General — Environment — April 5th, 2024

eDNA methods give a real-time look at coral reef health
The human gut is full of microbes. Some microbes can make people sick, while others are responsible for balancing gut health. But humans aren't the only species whose health depends on these microorganisms. Coral reef ecosystems rely on microorganisms to recycle organic matter and nutrients. These cells also help feed corals and other life reliant on reefs.
April 5th, 2024 — Source

Here's What the Solar Eclipse Will Do to All Our Solar Panels
On April 8, the solar eclipse will block out the sun for a lot of solar panels. Here's how it will affect the grid.
April 5th, 2024 — Source

How big is your carbon footprint?
And what can you do to reduce it?
April 5th, 2024 — Source

How do manufacturing choices affect microfiber shed?
New research in Frontiers of Environmental Science sheds light on how manufacturing choices influence microfiber release in textiles.
April 5th, 2024 — Source

How to Shop for Home Insulation
Insulation eases your energy bills while keeping your home more comfortable year-round. Here's what you need to know to get the best results.
April 5th, 2024 — Source

New U.S. ‘green bank’ aims to steer over $160B in capital into climate tech
For years, banks have been financing large renewable power projects, from utility-scale solar farms to horizon-spanning wind farms. But smaller projects, like installing a heat pump in someone’s home or retrofitting affordable housing, often get passed over.
April 5th, 2024 — Source

Missed the Solar Eclipse? How to Stream the Recap and Prepare for the Next Eclipse
The great American eclipse was the last total solar eclipse that will be visible over North America for 20 years. But there will be others across the globe.
April 5th, 2024 — Source

Ocean waves propel PFAS back to land, new study finds
A new study by researchers at the Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University, published in Science Advances, reveals that PFAS re-emit into the air from crashing ocean waves at levels comparable to or greater than other sources, establishing a cyclical transport process for these "forever chemicals" between land and sea.
April 5th, 2024 — Source

Opinion: Air pollution, neurodegeneration, neuropsychiatric, and neurodevelopmental disorders
An opinion paper published by University of Montana professor Lilian Calderón-Garcidueñas MD, Ph.D. and co-authors, Dr. Alberto Ayala and Dr. Partha Mukherjee discussed ow US citizens are not fully aware of the harmful brain impact of exposures to ubiquitous anthropogenic combustion emissions and friction-derived nanoparticles, industrial nanoplastics, wildfires and smoke plumes of soot.
April 5th, 2024 — Source

Sonnen Battery Review: Solar Batteries That Aren't All About Backup Power
Sonnen batteries were created with virtual power plant technology as the main focus. But you'll get backup power too.
April 5th, 2024 — Source

Want a climate-friendly home? You might need a new breaker box.
Before you start swapping your old, fossil-fuel-powered appliances for clean, electric versions, you’ll likely want to install a 200-amp electrical panel.
April 5th, 2024 — Source

Waterfront cities in Europe set sail for climate resilience
A group of European urban areas bordering seas and rivers is paving the way for climate neutrality by 2030.
April 5th, 2024 — Source

What Happens To Your Solar Panels During An Eclipse?
For most of us, the upcoming solar eclipse on April 8 will be a fun day, with family and friends assembling outside and having a great time. Yet, for those working in the energy industry, the solar eclipse takes on a different significance. For them, it's not just a rare celestial event but also a unique opportunity to observe and understand the impact of eclipses on the electrical grid.
April 5th, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — April 4th, 2024

A nemesis of clams is thriving as Maine’s waters warm
Populations of invasive green crabs — which eat clams — have exploded.
April 4th, 2024 — Source

Africa's carbon sink capacity is shrinking
The population of Africa, the second-largest continent in the world, currently sits at about 1.4 billion, but is set to exceed 2 billion by 2040. This means greater swaths of land than ever before are being used for agriculture, and livestock numbers are increasing.
April 4th, 2024 — Source

Developing artificial skin that can regenerate skin and transmit sensation at the same time
Damage to nerve tissue due to skin defects such as burns, skin diseases, and trauma causes loss of sensory and cognitive functions that are essential for life-sustaining activities, as well as mental and physical distress.
April 4th, 2024 — Source

Elastocaloric cooling: Refrigerator cools by flexing artificial muscles
There is room for just one small bottle in the world's first refrigerator that is cooled with artificial muscles made of nitinol, a nickel-titanium alloy. But the mini-prototype is groundbreaking: it shows that elastocalorics is becoming a viable solution for practical applications.
April 4th, 2024 — Source

Exploring the resilience of the Texas power grid against extreme weather conditions
The Gulf Coast of the United States is often hit by tropical cyclones (TCs), hurricanes and other extreme weather phenomena, which can cause widespread electricity outages. Climate change and global warming are expected to increase the risk of these events occurring, which could significantly disrupt activities in the area.
April 4th, 2024 — Source

Forecasters predict an extremely active 2024 Atlantic hurricane season
Colorado State University’s hurricane forecasting team is calling for a near-record active season with 23 named storms, 11 hurricanes, and five major hurricanes.
April 4th, 2024 — Source

JETP Resource Mobilization Plan: How Viet Nam can turn ambition into action
As various emerging economies are seeking to leapfrog coal and move to clean energy through Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs), Viet Nam has passed an important first milestone by setting its Resource Mobilization Plan (RMP). A sign of strategic collaborations and investment opportunities to come, this plan has already prompted high-level discussion between the Asian Development Bank and Vietnam Electricity on a battery energy storage system pilot project.
April 4th, 2024 — Source

Only 57 companies produced 80 percent of global carbon dioxide
The report looks at the seven years following the Paris Agreement.
April 4th, 2024 — Source

Oura rings may get symptom-spotting upgrade
Symptom Radar: Not a diagnostic tool, maybe a detection tool.
April 4th, 2024 — Source

Pacific rock samples offer glimpse of active Earth 2.5 billion years ago
In Earth science, small details can help explain massive events. Rita Parai, an assistant professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, uses precision equipment to measure trace levels of noble gases in rocks, samples that can provide key insights into planetary evolution.
April 4th, 2024 — Source

Q&A: How do animals react to a solar eclipse?
On April 8, many of us will be huddling behind protective glasses and feasting our eyes on a rare solar stunner. But the sun's eye-catching performance won't be the only thing on display. You may also notice our animal friends behaving oddly.
April 4th, 2024 — Source

Shifting power operations to reduce wildfires
A new method can help avoid public safety power shut-offs during fire-prone climate conditions.
April 4th, 2024 — Source

Study reports that people and environment both benefit from diversified farming, while bottom lines also thrive
A massive new global study led by the University of Copenhagen and University of Hohenheim has examined the effects of diversified agriculture. The conclusion is abundantly clear—positive effects increase with every measure, while negative effects are hard to find.
April 4th, 2024 — Source

Textiles and food packaging biggest source of PFAS in Yangtze River
The first study of toxic "forever chemicals" along the full length of Asia's longest river, the Yangtze, has found 13 different types of PFAS, nearly half of them coming from textile treatments and food packaging.
April 4th, 2024 — Source

The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition is again free to claim on Epic Games Store
Epic Games is giving away a copy of The Outer Worlds The game was already available for free in December. GThe Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition is once again available for free on the Epic Games Store.
April 4th, 2024 — Source

What four decades of canned salmon reveal about marine food webs
Alaskan waters are a critical fishery for salmon. Complex marine food webs underlie and sustain this fishery, and scientists want to know how climate change is reshaping them. But finding samples from the past isn't easy.
April 4th, 2024 — Source

What To Know Before Adding Solar Panels To Your Greenhouse
Personal greenhouses are an excellent way to extend the growing season for any region throughout the United States and Canada. By starting seeds well before the last frost date, it's possible to cultivate tender seedlings inside a greenhouse's warm, protected environment.
April 4th, 2024 — Source

Why workers are leaving fossil fuel jobs — and what to do if you feel like ‘climate quitting’
Young workers take a stand by giving in their notices
April 4th, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — April 2nd, 2024

A blizzard put a hyper-efficient home to the test. It passed.
'I was sitting in my living room in a T-shirt, and outside it was negative 40 windchill.'
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

A coastal community provides valuable insights about home heating, energy use, and the future power grid
There may be few better real-life laboratories in the United States than Cordova, Alaska, to evaluate the challenges and benefits of transitioning to new, cleaner methods of home heating in a colder climate.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

A new estimate of US soil organic carbon to improve Earth system models
Soil contains about twice as much carbon as the atmosphere and plants combined. It is a major carbon sink, capable of absorbing more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than it releases. Management of soil carbon is key in efforts to mitigate climate change, in addition to being vital to soil health and agricultural productivity.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

ADATA Partners with Micron to Plant Trees for a Sustainable Future
ADATA Technology Chairman Simon Chen and Micron Taiwan Chairman Donghui Lu attended in person. Witnessed by Chen Chijung, Deputy Branch Director of the Taichung Branch of the Forest and Nature Conservation Agency, both Chairmen led dozens of employees in rolling up their sleeves in the bright sun to plant saplings, taking concrete action to restore nature and protect native habitats, looking forward to building a sustainable future for Taiwan together through the power of corporations.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

Australia on track for unprecedented decades-long megadroughts, finds modeling study
Australia could soon see megadroughts that last for more than 20 years, according to new modeling from The Australian National University (ANU) and the ARC Center of Excellence for Climate Extremes.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

Best Solar Panel Installation Companies in Chicago
Thousands of residents across Illinois are saving money on solar panel installations by taking advantage of the federal solar tax credit and state incentives. Here's how you can too.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

Best Solar Panel Installation Companies in Delaware
Between state grants, SRECs, net metering and the federal solar tax credit, there are a lot of benefits to going solar in Delaware. Here's what you need to know.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

Best Solar Panel Installation Companies in Rhode Island
High electricity rates and clean energy incentives mean Rhode Islanders could end up saving money by installing their own rooftop solar panels.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

Best Solar Panel Installation Companies in South Dakota
The residential clean energy credit bolstered by the Inflation Reduction Act can help you go solar in South Dakota. Here's what to know before switching to clean energy.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

Building blocks for greener energy: Reconfigurable elastic metasurface components akin to LEGO
Energy harvesting, an eco-friendly technology, extends beyond solar and wind power in generating electricity from unused or discarded energy in daily life, including vibrations generated by passing car engines or trains. Recent intriguing research aims to enhance the efficiency of energy harvesting using a new type of metasurface that can be reconfigured, resembling the assembly of LEGO bricks.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

Catkins are flowering at different times, threatening their pollination and the wildlife that feed on them
As the days grow longer and the air warms up, nature is bursting back to life. Even before their leaves return, trees produce delicate, fuzzy structures known as catkins. These tiny, downy threads, often described as kitten tails (thanks to a fun translation from Dutch to English back in 1578), herald the arrival of spring.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

Chemistry researchers modify solar technology to produce a less harmful greenhouse gas
Researchers in the UNC-Chapel Hill Chemistry Department are using semiconductors to harvest and convert the sun's energy into high-energy compounds that have the potential to produce environmentally friendly fuels.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

Citizen scientists invited to collect data for NASA during eclipse
On April 8, 2024, as the moon passes between the sun and Earth, thousands of amateur citizen scientists will measure air temperatures and snap pictures of clouds. The data they collect will aid researchers who are investigating how the sun influences climates in different environments.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

From data to decisions: AI and IoT for earthquake prediction
The study of earthquakes remains a main interest worldwide as it is one of the least predictable natural disasters. In a new review published in Artificial Intelligence in Geosciences, a team of researchers from France and Turkey explored the role of conventional tools like seismometers and GPS in understanding earthquakes and their aftermath.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

Health data storage has a climate cost. In the future, data may be stored in DNA
A lot of energy is required to analyze and store large amounts of data. We may therefore have to take a different approach to data storage in the future, so says Professor Soren Brunak at the University of Copenhagen.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

Here's What the Solar Eclipse Will Do to All Our Solar Panels
On April 8, the solar eclipse will block out the sun for a lot of solar panels. Here's how it will affect the grid.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

Hop on a bike with your editors
The Yale Climate Connections editorial team talks bike safety, climate benefits, and our favorite accessories.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

In the elastocaloric cooling process, a refrigerator cools by flexing artificial muscles
There is room for just one small bottle in the world's first refrigerator that is cooled with artificial muscles made of nitinol, a nickel-titanium alloy. But the mini-prototype that the team led by professors Stefan Seelecke and Paul Motzki will be presenting at the Hannover Messe from 22 to 26 April is groundbreaking: It shows that elastocalorics is becoming a viable solution for practical applications
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

Most Efficient Solar Panels of April 2024
You might be able to meet your energy goals (and save some money) with less efficient solar panels, but these models will squeeze the most electricity from sunlight.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

New deep learning model predicts water and energy demands in agriculture with great accuracy
Water scarcity and the high cost of energy represent the main problems for irrigation communities, which manage water for this end, making it available to agriculture.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

Not in the path of totality? You can still watch Monday's total solar eclipse online
If you're nowhere near the path of totality or if clouds spoil your view, you can still catch the total solar eclipse online.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

Ocean forests: How 'floating' mangroves could provide a broad range of ecological and social benefits
It is a well-known fact that mangrove forests are among the most productive marine ecosystems in the world, located at the very start of the marine food web (the productivity of biomass by plants is called primary productivity). They serve as a natural nursery for fish and also provide protection against coastal erosion.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

Pollen Systems raises $2.4M and expands global reach of its crop analysis platform
New funding, new hires: Pollen Systems, a Seattle-area ag-tech startup, has raised $2.4 million in new capital and hired nine new employees, including sales directors for Spain and Peru as well as Singapore and Southeast Asia.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

Researchers build selenium--silicon tandem solar cell that could improve efficiency to 40%
A team of physicists and engineers at Technical University of Denmark reports that it is possible to build a working selenium--silicon tandem solar cell, a combination that could theoretically improve the efficiency of solar cells to 40%. The study is published in the journal PRX Energy.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

Roll embossing: New system improves production of bipolar plates
Climate-friendly fuel cell systems, which are set to power vehicles in the future, are still rare and expensive these days. There are several reasons for this, including the complex and costly process used to produce bipolar plates—a key component in electrolyzers and fuel cells, which are needed for many hydrogen systems.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

Seso is building software to fix farm workforces and solve agriculture's HR woes
Migrant workers are a critical labor force for U.S. farms, but getting them here on proper H-2A visas can be complicated, and the compliance surrounding these employees is taxing for farms.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

Sleep cooler thanks to this deal on the Eight Sleep Pod 3 cover
Get optimal sleep at the right temperature.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

That starry night sky? It's full of eclipses
Our star, the sun, on occasion joins forces with the moon to offer us Earthlings a spectacular solar eclipse—like the one that will be visible to parts of the United States, Mexico, and Canada on April 8.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

These plants evolved in Florida millions of years ago. They may be gone in decades.
Scrub mints are among the most endangered plants you've probably never heard of. More than half of the 24 species currently known to exist are considered threatened or endangered at the state or federal level, and nearly all scrub mints grow in areas that are being rapidly developed or converted to agricultural pastures.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

Totality ready: US braces for April 8 solar eclipse frenzy
US communities along the path of the April 8 total solar eclipse are preparing for the year's biggest astronomic event, with millions of visitors expected to brighten local economies—and snarl up logistics.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

Variable rates of flatback turtles hatching on Western Australia's Pilbara beaches
Climate change will impact the emergence success and sex ratio of flatback turtle hatchlings in the Pilbara region of Western Australia within the next two decades, according to a new study.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

What to know about next week's total solar eclipse in the US, Mexico and Canada
Monday's total solar eclipse will make landfall along Mexico's Pacific coast and cross into Texas and 14 other U.S. states, before exiting over Canada.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

Why we need to rethink what we know about dust
You may think of dust as an annoyance to be vacuumed and disposed of, but actually, on a grander scale, it is far more important than most people realize. Globally, dust plays a critical role in regulating our climate, radiation balance, nutrient cycles, soil formation, air quality and even human health.
April 2nd, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — March 29th, 2024

A catalyst for converting carbon dioxide, the main cause of global warming, into ethylene using vitamin C
A joint research team has developed a new electrochemical catalyst that promotes the conversion from carbon dioxide to ethylene.
March 29th, 2024 — Source

A high-efficiency photocatalyst for converting carbon dioxide into environmentally friendly energy using sunlight
DGIST Professor In Su-il's research team has developed a high-efficiency photocatalyst that utilizes sunlight to convert carbon dioxide, the primary cause of global warming, into methane fuel. The research team expects that this environmentally friendly technology can be applied to Carbon Capture and Utilization technology.
March 29th, 2024 — Source

Abrupt climate fluctuations in Tibet as imprints of multiple meltwater events during the early to mid-Holocene
127.8 m from the Zangser Kangri (ZK) ice cap in the central Tibetan Plateau (TP) in April 2009. The ice core was not well dated until the development of ¹⁴C dating technique at the microgram level in glacier ice in the past decade..
March 29th, 2024 — Source

Biofuels could help island nations survive a global catastrophe, study suggests
A major global catastrophe could disrupt trade in liquid fuels used to sustain industrial agriculture, impacting the food supply of island nations like New Zealand that depend on oil imports.
March 29th, 2024 — Source

BLUETTI Expands Solar+ Program to Three New States, Simplifying Solar Adoption
BLUETTI, a renowned provider of energy storage solutions, has announced the expansion of its Solar+ program to three additional states in the United States. Building upon its successful launch in Texas last year, BLUETTI now extends its reach to California, Massachusetts, and North Carolina.
March 29th, 2024 — Source

Book review: 'Saving Ourselves' author says we can't wait on global leaders to save the climate
A new book by sociologist Dana Fisher argues that global climate negotiations have proven ineffective. So it's time for regular people to get organized and take back power from fossil fuel companies.
March 29th, 2024 — Source

Canopy soil of old-growth forest fosters unique invertebrate diversity that is vulnerable to human disturbance
Yakushima Island, a world heritage site in Japan, is renowned for its rich biodiversity. The huge Japanese cedar (Yaku-sugi) forests, which are over a thousand years old, are a symbolic ecosystem of the island. Although the canopy of these colossal trees, including the Japanese cedar (Yaku-sugi), is considered to harbor a wealth of undiscovered biodiversity, conducting actual surveys presents significant challenges.
March 29th, 2024 — Source

Climate adaptation research applied 'in real-time'
With global South countries already bearing the devastating consequences of climate change, adaptation research needs to have immediate on-the-ground impact, while still being scientifically rigorous, say climate action specialists in a review published in Climate Services.
March 29th, 2024 — Source

EPA sets strict emissions standards for heavy-duty trucks and buses in bid to fight climate change
The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday set strict emissions standards for heavy-duty trucks, buses and other large vehicles, an action that officials said will help clean up some of the nation's largest sources of planet-warming greenhouse gases.
March 29th, 2024 — Source

Group to monitor air pollution in 12 U.S. cities with large Hispanic populations
The project will share real-time data with community members.
March 29th, 2024 — Source

In Canada's Quebec, residents miffed over mining boom
Canada's Quebec province is rich with minerals needed for everything from electric cars to cell phones, but residents living atop the potential windfall are worried their backyards will be dug up—and they won't get a dime.
March 29th, 2024 — Source

Increasing the efficiency of eco-friendly solar cells by converting wind energy into high-voltage electricity
A research team led by Professor Lee Ju-hyuck of DGIST in the Department of Energy Science & Engineering has successfully developed an energy harvesting device that enhances solar energy efficiency by removing and preventing surface contamination on solar cells.
March 29th, 2024 — Source

Research highlights health risks posed by 2,6-DHNPs in drinking water
2,6-DHNPs, a group of disinfection byproducts (DBPs), are raising alarm bells for public health. These bad actors in the water world are tougher and more toxic than many other pollutants, making it hard for typical water cleaning methods to get rid of them. They pack a powerful punch, being significantly more harmful to marine life and cells than similar pollutants.
March 29th, 2024 — Source

Researchers look to rice for 'clean label' ingredients
Naturally occurring polyphenols and proteins from pigmented waxy rice may help starch ingredients improve texture without any chemical modification—a change some consumers may welcome, said Ya-Jane Wang, professor of carbohydrate chemistry.
March 29th, 2024 — Source

Reviving Europe's orchard meadows: Researchers call for action
A study spearheaded by researchers at the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research and Macquarie University has highlighted the important ecological role of traditional orchard meadows, calling for political and public support and incentives for farmers to protect these landscapes.
March 29th, 2024 — Source

Study underscores uncertain costs of iron fertilization
As society grapples with the intensifying consequences of climate change, decision-makers are increasingly looking to carbon dioxide removal as a necessary complement to emission reductions. One of the strategies that has received the most attention is the idea of fertilizing parts of the ocean with iron to stimulate phytoplankton growth.
March 29th, 2024 — Source

The US tightens greenhouse gas emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles
The US has new standards for planet-heating tailpipe pollution from vehicles like 18-wheelers and buses.
March 29th, 2024 — Source

University student entrepreneurs pitch planet-protecting ideas in annual 'Environmental Innovation Challenge'
University students from the Pacific Northwest on Thursday competed in the Alaska Airlines Environmental Innovation Challenge in Seattle, pitching their best ideas for potential startups that could help protect the planet.
March 29th, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — March 28th, 2024

A boost for fusion power: With new law, Washington state leaders signal support for sector's next steps
While the reality of affordable fusion energy is still an atom-smashing twinkle in physicists' eyes, the state of Washington is moving ahead with plans to support the nascent commercial fusion sector.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

A data scientist's case for 'cautious optimism' about climate change
An interview with Hannah Ritchie, author of the provocative new book, 'Not the End of the World.'
March 28th, 2024 — Source

A growing number of homeowners face repeat flooding
People need access to funding to make their homes more resilient rather than just rebuilding, one analyst says.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

Athens chokes in clouds of Sahara dust
Athenians are choking in clouds of thick dust blown in from the Sahara along with unseasonably warm weather, weather forecasters and doctors warned on Thursday.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

Atmospheric observations in China show rise in emissions of a potent greenhouse gas
To achieve the aspirational goal of the Paris Agreement on climate change—limiting the increase in global average surface temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels—will require its 196 signatories to dramatically reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

Attaching seaweed spores to used scallop shells could restore UK's coastal kelp forests
Kelp spores are being seeded and grown on small rocks and scallop shells—a seafood waste product—in efforts to regenerate the UK's coastal kelp forests.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

Better math adds up to trillions in climate-related savings: Statisticians curb uncertainty in climate models
A new study greatly reduces uncertainty in climate change predictions, a move economists say could save the world trillions in adaptations for a hotter future. The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, considers dozens of climate models from different countries that differ in the magnitude of global warming they predict to occur by the end of the century.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

Blood, sweat, and water: New paper analytical devices easily track health and environment
When you need to measure white blood cell counts, it usually involves trips to clinics and expensive equipment for analysis. Likewise, checking water quality for contaminants can be a lengthy process.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

Blueprint for mandating indoor air quality for public buildings in form of standards
In research published in the journal Science experts addressed setting standards for three key indoor pollutants—carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), PM_2.5https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adl0677, which are particles so small they can lodge deep in the lungs and enter the bloodstream—and ventilation rate. The paper is titled "Mandating indoor air quality standards for public,"
March 28th, 2024 — Source

Climate tech VC Satgana closes first fund that targets early-stage startups in Africa, Europe
Climate tech VC Satgana has reached a final close of its first fund, which aims to back up to 30 early-stage startups in Africa and Europe.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

China ships Tibetan glacier water to climate-threatened Maldives
China has sent more than a million bottles of water from melting Tibetan glaciers to the Maldives, officials said Thursday, a gift from the world's highest mountains to a low-lying archipelago threatened by rising seas.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

Cold stratification impacts germination rates in Vitis species
It is imperative for the success of the grape industry to develop new grape varieties capable of enduring shifting climates and heightened pressures from diseases and insects. The majority of grape cultivars rely on a specific amount of "chilling hours"' to complete dormancy for optimal growth and yield.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

Cosmochemistry: Why study it? What can it teach us about finding life beyond Earth?
Universe Today has had some fantastic discussions with researchers on the importance of studying impact craters, planetary surfaces, exoplanets, astrobiology, solar physics, comets, planetary atmospheres, and planetary geophysics, and how these diverse scientific fields can help researchers and the public better understand the search for life beyond Earth.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

Direct lithium extraction from spent batteries for efficient lithium recycling
Recently, the research findings of Professor Xie's group (Huazhong University of Science and Technology) were published in Science Bulletin. This study proposed a simple, efficient, and low-energy chemical leaching strategy, utilizing a lithium extraction solution composed of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon reagents and ether solvents to directly extract active lithium from retired batteries.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

Ecologists call for strengthening nature-based climate solutions at the federal level
U.S. scientists and policy experts with a broad range of expertise in the fields of climate and ecosystem sciences have outlined key recommendations aimed at bolstering the scientific foundation for implementation of nature-based climate solutions (NbCS) across the nation.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

ESA and NASA team up to study solar wind
In the run up to April's total solar eclipse, ESA-led Solar Orbiter and NASA-led Parker Solar Probe are both at their closest approach to the sun. Tomorrow (March 29), they are taking the opportunity to join hands in studying the driving rain of plasma that streams from the sun, fills the solar system, and causes dazzlement and destruction at Earth.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

Going 'back to the future' to forecast the fate of a dead Florida coral reef
Rising temperatures and disease outbreaks are decimating coral reefs throughout the tropics. Evidence suggests that higher latitude marine environments may provide crucial refuges for many at-risk, temperature-sensitive coral species. However, how coral populations expand into new areas and sustain themselves over time is constrained by the limited scope of modern observations.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

How carbon removal fits into the architecture of EU climate policy
The EU has recently made far-reaching decisions on rapid greenhouse gas emissions reduction. For example, from 2027, like in the energy and industry sectors, it will also cap emissions in the problem sectors of heating and transport through emissions trading, and gradually reduce them toward zero.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

How extratropical ocean-atmosphere interactions can contribute to the variability of jet streams
The interaction between the oceans and the atmosphere plays a vital role in shaping the Earth's climate. Changing sea surface temperatures can heat or cool the atmosphere, and changes in the atmosphere can do the same to the ocean surface. This exchange in energy is known as "ocean-atmosphere coupling."
March 28th, 2024 — Source

How to enable insider social change agents to tackle social and environmental issues in organizations
Businesses play a crucial role in building a sustainable future, but it's the passionate individuals within these organizations who often lead the change. Known by many names— tempered radicals, social intrapreneurs, champions, reformers, advocates, activists, and more—these insider social change agents are the driving force behind efforts to tackle social and environmental issues.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

Intel's green dream is chips without any dips in Mother Nature's health
Sustainability Summit pushes industry partners to reduce their environmental impact, including harmful chemicals
March 28th, 2024 — Source

Last coal-burning power plant in New England set to close in a win for environmentalists
The last coal-fired power plant in New England, which had been the focus of a lawsuit and protests, is set to close in a victory for environmentalists.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

Milk on ice: Antarctic time capsule of whole milk powder sheds light on the enduring qualities of dairy products
In a remarkable discovery, whole milk powder manufactured in New Zealand in 1907 and transported to Antarctica with explorers seeking the South Pole was unveiled after more than a century. The findings have allowed dairy researchers to answer the question: Is the milk we enjoy today different from the milk consumed in previous generations?
March 28th, 2024 — Source

More than half of Colorado River's water used to irrigate crops, assessment shows
Irrigation for agriculture uses more than half of the Colorado River's total annual water flow, reports a paper published in Communications Earth & Environment. This finding is part of a new comprehensive assessment of how the Colorado River's water is consumed—including both human usage and natural losses—and provides a more complete understanding of how the river's water is used along its over 2,300 km (almost 1,500-mile) length.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

Nanoshell catalysts capture methane emissions
A University at Buffalo-led research team is developing new catalysts that aim to turn climate-warming methane emissions into useful commercial products.
March 28th, 2024 — Source or Source

New simulation framework guides design of high-performance semitransparent organic solar cells
In the pursuit of sustainable energy solutions, organic solar cells (OSCs) have emerged as a promising technology for semitransparent applications, such as building-integrated photovoltaics and greenhouses.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

New approach to monitoring freshwater quality can identify sources of pollution, predict their effects
The source of pollutants in rivers and freshwater lakes can now be identified using a comprehensive new water quality analysis, according to scientists at the University of Cambridge and Trent University, Canada.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

New York's first offshore wind hub to be built with union labor
The agreement prioritizes hiring locally for union construction jobs to build a 'linchpin' of the Biden administration's offshore wind ambitions.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

Progress and challenges on the road to net zero: Q&A
In early March, after years of deliberations, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced a new reporting requirement for U.S.-based public companies. Beginning in 2025, companies that meet a certain threshold of market value will be required by law to report carbon emissions data, as well other information related to climate risk and progress toward decarbonization pledges.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

Researchers discover key gene for toxic alkaloid in barley
All plants mediate their environmental interactions via chemical signals. An example is the alkaloid gramine produced by barley, one of the world's most widely-grown cereals. Gramine provides protection against herbivorous insects and grazing animals and inhibits the growth of other plants.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

Scientists confirm that methane-processing microbes produce a fossil record
Communities of microbes that live in ocean sediments can consume methane. In oxygen-deprived sediments these microbes form clusters, called aggregates, that can have deposits of silica on their surfaces. It is not clear if these silica deposits result from the activity of methane consuming aggregates, or if their formation is unrelated to biological processes.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

Team shows ion-induced field screening is a dominant factor in the operational stability of perovskite solar cells
Researchers from the University of Potsdam, together with colleagues from other universities, have shown that ion-induced field screening is a dominant factor in the operational stability of perovskite solar cells. Their findings, published in the journal Nature Energy, lay the foundation for new strategies to improve the lifetime of the next-generation solar cells.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

Tuberculosis vaccine may enable elimination of the disease in cattle by reducing its spread
Vaccination not only reduces the severity of TB in infected cattle, but reduces its spread in dairy herds by 89%, research finds. The research, led by the University of Cambridge and Penn State University, improves prospects for the elimination and control of bovine tuberculosis (TB), an infectious disease of cattle that results in large economic costs and health impacts across the world. The study is published in the journal Science.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

Study finds landfill point source emissions have an outsized impact and present opportunity to tackle US waste methane
A new study, led by Carbon Mapper scientists alongside researchers from NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Arizona State University, University of Arizona, Scientific Aviation, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, provides the largest comprehensive assessment of hundreds of U.S. landfills using direct observations through airborne surveys.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

What do scientists hope to learn from total solar eclipse in US?
When a rare total solar eclipse sweeps across North America on April 8, scientists will be able to gather invaluable data on everything from the sun's atmosphere to strange animal behaviors—and even possible effects on humans.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

Wild desert plants face viral surprise
Just as many people battle seasonal colds and flu, native plants face their own viral threats. People have long known that plants can succumb to viruses just like humans. Now, a new study led by Michigan State University and the University of California, Riverside reveals a previously unknown threat: non-native crop viruses are infecting and jeopardizing the health of wild desert plants.
March 28th, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — March 27th, 2024

A solar cell you can bend and soak in water
Researchers from the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science and collaborators have developed an organic photovoltaic film that is both waterproof and flexible, allowing a solar cell to be put onto clothes and still function correctly after being rained on or even washed.
March 27th, 2024 — Source or Source

After a hurricane or wildfire, communities can be overwhelmed by debris
And some of it's hazardous.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

An eco-lodge in Baja California Sur teaches guests how to live sustainably. Can it survive rising seas and storms?
Gabriela Flores bought a remote swathe of desert 30 years ago. Now its coastal dunes are under threat from rising seas, storms, and careless human actions.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Anthropologists create computational model to predict likelihood of future animal extinctions
During the Late Pleistocene, California—at least at its lower elevations—was teeming with vegetation. While much of North America was covered in Ice Age glaciers, here, mastodons lumbered across verdant meadows, stopping to feed on brush, warily eyeing the forest's edge for saber-tooth cats on the prowl for their calves.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Climate change is messing with how we measure time: Study
Struggle to wrap your head around daylight savings? Spare a thought for the world's timekeepers, who are trying to work out how climate change is affecting Earth's rotation—and in turn, how we keep track of time.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Climate change policies found to lose popularity when combined with pausing regulations or social justice
Legislators love bundling things together. It lets them accomplish more with less hassle and attempt to make legislation more appealing to a broader group.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Critical materials assessment tags potential supply chain bottlenecks
Global sales of electric vehicles (EVs) increased from 716,000 vehicles in 2015 to 10.6 million vehicles in 2022. Meanwhile, demand rose for the materials used in EV batteries such as graphite, cobalt and lithium.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Different Types Of Consumer Solar Panels (And Which Is Right For You)
Solar is the most popular form of renewable energy worldwide, accounting for a reported three-quarters of all new renewable capacity in 2023. While much of that capacity comes from large-scale solar farms, an increasing number of homeowners are opting to install solar panels to cut down their electricity bill or, in some cases, become entirely self-sufficient.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Effective data management plays vital role for smallholder sheep and goat breeding programs
Sheep and goat breeding plays a vital socioeconomic role in the agricultural sector across Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) and beyond, providing valuable resources such as meat, milk, and wool. However, insufficient or ill-adapted breeding programs and practices are compromising the conservation and improvement of animal genetic resources, resulting in lower quality and less productive herds, which in turn impacts farmers' incomes and livelihoods.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Enhancing chickpea irrigation efficiency, yield and sustainability
A new study published by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI) introduces a non-invasive technique for evaluating chickpea water status, offering farmers a powerful tool to fine-tune irrigation schedules and potentially elevate the sustainability of chickpea cultivation.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Europe's forgotten forests could be 21st century 'biodiversity hot spots'
An overlooked and long-neglected type of forest has vast capacity to rebound, enhancing species diversity and resilience to climate change, according to an international team of forest scientists.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Find the Best Solar Installers Near You With These 7 Tips
If you've decided to go solar, finding the right solar installer is the most important thing you can do. Here's how to do that.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Forest regeneration projects failing to offset carbon emissions
Forest regeneration projects that have received tens of millions of carbon credits and dominate Australia's carbon offset scheme have had negligible impact on woody vegetation cover and carbon sequestration, new research from The Australian National University (ANU) has found.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Future of 1 billion people in South Asia hinges on water pact, says new analysis
Better collaboration is urgently needed to mitigate the impacts of climate change on three key river basins in South Asia—the Brahmaputra, Indus and Ganges—according to new analysis.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Heat, cold extremes hold untapped potential for solar and wind energy, climate scientist suggests
A Washington State University-led study found that widespread, extreme temperature events are often accompanied by greater solar radiation and higher wind speeds that could be captured by solar panels and wind turbines. The research, which looked at extensive heat and cold waves across the six interconnected energy grid regions of the U.S. from 1980--2021, also found that every region experienced power outages during these events in the past decade.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

