Ecology News

Arctic Ice More Vulnerable To Sunny Weather, New Study Shows

2008-04-22T09:07:00.001+02:00

ScienceDaily (Apr. 22, 2008) — The shrinking expanse of Arctic sea ice is increasingly vulnerable to summer sunshine, new research concludes. The study, by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and Colorado State University (CSU), finds that unusually sunny weather contributed to last summer's record loss of Arctic ice, while similar weather conditions in past summers do not appear to have had comparable impacts.

The study, which draws on observations from instruments on a new group of NASA satellites known as the "A-Train," will be published tomorrow in Geophysical Research Letters. It was funded by NASA and the National Science Foundation, which is NCAR's principal sponsor.

"In a warmer world, the thinner sea ice is becoming increasingly sensitive to year-to-year variations in weather and cloud patterns," says NCAR's Jennifer Kay, the lead author. "A single unusually clear summer can now have a dramatic impact."

The findings indicate that summer sunshine in the Arctic produces more pronounced melting than in the past, largely because there is now less ice to reflect solar radiation back into space. As a result, the presence or absence of clouds now has greater implications for sea ice loss.

Satellite data offer clues to record-shattering 2007 melt

Last summer's loss of Arctic sea ice set a modern-day record, with the ice extent shrinking to a minimum of about 1.6 million square miles (4.1 million square kilometers) in September. That was 43 percent less ice coverage than in 1979, when accurate satellite observations began.

Looking at the first two years of data from radar and lidar on the A-Train satellites, Kay and her colleagues found that total summertime cloud cover in the Western Arctic was 16 percent less in 2007 than the year before. A strong high-pressure system centered north of Alaska kept skies relatively clear. Over a three-month period in the summer, the increased sunshine was strong enough to melt about a foot of surface ice. Over open water, it was sufficient to increase sea-surface temperatures by 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit (2.4 degrees Celsius). Warmer ocean waters can contribute to sea ice loss by melting the ice from the bottom, thereby thinning it and making it more susceptible to future melt.

"Satellite radar and lidar measurements allow us to observe Arctic clouds in a new way," says CSU scientist Tristan L'Ecuyer, a co-author of the study. "These new instruments not only provide a very precise view of where clouds exist but also tell us their height and thickness, which are key properties that determine the amount of sunlight clouds reflect back to space."

The research team also examined longer-term records of Arctic cloud and weather patterns, including a 62-year-long record of cloudiness from surface observations at Barrow, Alaska. They found that the 2007 weather and cloud pattern was unusual but not unprecedented. At Barrow, five other years--1968, 1971, 1976, 1977, and 1991--had less summertime cloud cover than 2007, but without the same impact on sea ice.

Summer feedback cycle

The research suggests that warmth from the Sun will increasingly affect Arctic sea ice loss in the summer. As the ice shrinks, incoming sunshine triggers a spiraling effect: the newly exposed dark ocean waters, much darker than the ice, absorb the Sun's radiation instead of reflecting it. This warms the water and melts more ice, which in turn leads to more absorption of radiation and still more warming.

"Our research indicates that the relative importance of solar radiation in the summer is changing," Kay says. "The sunshine reaching the Arctic is increasingly influential, as there is less ice to reflect it back into space. Dry, sunny conditions in a single summer can now act as a potent force to melt sea ice."

The authors note that, in addition to solar radiation, other factors such as changes in wind patterns and possibly shifts in ocean circulation patterns also influence sea ice loss. In particular, strong winds along regions of sea ice retreat were important to last year's loss of ice. The relative importance of these factors, and the precise extent to which global climate change is driving them, are not yet known.

Journal reference: Jennifer Kay, Tristan L'Ecuyer, Andrew Gettelman, Graeme Stephens, and Chris O'Dell. "Contribution of cloud and radiation anomalies to the 2007 Arctic sea ice extent minimum" Geophysical Research Letters.

Adapted from materials provided by National Center for Atmospheric Research/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.

2008-04-22T09:02:00.002+02:00

Increasing Levels Of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Cause A Rise In Ocean Plankton Calcification April 22, 2008 — Increased carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere is causing microscopic ocean plants to produce greater amounts of calcium carbonate (chalk) - with potentially wide ranging implications for ... > full story

Earthquake Hazard Maps Show How U.S. Shakes With Quakes
April 21, 2008 — The recent magnitude-5.2 earthquake in southern Illinois is a reminder that earthquakes are a national hazard. Today, scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are revealing how shaky the ... > full story
Antarctic Deep Sea Gets Colder
April 21, 2008 — The Antarctic deep sea is getting colder, which might stimulate the circulation of the oceanic water masses. Scientists studied ocean currents as well as the distribution of temperature, salt content ... > full story
Greenland Ice May Not Be Headed Down Too Slippery A Slope, But Stability Still Far From Assured
April 20, 2008 — Lubricating meltwater that makes its way from the surface down to where a glacier meets bedrock turns out to be only a minor reason why Greenland's outlet glaciers accelerated their race to the sea ... > full story
Climate Change Likely To Intensify Storms, New Study Confirms
April 19, 2008 — Hurricanes in some areas, including the North Atlantic, are likely to become more intense as a result of global warming even though the number of such storms worldwide may decline, according to a new ... > full story
Deep-sea Sharks Wired For Sound
April 19, 2008 — Deep-sea sharks have been tagged and tracked and their habitats precisely mapped in world-first research to test the conservation value of areas closed to commercial ... > full story
Global Land Temperature Warmest On Record In March 2008
April 19, 2008 — The average global land temperature in March of 2008 was the warmest on record and ocean surface temperatures were the 13th warmest. Combining the land and the ocean temperatures, the overall global ... > full story
Almost Extinct Turtle Discovered Living In Wild In Northern Vietnam
April 19, 2008 — A critically endangered turtle that previously was thought to be extinct in the wild has been discovered in northern Vietnam. Experts confirmed that they have identified the only known living ... > full story
Illinois Earthquake Is A Wake-Up Call
April 18, 2008 — Today's early morning earthquake that jolted many in the central U.S. is a reminder that seismic events do occur in areas not normally thought of as "earthquake country." It is also a lesson that ... > full story
Ice Sheet 'Plumbing System' Found: Lakes Of Meltwater Can Crack Greenland's Ice And Contribute To Faster Ice Sheet Flow
April 18, 2008 — Researchers have for the first time documented the sudden and complete drainage of a lake of meltwater from the top of the Greenland ice sheet to its base. From those observations, scientists have ... > full story

Climate Change Is Not Caused By Cosmic Rays, According To New Research

2008-04-03T18:26:00.001+02:00

ScienceDaily (Apr. 3, 2008) — New research has dealt a blow to the skeptics who argue that climate change is all due to cosmic rays rather than to man-made greenhouse gases. The new evidence shows no reliable connection between the cosmic ray intensity and cloud cover.

Lauded and criticised for offering a possible way out of the dangers of man made climate change, UK TV Channel 4's programme "The Great Global Warming Swindle", broadcast in 2007, suggested that global warming is due to a decrease in cosmic rays over the last hundred years.

This would cause a decrease in the production of low clouds allowing more heat from the sun to warm the Earth and cause global warming.

Research published April 3, in the Institute of Physics' Environmental Research Letters shows how a team from Lancaster and Durham Universities sought a means to prove the correlation between the ionizing cosmic rays and the production of low cloud cover.

Previous research had shown a possible hint of such a correlation, using the results of the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project, and this had been used to propose that global warming was all down to cosmic rays.

The new research shows that change in cloud cover over the Earth does not correlate to changes in cosmic ray intensity. Neither does it show increases and decreases during the sporadic bursts and decreases in the cosmic ray intensity which occur regularly.

One such very large burst caused the magnetic storm which blacked out the power in Quebec in 1989.

Professors Sloan from Lancaster University and Wolfendale from Durham University write, "No evidence could be found of changes in the low cloud cover from known changes in the cosmic ray ionization rate."

The published version of the paper "Testing the proposed causal link between cosmic rays and cloud cover" (2008 Environmental Research Letters 3 024001) will be available online from Thursday 3 April at http://stacks.iop.org/ERL/3/024001.

Adapted from materials provided by Institute of Physics.

2008-03-10T17:17:00.002+01:00

Corporate Voluntary Environmental Programs Backfire, Study Shows

March 10, 2008 — Companies which participate in voluntary environmental programs actually do worse in their attempts to help the environment than those that do not take on these programs. Companies that are ... > full story

Funding Cuts Jeopardize Cleanup Of Nuclear Waste Sites

March 10, 2008 — The Federal Government may need at least 20 years longer than previously planned -- and an additional $50 billion -- to clean up radioactive and hazardous wastes at nuclear weapons sites, ... > full story
Key Component Of Earth's Crust Formed From Moving Molten Rock
March 9, 2008 — By studying what were once pockets of hot, melted rock 13 kilometers deep in the Earth's crust 55 million years ago, scientists are able to explain how granulite, a major component of continental ... > full story
Newly Defined Signaling Pathway Could Mean Better Biofuel Sources
March 9, 2008 — A newly defined biochemical pathway in plants may provide the scientific tools to design plants that will yield larger quantities of alternative transportation fuels than currently can be produced, ... > full story
Tiny Polyps Need Two Kinds Of Carbon To Survive Coral Bleaching
March 7, 2008 — How well ocean reefs recover from the growing damage caused by warming sea temperatures depends both on how much the tiny coral polyps can eat, and how healthy they can keep the microscopic algae ... > full story
Mercury Threatens Next Generation Of Loons
March 7, 2008 — Environmental mercury -- much of which comes from human-generated emissions -- is impacting both the health and reproductive success of common loons in the Northeastern US. Loons with high levels of ... > full story
Grand Canyon Water Surge Aims To Build Beaches, Restore Ecosystem
March 7, 2008 — The Grand Canyon will be experiencing a spring of yesteryear, as water flow rates from the Glen Canyon Dam will be significantly increased, then throttled back in a high-flow experiment that runs ... > full story
Rare Oryx Going Into The Wild, To Help Species Recover
March 7, 2008 — A male scimitar-horned oryx from the Smithsonian's National Zoo's Conservation and Research Center is playing an important role in ensuring the species does not vanish from the planet. Oryx are a ... > full story
Mysteries Of Oceanic Bacteria Probed

March 7, 2008 — Microbes living in the oceans play a critical role in regulating Earth's environment, but very little is known about their activities and how they work together to help control natural cycles of ... > full story
Mysterious Eel Fishery Decline Blamed On Changing Ocean Conditions
March 7, 2008 — American eels are fast disappearing from restaurant menus as stocks have declined sharply across the North Atlantic. While the reasons for the eel decline remain as mysterious as its long migrations, ... > full story

2008-02-24T17:58:00.000+01:00

Amazon Corridors Far Too Narrow, Warn Scientists

February 24, 2008 — Protected forest strips buffering rivers and streams of the Amazon rainforest should be significantly wider than the current legal requirement, according to new research. Brazilian forestry ... > full story

Antarctic Marine Life Under Threat From Warming Seas, New Predators
February 24, 2008 — Predatory crabs and fish are poised to return to warming Antarctic waters for the first time in millions of years, threatening the shallow marine ecosystems surrounding Antarctica. Antarctic marine ... > full story
Climate Change Has Major Impact On Oceans
February 24, 2008 — Climate change is rapidly transforming the world's oceans by increasing the temperature and acidity of seawater, and altering atmospheric and oceanic circulation, reported a panel of scientists. ... > full story
What Farmers Think About GM Crops
February 24, 2008 — Farmers are upbeat about genetically modified crops, according to new research. Both farmers who have been involved in GM crop trials and those who have not, regard GM as a simple extension of ... > full story
Surprise On Journey To Center Of The Earth: Light Tectonic Plates Lead The Way
February 23, 2008 — The first direct evidence of how and when tectonic plates move into the deepest reaches of the Earth is published in Nature. Scientists hope their description of how plates collide with one sliding ... > full story
Carbon Dioxide Has Been Naturally Stored For A Million Years In Colorado And Rocky Mountains

February 23, 2008 — Earth scientists have found that carbon dioxide has been naturally stored for more than a million years in several gas fields in the Colorado Plateau and Rocky Mountains of the United States. ... > full story
Small Sea Creatures May Be The 'Canaries In The Coal Mine' Of Climate Change
February 23, 2008 — As oceans warm and become more acidic, ocean creatures are undergoing severe stress and entire food webs are at risk, according to molecular ecologists. Biologists have just returned from a research ... > full story
Shark Superhighways And Hotspots May Offer Insight Into Saving Sharks
February 23, 2008 — The world's sharks are disappearing. These fearsome yet charismatic fish continue to fall victim to overfishing and many are now at risk of extinction as a result. New research shows that open-ocean ... > full story
Resilience Science Is Promising Approach To Marine Conservation
February 23, 2008 — The fast-growing field of resilience science can produce more effective ocean protection policies than previous models. Resilience science is the study of how ecosystems resist and respond to ... > full story
Earthworms Found To Contain Chemicals From Households And Animal Manure
February 23, 2008 — Earthworms studied in agricultural fields have been found to contain organic chemicals from household products and manure, indicating that such substances are entering the food chain. Manure and ... > full story

2008-02-20T15:12:00.001+01:00

Reducing Fisheries' By-Catch Through Mathematical Analysis

February 20, 2008 — Images of dolphins and turtles ensnared in tuna nets are a heart-wrenching reminder of the impact of fisheries on ocean bio-diversity. Known in fisheries science as 'by-catch,' this killing of ... > full story

What Does The Future Hold For Biofuels?

February 20, 2008 — High oil prices, energy security considerations and fears about global warming have helped revive interest in renewable energy sources like biofuels. But there are a few catches. For example, the ... > full story
Offsetting Global Warming By Trapping Carbon Dioxide On The Bottom Of The Ocean

February 19, 2008 — Imagine a gigantic, inflatable, sausage-like bag capable of storing 160 million tons of carbon dioxide -- the equivalent of 2.2 days of current global emissions. Now try to picture that container, ... > full story
Giant Frog Jumps Continents, May Have Eaten Baby Dinosaurs
February 19, 2008 — A giant frog fossil from Madagascar dubbed Beelzebufo or "the frog from Hell" has been identified. It would have been the size of a slightly squashed beach-ball, with short legs and a big mouth. If ... > full story
Global Trade In Tiger Shrimp Threatens Environment
February 19, 2008 — The cultivation of shrimp and fish in tropical coastal areas is often described as an environmentally friendly way to alleviate poverty, but in fact this cultivation has negative consequences for ... > full story
Solar Cell Directly Splits Water To Produce Recoverable Hydrogen
February 19, 2008 — Plants, trees and algae do it. Even some bacteria and moss do it, but scientists have had a difficult time developing methods to turn sunlight into useful fuel. Now, researchers have a ... > full story
Warming Waters May Make Antarctica Hospitable To Sharks: Potentially Disastrous Consequences
February 19, 2008 — It has been 40 million years since the waters around Antarctica have been warm enough to sustain populations of sharks and most fish, but they may return this century due to the effects of global ... > full story
New Paradigm On Ecosystem Ecology Proposed
February 19, 2008 — Predators have considerably more influence than plants over how an ecosystem functions, according to a Yale study in Science. Ecosystem ecologists have long held that plants and their interaction ... > full story
National Biomass And Carbon Dataset Now Available For US
February 19, 2008 — Scientists at the Woods Hole Research Center working to produce the "National Biomass and Carbon Dataset" for the US are releasing data from nine project mapping zones. Within each mapping zone data ... > full story
Living Corals Thousands Of Years Old Hold Clues To Past Climate Changes
February 19, 2008 — New research shows that the second most diverse group of hard corals first evolved in the deep sea, and not in shallow waters. This finding contradicts a long-established theory suggesting that ... > full story

Antarctic Ice Shelf Collapse Blamed On More Than Climate Change

2008-02-11T16:19:00.000+01:00

ScienceDaily (Feb. 11, 2008) — When the Larsen B Ice Shelf in Antarctica collapsed in 2002, the event appeared to be a sudden response to climate change, and this long, fringing ice shelf in the north west part of the Weddell Sea was assumed to be the latest in a long line of victims of Antarctic summer heat waves linked to Global Warming.

However in a paper published in the Journal of Glaciology, Prof. Neil Glasser of Aberystwyth University, working as a Fulbright Scholar in the US, and Dr Ted Scambos of University of Colorado's National Snow and Ice Data Centre now say that the shelf was already teetering on collapse before the final summer.

“Ice shelf collapse is not as simple as we first thought,” said Professor Glasser, lead author of the paper. “Because large amounts of meltwater appeared on the ice shelf just before it collapsed, we had always assumed that air temperature increases were to blame. But our new study shows that ice-shelf break up is not controlled simply by climate. A number of other atmospheric, oceanic and glaciological factors are involved. For example, the location and spacing of fractures on the ice shelf such as crevasses and rifts are very important too because they determine how strong or weak the ice shelf is”.

