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

Using AI to link heat waves to global warming      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers used machine learning to determine how much global warming has influenced extreme weather events in the U.S. and elsewhere in recent years. Their approach could change how scientists study and predict the impact of climate change on extreme weather.

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

AI approach to drought zoning      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A recent study shows that climate change may cause many areas in Canada to experience significant droughts by the end of the century. In response, the researchers have introduced an advanced AI-based method to map drought-prone regions.

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

Sharing risk to avoid power outages in an era of extreme weather      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Heat waves, droughts, and fires place growing stress on the West's electric grid. New research suggests that more integrated management of electricity resources across the region could significantly reduce the risk of power outages and accelerate the transition to clean energy.

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Geoscience: Geology Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Fossil hotspots in Africa obscure a more complete picture of human evolution      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study shows how the mismatch between where fossils are preserved and where humans likely lived may influence our understanding of early human evolution.

Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Less severe forest fires can reduce intensity of future blazes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Low- and moderate-severity forest wildfires can reduce the intensity of future fires, according to new research on 'reburns.'

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

Urban street networks, building density shape severity of floods      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The design of streets and layout of buildings have an impact on a city's resilience in the face of increasingly severe floods brought on by climate change. Researchers look at buildings and other urban structures as physicists consider elements in complex material systems. With this insight, the researchers have developed a new approach to urban flood modelling and found their results helpful in analyzing city-to-city variations in flood risk globally.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Scientists discover phenomenon impacting Earth's radiation belts      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Two scientists discovered a new type of 'whistler,' an electromagnetic wave that carries a substantial amount of lightning energy to the Earth's magnetosphere.

Geoscience: Severe Weather Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General
Published

Hailstone library to improve extreme weather forecasting      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers are measuring and scanning samples for a global 'hailstone library'. Storm simulations using 3-D modelling of real hailstones -- in all sorts of weird shapes from oblong to flat discs or with spikes coming out -- show it behaves differently than spherical hail shapes. Data from the hail library could lead to more accurate storm forecasts.

Chemistry: General Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Geoscience: Severe Weather Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General
Published

New research shows unprecedented atmospheric changes during May's geomagnetic superstorm      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

On May 11, a gorgeous aurora surprised stargazers across the southern United States. That same weekend, a tractor guided by GPS missed its mark. What do the visibility of the northern lights have in common with compromised farming equipment in the Midwest? A uniquely powerful geomagnetic storm, according to new research.

Biology: Microbiology Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Hydrometeorology and location affect hospitalizations for waterborne infectious diseases in the US      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An analysis of 12 years of data collected from over 500 hospitals in 25 different states shows that weather, geographic location, and urban or rural location all appear to influence hospitalizations for waterborne infectious diseases.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Nighttime light data shows inequities in restoring power after Hurricane Michael      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Using nighttime lightdata from NASA, remote sensing, official outage records and census information, a study reveals notable differences in power-restoration rates between urbanized and rural areas and between disadvantaged and more affluent communities after Hurricane Michael in Florida's Panhandle. Block groups with higher proportions of minorities, multi-family housing units, rural locations, and households receiving public assistance experienced slower restoration of power compared to urban and more affluent neighborhoods.

Ecology: Nature Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Climate change raised the odds of unprecedented wildfires in 2023-24      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Unprecedented wildfires in Canada and parts of Amazonia last year were at least three times more likely due to climate change and contributed to high levels of CO2 emissions from burning globally, according to the a new systematic review. The State of Wildfires report takes stock of extreme wildfires of the 2023-2024 fire season (March 2023-February 2024), explains their causes, and assesses whether events could have been predicted. It also evaluates how the risk of similar events will change in future under different climate change scenarios.

Biology: Botany Biology: General Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Study reveals urban trees suffer more from heat waves and drought than their rural counterparts      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A recent study details how trees in New York City and Boston are more negatively impacted by heat waves and drought than trees of the same species in nearby rural forests. The finding highlights the challenges urban trees face in the context of climate change and underscores the importance of tailored urban forestry management as a tool for protecting tree species and reducing urban heat islands.

Ecology: Extinction Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

New report on Great Barrier Reef shows coral cover increases before onset of serious bleaching, cyclones      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Coral cover has increased in all three regions on the Great Barrier Reef and is at regional highs in two of the three regions, according to a new report. But the results come with a note of caution.

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Smallest arm bone in human fossil record sheds light on the dawn of Homo floresiensis      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study reports the discovery of extremely rare early human fossils from the Indonesian island of Flores, including an astonishingly small adult limb bone. Dated to about 700,000 years old, the new findings shed light on the evolution of Homo floresiensis, the so-called 'Hobbits' of Flores whose remains were uncovered in 2003 at Liang Bua cave in the island's west.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: General Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Combined effects of plastic pollution and seawater flooding amplify threats to coastal plant species      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study highlights how a combination of environmental stressors -- namely plastic pollution and seawater flooding -- can increase the threats faced by plants in some of the planet's critical ecosystems. It showed that both stressors had some effects on the species tested, but being exposed to both microplastics and flooding together -- a threat likely to increase as a result of climate change and plastic use -- had a more pronounced impact on their resource allocation.

Anthropology: Early Humans Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Genetic signatures of domestication identified in pigs, chickens      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Wild boars and red junglefowl gave rise to common pigs and chickens. These animals' genes evolved to express themselves differently, leading to signatures of domestication -- such as weaker bones and better viral resistance -- in pigs and chickens, according to a research team.