High-resolution solar data enables renewable energy expansion across two continents
More than 20 years of research in solar radiation at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is now poised to advance power system planning and solar energy deployment across Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Highest power efficiency achieved in flexible solar cells using new fabrication technique
Flexible solar cells have many potential applications in aerospace and flexible electronics, but low energy conversion efficiency has limited their practical use. A new manufacturing method has increased the power efficiency of flexible solar cells made from perovskite, a class of compounds with a specific crystalline structure that facilitates the conversion of solar energy into electricity.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

How eutrophication and climate change alter food webs in the Baltic Sea
Phytoplankton is the primary energy source for all marine ecosystems: These tiny plants floating in the seawater use photosynthesis to bind energy in the form of biomass, which is then passed on step by step in the marine food webs all the way to different types of fish and piscivores.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

How To Protect Your Solar Panels From Getting Destroyed By Hail
On March 15, 2024, thousands of solar panels installed at the 3,300-acre Fighting Jays Solar Farm in Fort Bend County, Houston, Texas, were damaged after a powerful hailstorm hit the area. Even as authorities continue to assess the scale of damage caused by this extreme weather event, the incident — once again — highlighted one of the major risks people need to contend with while setting up solar power systems.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Imaging turbulence within solar transients for the first time
The Wide-field Imager for Parker Solar Probe (WISPR) Science Team, led by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), captured the development of turbulence as a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) interacted with the ambient solar wind in the circumsolar space. This discovery is reported in the Astrophysical Journal.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Is Your Roof Suitable For Solar Panels? A Quick Guide
With electricity bills hitting sky-high levels, the thought of switching to solar energy is more tempting than ever. Solar panels can help cut down your energy costs (despite the hidden solar costs) and are good for the planet too.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Israel's war budget leaves top scientists in limbo
Israeli scientist Ellen Graber has spent years researching ways to save chocolate crops from climate change. But with the government slashing spending to fund the war in Gaza, her project is one of hundreds now hanging in the balance.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Looking at a solar eclipse can be dangerous without eclipse glasses. Here's what to know
Millions of people along a narrow band in North America will look up when the sky darkens during a total solar eclipse on April 8. When they do, safety is key.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Mighty microbes: Soil microorganisms are combating desertification
Desertification is a significant problem for arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid regions of Earth, whereby grasslands and shrublands become a comparatively barren desert as vegetation disappears over time. This poses an extreme hazard to local ecosystems, as well as communities who rely on these areas for their livelihoods, by increasing soil erosion and reducing water storage, which leads to a loss of biodiversity and agricultural productivity.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

More investment needed for climate science in Africa to improve weather forecasting and save lives
Africa needs long-term investment in scientific infrastructure and science careers to allow the continent to adapt to climate change and its effect on weather systems.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

New study shows ways forward for future EU food labeling
A study led by the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) and published in the journal Ecological Economics provides important insights into the future of food labeling in the EU. By analyzing expert opinions from the food industry, the study identifies a broad consensus on the need for new food labels to encourage farmers to provide more ecosystem services.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Newly uncovered history of a key ocean current carries a warning on climate
It carries more than 100 times as much water as all the world's rivers combined. It reaches from the ocean's surface to its bottom, and measures as much as 2,000 kilometers across. It connects the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and plays a key role in regulating global climate. Continuously swirling around the southernmost continent, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (PDF) is by far the world's most powerful and consequential mover of water.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

North American cities may see a major species turnover by the end of the century
Climate change may dramatically affect the animal species observed in North American cities, according to a study published March 27 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Alessandro Filazzola of the University of Toronto Mississauga and Apex Resource Management Solutions, Canada, and colleagues.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Plastic 'interceptor' tackles trash in Bangkok river
Black flies exploded into the air as plastic waste fell from bamboo conveyor belts into skips on a solar-powered barge attempting to remove rubbish from the main river of Thailand's capital Bangkok.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Protesters block entrances at Amazon HQ, objecting to planned use of fossil fuels in Oregon
Dozens of environmental activists this morning blocked the entrances at Amazon's Day 1 building at its Seattle headquarters.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Researchers demonstrate that forests trap airborne microplastics, acting as terrestrial sinks
A research group led by Japan Women's University finds that airborne microplastics adsorb to the epicuticular wax on the surface of forest canopy leaves, and that forests may act as terrestrial sinks for airborne microplastics.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Rice husk can be used as a promising sustainable packaging material
Rice husk, the hard-protective layer that envelopes the inner grain of rice, constitutes approximately 20%--25% of the entire rice structure and produces a considerable amount of by-products.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Scientists discover that the natural purification of groundwater is enhanced by nitrate
In recent years, the world has been experiencing floods and droughts as extreme rainfall events have become more frequent due to climate change. For this reason, securing stable water resources throughout the year has become a national responsibility called "water security," and "Aquifer Storage Recovery (ASR)", which stores water in the form of groundwater in the ground when water resources are available and withdraws it when needed, is attracting attention as an effective water resource management technique.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Scientists warn that the Baltic Sea gray seal hunt is too large
Researchers at the University of Gothenburg warn that today's hunting quotas of about 3,000 animals pose a risk to the long-term survival of the gray seal in the Baltic Sea. The conclusions of this new study are based on statistics from 20th century seal hunting and predictions of future climate change.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Solar-powered emission-free technology converts saltwater into drinking water
Scientists have developed a new solar-powered system to convert saltwater into fresh drinking water which they say could help reduce dangerous waterborne diseases like cholera.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Sounds emanating from coral reefs found to change as the moon rises and sets
A pair of underwater researchers at the U.S. Navy's Naval Undersea Warfare Center, working with a colleague from the Advanced Research Projects Agency--Energy, also in the U.S., has found that sounds emanating from coral reefs change as the moon rises and sets.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Spatiotemporal variations of rainy season precipitation in the Tibetan Plateau during the past two millennia
The quantitative reconstruction of the length of the rainy season and precipitation on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is crucial for revealing the spatiotemporal evolution of the Westerlies and South Asian monsoon, as well as its ecological and environmental effects.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Study finds decline in the stability of water yield in watersheds
Extreme climatic events such as droughts, heat waves, and cold spells not only modify hydro-meteorological conditions but also alter the underlying characteristics (e.g., wildfires due to droughts changing the vegetation cover). Intense human activities, such as river channel modifications, afforestation, deforestation, industrialization, and urbanization, further amplify the variability of watershed system components.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

Your emotional reaction to climate change may impact the policies you support, study finds
Emotional reactions to climate change may lead to specific policy preferences, according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS Climate by Teresa A. Myers of George Mason University and colleagues.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

World's tallest wooden wind turbine promises a cleaner future
Wooden turbines could help eliminate the carbon emissions coming from steel production.
March 27th, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — March 25th, 2024

Industry shutdowns are messy and painful: Four lessons Australia's coal sector can learn from car makers
Shifting Australia's electricity sector to low-carbon technologies and closing coal plants is vital to tackling climate change. But such transitions are easier said than done.
March 25th, 2024 — Source

New modeling shows the intensity of CO² uptake is higher in coastal seas than in the open ocean
Coastal seas form a complex transition zone between the two largest CO² sinks in the global carbon cycle: land and ocean. Ocean researchers have now succeeded for the first time in investigating the role of the coastal ocean in a seamless model representation.
March 25th, 2024 — Source

Scientists discover methods to regulate carbon storage in humus layer of forest in north China
It is estimated that 30% of the world's terrestrial carbon stocks are found in the boreal forest, 60% of which is below ground. Organic soil horizons contain about one-third of the soil carbon. Therefore, the stability of boreal soils is critical to understanding global carbon cycle feedbacks to climate change and soil management. However, the regulating factors of humus carbon sequestration in the boreal forests globally are not entirely understood.
March 25th, 2024 — Source

'Urgent and sustainable' action needed to safeguard health, according to new report on health and climate change
A focus on heat and health, and decarbonization of the health sector, are among the key implications of the latest report of the MJA--Lancet Countdown on health and climate change, published in the Medical Journal of Australia.
March 25th, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — March 22nd, 2024

A strong earthquake shakes Indonesia's Java Island but no reports of casualties
A strong and shallow undersea earthquake shook the eastern side of Indonesia's main island of Java on Friday, causing some damage but no immediate reports of casualties.
March 22nd, 2024 — Source

AI's excessive water consumption threatens to drown out its environmental contributions
Water is needed for development, production and consumption, yet we are overusing and polluting an unsubstitutable resource and system.
March 22nd, 2024 — Source

An account of Australia's oldest, boldest trees
Every state and territory in Australia has got big things. Consider the big Merino ram, big chooks, big Ned Kelly, or even the big golden guitar.
March 22nd, 2024 — Source

April's total solar eclipse promises to be the best yet for experiments
April's total solar eclipse promises to be a scientific bonanza, thanks to new spacecraft and telescopes—and cosmic chance.
March 22nd, 2024 — Source

Court upholds California rules to protect fish, but Newsom wants lenient Delta approach
A Sacramento judge upheld a decision by California's water regulator to cut back agricultural and municipal water use from the San Joaquin River. The decision could lend support for future regulations in the rest of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta system.
March 22nd, 2024 — Source

Gigawatt: The Solar Energy Term You Should Know About
What exactly is a gigawatt, and what does it have to do with solar power? Here's everything you need to know about the gigawatt.
March 22nd, 2024 — Source

In Lake Erie, climate change scrambles zooplankton's seasonal presence
A new analysis of zooplankton in western Lake Erie shows that their biomass and seasonal behavioral patterns have been drastically altered by human-driven changes in water temperature and food webs.
March 22nd, 2024 — Source

Lack of resources threatens research in the Amazon
Teaching and research institutions in the Amazon say they are struggling to maintain their output due to dwindling financial resources despite Brazil's climate promises on the global stage.
March 22nd, 2024 — Source

Multi-cusped postcanine teeth associated with zooplankton feeding in phocid sealsaw junction, horizontal green arrow depicts tooth width, and vertical green arrow depicts tooth height. (e) Green line shows tooth perimeter. (f) Green line shows perimeter of the smallest bounding rectangle of the tooth. (g) Mandible tooth row, showing canine and 5 postcanine (PC1--PC5) teeth. (h) Green arrow shows gap length between PC3 and PC4. Credit: Ishihara U, Miyazaki N, Yurkowski DJ, Watanabe YY (2024) Multi-cusped postcanine teeth are associated with zooplankton feeding in phocid seals. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 729:233-245. 10.3354/meps14509
The morphology of an animal's teeth often reflects its diet. A well-known example of a mammal that feeds in the water is the crabeater seal (Lobodon carcinophaga), which consumes large amounts of zooplankton.
March 22nd, 2024 — Source

New model integrates soil microbes, large perennial grasses
Of all the carbon stored in ecosystems around the world, about half can be found in soils. Depending on climate, vegetation, and management, soils can be either a carbon source or a sink.
March 22nd, 2024 — Source

Researchers publish dataset of over 6,000 agri-environmental policies from all over the world
There can be no analysis without data. In this spirit, researchers from the University of Bonn and the Swiss Federal Institution of Technology (ETH) Zurich have published a database containing over 6,000 agri-environmental policies, thus enabling their peers as well as policymakers and businesses to seek answers to all manner of different questions.
March 22nd, 2024 — Source

Will climate change take snow away from us?
Experts explain in just 60 seconds.
March 22nd, 2024 — Source

What to expect when total solar eclipse passes through Ohio
On April 8, millions of observers in Ohio will witness a total solar eclipse, a rare celestial event that promises to be an otherworldly experience.
March 22nd, 2024 — Source

What To Know Before Installing Solar Panels On A Metal Roof
Anyone who has ever sat on a metal slide in the middle of summer as a kid can agree that the light of the sun makes metal exceptionally hot. The various metal surfaces that make up a piece of property absorb an impressive amount of heat during the sunny season.
March 22nd, 2024 — Source

Wild Weather Ahead: Here's How 2024 Is Shaping Up After the Hottest Year on Record
The climate crisis is impacting communities around the world. Here's what to know about dealing with extreme weather in 2024.
March 22nd, 2024 — Source

Wind farm radar system reduces nighttime light pollution in Iowa
The system turns on flashing warning lights only when a plane is nearby. Otherwise, they stay dark.
March 22nd, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — March 20th, 2024

3 reasons why you are burnt out teaching climate change, and how to sustain your spark
I don't know about you, but since work from home started in earnest, meetings seem full of check-in questions. Don't get me wrong, I like them. One of my favorites that comes up regularly is, who was your favorite teacher? Answers always feature people whose love and passion for their area of expertise shine through in their teaching.
March 20th, 2024 — Source

10 years after the deadliest US landslide, climate change is increasing the danger
After the mountainside collapsed, obliterating a neighborhood and 43 lives in the worst landslide disaster in U.S. history, Jessica Pzsonka made a promise --- to herself, to her bereft parents and to her late sister, who was buried along with two young sons, her husband and in-laws.
March 20th, 2024 — Source

A southeast Alaska community wrestles with a deadly landslide's impact
Jamie Roberts and her husband felt lucky when they found an A-frame cabin on forest-draped Wrangell Island in southeast Alaska, where they could settle on a few acres and have some chickens.
March 20th, 2024 — Source

Best Solar-Powered Home Security Cameras for 2024
Opting for a solar-powered security camera is a great way to protect your home while saving on power. Here are the best options we've seen.
March 20th, 2024 — Source

Characterizing salps as predators of marine microbes
A huge fraction of global flows of carbon and other nutrients pass through marine microbes. Little is known about their causes of death, however. This information determines where those nutrients will go.
March 20th, 2024 — Source

Cleaning up environmental contaminants with quantum dot technology
The 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was focused on quantum dots—objects so tiny, they're controlled by the strange and complex rules of quantum physics. Many quantum dots used in electronics are made from toxic substances, but their nontoxic counterparts are now being developed and explored for uses in medicine and in the environment. One team of researchers is focusing on carbon- and sulfur-based quantum dots, using them to create safer invisible inks and to help decontaminate water supplies.
March 20th, 2024 — Source

Climate change threatens resilience of Sri Lankan rainforests
Tropical ecosystems store over half of the world's above-ground carbon in their biomass, making them critically important in the global fight against climate change. As carbon dioxide levels continue to rise in the atmosphere, scientists are questioning whether climate change will enhance carbon sequestration through accelerated tree growth or expose rainforests to warmer, drier climates that could increase water stress, suppress tree growth, and dry out soils.
March 20th, 2024 — Source

Evaluating land-based mitigation strategies for achieving 2°C climate targets
Global warming poses a significant threat to ecosystems, societies, and economies worldwide. In recent decades, an international climate policy goal of limiting global warming to 2°C above pre-industrial levels was established. This was to avoid severe and irreversible impacts on the environment.
March 20th, 2024 — Source

Hypoxia is widespread and increasing in the ocean off the Pacific Northwest coast, study shows
Low oxygen conditions that pose a significant threat to marine life are widespread and increasing in coastal Pacific Northwest ocean waters as the climate warms, a new study shows.
March 20th, 2024 — Source

iWood technology - integrating tactile sensing with natural wood for smart, responsive environments
Wood is one of the oldest and most ubiquitous materials used by humans, with applications spanning construction, furniture, flooring, and beyond. For centuries, wood has served as the interface through which we interact with our built environment.
March 20th, 2024 — Source

New insights on the transcriptional regulation of seed germination
Seeds remain in a dormant state, waiting for the right environmental conditions to germinate, thus increasing the probability of fragile seedling survival. The transition from a dry seed to a vegetative seedling is an irreversible process that requires a near-complete reprogramming of the plant transcriptome.
March 20th, 2024 — Source

No oil and gas majors aligned with climate targets: Report
All major oil and gas companies plan fossil fuel expansion incompatible with limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, a new report said Wednesday.
March 20th, 2024 — Source

Novel method to measure root depth may lead to more resilient crops
As climate change worsens global drought conditions, hindering crop production, the search for ways to capture and store atmospheric carbon causing the phenomenon has intensified. Penn State researchers have developed a new high-tech tool that could spur changes in how crops withstand drought, acquire nitrogen and store carbon deeper in soil.
March 20th, 2024 — Source

Q&A: British champagne production overtaking French? How the shifting seasons are playing havoc with our crops
Spring equinox is fast approaching, on 20 March, but the changing seasons are playing havoc with UK wildlife and crops. This comes after England and Wales had their warmest Februarys on record, according to the Met Office.
March 20th, 2024 — Source

Recyclable reagent and sunlight convert carbon monoxide into methanol
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (UNC) have demonstrated the selective conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into methanol using a cascade reaction strategy. The two-part process is powered by sunlight, occurs at room temperature and at ambient pressure, and employs a recyclable organic reagent that's similar to a catalyst found in natural photosynthesis.
March 20th, 2024 — Source

Researchers find evidence of 68 'forever chemicals' in food packaging around the world
A team of environmental scientists with the Food Packaging Forum Foundation, based in Zürich, has found evidence of 68 "forever chemicals" in food packaging used around the world. For their study, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, the group mapped evidence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in food contact materials using information from databases.
March 20th, 2024 — Source

Restoring reefs killed by climate change may simply put corals 'back out to die'
Coral reefs, like sprawling cities of the sea, support an estimated 25% of all plants and animals in the ocean. Worldwide, 1 billion people depend on these ecosystems for food, income and coastal protection.
March 20th, 2024 — Source

Rising scourge of e-waste a 'catastrophe' for environment: UN
The world threw away a record amount of smartphones, televisions and other electrical devices in 2022, the UN said Wednesday, warning this avalanche of dumped gadgets was polluting the planet.
March 20th, 2024 — Source

Scientists outline actions to protect lochs from climate change
Scientists have outlined the urgent actions needed to protect Scotland's lochs from the impacts of climate change, estimating that harmful algal blooms cost the national economy at least £16.5 million a year.
March 20th, 2024 — Source

Scientists uncover a causal relationship between remote extreme heat and the Canadian wildfires in 2023
Wildfires are events that can have significant impacts on ecosystems and human society. In the context of global warming, there has been a notable surge in the frequency and ferocity of wildfires in the Northern Hemisphere over recent years. In 2023, Canada experienced an unprecedented wildfire event, with CO2 emissions increasing by 527.1% over the average of 2001--2022 during the months of May--August.
March 20th, 2024 — Source

Sea surface temperature research provides clear evidence of human-caused climate change
Claims that climate change is natural are inconsistent with new oceanic temperature trends.
March 20th, 2024 — Source

The heat index -- how hot it really feels -- is rising faster than temperature
A 3 degree F rise in temperature due to global warming may seem endurable, but it can actually feel like 10 degrees F
March 20th, 2024 — Source

Toba supereruption may have facilitated dispersal of modern humans out of Africa
Modern humans dispersed from Africa multiple times, but the event that led to global expansion occurred less than 100,000 years ago. Some researchers hypothesize that dispersals were restricted to "green corridors" formed during humid intervals when food was abundant and human populations expanded in lockstep with their environments.
March 20th, 2024 — Source

Understanding soil carbon's sensitivity to increasing global temperatures
Particulate soil carbon may be more vulnerable to microbial decomposition under warmer temperatures associated with climate change.
March 20th, 2024 — Source

US and Germany partnering on mission to track Earth's water movement
NASA and the German Space Agency at DLR (German Aerospace Center) have agreed to jointly build, launch, and operate a pair of spacecraft that will yield insights into how Earth's water, ice, and land masses are shifting by measuring monthly changes in the planet's gravity field. Tracking large-scale mass changes—showing when and where water moves within and between the atmosphere, oceans, underground aquifers, and ice sheets—provides a view into Earth's water cycle, including changes in response to drivers like climate change.
March 20th, 2024 — Source

Vietnam farmers struggle for fresh water as drought brings salinization
Every day, farmer Nguyen Hoai Thuong prays in vain for rain to fall on the cracked dry earth of her garden in Vietnam's Mekong Delta—the country's "rice bowl" agricultural heartland.
March 20th, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — March 18th, 2024

A holistic look at Earth's chemical cycling sheds light on how the planet stays habitable
We all know Earth is special, but we may not fully appreciate how good we have it on this planet. Unlike its planetary neighbors, Earth has remained habitable for billions of years thanks to a complicated, ever-changing dance of elements.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

Advancements in greenhouse spike detection with deep learning for enhanced phenotypic trait analysis
Accurate extraction of phenotypic traits from image data is essential for cereal crop research, but spike detection in greenhouses is challenging due to the environmental and physical similarities between spikes and leaves.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

Artificial streams reveal how drought shapes California's alpine ecosystems
A network of artificial streams is teaching scientists how California's mountain waterways—and the ecosystems that depend on them—may be impacted by a warmer, drier climate.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

Cacao plants' defense against toxic cadmium unveiled
Researchers from the University Grenoble Alpes (UGA), France, together with the ESRF, the European Synchrotron located in Grenoble, France, used ESRF's bright X-rays to unveil how cacao trees protect themselves from toxic metal cadmium. This knowledge is relevant as new EU regulations restrict cadmium concentration in chocolate.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

California's new megafires are taking a toll on wildlife habitat, researchers find
Long-toed salamanders top the list of more than 500 animals whose habitats burned during massive fires in 2020 and 2021.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

Can used coffee grounds help clean up environmental toxins?
Global coffee consumption generates millions of tons of spent coffee grounds each year, which can be damaging to wildlife and the environment.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

Climate change alters the hidden microbial food web in peatlands, study shows
The humble peat bog conjures images of a brown, soggy expanse. But it turns out to have a superpower in the fight against climate change.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

Communities more likely to adopt conservation measures if their neighbors have, says study
A new paper published in Global Environmental Change featuring Imperial College London researchers explores how Indigenous-led initiatives can be scaled to protect marine ecosystems.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

Computer model helps grape growers adapt to shorter winters
As the climate changes, winter is shortening, causing vines and trees to bud earlier in the year, thereby increasing the chances they will be exposed to spring cold snaps and frost that can be hazardous to yields.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

Erratic Weather, Erratic Mood? What to Know About Spring Fever
Spring is full of changes. Here's what to know about spring-time euphoria and how to tell you need help for mood changes.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

How a snowmobile tour company is getting ready for a future with less snow
Snow and ice conditions have gotten less reliable in the Charlevoix region near Quebec City.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

Livestock farming is responsible for up to a quarter of air pollution in Lombardy region: Study
Agricultural activities and livestock farming are key contributors to the concentrations of hazardous pollutants for health and the environment in the atmosphere, but the potential action in these sectors is often overlooked in public debate.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

Modulate: Reducing toxicity in online games is a positive for profits
How Modulate's AI-assisted voice moderation tool ToxMod isn't just efficient at tackling toxicity but results in increased user retention and spending
March 18th, 2024 — Source

New composite decking could reduce global warming effects of building materials
Buildings and production of the materials used in their construction emit a lot of carbon dioxide (CO²), a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming and climate change. But storing CO² in building materials could help make them more environmentally friendly.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

New study uncovers how hydrogen provided energy at life's origin
Hydrogen gas is a clean fuel. It burns with oxygen in the air to provide energy with no CO². Hydrogen is a key to sustainable energy for the future. Though humans are just now coming to realize the benefits of hydrogen gas (H² in chemical shorthand), microbes have known that H² is a good fuel for as long as there has been life on Earth. Hydrogen is ancient energy.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

Pesticide-free as a new pathway for agriculture
A new approach is gaining momentum in European agriculture: a "third way" that lies between conventional production and organic farming systems. Here farmers must forego synthetic pesticides only—which is simpler to implement than a switch to organic farming.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

Rapid study of Kakhovka Dam breach impacts will support biodiversity's recovery
UK scientists' unprecedented rapid assessment of the environmental impacts of the Kakhovka Dam's breach will support international action to restore a biodiversity hotspot.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

Reimagining the future of solar energy
Scientists are always on the lookout for ways to make our world a better place, and one area they're focusing on is solar energy. One idea in this area is to make solar cells more efficient by concentrating more solar light on them.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

Reimagining the future of solar energy
Scientists are always on the lookout for ways to make our world a better place, and one area they're focusing on is solar energy. One idea in this area is to make solar cells more efficient by concentrating more solar light onto them. While investigating this recently, a group of scientists at the Cavendish Laboratory and AMOLF (Amsterdam NL) have found that improving solar cells efficiency in this way is harder than we might think but have discovered other avenues by which it might be possible to improve solar energy capture anywhere on the planet.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

Research could advance soft robotics manufacturing and design
Soft robots use pliant materials such as elastomers to interact safely with the human body and other challenging, delicate objects and environments. A team of Rice University researchers has developed an analytical model that can predict the curing time of platinum-catalyzed silicone elastomers as a function of temperature.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

Researchers develop genomic method of monitoring for pesticide resistance
Farmers rely on pesticides to control agricultural pests. But insects often develop resistance to the toxins in pesticides. University of Maryland researchers have developed and successfully tested a strategy for using genomics to monitor for and identify emerging resistance to specific toxins early, well before it becomes a widespread problem.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

Research team designs new porous materials to advance environmental remediation research
In a landmark achievement, the Functional Materials Group (FMG) led by Prof. Dr. Bassam Alameddine, has propelled porous materials research to new horizons. The latest endeavor was highlighted in a study published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces showcasing the FMG's pioneering work in designing new materials that uptake carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and iodine gases, thus, igniting interest across scientific communities worldwide.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

Scientists find evidence of a wetter world, recorded in Australian coral colony
When climate scientists look to the future to determine what the effects of climate change may be, they use computer models to simulate potential outcomes such as how precipitation will change in a warming world.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

Scientists hack weather satellite data to quantify methane leaks
Satellites sitting more than 22,200 miles above the Earth's surface have been capturing storms and weather data for decades. Now, scientists have essentially hacked the data coming back for another purpose: spotting methane emissions.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

Self-heating concrete is one step closer to putting snow shovels and salt out of business
Drexel researchers show concrete with phase-change material can warm itself when temperatures fall
March 18th, 2024 — Source

Study explores how wind turbine visibility affects property values across the US
Renewable energy sources are essential for transitioning towards a decarbonized energy system and making the electricity grid more environmentally sustainable. Clean energy alternatives like wind power can effectively replace fossil fuels, contributing to reduced air pollution and slowing down climate change.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

Study highlights achievements of the scientific drilling of Songliao Basin
Since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, the increase in carbon dioxide emissions has consistently warmed the Earth's climate. At the current warming rate, our planet might potentially be on track toward witnessing a greenhouse climate state with no ice on polar caps.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

Sustainable biomass production capacity could triple US bioeconomy, report finds
The United States could triple its current economy by producing more than 1 billion tons per year of plant-based biomass for renewable fuels while meeting projected demands for food, feed, fiber, conventional forest products, and exports, according to the Department of Energy's latest Billion-Ton Report led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

The hands-on drive for sustainable living in Europe
Urban dwellers across the EU are having a say in making their surroundings friendlier to people and the environment.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

The last mile's at risk in our hostile environment. Let's go the extra mile to fix it
The web doesn't work 'cos the vandals used a candle
March 18th, 2024 — Source

This little carbon-sucking machine could crack DAC's big energy problem
Direct air capture is expensive. UK startup Mission Zero believes it has a fix
March 18th, 2024 — Source

Transforming wood waste for sustainable manufacturing
Lignin, a complex organic polymer, is one of the main components of wood, providing structural support and rigidity to make trees strong enough to withstand the elements. When transforming wood into paper, lignin is a key ingredient that must be removed, and it often becomes waste.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

Two-faced solar panels can generate more power at up to 70% less cost
Scientists at the University of Surrey have built a new kind of solar panel with two faces, both of them pretty.
March 18th, 2024 — Source or Source

Unlocking clearer views of our world's water: A Landsat legacy
Satellite remote sensing is vital for monitoring marine and freshwater ecosystems, leveraging missions like SeaWiFS, MODIS, MERIS, Landsat, and Sentinel to track water parameters such as chlorophyll, sediment, and temperature. The dynamic nature of water bodies demands high-frequency observations for accuracy, with limitations highlighted by factors like clouds and sunlight.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

Urban greening can lead to an increase of rodent-borne zoonotic pathogens
Wild rodents can host a great diversity of zoonotic pathogens. Rodents that live close to humans increase the likelihood of the transfer of such pathogens. "Changes in the environment, such as urban greening, can increase the presence of rodents and result in a higher human disease risk in urban areas," states Marieke de Cock based on her research. She successfully defended her Ph.D. from Wageningen University & Research on March 15, 2024.
March 18th, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — March 15th, 2024

3 Reasons Home Solar Panels Might Not Be Worth Installing On Your House
As technology advances and prices increase, everyone is looking for ways to cut corners and save a penny or two. Enter solar panels, which have only continued to rise in popularity with a 10% increase in shipments into the U.S. in 2022 (following a 34% increase between 2020 and 2021), according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Advocates push to extend Lake Tahoe restoration for another decade
Against the backdrop of the U.S. Capitol, Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., and other local advocates called on Congress to extend funding to support environmental preservation in the cherished Lake Tahoe region for another decade.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

AI unlocks new solar energy horizons in China
In a new study published in the Journal of Remote Sensing in February 2024, researchers utilized data augmentation alongside the LightGBM machine learning model for the estimation of both diffuse and direct solar radiation.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

An invisible water surcharge: Climate warming increases crop water demand in the San Joaquin Valley
University of California researchers from the Secure Water Future project recently found that increases in crop water demand explain half of the cumulative deficits of the agricultural water balance since 1980, exacerbating water reliance on depleting groundwater supplies and fluctuating surface water imports.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Arctic cooperation at a standstill because of Russia's war in Ukraine: Report
A new ZOiS Report analyzes the various effects of Russia's war against Ukraine on the Arctic region. The authors also assess how a baseline of coordination with Russia on the vital issues of security and climate change could be re-established for the sake of the common good.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Damaged coral reefs can be saved with enticing underwater soundscape, study suggests
"If we can save reefs, we can save anything"
March 14th, 2024 — Source

China's urban jungles: How city parks are winning the battle against concrete
In the face of rapid urbanization, China has embarked on an impressive journey of urban greening, transforming the environmental narrative from degradation to sustainability. The collaboration between the University of Copenhagen and the Chinese Academy of Sciences has yielded groundbreaking insights through satellite analysis of the evolution of greenness in over 974 cities from 2000 to 2020.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Climate: Carbon capture tech is booming, and confusing
Humanity's failure to reduce planet-heating carbon pollution—at record levels in 2023—has thrust once-marginal options for capping or reducing CO² in the atmosphere to center stage.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Compact robot takes flight to support CERISS initiative
A new robot will be taking flight soon to test its ability to support biological and physical science experiments in microgravity. As one of NASA's 2023 TechFlights selections, this compact robot will have a chance to fly on a commercial suborbital flight to see just how well it can perform in a space environment.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Deadly morel mushroom outbreak highlights big gaps in fungi knowledge
Prized morels are unpredictably and puzzlingly deadly, outbreak report shows.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Earth just had its warmest February on record: Report/NCEI
Last month continued the world's record-warm streak, with February 2024 ranking as the planet's warmest February on record—the ninth month in a row of record-warm months.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Even inactive deep-sea 'smokers' are densely colonized by microbial communities, study shows
Under certain conditions microbial communities can grow and thrive, even in places that are seemingly uninhabitable. This is the case at inactive hydrothermal vents on the sea floor. An international team that includes researchers from MARUM—Center for Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen, is presently working to accurately quantify how much inorganic carbon can be bound in these environments.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Global climate databases work with incorrect data for the tropics, study shows
Accurate climate data is immensely important for climate change predictions and modeling. Using a unique climate data set of 170 stations, mainly from the mountains of Tanzania including Kilimanjaro, Dr. Andreas Hemp, researcher at the Chair of Plant Systematics at the University of Bayreuth, shows that the commonly used data sets are inaccurate.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Global warming may intensify the modulation of tropical cyclone genesis by summer intraseasonal oscillation
Global warming, the long-term warming of Earth's overall temperature, has greatly accelerated in the last 100 years due to human factors such as the burning of fossil fuels. Along with this trend, certain atmospheric phenomena have also changed, such as typhoons and other types of disastrous weather becoming more intense than before and bringing about more serious impacts.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