The study is important because ice shelf collapse contributes to global sea level rise, albeit indirectly. “Ice shelves themselves do not contribute directly to sea level rise because they are floating on the ocean and they already displace the same volume of water. But when the ice shelves collapse the glaciers that feed them speed up and get thinner, so they supply more ice to the oceans,” Prof. Glasser explained.

Professor Glasser acknowledges that global warming had a major part to play in the collapse, but emphasises that it is only one in a number of contributory factors, and despite the dramatic nature of the break-up in 2002, both observations by glaciologists and numerical modeling by other scientists at NASA and CPOM (Centre of Polar Observation and Modeling) had pointed to an ice shelf in distress for decades previously. “It's likely that melting from higher ocean temperatures, or even a gradual decline in the ice mass of the Peninsula over the centuries, was pushing the Larsen to the brink”, said co-author Ted Scambos of University of Colorado's National Snow and Ice Data Centre.

The focus of further study is now moving to the Larsen C shelf, a much thicker and apparently more stable area, and while there are at present no signs that this shelf is likely to collapse, Professor Glasser’s paper will play an important role in informing future study. The keen interest expressed in the paper has also been a boost to Professor Glasser’s hopes of raising funds to travel to Antarctica this year to conduct some of his research in the field.

Adapted from materials provided by Aberystwyth University.

2008-02-11T16:14:00.000+01:00

Eat Up All Of Your Brussels Sprouts -- Unless You're An Aphid
February 11, 2008 — Aphids that eat Brussels sprouts are smaller than normal and live in undersized populations, which has a negative knock-on effect up the food chain according to new research in Science. The study ... > full story
Core Samples From Subsea Fault System Off Japan Will Help Explain How Earthquakes Are Generated
February 11, 2008 — Scientists aboard IODP scientific drilling vessel Chikyu collected 5,000 samples from the seismogenic zone known as the Nankai Trough. The samples will provide scientists with new sources of data and ... > full story
Rubik's Cube In Center Of Earth? Computer Simulations Support New Model Of Earth's Core
February 11, 2008 — Swedish researchers have presented evidence in Science to support their new theory about the structure of the earth's core. The findings may be of significance for our understanding of the cooling ... > full story
Biofuel Crops That Require Destroying Native Ecosystems Worsens Global Warming
February 11, 2008 — Turning native ecosystems into "farms" for biofuel crops causes major carbon emissions that worsen the global warming that biofuels are meant to mitigate, according to a new study. The carbon lost by ... > full story
Antarctic Expedition Provides New Insights Into The Role Of The Southern Ocean For Global Climate
February 11, 2008 — In the Southern Ocean, large quantities of surface-drifting plankton algae are able to significantly reduce the carbon dioxide content of surface waters. Scientists will discuss pressing questions of ... > full story
Intersex Fish Linked To Population And Agriculture In Potomac River Watershed
February 11, 2008 — For several years, scientists have been working to determine why so many male smallmouth bass in the Potomac River basin have immature female egg cells in their testes - a form of intersex. They are ... > full story
History Of Quaternary Volcanism And Lava Dams In Western Grand Canyon
February 11, 2008 — John Wesley Powell wrote in 1895: "...what a conflict of water and fire there must have been [in western Grand Canyon]! Just imagine a river of molten rock running down over a river of melted snow." ... > full story
Cheap, Environmentally Friendly Extraction Method For Titanium Dioxide Developed

February 11, 2008 — From medicine to make-up, plastics to paper -- hardly a day goes by when we don't use titanium dioxide. Now researchers have developed a simpler, cheaper and greener method of extracting higher ... > full story
Organic Solar Cells: Electricity From A Thin Film
February 10, 2008 — Teams of researchers all over the world are working on the development of organic solar cells. Organic solar cells have good prospects for the future: They can be laid onto thin films, which makes ... > full story
Dust Storms In Sahara Desert Trigger Huge Plankton Blooms In Eastern Atlantic
February 10, 2008 — Scientists are at sea studying the Saharan dust that blows off the coast of Africa - triggering huge plankton blooms in the eastern Atlantic. Saharan dust is rich in nitrogen, iron and phosphorus and ... > full story

Magma And Volcanoes: Physicists Explain Dance Marathon Of Wispy Feature In Roiling Fluids

2008-02-06T16:02:00.000+01:00

ScienceDaily (Feb. 6, 2008) — Theoretical physicists at the University of Chicago are suggesting how thin spouts of magma in the Earth's mantle can persist long enough to form hotspot volcanism of the type that might have created the Hawaiian Islands.

Their calculations also apply to tendrils only a few inches long that form in convecting fluids under laboratory conditions. University of Chicago graduate student Laura Schmidt and Wendy Zhang, an Assistant Professor in Physics, will detail their findings in the Feb. 1 issue of the journal Physical Review Letters.

The work was inspired by laboratory experiments conducted by Anne Davaille in France that mimic, in a simplified way, convecting bubbles of magma as they might look deep beneath the Earth's surface. "This is one robust feature of thermal convection," Zhang said.

"It's a useful thing to know because it's the kind of thing that happens in all sorts of different industries, in all sorts of different contexts." These include oil extraction, the chemical industry and in certain biotechnological applications.

Earth scientists also have theorized that mantle plumes form on a regional scale in the Earth's interior, sometimes breaking the surface to form small landmasses, including Hawaii and Iceland. Nevertheless, debate swirls around how, or even if, mantle plumes can account for such surface features.

Geophysicists often liken a pot of boiling water as a smaller, more rapid version of the convection that takes place in the mantle, the layer of Earth that lies between the surface crust and its core. But unlike a pot of water, the Earth's interior consists of layers with different properties.

In laboratory experiments, Anne Davaille, a geophysicist at the University of Paris 7, studies convection in a small tank by heating two layers of colored liquids of differing densities. She observed the formation and persistence of thin tendrils between the layers, which correspond to subsurface plumes measuring scores of miles across.

"It seems so thin and tenuous, how could it possibly manage to hold itself in place over time as everything else is going on around it?" Zhang asked. "Somehow, they manage to hold themselves together."

The tendrils persist for hours, even as experimental conditions change. "These tendrils have fluid flowing through them, and it starts to mix the two layers," Schmidt said. "When the two layers mix, then the viscosity of the layers changes as well."

Following a series of visits to Davaille's lab, Schmidt and Zhang sought to mathematically explain the phenomenon.

"When you look at the shape of these very thin tendrils, there's something very striking that Anne noticed right away," Zhang said. The tendrils seem to emerge from flow lines that resemble the flared-out end of a trumpet. This trumpet shape marked the location of a stagnation point. Both Davaille's experiments and Schmidt's calculations agree: The thinnest tendrils that persist have a stagnation point.

Schmidt had seen a similar stagnation point in experiments she conducted in the laboratory of Sidney Nagel, the Stein-Freiler Distinguished Service Professor in Physics at the University of Chicago. Those experiments involved unmixable fluids, such as water and oil, instead of the fresh water and salt water mixing in Davaille's laboratory.

Nevertheless, the experimental similarities provided Schmidt and Zhang insights that helped solve the problem. In previous studies, other theoreticians suggested how large flows might rise through the tendrils from the base of the hot spots, Schmidt said. She and Zhang approached the problem differently.

"We include the effect of the stagnation point," Schmidt explained. "Our tendrils are really a thin skin or thin layer of the surface between the fluids that is drawn up. It's not a bulk flow going up through the tendril."

Adapted from materials provided by University of Chicago, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

2008-02-06T15:57:00.000+01:00

Palestinian, Jordanian, And Israeli Researchers Build A New Partnership To Monitor Regional Earthquakes

February 6, 2008 — One of the world's most vulnerable areas for earthquakes lies in a region important for Palestinians, Jordanians, and Israelis, around the ancient city of Jericho. A serious earthquake could add to ... > full story

Communing With Nature Less And Less

February 5, 2008 — From backyard gardening to mountain climbing, outdoor activities are on the wane as people around the world spend more leisure time online or in front of the tube, according to findings. "The ... > full story
Floods And Droughts: Water Planners Call For Fundamental Shift To Deal With Changing Climate

February 5, 2008 — The past is no longer a reliable base on which to plan the future of water management. So says a new perspectives piece written by a prominent group of hydrologists and climatologists that calls for ... > full story
Energy-efficient Microchip Could Result In Cell Phones Staying Charged 10 Times As Long, Self-charging Electronics
February 5, 2008 — A new chip design for portable electronics can be up to 10 times more energy-efficient than present technology. The design could lead to cell phones, implantable medical devices and sensors that last ... > full story
Lost City Pumps Life-essential Chemicals At Rates Unseen At Typical Deep Ocean Hydrothermal Vents
February 5, 2008 — Hydrocarbons -- molecules critical to life -- are being generated by the simple interaction of seawater with the rocks under the Lost City hydrothermal vent field in the mid-Atlantic Ocean. Being ... > full story
Sediment Prediction Tools Off The Mark
February 5, 2008 — A recent study led by a Smithsonian ecologist suggests it is time for a change in at least one area of watershed management. She has been examining the tools scientists and managers use to predict ... > full story
Why Do Earthquakes Stop?

February 5, 2008 — Why do some earthquakes terminate along a fault, while others jump or step-over a gap to another fault? The underlying structure of a fault determines whether an earthquake rupture will jump from one ... > full story
Wind May Be The Driving Force Behind Fish Booms And Busts
February 5, 2008 — Scientists have now shed light on the puzzle by proposing a plausible mechanism behind the mystery of fish booms and busts: wind. They propose that atmospheric wind forces can determine the ... > full story
Core Samples From Subsea Fault System Off Japan Will Help Explain How Earthquakes Are Generated
February 5, 2008 — Scientists aboard IODP scientific drilling vessel Chikyu collected 5,000 samples from the seismogenic zone known as the Nankai Trough. The samples will provide scientists with new sources of data and ... > full story
Satellite Data To Deliver 'State-of-the-art' Air Quality Information In Europe
February 5, 2008 — The European Environment Agency has finalized an agreement with an ESA-led consortium to provide unparalleled information on air pollution, which contributes to the premature deaths of hundreds of ... > full story

Human-caused Climate Change At Root Of Diminishing Water Flow In Western US, Scientists Find

2008-02-02T16:17:00.000+01:00

ScienceDaily (Feb. 1, 2008) — The Rocky Mountains have warmed by 2 degrees Fahrenheit. The snowpack in the Sierras has dwindled by 20 percent and the temperatures there have heated up by 1.7 degrees Fahrenheit.

All could lead to dire consequences for the water supply in the Western United States, including California. Scientists have noted that water flow in the West has decreased for the last 20 to 30 years, but had never explained why it was happening.

Until now. Scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison in collaboration with Scripps Institution of Oceanography, have pinpointed the cause of that diminishing water flow on a regional scale: humans.

“We looked at whether there is a human-caused climate change where we live, and in aspects of our climate that we really care about,” said Benjamin Santer of LLNL and co-author of the paper. “No matter what we did, we couldn’t shake this robust conclusion that human-caused warming is affecting water resources here in the Western United States.”

By looking at air temperatures, river flow and snowpack over the last 50 years, the team determined that the human-induced increase in greenhouse gases has seriously affected the water supply in the West. And the future brings more of the same.

“It’s pretty much the same throughout all of the Western United States,” said Tim Barnett of Scripps and a co-author of the paper.* “The results are being driven by temperature change. And that temperature change is caused by us.”

The team scaled down global climate models to the regional scale and compared the results to observations over the last 50 years. The results were solid, giving the team confidence that they could use the same models to predict the effects of the global scale increase in greenhouse gases on the Western United States in the future.

The projected consequences are bleak.

By 2040, most of the snowpack in the Sierras and Colorado Rockies would melt by April 1 of each year because of rising air temperatures. The earlier snow melt would lead to a shift in river flows.

The shift could lead to flooding in California’s Central Valley. Currently, state reservoirs are filled during the rainy season. As the water is drawn down, the reservoirs are replenished with snow melt from the Sierras.

If that snow melts earlier, as predicted in the climate models, the reservoirs could overflow.

“We are headed for a water crisis in the Western United States that has already started,” Barnett said. “A couple of decades ahead, we might not have that snowpack, making us more susceptible to flooding.”

Santer said the increase in predicted river flow should be a wake- up call to officials that the water supply infrastructure needs to be updated now, as opposed to waiting until the situation is urgent.

As for the warming, with the existing greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, the Earth will continue to warm for the next 80-100 years.

“For someone who has seven grandchildren, that scares the hell out of me,” Barnett said. “I’ve seen the future and I don’t like it.”

*The research appears in the Jan. 31 online edition of Science Express. The findings also were presented at last year’s annual fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union.

Adapted from materials provided by DOE/Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

2008-02-02T16:14:00.000+01:00

Bad News For Coastal Ocean: Less Fish Out, Means More Nitrogen In

February 2, 2008 — Commercial fisheries play an unexpected role in the decline of water quality in coastal waters. The study, the first to examine the world's 58 coatal regions, shows how failing to maintain ecosystems ... > full story

Markets Of Biodiversity And Equity In Trade: An Illusion?
February 2, 2008 — There are difficulties in establishing public policies that protect the biodiversity found in nature. Over recent years, strong media coverage of "pillaging" of local resources, food plants or ... > full story
Keeping The Dust Down When Separating The Chaff From The Nuts
February 1, 2008 — Agricultural scientists are developing an add-on device to control dust emissions from nut harvesters. Researchers are testing a prototype device that uses centrifugal force to trap soil and bits of ... > full story
A Difficult Youth Is A Good Thing For A Fish
February 1, 2008 — A tough early life turns out to be a good thing for a fish, according to scientists. They discovered that fish larvae that survive a long, rough, offshore journey eventually arrive at a near shore ... > full story
New Program Will Improve Pollution Monitoring From Many Sources

February 1, 2008 — Environmental scientists are developing a pervasive environmental sensor networks to collect data on parameters such as air and water quality from many sources, and use this data to provide accurate, ... > full story
Impoverished Areas Of Africa And Asia Face Severe Crop Losses From Climate Change In 20 Years

February 1, 2008 — Many of the world's poorest regions could face severe crop losses in the next two decades because of climate change, according to a new study in Science. The researchers focused on 12 regions where a ... > full story
Air Pollution May Be Causing More Rainy Summer Days In The Southeast US
February 1, 2008 — Rainfall data from a NASA satellite show that summertime storms in the southeastern United States shed more rainfall midweek than on weekends. Scientists say air pollution from humans is likely ... > full story
International Effort Takes Critical Steps To Accelerate Growth Of Global Biofuels Market

February 1, 2008 — Led by the world's three major producers of biofuels, an international effort seeks to harmonize standards for bioethanol and biodiesel, two key renewable energy sources and important commodities in ... > full story
Ancient Climate Secrets Raised From Ocean Depths
February 1, 2008 — Photos and samples taken of coral in the deepest recesses of the Southern Ocean investigated to date off Australia, are expected to yield valuable historical data on climate ... > full story
Increased Hurricane Activity Linked To Sea Surface Warming
January 31, 2008 — The link between changes in the temperature of the sea's surface and increases in North Atlantic hurricane activity has been quantified for the first time. The research shows that a 0.5 C increase in ... > full story

How Ultrafine Particles In Air Pollution May Cause Heart Disease

2008-01-21T15:49:00.000+01:00

ScienceDaily (Jan. 21, 2008) — Patients prone to heart disease may one day be told by physicians to avoid not only fatty foods and smoking but air pollution too.

A new academic study led by UCLA researchers has revealed that the smallest particles from vehicle emissions may be the most damaging components of air pollution in triggering plaque buildup in the arteries, which can lead to heart attack and stroke.

The scientists identified a way in which pollutant particles may promote hardening of the arteries — by inactivating the protective qualities of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, known as "good" cholesterol.

A multicampus team from UCLA, the University of Southern California, the University of California, Irvine, and Michigan State University contributed to the research, which was led by Dr. Andre Nel, UCLA's chief of nanomedicine. The study was primarily funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

"It appears that the smallest air pollutant particles, which are the most abundant in an urban environment, are the most toxic," said first author Dr. Jesus Araujo, assistant professor of medicine and director of environmental cardiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "This is the first study that demonstrates the ability of nano-sized air pollutants to promote atherosclerosis in an animal model."

Nanoparticles are the size of a virus or molecule — less than 0.18 micrometers, or about one-thousandth the size of a human hair. The EPA currently regulates fine particles, which are the next size up, at 2.5 micrometers, but doesn't monitor particles in the nano or ultrafine range. These particles are too small to capture in a filter, so new technology must be developed to track their contribution to adverse health effects.

"We hope our findings offer insight into the impact of nano-sized air pollutant particles and help explore ways for stricter air quality regulatory guidelines," said Nel, principal investigator and a researcher at UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute.

Nel added that the consequences of air pollution on cardiovascular health may be similar to the hazards of secondhand smoke.

Pollution particles emitted by vehicles and other combustion sources contain a high concentration of organic chemicals that could be released deep into the lungs or even spill over into the systemic circulation.

The UCLA research team previously reported that diesel exhaust particles interact with artery-clogging fats in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol to activate genes that cause the blood-vessel inflammation that can lead to heart disease.

