Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Humidity may increase heat risk in urban climates      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study investigated the combined effect of temperature and humidity on urban heat stress using observational data and an urban climate model calculation. Researchers found that the heat stress burden is dependent on local climate and a humidifying effect can erase the cooling benefits that would come from trees and vegetation.

Ecology: General Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Mixing theory, observation to envision warmer world      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A more realistic look at what a hot summer can bring to a nearby pond, and new respect for the blinding speed global warming is bringing.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Ocean ecosystem: Mixotrophic microorganisms play key role      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have identified a previously unknown group of bacteria, called UBA868, as key players in the energy cycle of the deep ocean. They are significantly involved in the biogeochemical cycle in the marine layer between 200 and 1000 meters.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Fossil Fuels Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
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CO2 recycling: What is the role of the electrolyte?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The greenhouse gas carbon dioxide can be converted into useful hydrocarbons by electrolysis. The design of the electrolysis cell is crucial in this process. The so-called zero-gap cell is particularly suitable for industrial processes. But there are still problems: The cathodes clog up quickly.

Biology: General Biology: Marine Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ecology: Sea Life Engineering: Robotics Research Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Jellyfish-like robots could one day clean up the world's oceans      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Roboticists have developed a jellyfish-inspired underwater robot with which they hope one day to collect waste from the bottom of the ocean. The almost noise-free prototype can trap objects underneath its body without physical contact, thereby enabling safe interactions in delicate environments such as coral reefs. Jellyfish-Bot could become an important tool for environmental remediation.

Energy: Batteries Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Progress in alternative battery technology      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

It is not easy to make batteries cheap, efficient, durable, safe and environmentally friendly at the same time. Researchers have now succeeded in uniting all of these characteristics in zinc metal batteries.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Treating polluted water with nanofiber membranes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers develop a fabrication method to increase the efficacy and longevity of membrane separation technology. The team created a nanofibrous membrane with electrospinning, in which a liquid polymer droplet is electrified and stretched to make fibers, and increased the roughness of the membrane surface by loading it with silver nanoparticles. In water, this rough surface promotes a stable layer of water, which acts as a barrier to prevent oil droplets from entering the membrane. The technology is greater than 99% effective at separating a petroleum ether-in-water emulsion.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Global research reveals countries where record-breaking heatwaves are likely to cause most harm      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study has highlighted under-prepared regions across the world most at risk of the devastating effects of scorching temperatures.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Poor air quality linked to cognitive problems in babies      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research shows that poor air quality could be causing cognitive problems in babies and toddlers. A new study reveals an association between poor air quality in India and impaired cognition in infants under two. Without action, the negative impact on children's long-term brain development could have consequences for life.

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

New tools capture economic benefit of restoring urban streams      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An interdisciplinary team of researchers has developed a suite of tools to estimate the total economic value of improving water quality in urban streams. The work can assist federal and state agencies charged with developing environmental regulations affecting urban ecosystems across the Piedmont Region of the United States, which stretches from Maryland to Alabama.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

It's not as difficult as you think to shout upwind      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Why does it feel so difficult to shout upwind? The sensation is common enough to have found its way into an idiom about not being understood. Researchers wanted a scientific explanation for the phenomenon -- and there wasn't been one. They have now shown that our common sense understanding of this situation is wrong. It isn't harder to shout into the wind; it's just harder to hear yourself.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
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Group cyclists urged to spread out as it can affect exposure to vehicle emissions: Study      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The notion that in a group of cyclists, the person in front of the group is always the most exposed to harmful vehicle pollutants has now been debunked.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Batteries Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Greener batteries      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Our modern rechargeable batteries, such as lithium-ion batteries, are anything but sustainable. One alternative is organic batteries with redox-organic electrode materials (OEMs), which can be synthesized from natural 'green' materials. A team has now introduced a new OEM for aqueous organic high-capacity batteries that can be easily and cheaply recycled.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Most people feel 'psychologically close' to climate change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

When spurring action against climate change, NGOs and governmental agencies frequently operate on the assumption that people are unmotivated to act because they view climate change as a problem that affects distant regions far in the future. While this concept, known as psychological distance, seems intuitive, researchers report that most people see climate change as an important and timely issue even if its impacts are not immediately noticeable.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
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Arctic ice algae heavily contaminated with microplastics      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The alga Melosira arctica, which grows under Arctic sea ice, contains ten times as many microplastic particles as the surrounding seawater. This concentration at the base of the food web poses a threat to creatures that feed on the algae at the sea surface. Clumps of dead algae also transport the plastic with its pollutants particularly quickly into the deep sea -- and can thus explain the high microplastic concentrations in the sediment there.

Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Environmental Issues Paleontology: Climate
Published

Puerto Rico tsunami deposit could have come from pre-Columbian megathrust earthquake      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Tsunami deposits identified in a coastal mangrove pond in Northwest Puerto Rico could have come from a megathrust earthquake at the Puerto Rico Trench that occurred between 1470 and 1530, according to new research.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

The climate crisis and biodiversity crisis can't be approached as two separate things      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Anthropogenic climate change has, together with the intensive use and destruction of natural ecosystems through agriculture, fishing and industry, sparked an unprecedented loss of biodiversity that continues to worsen. In this regard, the climate crisis and biodiversity crisis are often viewed as two separate catastrophes. An international team of researchers calls for adopting a new perspective.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Greenhouse gas release from permafrost is influenced by mineral binding processes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New insights into the binding of carbon to mineral particles in permafrost can improve the prediction of greenhouse gas release.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Fungal genetics could help develop novel biotechnologies      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An essential pillar of Earth's ecological system, fungi have long been used to better the lives of humans. While these organisms are still vastly understudied, a new review paper suggests that their unique genomes could be used to make progress in the biotech industry.