New framework embraces uncertainty to make sense of history
There are many things we don't know about how history unfolds. The process might be impersonal, even inevitable, as some social scientists have suggested; human societies might be doomed to decline. Or, individual actions and environmental conditions might influence our communities' trajectories. Social scientists have struggled to find a consensus on such fundamental issues.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

New method for tracking water bodies improves security against extreme events
Surface water (SW) is crucial for life, ecosystems, and human activities, serving many functions from climate regulation to supporting biodiversity and agriculture. It's highly dynamic, influenced by climate change, land use alterations, and human interventions such as dam construction, making its monitoring essential for effective management and conservation.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Oil resources should stay underground to meet the commitments of the Paris Agreement, study finds
In order to limit the increase in global average temperature to 1.5°C, it is essential to drastically reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the atmosphere. This would mean not exploiting most of the existing coal, conventional gas and oil energy resources in regions around the world, according to research led by the University of Barcelona and published in the journal Nature Communications.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Revealing environmental exposure to liquid crystal monomers from digital displays
Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) are synthetic organic chemicals used in manufacturing liquid crystal displays (LCDs) present in numerous digital electronic devices. As the use of digital electronics, such as computers and smartphones, becomes increasingly prevalent, concerns over LCM exposure have risen to prominence as a public health issue.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Satellite data unlocks drought impact on southwest China's carbon cycle
Over the past four decades, Southwest China has been a major carbon sink, significantly mitigating anthropogenic CO² emissions. However, recent severe droughts, especially from 2009 to 2013 and in 2022, have drastically reduced its carbon absorption capacity by affecting vegetation and biomass.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Solar Panel Credits 2024: How Much Can You Save And How To See If You Qualify
Solar panels are not inexpensive. Costing anywhere between $15,000 and $20,000, not including the hidden costs of solar panels, this type of installation is usually a significant investment for the home buyer. Additionally, the estimated cost could easily go up based on how many solar panels you need to power your home. That said, although the upfront cost is undeniably high, solar panels work out to be more economical in the long term.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Study finds lands used for grazing can worsen or help climate change
When it comes to global climate change, livestock grazing can be either a blessing or a curse, according to a new study, which offers clues on how to tell the difference.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

UK fusion startup trials plasma-stabilising laser for 'holy grail' of energy
The laser looks to control plasma which is six times hotter than the sun and moving at superspeed
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Unlocking the climate secrets of North China with ancient tree rings
A study published in the Journal of Geographical Sciences reveals a novel method for reconstructing historical warm season temperatures in North China. Utilizing the blue intensity (BI) of tree rings of Picea meyeri, researchers have developed a 281-year chronology, offering unprecedented insights into the region's climatic past.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Which actions benefit the climate the most? This tool can show you.
The online tool called En-ROADS helps communities understand which policies will help the most.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Wildfire smoke warnings need to be issued sooner, study finds
Environmental and public health agencies often don't warn people about smoke-choked air until it's already swept in, a new study from the University of Oregon suggests.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

World's first N-channel diamond field-effect transistor for CMOS integrated circuits
A National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) research team has developed the world's first n-channel diamond MOSFET (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor). The developed n-channel diamond MOSFET provides a key step toward CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor: one of the most popular technologies in the computer chip) integrated circuits for harsh environment applications, as well as the development of diamond power electronics.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — March 14th, 2024

A 790,000 year-old asteroid impact could explain seafloor spherules
Our solar system does not exist in isolation. It formed within a stellar nursery along with hundreds of sibling stars, and even today has the occasional interaction with interstellar objects such as 'Oumuamua and Borisov. So it's reasonable to presume that some interstellar material has reached Earth.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Advanced analytical technologies for controlling medical cannabis production
To facilitate the use of cannabis in the medical field, researchers from the IBeA group of the UPV/EHU have developed a rapid analytical technique for the strict control of the growth of cannabis plants. The plants have been classified according to cannabinoid type using hyperspectral imaging and machine learning.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Advances and challenges in understanding compound weather and climate extremes
In the context of global warming, many extremes, such as heat waves, heavy precipitation, and droughts, have become increasingly frequent and intense, as expected theoretically. Somewhat unexpectedly, these extremes have also exhibited tightened linkage in both time and space, constituting compound weather and climate extremes with larger impacts.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

An electricity generator inspired by the drinking bird toy powers electronics with evaporated water
Inspired by the classic drinking bird toy, scientists in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China have developed an engine that efficiently converts energy from water evaporation into electricity to power small electronics. The device produces energy outputs exceeding 100 volts—much higher than other techniques that generate electricity from water—and can operate for several days using only 100 milliliters of water as fuel, according to a study published March 14 in the journal Device.
March 14th, 2024 — Source or Source

Analyzing impact of climate flooding images and political cues in news coverage
According to a Rutgers study, news stories that include vivid photos of episodic climate change-related flooding (specifically flooded houses) significantly increase Americans' perception of such flooding as a threat.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Ancient ice may still exist in distant space objects, researchers find
Study challenges existing predictions and opens up new avenues for understanding the nature of comets and their origins
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Arizona's most populous county has confirmed 645 heat-associated deaths in metro Phoenix last year
Public health officials in Arizona's most populous county on Wednesday reported they confirmed a staggering 645 heat-associated deaths last year—more than 50% higher than 2022 and another consecutive annual record in arid metro Phoenix.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Bosnia's lithium discovery raises hopes and fears
In northeast Bosnia's rolling hills, the local community is torn between fears of environmental ruin and hopes of riches from huge deposits of the critical minerals Europe needs for its green transition.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Caffeine makes fuel cells more efficient, cuts cost of energy storage
Boffins show less platinum may be needed for long-lived power source
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Consumers across political spectrum share food pricing frustrations
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign agricultural and consumer economist Maria Kalaitzandonakes recently completed a survey of U.S. consumers, gauging their perceptions of market share and tendency to overcharge by different players in the food system.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Defective thermoplastic composite parts can be reborn with better characteristics
Skoltech researchers have demonstrated that reinforced plastics can be recycled without loss of original mechanical properties, sometimes even with improved characteristics. Published in Composites Communications, the Source brings hope for an environmentally sounder—and economically viable—production of construction parts, car, aircraft, and marine vessel components, high-end sports equipment and other articles that currently end their service life in landfills.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Diverse habitats help salmon weather unpredictable climate changes, says studynto River.
Restored salmon habitat should resemble financial portfolios, offering fish diverse options for feeding and survival so that they can weather various conditions as the climate changes, a new study shows.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Dragonflies with waxy coating better able to resist a warming climate, research suggests
A trio of biologists at the University of Colorado has found that dragonflies that cover themselves in a waxy coating fare better as the climate grows warmer and drier in regions where they live. In their study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Michael Moore, Sarah Nalley and Dalal Hamadah tested the impact of pruinescence in two ways with dragonflies living in dry parts of North America.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

During This Year's Eclipse, Watch Closely For This Mysterious Phenomenon
On April 8, much of North America is in for an infrequent and quite breathtaking cosmic event. The moon will pass over the sun, creating a total solar eclipse in specific regions at specific times. For those hoping to witness this remarkable moment, there are multiple times and places where the eclipse will be visible.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Forest and stream habitats keep energy exchanges in balance, global team finds
Forests and streams are separate but linked ecosystems, existing side by side, with energy and nutrients crossing their porous borders and flowing back and forth between them. For example, leaves fall from trees, enter streams, decay and feed aquatic insects. Those insects emerge from the waters and are eaten by birds and bats.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Gov. Shapiro calls for Pennsylvania carbon cap and trade market, plus higher clean energy requirements
Gov. Josh Shapiro unveiled his energy strategy on March 12, a two-pronged approach that would create a carbon cap and trade market in Pennsylvania and boost the amount of clean energy delivered to electric utility consumers in the state.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Increasing participation in the energy transition: Making community energy cooperatives more diverse
The term "community energy" can be applied to a variety of projects, some of which are more grassroots-focused ("grassroots movement"), while others are professionally managed, large-scale energy projects.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

It's hearty, it's meaty, it's mold: Hacking the genome of fungi for smart foods of the future
With animal-free dairy products and convincing vegetarian meat substitutes already on the market, it's easy to see how biotechnology can change the food industry. Advances in genetic engineering are allowing us to harness microorganisms to produce cruelty-free products that are healthy for consumers and healthier for the environment.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

'Just watch us': Gates-backed TerraPower is bullish on being the first next-gen nuclear plant in U.S.
Inside TerraPower's cavernous 65,000 square-foot laboratory north of Seattle, there's a suite of stations for experimenting with new materials and cutting-edge methods for generating nuclear power.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Perovskite solar cells: Vacuum process may offer a short track to commercialization
Research and industry worldwide work on the commercialization of perovskite photovoltaics. Most research laboratories focus on solvent-based manufacturing processes because these methods are versatile and easy to use. Established photovoltaic industries, however, almost exclusively apply vacuum processes for the deposition of high-quality thin films.
March 14th, 2024 — Source or Source

Plant identification via app enables phenological monitoring
Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena and the Ilmenau University of Technology, Germany, have shown that plant observations collected with plant identification apps such as Flora Incognita allow statements to be made about the developmental stages of plants—both on a small scale and across Europe.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Researchers develop a new type of frequency comb that promises to further boost the accuracy of timekeeping
Chip-based devices known as frequency combs, which measure the frequency of light waves with unparalleled precision, have revolutionized timekeeping, the detection of planets outside of our solar system and high-speed optical communication.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Researchers find new ways to regulate hole transport layer for efficient perovskite solar cells
According to a study published in Nano Energy, a research group led by Prof. Chen Chong from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has increased the photoelectric conversion efficiency (PCE) of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) to 24.5%.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Researchers help robots navigate efficiently in uncertain environments
If a robot traveling to a destination has just two possible paths, it needs only to compare the routes' travel time and probability of success. But if the robot is traversing a complex environment with many possible paths, choosing the best route amid so much uncertainty can quickly become an intractable problem.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Researchers offer unique way to monitor carbon emissions in bodies of water
Carbon dioxide emissions are not typically associated with water ways, like streams and rivers, but emerging research shows that water bodies play an important role in storing and releasing carbon dioxide.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Researchers: Sweden has vast 'old growth' forests, but they are being chopped down faster than the Amazon
Most of Europe's natural ecosystems have been lost over the centuries. However, a sizeable amount of natural old forest still exists, especially in the north. These "old-growth" forests are exceptionally valuable as they tend to host more species, store more carbon, and are more resilient to environmental change.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Scientists can now remove nanoplastics from our water with 94% efficiency
University of Waterloo researchers have created a new technology that can remove harmful nanoplastics from contaminated water with 94% efficiency. The study, "Utilization of epoxy thermoset waste to produce activated carbon for the remediation of nano-plastic contaminated wastewater," was published in the journal Separation and Purification Technology.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Shade-grown coffee demonstrates the benefits of combining agriculture and conservation
Increasing shade cover over coffee plants can increase biodiversity and provide new ways to combine agriculture and conservation, a new study has revealed.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Sheep are living their best life at Susquehanna University
They're eating the grass and weeds that grow around the Pennsylvania college's solar array.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Surprising insights about debris flows on Mars
Research pushes the presence of water on Mars further into the past
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Total solar eclipses provide an opportunity to engage with science, culture and history
On April 8, 2024, there will be a total solar eclipse in Canada. This is an opportunity to experience, learn from and participate in the excitement and wonder. And rather than hiding inside, researchers have been communicating how people can safely enjoy this unique opportunity.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

We just had the warmest February on record
February 2024 was the planet's ninth consecutive warmest month on record, according to NOAA.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

What Can A 400 Watt Solar Panel Power?
Electricity changed human history forever. We are desperately reliant on it for everything, even the most basic things like cooking food and heating our homes in some cases. The United States is going through an energy crisis, however, with electricity prices rising all over the country.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

What Happens To Solar Panels At The End Of Their Lifespan?
Few items on a house make it look more futuristic and conscious of the environment than a roof topped off with solar panels. They've become increasingly cost-efficient, and there have been some breakthroughs that may dramatically increase the reliability of solar technology in the future. Solar panels today can last for a couple decades before getting enough of the sun and breaking down
March 14th, 2024 — Source

With discovery of roundworms, Great Salt Lake's imperiled ecosystem gets more interesting
Biologists announce the discovery of numerous species of roundworm in the highly saline waters of Great Salt Lake, the vast terminal lake in northwestern Utah that supports millions of migratory birds. Previously, brine shrimp and brine flies were the only known multicellular animals living in the water column. The scientists found nematodes, belonging to a family known for inhabiting extreme environments, in the lake's microbialites, reef-like structures covering about a fifth of the lakebed.
March 14th, 2024 — Source

Women favor climate actions that benefit future generations more than men, research shows
The decisions we make now inevitably shape the prospects for generations to come. So tackling a long-term problem like climate change raises an intergenerational moral dilemma: should we invest in solutions that might not personally benefit ourselves but will help future generations reach net zero—or should money be spent to ensure everyone right now has the best possible quality of life?
March 14th, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — March 11th, 2024

A Total Solar Eclipse Is 'Radically Different' From a 99% Eclipse, Experts Say
If you live in the US and you've never seen totality, the upcoming April 8 eclipse might be worth going the (literal) extra mile.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

April's eclipse will mean interruptions in solar power generation, which could strain electrical grids
During the most recent total solar eclipse visible in the U.S., on Aug. 21, 2017, the skies darkened as the moon crossed in front of the sun. It blocked out all sunlightâ€"except for that from a golden ring visible around the moon's shape, called the corona. Not surprisingly, solar power generation across North America plummeted for several hours, from the first moment the moon began to obscure the sun to when the sun's disk was clear again.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

Asia Pacific tops list of most impacted by weather perils
Climate change will be the main driver of future economic risks, with countries in the Asia Pacific region among the most vulnerable to extreme weather events, according to new analysis.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

Best Solar Panel Installation Companies in Connecticut
With state-level incentives like property and sales tax exemptions, installing solar panels in Connecticut is a great way to help you save money on your bills.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

Best Solar Panel Installation Companies in New Mexico
With some of the best peak sunlight hours in the country and solid state-level financial incentives, could the switch to clean energy in New Mexico be right for you?
March 11th, 2024 — Source

Best Solar Panel Installation Companies in North Dakota
North Dakota ranks last for solar, but net metering policies and property tax exemptions on solar panels can still help you switch to clean energy in the state.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

'Bypass surgery for the Everglades': Scientists detail latest on restoration efforts
When Steve Davis jumped out of the airboat and into the water in the middle of the Everglades, it rose to just below his waist, higher than last year when it pooled around his knees.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

California can't let big polluters win by undermining climate change disclosure laws
California took a big step last fall when lawmakers passed a pair of laws requiring big companies doing business in the state to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related risks, shining a light on their role in fueling the climate crisis.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

Climate change means beer made from sewer water, says North Carolina brewery
Water? Like from the toilet?
March 11th, 2024 — Source

Cutting carbon emissions on the US power grid: Online model enables users to calculate the least-cost strategy
To help curb climate change, the United States is working to reduce carbon emissions from all sectors of the energy economy. Much of the current effort involves electrification—switching to electric cars for transportation, electric heat pumps for home heating, and so on.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

Europe is not prepared for rapidly growing climate risks, researchers say
Europe is the fastest-warming continent in the world and governments are too slow in taking action to reduce these climate risks. According to co-authors Robbert Biesbroek and Simona Pedde of Wageningen University & Research, many of these risks, which threaten our food security and financial stability, among other things, have already reached critical levels and could become catastrophic without a change of mindset towards urgent and decisive action.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

Europe must do more against 'catastrophic' climate risks: EU
Europe could suffer "catastrophic" consequences from climate change if it fails to take urgent and decisive action to adapt to risks, a new EU analysis warned Monday.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

Four most polluted national park sites are in California
A couple years ago, as part of the Sierra Club's Outdoors for All campaign, Roberto Morales took a group of low-income Los Angeles area residents north to Sequoia National Park to help with a forest restoration project.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

How nature-based knowledge can restore local ecosystems and improve community well-being
Organizations in the food and agriculture sector have been looking to nature for inspiration to improve soil health, maintain water quality and foster local food security in the places where they operate.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

In New York City, heat pumps that fit in apartment windows promise big emissions cuts
For 27 years, the heat in Regina Fred's Queens apartment building came from a noisy steam radiator that she couldn't control and sometimes didn't come on at all, leaving her shivering. Sometimes, the radiators ran so hot that residents had to keep their windows open in the middle of winter for relief.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

New study reveals transgenerational effects of pesticide linuron on frogs
Grand-offspring of male frogs exposed to the pesticide linuron exhibited changes in their DNA that were linked to significant physiological impacts, a study from Stockholm University reveals. The research highlights the profound transgenerational consequences of environmental pollution on amphibian populations, which are already under threat of extinction.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

Pioneering agricultural resilience and sustainability in the face of climate change
With climate change and growing global populations posing increasing threats to food security, the quest for agricultural sustainability and the resilience of crop yields becomes paramount. Current research strategies focus on genetic improvements to cultivate crop varieties better suited to these changes, alongside refining crop management practices to enhance resource efficiency.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

Pressed for space, solar farms are getting creative
Solar power is expected to dominate global electricity markets in the next few decades, and already accounts for three-quarters of renewable energy capacity, according to the International Energy Agency. This year, BloombergNEF predicts solar builds will climb another 25%, adding more than 500 gigawatts of capacity.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

Researchers create global maps to show changes in irrigation across the planet
Of all the ways that humans consume water, there is no practice that uses more water than irrigation, which accounts for more than 90% of humanity's water consumption. While irrigation is necessary to help increase global crop production, it can simultaneously lead to stress on freshwater resources if it is not done in a sustainable manner leaving insufficient supply for nature and for other human needs.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

Researchers discover new insights hiding above a 60-year-old fire
Microbes are vital to maintaining healthy, fertile soil, which, in turn, is vital to the overall health of ecosystems. But what happens to these microbes when humans cause long-term damage to the environment?
March 11th, 2024 — Source

Restored coral reefs can grow as fast as healthy reefs after just four years, researchers find
The coral reefs of south Sulawesi are some of the most diverse, colorful and vibrant in the world. At least, they used to be, until they were decimated by dynamite fishing in the 1990s.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

Rock weathering and climate: Low-relief mountain ranges are largest carbon sinks
How erosion and weathering affect the co2 budget over millions of years
March 11th, 2024 — Source

Root phenotyping research: Automated total root length estimation from in situ images without segmentation
Climate change stresses severely limit crop yields, with root traits playing a vital role in stress tolerance, thus highlighting the importance of root phenotyping for crop improvement. Recent advances in image-based root phenotyping, particularly through the minirhizotron (MR) technique, offer insights into root dynamics under stress. However, the manual and subjective nature of MR image analysis poses significant challenges.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

Satellite measurements show that global carbon emissions are still rising
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), human activities have significantly impacted the planet. As global greenhouse gas emissions (mainly carbon dioxide) have continued to increase, so too have global temperatures with severe ecological consequences. Between 2011 and 2020, global surface temperatures rose by an estimated 1.07°C (2.01°F) above the average in 1850â€"1900.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

Scientists Discover the World's Oldest Fossilized Forest in Wales
The forest stood some 390 million years ago when life on Earth looked much different than it does today.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

Scientists design bifunctional catalyst to address environmental pollution problems
A team of researchers from Bohai University in China has designed and synthesized a bifunctional catalyst that can solve the environmental pollution caused by mustard gas and phenolic compounds.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

Scientists reveal effect of land conditions on Asian monsoon climate
Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have used numerical simulations to show how conditions on land impact weather during Asian summer monsoons. Focusing on the Tibetan plateau, they studied how varied land conditions combined with fixed maritime conditions illuminate the specific effects of the land on the weather.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

Shields up: New ideas might make active shielding viable
Active shielding was first proposed in the '60s. We're finally close to making it work.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

Study explores impacts of Arctic warming on daily weather patterns in the US
Arctic sea ice is shrinking as the world continues to warm, and a new study led by researchers at Penn State may provide a better understanding of how the loss of this ice may impact daily weather in the middle latitudes, including the United States.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

Study raises concerns over rising river temperatures in Scotland
Rivers in Scotland's west and northwest could be the most sensitive to climate change and should be monitored more closely, according to a study, published in the journal, Science of The Total Environment, by scientists at The James Hutton Institute and the University of Aberdeen.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

Tesla Powerwall 2 Review: A Well-Rounded Solar Battery With a Lower Price
The Tesla Powerwall is CNET's best overall solar battery for its well-rounded specs, few weaknesses and cheaper price.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

The Great Barrier Reef's latest bout of bleaching is the fifth in eight summers—the corals now have almost no reprieve
For the fifth time in just the past eight summers "2016, 2017, 2020, 2022 and now 2024" huge swathes of the Great Barrier Reef are experiencing extreme heat stress that has triggered yet another episode of mass coral bleaching.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

The world is not moving fast enough on climate change—social sciences can help explain why
In late 2023 the United States government released its Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA). The NCA is a semi-regular summation of the impacts of climate change upon the U.S. and the fifth assessment was notable for being the first to include a chapter on social systems and justice.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

Total solar eclipse 2024: The moon's moment in the sun
On April 8, 2024, much of North America will experience a solar eclipse: a cosmic alignment of sun, moon, and Earth, in that order. The moon's shadow path will make landfall on Mexico's Pacific coast, cross the United States from Texas to Maine, and exit North America via Newfoundland, Canada, continuing into the Atlantic Ocean.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

We need to talk about food prices
They're one indicator of the havoc that climate change is wreaking.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

Why more CO² could be bad news for crops
Carbon dioxide can boost photosynthesis, but that benefit can be outweighed by an increased risk of damage from extreme weather.
March 11th, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — March 8th, 2024

5 Common Myths About Solar Panels: And The Facts Behind Them
The equipment required for a solar power system varies slightly depending on whether it's off-grid or grid-tied. However, both types start with solar panels. Solar panels contain multiple photovoltaic (PV) cells, also known as solar cells, that use the sun's energy to excite electrons and create streams of electricity.
March 8th, 2024 — Source

A new approach to 24/7 air quality monitoring using cameras
Air pollution is a critical global health issue, demanding innovative monitoring solutions. Traditional methods, reliant on ground stations, are expensive and geographically limited, hindering comprehensive coverage.
March 8th, 2024 — Source

Can we connect renewable energy hubs with electricity consumption hubs?
A new approach to grid planning could make it possible to power your home with the nation's best and lowest-cost wind and solar energy, no matter where you live.
March 8th, 2024 — Source

Detroiters more likely to support local solar development if they think it reduces energy prices for their community
Michigan residents overwhelmingly want more solar power.
March 8th, 2024 — Source

Good news for coral reef restoration efforts: Study finds 'full recovery' of reef growth within four years
While the majority of the world's reefs are now under threat or even damaged potentially beyond repair, a new study offers some encouraging news: efforts to restore coral reefs not only increase coral cover, but they can also bring back important ecosystem functions, and surprisingly fast.
March 8th, 2024 — Source

Google's super high-tech new office building has terrible Wi-Fi
Is that weird roof design to blame?
March 8th, 2024 — Source

High-energy laser weapons: How they work, what they are used for
Nations around the world are rapidly developing high-energy laser weapons for military missions on land and sea, and in the air and space. Visions of swarms of small, inexpensive drones filling the skies or skimming across the waves are motivating militaries to develop and deploy laser weapons as an alternative to costly and potentially overwhelmed missile-based defenses.
March 8th, 2024 — Source

How green corridors are breathing new life into French forests
In the summer of 2008, during a family holiday road trip, we passed by the Aquitaine region in southwestern France. As we drove through a sprawling woodland, a mesmerizing sight unfolded before my eyes: a meticulously ordered army of trees, standing tall and proud. It could have been an army regiment classified by age.
March 8th, 2024 — Source

Improving wood products could be a key to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, researchers suggest
Harnessing the ability of wood products to store carbon even after harvest could have a significant effect on greenhouse gas emissions and change commonly accepted forestry practices, a new study from NC State researchers suggests.
March 8th, 2024 — Source

Inland waters are a blind spot in greenhouse gas emissions
In a new review published in theJournal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, Qianqian Yang and colleagues summarize what's known about carbon dioxide and methane release from China's inland waterways and suggest that a widespread monitoring network could help researchers understand this important aspect of climate change.
March 8th, 2024 — Source

Irrigation tech startup led by farming experts blossoms with revenue growth and new cash
New name, new funding: CODA Farm Technologies, an agtech company founded by two brothers with farming roots, has changed its name and landed some cash. The startup, based north of Seattle, has raised a $750,000 seed round and is now FarmHQ, which is also the name of its irrigation hardware and software platform.
March 8th, 2024 — Source

Mapping the future's sweet spot for clean energy and biodiversity
Climate change is driving both the loss of biodiversity and the need for clean, renewable energy. It is also shifting where species are expected to live in the future. Yet these realities are rarely considered together. Where can clean energy projects be built without impacting the future habitat ranges of threatened and endangered species?
March 8th, 2024 — Source

Open creativity: Increased creativity due to network relationships
A paper published in International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management aims to show that the network of frequent relationships established between agents in coworking environments, through weak ties, increases the generation of ideas. The paper is titled "Open Creativity: Increased Creativity Due to Network Relationships in Coworking Environments."
March 8th, 2024 — Source

Physicists develop a modular robot with liquid and solid properties
Schools of fish, colonies of bees, and murmurations of starlings (Youtube) exhibit swarming behavior in nature, flowing like a liquid in synchronized, shape-shifting coordination. Through the lens of fluid mechanics, swarming is of particular interest to physicists like Heinrich Jaeger, the University of Chicago Sewell Avery Distinguished Service Professor in Physics and the James Franck Institute, and James Franck Institute research staff scientist Baudouin Saintyves, who apply physics principles to the development of modular, adaptive robotics.
March 8th, 2024 — Source

Primatologist observes how monkeys change behavior to survive deforestation
Deep within the forest, monkeys can be very social creatures: they play, fight, vocalize, and even groom one another within their social groups. But as University of Toronto Mississauga primatologist Laura Bolt and her colleagues have recently discovered, these primates are quick to alter their natural social behaviors—and adopt new ones to ensure their survival—when their environments are impacted through deforestation.
March 8th, 2024 — Source

Reduced red meat intake could hit Scotland climate goals
Scotland could make significant progress towards its climate change targets by reducing meat consumption in line with existing dietary advice, research shows.
March 8th, 2024 — Source

Research links rapidly evolving photovoltaic module technologies with potential reliability impacts
Historically, photovoltaic (PV) modules have demonstrated high reliability, making them a dependable and growing part of global decarbonization efforts. PV module technology also has a history of iteration and evolution over time, with potential impacts for module reliability.
March 8th, 2024 — Source

Solar Loans: What They Are and How to Get One
Solar panel systems can cost tens of thousands of dollars, and most people can't pay that much in cash upfront. Here's how to get solar-specific financing.
March 8th, 2024 — Source

Solar project at Fort Lauderdale park keeps basketball players cool
Solar panels shade an open-air pavilion and supply clean power to the nearby African American Research Library and Cultural Center.
March 8th, 2024 — Source

The warmest winter in U.S. history leaves its mark
Snow cover was scarce, the Great Lakes were mostly ice-free, and a million-acre wildfire tore across Texas.
March 8th, 2024 — Source

Transcription factors that regulate development of light organs and bioluminescence in firefly identified
Two bio-researchers, one with Huazhong Agricultural University, the other the Firefly Conservation Research Center, both in China, have identified the key transcription factors that regulate the development of light organs and bioluminescence in the firefly.
March 8th, 2024 — Source

Two former CloudKitchens execs are tackling Mexico's solar power lag
For a country with some very sunny regions, Mexico has strikingly little solar power. At just over 10 gigawatts of solar capacity, it has one-eighth that of Germany, a country with less sunlight and 40% fewer people.
March 8th, 2024 — Source

Warmest US winter on record
This winter was the warmest ever recorded in the mainland United States, data showed Friday—the latest sign the world is moving towards an unprecedented era as a result of the climate crisis.
March 8th, 2024 — Source

Wind power surge: China's push towards a green future
The push for renewable energy is critical in addressing climate change, with wind power at the forefront. As the leading emitter of greenhouse gases, China has embarked on a transformative journey towards greener alternatives, aiming for carbon neutrality by 2060.
March 8th, 2024 — Source

Wood: Building on an abundant natural resource
Forests in the EU can help green the European construction industry and bolster a continent-wide push for architectural improvements.
March 8th, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — March 6th, 2024

A new triple-junction tandem solar cells with world-record efficiency
Scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a novel triple-junction perovskite/Si tandem solar cell that can achieve a certified world-record power conversion efficiency of 27.1 per cent across a solar energy absorption area of 1 sq cm, representing the best-performing triple-junction perovskite/Si tandem solar cell thus far.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

Ammonia production is filthy. This 'nitrolyzer' could clean it up
The machine can make zero-emission ammonia fertiliser directly at the farm
March 6th, 2024 — Source

Babylon Micro-Farms is bringing vertical farming to K-12 classes
In an e-mail exchange, Babylon Micro-Farms CEO Alexander Oleson tells me "we'll have these in every school and apartment one day." It's a nice vision, and really the level of belief/commitment required to run a startup — particularly in a field as oft-fraught at vertical farming.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

Birds, beetles, bugs could help replace pesticides: Study
Natural predators like birds, beetles and bugs might be an effective alternative to pesticides, keeping crop-devouring pests populations down while boosting crop yields, researchers said Wednesday.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

Cities are sinking, and it's making them more vulnerable to climate change
Sea level rise is a bigger problem for cities where land is sinking.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

Comparable net radiation between the high-elevation Tibetan Plateau and the low-elevation Yangtze River region: Study
Land--atmosphere interactions play a crucial role in shaping Earth's climate system, profoundly influencing weather patterns, climate variables, and ecological processes. Despite being located at similar latitudes, the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and Yangtze River region (YRR) represent two distinct climate zones, garnering significant attention in this field.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

Comparison of diploid and triploid hybrid fish from the same parents
The determination of animal growth rate and body size is an interesting scientific issue, and understanding the molecular mechanisms involved can guide agricultural production for genetic breeding.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

Designing a drone that uses adaptive invisibility: Towards autonomous sea-land-air cloaks
The idea of objects seamlessly disappearing, not just in controlled laboratory environments but also in real-world scenarios, has long captured the popular imagination. This concept epitomizes the trajectory of human civilization, from primitive camouflage techniques to the sophisticated metamaterial-based cloaks of today.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

Heat pumps are keeping homes warm in Maine
Even in below-zero temperatures, electric heat pumps can be an effective and cost-effective heating option.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

How much energy will new semiconductor factories burn through in the US?
Semiconductor factories are coming back to the US, and they're going to use a lot of energy.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

Ice cores suggest 16th-century pandemics may have caused declines in atmospheric CO²
hanges in human activity may have led to atmospheric CO² levels declining in the 16th century, due to large-scale land use changes in the Americas during New World-Old World contact between 1450 and 1700 CE, suggests a Nature Communications paper. The findings are based on data from an Antarctic ice core, dated up to about 500 years old.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

In peatland soil, a warmer climate and elevated carbon dioxide rapidly alter soil organic matter
Soils in northern freshwater wetlands, called peatlands, are cold, water-saturated, and acidic. These conditions slow microbes' decomposition of organic matter into greenhouse gases. This process stores carbon in the soil.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

India's 'drone sisters' steer farming and social change
Once a housewife in rural India, Sharmila Yadav always wanted to be a pilot and is now living her dream remotely, flying a heavy-duty drone across the skies to cultivate the country's picturesque farmlands.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

Invasive plant time bombs: A hidden ecological threat
Invasive plants can stay dormant for decades or even centuries after they have been introduced into an environment before rapidly expanding and wreaking ecological havoc, according to a new study led by the University of California, Davis.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

IONIX Exposure Validation identifies and prioritizes exploitable vulnerabilities
IONIX announced a significant extension to its Attack Surface Management (ASM) platform, Automated Exposure Validation.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

It's time we include cities and regions as equal partners in global climate negotiations
Last year's UN climate conference (COP28) made history in Dubai by introducing—for the very first time—language on "transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems" in the final version of the negotiated text.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

Metal-organic framework research makes key advance toward removing pesticide from groundwater
Scientists led by an Oregon State University chemistry researcher are closing in on a new tool for tackling the global problem of weedkiller-tainted groundwater.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

Microbes impact coral bleaching susceptibility, new study shows
A new study provides insights into the role of microbes and their interaction as drivers of interspecific differences in coral thermal bleaching. The study was published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

Nature experiences may hold the key to a healthier relationship with time
According to a new study published in People and Nature, there is mounting evidence that nature can help humans address the time pressure of contemporary urban lifestyles by contributing to the regulation of the human sense of time.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