In the current study, researchers exposed mice with high cholesterol to one of two sizes of air pollutant particles from downtown Los Angeles freeway emissions and compared them with mice that received filtered air that contained very few particles.

The study, conducted over a five-week period, required a complex exposure design that was developed by teams led by Dr. Michael Kleinman, professor of community and environmental medicine at UC Irvine, and Dr. Constantinos Sioutas, professor of civil and environmental engineering at USC.

Researchers found that mice exposed to ultrafine particles exhibited 55 percent greater atherosclerotic-plaque development than animals breathing filtered air and 25 percent greater plaque development than mice exposed to fine-sized particles.

"This suggests that ultrafine particles are the more toxic air pollutants in promoting events leading to cardiovascular disease," Araujo said.

Pollutant particles are coated in chemicals sensitive to free radicals, which cause the cell and tissue damage known as oxidation. Oxidation leads to the inflammation that causes clogged arteries. Samples from polluted air revealed that ultrafine particles have a larger concentration of these chemicals and a larger surface area where these chemicals thrive, compared with larger particles, Sioutas noted.

"Ultrafine particles may deliver a much higher effective dose of injurious components, compared with larger pollutant particles," Nel said.

Scientists also identified a key mechanism behind how these air pollutants are able to affect the atherosclerotic process. Using a test developed by Dr. Mohamad Navab, study co-author and a UCLA professor of medicine, researchers found that exposure to air pollutant particles reduced the anti-inflammatory protective properties of HDL cholesterol.

"HDL normally helps reduce the vascular inflammation that is part of the atherosclerotic process," said Dr. Jake Lusis, study co-author and a UCLA professor of cardiology, human genetics and microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics. "Surprisingly, we found that exposure to air pollutant particles, and especially the ultrafine size, significantly decreased the positive effects of HDL."

To explore if air particle exposure caused oxidative stress throughout the body — which is an early process triggering the inflammation that causes clogged arteries — researchers checked for an increase in genes that would have been activated to combat this inflammatory progression.

"We found greater levels of gene activation in mice exposed to ultrafine particles, compared to the other groups," Lusis said. "Our next step will be to develop a biomarker that could enable physicians to assess the degree of cardiovascular damage caused by air pollutants or measure the level of risk encountered by an exposed person."

Researchers added that previous studies assessing the cardiovascular impact of air pollution have taken place over longer periods of exposure time, such as five to six months. The current study demonstrated that ill effects can occur more quickly, in just five weeks.

"Further study will pinpoint critical chemical and toxic properties of ultrafine particles that may affect humans," Nel said.

The findings appear in the Jan. 17 online edition of the journal Circulation Research. The research team included investigators from the fields of nanomedicine, cardiology and genetics. Additional co-authors included Berenice Barajas, Xuping Wang, Brian J. Bennett and Ke Wei Gong of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and Jack Harkema from the department of pathobiology and diagnostic investigation at Michigan State University.

Additional grant support was provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Adapted from materials provided by University of California, Los Angeles.

2008-01-21T15:45:00.000+01:00

Paired Microbes Eliminate Methane Using Sulfur Pathway

January 21, 2008 — Anaerobic microbes in the Earth's oceans consume 90 percent of the methane produced by methane hydrates -- methane trapped in ice -- preventing large amounts of methane from reaching the atmosphere. ... > full story

Captive Carnivores Not Up To Wild Living
January 21, 2008 — There are serious problems with reintroducing animals to the wild for conservation projects. New research highlights the low survival rates of captive carnivores that are released into their natural ... > full story
First Evidence Of Under-ice Volcanic Eruption In Antarctica

January 20, 2008 — The first evidence of a volcanic eruption from beneath Antarctica's most rapidly changing ice sheet has been discovered. The volcano on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet erupted 2,000 years ago and ... > full story
Soybean Genome Assembly Available To Scientists

January 19, 2008 — A preliminary assembly and annotation of the soybean genome, Glycine max, has been made available by the US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, to the greater scientific community to enable ... > full story
Renewed Interest In Turning Algae Into Fuel Generated
January 19, 2008 — The same brown algae that cover rocks and cause anglers to slip while fly fishing contain oil that can be turned into diesel fuel, says a microbiologist. Drivers can't pump algal fuel into their gas ... > full story
Herons Persist In Chicago Wetlands Despite Exposure To Banned Chemicals
January 19, 2008 — Herons nesting in the wetlands of southeast Chicago are still being exposed to chemicals banned in the US in the 1970s, a research team reports. The chemicals do not appear to be affecting the birds' ... > full story
Trees, Grass May Produce Ethanol Without Poisoning Gulf

January 19, 2008 — Within five to seven years fast growing trees and grasses might become economically viable alternatives to corn as a source of renewable fuel ethanol, reducing the need for pollutants that now cause ... > full story
Alaska Glacier Speed-up Tied To Internal Plumbing Issues, Says Study
January 18, 2008 — Meltwater periodically overwhelms the interior drainpipes of Alaska's Kennicott Glacier and causes it to lurch forward, similar to processes that may help explain the acceleration of glaciers ... > full story
Drought Length Influences Survival Of Fish In Stream Pools

January 18, 2008 — Not all pools of water are equal from year to year when it comes to housing fish species during dry spells -- a finding that becomes increasingly important during unusual and prolonged drought ... > full story
Starfish Outbreak Threatens Corals
January 18, 2008 — Outbreaks of the notorious crown of thorns starfish now threaten the "coral triangle," the richest center of coral reef biodiversity on Earth. The starfish -- a predator that feeds on corals by ... > full story

NASA Observes La Niña: This 'Little Girl' Makes A Big Impression

2008-01-16T15:46:00.000+01:00

ScienceDaily (Jan. 16, 2008) — Cool, wet conditions in the Northwest, frigid weather on the Plains, and record dry conditions in the Southeast, all signs that La Niña is in full swing.

With winter gearing up, a moderate La Niña is hitting its peak. And we are just beginning to see the full effects of this oceanographic phenomenon, as La Niña episodes are typically strongest in January.

A La Niña event occurs when cooler than normal sea surface temperatures form along the equator in the Pacific Ocean, specifically in the eastern to central Pacific. The La Niña we are experiencing now has a significant presence in the eastern part of the ocean.

The cooler water temperatures associated with La Niña are caused by an increase in easterly sea surface winds. Under normal conditions these winds force cooler water from below up to the surface of the ocean. When the winds increase in speed, more cold water from below is forced up, cooling the ocean surface.

“With this La Niña, the sea-surface temperatures are about two degrees colder than normal in the eastern Pacific and that’s a pretty significant difference,” says David Adamec of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. “I know it doesn’t sound like much, but remember this is water that probably covers an area the size of the United States. It’s like you put this big air conditioner out there -- and the atmosphere is going to feel it.”

While this “air conditioner” may be located in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, it has a great influence on the weather here in the United States and across the globe.

The cool water temperatures of a La Niña slow down cloud growth overhead, causing changes to the rainfall patterns from South American to Indonesia. These changes in rainfall affect the strength and location of the jet stream -- the strong winds that guide weather patterns over the United States. Since the jet stream regulates weather patterns, any changes to it will have a great impact on the United States.

Those changes can be felt throughout the country. The Northwest generally experiences cooler, wetter weather during a La Niña. On the Great Plains, residents normally see a colder than normal winter and southeastern states traditionally experience below average rainfall.

The cooler waters of a La Niña event also increase the growth of living organisms in this part of the ocean. La Niñas amplify the normal conditions in the Pacific. These typically cool and abundant waters experience an increase in phytoplankton growth when the water temperature drops even further.

The increased circulation that brings up cold water from below also brings up with it nutrients from the deeper waters. These nutrients feed the organisms at the bottom of the food chain, starting a reaction that increases life in the ocean. NASA’s SeaWiFS satellite documented this increase in phytoplankton during the last La Niña period in 1998.

La Niña and El Niño episodes tend to occur every three to five years. La Niñas are often preceded by an El Niño, however this cycle is not guaranteed.

The lengths of La Niña events vary as well. “We need to watch to see if this La Niña diminishes, because they can last for multiple years. And if it does last for multiple years, the southern tier of the United States, especially the Southeast, can expect dryer weather. That is not a good situation. If this La Niña behaves like a normal event, we should see signs that it is beginning to weaken by February,” says Adamec.

So far this La Niña is behaving like a textbook case: following the predicted weather patterns, strengthening throughout the winter, and peaking toward January. According to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, this La Niña episode is expected to continue until the spring of 2008, with a gradual weakening starting in February.

NASA will continue to monitor this phenomenon with several of its key Earth observing satellites.

Instruments on NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites measure sea surface temperature and observe changes to life in the ocean, changes of great importance to the fishing industry. The MODIS instruments on these satellites detected the temperature drop that signaled this La Niña period, and SeaWiFS continues to monitor ocean life.

Scientists also look at sea surface height to understand La Niña. The cooler ocean water associated with a La Niña contracts, lowering sea-surface heights. Over the past year, NASA’s Jason satellite has observed a lower than normal sea level along the equatorial Pacific where this current La Niña episode is taking place.

NASA also looks at changes in wind and rain patterns to study La Niña. The QuikSCAT satellite measures changes in oceanic surface winds, while the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite observes changes in rainfall. These observations add to a fuller understanding of this phenomenon.

The current La Niña episode has far many reaching effects. What some may see as just a small change in sea surface temperature has a much greater impact on our climate here in the U.S. and across the globe, as well as implications for the fishing industry and the global economy. With the help of NASA’s earth observing fleet, scientists are becoming better equipped to observe and understand this phenomenon.

Adapted from materials provided by National Aeronautics And Space Administration.

2008-01-16T15:35:00.000+01:00

News Stories

Climate Influences Deep Sea Populations

January 16, 2008 — Ecologists have discovered a mechanism of interaction across ecosystems and can show how a climate-driven phenomenon originated in shelf environments can control the biological processes of a ... > full story

High Degree Of Antibiotic Resistance Found In Wild Arctic Birds
January 15, 2008 — Birds captured in the hyperboreal tundra were carriers of antibiotics-resistant bacteria. These findings indicate that resistance to antibiotics has spread into nature, which is an alarming prospect ... > full story
Plan Developed For Restoring California Fisher Populations
January 15, 2008 — US Forest Service and U.C. Santa Barbara scientists believe they have identified the habitat needs for Pacific fishers, a rare California mammal that is a candidate for reintroduction efforts and ... > full story
Earthquakes Under Pacific Floor Reveal Unexpected Circulatory System
January 15, 2008 — Seismologists working under 2,500 meters of water on a mid-ocean ridge in the eastern Pacific Ocean have used tiny earthquakes to make the first images of the interior of a hydrothermal vent system, ... > full story
Fighting Pollution The Poplar Way: Trees To Clean Up Indiana Site
January 15, 2008 — Purdue University researchers are collaborating with Chrysler LLC in a project to use poplar trees to eliminate pollutants from a contaminated site in north-central ... > full story
Heavy Metal Slips Down UK Air Quality Charts

January 15, 2008 — Air quality in the UK has improved significantly over the last 25 years according to a new report. Monitoring at 17 testing sites around the UK shows a fall in the presence of harmful heavy metals ... > full story
Biomass Production: Careful Planning Can Bring Many Benefits

January 15, 2008 — One way of supplying energy is to grow plant material and burn it. If managed well most of the carbon released by burning the material will be captured by the growing plants, and so have a low impact ... > full story
Exploration Of Lake Hidden Beneath Antarctica's Ice Sheet Begins
January 15, 2008 — Scientists have begun exploring an ancient lake hidden deep beneath Antarctica's ice sheet. The lake -- the size of Lake Windermere -- could yield vital clues to life on Earth, climate change and ... > full story
Renewed Interest In Turning Algae Into Fuel Generated
January 15, 2008 — The same brown algae that cover rocks and cause anglers to slip while fly fishing contain oil that can be turned into diesel fuel, says a microbiologist. Drivers can't pump algal fuel into their gas ... > full story
Alaska Glacier Speed-up Tied To Internal Plumbing Issues, Says Study
January 15, 2008 — Meltwater periodically overwhelms the interior drainpipes of Alaska's Kennicott Glacier and causes it to lurch forward, similar to processes that may help explain the acceleration of glaciers ... > full story

Eco-Capitalists Save Mother Nature by Charging for Her Services

2008-01-11T16:40:00.000+01:00

This past spring, David Brand went on a property-scouting trip to Malaysian Borneo. Deep in the rain forest, Brand — founder and director of a forestry investment business — met locals who just couldn’t grasp what this Westerner was doing there. They were mystified he did not want to build an illegal logging mill. One of them put his arm around Brand’s shoulder. “No one can see what we do here, my friend,” he said. “We can cut it all down for you.”

Brand sighed. He wasn’t there to clear-cut the rain forest. In fact, soon after scoping out that land, he hopped on a plane to London where, in a matter of weeks, he raised $200 million to buy tracts of forest like the one in Borneo — and he’s not going to raze those, either. They’re investments. The return will come from deals with companies shopping for pollution offsets or with NGOs and governments that will pay to protect the planet’s wild places — not because they’re pretty, but because they perform a service.

The eco-capitalists are coming, and they aren’t wielding Thoreauvian platitudes about the sanctity of nature. Their jargon is far less lyrical: ecological assets, environmental markets, ecosystem services, natural capital. For these guys, biofuels and long-lasting lightbulbs are fine but they’re nothing more than a short-term play. The real money is in nascent markets indexed to the health of Mother Nature.

People understand the economic value of nature’s goods because we constantly pay for them: seafood, timber, copper, cut flowers, natural gas. But nature also provides services that stabilize spaceship Earth. Insects pollinate crops, wooded hillsides purify water, trees sequester CO₂, and wetlands buffer cities against storm surges. How much are those services worth? Who knows. They’ve always been free, or treated as such. Nature has never submitted an invoice.

But they’re not free, of course. We can tell by the enormous price we pay when they decline or disappear. Think Hurricane Katrina, unpollinated crops, and deadly mudslides caused by deforestation. As the new age of environmental awareness dawns, people and governments are starting to put a dollar value on these services. In practice, that means paying to protect the land where services are most concentrated. And whoever owns the land can reap the profits.

It’s a twist on carbon cap-and-trade systems. In Europe, governments force companies that emit too much carbon to buy credits from those with excess credits (because they’ve cut back their own emissions). As the economy expands, the demand for — and thus the price of — carbon credits increases. Despite its growing pains, the European Emissions Trading Scheme has created a $4 billion-a-year carbon market, and no amount of cynicism about its efficacy can change the fact that skyrocketing public interest in carbon neutrality equals big money for carbon traders.

A similar setup in the US is wetland banking. Thanks to the Clean Water Act of 1972, developers must compensate the state for wetlands they pave over. Specialized businesses from Florida to California now buy up wetland areas and sell mitigation credits to developers.

Brand and others are betting that successful trading of carbon will kick-start the creation of other cap-and-trade systems for ecological services like watershed protection, biodiversity, and erosion control. But it’s more complicated than it sounds. Carbon disperses and has a global impact. A Latin American butterfly or a Myanmar riverbank? Not so much. “Those are local assets,” explains Jesse Fink, a cofounder of Priceline.com and a prominent eco- capitalist. The challenge is connecting global capital markets so that a butterfly matters as much, financially, to an investor in Chicago as it does to a farmer in Costa Rica. That will require the creation of a whole new financial transaction infrastructure, combining local businesses that can authenticate commodities on the ground with international registries, remote sensing, canopy monitoring, and other mechanisms to monitor and standardize trades.

Tough? Sure. But many experts see these kinds of deals as inevitable. When carbon cap-and-trade comes online in the US, there will be no shortage of demand, because most of corporate America will be shopping for mitigation credits. Build a cap-and-trade framework for other eco-assets and firms will profit not just from the sale of carbon offsets but from quantifiable gains in soil conservation, biodiversity, and watershed protection.

Still, the world’s investment institutions haven’t bought in just yet. As one former Goldman Sachs strategist explains: “First there needs to be 50 or 100 funds out there like Brand’s. People need to invest in it to make it real.” The big banks “are on board conceptually,” Fink adds, “but they’re not going to be first in line to make this investment. The first people in are people like me. I’m willing to take a chance that I will get the return, but I’m also trying to get the market started.” In emerging markets, the first investors reap the benefits. And in an eco-market, you reap what you don’t sow.

David Wolman wrote about high-speed railroads in issue 15.07. Original article from http://www.wired.com/

New Nanostructured Thin Film Shows Promise For Efficient Solar Energy Conversion

2008-01-10T17:14:00.000+01:00

ScienceDaily (Jan. 10, 2008) — In the race to make solar cells cheaper and more efficient, many researchers and start-up companies are betting on new designs that exploit nanostructures--materials engineered on the scale of a billionth of a meter. Using nanotechnology, researchers can experiment with and control how a material generates, captures, transports, and stores free electrons--properties that are important for the conversion of sunlight into electricity.

