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Categories: Geoscience: Severe Weather, Offbeat: Earth and Climate
Published Bacteria as Blacksmiths
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A hot bath is a place to relax. For scientists, it is also where molecules or tiny building blocks meet to form materials. Researchers take it to the next level and use the energy of swimming bacteria to forge materials. A recent study shows us how this works and the potential sustainability benefits that may arise from this innovative approach.
Published New research method determines health impacts of heat and air quality
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The planet experienced the hottest day on record earlier this month and climate projections estimate the intensity of heat waves and poor air quality will increase and continue to cause severe impacts. Researchers have refined and expanded a method of data collection to assess their health impacts.
Published Egg 'signatures' will allow drongos to identify cuckoo 'forgeries' almost every time, study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Egg 'signatures' will allow drongos to identify cuckoo 'forgeries' almost every time, study finds. African cuckoos may have met their match with the fork-tailed drongo, which scientists predict can detect and reject cuckoo eggs from their nest on almost every occasion, despite them on average looking almost identical to drongo eggs.
Published Risk of fatal heart attack may double in heat wave and high fine particulate pollution days
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An analysis of more than 202,000 heart attack deaths between 2015-2020 in a single Chinese province found that days that had extreme heat, extreme cold or high levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution were significantly associated with the risk of death from a heart attack, especially in women and older adults.
Published Long-term changes in waves and storm surges have not impacted global coastlines
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Changes in ocean wave and storm conditions have not caused long-term impacts on sandy coastlines in the past 30 years, a new study has found.
Published Climate science is catching up to climate change with predictions that could improve proactive response
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In Africa, climate change impacts are experienced as extreme events like drought and floods. It has now been possible to predict and monitor these climatic events, providing early warning of their impacts on agriculture to support humanitarian and resilience programming in the most food insecure countries of the world.
Published It's sewage, not fertilizer fueling nitrogen surge in Florida's Indian River Lagoon
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Fertilizer restrictions along Florida's 156-mile-long Indian River Lagoon were intended to reduce nutrient inputs from urban and agricultural land uses. The hope was that water quality would improve by reducing the nitrogen load. While these restrictions were well-intended, a study finds fertilizer use is not the root cause of the lagoon's environmental issues. It's sewage. For decades, fertilizer use was implicated for about 71 percent of the lagoon's environmental impairments. In fact, current estimates show 79 percent of nitrogen loading is from septic systems; 21 percent is from residential fertilizer use.
Published Our favorite vintages and their precarious mountainside homes are at risk due to climate change, environmental scientists warn
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Tucked into the hillsides of Italy, Portugal, and Spain, some of the world's most famous -- and most difficult to maintain -- vineyards are heralded for their unique flavor profiles and centuries of tradition. But as extreme weather and changing socioeconomic conditions make this so-called 'heroic viticulture' even more challenging, scientists worry these grapes and their cultural histories are at risk. Researchers argue that farmers and scientists must work together to protect some of the world's most celebrated wines.
Published Fungi blaze a trail to fireproof cladding
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have shown it's possible to grow fungi in thin sheets that could be used for fire-retardant cladding or even a new kind of fungal fashion.
Published Sex lives of orchids reads like science fiction
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have created a global database of pollination data for almost 3000 orchid species.
Published Supercomputer used to simulate winds that cause clear air turbulence
(via sciencedaily.com) Using Japan's most powerful supercomputer, researchers reproduced cases of clear air turbulence around Tokyo. They simulated the fine vortices responsible for this dangerous phenomenon. The usefulness of the simulation in predicting turbulence was confirmed by comparing simulation data with data from aircraft recordings. This research should improve the forecasting of turbulence.
Published Why there are no kangaroos in Bali (and no tigers in Australia)
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers are using a new model to clarify why millions of years ago more animal species from Asia made the leap to the Australian continent than vice versa. The climate in which the species evolved played an important role.
Published Marine heat waves caused mass seabird die-offs, beach surveys show
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research uses data collected by coastal residents along beaches from central California to Alaska to understand how seabirds have fared in recent decades. The paper shows that persistent marine heat waves lead to massive seabird die-offs months later.
Published Three things to know: Climate change's impact on extreme-weather events
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers found that the effects of climate change on the intensity, frequency, and duration of extreme weather events, like wildfires, could lead to massive increases in all three.
Published Birds raise fewer young when spring arrives earlier in a warming world
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study of North American songbirds finds that birds can't keep up with the earlier arrival of spring caused by climate change. As a result, they're raising fewer young. By the end of the 21st century, climate change will cause springlike weather to begin 25 days earlier, but birds will only breed about seven days earlier. That change could lead to an average reduction of 12% in breeding productivity for songbird species.
Published New study reveals abrupt shift in tropical Pacific climate during Little Ice Age
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An El Niño event has officially begun. The climate phenomenon, which originates in the tropical Pacific and occurs in intervals of a few years will shape weather across the planet for the next year or more and give rise to various climatic extremes. El Niño-like conditions can also occur on longer time scales of decades or centuries. This has been shown to have occurred in the recent past.
Published Scientists propose new strategy for modern sails to help shipping sector meet its carbon reduction goals
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have identified a strategy that can offset the random and unpredictable nature of weather conditions that threaten carbon emission reduction efforts in the shipping sector.
Published Turning old maps into 3D digital models of lost neighborhoods
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Imagine strapping on a virtual reality headset and 'walking' through a long-gone neighborhood in your city -- seeing the streets and buildings as they appeared decades ago. That's a very real possibility now that researchers have developed a method to create 3D digital models of historic neighborhoods using machine learning and historic Sanborn Fire Insurance maps.
Published Squash bugs are attracted to and eat each other's poop to stock their microbiome
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Squash bugs, a common and difficult-to-control agricultural pest, need healthy bacteria in their gut to grow and stay alive. However, they do not acquire any bacteria from their parents when they are first born, leaving them vulnerable until their microbiome can be stocked. Researchers report that, to acquire these healthy bacteria, young bugs innately seek out and eat the poop from older squash bugs.
Published How urea may have been the gateway to life
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Urea reacts extremely quickly under the conditions that existed when our planet was newly formed. This new insight furthers our understanding of how life on Earth might have begun.