Nanodevices can produce energy from evaporating tap or seawater
Evaporation is a natural process so ubiquitous that most of us take it for granted. In fact, roughly half of the solar energy that reaches the earth drives evaporative processes. Since 2017, researchers have been working to harness the energy potential of evaporation via the hydrovoltaic (HV) effect, which allows electricity to be harvested when fluid is passed over the charged surface of a nanoscale device.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

New deep-sea worm discovered at methane seep off Costa Rica
Greg Rouse, a marine biologist at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and other researchers have discovered a new species of deep-sea worm living near a methane seep some 50 kilometers (30 miles) off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Rouse, curator of the Scripps Benthic Invertebrate Collection, co-authored a study describing the new species in the journal PLOS ONE.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

New hydrogen producing method is simpler and safer
Researchers in Sweden unveiled a new concept for producing hydrogen energy more efficiently, splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen without the dangerous risk of mixing the two gases.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

Photocatalytic nonoxidative coupling of methane to ethylene over carbon-doped ZnO/Au catalysts
A study on the photocatalytic nonoxidative coupling of methane to ethylene over carbon-doped ZnO/Au catalysts was published by Prof. Wei Xiao (College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University) and Dr. Yuhao Peng (College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University).
March 6th, 2024 — Source

Q&A: The critical need to address chemical contamination in drinking water
A Special Issue of the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology co-edited by Yale School of Public Health Associate Professor Dr. Nicole Deziel, Ph.D., presents the latest research on exposure, health, and justice issues surrounding chemical contamination in drinking water. This Special Issue includes 17 articles authored by experts from around the globe and across multiple disciplines including environmental engineering, hydrology, exposure science, epidemiology, toxicology, and climate science.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

Renewable Energy used at Canon Manufacturing Sites for Printing Business
Canon converts 100% of power to renewable energy at five manufacturing sites for printing business
March 6th, 2024 — Source

Researchers create viscose from recycled textiles
At present, viscose textiles are made of biomass from the forest, and there is no such thing as fully recycled viscose. Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have now succeeded in making new viscose—from worn-out cotton sheets.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

SEC adopts climate disclosure rules, giving carbon accounting startups firm footing
The SEC voted on Wednesday to require public companies to report a portion of their greenhouse gas emissions and their exposure to risks from climate change.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

SEC says companies must disclose their greenhouse gas emissions — but not all of them
The SEC voted to mandate climate disclosures, but the rules are weaker than it initially proposed.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

Study explains how a fungus can control the corn leafhopper, an extremely harmful pest
The corn leafhopper Dalbulus maidis has become a serious problem for farmers. This tiny insect is now widely distributed in the Americas, from the south of the United States to the north of Argentina. In Brazil, it uses only corn plants as hosts, and little is known about its survival mechanisms in the absence of these plants. In corn, it causes damage directly by sucking sap from the phloem, the vascular tissue that conducts sugar and other metabolic products downward from the leaves.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

The U.S. has never produced more energy than it does today
Oil, gas, and renewables are all growing.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

Understanding wind and water at the equator are key to more accurate future climate projections: Study
Getting climate models to mimic real-time observations when it comes to warming is critical—small discrepancies can lead to misunderstandings about the rate of global warming as the climate changes. A new study from North Carolina State University and Duke University finds that when modeling warming trends in the Pacific Ocean, there is still a missing piece to the modeling puzzle: the effect of wind on ocean currents in the equatorial Pacific.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

Why the US Added a Record Amount of Solar Power in 2023
More than half of the added grid capacity in 2023 was solar energy -- in large part thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act's tax incentives.
March 6th, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — March 4th, 2024

7 Tips to Avoid Getting Ripped Off When Buying Solar Panels
Most people go solar to save money, but getting stuck in a bad deal can actually cost you more. Here's how to avoid a bad solar deal.
March 4th, 2024 — Source

10 Things You Need To Know Before Installing Solar Panels On Your Home
Electricity is a crucial part of daily life. We rely on it to power appliances, and many use electricity to heat their homes and cook food. You can't even search the internet or play video games without electricity. Almost everyone pays for electricity, but how many consider where it comes from?
March 4th, 2024 — Source

As seas rise, task force recommends new bridges for Outer Banks island
Storms have repeatedly isolated North Carolina's Hatteras Island from the mainland.
March 4th, 2024 — Source

Balancing building temperatures sustainably with a device requiring no extra energy
Heating and cooling buildings currently accounts for a significant portion of global energy consumption, posing a challenge for reducing reliance on fossil fuels. By using less energy to heat and cool our buildings, we can take a big step towards sustainable building practices that help reduce or eliminate consumption of fossil fuels for heating and cooling.
March 4th, 2024 — Source

Best Solar Panel Installation Companies in Hawaii
Though state incentives in Hawaii are few and far between, say aloha to solar panels for lower energy costs and a reduced carbon footprint.
March 4th, 2024 — Source

Best Solar Panel Installation Companies in Maine
Higher than average energy prices and decent state solar incentives might mean solar is right for you in the Pine Tree State.
March 4th, 2024 — Source

Best Solar Panel Installation Companies in Wyoming
With relatively low electricity rates and no state incentives, the decision to install rooftop solar in Wyoming will depend on your situation.
March 4th, 2024 — Source

Climate journalism is strong in hard-hit countries
Climate change has disproportionate impacts globally, and in the most vulnerable and impacted countries, journalists report on the issue in unique and in-depth ways, according to a study published in Environmental Research Letters. The study called into question previous research that found news coverage in less-resourced countries lacked journalistic resources and scientific training.
March 4th, 2024 — Source

Conservation value of field research stations grossly misunderstood and underfunded, scientists say
Funding of field conservation research stations worldwide has been drastically reduced since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, raising the alarm of more than 170 conservation researchers representing 157 field stations in 56 countries in a paper published in Conservation Letters.
March 4th, 2024 — Source

Cost of direct air carbon capture to remain higher than hoped
Switzerland plans to reduce its net carbon emissions to zero by no later than 2050. To achieve this, it will need to drastically reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. In its climate strategy, the Swiss government acknowledges that some of these emissions, particularly in agriculture and industry, are difficult or impossible to avoid.
March 4th, 2024 — Source

How one methane scientist influenced Biden's pause on LNG approvals
When the Biden administration paused approval of new liquefied natural gas export licenses in January, the decision was driven by a recognition that the climate impact from the fossil fuel needs to be reassessed.
March 4th, 2024 — Source

How to Deal With Aggressive Solar Salespeople
Here's how to spot red flags, handle aggressive "sales bros" and get the best deal when shopping for solar panels.
March 4th, 2024 — Source

How to normalize the climate conversation
It can be hard to talk to our loved ones about climate change and not 'give a talk.'
March 4th, 2024 — Source

Less ice in the Arctic ocean has complex effects on marine ecosystems and ocean productivity, study finds
Over the past 25 years, the amount of summer Arctic sea ice has diminished by more than 1 million square kilometers. As a result, vast areas of the Arctic Ocean are now, on average, ice-free in summer. Scientists are closely monitoring how this impacts sunlight availability and marine ecosystems in the far north.
March 4th, 2024 — Source

Mantle convection linked to seaway closure that transformed Earth's oceanographic circulation patterns
Continental drift is a concept familiar to many, referencing the movement of Earth's continents due to shifting tectonic plates over millions of years, splitting one globe-spanning supercontinent into the configuration we see today. Alongside this there have been smaller land mass movements that have opened seaways, affecting ocean circulation patterns and climate.
March 4th, 2024 — Source

Micron New York mega fab faces an environmental exam
At least the US Army is thinking about the frogs in those 226 acres of wetland
March 4th, 2024 — Source

MRI shows how crown rot infection progresses in strawberries
Researchers from the Department of Technical Physics and the Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences at the University of Eastern Finland have used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate how the pathogen Phytophthora cactorum affects the growth and development of strawberry plants. This pathogen causes crown rot in strawberries and can lead to significant losses on horticultural crops.
March 4th, 2024 — Source

Multiple spacecraft tell the story of one giant solar storm
April 17, 2021, was a day like any other day on the sun, until a brilliant flash erupted and an enormous cloud of solar material billowed away from our star. Such outbursts from the sun are not unusual, but this one was unusually widespread, hurling high-speed protons and electrons at velocities nearing the speed of light and striking several spacecraft across the inner solar system.
March 4th, 2024 — Source

New ocean thermal energy device under construction in Canary Islands
The project is pumping new life into a 140-year-old idea
March 4th, 2024 — Source

Researchers reveal anomalous heating in the sun's upper atmosphere
In a study published in The Astrophysical Journal, researchers from the Yunnan Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences depicted a complete physical image of the anomalous heating in the upper atmosphere of the sun (the solar corona and the solar chromosphere).
March 4th, 2024 — Source

Researchers succeed at generating 3D visualizations of chloroplasts' copying machines
For life on Earth, it is essential that plants carry out photosynthesis and ultimately produce oxygen and chemical energy with the help of sunlight. Researchers from Göttingen and Hannover have now succeeded for the first time in visualizing the copying machine of chloroplasts, the RNA polymerase PEP, in high-resolution 3D.
March 4th, 2024 — Source

River pollution is causing harmful outbreaks of sewage fungus in the UK
The pollution of the UK's waterways and coastlines with sewage is throwing its ecosystems out of balance. One well documented example is the spread of microscopic bacteria that can multiply rapidly into algal blooms, causing extensive dead zones once oxygen in the water has been used up.
March 4th, 2024 — Source

"There was no sea ice this year"
In Savoonga's realm, where ice once reigned, Whispers weave a haunting tale, an Arctic refrain. "No sea ice this year," the villagers cried, Their ancestral Yupik traditions, in climate's grip, denied.
March 4th, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — March 2nd, 2024

A strategy to further boost the efficiency of copper indium gallium selenide solar cells
Until recently, chalcopyrite-based solar cells have achieved a maximum energy conversion efficiency of 23.35%, as reported in 2019 by Solar Frontier, a former Solar Energy company based in Japan. Further boosting this efficiency, however, has so far proved challenging.
March 2nd, 2024 — Source

Best Portable Solar Panels of 2024
When you need to charge away from home, a portable solar panel can help. Here are CNET's favorites.
March 2nd, 2024 — Source

In wake of powerful cyclone, remarkable recovery of Pacific island's forests
After one of the most intense cyclones in world history tore through the Pacific island of Tanna in Vanuatu, new research led by the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa showed the resilience of the island's forests.
March 2nd, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — March 1st, 2024

A Major Source of Toxic PFAS Has Been Eliminated, FDA Says
Manufacturers have stopped selling grease-proof food packaging coatings that contains the harmful chemicals. It's a key step, but it's not the end of PFAS.
March 1st, 2024 — Source

African savanna antelopes need space to survive climate changes
Human-caused environmental changes threaten natural ecosystems. These ecosystems are essential to creating and maintaining a rich, resilient, and adaptable biosphere. In East Africa's savanna, antelope populations are vital for a healthy and functioning ecosystem.
March 1st, 2024 — Source

Baiting foxes can make feral cats even more 'brazen,' study of 1.5 million forest photos shows
Foxes and cats kill about 2.6 billion mammals, birds and reptiles across Australia, every year. To save native species from extinction, we need to protect them from these introduced predators. But land managers tend to focus on foxes, which are easier to control. Unfortunately this may have unintended consequences.
March 1st, 2024 — Source

Building bionic jellyfish for ocean exploration
Jellyfish can't do much besides swim, sting, eat, and breed. They don't even have brains. Yet, these simple creatures can easily journey to the depths of the oceans in a way that humans, despite all our sophistication, cannot.
March 1st, 2024 — Source

Clean energy is growing, but so is planet-heating pollution
Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions hit a new high in 2023.
March 1st, 2024 — Source

Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions hit record levels in 2023: IEA
Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions rose to a record level in 2023, but the growth slowed from previous years thanks to continued expansion of clean technologies, the International Energy Agency said Friday.
March 1st, 2024 — Source

Faulty warnings, deforestation turned Philippine rains 'deadly': Study
Faulty warning systems, poverty and deforestation of mountains in the southern Philippines turned recent unseasonably heavy rains into deadly disasters, scientists said in a report Friday.
March 1st, 2024 — Source

Go ahead and alter the atmosphere, no one's going to stop you — probably
Countries tried and failed to establish tougher ground rules for solar geoengineering.
March 1st, 2024 — Source

How will space transform the global food system?
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), global agricultural production will need to increase by 60% by 2050 to meet the food demands of the growing global population.
March 1st, 2024 — Source

Hurricanes and power grids: Eliminating large-scale outages with a new approach
Large scale-power outages caused by tropical cyclones can be prevented almost entirely if a small but critical set of power lines is protected against storm damages, a new study published in Nature Energy finds. Scientists from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) developed a new method that can be used to identify those critical lines and increase the system's resilience.
March 1st, 2024 — Source

Is marijuana bad for the climate?
Indoor cannabis farms consume lots of electricity, boosting their carbon footprints.
March 1st, 2024 — Source

Lianas, trees show varied stem xylem structure-function link
The xylem of the plant stem performs several important functions. Elucidating the coordination or trade-offs between xylem functions is critical for understanding plant ecological strategy and adaptation to different environments. However, how xylem cell tissues influence their functions among different growth forms remains unresolved.
March 1st, 2024 — Source

Livestock guardian dogs create landscape of fear for predators
A new study reveals how Livestock Guardian Dogs change predator behavior in ways that both protect livestock and support conservation efforts.
March 1st, 2024 — Source

Measuring and modeling methane emissions in wetlands
Global atmospheric methane concentrations have risen steadily since 2006. Growth in agriculture, transportation, and industry are partly to blame, but so too is the rise in biogenic emissions, or emissions from natural sources.
March 1st, 2024 — Source

Not such a bright idea: Cooling the Earth by reflecting sunlight back to space is a dangerous distraction
The United Nations Environment Assembly this week considered a resolution on solar radiation modification, which refers to controversial technologies intended to mask the heating effect of greenhouse gases by reflecting some sunlight back to space.
March 1st, 2024 — Source

Questioning cloud's environmental impact
Cloud can be a green technology, but not without significant planning and up-front work that most enterprises are reluctant to fund.
March 1st, 2024 — Source

Researchers use GPS-tracked icebergs in novel study to improve climate models
Over the last four decades, warming climate and ocean temperatures have rapidly altered the Greenland Ice Sheet, creating concern for marine ecosystems and weather patterns worldwide. The environment has challenged scientists in their attempts to measure how water moves around and melts the ice sheet because equipment can be destroyed by icebergs floating near the glaciers.
March 1st, 2024 — Source

Satellite Photos and AI Combine to Reveal Secret Roads Damaging Rainforests
Scientists used AI to analyze satellite images and find the secret, unmapped roads that are destroying rainforests.
March 1st, 2024 — Source

Scientists propose new method for tracking elusive origins of CO² emissions from streams
Process called carbonate buffering acts as a reserve for CO² fluxes and makes it difficult to track where emissions come from
March 1st, 2024 — Source

Syrenna's WaterDrone is the ocean-monitoring 'underwater weather station' of the future
As crucial as the ocean is to countless industries, we lack the kind of systematic knowledge of it that we have of the surface. Syrenna has built a versatile robotic platform that you might think of as a mobile weather station for the sea, and is ready to emerge from stealth to enable precise, real-time monitoring of Earth's largest liquid asset.
March 1st, 2024 — Source

The artistic flair inspiring greener European cities
Arts and culture can bring imagination and momentum to projects for putting urban neighborhoods more in tune with nature.
March 1st, 2024 — Source

World resource extraction could surge 60% by 2060, UN warns
Extraction of Earth's natural resources could surge 60 percent by 2060, imperiling climate goals and economic prosperity, the UN said Friday, calling for dramatic changes in energy, food, transport and housing.
March 1st, 2024 — Source

Zombie climate myths that refuse to die (feat. Bob Henson)
As soon as you kill one of these climate change myths, another rises from the dead
March 1st, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — February 28th, 2024

A Deep Dive Into 8K: Underwater Cinematographer Pawel Achtel on New Era of High-Resolution Filmmaking
The world of videography and filmmaking is constantly evolving, with new technologies pushing the boundaries of what's possible. The latest of these technologies is 8K resolution video which offers a new level of detail and clarity that was previously unimaginable. With 8K, filmmakers and videographers can capture images — both above and below sea level — in incredible precision and realism, giving TV viewers a truly immersive viewing experience.
February 28th, 2024 — Source

AI protects power grid from fluctuations caused by renewables and EVs
They may be better for the planet but when combined, renewable energy and electric vehicles may also destabilize power grids, setting in motion a range of problems from malfunctioning laptops to regional blackouts. That's because random variations in supply and demand place pressure on the network's capacity to maintain a steady voltage level.
February 28th, 2024 — Source

AI sorts public photos to show recovering pacific humpback whales hit climate ceiling
Scientists have found that recovering humpback whales in the North Pacific are now responding to shifts in food availability affected by climate change.
February 28th, 2024 — Source

Climate change threatens thousands of archaeological sites in coastal Georgia
Thousands of historic and archaeological sites in Georgia are at risk from tropical storm surges, and that number will increase with climate change, according to a study published in PLOS ONE by Matthew D. Howland and Victor D. Thompson of Wichita State University and the University of Georgia.
February 28th, 2024 — Source

Diffusion transformers are the key behind OpenAI's Sora — and they're set to upend GenAI
OpenAI's Sora, which can generate videos and interactive 3D environments on the fly, is a remarkable demonstration of the cutting edge in GenAI — a bona fide milestone.
February 28th, 2024 — Source

High schoolers helped develop Tuscon's climate action plan
They may not be able to vote yet, but they're already having an influence.
February 28th, 2024 — Source

I'm a doctor. Here's what Western medicine misunderstands about nature.
It takes a dangerously short-sighted approach.
February 28th, 2024 — Source

Lululemon hires fossil fuel-linked PR firm in the face of greenwashing allegations
Athleisure and activewear giant, lululemon, has hired a PR firm to face the greenwashing allegations made earlier this month by a nonprofit organization. The firm, Edelman, is known for its connections to the fossil fuel industry. Head below to learn more.
February 28th, 2024 — Source

Michael Mann beat his defamers. But climate scientists are still under attack.
Climate scientists report that death threats and online harassment are causing anxiety, sleeping problems, and loss of productivity.
February 28th, 2024 — Source

Nature's sonar: Scientists reveal how Japanese horseshoe bats perceive moving objects
Unlike most animals that rely on visual senses, bats navigate and locate prey or obstacles through echolocation. By emitting sounds and comparing them to the reflected echoes, bats can "visualize" movement in the environment.
February 28th, 2024 — Source

Predatory insects protect apples from pests when flowers are planted on farms, finds study
Bugs including hoverflies, lacewings and ladybirds play an important role in keeping Britain's apples healthy, a new study has shown.
February 28th, 2024 — Source

Prospects for battery recycling in Latin America
Reuse and recycling are core elements of a sustainable approach to used lithium-ion batteries in Latin America. This is essential to conserve valuable resources and avoid climate-damaging greenhouse gas emissions. The application of tried-and-proven best practices here would potentially avoid the disposal of up to two million tons of batteries as waste and enable up to 2.8 million tons to be recycled in the region by 2050.
February 28th, 2024 — Source

Reducing halide segregation in wide-bandgap mixed-halide perovskite solar cells using redox mediators
Multi-junction solar cells, solar cells comprised of many individual semiconductor junctions stacked together, have the potential of outperforming single-junction solar cells both in terms of efficiency and stability. In recent years, material scientists and engineers have been trying to identify viable material combinations for fabricating these solar cells.
February 28th, 2024 — Source

Researchers develop a more precise carbon footprint measurement method
by Jennifer Opel, Bayreuth University
February 28th, 2024 — Source

Researchers found 37 mine sites in Australia that could be converted into renewable energy storage
The world is rapidly moving towards a renewable energy future. To support the transition, we must prepare backup energy supplies for times when solar panels and wind turbines are not producing enough electricity.
February 28th, 2024 — Source

Researchers: We can't say yet if grid-breaking thunderstorms are getting worse, but we shouldn't wait to find out
On February 13, six transmission line towers in Victoria were destroyed by extreme wind gusts from thunderstorms, leading to forced electricity outages affecting tens of thousands of people. The intense winds knocked trees onto local power lines or toppled the poles, which caused about 500,000 people to lose power.
February 28th, 2024 — Source

Scalable photoelectrochemical system for solar hydrogen possible, if made from efficient all-perovskite materials
Our recent article published in Nature Energy relates our first attempt at the development of a scalable photoelectrochemical (PEC) system to produce green hydrogen.
February 28th, 2024 — Source

Study reveals accelerated soil priming under climate warming
A first-of-its-kind study led by researchers at the University of Oklahoma highlights a crucial biosphere feedback mechanism and its effects on releasing soil carbon into the atmosphere.
February 28th, 2024 — Source

Study unlocks nanoscale secrets for designing next-generation solar cells
Perovskites, a broad class of compounds with a particular kind of crystal structure, have long been seen as a promising alternative or supplement to today's silicon or cadmium telluride solar panels. They could be far more lightweight and inexpensive, and could be coated onto virtually any substrate, including paper or flexible plastic that could be rolled up for easy transport.
February 28th, 2024 — Source or Source

The importance of critical minerals should not condone their extraction at all costs, says researcher
Global warming is real and climate change is worsening day-by-day with raging forest fires, unseasonably warm winters and flooding disasters taking place across Canada. Meanwhile, the carbon-zero transition required to move away from such a dire future is hampered by a key weakness—"critical minerals."
February 28th, 2024 — Source

Unlocking the ocean's secrets: Next-gen tech for precision seafloor mapping
The exploration of oceanic resources through seismic methods necessitates precise seafloor geophone positioning. Traditional techniques, however, grapple with issues such as the influence of outliers, suboptimal use of precise observations, and the inefficiency of real-time data processing.
February 28th, 2024 — Source

Under climate change, catastrophic bushfires in Australia can strike any time
Victorians were braced for the worst on Wednesday amid soaring temperatures and gusty winds, creating the state's worst fire conditions in years. Authorities have declared a "catastrophic" fire risk in some parts of the state.
February 28th, 2024 — Source

Urban nature is often plentiful but inaccessible, says study
Living near parks, trees, streams, coastlines, and other green and blue natural features may promote physical and mental well-being.
February 28th, 2024 — Source

Want fewer microplastics in your tap water? Try boiling it first
Nano- and microplastics are seemingly everywhere—water, soil and the air. While many creative strategies have been attempted to get rid of these plastic bits, one unexpectedly effective solution for specifically cleaning up drinking water might be as simple as brewing a cup of tea or coffee.
February 28th, 2024 — Source

Where does lightning strike? New maps pinpoint 36.8 million yearly ground strike points in unprecedented detail
It's been a warm day, maybe even a little humid, and the tall clouds in the distance remind you of cauliflower. You hear a sharp crack, like the sound of a batter hitting a home run, or a low rumble reminiscent of a truck driving down the highway. A distant thunderstorm, alive with lightning, is making itself known.
February 28th, 2024 — Source

World must act to stem surge of polluting trash, UN warns
The world generated 2.3 billion tonnes of municipal waste last year and the pile of trash is set to grow another two-thirds by 2050, the UN said Wednesday, warning of devastating costs for health, economies and the environment.
February 28th, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — February 27th, 2024

Advancing climate change research and policy demands knowledge from Indigenous Peoples, study says
As you read this, many regions of the world are implementing crisis plans against drought while, simultaneously, torrential rains wreak havoc in other corners of the planet, submerging cities and crops under the forces of wild waters.
February 27th, 2024 — Source

Antarctica provides at least $276 billion a year in economic benefits to the world, new research finds
All humanity benefits from Antarctica and the Southern Ocean that surrounds it. To some, these benefits may seem priceless. But in our market-driven world, calculating the economic value of the environment can be a useful tool in garnering support for its protection.
February 27th, 2024 — Source

Herbaria's use and importance grows with climate change
There are more than 350,000 species of flowering plants on Earth, yet only 12 of them separate humans from starvation. And, Charles Davis says, 2 out of 5 plant species are likely to go extinct in the near future because of land use and climatic changes caused by people.
February 27th, 2024 — Source

Improving organic solar cells with propeller-shaped isomers
Imagine technology as a race car speeding down a track -- it can only go as fast as its engine allows. But just when it seemed like organic solar cells hit a roadblock, along comes 3PNIN, a game-changing molecule shaped like a propeller, ready to turbocharge their progress and break through barriers.
February 27th, 2024 — Source

Novel nanocrystal harnesses full solar spectrum for hydrogen production
The sunlight received by Earth is a mixed bag of wavelengths ranging from ultraviolet to visible to infrared. Each wavelength carries inherent energy that, if effectively harnessed, holds great potential to facilitate solar hydrogen production and diminish reliance on non-renewable energy sources.
February 27th, 2024 — Source

To collaborate or confront? New research provides key insights for environmental NGOs
Just after dawn, volunteers for a Toronto-based NGO called the Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP) Canada make their way along the streets of the city's downtown core. FLAP's mission is to limit the number of migratory birds injured or killed due to collisions with windows.
February 27th, 2024 — Source

Vital seagrasses in gulf of Mexico are retreating amid rapid sea level rise
The Gulf of Mexico is experiencing sea level rise two to three times as fast as the global average due to a combination of warmer waters and wind circulation patterns. Now, a newly released long-term study from marine scientists at The University of Texas at Austin has found rising sea levels can be linked to a loss of valuable seagrass habitats in Texas.
February 27th, 2024 — Source

We must cut carbon from industry. Here's how we can do it.
An excerpt from "Zero-Carbon Industry," a new book by Jeffrey Rissman, senior director of the industry program at nonpartisan think tank Energy Innovation.
February 27th, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — February 26th, 2024

A new theoretical development clarifies water's electronic structure
There is no doubt that water is significant. Without it, life would never have begun, let alone continue today—not to mention its role in the environment itself, with oceans covering over 70% of Earth.
February 26th, 2024 — Source

All this climate data is wild
Animals wearing sensors gather tremendous amounts of data from forbidding regions such as high altitudes, ocean depths, and frozen areas near the poles.
February 26th, 2024 — Source

Catalyst combines vanadium-based components and nitrogen-doped biomass carbon for pollutant removal
Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans are dangerous pollutants due to their carcinogenicity and persistence in the environment. Traditional catalytic oxidation methods for their removal face challenges like high cost and inefficiency at lower temperatures.
February 26th, 2024 — Source

Converting vacant offices to apartments would be a win for the climate
Repurposing a building reduces the need for new concrete and steel, which create a lot of carbon pollution during manufacturing.
February 26th, 2024 — Source

Ditching meat could release vital land to produce energy and remove carbon from the atmosphere—new study
A radical reduction in the amount of meat, dairy and other products sourced from animals is possible in the coming decades, as people turn to an increasing variety of alternatives. This would unlock vast amounts of land currently used to rear animals and to grow crops that feed them.
February 26th, 2024 — Source

Electrification of society is putting major demands on supply security, say researchers
Power cuts can be caused by heavy snow and icing, as well as lightning strikes and strong winds bringing down power lines. Together with more extreme weather events, Norway is also facing a major power supply deficit. So what can we do to avoid a total electricity crisis?
February 26th, 2024 — Source

Energy-saving electrochemical hydrogen production via co-generative strategies in hybrid water electrolysis
With the increase in global energy demand and environmental pollution, the development of sustainable energy to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels (such as oil, natural gas, and coal) has become the key to achieving sustainable development of human society.
February 26th, 2024 — Source

Global dataset shows protecting fish doesn't have to mean neglecting people
With fish stocks declining globally, more than 190 countries recently made a commitment to protect about a third of the world's oceans within "Marine Protected Areas," or MPAs by the year 2030. But these designated areas of the ocean where fishing is either regulated or outright banned can come at a huge cost to some coastal communities, according to a new analysis.
February 26th, 2024 — Source

'Janitors' of the sea: Overharvested sea cucumbers play crucial role in protecting coral
Corals are foundational for ocean life. Known as the rainforests of the sea, they create habitats for 25% of all marine organisms, despite only covering less than 1% of the ocean's area.
February 26th, 2024 — Source

Management technique shows promise against emerging soybean pest
In the late 2010s, a mysterious pest—one that came to be identified as a new species of gall midge, Resseliella maxima—began infesting the soybean fields of Nebraska and neighboring states. Since then, the tiny but deadly fly has spread to at least seven Midwestern states, threatening the yields of the region's second most common crop.
February 26th, 2024 — Source

New world record for CIGS solar cells
A new record for electrical energy generation from CIGS solar cells has been reached. Scientists have achieved a 23.64 percent efficiency.
February 26th, 2024 — Source

New study uses AI and machine learning to improve seasonal weather predictions
A team of researchers at the Universities of Lincoln, Sheffield, and Reading have developed a new method to improve the prediction of seasonal weather conditions in the U.K. and Northwest Europe.
February 26th, 2024 — Source

Northwest Indiana residents, upset over refinery pollution, take complaints to public meeting
Bearing signs with slogans like "East Chicago demands clear air" and "IDEM, let us breathe," nearly 100 Northwest Indiana residents and environmental advocates gathered to voice anger and frustration at BP Whiting refinery at a public meeting held by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
February 26th, 2024 — Source

Novel material increases efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells
In an article published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry C, Brazilian researchers describe a strategy to enhance the efficiency and stability of solar cells made of perovskite, a semiconductor material produced in the laboratory. The results of the project could be highly positive for the future of the solar power sector.
February 26th, 2024 — Source

Novel theory-based evaluation gives a clearer picture of fusion in the sun
Most of the energy from the sun and other stars comes from a chain of nuclear fusion reactions. The end of this chain is marked by the fusion of protons with beryllium-7 to form boron-8. This process is key in determining the flow of high-energy solar neutrinos that reach the Earth.
February 26th, 2024 — Source

Prosocial preferences can provide better risk management for smallholder farming communities amid rising climate risks
Research conducted by scientists from IIASA and Princeton University suggests that a combination of insurance subsidies and policies that promote "prosocial preferences"―decision-making preferences that account for community well-being―can help facilitate optimal climate risk management and reduce economic losses.
February 26th, 2024 — Source

Researchers develop new method for assessing climate change risks to ecosystems
The Bayreuth plant ecologists Prof Dr. Steven Higgins and Dr. Timo Conradi argue in favor of interpreting the coming climatic changes from the perspective of plants in order better to assess the risks of climate change for ecosystems.
February 26th, 2024 — Source

Researchers set new world record for CIGS solar cells
Uppsala University is the new world record holder for electrical energy generation from copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) solar cells. The new world record is 23.64% efficiency. The measurement was made by an independent institute, and the results are published in Nature Energy.
February 26th, 2024 — Source

Scientists develop technology to reduce pathogens in intact eggs
The CDC estimates Salmonella bacteria causes about 1.35 million infections, 26,500 hospitalizations, and 420 deaths in the United States every year. Despite their appearance in everyday meals and snacks, the truth is that raw eggs and egg products can carry Salmonella and cause foodborne illness and outbreaks, and even death, in some circumstances.
February 26th, 2024 — Source

Scientists propose new method for tracking elusive origins of CO² emissions from streams
A team of researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst that specializes in accounting for the carbon dioxide release by streams, rivers and lakes has recently demonstrated that the chemical process known as "carbonate buffering" can account for the majority of emissions in highly alkaline waters. Furthermore, carbonate buffering distorts the most commonly used method of tracking the origins of CO² in streams.
February 26th, 2024 — Source

Temperature, humidity may drive future transmission of parasitic worm infections
As climate changes, temperature isn't the only factor to influence the spread of infectious diseases. Humidity plays a role, too, according to new research published this week (Feb. 25) in Ecology Letters.
February 26th, 2024 — Source

This solar module could power and heat your home at the same time
The device uses mirrors to maximise electricity and heat generation
February 26th, 2024 — Source

Turning waste into wealth: Synergistic recovery of metal from copper slag
Copper smelting is a major source of copper production, generating significant amounts of slag. In 2022, China produced over 11,000 kilotons of refined copper, leading to 2.2 to 3 tons of slag per ton of copper produced. This slag contains valuable metals like copper (0.5%--6%), lead (0.2%--0.6%), and zinc (1%--5.5%), which are often not recovered, resulting in resource waste and environmental hazards from leaked toxic ions.
February 26th, 2024 — Source

Unlocking the heat in mosquito modeling: Exploring disease transmission under climate change
Thermal adaptation is the ability of organisms to adjust their life history traits as the temperature changes. In the case of mosquitoes, these traits can determine their risk of transmitting mosquito-borne diseases and how this risk might change in the future as they respond to climate warming.
February 26th, 2024 — Source

What ancient farmers can really teach us about adapting to climate change—and how political power influences outcomes
In dozens of archaeological discoveries around the world, from the once-successful reservoirs and canals of Angkor Wat in Cambodia to the deserted Viking colonies of Greenland, new evidence paints pictures of civilizations struggling with unforeseen climate changes and the reality that their farming practices had become unsustainable.
February 26th, 2024 — Source

What will it take for China to reach carbon neutrality by 2060?
To become carbon neutral by 2060, as mandated by President Xi Jinping, China will have to build eight to 10 times more wind and solar power installations than currently exist in the country. Reaching carbon neutrality will also require major construction of transmission lines.
February 26th, 2024 — Source