Two nanotech methods for engineering solar cell materials have shown particular promise. One uses thin films of metal oxide nanoparticles, such as titanium dioxide, doped with other elements, such as nitrogen. Another strategy employs quantum dots--nanosize crystals--that strongly absorb visible light. These tiny semiconductors inject electrons into a metal oxide film, or "sensitize" it, to increase solar energy conversion. Both doping and quantum dot sensitization extend the visible light absorption of the metal oxide materials.

Combining these two approaches appears to yield better solar cell materials than either one alone does, according to Jin Zhang, professor of chemistry at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Zhang led a team of researchers from California, Mexico, and China that created a thin film doped with nitrogen and sensitized with quantum dots. When tested, the new nanocomposite material performed better than predicted--as if the functioning of the whole material was greater than the sum of its two individual components.

"We have discovered a new strategy that could be very useful for enhancing the photo response and conversion efficiency of solar cells based on nanomaterials," said Zhang.

"We initially thought that the best we might do is get results as good as the sum of the two, and maybe if we didn't make this right, we'd get something worse. But surprisingly, these materials were much better."

The group's findings were reported in the Journal of Physical Chemistry in a paper posted online on January 4. Lead author of the paper was Tzarara Lopez-Luke, a graduate student visiting in Zheng's lab who is now at the Instituto de Investigaciones Metalurgicas, UMSNH, Morelia, Mexico.

Zhang's team characterized the new nanocomposite material using a broad range of tools, including atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, and photoelectrochemistry techniques. They prepared films with thicknesses between 150 and 1100 nanometers, with titanium dioxide particles that had an average size of 100 nanometers. They doped the titanium dioxide lattice with nitrogen atoms. To this thin film, they chemically linked quantum dots made of cadmium selenide for sensitization.

The resulting hybrid material offered a combination of advantages. Nitrogen doping allowed the material to absorb a broad range of light energy, including energy from the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The quantum dots also enhanced visible light absorption and boosted the photocurrent and power conversion of the material.

When compared with materials that were just doped with nitrogen or just embedded with cadmium selenide quantum dots, the nanocomposite showed higher performance, as measured by the "incident photon to current conversion efficiency" (IPCE), the team reported. The nanocomposite's IPCE was as much as three times greater than the sum of the IPCEs for the two other materials, Zhang said.

"We think what's happening is that it's easier for the charge to hop around in the material," he explained. "That can only happen if you have both the quantum dot sensitizing and the nitrogen doping at the same time."

The nanocomposite material could be used not only to enhance solar cells, but also to serve as part of other energy technologies. One of Zhang's long-term goals is to marry a highly efficient solar cell with a state-of-the-art photoelectrochemical cell. Such a device could, in theory, use energy generated from sunlight to split water and produce hydrogen fuel. The nanocomposite material could also potentially be useful in devices for converting carbon dioxide into hydrocarbon fuels, such as methane.

The new strategy for engineering solar cell materials offers a promising path for Zhang's lab to explore for years to come.

"I'm very excited because this work is preliminary and there's a lot of optimizing we can do now," Zhang noted. "We have three materials--or three parameters--that we can play with to make the energy levels just right."

In essence, the team has been trying to manipulate materials so that when sunlight strikes them, the free electrons generated can easily move from one energy level to another--or jump across the different materials--and be efficiently converted to electricity.

"What we're doing is essentially 'band-gap engineering.' We're manipulating the energy levels of the nanocomposite material so the electrons can work more efficiently for electricity generation," Zhang said. "If our model is correct, we're making a good case for this kind of strategy."

Sources of funding for this research included the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation of China, and the University of California Institute for Mexico and the United States (UC-MEXUS).

Research collaborators included Abraham Wolcott, Li-ping Xu and Shaowei Chen at UCSC; Zhenhai Wen and Jinghong Li at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China; and Elder De La Rosa of the Centro de Investigaciones en Optica, A.C., in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico.

Adapted from materials provided by University of California - Santa Cruz.

2008-01-10T17:09:00.000+01:00

Brighter LED Lights Could Replace Household Light Bulbs Within Three Years

January 10, 2008 — Researchers are developing new technology that could replace the household light-bulb within three years. Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), already used in electrical equipment such as computers and ... > full story

Alarming Levels Of Mercury And Arsenic Found In Chinese Freshwater Ecosystem

January 10, 2008 — Scientists have found potentially dangerous levels of mercury and arsenic in Lake Baiyangdian, the largest lake in the North China Plain and a source of both food and drinking water for the people ... > full story
Humans Have Caused Profound Changes In Caribbean Coral Reefs
January 9, 2008 — Coral reefs in the Caribbean have suffered significant changes due to the proximal effects of a growing human population. The study showed clearly that the number of people living in close proximity ... > full story
'Green' Energy Efficient Mobile Home Designed
January 9, 2008 — When someone mentions a mobile home or "house trailer," the image usually doesn't make others green with envy. Mobile homes haven't earned recognition for long-term quality, environmental ... > full story
Trichloroethylene (TCE) Is A Risk Factor For Parkinsonism, Study Shows

January 9, 2008 — A new study found strong evidence that trichloroethylene is a risk factor for parkinsonism, a group of nervous disorders with symptoms similar to Parkinson's disease. TCE is a chemical widely used in ... > full story
Earthquakes Under Pacific Floor Reveal Unexpected Circulatory System
January 9, 2008 — Seismologists working under 2,500 meters of water on a mid-ocean ridge in the eastern Pacific Ocean have used tiny earthquakes to make the first images of the interior of a hydrothermal vent system, ... > full story
12 Simple Ways To Live A Greener Lifestyle In 2008

January 9, 2008 — Want to begin to be more environmentally friendly in 2008 but can't afford a hybrid car? Don't worry -- there are plenty of ways to lessen your impact on the environment that don't come with such a ... > full story
Biofuel: Major Net Energy Gain From Switchgrass-based Ethanol
January 9, 2008 — Switchgrass grown for biofuel production produced 540 percent more energy than needed to grow, harvest and process it into cellulosic ethanol, according to estimates from a large on-farm study. ... > full story
New Stable And High-efficiency Solar Cells Developed

January 9, 2008 — Scientists have fabricated a solvent-free dye-sensitized solar cell based on a binary ionic liquid electrolyte. These devices show a light-conversion efficiency of 7.6 percent under simulated ... > full story
Will Intensive Forest Practices Impact Water Quality?

January 8, 2008 — In order to increase productivity, forest practices have become more intense in recent decades. Forest fertilization increased by 800% in the southeastern United States from 1990 to 1999, and the ... > full story

2008 Likely To Be One Of The Top-ten Warmest Years

2008-01-08T11:32:00.000+01:00

ScienceDaily (Jan. 8, 2008) — 2008 is set to be cooler globally than recent years say Met Office and University of East Anglia climate scientists, but is still forecast to be one of the top-ten warmest years.

Each January the Met Office, in conjunction with the University of East Anglia, issues a forecast of the global surface temperature for the coming year. The forecast takes into account known contributing factors, such as El Niño and La Niña, increasing greenhouse gas concentrations, the cooling influences of industrial aerosol particles, solar effects and natural variations of the oceans.

Global temperature for 2008 is expected to be 0.37 °C above the long-term (1961-1990) average of 14.0 °C, the coolest year since 2000, when the value was 0.24 °C.

For 2008, the development of a strong La Niña in the tropical Pacific Ocean will limit the warming trend of the global climate. During La Niña, cold waters upwell to cool large areas of the ocean and land surface temperatures. The forecast includes for the first time a new decadal forecast using a climate model. This indicates that the current La Niña event will weaken only slowly through 2008, disappearing by the end of the year.

Prof. Chris Folland from the Met Office Hadley Centre said: "Phenomena such as El Niño and La Niña have a significant influence on global surface temperature and the current strong La Niña will act to limit temperatures in 2008. However, mean temperature is still expected to be significantly warmer than in 2000, when a similar strength La Niña pegged temperatures to 0.24 °C above the 1961-90 average. Sharply renewed warming is likely once La Niña declines."

These cyclical influences can mask underlying warming trends with Prof. Phil Jones, Director of the Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia, saying: "The fact that 2008 is forecast to be cooler than any of the last seven years (and that 2007 did not break the record warmth set on 1998) does not mean that global warming has gone away. What matters is the underlying rate of warming - the period 2001-2007 with an average of 0.44 °C above the 1961-90 average was 0.21 °C warmer than corresponding values for the period 1991-2000."

It is most unlikely that 2008 will be as warm as or warmer than the current warmest year of 1998, which was 0.52 °C above the long-term 1961-1990 average because it was dominated by an extreme El Niño.

Interannual variations of global surface temperature are strongly affected by the warming influences of El Niño events the cooling influences of La Niña events. The year 2007, with a provisionally assessed temperature of 0.41 °C (above long-term average), was colder than forecast. This was due to a much quicker than expected decline of a moderate El Niño that warms the climate, followed by the development of the strong cooling influence of the current La Niña.

The current La Niña event is now the strongest since 1999-2000. The lag between La Niña and the full global surface temperature response means that the cooling effect of La Niña is expected to be a little greater in 2008 than it was during 2007.

Over the eight years, 2000-2007, since the Met Office has issued forecasts of annual global temperature, the mean value of the forecast error was just 0.07 °C.

The Met Office Hadley Centre is the UK's foremost centre for climate change research. Partly funded by Defra (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and the Ministry of Defence.

Adapted from materials provided by Met Office Hadley Centre.

2008-01-08T11:21:00.000+01:00

Rare Albino Alligators Stolen in Brazil

Animal smugglers are suspected in the disappearance of the seven white alligators that can fetch nearly ten thousand U.S. dollars each in black-market tra

Alien Iguanas Fall From Florida Trees During Cold Snap

"Their bodies shut off, and they lose their grip on the tree, and they start falling," a Miami zoo official said of the non-native reptiles.

Video: Ecuador Volcano Rumbling

In a spectacular show of fire and smoke, Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano is forcing the evacuation of 1,000 nearby villagers.

Three New Salamanders Found in Remote Cloud Forests

Previously unknown amphibians have been discovered during expeditions to a remote region of Costa Rica, scientists have announced.

Video: Albino Alligators Stolen

Seven rare albino alligators recently disappeared from a Brazilian zoo. Authorities suspect smugglers stole the reptiles, which are valued at more than $9,000 each.

Aztec Pyramid, Elite Graves Unearthed in Mexico City

A newly discovered structure believed to be an 800-year-old pyramid could solve "one of the underexplored mysteries of the Aztec," experts say.

Week in Photos: Weird White Dwarf, WWII Bomb, and More

Quebec City celebrates 400th anniversary, Chile volcano erupts, Kenya reels under violence, Brazilians honor sea goddess, and more.

Bone Ice Skates Invented by Ancient Finns, Study Says

People living thousands of years ago in what is now Finland invented ice-skating not for fun but for survival, computer simulations suggest.

War-Hero Pigeons' Possible Ancestors on Auction Block

Pigeon portraits from the collection of a World War II-era breeder are up for sale this month in London.

Video: Buddhism Rebounds in Mongolia

After decades of persecution that began under Stalinist rule in the 1930s, Buddhism and monasteries are now on the rebound in Mongolia.

Animals

Weird

North Atlantic Warming Tied To Natural Variability

2008-01-05T11:45:00.000+01:00

ScienceDaily (Jan. 5, 2008) — A Duke University-led analysis of available records shows that while the North Atlantic Ocean's surface waters warmed in the 50 years between 1950 and 2000, the change was not uniform. In fact, the subpolar regions cooled at the same time that subtropical and tropical waters warmed.

This striking pattern can be explained largely by the influence of a natural and cyclical wind circulation pattern called the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), wrote authors of a study published Jan. 3, in Science Express, the online edition of the journal Science.

Winds that power the NAO are driven by atmospheric pressure differences between areas around Iceland and the Azores. "The winds have a tremendous impact on the underlying ocean," said Susan Lozier, a professor of physical oceanography at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences who is the study's first author.

Other studies cited in the Science Express report suggest human-caused global warming may be affecting recent ocean heating trends. But Lozier and her coauthors found their data can't support that view for the North Atlantic. "It is premature to conclusively attribute these regional patterns of heat gain to greenhouse warming," they wrote.

"The take-home message is that the NAO produces strong natural variability," said Lozier in an interview. "The simplistic view of global warming is that everything forward in time will warm uniformly. But this very strong natural variability is superimposed on human-caused warming. So researchers will need to unravel that natural variability to get at the part humans are responsible for."

In research supported by the National Science Foundation in the United States and the Natural Environment Research Council in the United Kingdom, her international team analyzed 50 years of North Atlantic temperature records collected at the National Oceanic Data Center in Washington, D.C.

To piece together the mechanisms involved in the observed changes, their analysis employed an ocean circulation model that predicts how winds, evaporation, precipitation and the exchange of heat with the atmosphere influences the North Atlantic's heat content over time. They also compared those computer predictions to real observations "to test the model's skill," the authors wrote.

Her group's analysis showed that water in the sub-polar ocean --- roughly between 45 degrees North latitude and the Arctic Circle --- became cooler as the water directly exchanged heat with the air above it.

By contrast, NOA-driven winds served to "pile up" sun-warmed waters in parts of the subtropical and tropical North Atlantic south of 45 degrees, Lozier said. That retained and distributed heat at the surface while pushing underlying cooler water further down.

The group's computer model predicted warmer sea surfaces in the tropics and subtropics and colder readings within the sub-polar zone whenever the NAO is in an elevated state of activity. Such a high NAO has been the case during the years 1980 to 2000, the scientists reported.

"We suggest that the large-scale, decadal changes...associated with the NAO are primarily responsible for the ocean heat content changes in the North Atlantic over the past 50 years," the authors concluded.

However, the researchers also noted that this study should not be viewed in isolation. Given reported heat content gains in other oceans basins, and rising air temperatures, the authors surmised that other parts of the world's ocean systems may have taken up the excess heat produced by global warming.

"But in the North Atlantic, any anthropogenic (human-caused) warming would presently be masked by such strong natural variability," they wrote.

Other authors of the report included Richard Williams and Vassil Roussenov of Liverpool University; Susan Leadbetter, previously at Liverpool University but now a postdoctoral researcher with Lozier; Mark Reed, a computational scientist who also works with Lozier at Duke; and Nathan Moore, a former Duke graduate student now at Michigan State University.

Adapted from materials provided by Duke University.

2008-01-05T11:35:00.000+01:00

Why Do Some Animals Live Longer Than Others?
January 5, 2008 — Why do some live longer than others? Researchers turned to tropical African butterflies to find the answer. In the field, the temperature experienced by the caterpillar sets up the butterfly to ... > full story

Mathematical Tools For Forecasting Stock Market Work For Ecology Too

January 5, 2008 — Animal populations and the stock market are hard to forecast. Both are generated by complicated, interdependent systems. Unlike financial stocks, where trades are meticulously recorded, scientists ... > full story
New Report On First Death By Spearing In Australia

January 5, 2008 — "Ritual punishment using barbed death spears was witnessed at European contact in the Sydney region," one of the researchers said. "The Narrabeen man provides early archaeological evidence for ritual ... > full story

Ecosytem Modeling: Novel Approach To Incorporate Nontrophic Interactions

January 5, 2008 — Most ecological theories deal with simple consumer--resource interactions. Scientists now provide a novel approach to incorporate nontrophic interactions, such as pollination and habitat ... > full story
Louisiana’s Wetlands Are Being Lost At The Rate Of One Football Field Every 38 Minutes

January 4, 2008 — LSU and Ohio State University will be battling for the BCS National College Football Championship in the Superdome, but if the game was held in the Louisiana wetlands instead, the entire field would ... > full story
Model Is First To Compare Performance Of 'Biosensors'

January 4, 2008 — Researchers have developed a new modeling technique to study and design miniature "biosensors," a tool that could help industry perfect lab-on-a-chip technology for uses ranging from medical ... > full story
Does Biology Matter When Predicting How Animals Will Respond To Climate Change?

January 4, 2008 — Most predictions of how animals will move in changing climates rely on statistically relating an animal's current location to environmental conditions. This approach ignores potentially important ... > full story
Survival Of Polar Bears? Million Of Acres To Be Opened To Oil And Gas Activities

January 4, 2008 — The US government issued its Final Notice of Intent for the Chukchi Lease Sale 193 opening approximately 29.7 million acres of the pristine Chukchi Sea to oil and gas activities on January 2. This ... > full story
'Green' Energy Efficient Mobile Home Designed
January 4, 2008 — When someone mentions a mobile home or "house trailer," the image usually doesn't make others green with envy. Mobile homes haven't earned recognition for long-term quality, environmental ... > full story
2008 Likely To Be One Of The Top-ten Warmest Years
January 4, 2008 — 2008 is set to be cooler globally than recent years say Met Office and University of East Anglia climate scientists, but is still forecast to be one of the top-ten warmest years. Each January the Met ... > full story
Sound Waves Can Trigger Earthquake Aftershocks
January 3, 2008 — Using a novel device that simulates earthquakes in a laboratory setting, scientists have shown that seismic waves -- the sounds radiated from earthquakes -- can induce earthquake aftershocks, often ... > full story
Chicken Fat Converted Into Biodiesel Using Supercritical Methanol
January 3, 2008 — Chemical engineering researchers have investigated supercritical methanol as a method of converting chicken fat into biodiesel fuel. The new study also successfully converted tall oil fatty acid, a ... > full story
Hydrogen Storage For Cars?

