have discovered that nighttime air pollution -- coming primarily form car exhaust and power plant emissions -- is responsible for a major drop in nighttime pollinator activity. Nitrate radicals (NO3) in the air degrade the scent chemicals released by a common wildflower, drastically reducing the scent-based cues that its chief pollinators rely on to locate the flower. The findings show how nighttime pollution creates a chain of chemical reactions that degrades scent cues, leaving flowers undetectable by smell. The researchers also determined that pollution likely has worldwide impacts on pollination.

Biology: Microbiology Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
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Scientists develop artificial 'worm gut' to break down plastics      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of scientists has developed an artificial 'worm gut' to break down plastics, offering hope for a nature-inspired method to tackle the global plastic pollution problem.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate
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Ice cores provide first documentation of rapid Antarctic ice loss in the past      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have uncovered the first direct evidence that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet shrunk suddenly and dramatically at the end of the Last Ice Age, around eight thousand years ago. The evidence, contained within an ice core, shows that in one location the ice sheet thinned by 450 meters -- that's more than the height of the Empire State Building -- in just under 200 years.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues
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Are environmental toxins putting future generations at risk?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In a study that signals potential reproductive and health complications in humans, now and for future generations, researchers have concluded that fathers exposed to environmental toxins, notably DDT, may produce sperm with health consequences for their children.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
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'Legacy' phosphorus delays water quality improvements in Gulf of Mexico      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The same phosphorus that fertilizes the thriving agriculture of the Midwest is also responsible for a vast 'dead zone' in the Gulf of Mexico near the Mississippi Delta. Efforts to reduce the amount of phosphorus that enters the Mississippi River system are underway, but research suggests that remnants of the contaminant are left behind in riverbeds for years after introduction and pose an overlooked -- and lingering -- problem.

Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology
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Ancient rocks improve understanding of tectonic activity between earthquakes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Rocks once buried deep in ancient subduction zones -- where tectonic plates collide -- could help scientists make better predictions of how these zones behave during the years between major earthquakes, according to a research team.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
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Psychology study unearths ways to bolster global climate awareness and climate action      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international team of scientists has created a tool that can aid in increasing climate awareness and climate action globally by highlighting messaging themes shown to be effective through experimental research.

Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate Paleontology: General
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What turned Earth into a giant snowball 700 million years ago? Scientists now have an answer      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Inspired during field work in South Australia's Flinders Ranges, geoscientists have proposed that all-time low volcanic carbon dioxide emissions triggered a 57-million-year-long global 'Sturtian' ice age.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues
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Illustrating the relationship between pedestrian movement and urban characteristics using large-scale GPS data      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers developed the pedestrian movement index to capture pedestrian count, distance walked, and time spent in metro station areas using large-scale Global Positioning System data. This index elucidates the relationship between pedestrian behavior and various urban-space elements (such as density, diversity, design, accessibility, and distance).

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
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Clarity needed for businesses to achieve greenhouse gas mitigation      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Despite efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change, companies are not set up for success, due to conflicting national and sectorial targets and differing availability of abatement options, a new study reveals.

Biology: Biochemistry Ecology: Nature Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
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New study sheds new light on forests' role in climate and water cycle      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Forests, which cover a third of Earth's land surface, are pivotal in carbon storage and the water cycle, though the full scope of their impact remains to be fully understood. In a new study, researchers provide new insights into the complex role forests play in the climate system and water cycle.

Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Chemistry: General Energy: Fossil Fuels Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
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Inexpensive, carbon-neutral biofuels are finally possible      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

When it comes to making fuel from plants, the first step has always been the hardest -- breaking down the plant matter. A new study finds that introducing a simple, renewable chemical to the pretreatment step can finally make next-generation biofuel production both cost-effective and carbon neutral.

Chemistry: General Engineering: Robotics Research Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
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3D printed nanocellulose upscaled for green architectural applications      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

For the first time, a hydrogel material made of nanocellulose and algae has been tested as an alternative, greener architectural material. The study shows how the abundant sustainable material can be 3D printed into a wide array of architectural components, using much less energy than conventional construction methods.

Energy: Fossil Fuels Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
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Japan's electric vehicle transition by 2035 may be insufficient to combat the climate crisis, but there are solutions      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers report that Japan's policy of banning the sale of new gas vehicles by 2035 may be insufficient to reduce the country's CO2 emissions. The team's analysis showed that to effectively reach their climate goals, Japan must also implement policies that extend vehicle lifetime, implement more renewable energy into its energy sector, and decarbonize the manufacturing process of vehicles.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
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Researchers reveal elusive bottleneck holding back global effort to convert carbon dioxide waste into usable products      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Think of it as recycling on the nanoscale: a tantalizing electrochemical process that can harvest carbon before it becomes air pollution and restructure it into the components of everyday products. The drive to capture airborne carbon dioxide from industrial waste and make it into fuel and plastics is gaining momentum after a team of researchers uncovered precisely how the process works and where it bogs down.