What's behind this winter's U.S. snow drought?
Rain-soaked, packed into skinny bands, or simply sparse: U.S. snow has been hammered by El Niño atop longer-term warming.
February 26th, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — February 25th, 2024

Side-effects of expanding forests could limit their potential to tackle climate change—new study
Tackling climate change by planting trees has an intuitive appeal. They absorb the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the atmosphere without using expensive technology.
February 25th, 2024 — Source

When homes hit 40°C inside, it's better to draw on residents' local know-how than plan for climate change from above
Weather extremes driven by climate change hit low-income communities harder. The reasons include poor housing and lack of access to safe and comfortable public spaces. This makes "climate readiness" a pressing issue for governments, city planners and emergency services in fast-growing areas such as Western Sydney.
February 25th, 2024 — Source

Why the Cost of Getting Solar Panels Is So Unpredictable
It's hard to get a straight answer out of a solar installer about how much you'll pay. How to get the best deal.
February 25th, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — February 23rd, 2024

An increase in blood-sucking black flies is expected in Germany
Researchers from Goethe University Frankfurt and the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Center have modeled the spatial distributional patterns of black flies in Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony for the first time.
February 23rd, 2024 — Source

As India Prepares for Elections, Government Silences Critics on X with Executive Order
It is troubling to see that the Indian government has issued new demands to X (formerly Twitter) to remove accounts and posts critical of the government and its recent actions. This is especially bears watching as India is preparing for general elections this spring, and concerns for the government's manipulation of social media critical of it grows.
February 23rd, 2024 — Source

Assessing soil carbon stocks accurately
Researchers from Teagasc have published an article in Geoderma Regional highlighting the consequences of not measuring soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in Irish grassland soils precisely. Quantifying changes in SOC, either carbon sequestration or losses into the atmosphere, requires accurate determination of soil bulk density, which is only achieved by accounting for soil stone content (rock fragments higher than 2 mm in size).
February 23rd, 2024 — Source

Best Solar Batteries of March 2024
Solar batteries let you stash away your extra solar energy to use later. Here are CNET's picks for the best ones.
February 23rd, 2024 — Source

Best Solar Generators of 2024
By using the power of the sun, you can charge your devices on the go while enjoying the great outdoors. CNET tests the best solar generators.
February 23rd, 2024 — Source

Best Solar Shingles for March 2024
If solar panels don't fit your home's aesthetic, solar shingle installation might be the answer for you. Check out our picks for the best solar shingles.
February 23rd, 2024 — Source

BLUETTI Launches SwapSolar on Indiegogo, Elevating Your Outdoor Experience
First unveiled at CES 2024, the SwapSolar includes the world's first LFP-powered MultiCooler portable fridge and the AC180T hot-swappable battery power station. This groundbreaking duo offers an unprecedented blend of convenience and functionality for outdoor activities.
February 23rd, 2024 — Source

Can Green Software Engineering Solve the Climate Crisis?
Sara Bergman overviews the emerging green software engineering, then dives into understanding the challenges related to assessing and mitigating the carbon impacts of software systems.
February 23rd, 2024 — Source

Can we drill for hydrogen? New find suggests additional geological source.
Problems at a chromium mine in Albania traced to nearly pure hydrogen in a fault.
February 23rd, 2024 — Source

Clearwater Forest could get Intel inside the server room again
Intel's Clearwater Forest looks to be a very impressive upgrade to Intel's server chips. It will be built on their 18A process and will replace the aging FinFET design with RibbonFET. With RibbonFET the transistor gate is wrapped around the channel, and hose channels can be of different widths which should have a positive effect on efficiency.
February 23rd, 2024 — Source

Climate change is fanning the flames of NZ's wildfire future. Port Hills is only the beginning, researcher says
Last week, wildfire burned through 650 hectares of forest and scrub in Christchurch's Port Hills. This is not the first time the area has faced a terrifying wildfire event.
February 23rd, 2024 — Source

'Climate contrarianism' is down but not out, expert says
In 2011, Max Boykoff attended the 2011 Heartland Institute's Sixth International Conference on Climate Change in Washington, D.C., to better understand how the prominent conservative think tank was influencing the climate debate.
February 23rd, 2024 — Source

EPA raises concerns about Georgia's handling of toxic coal ash
The federal Environmental Protection Agency has notified counterparts at the Georgia Environmental Protection Division that they believe the state may be allowing Georgia Power to store toxic coal ash in ways that are "less protective" than federal standards require.
February 23rd, 2024 — Source

First reports of severe coral bleaching this summer as the Great Barrier Reef warms up
As ocean temperatures continue to warm over the Great Barrier Reef this summer, James Cook University scientists have reported areas of moderate to severe coral bleaching around the Keppel Islands offshore from Rockhampton.
February 23rd, 2024 — Source

Forever chemicals reach extraordinary levels in wildlife at Holloman Air Force Base
A team of researchers from The University of New Mexico's Museum of Southwestern Biology (MSB) have reported unexpectedly high levels of chemical contamination in wild birds and mammals at Holloman Air Force Base, near Alamogordo, N.M. in new research published in Environmental Research.
February 23rd, 2024 — Source

Global warming found to increase the diversity of active soil bacteria
Warmer soils harbor a greater diversity of active microbes, according to a new study from researchers at the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science (CeMESS) at the University of Vienna.
February 23rd, 2024 — Source

How the world can achieve climate goals with clean hydrogen production
Driving on hydrogen and using it to heat our homes could be a solution to the climate problem. At least, if we start producing it in the right, clean way. Leiden researchers mapped out the global environmental impact of hydrogen production and looked ahead to 2050.
February 23rd, 2024 — Source

NASA Warns Of Comms And Electric Grid Disruptions As Sun Spews Solar Flares
NASA's Solar Dynamic Observatory, or SDO, detected three strong solar flares with the potential to disrupt radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals, and could even pose a risk to spacecraft and astronauts. The first flare detected was an X1.8 flare, the second flare being classified as an X1.7 flare, and the third as a massive X6.3 flare.
February 23rd, 2024 — Source

New species of fungi potentially harmful to humans identified in freshwater ecosystems
A study by the Mycology and Environmental Microbiology Unit of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili has identified new species of fungi that may cause infections or diseases in people and animals. Carried out in river ecosystems, the research is part of a project on biodiversity and the role played by a large group of fungi, the ascomycetes, in the aquatic ecosystem.
February 23rd, 2024 — Source

Potential gene targets for managing cassava whitefly, a viral diseases vector threatening food security
Whiteflies, particularly the African cassava whitefly (Bemisia tabaci, SSA1-SG1), pose a significant threat to agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa by transmitting viruses that cause cassava brown streak disease and cassava mosaic virus disease. In a new study published in PeerJ, Dr. Tadeo Kaweesi and his team at the National Agricultural Research Organization identify potential gene targets that could revolutionize the management of this devastating pest and prove vital for food security in the region.
February 23rd, 2024 — Source

Protected lands provide a last stand for critically endangered vultures in West Africa
Among the fastest-declining birds in the world, African vultures battle many of the problems commonly plaguing wildlife today, such as habitat loss, hunting, and poisoning, but they also face a more unique set of obstacles.
February 23rd, 2024 — Source

Research into marine plastic pollution reveals bacterial enzymes actively degrading plastic
A new study led by researchers at the University of Stirling has uncovered the crucial roles of bacteria living on plastic debris. The research also identifies rare and understudied bacteria that could assist in plastic biodegradation, offering new insights for tackling plastic pollution.
February 23rd, 2024 — Source

Researchers introduce biomineralization as a sustainable strategy against microbial corrosion in marine concrete
Microbially induced corrosion (MIC) is a prevalent issue in marine environments, leading to structural damages such as cracking in concrete infrastructure. This corrosion poses a persistent challenge, significantly reducing the lifespan of marine structures and resulting in substantial economic losses.
February 23rd, 2024 — Source

Study shows cloud clustering causes more extreme rain
Understanding cloud patterns in our changing climate is essential to making accurate predictions about their impact on society and nature. Scientists at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) and the Max-Planck-Institute for Meteorology published a study in the journal Science Advances that uses a high-resolution global climate model to understand how the clustering of clouds and storms impacts rainfall extremes in the tropics.
February 23rd, 2024 — Source

Solar physics: Why study it? What can it teach us about finding life beyond Earth?
Universe Today has investigated the importance of studying impact craters, planetary surfaces, exoplanets, and astrobiology, and what these disciplines can teach both researchers and the public about finding life beyond Earth.
February 23rd, 2024 — Source

Solving Singapore's urban heat island effect
According to Singapore's Meteorological Service, Singapore has been warming up twice as fast compared to the rest of the world.
February 23rd, 2024 — Source

Strategic grazing could boost conservation of 'near-threatened' sage-grouse
A multi-agency study, spearheaded by researchers from the University of Nevada, Reno's College of Agriculture, Biotechnology & Natural Resources and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, underscores the impacts of strategic cattle grazing, particularly on restoring the declining population of the greater sage-grouse bird, a keystone species in the Great Basin region.
February 23rd, 2024 — Source

The cultural evolution of collective property rights
New simulation model shows that the evolution of sustainable institutions critically depends on clearly defined and enforced access rights
February 23rd, 2024 — Source

Wetlands, parks and botanical gardens the best ways to cool cities during heat waves, finds study
Wetlands, parks and even botanical gardens among the best ways to cool cities during heat waves—says biggest-ever global study
February 23rd, 2024 — Source

Young people push for a Green New Deal for schools across the U.S.
As a result of student activism, a school district in Colorado will include climate change in the curriculum and implement clean energy initiatives.
February 23rd, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — February 21st, 2024

A new tool can help protect California and Nevada communities from floods while preserving their water supply
At the dawn of the new year in 1997, the Truckee River transformed. The winter season had thus far been great for snow, but when a subtropical storm from near the Hawaiian Islands rolled in, it carried with it unseasonably warm rain. The warm rainfall combined with snowmelt to swell the rivers, with the Truckee burying much of downtown Reno under water.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

An ultrafast SnO_{2 passivation strategy for low-temperature manufacture of perovskite solar cells}
SnO_{2 has been widely used as electron transport layers (ETLs) for efficient perovskite solar cells (PSCs) due to its high transparency, high electron mobility, and favorable band alignment. PSCs based on chemical bath deposition (CBD)-prepared SnO2 have demonstrated the best performance so far.}
February 21st, 2024 — Source

Antibiotic use on Kenya's dairy farms is putting consumers and animals at risk
Farmers often use antibiotics to keep their livestock healthy. They're sometimes used as "quick fixes", to avoid more costly management measures like regular disinfection, waste management, routine vaccination or provision of clean drinking water.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

Carbon capture startup takes 'good enough' approach to slash costs
The 80/20 rule. Diminishing returns. The "good enough" principle. Sometimes, striving for perfection just isn't worth it. At least, that's what Glen Meyerowitz thinks.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

Chicago sues oil and gas companies for their role in contributing to climate change
The city of Chicago is suing five oil and gas companies and a trade group that represents them over their role in contributing to climate change and its effects, arguing that the companies have misled the public about how the use of fossil fuels affects city residents' well-being.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

Company manufactures skis from algae oil
They're an alternative to skis made from fossil-fuel-based plastic.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

China issues highest weather alert as temperatures plunge
Severe weather warnings were in place across swathes of China on Wednesday as temperatures plummeted across the south and Beijing shivered in snowy conditions.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

Contamination around Fort Story base is under control, Navy's five-year review says
The Navy released recently a five-year review of an environmental restoration program at Virginia's Joint Expeditionary Base Fort Story, finding that environmental contamination of industrial solvents and arsenic at two sites is under control.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

Hemispherical solar cells could significantly improve sunlight absorption
Enhancing light absorption with photovoltaic tech thanks to 3D finite element analysis
February 21st, 2024 — Source

Highways through historically redlined areas likely cause air pollution disparities today
As part of the New Deal, several governmental programs were created to expand homeownership through mortgages and loans. However, neighborhoods with primarily Black or immigrant communities often were rated "hazardous" for repayment under the discriminatory, "redlining" practice that restricted lending.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

How do renewable energy and innovation impact environmental quality in different countries?
Renewable energy production leads to reduced carbon dioxide emissions in countries that are members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) but increased emissions in emerging economies, according to the results of a study published in the Natural Resources Forum.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

How global warming is reshaping winter life in Canada
As we begin to emerge out of yet another mild winter, Canadians are once again being reminded of just how acutely global warming has changed Canada's winter climate.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

How much water are we actually supposed to drink in a day?
With the virality of #WaterTok, a trending hashtag on TikTok, questions about how much water we are meant to consume is once again making the rounds in various news outlets and on social media. When you add in the explosive popularity of a Stanley Cup 40-ounce tumbler, the question of how much water is enough water per day is an especially curious one.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

Mercury levels in tuna remain nearly unchanged since 1971, study says
Tuna is one of the most popular seafoods worldwide. But this protein-rich fish can build up high levels of methylmercury from feeding on contaminated prey, like smaller fish or crustaceans. Despite efforts to reduce mercury emissions into the environment, researchers report in ACS' Environmental Science & Technology Letters that levels in tuna appear to be unchanged since 1971. They warn that more aggressive emission reduction targets are needed to start nudging down tuna mercury levels.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

Meteorologist explains how climate change will affect the back-and-forth La Niña, El Niño weather patterns
Scientists do expect rising global temperatures to influence the weather patterns known as La Niña and El Niño—but just how strong that influence will be remains unclear. Much will depend on the many other variables that play a part in our daily weather and long-term climate.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

New evidence shows UK solar parks can provide for bees and butterflies
A new study shows that U.K. solar parks, if managed correctly, can provide vital resources to help stem the decline in the nation's bees and butterflies.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

New tool can assess the climate of equity and inclusion in medical schools
Yale researchers have developed a new tool that can assess the state of equity and inclusion in medical school learning environments and provide feedback on how schools can make improvements. Using the tool could yield the timely and recurrent information needed to develop effective, evidence-based interventions, said the researchers.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

New tool helps users track fruit-plant readiness for growing season
Purdue University's Midwestern Regional Climate Center (MRCC) has launched its new interactive chilling hours tool. Growers now can more closely monitor accumulated chilling hours, an important factor that tracks how long fruit plants have been exposed to an ideal range of cool temperatures throughout the dormant season.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

Overcoming barriers to climate-smart agriculture in South Asia
Despite the possibility of climate-smart agriculture improving food security, most CSA practices and technologies are not widely adopted in South Asia.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

Potato plant radiation sensors could one day monitor radiation in areas surrounding power plants
While expanding nuclear energy production would provide carbon-free power and can help countries around the world meet their climate goals, nuclear energy could also come with some inherent risk. Radioactive pollution damages the environment, and it's nearly impossible to detect without specialized equipment.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

Quality scores for forestry carbon credit types reveal complex landscape of integrity risks, transparency issues
The Carbon Credit Quality Initiative (CCQI) released new scores for two types of forestry carbon credits: improved forest management (IFM) and commercial afforestation. Together, these project types comprise approximately 10% of recent credit issuances in the voluntary carbon market.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

Scientists discover the real-life impacts of northern elephant seal bottleneck
New research of northern elephant seals has revealed their reproductive and foraging success has been affected by a population bottleneck which nearly caused their extinction and could make them vulnerable as the environment changes in the future.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

Semi-transparent perovskite solar cells achieve efficiency of 21.68%
The Photovoltaics Research Department of the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER), working with the KIER Energy AI and Computational Science Lab, has achieved advancements in the stability and efficiency of semi-transparent perovskite solar cells.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

Supreme Court considers challenge to EPA's 'Good Neighbor' ozone rule
The regulation is to reduce ozone emissions that may worsen air pollution in neighboring states
February 21st, 2024 — Source

Researchers develop world's most efficient quantum dot solar cell
A groundbreaking research breakthrough in solar energy has propelled the development of the world's most efficient quantum dot (QD) solar cell, marking a significant leap towards the commercialization of next-generation solar cells.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

Reusing failed bee colony resources may curb rearing of queens
As pollinators of flowers, trees and more than 50 crops, whereby they add an estimated $34 billion per year to the U.S. economy, honey bees offer value both ecological and economic—even before accounting for their signature product.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

Textured Solar Cells Could Capture 66% More Sunlight
A theoretical study out of Turkey shows that braille-like bumps would allow light to enter the cell from a wider range of directions.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

The most outstanding solar-flare eruptions are not always the most influential
While many studies have compared the magnetic properties of confined and eruptive solar flares, few have considered the thermodynamic properties of confined flares and even fewer in comparison to eruptive ones.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

The Sea We Breathe Uses VR To Teach Kids About Climate Change
The Sea We Breathe wants to teach children about climate change using VR.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

Varaha helps Indian farmers reduce climate-harming practices like burning crop residue and flooding rice fieldsVaraha has attracted investor interest as an end-to-end developer for carbon credits that it generates by working with thousands of smallholder farmers yielding crops on a total land of over 700,000 acres across India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Kenya.
Varaha helps Indian farmers reduce climate-harming practices like burning crop residue and flooding rice fieldsVaraha has attracted investor interest as an end-to-end developer for carbon credits that it generates by working with thousands of smallholder farmers yielding crops on a total land of over 700,000 acres across India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Kenya.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

Weedy rice gets competitive boost from its wild neighbors
Rice feeds the world. But a look-alike weed has many ways of getting ahead. Weedy rice is an agricultural pest with a global economic impact. It is an aggressive weed that outcompetes cultivated rice and causes billions of dollars in yield losses worldwide. In the U.S. alone, crop losses attributed to weedy rice could feed an additional 12 million people annually.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

Why are fish getting smaller as waters warm? It's not their gills, finds study
A collaborative team of scientists led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently found that there is no physiological evidence supporting a leading theory—which involves the surface area of fish gills—as to why many fish species are "shrinking" as waters grow warmer due to climate change. Known as the Gill Oxygen Limitation (GOL) theory, it has been proposed as the universal mechanism explaining fish size and has been used in some predictions of future global fisheries yields.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

Winter drought grips southern Europe, northern Africa
Drought plaguing the Mediterranean has failed to recede over winter months that brought below-average rainfall, the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service has reported, prompting water restrictions and state of emergency declarations.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

Your guide to 2024's best environmental films
Five highlights from the 2024 Wild and Scenic Film Festival — and how to host your own mini festival this weekend.
February 21st, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — February 19th, 2024

A rare bird in the South Atlantic: Tropical Storm Akará
Tropical storms seldom roam off the coast of Brazil — and until this century, they weren't recognized at all.
February 19th, 2024 — Source

Balsa tree is suitable for planting in Xishuangbanna, finds study
Ochroma pyramidale, commonly known as the balsa tree, is a large, fast-growing tree native to the Americas. The tree is known for its wide use in woodworking, due to its softness and its high strength compared to its low density.
February 19th, 2024 — Source

Best Solar Inverters of February 2024
Solar inverters turn your solar energy into usable electricity for your home. Here are our top picks for the best.
February 19th, 2024 — Source

Best Solar Panels for Your Home for 2024
We identified the best solar panels, based on scores for warranties, efficiency and performance. But do you even need the best?
February 19th, 2024 — Source

Colorado is now home to America's newest national park
Amache National Historic Site in southeastern Colorado is officially America's newest national park, the National Park Service announced Thursday.
February 19th, 2024 — Source

Company gives retired wind turbine blades new life
Turbine blades are made of a composite material that can be tricky to recycle, but a company called Carbon Rivers has found a way.
February 19th, 2024 — Source

Economic model shows trust in government is linked to takeup of renewables
South Africa relies heavily

on energy from coal-fired power stations, which emit large quantities of carbon. But making the transition to greater use of renewable energies, such as solar, is being hampered by a number of factors. Chief among them is corruption, which is affecting the quality of institutions.
February 19th, 2024 — Source

Microplastics found to enter agricultural land through wastewater
As we strive towards a circular economy, the application of treated sewage sludge (biosolids) to land is an opportunity to enhance soil health and reduce the reliance on synthetic fertilizers.
February 19th, 2024 — Source

More coral may not equal more fish on reefs
A team of international and North Queensland researchers from James Cook University have found the link between fishes and corals may not be as strong as scientists had always assumed. The study

is published in Nature Ecology & Evolution.
February 19th, 2024 — Source

Natural pesticides gain ground in 'agri-tox' capital Brazil
Inspecting a thriving green field, Brazilian farmer Adriano Cruvinel is beaming: Using a fraction of the chemical products he used to, he is growing even more soy, thanks to natural pesticides.
February 19th, 2024 — Source

Nature-based solutions play key role in mitigating climate change, suggest researchers
A new study shows that nature-based solutions are crucial to mitigate climate change, but only if they go hand in hand with a drastic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
February 19th, 2024 — Source

Potassium depletion in soil threatens global crop yields
Potassium deficiency in agricultural soils is a largely unrecognized but potentially significant threat to global food security if left unaddressed, finds new research involving researchers at UCL, University of Edinburgh and the UK Center for Ecology & Hydrology.
February 19th, 2024 — Source

Researchers develop coral-tentacle-inspired antifouling membrane spacer
A research group led by Prof. Wan Yinhua from the Institute of Process Engineering (IPE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a coral-tentacle-inspired antifouling membrane spacer through the sequential growth of functional polymer brushes on the spacer surface. The study was published in AIChE Journal.
February 19th, 2024 — Source

Researchers reveal relationship between air oxidation and air pollution
In the atmospheric environment, the pollutants emitted by human activities are oxidized to secondary pollutants and gradually removed from the atmosphere. Therefore, the understanding of atmospheric oxidation is of great significance for air pollution control.
February 19th, 2024 — Source

What does Lake Washington's warming mean for its future?
The region's cold, watery heart is nestled between Seattle and the Eastside. It uniquely supports two major roadways atop floating bridges, has offered beachgoers a summertime respite for decades and is central to the identity of the Seattle area's culture.
February 19th, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — February 16th, 2024

A geothermal-powered, climate-friendly way to capture carbon dioxide in the air
In a new study, researchers have developed a method for capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, powered by clean and relatively inexpensive geothermal energy.
February 16th, 2024 — Source

A strategy for integrating online digital data for monitoring biodiversity
Scientists from the University of Helsinki together with colleagues from other universities and institutions around the world propose a strategy for integrating online digital data from media platforms to complement monitoring efforts to help address the global biodiversity crisis in light of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
February 16th, 2024 — Source

Advanced artificial photosynthesis catalyst uses CO² more efficiently to create biodegradable plastics
Amid growing global concern over climate change and plastic pollution, researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University are making great strides in the sustainable production of fumaric acid -- a component of biodegradable plastics such as polybutylene succinate, which is commonly used for food packaging.
February 16th, 2024 — Source

Applying plasma technology for more effective lithium extraction
Recent research suggests an improved method for extracting lithium by applying plasma technology. Researchers from the Korea Institute of Fusion Energy (KFE) have successfully increased the lithium extraction rate by three times compared to pre-existing methods by applying CO² microwave plasma technology.
February 16th, 2024 — Source

Arcadia Power Review: Community Solar Made Simple
This company connects you with solar farms so you can buy clean electricity -- if community solar is available where you live.
February 16th, 2024 — Source

As the world heats up, solar panels will degrade faster—especially in hot, humid areas: What can we do?
To reach the goal of 82% renewable energy in Australia's grid by 2030, we'll need to build a lot more solar.
February 16th, 2024 — Source

Belgian researchers provide a strong boost to sustainable agriculture
Much has been written about the European Climate law and the European Nitrate Directive. Besides social concerns, drastically reducing greenhouse gases by 2030 and structurally lowering the use of nitrogen in agriculture poses significant challenges. Researchers from the VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology now present concrete research results to lower nitrogen usage by targeting microorganisms in the soil.
February 16th, 2024 — Source

Big firms with $7 tn exit climate investment pressure group
A pair of large investment companies with nearly $7 trillion in assets, said Thursday they exited a climate change investor initiative that aims to pressure companies to quickly cut carbon emissions.
February 16th, 2024 — Source

Climate change has brought forward the flowering period in Doñana National Park by 22 days, finds study
Researchers from the University of Seville have investigated how the flowering of 51 species of shrubs, bushes and trees has changed over the last 35 years in Doñana National Park so as to understand how plant communities are responding to climate change in the south of the Iberian Peninsula.
February 16th, 2024 — Source

Developers in England will be forced to create habitats for wildlife—here's how it works
England's new environmental policy, biodiversity net gain, went live on February 12. Most new developments—everything from a few houses to large solar farms or new roads and railways—will now have to provide a 10% net gain in biodiversity, maintained for at least 30 years.
February 16th, 2024 — Source

Earth Receives First-Ever Power Beam From Orbiting Satellite
This is a big win for space solar power, which has more energy-grabbing potential than stationary solar panels on Earth.
February 16th, 2024 — Source

Electrification or hydrogen? Both have distinct roles in the European energy transition
A study, published in One Earth, is the first to analyze the interplay of electrification and hydrogen in EU climate neutrality scenarios at greater sectoral detail. The analysis shows higher potential for electrification and identifies a more confined deployment range for hydrogen-based energy than earlier studies.
February 16th, 2024 — Source

Erratic weather fueled by climate change will worsen locust outbreaks, study finds
Extreme wind and rain may lead to bigger and worse desert locust outbreaks, with human-caused climate change likely to intensify the weather patterns and cause higher outbreak risks, a new study has found.
February 16th, 2024 — Source

Forest Service warns of budget cuts ahead of a risky wildfire season—what does that mean for safety?
A wet winter and spring followed by a hot, dry summer can be a dangerous combination in the Western U.S. The rain fuels bountiful vegetation growth, and when summer heat dries out that vegetation, it can leave grasses and shrubs ready to burn.
February 16th, 2024 — Source

Georgia cities face tall task to meet new air pollution standard
Environmental regulators have decided to set a tighter standard for a tiny, but insidious class of air pollution particles linked to serious illnesses and thousands of premature deaths.
February 16th, 2024 — Source

Great Lakes ice coverage hits a record low
As a result of a record-warm winter over much of the region, ice coverage on the Great Lakes is only a sliver of the average for the date.
February 16th, 2024 — Source

How to prepare for an evacuation
Here's how to get ready — before disaster strikes.
February 16th, 2024 — Source

Increased access to water may be a threat to nomadic livestock farmers in the long term
Increasing access to water in extremely arid parts of sub-Saharan Africa can help nomadic livestock farmers in the short term. However, in the long run, it may lead to serious consequences for their livelihoods. This is shown by new research from Uppsala University published in Nature Climate Change.
February 16th, 2024 — Source

Landsat's Images Are Vital in the Fight Against Climate Change
This week, NASA Goddard released a new video that highlights the Landsat program's achievements in 2023. A joint mission between NASA and the United States Geological Survey (USGS), satellite imagers have been orbiting Earth since Landsat 1 was launched in July 1972.
February 16th, 2024 — Source or Watch Video or Watch Video

Microbial cell factories offer sustainable alternative to chemical factories for compound production
As climate change and environmental concerns intensify, sustainable microbial cell factories garner significant attention as candidates to replace chemical plants. To develop microorganisms to be used in the microbial cell factories, it is crucial to modify their metabolic processes to induce efficient target chemical production by modulating its gene expressions.
February 16th, 2024 — Source

Skyrocketing ocean temperatures have scientists scratching their heads
Shattered temperature records have grim implications for hurricane season.
February 16th, 2024 — Source

SolarWinds fixes critical RCE bugs in access rights audit solution
SolarWinds has patched five remote code execution (RCE) flaws in its Access Rights Manager (ARM) solution, including three critical severity vulnerabilities that allow unauthenticated exploitation.
February 16th, 2024 — Source

SunPower Review: Best-Performing Solar Panels Available
High quality equipment and strong warranties make SunPower worth considering.
February 16th, 2024 — Source

What does a warming Arctic mean for the future?
The Arctic is experiencing disproportionately higher temperature increases compared to the rest of the planet, triggering a series of cascading effects. This rapid warming has profound implications for global climate patterns, human populations and wildlife.
February 16th, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — February 14th, 2024

Controlling root growth direction could help save crops and mitigate climate change
Scientists find highly conserved ethylene signaling pathway can be targeted to control the direction of root growth, in turn creating deeper root systems that hold on to carbon and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
February 14th, 2024 — Source

Did Eurasia's dominant East-West axis 'turn the fortunes of history'?
New research shows that environmental barriers have influenced the spread of cultural innovations but do not consistently favor Eurasia
February 14th, 2024 — Source

Five reasons to heat your home using infrared fabric
Imagine heating your home from the ceiling, not from underfloor heating or radiators. Once installed like wallpaper, hi-tech infrared fabric emits heat in a similar way to the sun's rays. This could be a logical way to add low-carbon heat into existing homes that need retrofitting to improve energy efficiency.
February 14th, 2024 — Source

'Fortress' conservation policies threaten the food security of rural populations, says researcher
Barriers created by "fortress conservation"—as in the near-total sectioning off of land for conservation without human interference—are threatening important dietary diversity for the up to 1.5 billion people around the world who rely on wild foods, from bushmeat to wild vegetables and fruit.
February 14th, 2024 — Source

Google Partners With the Environmental Defense Fund to Tackle Climate Change
Google is working alongside the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) to better understand methane emissions and potential mitigations.
February 14th, 2024 — Source

His roof wasn't suitable for solar panels. Here's what he did instead.
John Smillie found a different way to help the climate and his community.
February 14th, 2024 — Source

How robotics and AI helped Hippo Harvest land $21M to grow lettuce
Lettuce isn't the world's most challenging crop, but as any farmer knows, there are plenty of problems that pop up between planting and harvest. The gamut runs from pests to pathogens and rain — both too little and too much.
February 14th, 2024 — Source

Irrigation strengthens climate resilience in Mali
The installation of small-scale irrigation systems in communities in Mali led to lasting increases in agricultural productivity, decreases in local child malnutrition, and decreases in local conflict, providing resilience to climate change.
February 14th, 2024 — Source

Is the Amazon forest approaching a tipping point?
Global warming may be interacting with regional rainfall and deforestation to accelerate forest loss in the Amazon, pushing it towards partial or total collapse. New research has identified the potential thresholds of these stressors, showing where their combined effects could produce a 'tipping point' -- in which the forest is so fragile that just a small disturbance could cause an abrupt shift in the state of the ecosystem.
February 14th, 2024 — Source

Last month was the world's warmest January on record
January 2024 was the planet's eighth consecutive warmest month on record, according to NOAA.
February 14th, 2024 — Source

Lumio Solar Review: What You Get From This Solar Installer
With an expanding footprint and optional services like roofing, Lumio could be a fit for your solar needs. Find out if they operate in your state.
February 14th, 2024 — Source

Microbial biomanufacturing using chemically synthesized non-natural sugars as substrate
Biomanufacturing using biomass sugars such as corn obtained from agriculture is attracting attention as an environmentally friendly technology. However, the supply of such conventional biomass sugars is limited in relation to the huge demand for the production of fuels and chemical products, leading to concerns about competition with food due to the expansion of industrial use.
February 14th, 2024 — Source

New paths in climate change education: Drama as a key to change?
Given the pressing challenges of climate change, education is increasingly seen as a key to transformative adaptation to a changing environment. A study, conducted in collaboration between the Leibniz Center for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) and the University of Victoria (Canada), takes a closer look at an innovative approach: the use of drama in climate change education.
February 14th, 2024 — Source

Q&A: How climate change is impacting the maple syrup industry
In the depths of winter, sugar on snow is a yearly treat many Vermonters eagerly anticipate. But with winters warming and snow barely on the ground in some parts of the state, climate change presents a host of challenges for Vermont's iconic maple industry.
February 14th, 2024 — Source

Riverine fish numbers increase amidst environmental challenges
Surprising trends in the abundance and species richness of riverine fish across the globe have been unveiled in a new study.
February 14th, 2024 — Source

Scientists use AI to identify new MOF materials for carbon capture
Generative AI techniques, machine learning and simulations give researchers new opportunities to identify environmentally friendly metal-organic framework materials.
February 14th, 2024 — Source

The ice caps are melting. Is geoengineering the solution?
We're not ready for what's coming.
February 14th, 2024 — Source

These States Are Poised for Community Solar Growth, Report Finds
Community solar can help those with no access to solar panels switch to clean energy. Here's why these programs might see growth in the near future.
February 14th, 2024 — Source

Upscaling a technology for large-scale carbon storage
SINTEF researchers are applying methodologies used to transport oil and gas in their efforts to upscale a technology for carbon capture and storage. This is good news for the climate.
February 14th, 2024 — Source

Video of wolf killing northern Minnesota deer becomes political fodder
A lone gray wolf bolted past a logger last week, on the edge of a clear cut forest in northern St. Louis County. The wolf ran past a giant industrial saw and leaped over felled trees in pursuit of what was either a young doe or an antlerless buck. Seconds later, the wolf killed the deer on the other side of a neatly stacked pile of freshly cut logs, oblivious to the logger, who captured the chase on video.
February 14th, 2024 — Source

Vittrup Man crossed over from forager to farmer before being sacrificed in Denmark
DNA, isotope, protein analysis reveal genetic ancestry and migration of a human found in a peat bog
February 14th, 2024 — Source or Source

General — Environment — February 12th, 2024

Best Solar Panel Installation Companies in Wisconsin
Net metering policies, property tax exemptions and installation rebates mean getting rooftop solar might help offset your utility costs in Wisconsin.
February 12th, 2024 — Source