January 3, 2008 — Hydrogen is the fuel of the future. Unfortunately, one problem remains: Hydrogen is a gas and cannot easily be pumped into a tank like gasoline. Storage in the form of solid hydrides, chemical ... > full story

Culinary Shocker: Cooking Can Preserve, Boost Nutrient Content Of Vegetables

2007-12-30T11:29:00.000+01:00

ScienceDaily (Dec. 30, 2007) — In a finding that defies conventional culinary wisdom, researchers in Italy report that cooking vegetables can preserve or even boost their nutritional value in comparison to their raw counterparts, depending on the cooking method used.

Their study is scheduled for the Dec. 26 issue of ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication.

Nicoletta Pellegrini and colleagues note that although many people maintain that eating raw vegetables is more nutritious than eating cooked ones, a small but growing number of studies suggest that cooking may actually increase the release of some nutrients. However, scientists are seeking more complete data on the nutritional properties of cooked vegetables, the researchers say.

In the new study, the researchers evaluated the effects of three commonly-used Italian cooking practices — boiling, steaming, and frying — on the nutritional content of carrots, zucchini and broccoli. Boiling and steaming maintained the antioxidant compounds of the vegetables, whereas frying caused a significantly higher loss of antioxidants in comparison to the water-based cooking methods, they say. For broccoli, steaming actually increased its content of glucosinolates, a group of plant compounds touted for their cancer-fighting abilities. The findings suggest that it may be possible to select a cooking method for each vegetable that can best preserve or improve its nutritional quality, the researchers say.

Adapted from materials provided by American Chemical Society.

2007-12-30T11:24:00.000+01:00

Novel Virus Identified In Endangered Species May Represent Evolution Of Two Major Virus Families

December 30, 2007 — The near extinction of the western barred bandicoot has led to the identification of a novel virus exhibiting characteristics of two ancient virus families. The western barred bandicoot, an ... > full story
Study Maps Life In Extreme Environments

December 30, 2007 — A team of biologists have developed a model mapping the control circuit governing a whole free living organism. This is an important milestone for the new field of systems biology and will allow the ... > full story
Handling Pesticides Associated With Greater Asthma Risk In Farm Women

December 30, 2007 — New research on farm women has shown that contact with some commonly used pesticides in farm work may increase their risk of allergic asthma. They found an average increase of 50 percent in the ... > full story
Cell Growth Discovery: Protein Interactions Of MAP Kinase Signaling Pathway Measured

December 30, 2007 — Scientists have achieved a quantitative in vivo measurement of the dynamic protein-protein interactions in the mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade signaling pathway, which is critical to growth ... > full story
Photo-monitoring Whale Sharks: Largest Fish In The Sea Appear To Thrive Under Regulated Ecotourism
December 29, 2007 — Up to 20 meters long and weighing as much as 20 tons, its enormous size gives the whale shark its name. Listed as a rare species, relatively little is known about whale sharks. However, a new study ... > full story
Two 'Noses' Are Necessary For Flies To Navigate Well
December 29, 2007 — Animals and insects communicate through an invisible world of scents. By exploiting infrared technology, researchers at Rockefeller University just made that world visible. With the ability to see ... > full story
2000 Tigers Possible In Thailand, Study Says

December 29, 2007 — Thailand's Western Forest Complex -- a 6,900 square mile (18,000 square kilometers) network of parks and wildlife reserves -- can potentially support some 2,000 tigers, making it one of the world's ... > full story
Stickleback Fish Follow Prawns To Find Good Places To Eat

December 29, 2007 — A new study reveals that prawns can be used by fish species to find the best places to eat. Research into the behavior patterns of sticklebacks highlights the fact they use prawns to determine the ... > full story
Insect Gut Detects Unhealthy Meal

December 28, 2007 — Plant leaves and surfaces are teeming with microbial life, yet the insects that feed on plants lack adaptive immune systems to fend off any intruding microorganisms they eat along with their greens. ... > full story
Deep-sea Species' Loss Could Lead To Oceans' Collapse, Study Suggests
December 28, 2007 — The loss of deep-sea species poses a severe threat to the future of the oceans, suggests a new report in Current Biology. In a global-scale study, the researchers found some of the first evidence ... > full story

Air Pollution

2007-12-27T16:51:00.000+01:00

Air Pollution Comes From Many Sources

Written by Mason Inman

Smog hanging over cities is the most familiar and obvious form of air pollution. But there are different kinds of pollution—some visible, some invisible—that contribute to global warming. Generally any substance that people introduce into the atmosphere that has damaging effects on living things and the environment is considered air pollution.

Carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, is the main pollutant that is warming Earth. Though living things emit carbon dioxide when they breathe, carbon dioxide is widely considered to be a pollutant when associated with cars, planes, power plants, and other human activities that involve the burning of fossil fuels such as gasoline and natural gas. In the past 150 years, such activities have pumped enough carbon dioxide into the atmosphere to raise its levels higher than they have been for hundreds of thousands of years.

Other greenhouse gases include methane—which comes from such sources as swamps and gas emitted by livestock—and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which were used in refrigerants and aerosol propellants until they were banned because of their deteriorating effect on Earth's ozone layer.

Another pollutant associated with climate change is sulfur dioxide, a component of smog. Sulfur dioxide and closely related chemicals are known primarily as a cause of acid rain. But they also reflect light when released in the atmosphere, which keeps sunlight out and causes Earth to cool. Volcanic eruptions can spew massive amounts of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, sometimes causing cooling that lasts for years. In fact, volcanoes used to be the main source of atmospheric sulfur dioxide; today people are.

Industrialized countries have worked to reduce levels of sulfur dioxide, smog, and smoke in order to improve people's health. But a result, not predicted until recently, is that the lower sulfur dioxide levels may actually make global warming worse. Just as sulfur dioxide from volcanoes can cool the planet by blocking sunlight, cutting the amount of the compound in the atmosphere lets more sunlight through, warming the Earth.

This effect is exaggerated when elevated levels of other greenhouse gasesin the atmosphere trap the additional heat.

Most people agree that to curb global warming, a variety of measures need to be taken. On a personal level, driving and flying less, recycling, and conservation reduces a person’s "carbon footprint"—the amount of carbon dioxide a person is responsible for putting into the atmosphere.

On a larger scale, governments are taking measures to limit emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. One way is through the Kyoto Protocol, an agreement between countries that they will cut back on carbon dioxide emissions. Another method is to put taxes on carbon emissions or higher taxes on gasoline, so that people and companies will have greater incentives to conserve energy and pollute less.

2007-12-27T16:50:00.001+01:00

Scientist On Quest For Disappearing Eel

2007-12-26T16:16:00.000+01:00

ScienceDaily (Dec. 27, 2007) — A Queen’s environmental scientist will head a new international study to determine whether American eels – the slimy, snake-like fish considered worldwide to be a food delicacy – are dying from chemical pollution in Lake Ontario.

Biology professor Peter Hodson and his team of toxicologists and chemists have received a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) to solve the mystery of Lake Ontario’s disappearing eel population.

Declared a “species of concern” under Canada’s new Species at Risk Act, American eels have until recently supported a multi-million-dollar historic fishery in Ontario and an even larger industry in Quebec. But with rapidly decreasing numbers of eels, the Ontario fishery has been closed and the Quebec fishery is in serious decline.

“A prime suspect in the case of the missing fish is the accumulation of toxic chemicals by the parent eels as they feed, grow, and mature in polluted freshwater lakes and streams,” says Dr. Hodson. “Our task will be to determine whether female eels transfer sufficient chemicals to their offspring to cause their death before reaching Lake Ontario.”

The team hopes to learn whether chemicals have played a role in the decline of the eel, whether some lakes and rivers are better than others for re-stocking with juvenile eels, which chemicals are the “bad actors” and whether eels pose a hazard to human consumers.

American eels begin their lives as eggs hatching in the Sargasso Sea near Bermuda. They take years to reach freshwater streams where they mature to a length of up to a metre before returning to their birth waters to spawn and die. However, since the mid 1980s there has been a spectacular drop in the numbers of juvenile eels migrating to Lake Ontario from the Sargasso Sea, and a corresponding decline in the numbers of adults.

“The loss of eels is significant from an economic, cultural, and ecological perspective,” says Dr. Hodson, adding that the impact on other fish species in Lake Ontario of removing a top predator has yet to be recognized.

Most of the harvest of American eels is exported to a global market, particularly to Western Europe and Asia where they are smoked, jellied, marinated, and even served raw as sushi. They are so highly prized that prices are rising as supplies dwindle.

The Queen’s-led research team will study eels from both clean and polluted habitats, as well as those stored frozen since the 1980s. They will compare the concentrations and toxicity of chemicals in the tissues of eel among different habitats and provide a perspective on past contamination.

Co-investigators on his team include: John Casselman (Biology) and Stephen Brown (Chemistry) from Queen’s; Mehran Alaee (Environment Canada); Niels Bols (University of Waterloo); Catherine Couillard and Michel Lebeuf (Fisheries and Oceans Canada); Whitney Hable and Ken Oliveira (University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth); Jocelyne Pellerin and Emilien Pelletier (Université du Québec); and Guido van den Thillart, U. of Leiden.

The study is supported by Environment Canada, Fisheries and Oceans, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, and the Ministère des Ressources Naturelles et de la Faune du Québec.

Adapted from materials provided by Queen's University.

2007-12-26T16:09:00.000+01:00

Climatic Chain Reaction Caused Runaway Greenhouse Effect 55 Million Years Ago
December 27, 2007 — Analogous to the Earth's current situation, greenhouse warming 55 million years ago was caused by a relatively rapid increase of carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere. The study shows that ... > full story

Photo-monitoring Whale Sharks: Largest Fish In The Sea Appear To Thrive Under Regulated Ecotourism
December 26, 2007 — Up to 20 meters long and weighing as much as 20 tons, its enormous size gives the whale shark its name. Listed as a rare species, relatively little is known about whale sharks. However, a new study ... > full story
Study Shows Urban Sprawl Continues To Gobble Up Land
December 24, 2007 — Despite reports to the contrary, urban sprawl has continued to grow significantly for the past several decades, new research suggests. A study of changing land use patterns in the state of Maryland ... > full story
A 'Gizmo' That Saves Lives After Disasters
December 24, 2007 — Police, firefighters and other emergency workers responding to natural or manmade disasters may someday save more lives with the help of “Gizmo,” an advanced mobile wireless ... > full story
Scientists Find Good News About Methane Bubbling Up From The Ocean Floor

December 23, 2007 — Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is emitted in great quantities as bubbles from seeps on the ocean floor near Santa Barbara. About half of these bubbles dissolve into the ocean, but the fate of this ... > full story
El Niño Affected By Global Warming

December 21, 2007 — Scientists have made some unexpected findings about the recent evolution of the ENSO system. Investigation of marine sedimentary drill cores enabled them to retrace the changes in the ENSO's ... > full story
Two New Species Of Soft Coral Discovered In Caribbean
December 21, 2007 — Two new species of soft corals were discovered during a recent expedition to Saba Bank, Netherlands Antilles, the largest atoll in the Caribbean. Marine biologists collected 40 species of soft corals ... > full story
Arctic Impact Crater Lake Reveals Interglacial Cycles In Sediments
December 21, 2007 — Scientists have taken cores from the sediments of a Canadian Arctic lake and found an interglacial record indicating two ice-free periods that could pre-date the Holocene Epoch. By examining ... > full story
Agent Orange Chemical, Dioxin, Attacks The Mitochondria To Cause Cancer, Study Shows

December 21, 2007 — Researchers have demonstrated the process by which the cancer-causing chemical dioxin attacks the cellular machinery, disrupts normal cellular function and ultimately promotes tumor ... > full story
Variable Light Illuminates The Distribution Of Picophytoplankton

December 21, 2007 — Tiny photosynthetic plankton less than a millionth of a millimeter in diameter numerically dominate marine phytoplankton. Their photosynthesis uses light to drive carbon dioxide uptake, fueling the ... > full story

Small Asteroid Caused Mysterious 1908 Blast, Study Says

2007-12-23T17:30:00.000+01:00

Brian Handwerk
for National Geographic News

December 21, 2007

A huge explosion that devastated a swath of Siberia a century ago was caused by an asteroid that was much smaller than had previously been believed, according to new research. The blast produced an enormous fireball over the Tunguska region of northwestern Russia in June 1908 (see map). The so-called Tunguska event leveled trees up to 10 miles (16 kilometers) away.

New supercomputer models of the event show that the devastation may have been the result of a surprisingly small asteroid that never hit the ground.

Because smaller asteroids approach Earth's orbit more often than larger ones, the discovery could also mean that Earth is at increased risk of asteroid impacts.

"I'm not sure it puts it into a whole new class of risk," said study author Mark Boslough, a physicist at Sandia National Nuclear Security Administration laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

"But there's so much uncertainty in terms of knowing if there's one million or ten million of these things out there of a given size in Earth-crossing orbits."

Asteroid the Size of the White House

The Tunguska explosion had previously been estimated at 10 to 20 megatons, but Boslough suggests it was three to five megatons—still hundreds of times as powerful as the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.

The incoming asteroid, moving at some 40 to 60 times the speed of sound, had roughly the same mass as a solid rock the size of the White House, the new study found.

This mass is what helped produce such widespread destruction from a relatively small package, Boslough explained.

As the asteroid streaked toward Earth's surface, growing resistance from the atmosphere compressed the rocky object until its kinetic energy was converted to heat, causing it to explode into vapor with tremendous violence.

"Unlike a nuclear bomb, which doesn't have a lot of mass, this has a lot of mass which carries all that explosive energy downward toward the surface," Boslough said.

The fireball of expanding gas produced strong blast waves that caused damage on the ground, while still leaving some trees standing at "ground zero," he added. "That's exactly why I don't believe that Tunguska was as big as 15 megatons," Boslough said.

In models of the event that assume such a large explosion, he said, "the fireball gets driven all the way to the surface and ground zero is incinerated. There's no evidence for that at Tunguska."

In November a team of Italian scientists arrived at a different theory, after they found what they believe is a crater formed by the impact of a fragment of the exploding celestial object.

Earth a Target

Extraterrestrial objects of various sizes regularly enter Earth's atmosphere.

"[U.S.] Department of Defense satellites detect these things blowing up in the atmosphere all the time, but they are very small compared to Tunguska," Boslough said.

William Hartmann, an astronomer at the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona, agreed.

"On a common night if you wait an hour you'll see a meteor or two. Those are [tiny] fragments," he said.

Tunguska-scale events are thought to occur only once every several centuries, but most of them likely take place over oceans or unpopulated areas, he said.

"The data on objects of White House-size are pretty lousy, so it is very crude to estimate how often they hit," said Hartmann, who is not affiliated with Boslough's research.

"We have the empirical evidence that they don't hit populated areas every 50 or 100 years, and that doesn't change."

However, such events may be more common than scientists know, if Boslough's study is correct, he added.

"If [the new models] are right [that] small objects can cause explosions of that size, it might suggest that these Tunguska events are a little more frequent than people thought."

2007-12-23T17:21:00.000+01:00

Squirrels Use "Snake Perfume" to Fool Predators

California ground squirrels and rock squirrels chew on sloughed-off snake skin and smear it on their fur to avoid rattlesnakes, a new study say

Judas Was "Demon" After All, New Gospel Reading Claims

A new translation of the recently revealed Gospel of Judas contradicts the original interpretation, which depicted a Judas who did not betray Jesu

Week in Photos: Geminid Showers, Fastest Eco-Boat, More

Catherine the Great's vodka bottle goes on display, emperor scorpions found in Dublin airport, robots compete for best-of-year award, and more

Asteroid May Hit Mars Next Month

The space rock has a 1 in 75 chance of colliding with the Red Planet in January. "We're not afraid, but we're excited," said one astronomer.

"Lost" Afghan Gold Treasures Coming to U.S.

After surviving Soviet invaders and the Taliban, long-hidden ancient riches—including the famed "Bactrian hoard"—will tour the U.S. starting this spring.

Japan Drops Humpback Whale Hunt

Amid stepped up international protest, the whaling nation tossed its planned hunt for 50 humpbacks but still supports whaling for "research" that critics call a cover.

Video: Reindeer Tourism Booms

As tourism to Finland's Lapland region booms, reindeer farms reap the benefits.

China Spurring Illegal Timber Trade in Tanzania

As exports of native hardwood flourish, wildlife and water resources in the east African country are taking a serious hit, conservation groups warn

Two New Species Of Soft Coral Discovered In Caribbean

2007-12-22T12:13:00.000+01:00

ScienceDaily (Dec. 21, 2007) — Two new species of soft corals were discovered during an October expedition to Saba Bank, Netherlands Antilles, the largest atoll in the Caribbean. Herman Wirshing, a graduate student from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science's Biology and Fisheries Division, joined leading coral reef experts from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAM-CC), and the Universidad de los Andes in Columbia, to help identify and quantify soft coral and crustacean species on the Bank.
The team collected 40 species of soft corals and nearly 100 different species of crustaceans in just ten days of SCUBA diving and exploration. One of the likely new species was found in deep water (70 m), and the other, surprisingly, was found to be common in shallow water (20 m).