Chile on green hydrogen investment hunt in Europe
Chile is embarking on a European hunt for investors in solar, wind and green hydrogen technologies as it looks to decarbonize copper mines and other industries reliant on fossil fuels.
February 12th, 2024 — Source

Clouds disappear quickly during a solar eclipse, shows study
Cumulus clouds over land start to disappear almost instantly during a partial solar eclipse. Until recently, satellite measurements during the eclipse resulted in dark spots in the cloud map, but researchers from TU Delft and KNMI were able to recover the satellite measurements by using a new method.
February 12th, 2024 — Source

Could your next home be made of hemp?
Building materials are a major source of climate-warming pollution. Hempcrete, a material made from hemp, could be part of the solution.
February 12th, 2024 — Source

Drought may drive deadly amphibian disease, researchers find
Pumpkin toadlets are in trouble. Progressively severe droughts are disrupting the microbiomes of the thumbnail-sized orange frogs, potentially leaving them vulnerable to a deadly fungal disease, according to a new study by an international research team.
February 12th, 2024 — Source

Environmental protection agency finalizes stronger air quality standards
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has introduced a tougher air quality standard that takes aim at fine particulate matter by lowering the allowable annual concentration of the deadly pollutant that each state can have.
February 12th, 2024 — Source

Genomic study sheds light on immune microenvironment in transplanted pediatric hearts
Pediatric heart transplantation has long been hailed as a life-saving intervention for children suffering from end-stage heart failure. While the procedure offers hope, the long-term outcomes for these young patients remain suboptimal due to allograft rejection and graft failure.
February 12th, 2024 — Source

Global deforestation leads to more mercury pollution, finds study
About 10% of human-made mercury emissions into the atmosphere each year are the result of global deforestation, according to a new MIT study.
February 12th, 2024 — Source

In the Cerrado, crop diversification has beneficial effects on wildlife and reduces the presence of boars
There are no substitutes for native vegetation, but replacing large areas of monoculture with diversified crops in places where agricultural activities are widespread can have beneficial effects on the mammals that still inhabit the region.
February 12th, 2024 — Source

It began with a bite: Five dazzling new species of eyelash vipers discovered in Colombia and Ecuador
A group of scientists led by researchers of from the Khamai Foundation discovered five dazzling new species of eyelash vipers in the jungles and cloud forests of Colombia and Ecuador. This discovery was made official in a study published in Evolutionary Systematics.
February 12th, 2024 — Source

JET Fusion Reactor Sets World Record for Generating Energy
The JET reactor produced 69 megajoules of fusion energy for five seconds.
February 12th, 2024 — Source

Net Metering: How You Can Save Even More Money With Solar
Many utilities will pay you for the extra power your solar panel system produces, but this popular policy is changing in many places.
February 12th, 2024 — Source

Ongoing Microsoft Azure account hijacking campaign targets executives
A phishing campaign detected in late November 2023 has compromised hundreds of user accounts in dozens of Microsoft Azure environments, including those of senior executives.
February 12th, 2024 — Source

Permaculture showed us how to farm the land more gently. Can we do the same as we farm the sea?
As wild fish and other marine species get scarcer from overfishing and demand for 'blue foods' grows around the world, farming of the ocean is growing rapidly. Fish, kelp, prawns, oysters and more are now widely farmed. The world now eats more farmed seafood than wild-caught.
February 12th, 2024 — Source

Researchers develop eco-friendly 'magnet' to battle microplastics
Plastic pollution is a pressing environmental issue, and University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment researchers are leading the charge with an innovative solution.
February 12th, 2024 — Source

Researchers studying ocean transform faults, describe a previously unknown part of the geological carbon cycle
This study reports widespread mineral carbonation of mantle rocks in an oceanic transform fueled by magmatic degassing of CO2. The findings describe a previously unknown part of the geological carbon cycle in transform faults that represent one of the three principal plate boundaries on Earth.
February 12th, 2024 — Source

Study could lead to improved mussel production
New research by the University of Stirling's Institute of Aquaculture could help improve mussel farming practices and lead to increased production.
February 12th, 2024 — Source

Study reveals winners and losers from climate and land-use change
New research from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Northumbria University has determined that as warm-loving species expand their ranges under climate change, Britain's landscapes are losing their biological uniqueness.
February 12th, 2024 — Source

Study shows pesticide spread in an alpine ecosystem from the valley to the summit region
The Venosta Valley is located in South Tyrol, which is primarily associated with mountains and nature. In this region in the North of Italy, more than 7,000 apple growers produce 10% of all European apples. Conventional apple cultivation relies primarily on synthetic pesticides, which are applied by fan-assisted sprayers: insecticides to combat pests such as the codling moth and fungicides against fungal diseases that cause scabs on the fruit.
February 12th, 2024 — Source

The US government makes a $42 million bet on open cell networks
The Open RAN dream stays alive.
February 12th, 2024 — Source

Using isotopic measurements on stalagmites to investigate 'climate hiccups'
Climate changes usually happen over long periods of time, but during the last glacial period, extreme fluctuations in temperature occurred within just a few years. Researchers at the University of Basel have now been able to prove the phenomenon also occurred during the penultimate glacial period.
February 12th, 2024 — Source

Using thermotropic liquid crystals to enhance the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar modules
Solar panels and photovoltaics (PVs) are becoming increasingly widespread, contributing to ongoing efforts aimed at decarbonizing electricity production. Solar cells based on perovskites, a class of minerals that can leverage parts of the solar spectrum, have recently achieved highly promising energy conversion efficiencies and stabilities.
February 12th, 2024 — Source

What motivates forest owners to engage in early harvesting?
Data from Norway's National Forest Inventory and from the forest authorities' quality monitoring regime show that over 25% of the forests in Norway are harvested before reaching maturity class 5, the development stage where the forests are normally considered ready for the final harvest.
February 12th, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — February 9th, 2024

Best Internet Providers in Cape Coral, Florida
CNET's pick for the best internet service provider for most Cape Coral households is Quantum Fiber. Although this ISP doesn't offer the widest coverage -- that would be Xfinity -- Quantum Fiber's symmetrical speeds and simple service details make it an enticing option for home internet.
February 9th, 2024 — Source

Best Solar Panel Installation Companies in Fresno
Fresno's bright sun and hot climate make solar energy attractive. Here's what to know before making the decision.
February 9th, 2024 — Source

Best Solar Panel Installation Companies in Sacramento
Net metering, PACE programs and economic assistance for disadvantaged people make Sacramento a great place to go solar.
February 9th, 2024 — Source

Beyond Plastic Particles: Nanoplastics Discovery Raises Concerns
Empa researchers have recently demonstrated that some nanoplastics are made up of water-insoluble oligomers rather than plastic particles. The consequences they have on people and the environment are not yet fully understood.
February 9th, 2024 — Source

Climate change to bring invasive weeds to mid-Atlantic and northeastern US states: Study
In an online article published In Invasive Plant Science and Management, Justin D. Salva and Bethany A. Bradley performed and reported impact assessments on 104 plants most likely to expand with climate change into one or more Eastern U.S. States (Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and/or West Virginia) by 2050.
February 9th, 2024 — Source

Goodbye, snow?
Five surprising facts about how climate change is affecting winter weather
February 9th, 2024 — Source or Watch Video

Hong Kong researcher recycles textile waste for 'building clothing' as thermal insulation
Textiles account for 10% of carbon dioxide (CO²) emissions, while 85% of textile waste is simply sent to landfill or incinerated. Buildings in Hong Kong generate 60% of CO² emissions and air conditioners consume 30% of energy. Therefore, providing an attractive technology to recycle textile waste and save building energy simultaneously holds high promise for carbon reduction.
February 9th, 2024 — Source

How an unprecedented magma river surged beneath an Iceland town
A river of magma flowed underneath an Icelandic fishing village late last year at a rate never before recorded, scientists said Thursday, as the region suffered yet another dramatic eruption.
February 9th, 2024 — Source

Indiana wetlands bill garners praise, criticism as it heads to governor's desk
Supporters of wetland legislation approved 6 Feb. by the Indiana legislature say the regulations are fair to residents, property owners, agriculture and developers while those against it say the state has already weakened wetland protections and this will only serve to damage sensitive ecosystems, increase flooding and decrease water quality.
February 9th, 2024 — Source

Nuclear fusion world record a promising step toward limitless energy
The feat was a "fitting swansong" for the retired JET reactor in Oxford
February 9th, 2024 — Source

Recycled food waste may be contaminated with pharmaceutical residues, research reveals
New research reveals that recycled food waste may be contaminated with pharmaceutical residues. The good news is that fungi cultivated in biogas digestate show minimal absorption of these contaminants. On February 16, Astrid Solvåg Nesse will defend her PhD dissertation at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU).
February 9th, 2024 — Source

Solar Windows? New Tech Could Change How You Power Your Home
Transparent new solar technology offers novel ways to use electricity around your home and could automate new and existing window functions.
February 9th, 2024 — Source

John Deere aims to offer variety of electric tractors, construction equipment by 2026
The company is building a facility in Kernersville, North Carolina, to manufacture electric battery and charging technology.
February 9th, 2024 — Source

Over a decade later, climate scientist prevails in libel case
But the case is not entirely over, as he plans to go after the publishers again.
February 9th, 2024 — Source

These States Are Poised for Community Solar Growth, Report Finds
Community solar can help those with no access to solar panels switch to clean energy. Here's why these programs might see growth in the near future.
February 9th, 2024 — Source

Understanding the chemical communication between cells
Like the people they make up, cells communicate by bumping into one another and exchanging handshakes. Unlike people, cells perform these handshakes using the diverse range of sugar molecules coating their surface like trees covering a landscape. Handshakes between these sugar molecules, or glycans, trigger cells to react in specific ways toward each other, such as escape, ignore or destroy.
February 9th, 2024 — Source

Women train to fight fire with fire in Portugal
Women from around the world gathered in northwest Portugal this week to practice a traditional technique of deliberately burning land to prevent the kind of wildfires—intensified by climate change—that have killed hundreds across Europe.
February 9th, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — February 7th, 2024

3D printed nanocellulose upscaled for green architectural applications
The study, from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden and the Wallenberg Wood Science Center, 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.
February 7th, 2024 — Source or Source

A new map tool for monitoring pan-Arctic trends of permafrost landscape change
Permafrost (from "permanent" and "frost") is ground that continuously remains at or below 0° C for at least two consecutive years. Around 15% of the land surface in the Northern Hemisphere is underlain by permafrost, which often contains and preserves biomass accumulated throughout millennia and thus acts as a carbon sink.
February 7th, 2024 — Source

California Solar Panel Incentives: Tax Credits, Rebates, Financing and More
Solar incentives are one reason Californians can save money with solar panels, despite weaker net metering rules enacted nearly a year ago.
February 7th, 2024 — Source

Can solar geoengineering save the world?
The concept of solar geoengineering—blocking the sun's radiation to slow Earth's warming—is no longer just the realm of science fiction. In 2023, the U.S. government and the UN released reports on the topic. Whether or not solar geoengineering can save the world is up for debate, and Tony Harding, an assistant professor in the School of Public Policy, is contributing to the conversation.
February 7th, 2024 — Source

Creativity helps the disempowered to highlight climate emergency concerns, study shows
Creativity can help promote environmental justice and support the disempowered to highlight their concerns about sustainability issues, a study shows.
February 7th, 2024 — Source

Curved carbon nanotubes enhance electrocatalysts for carbon neutrality
Electrocatalysis plays a vital role in developing clean energy, greenhouse gas removal and energy storage technologies. A study co-led by City University of Hong Kong (CityU) researchers found that single-walled carbon nanotubes are excellent substrates for enhancing greenhouse gas conversion through molecular curvature.
February 7th, 2024 — Source

Decoding thermophotovoltaic efficiency
The field of solar cells has witnessed exponential development over the past decades. Evaluating the performance of solar cells has been simple because all devices can be compared given a single metric, the efficiency, which is measured under standardized conditions.
February 7th, 2024 — Source

Effects of nitrogen and phosphorus additions on soil nematode community of soybean farmland
As a predator of soil microorganisms, nematodes respond rapidly to changes in soil environment, which can reflect climate conditions, ecosystem succession status, nutrient cycling and soil ecosystem health. In agroecosystems, nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers are often applied in large quantities.
February 7th, 2024 — Source

Environmentally-friendly InSb/InP colloidal quantum dots for fast and sensitive short-wave infrared photodetectors
The SWIR light sensor industry has been dominated for years by epitaxial technology, mainly based on devices made of indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs). However, several factors such as high production costs, low-scale manufacturability and incompatibility with CMOS have confined the epitaxial technology to niche and military markets.
February 7th, 2024 — Source

EU agrees on plan to boost homegrown green tech, taking on US and China
The bloc aims to cover at least 40% of its net-zero technology demand by 2030
February 7th, 2024 — Source

How to speak with your family and friends about environmental issues
A simple guide to getting started.
February 7th, 2024 — Source

If plants can pick fungi to help fight pests and diseases, it opens a door to greener farming and ecosystem recovery
Just beneath your feet, an ancient and silent alliance endures. This alliance between plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi is one of the oldest biological partnerships on Earth.
February 7th, 2024 — Source

Inexpensive, carbon-neutral biofuels are finally possible
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.
February 7th, 2024 — Source

Measuring household air pollution exposure in sub-Saharan Africa
Researchers from the University of Liverpool, dedicated to addressing the issue of household air pollution (HAP) in sub-Saharan Africa, have released new data to better understand the problem.
February 7th, 2024 — Source

Natural gas flare samples collected by aircraft reveal high variation in nitrogen oxides emission estimates
Natural gas flaring, or burning, is commonly used in parts of the United States to dispose of the gas byproduct from oil extraction. The flare's combustion converts hydrocarbons to carbon dioxide and water, which lessens the climate impact and reduces the safety concerns of the natural gas on site but also produces nitrogen oxides, or NO_x.
February 7th, 2024 — Source

New tool skillfully predicts marine habitat shifts
As global temperatures rise, so do ocean temperatures. The ocean absorbs about 90% of the world's excess heat, and this leads to changes to the marine environment that go beyond temperature, making some areas uninhabitable for some marine species.
February 7th, 2024 — Source

New UN weather agency chief says rate of global warming is speeding up
The new chief of the World Meteorological Organization said it looks to her that the rate of human-caused climate change is accelerating and that warming has triggered more Arctic cold outbreaks in North America and Europe, weighing in on two issues that divide climate scientists.
February 7th, 2024 — Source

Perovskite single-pixel detector for efficient extraction of meta-images in complex environments
Information technology plays a pivotal role in contemporary society, influencing aspects such as social communication, audio-visual entertainment in daily life, and the integration of cloud computing and the Internet of Things in industrial production.
February 7th, 2024 — Source

Reinforcing the diverse ways people access seafood can ensure healthy communities in the face of change
As climate change affects the oceans, coastal communities—particularly those at the front lines of ocean warming and sea level rise—are facing pressures that could threaten their access to aquatic foods.
February 7th, 2024 — Source

Spain sees warmest January on record
Spain has just experienced its warmest January since current records began in 1961, national weather office Aemet said Wednesday, after temperatures neared 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) in some regions.
February 7th, 2024 — Source

Spent hemp biomass: A feed use that supports milk production in dairy cows
Hemp cultivation has exploded in recent years, especially as CBD, a nonpsychoactive cannabinoid, has grown in popularity. As a result, there have been increasing calls—including from the Association of American Feed Control Officers—for CBD's by-product, spent hemp biomass, to be investigated as a potential animal feed ingredient.
February 7th, 2024 — Source

Study shows how plants adapt to cold ambient temperatures and frost
As plants are sessile organisms, they must be highly flexible in their ability to adapt to a wide range of environmental conditions in order to survive. Researchers from the Department of Plant Physiology at the RPTU Kaiserslautern are investigating plant adaptation mechanisms, particularly to abiotic stress factors such as light intensity or temperature.
February 7th, 2024 — Source

Texas Solar Panel Incentives: Tax Credits, Rebates and Net Metering Programs
Buying solar panels is expensive. Texans can access an array of tax credits, rebates and solar buyback programs to help ease the financial burden.
February 7th, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — February 5th, 2024

After a Tumultuous 2023, What's Next for Rooftop Solar?
A policy change crushed the biggest solar market in the US, but nationwide incentives showed up to the party. What comes next?
February 5th, 2024 — Source

Artists and environmentalists seek creative ways to keep plastics out of landfills
In high school, Jordan Parker wrote a paper on plastic pollution titled: "Is our country doomed to be buried beneath its own garbage?" Decades later, that question continues to galvanize Parker.
February 5th, 2024 — Source

Best Solar Panel Installation Companies in Ohio
Looking to install solar panels in the Buckeye State? Take a look at solar installers, cost and incentives in Ohio.
February 5th, 2024 — Source

Currently stable parts of East Antarctica may be closer to melting than anyone has realized
In a warming climate, meltwater from Antarctica is expected to contribute significantly to rising seas. For the most part, though, research has been focused on West Antarctica, in places like the Thwaites Glacier, which has seen significant melt in recent decades.
February 5th, 2024 — Source

Does the Saffir-Simpson Scale for hurricanes need a Category 6?
Two scientists say that it's time to recognize what a warming planet has done to the fiercest hurricanes.
February 5th, 2024 — Source or Source or Source

Does Your State Have Solar Net Metering?
Net metering or net billing policies determine how you get paid for the extra energy your solar panels produce. Here's how it works in every state.
February 5th, 2024 — Source

Grape white rot resistance and the role of VvWRKY5 in enhancing pathogen defense through the jasmonic acid pathway
Grape white rot, caused by Coniella diplodiella (Speg.) Sacc. (Cd), significantly impacts grape production and quality, highlighting the need for effective disease management strategies beyond fungicide use due to concerns over food safety and environmental impact.
February 5th, 2024 — Source

How climate change contributes to wildfires like Chile's
At least 112 people have been killed by wildfires in central Chile, leading its president to declare two days of national mourning. The devastation comes soon after Colombia declared a disaster over wildfires. Scientists say climate change makes the heat waves and drought now hitting South America more likely—and both contribute to wildfires by drying out the plants that feed the blazes.
February 5th, 2024 — Source

Improving climate predictions by unlocking the secrets of soil microbes
Climate models are essential to predicting and addressing climate change, but can fail to adequately represent soil microbes, a critical player in ecosystem soil carbon sequestration that affects the global carbon cycle.
February 5th, 2024 — Source

Mapping Australia's marine estate: Seafloor surveillance for biodiversity management
Global marine biodiversity is continually being threatened by oceanographic changes linked to both global warming and anthropogenic activities that degrade the ambient environment for marine organisms. Australia's oceanographic biodiversity is globally admired, with new initiatives being undertaken to aid conservation of marine ecosystems for decades to come, both at the local and global scale.
February 5th, 2024 — Source

New findings explain how soil traps plant-based carbon
When carbon molecules from plants enter the soil, they hit a definitive fork in the road. Either the carbon gets trapped in the soil for days or even years, where it is effectively sequestered from immediately entering the atmosphere. Or it feeds microbes, which then respire carbon dioxide into the ever-warming environment.
February 5th, 2024 — Source

New technology unscrambles the chatter of microbes
Researchers from University of California San Diego, as part of a large collaboration with scientists around the world, have developed a new search tool to help researchers better understand the metabolism of microorganisms. Microbes are key players in virtually all biological and environmental systems, yet limitations in current techniques used to study microbial metabolism make it difficult to decode their interactions and activities.
February 5th, 2024 — Source

Ocean sponges suggest Earth has warmed longer, more than thought; some scientists dubious
A handful of centuries-old sponges from deep in the Caribbean are causing some scientists to think human-caused climate change began sooner and has heated the world more than they thought.
February 5th, 2024 — Source

Researchers discover new species of mussel that lives in an ancient undersea forest
A Northeastern marine scientist has discovered a new species of tiny mollusk that lives in an ancient, submerged cypress grove called the Alabama Undersea Forest.
February 5th, 2024 — Source

Researchers uncover biological circuit that offers a new avenue for creating drought-resistant crops
Climate change is already harming agricultural yields and may one day pose a significant threat to the world's food supply. Engineering more resilient crops, including those able to thrive in the face of drought or high soil salinity levels, is an increasingly urgent need.
February 5th, 2024 — Source

Space reflectors could ensure bright future for solar power farms
Reflectors placed in orbit around the Earth that reflect sunlight toward future solar power farms at dawn and dusk could help accelerate the transition to net-zero, researchers say.
February 5th, 2024 — Source

Stellar Blade Features a Mix of Linear Environments and Open World Zones; Various Quests and Fishing Confirmed
Shift Up's upcoming game Stellar Blade was selected as one of Wccftech's most anticipated action titles for 2024. With only a couple months and a half left before the launch date, the developers have revealed more details about this game in an interview with IGN Japan.
February 5th, 2024 — Source

Study challenges the classical view of the origin of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and warns of its vulnerability
The most powerful ocean current on the planet
February 5th, 2024 — Source

Study of Indigenous and local communities finds happiness doesn't cost much
Many Indigenous peoples and local communities around the world are leading very satisfying lives despite having very little money. This is the conclusion of a study by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), which shows that many societies with very low monetary income have remarkably high levels of life satisfaction, comparable to those in wealthy countries.
February 5th, 2024 — Source

Washington state drinking water, hydropower at risk as Pacific Northwest snowpack shrinks
At Diablo Lake, North Cascades National Park the clouds lift by noon and wind screams down the mountainsides. Temperatures sunk to zero as Jon Riedel, a retired geologist with the National Park Service, stood on a ridge above the blue-green reservoir, which holds water that will later be released to spin the turbines at the dam and help power Seattle.
February 5th, 2024 — Source

What to know about Chile's voracious wildfires
Coming in the middle of a fierce heat wave, Chile's forest fires engulfed communities with a destructive speed that has stunned the nation.
February 5th, 2024 — Source

What Type of Solar Panels Should You Get?
Polycrystalline or monocrystalline? Going solar can be complicated. Here's what you need to know about solar panel types.
February 5th, 2024 — Source

Wildfires scorch central Chile, death toll tops 110
The death toll from central Chile's blazing wildfires climbed to at least 112 people on Sunday, after President Gabriel Boric warned the number would rise "significantly" as teams search gutted neighborhoods.
February 5th, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — February 2nd, 2024

Biodegradable sensor monitors levels of pesticides via direct contact with surface of fruit and vegetables
Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) and the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV) in Brazil have developed a sustainable sensor that can be placed directly on the surface of a vegetable or fruit to detect the presence of pesticides. Known for this reason as "plant-wearable," it is made of cellulose acetate, a material derived from wood pulp.
February 2nd, 2024 — Source

Engineers Capture First Clear Images of Ocean Nanoplastics
Millions of tons of plastic waste enter the oceans each year. The sun's ultraviolet light and ocean turbulence break down these plastics into invisible nanoparticles that threaten marine ecosystems.
February 2nd, 2024 — Source

'Everything was messed up': NYC's day cares grapple with flooding
Over 2,000 licensed child care providers in the city use homes with basements for classrooms, offices, and storage, leaving them damage-prone when heavy rains strike.
February 2nd, 2024 — Source

Fooled: Herbivorous animals 'led by the nose' to leave plants alone
University of Sydney researchers have shown it is possible to shield plants from the hungry maws of herbivorous mammals by fooling them with the smell of a variety they typically avoid.
February 2nd, 2024 — Source

Sedimentary records of contaminant inputs in Frobisher Bay provide record of changes in contaminant levels over decades
Although contaminant levels in Arctic environments are often lower than those in temperate locations close to cities and industrial areas, contaminant studies in the Arctic remain important due to the potential for bioaccumulation and biomagnification through food webs to top consumers and humans. Regions important for traditional food harvesting are a priority for monitoring.
February 2nd, 2024 — Source

Should climate change keep you from having kids?
The authors of a new book, 'The Conceivable Future,' discuss how people are thinking about family planning in a time of climate change.
February 2nd, 2024 — Source

Researchers realize photo-driven nitrogen fixation and ammonia synthesis mediated by lithium hydride
Ammonia is essential for food and future energy supply. In the industry, it is mainly produced by the Haber-Bosch process, which operates at high temperatures and pressures. Due to the high energy consumption and carbon emissions of ammonia industry, it is important to develop alternative materials and approaches for efficient N2 reduction to ammonia driven by renewable energy.
February 2nd, 2024 — Source

Strategies for enhancing the performance of nickel single-atom catalysts for the electroreduction of CO² to CO
Electrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide (CO²) is considered as an effective strategy for mitigating the energy crisis and the greenhouse effect. Among the multiple reduction products, CO is regarded as having the highest market value as it is a crucial feedstock for Fischer-Tropsch process which can synthesize high-value long-chain hydrocarbons.
February 2nd, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — January 31st, 2024

Anchoring single Co sites on bipyridine-based covalent triazine frameworks for photocatalytic oxygen evolution
Photocatalytic water splitting using semiconductors is regarded as a promising technique for producing hydrogen fuel from solar energy. The oxygen evolution half reaction has proven to be the bottleneck for photocatalytic overall water splitting owing to the high energy barrier and the sluggish kinetics. It is a big challenge to develop efficient photocatalysts for the advancement of water oxidation.
January 31, 2024 — Source

Assessing endosulfan residues and farmer response post-ban in China's cotton regions
Endosulfan, a broad-spectrum organochlorine pesticide, was widely used in agricultural sectors, including cotton farming, due to its effectiveness against pests. However, due to its environmental persistence and potential health risks, its production and use have been banned in China since March 2019.
January 31, 2024 — Source

Best Solar Panel Installation Companies in Washington, DC
DC is supported by strong solar legislation. Between federal and local programs, DC has a lot of incentives for going solar.
January 31, 2024 — Source

Cerulean empowers ocean pollution watchdogs with orbital observation
The vastness of the ocean allows polluters to evade detection in all but the most egregious violations. SkyTruth aims to change that with Cerulean, an orbital monitoring platform for coastal waters that spots not just oil slicks but also the ships that produce them faster and with more certainty than ever before.
January 31, 2024 — Source

Climate change: University researchers feel powerless to take action, says survey
University researchers in the UK, across all disciplines and at all career stages, are struggling to take action against climate change despite wanting to do so.
January 31, 2024 — Source

Crypto mines will have to start reporting their energy use in the US
A survey of crypto mines' electricity consumption in the US is set to start next week.
January 31, 2024 — Source

Germany's mine-to-motor lithium supply chain takes shape
Once a byword for environmental disaster due to its heavy industry and mining, the city of Bitterfeld-Wolfen is poised to become a key site for Germany's ambitious green transition.
January 31, 2024 — Source

Heat from treated wastewater can warm homes
A Duluth collaboration aims to repurpose warm water discharged from a wastewater plant to heat homes in a low-income neighborhood.
January 31, 2024 — Source

How a 'turn it off' approach to energy conservation could benefit Canada, and the planet
The challenge for climate change communicators a couple of decades ago was conveying what the research was showing: that the burning of fossil fuels was altering the planet's climate. That communication played a vital role in facilitating the current widespread understanding that the climate is changing and it is a crisis.
January 31, 2024 — Source

How YouTube's climate deniers turned into climate doomers
A new report documents a sharp rise in arguments that clean energy and climate policies won't work.
January 31, 2024 — Source

Legume model plant study clarifies underlying mechanism of iron acquisition in response to nitrogen
Leguminous plants have a mechanism (rhizobial symbiosis) to efficiently acquire nitrogen, which is an essential macronutrient for growth, through the nitrogen-fixing bacteria rhizobia. Root nodules are organs on plant roots that facilitate the symbiotic relationship.
January 31, 2024 — Source

Logitech Conference Room Products Transition to Recycled Plastic & Next Life Materials
Logitech has announced that all video collaboration devices that run on the CollabOS operating system will now be manufactured with next-life plastics, helping enterprise customers support their sustainability objectives. Existing products- Rally Bar, Rally Bar Mini, Tap IP, Tap Scheduler, and Scribe- are being refreshed with materials that lower the carbon impact of each product. This provides organizations with a partner that in turn helps position them to better manage their carbon footprint.
January 31, 2024 — Source

Medicinal drugs pollute the St. Lawrence River, presenting possible risk to aquatic organisms: Study
A new study shows troubling levels of pharmaceutical pollution in the St. Lawrence River and its largest tributaries, especially near and downstream of urban areas. Some of the compounds detected even pose a moderate-to-high risk to aquatic organisms when there's chronic exposure.
January 31, 2024 — Source

Method combines artificial intelligence and satellite imagery to map crop-livestock integration systems
Crop-livestock integration (CLI) systems combine the growing of crops in rotation or consortium, especially grain crops such as soybeans, corn and sorghum, and forage plants used to feed cattle and pigs, with the raising of livestock, typically beef cattle. The crops provide most of the cash income, while the livestock has food available during the dry season and facilitates seed management.
January 31, 2024 — Source

Oil firms forced to consider full climate effects of new drilling, following landmark Norwegian court ruling
Norway's district court in Oslo recently made a decision on fossil fuels that deserves the attention of every person concerned about climate change.
January 31, 2024 — Source

Positive associations revealed as key driver in maintaining soil biodiversity and ecological networks
In a study published in PNAS, researchers analyzed 151 ecosystems across six continents, delved into the intricate coexistence network among diverse species including bacteria, fungi, protists, and invertebrates, and for the first time, linked biotic coexistence relationships with global biodiversity maintenance, which offers insights into the understanding of soil biodiversity and its ecological networks.
January 31, 2024 — Source

Research team demonstrates robust light propagation in open systems
Physicists from the University of Rostock, the Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat, the Julius-Maximilians University of Würzburg and the Indiana University Indianapolis (IUPUI) have shown for the first time that light can propagate without any loss in systems that interact with their environment.
January 31, 2024 — Source

Researchers decode key airflow pattern impacting global climate
The Hadley circulation is a key atmospheric circulation pattern in the tropics. It helps even out the temperature between the equator and the poles by moving energy and momentum toward higher latitudes.
January 31, 2024 — Source

Researchers report on recent drought in the eastern Hungarian plains
Intensive agricultural cultivation and the resulting changes in soil structure cause low humidity in the near-surface air during heat waves in really dry years. As a result, summer cold fronts roar across the Great Hungarian Plain without the usual thunderstorms and precipitation.
January 31, 2024 — Source

Scientists take a close look at Australia's soil profiles
Even the most degraded and poor quality soil can be enhanced by improving its smallest components—its fungi, archaea and bacteria microorganisms.
January 31, 2024 — Source

Space lasers have unearthed plethora of climate data over the years
A team of scientists has sifted through two decades' worth of climate data collected by NASA laser pulses, and say it both paints a sobering picture and underscores the need for such missions to continue.
January 31, 2024 — Source

Study finds manure control effective in reducing soil antibiotic-resistant bacteria
In agroecosystems where manure is applied as organic fertilizer, these antibiotic residues exert strong selective pressure on soil microbial communities. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) from animal manure would increase the concentration of ARB in soils.
January 31, 2024 — Source

Study highlights profitability as a key barrier to biodiversity-friendly farming
A study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), focused on an intensive grassland-sunflower system in southwest France in order to quantify the ecological, agronomic, and net economic benefits of biodiversity-friendly farming. Such insight is highly needed in the context of experts increasingly advocating for biodiversity-friendly farming, with very little known about its economic profitability for farmers.
January 31, 2024 — Source

The hottest catalog of the year: the most comprehensive list of slow-building solar flares yet
Solar flares occur when magnetic energy builds up in the sun's atmosphere and is released as electromagnetic radiation. Lasting anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, flares usually reach temperatures around 10 million degrees Kelvin. Because of their intense electromagnetic energy, solar flares can cause disruptions in radio communications, Earth-orbiting satellites and even result in blackouts.
January 31, 2024 — Source

Unprecedented ocean heating shows risks of world 3C warmer
Record-high ocean temperatures observed in 2023 could become the norm if the world moved into a climate that is 3°C warmer than pre-industrial levels, according to a new study.
January 31, 2024 — Source

Using artificial intelligence, better pollution predictions are in the air
Fueled by increasing temperatures and droughts, severe wildfires are on the rise around the world—as are the smoke-borne contaminants that harm the environment and human health. In 2023, Canada recorded its worst wildfire season ever, with fires releasing more than 290 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere. California also experienced record-setting fire seasons in 2020 and 2021.
January 31, 2024 — Source

Why we need to preserve maritime forests
While collecting cores from oak trees on Fire Island National Park, Nicole Davi, a dendrochronologist who works at the Climate School's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, explains the critical role maritime forests play in protecting our coastal communities from storms. The tree-ring records she builds will help us understand how these ecosystems are responding to climate change.
January 31, 2024 — Source

Will La Niña return this fall? The tea leaves are unusually strong
There's now higher-than-usual confidence that the current strong El Niño event will segue into La Niña later this year.
January 31, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — January 29th, 2024

2 Broods of Cicadas Are Preparing to Swarm the US Simultaneously
'Cicadapocalypse' is expected to unleash billions of big, noisy insects on the environment.
January 29, 2024 — Source

ADT Closed Its Solar Division. What Happens to Its Customers?
The solar business is getting turbulent. If the company that put your panels up goes out of business, you might be thinking: What's next?
January 29, 2024 — Source

Cosmic building blocks of life discovered through the electron microscope
Meteorites are fragments of asteroids which find their way to Earth as shooting stars and provide information on the origins of our solar system. A team of researchers has examined the so-called Winchcombe meteorite and demonstrated the existence in it of nitrogen compounds such as amino acids and heterocyclic hydrocarbons -- without applying any chemical treatment and by using a new type of detector design.
January 29, 2024 — Source

Education and information can increase the acceptance of climate policies
An important question for policymakers worldwide is how to make climate and environmental policies acceptable among the populations. A new study published in Climate Policy sheds light on the preferences in five East African countries.
January 29, 2024 — Source or Source

El Niño: Malawi's harvest of maize—its staple food—may fall by 22.5% this year
Maize is the preferred staple of most of southern Africa. In Malawi it supplies two-thirds of national calorie intake. Nine out of 10 farming households produce maize and devote over 70% of their land to growing it.
January 29, 2024 — Source

Electric vehicles use half the energy of gas-powered vehicles
They're just much more efficient.
January 29, 2024 — Source

Environments on Apple Vision Pro: What they are and every location announced so far
Vision Pro can transform your living room into a mountain top.
January 29, 2024 — Source

'Everyone can be a naturalist' says the man who preserved more than 150,000 acres
Suburban environs can be dull. Lawns and roads don't offer much biodiversity for curious boys. But Charles Bier, a recently retired senior director of conservation science for the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, found a way outside.
January 29, 2024 — Source

Fixing food could produce trillions in annual benefits: Report
The ways food is produced and consumed across the world is racking up hidden costs in health impacts and environmental damage amounting to some 12 percent of world GDP a year, according to a new report Monday.
January 29, 2024 — Source

Green leaf volatiles may work as a less toxic pesticide for farmers
Have you ever wondered about that sharp, green note that hits your nose when you mow the lawn or cut flower stems? Those are green leaf volatiles, or GLVs: easily evaporated oils that plants use to communicate with other plants and defend themselves against herbivores or pathogens like bacteria or fungi.
January 29, 2024 — Source

Growing up during a drought: What it taught about 'nudging' sustainability behaviors
The need to understand how to encourage people to adopt more climate-friendly behaviors is pressing, but "nudging" people to adopt behaviors such as recycling, taking public transport, and reducing their consumption of energy and water, is notoriously difficult.
January 29, 2024 — Source

High schoolers build solar car that can go 70 miles an hour
They raced it from Fort Worth to El Paso, Texas.
January 29, 2024 — Source

High-efficiency carbon dioxide electroreduction system reduces our carbon footprint and progressing carbon neutrality goals
Global warming continues to pose a threat to human society and the ecological systems, and carbon dioxide accounts for the largest proportion of the greenhouse gases that dominate climate warming.
January 29, 2024 — Source

Importance of irrigation water to Lower Rio Grande Valley agriculture highlighted in new report
The economic impact of the complete lack of irrigation water for crop production in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in 2024 would be an estimated $495.8 million in direct revenue loss, according to a recent report by the Center for North American Studies, CNAS.
January 29, 2024 — Source

New analysis highlights geothermal heat pumps as key opportunity in switch to clean energy
A new analysis from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) found that, coupled with building envelope improvements, installing geothermal heat pumps in around 70% of U.S. buildings could save as much as 593 terawatt-hours of electricity generation annually and avoid seven gigatons of carbon-equivalent emissions by 2050.
January 29, 2024 — Source

Pollen diaries: Polar ice records preserve climate versus human impact following Little Ice Age
Pollen can help scientists track changes in vegetation through time, as they respond to moderations of the climate, be that glaciation or deglaciation with transitions into and out of ice ages. Furthermore, it can help elucidate the interplay between climate and the impact early human settlement exploitation of the natural world had on forests.
January 29, 2024 — Source

Rising sea levels could lead to more methane emitted from wetlands
A low-salinity Bay Area estuary ecosystem is producing higher-than-expected levels of methane
January 29, 2024 — Source

Scientists develop novel method to estimate biodiversity loss in Singapore over the past two centuries
Findings underscore the vulnerability of charismatic species in tropical forest environments
January 29, 2024 — Source

Sediment runoff from the land is killing NZ's seas. It's time to take action, says researcher
The fishers at Separation Point, between Golden Bay and Tasman Bay in New Zealand's northwest South Island, used to be cautious. Something they called "hard coral" would tear their nets. If you dived down about 30 meters, you could see why: Extensive reefs.
January 29, 2024 — Source

Spacing characteristics between vegetation could be a warning sign of degrading dryland ecosystems: Study
Scientists have found that the spatial arrangement of plants in drylands can be a sign of the environment degrading, according to a new study.
January 29, 2024 — Source

SolarWinds slams SEC lawsuit against it as 'unprecedented' victim blaming
18,000 customers, including the Pentagon and Microsoft, may have other thoughts
January 29, 2024 — Source

Understanding nutrient cycling between algae and bacteria could lead to increased biofuel production
The interactions between algae and bacteria are essential to the primary productivity of Earth's oceans and surface waters. Bacteria can increase the productivity of algae by producing key factors, such as vitamins, iron-chelating molecules, and growth hormones. In addition, bacteria remineralize organic matter—a process that provides a steady supply of nutrients to algae.
January 29, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — January 26th, 2024

Addressing the future of Norway's pink salmon
In recent years, the presence of pink salmon in Norwegian rivers has dramatically increased. Fishermen, anglers and researchers alike are concerned that this non-native species could pose a significant threat to native species and ecosystems.
January 26, 2024 — Source

ADT Solar Exits US Residential Solar Panel Market
ADT was CNET's highest-rated overall solar company. Now we've got a new one.
January 26, 2024 — Source

ADT Solar Review
ADT has announced it will be closing its solar operations business. While the information in this review was relevant at the time, it is no longer useful and applicable.
January 26, 2024 — Source

AI Surge Catches US Electric Grid Off Guard, Keeps Coal Plants In Business
Artificial intelligence is taking over the world, not literally, or rather, not yet anyway. However, the use of AI and machine learning is having a butterfly effect. Besides all the standard implications of AI taking jobs and concerns about the responsible use of it, AI is also putting a strain on the power infrastructure around the United States.
January 26, 2024 — Source

Calculate How Much Money Solar Panels Can Save You
Quite a few factors affect how much money solar panels can save you. These formulas will help you determine how much.
January 26, 2024 — Source

Climate crisis prompts Biden to halt new gas export facilities
The United States, which ships more liquefied natural gas (LNG) than any other country, is hitting pause on new export facilities, the Biden administration announced Friday in a step hailed as vital to tackling the climate crisis.
January 26, 2024 — Source

Glacier melting destroys important climate data archive
As part of the Ice Memory initiative, Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) researchers, with colleagues from the University of Fribourg and Ca' Foscari University of Venice as well as the Institute of Polar Sciences of the Italian National Research Council (CNR), analyzed ice cores drilled in 2018 and 2020 from the Corbassière glacier at Grand Combin in the canton of Valais.
January 26, 2024 — Source

How the seabed could be a refuge for gorgonian coral forests threatened by marine heat waves
Over the last 20 years, the world's oceans have experienced a significant increase in episodes of high-sea surface temperatures, known as marine heat waves.
January 26, 2024 — Source

Magnetic-biased chiral molecules enable highly oriented perovskite films
In the realm of clean energy, metal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have emerged as a focus, capturing significant attention for their extraordinary advancements. In just over a decade, their certified power conversion efficiency (PCE) has skyrocketed to 26.1%, approaching the upper limits seen in traditional crystalline silicon cells. What sets PSCs apart is their potential to surpass the 30% PCE threshold.
January 26, 2024 — Source

Nexon's Medieval Fantasy Brawler Warhaven Shutting Down 6 Months After Launching in Early Access
"We must bid our sincere farewell."
January 26, 2024 — Source

Our picks for personal climate action in 2024
From getting solar panels to going to therapy, here's how Yale Climate Connections editors are planning to take care of ourselves and the planet this year.
January 26, 2024 — Source

Revolutionizing plastics: Upcycling agricultural waste boosts performance and sustainability
Researchers from Thailand have pioneered the conversion of waste HDPE milk bottles into high-stiffness composites, using PALF reinforcement for a 162% increase in flexural strength and 204% in modulus. This eco-friendly upcycling boosts mechanical properties while sequestering carbon, presenting a promising path for sustainable materials.
January 26, 2024 — Source

Parent--child interaction found to promote pro-environmental behavior through family well-being, nature connectedness
The deterioration of global ecosystems and environmental problems, such as global climate warming, extreme weather events, and severe pollution threaten the human environment. Implementing pro-environmental behaviors is one of the effective ways to solve environmental problems. How to promote behavioral change and implement more pro-environmental behaviors through family education has become a social research focus.
January 26, 2024 — Source

Peach-palm waste and Trichoderma stromaticum: The potential of cost-effective amylase production
Amylases are among the most important biotechnological and industrial enzymes that can be applied in various sectors, such as food, pharmaceuticals, textiles, chemicals, paper, and detergents.
January 26, 2024 — Source

Puppet king teaches Minnesota kids about climate change
The puppet shows can help kids learn tips for sustainable living.
January 26, 2024 — Source

Solar Panels versus Tesla Solar Roof: Here's the Difference
The Tesla Solar Roof might be the best-looking solar solution for your home. It could be one of the most expensive, too.
January 26, 2024 — Source

Spatial model predicts bumblebee exposure to pesticide use
It has long been known that agricultural pesticides are one of the greatest threats to bees and other essential pollinators. What farmers have lacked is an understanding of how different pesticides, applied at various times on a variety of crops, affect the risk of exposure to bees living near the fields.
January 26, 2024 — Source

Study explores the connection between nitrogen oxides control and SNA, ozone reduction
Sulfate-nitrate-ammonium (SNA) and other atmospheric aerosols play a significant role in influencing both atmospheric and environmental conditions. These aerosols impact climate directly through scattering and absorbing solar radiation, thus influencing the Earth's radiative balance.
January 26, 2024 — Source

Study shows coal-based product could replace sand in concrete
The world's reliance on concrete, the second most consumed material after water, is leading to an environmental and resource crisis, with sand mining rates outstripping natural replenishment.
January 26, 2024 — Source

Study tracks how wetland tree stem emissions vary by season, location, and hydrological conditions
The recent rise in atmospheric methane (CH4) has drawn increased attention to the potent greenhouse gas, which is approximately 45 times more powerful than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere. About 60% of global methane emissions are anthropogenic, primarily from fossil fuel burning and other activities in the transportation and agriculture sectors. The remainder of the methane budget comes from natural ecosystem processes.
January 26, 2024 — Source

Swimming pools could slash bills by harvesting heat from servers. Here's how to make it work
My teenage son regularly complains about his room being too warm, even during winter. While the rest of the house is at a comfortable temperature, the video game PC he plays emits a significant amount of heat.
January 26, 2024 — Source

The botanical imperialism of weeds and crops: How alien plant species on the First Fleet changed Australia
Locally grown produce fills Australian shops, but almost all of these species were imported, as native as cane toads. Icons of Australian agriculture, like the Big Banana and Big Pineapple, proudly display the regions' crops, but these are newcomers to the continent.
January 26, 2024 — Source

The underground network: Decoding the dynamics of plant-fungal symbiosis
The intricate dance of nature often unfolds in mysterious ways, hidden from the naked eye. At the heart of this enigmatic tango lies a vital partnership: the symbiosis between plants and a type of fungi known as arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. New groundbreaking research delves into this partnership, revealing key insights that deepen our understanding of plant-AM fungi interactions and could lead to advances in sustainable agriculture.
January 26, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — January 24th, 2024

Balancing the potential and pitfalls of solar-powered groundwater irrigation
In a bid to meet growing food production and energy needs in low- and middle-income countries, solar-powered groundwater irrigation is rapidly gaining ground. More than 500,000 solar pumps have been installed in south Asia over the last few years and a major expansion is planned across sub-Saharan Africa.
January 24, 2024 — Source

Climate disaster movies resonate in ways that news never will
Like many eco-conscious film buffs, I've seen "Don't Look Up" many times, and shown it to my friends and family whenever anyone suggests a movie night. Now I'm looking forward to discussing "The End We Start From," the new 2024 release starring Killing Eve star Jodie Comer. T
January 24, 2024 — Source

Europe's bike industry hits bumps as cycling craze cools
At a bicycle trade fair in Stuttgart, steep discounts on brand-new models hint at the turmoil roiling the industry now that a pandemic-fueled cycling craze has faded.
January 24, 2024 — Source

Global warming found to have a bigger effect on compact, fast-moving typhoons
A research group from Nagoya University in Japan has found that larger, slower-moving typhoons are more likely to be resilient against global warming. However, compact, faster-moving storms are more likely to be sensitive.
January 24, 2024 — Source

Global warming was primary cause of unprecedented Amazon drought, study finds
Human-induced global warming, and not El Niño, was the primary driver of last year's severe drought in the Amazon that sent rivers to record lows, required deliveries of food and drinking water to hundreds of river communities and killed dozens of endangered dolphins, researchers said Wednesday.
January 24, 2024 — Source

Looking to take advantage of IRA rebates? Depending on your state, you might have to wait.
Each state or territory will need to design its own program to offer rebates for energy-efficiency retrofits and climate-friendly appliances.
January 24, 2024 — Source

Researchers: Britain is at bursting point and its flood barriers need to be updated
Flooding is the top environmental hazard identified in the UK's National Risk Register, after a pandemic. Around one in six homes are currently at risk of flooding—a value likely to increase.
January 24, 2024 — Source

Study finds no evidence for fractal scaling in canopy surfaces across a diverse range of forest types
The complexity of forests cannot be explained by simple mathematical rules, a study finds. The way trees grow together do not resemble how branches grow on a single tree, scientists have discovered.
January 24, 2024 — Source

Suppression of deep-level traps for lead-free perovskite solar cells
Tin perovskites have gained tremendous attention in lead-free perovskite solar cells. However, Sn vacancies and undercoordinated Sn ions on the tin perovskite surfaces can create deep-level traps, leading to non-radiative recombination and absorption nucleophilic O2 molecules, impeding further device efficiency and stability.
January 24, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — January 22nd, 2024

A pure water-fed membrane-electrode-assembly system for electrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide
The sustainably powered, electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide into useful chemicals and feedstock could help to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, allowing industries to reuse released CO2 in beneficial ways. Most of the strategies for realizing this introduced so far, however, have notable limitations, including a poor stability over long periods of time.
January 22, 2024 — Source

Congo's blackwater Ruki River is a major transporter of forest carbon, study shows
The Congo Basin of central Africa is well known for its network of rivers that drain a variety of landscapes

, from dense tropical forests to more arid and wooded savannas.
January 22, 2024 — Source

How to design policies that support both aquaculture and small-scale fisheries
Marine aquaculture has expanded dramatically over the last two decades to meet growing demand for aquatic foods, but this growth can sometimes come at a cost. New Stanford-led research published in npj Ocean Sustainability explores how investments in the aquaculture industry can affect small-scale marine fisheries, and how policy changes can support livelihoods, equity, and sustainability.
January 22, 2024 — Source

Investigating the presence of environmental rare earth elements in activated sludge systems
The pandemic has triggered a major increase in the use of medical facilities and drugs, which has exacerbated pollution in wastewater biochemical treatment systems. Pollution from environmental rare earth elements (REE) has increased due to the widespread use of REE in medical applications.
January 22, 2024 — Source

Is linking time in the office to career success the best way to get us back to work?
Working from home introduced in response to the harsh pandemic lockdowns in 2020 was expected to be a short term arrangement with staff returning to the office as soon as restrictions were lifted.
January 22, 2024 — Source

It is time to draw down carbon dioxide but shut down moves to play God with the climate
The global effort to keep climate change to safe levels—ideally within 1.5°C above pre-industrial temperatures—is moving far too slowly. And even if we stopped emitting CO² today, the long-term impacts of the gas already in the air would continue for decades. For these reasons, we will soon have to focus not only on halting but on reversing global warming.
January 22, 2024 — Source

No impact without revenue? That's ArcTern's climate tech thesis
Much of the intriguing climate tech that crosses our desks is theoretical or only just coming to market — think, tech that sucks carbon out of the sky, emerging lithium-ion battery alternatives and bioplastics that've yet to seriously scale. These aren't the sorts of things ArcTern wants to fund, managing partner Murray McCaig told TechCrunch.
January 22, 2024 — Source

One billion people left dangerously exposed to heat stress by gaps in climate monitoring
2023 was the hottest year on record. Humidity is rising too. Heat and humidity are a dangerous combination, threatening all aspects of our lives and livelihoods.
January 22, 2024 — Source

Prescribed burning could be making Aussie forests more flammable
Disturbing natural forests with activities such as logging and prescribed burning can make them more flammable, research from The Australian National University (ANU) and Curtin University has found. The research is published in the journal Biological Reviews.
January 22, 2024 — Source

Researchers develop high-efficiency carbon dioxide electroreduction system for reducing carbon footprint
Global warming continues to pose a threat to human society and ecological systems, and carbon dioxide accounts for the largest proportion of the greenhouse gases that dominate climate warming.
January 22, 2024 — Source

Scientists warn missing Russian data causing Arctic climate blind spots
Loss of scientific data from Russia's Arctic monitoring stations following the invasion of Ukraine has worsened information gaps that could have serious implications for tracking and predicting climate change globally, researchers warned Monday.
January 22, 2024 — Source

Study highlights the complex genetic landscape that drives modern tardigrade ecology
Tardigrades may be nature's ultimate survivors. While these tiny, nearly translucent animals are easily overlooked, they represent a diverse group that has successfully colonized freshwater, marine, and terrestrial environments on every continent, including Antarctica. Commonly known as "water bears", these unusual creatures may be among the most resilient organisms on the planet thanks to their unparalleled ability to survive extreme conditions, with various species being resistant to drought, high doses of radiation, low oxygen environments, and both high and low temperatures and pressures.
January 22, 2024 — Source

Study uncovers the dynamics of extreme climate events in Guangdong using satellite data
A study published in the journal Satellite Navigation, researchers from Southern University of Science and Technology harnessed high-resolution data from an extensive network of GNSS stations focusing on Guangdong province, a region highly susceptible to climate variability.
January 22, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — January 19th, 2024

Climate change and atmospheric dynamics unveil future weather extremes
From late June to mid-July of 2021, the Pacific Northwest was scorched under an unprecedented heat dome, shattering temperature records and igniting a wave of concern over climate extremes. As cities like Portland and Seattle, known for their mild summers, grappled with triple-digit heat, scientists delved into the whys and hows of this meteorological anomaly.
January 19, 2024 — Source

Climate Change Raises Pressure on Biden To Keep Workers Cooler
With climate change posing rising threats to human health, the Biden administration is drafting federal rules to protect construction crews, warehouse workers, delivery drivers and the rest of America's workforce from extreme heat. The regulatory effort has been years in the making, and its fate is far from certain.
January 19, 2024 — Source

Dutch farmers struggle through extreme weather
The sub-zero temperatures have a detrimental effect on crops that were prevented from being harvested due to the extreme precipitation in recent months. Potatoes still in the fields in January are to be considered lost. Wijnand Sukkel of Wageningen University & Research says, "Farmers deal with increasingly extreme weather. WUR seeks solutions in lighter farming machinery and breeding varieties that are more resilient against extreme weather."
January 19, 2024 — Source

Expected CO² levels in 2024 threaten 1.5°C warming limit
Increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere this year will exceed key trajectories for limiting warming to 1.5°C, Britain's Met Office predicted Friday, with researchers reaffirming that that only "drastic" emissions cuts can keep the target in sight.
January 19, 2024 — Source

Global food production at risk as rising temperatures threaten farmers' physical ability to work, new study finds
The future of global food production is under threat as temperature rises will impact farmers' physical capacity to work, a new study has revealed.
January 19, 2024 — Source

How cutting back on beef helps the planet
Producing beef causes eight to 10 times more carbon pollution per serving than chicken.
January 19, 2024 — Source

How Phoenix is preparing for its next brutally hot summer
In this Q&A, the city's director of heat response and mitigation explains what his department is doing to keep people safe.
January 19, 2024 — Source

New risk modeling can help Aotearoa's pāua industry adapt to climate change
The pāua industry is facing a range of challenges, as business and finance grapple with how to support the ecological role of this taonga species in our marine environment and protect one of our most valuable export commodities.
January 19, 2024 — Source

Novel methodology projects growth of native trees, enhancing return on investment in forest restoration
Interest in forest restoration has increased in recent years, both on the part of companies and financial markets and in academia and government. This is particularly the case in Brazil, whose government has pledged since the 2015 Paris Agreement to restore 12 million hectares of native forest. However, tree planting is costly, while data on species growth and other aspects of reforestation is scant.
January 19, 2024 — Source

Q&A: Small solar sails could be the next 'giant leap' for interplanetary space exploration
Nearly 70 years after the launch of the first satellite, we still have more questions than answers about space. But a team of Berkeley researchers is on a mission to change this with a proposal to build a fleet of low-cost, autonomous spacecraft, each weighing only 10 grams and propelled by nothing more than the pressure of solar radiation. These miniaturized solar sails could potentially visit thousands of near-Earth asteroids and comets, capturing high-resolution images and collecting samples.
January 19, 2024 — Source

Researchers release solar power data software to increase clean energy generation
A lot can happen to solar panels that are mounted to a roof -- from tree branches casting shade over them to a neighbor's baseball cracking one.
January 19, 2024 — Source

Study finds chemodiversity of soil-dissolved organic matter altered by microplastics
Soil is the largest reservoir of microplastic (MP), with the corresponding content being 4 to 23 times that in oceans. Plastics are widely used in production and daily life due to their low cost, good ductility and durability. However, approximately 80% of plastics ultimately accumulate in soil, rivers, and marine environments.
January 19, 2024 — Source

Study says ice age could help predict oceans' response to global warming
A team of scientists led by a Tulane University oceanographer has found that deposits deep under the ocean floor reveal a way to measure the ocean oxygen level and its connections with carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere during the last ice age, which ended more than 11,000 years ago.
January 19, 2024 — Source

Study shows moss could have starring role in pollution monitoring
A unique experiment that began in Aberdeen during the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed how the humble moss could be used by citizen scientists to monitor air pollution levels in urban environments worldwide.
January 19, 2024 — Source

This 'digital twin' of the planet could rival Google Earth — here's how you can try it
The AI-powered programme tracks how our planet is changing in near real-time
January 19, 2024 — Source

Vines strangle forests in warm temperatures, threaten planet's cooling 'carbon sink'
As Earth records its hottest year ever, a global research collaboration has found warmer temperatures are a key driver in woody vines taking over the world's forests—threatening their vital role in helping cool the atmosphere by storing carbon.
January 19, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — January 16th, 2024

Advancing high-speed electromagnetic suspension: A scheme for enhanced stability, track irregularity suppression
The maglev train represents a type of modern urban rail transit transportation tool, boasting many technical advantages such as low noise, green environmental protection, small turning radius, good stability and high comfort. These advantages are due to the suspension mode of the train.
January 16, 2024 — Source

Agriculture: Changing animal feed reduces consumption of natural resources such as soil and water
A study published in Nature Food, the result of a collaboration between Politecnico di Milano and the University of Milan, highlights how the increased use of by-products in the feed sector in a circular perspective can lead to significant savings in the use of land and water resources and thus to more sustainable agri-food systems.
January 16, 2024 — Source

Carbon monoxide poisoning prevention tips during cold weather
With below-freezing temperatures, Houstonians are doing their best to find ways to keep warm, but certain appliances in and around our homes used to do so can be deadly. Poisoning by carbon monoxide, an odorless, scentless and colorless gas emitted from these items, is more frequent during this time of year. Dr. Sara Andrabi, assistant professor in the Henry J.N. Taub Department of Emergency Medicine, shares the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning and how you can prevent it.
January 16, 2024 — Source

Climate change in the South China Sea found to have global impacts on weather patterns
As the threat of global warming looms, researchers are racing to understand how complex, interconnected weather systems affect one another. Unprecedented changes to weather patterns, sometimes in defiance of models and predictions, point to the need for a global perspective.
January 16, 2024 — Source

Climate change may make wildfires larger, more common in US southern Appalachian region
In a new study, North Carolina State University researchers have found that more extreme and frequent droughts would dramatically increase the amount of forest burned by wildfire in the southern Appalachian region of the Southeast through the end of the century.
January 16, 2024 — Source

Climate change threatens global forest carbon sequestration, study finds
Climate change is causing Western U.S. forests to be less effective carbon sinks, even as it boosts the productivity of forests in the Eastern U.S., according to new research.
January 16, 2024 — Source

Climate Denial on YouTube Is Evolving. Here's How to Make Sense of It
Shapeshifting narratives make climate denial harder to spot. But being aware is half the battle.
January 16, 2024 — Source

Discovery enables cost-effective and eco-friendly green hydrogen production
A breakthrough technology has been developed that enables the production of green hydrogen in a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner, bringing us closer to a carbon-neutral society by replacing expensive precious metal catalysts.
January 16, 2024 — Source

Enhancing Resiliency: Implementing the Circuit Breaker Pattern for Strong Serverless Architecture on AWS
Discover the role of circuit breaker pattern in safeguarding against failures and improving fault tolerance within distributed environments in AWS
January 16, 2024 — Source

First Mode reduces workforce as it revises its vision for lower-emission heavy trucks
Seattle-based First Mode says it's cutting back on its workforce as it adjusts to the market demand for heavy trucks that rely less on fossil fuels.
January 16, 2024 — Source

Harnessing speed breeding and model optimization for sustainable crop development
The rising global population, projected to reach 10 billion by 2050, is anticipated to double the demand for food, especially animal-based products. This surge in demand is set to intensify pressure on agricultural resources, posing additional challenges amid the backdrop of climate change.
January 16, 2024 — Source

Help people monitor their own air quality to save lives, say pollution experts
Empowering the public to monitor pollution in their communities could lead to cleaner air, say researchers from the University of Surrey.
January 16, 2024 — Source

How citizen science is saving our seas
Ocean adventurers teaming up with scientists can improve the health of our seas, claims new research from the University of Portsmouth.
January 16, 2024 — Source

Maize yield estimation: The MLAENet approach for accurate and efficient tassel counting
Maize is a vital global crop that requires accurate tassel counting for yield estimation and crop management, traditionally done manually or through basic imaging and machine learning techniques.
January 16, 2024 — Source

Research finds evergreens with smaller leaves offer better air pollution mitigation
If you're trying to take pollution out of the air, choose evergreen trees with smaller leaves. That's according to a new study from the University of Surrey.
January 16, 2024 — Source

Researchers achieve electrosynthesis of LiTFSI and N-containing analogs via looped Li-N² battery
Lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, commonly known as LiTFSI, and its analogs, are critical electrolytes for lithium batteries and solar cells. However, the commercialization of LiTFSI through thermal chemical synthesis relies on the use of NH3 intermediates, which involves multiple catalytic and purification processes, leading to substantial carbon emissions. Therefore, developing a method for the direct synthesis of LiTFSI from Li-N² under mild conditions becomes particularly important.
January 16, 2024 — Source

Study reveals a reaction at the heart of many renewable energy technologies
A key chemical reaction — in which the movement of protons between the surface of an electrode and an electrolyte drives an electric current — is a critical step in many energy technologies, including fuel cells and the electrolyzers used to produce hydrogen gas.
January 16, 2024 — Source

Team upgrades technology for monitoring methane emissions
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have upgraded a highly precise technology designed to monitor emissions of methane, a critical greenhouse gas, and other trace gases, even in harsh field conditions.
January 16, 2024 — Source

The role of ExtSpecR in streamlining UAV-based tree phenomics and spectral analysis
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have revolutionized forestry by enabling high-throughput data collection of tree phenotypic traits. Despite advances in remote sensing and object detection technologies, accurate detection and spectral data extraction of individual trees remain significant challenges, often requiring laborious manual annotation.
January 16, 2024 — Source

Wars are in the way of Climate Justice
I want to make sure that we are all absolutely clear about the impact war has on our planet, about how war accelerates climate change, and about how war prevents us from taking action by diverting resources. War—covert and otherwise—hastens the destruction of the planet. Some facts:
January 16, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — January 15th, 2024

60% of Africa's food is based on wheat, rice and maize—the continent's crop treasure trove is being neglected
African countries have become reliant on a few food items. Just 20 plant species now provide 90% of our food, with three—wheat, maize, and rice—accounting for 60% of all calories consumed on the continent and globally. This deprives the continent of diverse food sources at the very time when research has found massive food and nutrition insecurity in Africa.
January 15, 2024 — Source

Advanced hour-hectometer hyperspectral remote sensing for fine-scale atmospheric emissions
A groundbreaking study by researchers from a number of institutions in China introduces a novel hyperspectral remote sensing technique capable of hour-hectometer level horizontal distribution of trace gases, offering an advanced tool to accurately identify emission sources.
January 15, 2024 — Source

AI could help power plants capture carbon using 36% less energy from the Grid
Using artificial intelligence (AI), scientists adjusted a system based on a real coal-fired power station. The model could capture 16.7% more carbon dioxide (CO2) while using 36.3% less energy from the National Grid.
January 15, 2024 — Source

All-electric skyscraper nears completion in Brooklyn
The 44-story building houses more than 400 apartments, a gym, a yoga studio, and a rooftop pool.
January 15, 2024 — Source

Best Solar Panel Installation Companies in Ohio
Looking to install solar panels in the Buckeye State? Take a look at solar installers, cost and incentives in Ohio.
January 15, 2024 — Source

Can central banks fight climate change? Researcher explains role in promoting sustainable financial practices
When you think of ways to reduce carbon emissions and cool a scorching planet, involving the U.S. Federal Reserve Board may not immediately spring to mind.
January 15, 2024 — Source

Chasing the light: Study finds new clues about warming in the Arctic
Study focuses on reduction in sunlight reflectivity
January 15, 2024 — Source

Climate change threatens global forest carbon sequestration, study finds
Climate change is reshaping forests differently across the United States, according to a new analysis of U.S. Forest Service data. With rising temperatures, escalating droughts, wildfires, and disease outbreaks taking a toll on trees, researchers warn that forests across the American West are bearing the brunt of the consequences.
January 15, 2024 — Source

Copepods—tiny creatures that can help reduce the need for soya imports
In the sea, fish feed on species lower in the food chain. Can these same species form the basis of a new feed industry supplying the fish farming sector?
January 15, 2024 — Source

Economics propelling population shifts in spite of climate-driven risks: Study
People are willing to live in locations where there is a greater risk of climate-driven extreme weather and natural disasters if there is an increase to their overall economic well-being, according to a study by Douglas Wrenn.
January 15, 2024 — Source

Exploring the integration of crops and livestock in different historical contexts from ancient times to the present
Crop--livestock integration, the practice of combining crop planting and livestock breeding, is recognized as a fundamental approach to fostering a circular and green economy in agriculture.
January 15, 2024 — Source

Food-grade encapsulated photocatalyst materials for clean, green hydrogen generation
Environmental pollution and affordable clean energy are the two major sustainable development goals set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. All countries set their goals for decarbonization by the year 2050 and increasing the use of green hydrogen to reduce the load of electricity consumption per year.
January 15, 2024 — Source

Fossil holdfasts show kelp far predate animals we see in kelp forests today
The unique underwater kelp forests that line the Pacific Coast support a varied ecosystem that was thought to have evolved along with the kelp over the past 14 million years.
January 15, 2024 — Source

Four factors that drove 2023's extreme heat and climate disasters
Between the record-breaking global heat and extreme downpours, it's hard to ignore that something unusual is going on with the weather in 2023.
January 15, 2024 — Source

Getting "forever chemicals" out of drinking water is expensive
Can water utilities meet the EPA's new standard for PFAS?
January 15, 2024 — Source

Going beyond plastic: Tara gum as a green polymer
Synthetic, non-biodegradable plastics are major sources of environmental pollution and have prompted rising interest in sustainable, biodegradable alternatives derived from natural polymers. "Tara gum," derived from the seeds of the tara tree (Caesalpinia spinosa), stands out as a promising solution.
January 15, 2024 — Source

'Gold' hydrogen: Natural deposits are turning up all over the world—but how useful is it?
Hydrogen will play a role in weaning us off fossil fuels. It can be used to power trains, planes and HGVs, as well as being a low-carbon alternative to coke in steelmaking and a way to warm our homes.
January 15, 2024 — Source

Green growth in Europe: Decoding the EU's journey to sustainability (1990-2019)
In a recent study published in the journal Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, researchers evaluated the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) in the EU-27 from 1990 to 2019. The study focuses on analyzing trends towards environmental sustainability in these countries.
January 15, 2024 — Source

How living materials from algae can best capture carbon
Scientists from TU Delft have found how confined microalgal cells grow optimally in photosynthetic engineered living materials. With the use of light energy, the microalgae convert CO² from the air into sugars, energy and oxygen for their survival. Such algae-based living materials could be used in a range of applications, from functional objects for CO² capture, to oxygen sources for biological tissues.
January 15, 2024 — Source