“Since the gorgonians of the Caribbean are a well-known group of corals with only a limited number of species, the discovery of a new species in the shallowest parts of the Bank was quite unexpected,” said Peter Etnoyer, a gorgonian expert from the Harte Research Institute (HRI) at TAMU-CC, and the researcher who asked Wirshing to participate in this expedition. Wirshing concludes, “we will have to do more work to carefully verify and describe all of the diagnostic characteristics of this new shallow water gorgonian, but we can already conclude that it belongs to the genus Pterogorgia, in which so far only three species are known.”

The expedition is part of an ongoing effort from the Department of the Environment of the Netherlands Antilles (MINA) to develop a sound management plan for the Bank. With funding from USONA, the organization that distributes development funding from the Netherlands, a project was started in June of this year to collect as much knowledge as possible about the Bank. The effort is built upon previous work in the region, including the first rapid assessment expedition by Conservation International in 2006 (which also contributed a representative to this expedition) surveys by the Dutch Hydrographic Service in 2006 and a yearlong fisheries survey conducted in 2000.

Project leader Paul Hoetjes of MINA is hopeful that by the end of the year a well-structured draft of the proposed management plan and legislation to support it, as well as a finalized proposal to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) will be prepared. The goal is to have the Saba Bank designated as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA), which will help to regulate shipping over the parts of the Bank that lie outside the territorial waters of Saba, but are still located within the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Netherlands Antilles.

Dr. Juan Sanchez of the Universidad de los Andes in Columbia, a leading expert on gorgonian corals and crustaceans, Dr. Thomas Shirley, Endowed Chair of Biodiversity and Conservation Science of HRI at TAMU-CC, also participated in the expedition. The data and samples collected from this cruise will provide an important baseline of present crustacean species on which future changes in the ecosystem can be measured.

“This expedition to the Saba Bank was not only an excellent opportunity to demonstrate both qualitatively and quantitatively the rich biodiversity of this relatively unexplored area, but also to work with some of the world's leading experts in gorgonian and crustacean biology, as well as government organizations to help build and maintain a more sustainable and thriving ecosystem in the area,” said Wirshing.

Wirshing is currently a Ph.D. student studying molecular systematics of hard corals and gorgonian corals with Rosenstiel professor, Dr. Andrew Baker. His research will help scientists better understand the natural history and diversity of hard and soft coral ecosystems.

Adapted from materials provided by University of Miami.

2007-12-22T12:00:00.000+01:00

Miscarriage And Abortion Triple Chances Of Future Low Birthweight Babies
December 23, 2007 — Women who have miscarried or had an abortion run three times the normal risk of having a subsequent low birthweight baby, suggests new research. The more miscarriages or abortions a woman has, the ... > full story

New Potential Target In The Treatment Of Fatal Brain Disease
December 23, 2007 — Hypertensive encephalopathy is an often-fatal disease of the brain that results from extremely high blood pressure. This disorder can lead to a breakdown of the blood-brain barrier, resulting in ... > full story

Nonhospital Health-care Workers At Substantial Risk Of Exposure To Bloodborne Pathogens
December 23, 2007 — In one of the largest studies of its kind, researchers assessed the risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens among nonhospital based registered nurses, and found that nearly one out of 10 of the more ... > full story
Scientists Find Good News About Methane Bubbling Up From The Ocean Floor

December 23, 2007 — Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is emitted in great quantities as bubbles from seeps on the ocean floor near Santa Barbara. About half of these bubbles dissolve into the ocean, but the fate of this ... > full story
Christmas Tree, Holiday Light, Safety Tips

December 23, 2007 — When we think of the holiday season, pleasant and joyous thoughts come to mind but each and every year there are those families for whom the holidays turn tragic. Fires during the holiday season each ... > full story
Lack Of Sunlight May Increase Lung Cancer Risk

December 23, 2007 — Lack of sunlight may increase the risk of lung cancer, suggests a study of rates of the disease in over 100 countries. Lung cancer kills over a million people every year around the globe. The ... > full story
How Muscle Weakness Caused By Myasthenia Gravis Can Be Stopped, According To New Research

December 23, 2007 — Severe muscle weakness caused by myasthenia gravis -- a highly debilitating autoimmune disorder -- can be prevented or reversed by blocking a key step in the immune response that brings on the ... > full story
Next-generation RAM: Remembering The Future

December 23, 2007 — As electronics designers cram more and more components onto each chip, current technologies for making random-access memory (RAM) are running out of room. European researchers have a strong position ... > full story
Sex Education Linked To Delayed Teen Intercourse, New Study Says

December 23, 2007 — Sex education greatly boosts the likelihood that teens will delay having intercourse, according to a new study that is the first of its kind in years. Male teens who received sex education in school ... > full story
Geologists Say 'Wall Of Africa' Allowed Humanity To Emerge
December 22, 2007 — Scientists long have focused on how climate and vegetation allowed human ancestors to evolve in Africa. Now, geologists are calling renewed attention to the idea that ground movements formed ... > full story

Wind Turbines Produce 'Green' Energy And Airflow Mysteries

2007-12-20T10:50:00.000+01:00

ScienceDaily (Dec. 20, 2007) — Using smoke, laser light, model airplane propellers and a campus wind tunnel, a team led by Johns Hopkins University researchers is trying to solve the airflow mysteries that surround wind turbines, an increasingly popular source of “green” energy. The National Science Foundation recently awarded the team a three-year, $321,000 grant to support the project.

The rise in oil prices and a growing demand for energy from non-polluting sources has led to a global boom in construction of tall wind turbines that convert the power of moving air into electricity. The technology of these devices has improved dramatically in recent years, making wind energy more attractive. For example, Denmark is able to produce about 20 percent of its electric energy through wind turbines.

But important questions remain: Could large wind farms, whipping up the air with massive whirling blades, alter local weather conditions? Could changing the arrangement of these turbines lead to even more efficient power production? The researchers from Johns Hopkins and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute hope their work will help answer such questions.

“With diameters spanning up to 100 meters across, these wind turbines are the largest rotating machines ever built,” said research team leader Charles Meneveau, a turbulence expert in Johns Hopkins’ Whiting School of Engineering.

“There’s been a lot of research done on wind turbine blade aerodynamics, but few people have looked at the way these machines interact with the turbulent wind conditions around them. By studying the airflow around small, scale-model windmills in the lab, we can develop computer models that tell us more about what’s happening in the atmosphere at full-size wind farms.”

To collect data for such models, Meneveau’s team is conducting experiments in a campus wind tunnel. The tunnel uses a large fan to generate a stream of air moving at about 40 mph. Before it enters the testing area, the air passes through an “active grid,” a curtain of perforated plates that rotate randomly and create turbulence so that air currents in the tunnel more closely resemble real-life wind conditions. The air currents then pass through a series of small model airplane propellers mounted atop posts, mimicking an array of full-size wind turbines.

The researchers gather information on the interaction of the air currents and the model turbines by using a high-tech procedure called stereo particle-image-velocimetry. First, they “seed” the air in the tunnel with a form of smoke—tiny particles that move with the prevailing airflow. Above the model turbines, a laser generates two sheet-like pulses of light in quick succession. A camera captures the position of particles at the time of each flash. “When the images are processed, we see that there are two dots for every particle,” said Meneveau, who is the university’s Louis M. Sardella Professor of Mechanical Engineering.

“Because we know the time difference between the two laser shots, we can calculate the velocity. So we get an instantaneous snapshot of the velocity vector at each point. Having these vector maps allows us to calculate how much kinetic energy is flowing from one place to another, in much greater detail than what was possible before.”

Raul B. Cal, a Johns Hopkins postdoctoral fellow who is working on the project with Meneveau, said this data could lead to a better understanding of real wind farm conditions. “What happens when you put these wind turbines too close together or too far apart? What if you align them staggered or in parallel?” he asked. “All of these are different effects that we want to be able to comprehend and quantify, rather than just go out there and build these massive structures, implementing them and not knowing what’s going to happen.”

Meneveau pointed out that dense clusters of wind turbines also could affect nearby temperatures and humidity levels, and cumulatively, perhaps, alter local weather conditions. Highly accurate computer models will be needed to unravel the various effects involved. “Our research will provide the fluid dynamical data necessary to improve the accuracy of such computer models,” Meneveau said. “We’d better know what the effects are in order to implement wind turbine technology in the most sustainable and efficient fashion possible.”

Meneveau and Cal are collaborating with Luciano Castillo, associate professor in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Hyung S. Kang, an associate research scientist in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Johns Hopkins.

The project’s funding was provided through the National Science Foundation’s Energy for Sustainability Program.

Adapted from materials provided by Johns Hopkins University.

2007-12-20T10:44:00.000+01:00

Drug Aimed At Two Bioterror Agents Blocks Live Viral Infection, Study Suggests

December 20, 2007 — Two deadly and highly infectious viruses -- both potential bioterror threats -- may have met their match in a new drug. Hendra and Nipah viruses are related, newly recognized zoonotic viruses that ... > full story

Older Antibiotic Gains New Respect As Potent Treatment For Tuberculosis
December 20, 2007 — It has no current market, not even a prescription price. Its makers stopped commercial production years ago, because demand was so low. But an antibiotic long abandoned as a weak, low-dose treatment ... > full story

'Jekyll And Hyde' Bacteria Offer Pest Control Clue
December 20, 2007 — New research has revealed so-called 'Jekyll and Hyde' bacteria, suggesting a novel way to control insect pests without using insecticides. Scientists studied the relationship between plant-dwelling ... > full story
Creative Work Has Health Advantages, Population Research Center Study Shows

December 20, 2007 — Employees who have more control over their daily activities and do challenging work they enjoy are likely to be in better health, according to a new study. Although people who work do give up some ... > full story
New Brain Mechanism Identified For Interpreting Speech

December 20, 2007 — In conversation, humans recognize words primarily from the sounds they hear. However, scientists have long known that what humans perceive goes beyond the sounds and even the sights of speech. The ... > full story
Chronic Kidney Disease Linked To Oxygen-deprived Tissue

December 20, 2007 — Researchers have discovered how low-oxygen conditions can worsen chronic kidney disease. The key player is a protein called hypoxia-inducible-factor that, as its name suggests, is active when the ... > full story
Smaller, Faster Integrated Circuits Created By Using Computer-aided Design Software

December 20, 2007 — Integrated circuits are the "brain" in computers, cell phones, and many other electronic devices. Scientists have demonstrated substantial improvements in integrated circuits, also known as silicon ... > full story
No Need For Reduced Alcohol Consumption In Later Life, Study Suggests

December 20, 2007 — Provided they stick to the same guidelines about alcohol consumption as younger adults, regular moderate drinking poses no additional risks to the 'over 65s,' and may even bring health benefits, ... > full story
Earliest Stage Of Planet Formation In Our Solar System Dated
December 20, 2007 — Researchers have dated the earliest step in the formation of the solar system -- when microscopic interstellar dust coalesced into mountain-sized chunks of rock -- to 4,568 million years ago, within ... > full story
Genetic Link To Spina Bifida Discovered
December 20, 2007 — Researchers have discovered an association between genes regulating glucose metabolism and spina bifida. The decade-long study looked at more than 1,500 DNA samples from parents and their children ... > full story

Arctic Expeditions Find Giant Mud Waves, Glacier Tracks Underwater

2007-12-18T10:52:00.000+01:00

ScienceDaily (Dec. 18, 2007) — Scientists gathering evidence of ancient ice sheets uncovered a new mystery about what's happening on the Arctic sea floor today.

Sonar images revealed that, in some places, ocean currents have driven the mud along the Arctic Ocean bottom into piles, with some “mud waves” nearly 100 feet across.

Around the world, strong currents often create a wavy surface on the ocean bottom. But scientists previously thought the Arctic Ocean was too calm to do so.

Leonid Polyak, a research scientist at Byrd Polar Research Center at Ohio State University, said that it's too early to know how the waves formed.

“The mud waves could be caused by tidal fluctuations,” he said. “But that's really just speculation at this point.”

Polyak was one of the leaders of an international scientific expedition that crossed the Arctic Ocean in 2005, and he was part of a recent icebreaker expedition in 2007. Both missions took images of the ocean bottom with sonar and drew sediment cores from the ocean bottom.

Now that the sediment cores -- more than 1,000 feet in total -- are stored in a refrigerated facility of the Byrd Polar Research Center on the Ohio State campus, Polyak and his colleagues have begun their analysis.

Martin Jakobsson of Stockholm University in Sweden -- a team member and leader of the geology party in the 2007 expedition -- summarized the early findings of both sonar surveys Thursday, December 13, 2007, at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco . The presentation was part of a session on Arctic Ocean environmental history, and a related poster session was scheduled for Friday morning.

The 2005 Healy-Oden Trans-Arctic Expedition (HOTRAX) -- a cooperative effort between the United States Coast Guard Cutter Healy and the Swedish icebreaker Oden -- was the first scientific expedition to transit the entire Arctic Ocean in the direction from Alaska to Scandinavia . The scientists took sediment cores from 29 sites along the way.

For the 2007 Lomonosov Ridge off Greenland (LOMROG) expedition, the Oden joined with a Russian nuclear icebreaker called 50 let Pobedy (“50 Years of Victory”) to explore a smaller, difficult to access region of the Arctic Ocean near Greenland.

Both expeditions took images of the ocean bottom with a sonar system that also allowed them to view layers of sediment up to 1000 feet below ground.

The purpose of HOTRAX and LOMROG was to gather a sediment record of how the Arctic has changed over time, and also to find evidence of the ancient ice sheets that helped shape the Arctic Ocean seafloor. Scientists hope to use what they learned to better understand how water is exchanged between the basins, and how the Arctic affects (and is affected by) global climate systems.

This is a critical time for the Arctic, Polyak said. In the summer of 2007, much less ice covered the region than during any other time in the last century.

“Even a couple of years ago, we wouldn't have predicted that so little ice would cover the Arctic Ocean ,” he said. “It really looks like we may be living in a completely different world 20 to 30 years from now, with no ice in the Arctic in summer at all.”

The expeditions proved that giant ice masses once covered the arctic -- ice flows massive enough to scrape the ocean bottom half a mile deep. Sonar clearly showed the parallel grooves that ice flows carved in the sea floor, and boulders and other debris that the ice left behind.

As the scientists study the sediments and images in detail, they will focus on more recent Earth history -- specifically the last 150,000 years -- to find out how conditions during warm periods in the recent past resemble what we will likely have in the near future.

The mud waves that they spied on the ocean floor are another mystery, one that the scientists haven't begun to probe.

“Frankly, we have so much material to go through, and we've only just started,” Polyak said. “The goal is to establish a climate record in the sediments. To figure it out, we'll go through the cores centimeter by centimeter.”

The 2005 expedition was funded by the National Science Foundation, the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat, and the Swedish Science Council.

Adapted from materials provided by Ohio State University.

2007-12-18T10:46:00.000+01:00

Emerging Field Of Neuroecology Bridges Neural Basis Of Behavior And Ecological Consequences

December 18, 2007 — Neuroecology bridges a critical gap between studying the neural basis of behavior (neuroethology) and evaluating the consequences of that behavior at the ecological levels of populations and ... > full story
Existing Biotechnology Could Save Energy And Cut Carbon Dioxide By 100 Percent

December 18, 2007 — A new analysis has concluded that use of existing biotechnology in the production of so-called bulk chemicals could reduce consumption of non-renewable energy and carbon emissions by 100 percent. ... > full story
Making Gas Out Of Crude Oil: Discovery Could Lead To Dramatic Improvement In Fossil Fuel Processing
December 18, 2007 — Crude oil in deposits around the world are naturally broken down by bacteria, resulting in methane production. The discovery could yield dramatic improvements in how fossil fuels are recovered and ... > full story
Without Its Insulating Ice Cap, Arctic Surface Waters Warm To As Much As 5 C Above Average
December 17, 2007 — Record-breaking amounts of ice-free water have deprived the Arctic of more of its natural "sunscreen" than ever in recent summers. The effect is so pronounced that sea surface temperatures rose to 5 ... > full story
Scat Sniffing Dogs Detecting Rare California Carnivores
December 17, 2007 — Scientists found scat sniffing dogs might be the best way to confirm the presence of rare carnivores in forested areas like the Southern Sierra Nevada ... > full story
Heavy Traffic Makes Breathing A Burden In Children

December 17, 2007 — Exposure to traffic pollution may increase respiratory problems and reduce lung volumes in children with asthma, according to researchers who studied the effects of road and traffic density on ... > full story
UN Climate Change Convention In Bali: Forum Approves Climate Roadmap

December 17, 2007 — The outcome of the United Nations Climate Change Convention in Bali, Indonesia was that 187 countries agreed to launch a two-year process of formal negotiations on strengthening international efforts ... > full story
Ancient Flood Disrupted Ocean Circulation And Triggered Climate Cooling

December 17, 2007 — As the giant North American ice sheets melted an enormous pool of freshwater, many times larger than all of the Great Lakes, formed behind them. About 8400 years ago this pool of freshwater burst ... > full story
No Connection Between Environmental Crises And Armed Conflict, New Study Argues
December 17, 2007 — Climate advocate Al Gore accepted the Nobel Peace Prize this December 10th. New Norwegian research suggests, however, that there is no connection between environmental crises and armed conflict. This ... > full story
Agent Orange Chemical, Dioxin, Attacks The Mitochondria To Cause Cancer, Study Shows

December 17, 2007 — Researchers have demonstrated the process by which the cancer-causing chemical dioxin attacks the cellular machinery, disrupts normal cellular function and ultimately promotes tumor ... > full story

Natural Climate Changes Can Intensify Hurricanes More Efficiently Than Global Warming

2007-12-13T17:31:00.000+01:00

ScienceDaily (Dec. 13, 2007) — Natural climate variations, which tend to involve localized changes in sea surface temperature, may have a larger effect on hurricane activity than the more uniform patterns of global warming, a report in Nature suggests.