How to strengthen community resilience in a world plagued by crises
Rural communities are especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, a new federal report has found, because they often have fewer resources to handle environmental or social disruptions.
January 15, 2024 — Source

Jackery's Solar Generator Mars Bot And Rooftop Tent Are Ready For Power Outages And Adventures
The sun is the progenitor of life across the entire Earth and beyond, delivering us heat and warmth with its mighty atomic energy. The sun has power to spare, which is why humanity has tried many ways to harness it with varying results. As technology has improved, new and novel ways to capture solar energy have made themselves apparent, and notions that you may never have thought of have appeared from the ether.
January 15, 2024 — Source

Laundry is a top source of microplastic pollution—here's how to clean your clothes more sustainably
Microplastics are turning up everywhere, from remote mountain tops to deep ocean trenches. They also are in many animals, including humans.
January 15, 2024 — Source

Not all carbon-capture projects pay off—Research maps the pros and cons of each to find clear winners and losers
Capturing carbon dioxide from the air or industries and recycling it can sound like a win-win climate solution. The greenhouse gas stays out of the atmosphere where it can warm the planet, and it avoids the use of more fossil fuels.
January 15, 2024 — Source

Obtaining hydrogen from vine shoots for biofuel production
A research team from the universities of Jaen and São Paulo in Brazil has confirmed that hydrogen can be obtained from vine shoots through a process that does not require fossil fuels and does not emit pollutants. With their work, they manage to give new value to this waste from the wine industry, while creating environmentally friendly energy.
January 15, 2024 — Source

OpenSim starts new year with record high land area
The total land area on OpenSim's public grids reached the equivalent of 131,511 standard regions this month, an all-time high, on an increase of more than 1,000 standard regions compared to last month. However, the total number of active users went down by over 3,500.
January 15, 2024 — Source

Our leading candidates for an election-year reading list
12 books and reports to help you prepare for a pivotal year.
January 15, 2024 — Source

Physicists identify overlooked uncertainty in real-world experiments
The rules of statistical physics address the uncertainty about the state of a system that arises when that system interacts with its environment. But they've long missed another kind. In a new paper, researchers argue that uncertainty in the thermodynamic parameters themselves -- built into equations that govern the energetic behavior of the system -- may also influence the outcome of an experiment.
January 15, 2024 — Source or Source

Progress in high-resolution vegetation mapping: China's leap toward advanced environmental monitoring
For a study published in the Journal of Remote Sensing, a team of scientists led by Xihan Mu from Beijing Normal University has made a leap forward in environmental monitoring and ecological research. They have created seamless maps of Fractional Vegetation Cover (FVC) over China at 30-meter resolution and semimonthly intervals, covering the years 2010-2020.
January 15, 2024 — Source

Report finds Americans throw three-quarters of their recyclables into the trash
It is no secret that recycling in America is broken: The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the U.S. has a combined recycling rate of only 32% for materials including glass, plastic, cardboard and paper. That figure reflects collections from industrial, commercial and residential trash.
January 15, 2024 — Source

Researchers develop eco-friendly material from mushrooms, coffee grounds and natural pineapple fibers
Researchers have developed a novel eco-friendly material, dubbed "mycelium-based composites (MBCs)." Mycelium-based composites (MBCs) are renowned for their unique properties, making them an increasingly popular choice in various industries, particularly for applications where sustainability and environmental impact are key considerations.
January 15, 2024 — Source

Rocking our world: Understanding human-induced earthquakes
It is common knowledge that humans have a big effect on the world and their natural environment. However, what may be less well-known is that humans can also induce earthquakes. Industrial activities such as geothermal energy production, fracking for oil and natural gas, and wastewater disposal can all lead to increased seismic activity that commonly takes the form of earthquakes.
January 15, 2024 — Source

Study proposes new approach for monitoring genetic diversity in Europe to help species adapt to climate change
Genetic diversity is crucial if species are to adapt to climate change. An international study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution that includes researchers from the University of Helsinki shows that current efforts to monitor genetic diversity in Europe are incomplete and insufficient.
January 15, 2024 — Source

Study quantifies how aquifer depletion threatens crop yields
Three decades of data have informed a new Nebraska-led study that shows how the depletion of groundwater—the same that many farmers rely on for irrigation—can threaten food production amid drought and drier climes.
January 15, 2024 — Source

Tailored nanograins enable greener ammonia production
Ammonia is indispensable for producing the fertilizers and chemicals that sustain food and material production for billions globally. However, conventional industrial scale ammonia synthesis comes at great environmental costs. The predominant century-old Haber-Bosch method accounts for over 2% of energy use worldwide, while generating substantial carbon emissions.
January 15, 2024 — Source

The biggest bottleneck in large language models
Rate limits mean everyone is waiting for better compute resources or different generative AI models.
January 15, 2024 — Source

The implications of 'Oumuamua on the panspermia theory
On October 19, 2017, astronomers with the Pan-STARRS survey detected an interstellar object (ISO) passing through our solar system for the first time. The object, known as 1I/2017 U1 'Oumuamua, stimulated significant scientific debate and is still controversial today.
January 15, 2024 — Source

This is not a climate-change abstraction: Forests are still disappearing at a fast pace
Our forests are disappearing. According to a recent report from the World Wildlife Fund, 6.6 million hectares of forest were lost in 2022. It's a mind-boggling statistic, especially since it represents 21% more forest cover than should have been lost that year to keep pace to end deforestation by 2030—a pledge from the 2021 United Nations climate conference (COP26 ) in Glasgow, Scotland. At last year's COP28 in Dubai, world leaders renewed their pledge to reverse deforestation.
January 15, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — January 13th, 2024

A Mountain of Used Clothes Appeared in Chile's Desert. Then It Went Up in Flames
The fashion industry has created a sprawling informal disposal network across the world—that brings with it money, conflict, and environmental destruction.
January 13, 2024 — Source

Climate change is shrinking snowpack in many places, study shows. And it will get worse
River basins around the world that were once regularly snowbound are increasingly seeing their snowpack shrink and climate change is to blame, a new study found.
January 13, 2024 — Source

Georgia Solar Panel Incentives: Solar Loans, Efficiency Rebates
Georgia lacks statewide incentives, but abundant sunshine and the federal tax credit might make solar panels worth a closer look.
January 13, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — January 12th, 2024

2023 was Earth's hottest year on record
It was the warmest year on record for 29% of the global population, 77 countries, and 3 continents; 21 nations or territories set an all-time extreme heat record.
January 12, 2024 — Source or Source or Source or Source or Source

A prefab building revolution can help resolve both the climate and housing crises
The world faces an increasing shortage of housing and an escalating climate emergency. These urgent global issues call for quick action and innovative solutions.
January 12, 2024 — Source

Capturing greenhouse gases with the help of light
If we want to slow down global warming, we need to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Among other things, we need to do without fossil fuels and use more energy-efficient technologies.
January 12, 2024 — Source

Catalytic Combo Effectively Produces Carbon Nanofibers from CO²
Researchers at Columbia University and the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have created a method for turning carbon dioxide (CO²) into carbon nanofibers—materials with a variety of special qualities and several long-term applications.
January 12, 2024 — Source

City Builder "New Cycle" Arriving via Early Access on January 18
New Cycle is a dieselpunk-inspired city-builder with an emphasis on survival. It will launch into Early Access on Steam on January 18th, 2024! You are the leader of a small group of settlers seeking refuge after a catastrophic solar flare desolated the Earth. You start with only a basic settlement, a few hungry workers, and many unfulfilled needs.
January 12, 2024 — Source

Could Data Capture, Management Technologies Prevent Construction Quality Slippage in 2024?
Recent Australian residential construction industry failures revealed a pressing need for capturing, sharing and collaborating on construction project data across stakeholders in common data environments.
January 12, 2024 — Source

How fruit flies smell CO²:Study identifies individual receptors and how to block them
Mosquitoes in search of blood as well as fruit flies looking for a place to lay their eggs navigate using CO², which is produced during respiration or in fermentation processes. A complex of various odor receptors that can detect CO² has already been identified in mosquitoes.
January 12, 2024 — Source

How human activity facilitates invasive plants' colonization in Mediterranean ecosystems
Some invasive plants can form persistent banks of seeds that remain under the soil for years, and this makes their eradication practically impossible. Over time, this invisible population of large quantities of living, buried plants—in seed form—will reoccupy ecosystems and displace the typical flora of the natural environment.
January 12, 2024 — Source

Impacts for half of all mining areas in the world are undocumented
A recent commentary published in Nature raises concerns about the extensive, yet largely unmeasured, environmental and societal consequences of mining activities worldwide.
January 12, 2024 — Source

Implementing Persistence With Clean Architecture
This Java tutorial shows and compares different possible persistence layer implementations according to the theoretical rules set by Clean Architecture.
January 12, 2024 — Source

New instrument to capture stardust as part of NASA mission
Scientists and engineers at the CU Boulder will soon take part in an effort to collect a bit of stardust—the tiny bits of matter that flow through the Milky Way Galaxy and were once the initial building blocks of our solar system.
January 12, 2024 — Source

Predicting which US city populations will grow and which will fall by 2100
A trio of environmental engineers at the University of Illinois Chicago, has used census data and an annual demographics survey to make predictions about U.S. city population growth or decline in the years leading up to 2100.
January 12, 2024 — Source

Reflectors in space could make solar farms on Earth work for longer every day
If you happened to be looking at the sky in Europe on a cold night on February 5, 1993, there is a chance you could have seen a dim flash of light. That flash came from a Russian space mirror experiment called Znamya-2.
January 12, 2024 — Source

Scientists explain why the record-shattering 2023 heat has them on edge. Warming may be worsening
The latest calculations from several science agencies showing Earth obliterated global heat records last year may seem scary. But scientists worry that what's behind those numbers could be even worse.
January 12, 2024 — Source

Study finds carbon released during macroalgal growth has significant sequestration potential
Macroalgae are the most productive plants in coastal ecosystems. They have attracted worldwide interest due to their ability to sequester carbon. The growth of macroalgae can produce significant amounts of particulate organic carbon (POC), but it is unclear how these POC are metabolized and how they affect carbon sequestration.
January 12, 2024 — Source

There are 1.5 billion tires wasted annually. There's a better way to recycle them
Production of natural rubber has claimed over 4 million hectares of forest in south-east Asia since 1993 according to a recent study. This destruction of tropical forest for rubber plantations is thought to be 2 to 3 times greater than previous estimates.
January 12, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — January 11th, 2024

A guide on how to use climate data to inform human adaptation
A framework for combining climate and social data could help scientists better support climate change adaptation ahead of future weather-related disasters.
January 11, 2024 — Source

A new type of plant metalloreductase maintains root growth under low phosphorus
The release of low-molecular weight carboxylates, such as malate, is used by many plant species to mine poorly available phosphorus (P) from the soil. Malate can increase the availability of phosphate, the P form taken up by plants, by chelating trivalent aluminum or iron (Fe).
January 11, 2024 — Source

A new venture fund in Seattle aims to accelerate adoption of climate technologies that slash carbon
Ben Eidelson, managing and general partner of the new climate-focused venture capital fund Stepchange. Eidelson also hosts the "Climate Papa" podcast and in September 2023 hosted a meetup of climate concerned parents and others along with his wife, Anna Shwab Eidelson, and their young daughter and son at Seattle's Stoup Brewery on Capitol Hill. (GeekWire Photo / Lisa Stiffler)
January 11, 2024 — Source

Archeologists map lost cities in Ecuadorian Amazon, settlements that lasted 1,000 years
Archeologists have uncovered a cluster of lost cities in the Amazon rainforest that was home to at least 10,000 farmers around 2,000 years ago.
January 11, 2024 — Source

Best Solar Companies of January 2024
Want to go solar? Finding the right installer is a crucial first step. Here are CNET's highest rated companies and some advice for finding the best one for you.
January 11, 2024 — Source

Brazilian semi-arid biome could lose over 90% of mammal species by 2060
The foreseeable effects of climate change on the Caatinga, the semi-arid shrubland and thorn forest biome in Brazil's Northeast region, will be catastrophic for most terrestrial mammal species that live there.
January 11, 2024 — Source

Bulky additives could make cheaper solar cells last longer
An insight into preventing perovskite semiconductors from degrading quickly, discovered at the University of Michigan, could help enable solar cells estimated to be two to four times cheaper than today's thin-film solar panels.
January 11, 2024 — Source or Source

Buzz, bump, goal! Drone soccer aims high at CES
A loud whirring sound incites fear that a giant swarm of insects has overtaken Eureka Park, one of the venues for the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. But in fact, it's a group of "soccer drones" made in South Korea.
January 11, 2024 — Source

Catalytic combo converts CO² to solid carbon nanofibers while offsetting emissions
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and Columbia University have developed a way to convert carbon dioxide (CO²), a potent greenhouse gas, into carbon nanofibers, materials with a wide range of unique properties and many potential long-term uses. Their strategy uses tandem electrochemical and thermochemical reactions run at relatively low temperatures and ambient pressure.
January 11, 2024 — Source or Source or Source

Chasing the light: Study finds new clues about warming in the Arctic
The Arctic, Earth's icy crown, is experiencing a climate crisis like no other. It's heating up at a furious pace—four times faster than the rest of our planet. Sandia researchers are pulling back the curtain on the reduction of sunlight reflectivity, or albedo, which is supercharging the Arctic's warming.
January 11, 2024 — Source

Commentary: Greening our Northern California home and cars cut our energy bills by $11,000 a year, but it wasn't easy
As global carbon emissions from human activity hit an all-time high last year, my family zeroed out emissions from our home and cars while getting an 11% tax-free return on the investment. That's more than twice the yield of municipal bonds. And it's an auspicious time to hit this target, weeks after an oil executive running the recent United Nations climate summit in Dubai rehashed the trope that eliminating fossil fuels would "take the world back into caves."
January 11, 2024 — Source

Communicating about climate change more effective when stories of displaced hit 'close to home'
Concern for climate change grows—along with support for policies to reduce emissions—when people read about Americans being forced to move within the U.S. because of it.
January 11, 2024 — Source

For John Deere, a 50,000-Pound Tractor Controlled By a Phone Is Just the Beginning
At CES 2024, we saw John Deere's plans to make farming the nation's crop supply more efficient and sustainable.
January 11, 2024 — Source

How diverse are US ocean science institutions?
A paper published Dec. 19 in Oceanography examines whether U.S. ocean science institutions are recruiting and retaining the diverse cadre of talent needed to address climate change, food security, sustainable development, and other pressing global challenges.
January 11, 2024 — Source

It's a great time to buy a solar generator
CES 2024 has shown the old objections no longer apply.
January 11, 2024 — Source

Look at This Adorable Little Power Station I Saw at CES
Jackery's Explorer 100 Plus is either a tiny power station or a huge power bank, Either way, it can recharge from solar panels. I took a closer look at CES 2024.
January 11, 2024 — Source

Mating anchovies stir up the sea as much as a major storm—and it's good for the environment, too
Why would oceanographers ever care about anchovies having sex? We do because these small fish can help mix different layers of the ocean when they mate. This circulates nutrients, oxygen, and greenhouse gases around different layers of the ocean, thereby sustaining the ecosystem.
January 11, 2024 — Source

New federal programs could ease high home heating bills
Two programs aimed at addressing inequities will provide $9 billion for residential energy-efficiency upgrades and cost-saving electric appliances.
January 11, 2024 — Source

New rice lines for Africa offer virus protection
Rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV) is responsible for high crop losses in Africa, particularly among small-scale farmers. A research team has now produced rice lines that are resistant to the disease by means of genome editing.
January 11, 2024 — Source

Next-generation wastewater solutions: Utilizing acid-resistant microbes for improved treatment efficiency
Free nitrous acid (FNA) is known for its capacity to inhibit various microorganisms in wastewater systems, significantly benefiting treatment process management. Initially deemed problematic due to its potential adverse effects on treatment, FNA is now employed to enhance wastewater management by mitigating odors, emissions, and harmful bacteria.
January 11, 2024 — Source

Only 2% of all the electricians in the United States are women
Tonya Hicks, who runs an electrical contracting company in Mississippi, says the clean energy transition offers a good chance for women to join the industry.
January 11, 2024 — Source

Scientists unveil blueprint for affordable solar cells to power Saudi Arabia and beyond
Scientists have unveiled a roadmap for bringing perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells to market, paving the way for a future powered by abundant, inexpensive clean energy in Saudi Arabia and the world.
January 11, 2024 — Source

The first assessment of toxic heavy metal pollution in the Southern Hemisphere over the last 2,000 years
Human activity, from burning fossil fuels and fireplaces to the contaminated dust produced by mining, alters Earth's atmosphere in countless ways. Records of these impacts over time are preserved in everlasting polar ice that serves as a sort of time capsule, allowing scientists and historians to link Earth's history with that of human societies.
January 11, 2024 — Source

This moss terrarium doubles as an air purifier and humidifier
A much welcomed sight on the dry show floor at CES 2024.
January 11, 2024 — Source

This Wiring Setup Could Save You Thousands on a Solar and Battery System
Batteries aren't one-size-fits-all, and neither is the way they're wired to your house. Here's what you should know about AC- and DC-coupling.
January 11, 2024 — Source

To protect endangered sharks and rays, scientists are mapping these species' most important locations
All of the saltwater bodies on Earth make up one big ocean. But within it, there is infinite variety—just ask any scuba diver. Some spots have more coral, more sea turtles, more fish, more life.
January 11, 2024 — Source

Toxic algae blooms: Study assesses potential health hazards to humans
Florida's 156-mile-long Indian River Lagoon (IRL) borders five different counties and has five inlets that connect the lagoon with the Atlantic Ocean. This estuary has recently experienced numerous phytoplankton bloom events due to increased seasonal temperatures and environmental impacts.
January 11, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — January 10th, 2024

A heat wave in Antarctica totally blew the minds of scientists. They set out to decipher it—and here are the results
Climate scientists don't like surprises. It means our deep understanding of how the climate works isn't quite as complete as we need. But unfortunately, as climate change worsens, surprises and unprecedented events keep happening.
January 10, 2024 — Source

Aircraft observations point to near neutral carbon dioxide exchange in northern tropical Africa
The forests and grasslands of northern tropical Africa take in about as much carbon dioxide in the wet season as they release in the dry season, according to a new study based on observations from aircraft. The findings contradict earlier research that relied on satellite data and found that these ecosystems may be adding significantly more carbon to the atmosphere than they absorb over the course of a year.
January 10, 2024 — Source

An 1867 Washington deluge shows the region's potential for flooding
An 1867 flood in western Washington surpassed anything that the region has seen in the last century, new University of Oregon research shows, offering a foreboding look at what storms fueled by climate change could now produce.
January 10, 2024 — Source

Carbon pollution is down in the US, but not fast enough to meet Biden's 2030 goal, new report says
Climate-altering pollution from greenhouse gases declined by nearly 2% in the United States in 2023, even as the economy expanded at a faster clip, a new report finds.
January 10, 2024 — Source

Climate change behind sharp drop in snowpack since 1980s, study shows
Snow is one of the most contradictory cues we have for understanding climate change. As in many recent winters, the lack of snowfall in December seemed to preview our global warming future, with peaks from Oregon to New Hampshire more brown than white and the American Southwest facing a severe snow drought.
January 10, 2024 — Source

Climate change could cost Montana's economy millions
Warmer temperatures could hurt fishing, skiing, and other outdoor pastimes.
January 10, 2024 — Source

Ensuring nutritious and high-quality potatoes are available during the winter season and all year round
Scientists at the USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) use innovative technology to study the lifecycle of potatoes (including development, production, and postharvest storage), ensuring a high-quality supply year-round for snack food processing facilities, restaurants, and grocery stores.
January 10, 2024 — Source

'Hard-won movement victory': MVP extension in North Carolina halved
'Mountain Valley Pipeline and its Southgate extension have been poorly conceived from the beginning, but today some of the communities in harm's way can breathe easier,' said one campaigner.
January 10, 2024 — Source

Hydropower is global. Should hydropower research be, too?
When Dany Tome first arrived at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL's) campus in Golden, Colorado, he did not notice the golden grasses waving from the hillsides or the solar panels set in neat, geometric rows atop parking structures and gullies.
January 10, 2024 — Source

In hot water: Coral resilience in the face of climate change
Researchers have been studying the effects of climate change on coral reefs. Monitoring two coral species off the coast of Hawaii, one team found that local adaptations in response to near-severe heat stress allowed certain populations to endure such events.
January 10, 2024 — Source

Light-powered nanocatalyst to make hydrogen using sunlight
A team from the UPC and the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2) have designed an efficient and stable photocatalyst capable of producing hydrogen directly using sunlight. The results are published in the journal Nature Communications(" Facet-engineered TiO2 drives photocatalytic activity and stability of supported noble metal clusters during H2 evolutiont").
January 10, 2024 — Source

Measurement technique sheds new light on semiconductors for solar fuels
Scientists are advancing the use of semiconductors to convert sunlight into renewable energy. In solar cells, semiconductors convert sunlight into electricity. When brought into direct contact with water, semiconductors can instead use sunlight to convert water into hydrogen, a carbon-free fuel. The energy output from the semiconductor is given by its photovoltage.
January 10, 2024 — Source

Orbitally induced strong monsoons facilitated early human dispersal to East Asia, finds study
In a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers have shown that orbitally induced strengthening of the Asian summer monsoon played a key role in the dispersal of Homo sapiens from Africa to East Asia during the last interglacial period 125,000 to 70,000 years ago.
January 10, 2024 — Source

Plastic is everywhere, including in our food and bottled water
Microplastics in our steak and tofu are washed down with nanoplastics from bottled water.
January 10, 2024 — Source

Purdue forestry professor cultivates cyberinfrastructure for collaborative forestry research
While most scientific research fields maintain open-access data policies, access to forestry data remains limited.
January 10, 2024 — Source

Research finds microplastics affect soil fungi depending on drought conditions
Moisture levels in the soil can impact the effects that microplastic pollution has on soil fungi, according to new research published in Environmental Microbiology.
January 10, 2024 — Source

Researchers call for a comprehensive view of the marine biological carbon pump and its role in climate change
The ocean plays a crucial role in the storage of carbon dioxide. The so-called marine biological carbon pump is an important research topic in this context. However, according to Dr. Ivy Frenger, climate researcher at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research in Kiel, a key component is often overlooked.
January 10, 2024 — Source

Researchers explore the impact of microplastics and toxin exposure on goldfish
The presence of plastics in our oceans and waterbodies is one of the most significant threats to marine ecosystems. In 2022, plastic production exceeded 400 million tons globally, which continues to rise. The presence of microplastics, ranging in size from 100 nanometers to 5 millimeters, is particularly concerning.
January 10, 2024 — Source

Scaling up urban agriculture: Research team outlines roadmap
Urban agriculture has the potential to decentralize food supplies, provide environmental benefits like wildlife habitat, and mitigate environmental footprints, but researchers have identified knowledge gaps regarding both the benefits and risks of urban agriculture and the social processes of growing more food in urban areas.
January 10, 2024 — Source

Small-scale solar has key benefits, and one critical weakness, over large solar farms
A new study shows size matters in solar energy. The first ever life-cycle analysis comparing big and small solar photovoltaic systems has concluded that small-scale solar systems are in fact better for the environment than even the largest, and most efficient, solar farm.
January 10, 2024 — Source

Smart molluscs -- yes, smart molluscs -- could watch our waterways 24/7 for pollution
If the clams could speak, what would they say? Surely we all ask ourselves this question every day. But a French startup is going further, allowing bivalves like clams, mussels and oysters to act as all-natural water quality inspectors.
January 10, 2024 — Source

Snowpack is shrinking across the Northern Hemisphere
Many communities could soon fall off 'snow-loss cliff,' research shows.
January 10, 2024 — Source

Solar Tents and Windows, Battery on Wheels: Energy Tech From CES 2024
Here's the best home energy technology we saw this year, from giant batteries to stained glass solar panels to machines that harvest water from thin air.
January 10, 2024 — Source

Study disproves assumption about perovskite solar cells, showing that shallow defects dominate in terms of efficiency
Free charge carriers in perovskite solar cells likely have a special form of protection from recombination, researchers at Forschungszentrum Jülich have discovered by means of innovative photoluminescence measurements.
January 10, 2024 — Source

Study finds biodiversity impacts of agricultural deforestation have inherent and predictable geographical differences
Agriculture is the foundation of human civilization and a prime example of our impact on Earth. Almost 40% of our planet's ice-free land surface, most of which was previously forested, is now dedicated to agriculture. As our demand for food increases, so does agricultural deforestation, which is widely viewed as one of the greatest threats to global biodiversity.
January 10, 2024 — Source

Study shows effects of vegetation composition, warming and nitrogen deposition on peatland carbon sink function
Peatlands, which contain about one-third of the global soil carbon stock, are important carbon sinks. Their net carbon uptake is equivalent to ~1% of human fossil fuel emissions or 3%--10% of the current net sink of natural terrestrial ecosystems. However, the carbon sink function may be altered under global change.
January 10, 2024 — Source

Study views the city as a multi-layered system in cultural heritage management
The intense changes in our modern society and the associated challenges are constantly increasing, not least due to the meta-crisis of climate change. Yet our approach to cultural heritage is still strongly influenced by the narrative of preservation.
January 10, 2024 — Source

Tibetan plateau's spring heat source exerts delayed influence on Northeast China's summer precipitation
In a recent study published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, researchers from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have uncovered the impact of the spring atmospheric heat source (AHS) over the Tibetan Plateau on summer precipitation in Northeast China, highlighting the crucial role played by soil moisture in this process.
January 10, 2024 — Source

Unique permanent coastal observation detects minimal changes
A team of researchers from TU Delft has succeeded in long-term mapping of beach topography to within a few centimeters. The unique dataset provides insights into coastal changes for every hour, for three years. This data is important for dune maintenance and to keep the hinterland well protected. The methodology is also being used to monitor other coastlines and even glaciers.
January 10, 2024 — Source

Unveiling the reproductive secrets of red-swamp crayfish
Procambarus clarkii is a crustacean species native to American freshwater bodies. Brought to Japan in the 1920s as a feed for frogs, this crustacean has slowly taken over the Japanese freshwaters by predation and propagation. In fact, in 2023, the red-swamp crayfish was designated as an invasive alien species by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment and of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
January 10, 2024 — Source

General — Environment — January 9th, 2024

As Australia's net zero transition threatens to stall, rooftop solar could help provide the power we need
Australia is not rolling out clean energy projects nearly fast enough to reach the Australian government's target of 82% renewable electricity by 2030. A huge build of solar and wind farms, transmission lines and big batteries is needed. But progress is challenged by the scale required, community resistance to new infrastructure and connecting all that new renewable electricity to the grid.
January 9, 2024 — Source

Breakthrough in nonoxidative coupling of methane: Direct conversion to propylene in low temperature
Nonoxidative coupling of methane (NOCM) exhibits promising prospect in that it affords value-added hydrocarbons and hydrogen with high atom economy. However, the challenge remains in methane's direct, selective conversion to more valuable hydrocarbons like olefins.
January 9, 2024 — Source

'Cli-fi' might not save the world, but writing it could help with your eco-anxiety
The consequences of climate change weigh on all of us, especially as we face an El Niño summer, with floods and fires already making themselves felt in the Australian environment.
January 9, 2024 — Source

Colorado environmental groups file federal lawsuit to halt Rocky Flats trail
Physicians for Social Responsibility and five Colorado advocacy groups are suing Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and four federal agencies to halt work on a trail through Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge.
January 9, 2024 — Source

Deforestation in the Amazon may be decreasing the frequency of thunderstorms in South America
For the first time, researchers from Tel Aviv University have determined that due to the ongoing deforestation in the Amazon basin in recent decades, the number of thunderstorms in the region has decreased significantly, and the area over which they occur has shrunk.
January 9, 2024 — Source

Earth shattered global heat record in '23 and it's flirting with warming limit, European agency says
Earth last year shattered global annual heat records, flirted with the world's agreed-upon warming threshold and showed more signs of a feverish planet, the European climate agency said Tuesday.
January 9, 2024 — Source

France drops renewables targets in new energy bill
Critics are deriding as a step backward a new French energy bill that favors the further development of nuclear power and avoids setting targets for solar and wind power and other renewables.
January 9, 2024 — Source

Green ammonia could decarbonize 60% of global shipping when offered at just 10 regional fuel ports
A new study published in Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability has found that green ammonia could be used to fulfill the fuel demands of over 60% of global shipping by targeting just the top 10 regional fuel ports. Researchers at the University of Oxford looked at the production costs of ammonia, which are similar to those of very low sulfur fuels, and concluded that the fuel could be a viable option to help decarbonize international shipping by 2050.
January 9, 2024 — Source

How climate change is affecting air travel
One form of severe turbulence has increased by more than 50% over the north Atlantic during the past 40 years.
January 9, 2024 — Source

How inter-annual climate variability affects seedling survival in temperate forests
Two new studies by researchers from the Institute of Applied Ecology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have revealed the relative effects of interannual climate variability and density-dependent species interactions on seedling survival in temperate forests.
January 9, 2024 — Source

How black silicon, a prized material used in solar cells, gets its dark, rough edge
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have developed a new theoretical model explaining one way to make black silicon, an important material used in solar cells, light sensors, antibacterial surfaces and many other applications.
January 9, 2024 — Source or Source

Is natural spa water a fossil of water? Uncover the real ultra-deep water cycles
Researchers have made a groundbreaking discovery regarding the origins of non-meteoric water in natural spa waters located in central Japan. Based on numerical modeling, their results suggest that this water has been confined within the lithosphere for an extensive period of 1.5-5 million years.
January 9, 2024 — Source

Large-scale mapping of pig genes could lead to greener agriculture, pave the way for new human medicines
Researchers from Aarhus University have carried out complex genetic analyses of hundreds of pigs and humans to identify differences and similarities. This new knowledge can be used to ensure healthier pigs for farmers and can help the pharmaceutical industry breed better laboratory pigs for testing new medicines.
January 9, 2024 — Source

Meat and dairy industry's attempt to change how we measure methane emissions would let polluters off the hook
Lobbyists from major polluting industries were out in force at the recent UN climate summit, COP28. Groups representing the livestock industry, which is responsible for around 32% of global methane emissions, want to increase their use of a new way of measuring these emissions that lets high polluters evade their responsibility to make big emissions cuts.
January 9, 2024 — Source

New research on microbes expands the known limits for life on Earth and beyond
New research led by Stanford University scientists predicts life can persist in extremely salty environments, beyond the limit previously thought possible.
January 9, 2024 — Source

Nine new snail species discovered in Papua New Guinea, a biodiversity hot spot at risk
Nine new species of carnivorous land snails have been found in the remote forests of Papua New Guinea, a biodiversity hot spot. A new study describes the species, which are so small that all nine could fit together on a U.S. nickel.
January 9, 2024 — Source

Plant warfare: The crucial function of Nrc proteins in tomato defense mechanisms
In the fascinating world of plant biology, a study recently featured on the cover of The Plant Journal has been turning heads. The research delves into the intricate defense mechanisms of tomatoes against the notorious bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst).
January 9, 2024 — Source

Environmental- Agriculture

Agribuild
offers personal coaching and strategic planning advice to farmers and agricultural contractors.
Provides Information — Source

Brakke Consulting
offers services to the animal health, agricultural, veterinary, pet, and specialty chemical product industries including executive search, market studies, and professional management services.
Provides a Service — Source

Denzil Phillips International Ltd.
introduce, conserve, propagate, cultivate, harvest, process, evaluate, and market useful plants from around the world.
Provides Information — Source

Five-G Consulting
custom design of livestock handling facilities.
Provides a Service — Source

Mason, Bruce & Girard, Inc. Consulting Foresters.
specializing in timberland management, forest inventories, timber harvest planning, appraisals, forest economics and policy analysis, and special studies.
Provides a Service — Source

Middle East Breeders and Technologies Ltd
offers livestock breeding consultancy services to government organisations, private sector, and individual breeders.
Provides Information — Source

Zwicker Consulting
source of information on Illinois agriculture featuring sections on commodities, crop conditions and weather reports.
Provides a Service — Source

Environmental — Miscellaneous

Fujino Spirals
Specializing in the field of pollution control dealing in Fujino spirals, Media based sewage treatment plants, Manufacturers of spirals media, industrial wastewater treatment india.
Provides Information — Source

Ore Systems Consulting
geological consulting firm specializing in VMS deposits.
Provides a Service — Source

Progressive Consulting Engineers, Inc
specializing in the water supply area and providing services to public and private agencies.
Provides a Service — Source

Q&Amp;A: Professor Phil Jones
Phil Jones is director of the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) at the University of East Anglia (UEA), which has been at the centre of the row over hacked e-mails.
  — Source

TreeHugger.com
The Future is Green. Find it here.
  — Source

World Natural Hazards Website — Natural Disaster Management — Disaster Agency Hawaii
The Pacific Disaster Center's mission provides information about research and analysis support for the development of effective policies, institutions, programs and the information products for the disaster management and humanitarian assistance communities of the Asia Pacific region.
  — Source

Yale Climate Connections
Yale Climate Connections is a news service that aims to help you understand the reality of climate change and what you can do about it. Through our website, YouTube channel, and national radio program, which airs each day on hundreds of stations, we reach millions of people like you each year.
Provides Information — Source