In the debate over the effect of global warming on hurricanes, it is generally assumed that warmer oceans provide a more favorable environment for hurricane development and intensification. However, several other factors, such as atmospheric temperature and moisture, also come into play.

Drs. Gabriel A. Vecchi of the NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory and Brian J. Soden from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science analyzed climate model projections and observational reconstructions to explore the relationship between changes in sea surface temperature and tropical cyclone 'potential intensity' - a measure that provides an upper limit on cyclone intensity.

They found that warmer oceans do not alone produce a more favorable environment for storms because the effect of remote warming can counter, and sometimes overwhelm, the effect of local surface warming. "Warming near the storm acts to increase the potential intensity of hurricanes, whereas warming away from the storms acts to decrease their potential intensity," Vecchi said.

Their study found that long-term changes in potential intensity are more closely related to the regional pattern of warming than to local ocean temperature change. Regions that warm more than the tropical average are characterized by increased potential intensity, and vice versa. "A surprising result is that the current potential intensity for Atlantic hurricanes is about average, despite the record high temperatures of the Atlantic Ocean over the past decade." Soden said. "This is due to the compensating warmth in other ocean basins."

"As we try to understand the future changes in hurricane intensity, we must look beyond changes in Atlantic Ocean temperature. If the Atlantic warms more slowly than the rest of the tropical oceans, we would expect a decrease in the upper limit on hurricane intensity," Vecchi added. "This is an interesting piece of the puzzle."

"While these results challenge some current notions regarding the link between climate change and hurricane activity, they do not contradict the widespread scientific consensus on the reality of global warming," Soden noted.

The journal article is entitled "Effect of Remote Sea Surface Temperature Change on Tropical Cyclone Potential Intensity."

Adapted from materials provided by University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science.

2007-12-13T17:27:00.000+01:00

Large Earthquakes May Broadcast Warnings, But Is Anyone Tuning In To Listen?

December 13, 2007 — There may be a way to detect the footfalls of large earthquakes a week or more before they strike. A Stanford professor thinks a method to provide such warnings may have been buried in the scientific ... > full story
Rising Carbon Dioxide Signals Wetter Storms For Northern Hemisphere, Study Says

December 13, 2007 — While two new studies by researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder's Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences predict wetter storms for the Arctic and for the Northern ... > full story
New Tibetan Ice Cores Missing A-bomb Blast Markers; Suggest Himalayan Ice Fields Haven't Grown In Last 50 Years

December 13, 2007 — Ice cores drilled last year from the summit of a Himalayan ice field lack the distinctive radioactive signals that mark virtually every other ice core retrieved worldwide. That missing radioactivity, ... > full story
Discovery Of Primary Depoist Of Rubies Leads To Improved Prospecting Strategies
December 13, 2007 — A primary deposit of rubies has just been discovered in Madagascar. The combination of this new field data with the oxygen isotope composition gave geologists the possibility to determine exactly the ... > full story
Purified Wastewater From Hospitals

December 13, 2007 — Hospital wastewater is contaminated with drugs that can pollute the environment. A newly developed system deals with the problem at source, directly treating and purifying wastewater from the toilets ... > full story
Tiny Dust Particles From Asian Deserts Common Over Western United States

December 13, 2007 — Dust from the Gobi and Taklimakan deserts in China and Mongolia is routinely present in the air over the western United States during spring months, a researcher has found. He found that in years ... > full story
Nitrous Oxide From Ocean Microbes Could Be Adding To Global Warming

December 12, 2007 — A large amount of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide is produced by bacteria in the oxygen poor depths of the ocean. Nitrous oxide is a powerful greenhouse gas some 300 times more so than carbon ... > full story
Cattle Fed Byproducts Of Ethanol Production Harbor Dangerous E. Coli Bacteria
December 12, 2007 — Feeding cattle a byproduct of ethanol production causes E. coli 0157 to spike. This particular type of E. coli is present in healthy cattle but poses a health risk to humans, who can acquire it ... > full story
New Study Increases Concerns About Climate Model Reliability

December 12, 2007 — A new study comparing the composite output of 22 leading global climate models with actual climate data finds that the models do an unsatisfactory job of mimicking climate change in key portions of ... > full story
Threatened Birds May Be Rarer Than Geographic Range Maps Suggest
December 12, 2007 — Geographic range maps that allow conservationists to estimate the distribution of birds may vastly underestimate the actual population size of threatened species and those with specific habitats, ... > full story

Mysterious Clouds More Common Due to Climate Change?

2007-12-12T12:20:00.000+01:00

Christine Dell'Amore in San Francisco, California
National Geographic News

Mysterious "night-shining clouds" that light up the polar skies have become more luminous and frequent in recent years—and climate change may be the culprit, scientists announced Monday.

So-called noctilucent clouds, which streak across the sky in vibrant colors during polar summers, are ten times brighter than previously believed, according to recent data from NASA's Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) satellite.

The data, collected during two polar cloud seasons, also suggest the formations appear daily, are more widespread, and have started to form at lower latitudes than before.

Climate Change Canary

Night-shining clouds are made mostly of ice particles that form when water vapor condenses onto atmospheric dust.

The AIM mission is the first detailed exploration of the clouds, which form about 50 miles (80 kilometers) above Earth's surface—"literally on the edge of space," AIM principal investigator James Russell III said yesterday at a press briefing at the American Geophysical Union fall meeting in San Francisco, California.

The air there is a thousand times drier than the Sahara, and the temperature can drop to minus 235 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 148 degrees Celsius)—ideal conditions for creating clouds.

A likely explanation for the clouds' surge is that temperatures in the upper atmosphere have gotten even colder due to the build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, Russell said.

Yearly emissions of carbon dioxide levels have grown about 20 percent since 1990. Most scientists agree the buildup is causing climate change and heating up Earth's surface.

In the upper atmosphere, however, carbon dioxide does not act like a thick, heat-trapping blanket.

Instead it forms a thin layer, allowing heat to escape, temperatures to drop, and ice particles to form.

"[These] clouds are the mine's canary of global warming," Russell told National Geographic News.

2007-12-11T14:18:00.000+01:00

World's Protected Areas Threatened By Climate Change, New Study Shows

December 11, 2007 — Climate change will affect national parks, forest reserves and other protected areas around the world, in some cases altering conditions so severely that the resulting environments will be virtually ... > full story
Far Flung Food: Europe's Distant Diets

December 11, 2007 — Across the European Union, food is traveling more, and not always in ways that make sense. Consider the chocolate covered waffle: Last year, Britain both imported 14,000 tons, and exported 15,000 ... > full story
Waterborne Carbon Increases Threat Of Environmental Mercury

December 11, 2007 — Mercury is a potent neurotoxin and a worrisome environmental contaminant, but the severity of its threat appears to depend on what else is in the water. Researchers at the University of ... > full story
Smaller Storms Drop Larger Overall Rainfall In Hurricane Season

December 11, 2007 — Researchers have found that when residents of the US southeastern states look skyward for rain to alleviate a long-term drought, they should be hoping for a tropical storm over a hurricane for more ... > full story
Arsenic Contamination Lacks One-size-fits-all Remedy

December 11, 2007 — Though a worldwide problem, arsenic contamination of drinking water does not have a universal ... > full story
Threatened Birds May Be Rarer Than Geographic Range Maps Suggest
December 11, 2007 — Geographic range maps that allow conservationists to estimate the distribution of birds may vastly underestimate the actual population size of threatened species and those with specific habitats, ... > full story
Unprecedented View Of Mysterious 'Night-shining' Clouds
December 11, 2007 — NASA's AIM satellite has provided the first global-scale, full-season view of iridescent polar clouds that form 50 miles above Earth's surface. Very little is known about these 'clouds at the edge of ... > full story
Targeted Fertilizer Applications Combat Slowing Rice Yields

December 11, 2007 — Scientists at Punjab Agricultural University, IRRI, and Virginia Tech report in Agronomy Journal their success in increasing rice yields using site-specific nutrient management ... > full story

In Search For Water On Mars, Clues From Antarctica

2007-12-11T12:24:00.000+01:00

ScienceDaily (Dec. 11, 2007) — Scientists have gathered more evidence that suggests flowing water on Mars -- by comparing images of the red planet to an otherworldly landscape on Earth.

In recent years, scientists have examined images of several sites on Mars where water appears to have flowed to the surface and left behind a trail of sediment. Those sites closely resemble places where water flows today in the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica, the new study has found.

The new study bolsters the notion that liquid water could be flowing beneath the surface of Mars. And since bacteria thrive in the liquid water flowing in the Dry Valleys, the find suggests that bacterial life could possibly exist on Mars as well.

Researchers have used the Dry Valleys as an analogy for Mars for 30 years, explained Berry Lyons, professor of earth sciences and director of the Byrd Polar Research Center at Ohio State University.

Lyons is lead principal investigator for the National Science Foundation's Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network, a collaboration of more than 1,800 scientists who study the ecology of sites around the world.

One of the LTER sites is in the Dry Valleys, a polar desert in Antarctica with year-round saltwater flowing beneath the surface. With temperatures that dip as low as negative 85 degrees Fahrenheit, it's as cold as the Martian equator, and its iron-rich soil gives it a similar red color.

“If you looked at pictures of both landscapes side by side, you couldn't tell them apart,” Lyons said.

In the new study, LTER scientists did just that -- they compared images of water flows in the Dry Valleys to images of gullies on Mars that show possible evidence of recent water flow.

Team member Peter Doran of the University of Illinois at Chicago presented the results Tuesday, December 11, 2007, at the American Geophysical Union meeting at San Francisco .

The scientists' conclusion: the Martian sites closely resemble sites in the Dry Valleys where water has seeped to the surface.

The water in the Dry Valleys can be very salty -- it's full of calcium chloride, the same kind of salt we sprinkle on roadways to melt ice. That's why the water doesn't freeze. Natural springs form from melted ground ice or buried glacier ice, and the saltwater percolates to the surface.

“Even in the dead of winter, there are locations with salty water in the Dry Valleys ,” Lyons said. “Two months a year, we even have lakes of liquid water covered in ice.”

But after the water reaches the surface, it evaporates, leaving behind salt and sediment.

The same thing would happen on Mars, he added.

Because the suspected sediment sites on Mars closely resemble known sediment sites in the Dry Valleys, Lyons and his colleagues think that liquid saltwater is likely flowing beneath the Martian surface.

Lyons, who has led many expeditions to Antarctica, said that his team will continue to compare what they learn on Earth to any new evidence of water uncovered on Mars.

As they walk across the Dry Valleys, they can't help but compare the two.

“There's just something about that landscape, about being so far from civilization, that makes you think about other worlds,” he said.

Adapted from materials provided by Ohio State University.

Sunshine To Petrol Project Seeks Fuel From Thin Air

2007-12-10T16:25:00.000+01:00

ScienceDaily (Dec. 10, 2007) — Using concentrated solar energy to reverse combustion, a research team from Sandia National Laboratories is building a prototype device intended to chemically “reenergize” carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide using concentrated solar power. The carbon monoxide could then be used to make hydrogen or serve as a building block to synthesize a liquid combustible fuel, such as methanol or even gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.

The prototype device, called the Counter Rotating Ring Receiver Reactor Recuperator (CR5, for short), will break a carbon-oxygen bond in the carbon dioxide to form carbon monoxide and oxygen in two distinct steps. It is a major piece of an approach to converting carbon dioxide into fuel from sunlight.

The Sandia research team calls this approach “Sunshine to Petrol” (S2P). “Liquid Solar Fuel” is the end product — the methanol, gasoline, or other liquid fuel made from water and the carbon monoxide produced using solar energy.

CR5 inventor Rich Diver says the original idea for the device was to break down water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen could then fuel a potential hydrogen economy.

The Sandia researchers came up with the idea to use the CR5 to break down carbon dioxide, just as it would water. Over the past year they have shown proof of concept and are completing a prototype device that will use concentrated solar energy to reenergize carbon dioxide or water, the products of combustion. This will form carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and oxygen, which ultimately could be used to synthesize liquid fuels in an integrated S2P system.

Coresearchers on the project are Jim E. Miller and Nathan Siegel. Project champion is Ellen B. Stechel, manager of Sandia’s Fuels and Energy Transitions Department.

Stechel says that researchers have known for a long time that theoretically it might be possible to recycle carbon dioxide, but many thought it could not be made practical, either technically or economically.

“Hence, it has not been pursued with much vigor,” she says. “Not only did we think it was possible, the team has developed a prototype that they fully anticipate will successfully break down carbon dioxide in a clever and viable two-step process.”

Stechel notes that one driver for the invention is the need to reduce greenhouse gases.

“This invention, though probably a good 15 to 20 years away from being on the market, holds a real promise of being able to reduce carbon dioxide emissions while preserving options to keep using fuels we know and love,” she says. “Recycling carbon dioxide into fuels provides an attractive alternative to burying it.”

Providing funding for Sunshine to Petrol is Sandia’s internal Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program. The research has also attracted interest and some funding from DoD/DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency).

“What’s exciting about this invention is that it will result in fossil fuels being used at least twice, meaning less carbon dioxide being put into the atmosphere and a reduction of the rate that fossil fuels are pulled out of the ground,” Diver says.

As an example, he says, coal would be burned at a clean coal power plant. The carbon dioxide from the burning of the coal would be captured and reduced to carbon monoxide in the CR5. The carbon monoxide would then be the starting point of making gasoline, jet fuel, methanol, or almost any type of liquid fuel.

The prospect of a liquid fuel is significant because it fits in with the current gasoline and oil infrastructure. After the synthesized fuel is made from the carbon monoxide, it could be transported through a pipeline or put in a truck and hauled to a gas station, just like gasoline refined from petroleum is now. Plus it would work in ordinary gasoline and diesel engine vehicles.

Miller says that while the first step would be to capture the carbon dioxide from sources where it is concentrated — e.g., power plants, smokestacks, and breweries — the ultimate goal would be to snatch it out of the air. A S2P system that includes atmospheric carbon dioxide capture could produce carbon-neutral liquid fuels.

“Our overall objective with this prototype is to demonstrate the practicality of the CR5 concept and to determine how test results from small-scale testing can be expanded to work in real devices,” Miller says. “The design is conservative compared to what might eventually be developed.”

Diver says the prototype should be completed by early next year. He hand-built the precision device in a shop at Sandia’s National Solar Thermal Test Facility and is now waiting on a few parts to finalize it. Initial tests will break down water into hydrogen and oxygen. That will be followed by tests that similarly break down carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide and oxygen.

Besides having a nearly completed prototype, the research team has already proven that the chemistry works repeatedly through multiple cycles without losing performance and on a short enough cycle time for a practical device.

“We just now have to do it all in one continuous working device,” Siegel says.

Adapted from materials provided by Sandia National Laboratories.

2007-12-10T16:20:00.000+01:00

Dam The Red Sea And Release Gigawatts
December 10, 2007 — Damming the Red Sea could solve the growing energy demands of millions of people in the Middle East and alleviate some of the region's tensions pertaining to oil supplies through hydroelectric power. ... > full story
Combustion Of Waste May Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

December 8, 2007 — A joint research project has proved that development of waste management is a cost-efficient means to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases. Considerable reductions can be achieved by combustion ... > full story
Wind Power Need Not Be Backed Up By An Equal Amount Of Reserve Power

December 8, 2007 — Wind power need not be backed up by an equal amount of reserve power, according to new research. The production of wind power varies and is harder to forecast than the fluctuations in electricity ... > full story
Methanol Shows Increasing Promise As An Alternative Fuel

December 7, 2007 — After grabbing headlines for years as the ultimate solution to world energy problems, the "hydrogen economy" has an emerging but lesser-known competitor called the "methanol economy," according to a ... > full story
Bioprospectors Identify Hot New Biofuel-producing Bacteria

December 7, 2007 — A bioprospecting expedition to Iceland's famed hot springs has yielded new strains of bacteria with potential of producing hydrogen and ethanol fuels from wastewater now discharged from factories ... > full story
New Fuel Cell Cleans Up Pollution And Produces Electricity
December 4, 2007 — Scientists are reporting development of a fuel cell that uses pollution from coal and metal mines to generate electricity, solving a serious environmental problem while providing a new source of ... > full story
Helium Isotopes Point To New Sources Of Geothermal Energy
December 3, 2007 — Unknown to most, the US has enough geothermal energy below its surface to supply three times the amount of energy that the US consumes annually. Up until this point no one has tapped this source ... > full story
Generating Hydrogen From Biodiesel Waste

November 30, 2007 — Researchers have a potential solution to the problem of large quantities of low value by-product generated in the synthesis of biodiesel -- by turning it into high value ... > full story
Biodiesel Could Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
November 30, 2007 — Using pure biodiesel or blending biodiesel with standard fuel could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector, according to a new report. Biodiesel can be manufactured from any ... > full story
Smarter Energy Storage For Solar And Wind Power
November 29, 2007 — Development of the first hybrid battery suitable for storing electricity from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind is now a step closer. It is expected that the discharge and charge power ... > full story

2007-12-09T16:04:00.000+01:00

Photo Gallery: Mummified Dinosaur Unveiled

Scientists have announced the discovery of a "mummy" dinosaur, nicknamed Dakota, with much of its skin still intact.

Photo in the News: Throne Found Near Ancient Pompeii

Pieces of the only known surviving Roman throne were recently found in lava and ash from the first-century eruption of present-day Italy's Mount Vesuvius.

"Dinosaur Mummy" Found; Has Intact Skin, Tissue

A mostly intact 67-million-old dinosaur has been found that is already rewriting theories of how dinos moved and what they looked like, scientists say.

Photo Gallery: New 7 Wonders vs. Ancient 7 Wonders

From Rome's Colosseum to India's Taj Mahal, see how the recently announced "new seven wonders of the world" stack up against the original list of ancient monuments.

Photo in the News: First "America" Map to Go on Display

A 500-year-old map that makes the first known reference to "America" has some researchers scratching their heads about how the mapmaker sketched out the world.

Photo Gallery: India Tribe Law Damaging to Tigers?

A law that gives forest-dwelling tribes the right to cultivate their traditional lands will devastate India's endangered wildlife, some conservationists argue.

Photo Gallery: Bali Corals "Jolted" Back to Life

Corals in Bali's Pemuteran Bay are making a comeback, thanks to an unusual experiment using low-voltage electricity.

Magma "Ocean" May Have Flowed Inside Early Earth

The theory could explain a long-standing mystery about the composition of inner Earth and cause experts to rethink the origins of the world's magnetic field.

Rare Maya "Death Vase" Discovered

The intricately carved vase is giving experts a glimpse into ancient rituals that included food offerings, chocolate enemas, and hallucinations induced by vomiting.

"Mummified" Dinosaur Discovered In Montana

Scientists have announced the discovery of a dinosaur fossil so intact that they have found its skin, muscle, foot pads—and even its last meal in its stomach. The 22-foot-long (seven meters) brachylophosaurus found in northern Montana has been named "Leonardo," after graffiti scrawled on a rock near where it was buried. Full story and photo gallery:

Video: Dinosaur Mummy Found

A dinosaur mummy found in North Dakota reveals astonishing new information about the size of the reptiles, their skin, and how quickly they moved.

Moon Formed Volcanoes Early, Rock Study Shows

Volcanoes were spewing on the moon just 150 million years after its formation, reveals new research that also provides a rare glimpse into conditions on early Earth.

Global Warming Fast Facts

Global warming, or climate change, is a subject that shows no sign of cooling down. Here's the lowdown on why it's happening, what's causing it, and how it might change the planet. Includes photo gallery.

Video: Iranian Town Carved From Rock

Carved into Iranian mountains, the village of Kandovan may be older than 700 years old. The energy-efficient homes draw tourists from around the world.

Tigers Pitted Against Tribes by Indian Forest Law

The first law to recognize the rights of tribal people to live in protected forests is yet to be enforced due to an outcry from conservationists that the move could doom India's tigers.

Delegates Forge Ahead at Bali Climate Change Conference

2007-12-07T17:16:00.000+01:00

The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali is nearing its halfway mark. Senior delegates are hopeful an international agreement will be reached on how to control harmful climate emissions when the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012. But environmental activists fear the talking is taking too long. Chad Bouchard reports from Bali.

UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer (R) answers question during press briefing at UN Climate Change Conference 2007, 06 Dec 2007

Yvo de Boer, the United Nations' climate change chief, told reporters Friday that over the past two days, the mood at negotiations has been positive.

Delegates in Bali hope to begin drafting a plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to contain rising global temperatures. Many scientists believe the emissions contribute to a rise in global temperatures.

Asked to provided a concrete example of progress, he said a special working group of delegates has agreed that any future agreement should include ways to encourage countries such as China and India to develop environmentally friendly practices as their industries and economies grow.

"So they've gone into an in-depth discussion on mitigation, and have come to the conclusion that really a strong focus needs to be on putting in place incentives for developing countries to mitigate climate change. That came up very strongly. That, to me at least, is a good indication that the mood is good, people are at work," said de Boer.

Indonesian police keep group of activists from proceeding to U.N. climate conference venue in Nusa Dua, Bali, 7 Dec 2007
But environmentalists have not been as optimistic about progress in this week's negotiations.

Earlier this week, Japan took a position similar to the United States in proposing that any new agreement should favor voluntary emissions targets instead of mandatory ones. The two nations believe that binding emissions caps would threaten the economic growth needed to fund technology used to fight global warming.

Hans Verlome, director of the World Wildlife Fund's Climate Change Program, urged the U.S., Japan and others to take more decisive action in light of a report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that found global warming is occurring and is likely caused by humans.

"We did not come to Bali to just have another process, and we have two years of talks. It is time to get on with it," said Verlome. "The IPCC report has delivered the results that are necessary to inform decision making, and the decision making is here, now."

Verlome and other environmentalists say China has taken a leading role in negotiations this week. China wants wealthy countries to help spread technology for cutting greenhouse gas emissions in poor countries.

Harlan Watson of the U.S. delegation reaffirmed his country's opposition to mandatory caps on carbon emissions, but said the U.S. would be open and flexible.

"The U.S. is committed to advancing negotiations, and developing a Bali roadmap, that will guide negotiations on a new post-2012 global climate change regime that is environmentally effective and economically sustainable," he said.

Delegates are on schedule to begin drafting proposals early next week. Environment and trade ministers are scheduled to meet over the next few days.

Global Warming

2007-12-07T00:30:00.000+01:00

The Planet is Heating Up—and Fast

Glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising, cloud forests are drying, and wildlife is scrambling to keep pace. It's becoming clear that humans have caused most of the past century's warming by releasing heat-trapping gases as we power our modern lives. Called greenhouse gases, their levels are higher now than in the last 650,000 years.

SEE HOW IT WORKS

We call the result global warming, but it is causing a set of changes to the Earth's climate, or long-term weather patterns, that varies from place to place. As the Earth spins each day, the new heat swirls with it, picking up moisture over the oceans, rising here, settling there. It's changing the rhythms of climate that all living things have come to rely upon.

What will we do to slow this warming? How will we cope with the changes we've already set into motion? While we struggle to figure it all out, the face of the Earth as we know it—coasts, forests, farms and snow-capped mountains—hangs in the balance.

Greenhouse effect

The "greenhouse effect" is the warming that happens when certain gases in Earth's atmosphere trap heat. These gases let in light but keep heat from escaping, like the glass walls of a greenhouse.

First, sunlight shines onto the Earth's surface, where it is absorbed and then radiates back into the atmosphere as heat. In the atmosphere, “greenhouse” gases trap some of this heat, and the rest escapes into space. The more greenhouse gases are in the atmosphere, the more heat gets trapped.

Scientists have known about the greenhouse effect since 1824, when Joseph Fourier calculated that the Earth would be much colder if it had no atmosphere. This greenhouse effect is what keeps the Earth's climate livable. Without it, the Earth's surface would be an average of about 60 degrees Fahrenheit cooler. In 1895, the Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius discovered that humans could enhance the greenhouse effect by making carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. He kicked off 100 years of climate research that has given us a sophisticated understanding of global warming.

Levels of greenhouse gases (GHGs) have gone up and down over the Earth's history, but they have been fairly constant for the past few thousand years. Global average temperatures have stayed fairly constant over that time as well, until recently. Through the burning of fossil fuels and other GHG emissions, humans are enhancing the greenhouse effect and warming Earth.

Scientists often use the term "climate change" instead of global warming. This is because as the Earth's average temperature climbs, winds and ocean currents move heat around the globe in ways that can cool some areas, warm others, and change the amount of rain and snow falling. As a result, the climate changes differently in different areas.

Aren't temperature changes natural?

The average global temperature and concentrations of carbon dioxide (one of the major greenhouse gases) have fluctuated on a cycle of hundreds of thousands of years as the Earth's position relative to the sun has varied. As a result, ice ages have come and gone.

However, for thousands of years now, emissions of GHGs to the atmosphere have been balanced out by GHGs that are naturally absorbed. As a result, GHG concentrations and temperature have been fairly stable. This stability has allowed human civilization to develop within a consistent climate.

Occasionally, other factors briefly influence global temperatures. Volcanic eruptions, for example, emit particles that temporarily cool the Earth's surface. But these have no lasting effect beyond a few years. Other cycles, such as El Niño, also work on fairly short and predictable cycles.

Now, humans have increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by more than a third since the industrial revolution. Changes this large have historically taken thousands of years, but are now happening over the course of decades.

Why is this a concern?

The rapid rise in greenhouse gases is a problem because it is changing the climate faster than some living things may be able to adapt. Also, a new and more unpredictable climate poses unique challenges to all life.

Historically, Earth's climate has regularly shifted back and forth between temperatures like those we see today and temperatures cold enough that large sheets of ice covered much of North America and Europe. The difference between average global temperatures today and during those ice ages is only about 5 degrees Celsius (9 degrees Fahrenheit), and these swings happen slowly, over hundreds of thousands of years.

Now, with concentrations of greenhouse gases rising, Earth's remaining ice sheets (such as Greenland and Antarctica) are starting to melt too. The extra water could potentially raise sea levels significantly.

As the mercury rises, the climate can change in unexpected ways. In addition to sea levels rising, weather can become more extreme. This means more intense major storms, more rain followed by longer and drier droughts (a challenge for growing crops), changes in the ranges in which plants and animals can live, and loss of water supplies that have historically come from glaciers.

Scientists are already seeing some of these changes occurring more quickly than they had expected. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, eleven of the twelve hottest years since thermometer readings became available occurred between 1995 and 2006.

2007-12-07T00:07:00.000+01:00

Molecular 'Switch' That Could Save Very Young Lives Identified
December 6, 2007 — Scientists have identified a molecular 'switch' that, when blocked, may help reverse necrotizing enterocolitis, a leading cause of death in premature ... > full story

Most Incidentally Found Adrenal Masses Not Malignant
December 6, 2007 — The vast majority of incidentally found adrenal masses identified in CT scans in patients without known malignancy are benign. 1,045 of the 1,049 adrenal masses were confirmed to be benign and ... > full story
Compact, Wavelength-on-demand Quantum Cascade Laser Chip Offers Ultra-sensitive Chemical Sensing

December 6, 2007 — Engineers have demonstrated a highly versatile, compact and portable Quantum Cascade Laser sensor for the fast detection of a large number of chemicals, ranging from infinitesimal traces of gases to ... > full story
Close Families Raise More Independent Adults

December 6, 2007 — New research has found that, contrary to common belief, young adults who maintain a close or moderate relationship with their parents exhibit greater independence in their personal lives than those ... > full story
'Superbug' Infections More Than Doubled In Hospitals, Study Finds

December 6, 2007 — Hospitalizations related to a potentially deadly, antibiotic-resistant "superbug" more than doubled between 1999 and 2005, soaring from 127,000 to nearly 280,000, according to a new study. The study ... > full story
New System For Classifying Infant Lung Disease Developed

December 6, 2007 — A new classification system of rare lung diseases in infants is improving diagnosis and treatment. The system clears up considerable confusion about how to classify and treat diseases that are rarely ... > full story
Flies' Evasive Move Traced To Sensory Neurons

December 6, 2007 — When fruit fly larvae are poked or prodded, they fold themselves up and corkscrew their bodies around, a behavior that appears to be the young insects' equivalent of a "judo move," say researchers. ... > full story
YouTube Breeding Ground For Anti-vaccination Views

December 6, 2007 — As cold and flu season hits this year amid growing debate over the necessity of vaccinations, researchers have uncovered widespread misinformation in related videos on YouTube. Researchers found that ... > full story
Odd Little Star Has Magnetic Personality

December 6, 2007 — A dwarf star with a surprisingly magnetic personality and a huge hot spot covering half its surface area is showing astronomers that life as a cool dwarf is not necessarily as simple and quiet as ... > full story
Pheromones Identified That Trigger Aggression Between Male Mice

December 6, 2007 — This study is the first to identify protein pheromones responsible for the aggression response in male mice. The findings could provide a tool for understanding the neural pathways that play a role ... > full story

Tiger Poaching Ring Busted by Indian Police

In a win for conservationists and tigers, Indian police have broken up a major ring of alleged poachers.

Epic Flood Triggered Ancient "Big Chill," Study Says

A giant gush of fresh water into the North Atlantic altered a deep ocean current and triggered a century-long chill in Europe and North America some 8,200 years ago, according to a new research.

Photo Gallery: India Tribe Law Damaging to Tigers?

A law that gives forest-dwelling tribes the right to cultivate their traditional lands will devastate India's endangered wildlife, some conservationists argue.

Sinking Islanders Seek Help at Bali Climate Conference

A handful of Pacific islands villagers are headed to the United Nations' climate conference in Bali to seek aid for so-called climate refugees.

Video: Iranian Town Carved From Rock

Carved into Iranian mountains, the village of Kandovan may be older than 700 years old. The energy-efficient homes draw tourists from around the world.

Video: Electric Boost for Reefs

Electrical charges cause a chemical reaction that spurs growth in ailing coral.

Photo Gallery: Bali Corals "Jolted" Back to Life

Corals in Bali's Pemuteran Bay are making a comeback, thanks to an unusual experiment using low-voltage electricity.

Photo in the News: Throne Found Near Ancient Pompeii

Pieces of the only known surviving Roman throne were recently found in lava and ash from the first-century eruption of present-day Italy's Mount Vesuvius.

Tigers Pitted Against Tribes by Indian Forest Law

The first law to recognize the rights of tribal people to live in protected forests is yet to be enforced due to an outcry from conservationists that the move could doom India's tigers.

Video: Trump Loses U.K. Golf Course

Local officials rejected Donald Trump's plan to build a Scottish-coast golf course and resort. Construction would have affected some of the country's rarest birds.

Electricity Revives Bali Coral Reefs

Reefs are getting zapped with electricity as part of a creative effort to save climate-change-afflicted corals in Bali.

Dino Fossil Outcry Disrupts Australia Water Plant Plans

A bed of 115-million-year-old bones lies in the path of pipes for a planned desalination plant meant to supply freshwater to drought-stricken Melbourne.

Climate Change Pushing Tropics Farther, Faster

Get out those Bermuda shorts -- the Equator's "tropical belt" has spread north and south more quickly than predicted, according to a new study.

Ecology News

Arctic Ice More Vulnerable To Sunny Weather, New Study Shows

Climate Change Is Not Caused By Cosmic Rays, According To New Research

Antarctic Ice Shelf Collapse Blamed On More Than Climate Change

Magma And Volcanoes: Physicists Explain Dance Marathon Of Wispy Feature In Roiling Fluids

Human-caused Climate Change At Root Of Diminishing Water Flow In Western US, Scientists Find

How Ultrafine Particles In Air Pollution May Cause Heart Disease

NASA Observes La Niña: This 'Little Girl' Makes A Big Impression

News Stories

Eco-Capitalists Save Mother Nature by Charging for Her Services

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2008 Likely To Be One Of The Top-ten Warmest Years

North Atlantic Warming Tied To Natural Variability

Culinary Shocker: Cooking Can Preserve, Boost Nutrient Content Of Vegetables

Air Pollution

Effects of Global Warming

The Global Fish Crisis: Still Waters

Photo Gallery: Polluted Oceans

Scientist On Quest For Disappearing Eel

Small Asteroid Caused Mysterious 1908 Blast, Study Says

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Arctic Expeditions Find Giant Mud Waves, Glacier Tracks Underwater

Natural Climate Changes Can Intensify Hurricanes More Efficiently Than Global Warming

Mysterious Clouds More Common Due to Climate Change?

In Search For Water On Mars, Clues From Antarctica

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Delegates Forge Ahead at Bali Climate Change Conference

Global Warming