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Categories: Computer Science: Encryption, Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published Trees get overheated in a warmer rainforest
(via sciencedaily.com) The ability of rainforests to store carbon can decrease in pace with climate change. This is due to photosynthesis rates in the leaves of rainforest species falling at higher temperatures and the trees' natural cooling systems failing during droughts. Increased heat threatens especially the species that store most carbon.
Published Study shows how turtles fared decade after oil spill
(via sciencedaily.com) Twelve years after an oil spill coated nearly 35 miles of the Kalamazoo River, new research confirms that turtles rehabilitated in the aftermath of the disaster had high long-term survival rates.
Published Looking back on 250 years of drought on the Korean peninsula
(via sciencedaily.com) Professors have developed a self-calibrating EDI to compare and analyze precipitation records from the Joseon Dynasty to date.
Published Anthropogenic air pollution more significant than desert dust
(via sciencedaily.com) At the beginning of the year, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the Middle East ranks among the regions with the worst air quality. There is a common misconception that desert dust is the most significant cause of air pollution from particulate matter in this region, but a new study has shown that more than 90 percent of the particulate matter that is detrimental to health originates from anthropogenic sources. This human-made fine particulate matter differs from the less harmful desert dust particles. Scientists determined this through ship borne measurements and verified it in elaborate modeling calculations. The anthropogenic particles are primarily caused by the production and use of fossil fuels such as oil and gas. They are generally smaller than desert dust and can penetrate deep into the lungs.
Published A better understanding of crop yields under climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers use satellites to measure soil moisture around certain crops to solve a long-standing mystery about how water impacts agricultural production. The researchers found that models using soil moisture explain 30% to 120% more of the year-to-year variation in yield across crops than models that rely on rainfall. The research give scientists a better understanding of how crop yields will change under climate change.
Published Popular sport fish are behaviorally impaired from exposure to crude oil, study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) New research has confirmed that a popular sport fish exposed to sublethal levels of crude oil and released back into the wild exhibits altered behavior, decreased survival, and reduced spawning.
Published Grimy windows could be harboring toxic pollutants
(via sciencedaily.com) Dirty windows can harbor potentially harmful pollutants under protective films of fatty acids from cooking emissions -- and these can hang around over long periods of time.
Published Bigger plants don't always equal more nutritious ones
(via sciencedaily.com) While increased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere encourage plant growth, they also reduce the nutritional value of plants, which can have a larger impact on nutrition and food safety worldwide. Researchers have discovered a new way plants are adapting to the changing climate -- information that can be used to help plants grow strong while also maintaining their nutritional value.
Published Environmental scientists develop a method to turn hazardous acidic industrial wastewater into valuable resources
(via sciencedaily.com) Environmental scientists have developed a circular process for eliminating the risk posed by phosphoric acid plant wastewater. The process turns the environmentally toxic wastewater into clean water while recovering valuable acids. Phosphoric acid is the main ingredient in industrial fertilizers, a massive industry worldwide.
Published Climate change is affecting drinking water quality
(via sciencedaily.com) The water stored in reservoirs ensures our supply of drinking water. Good water quality is therefore important -- but is at significant risk due to climate change. In a model study of the Rappbode reservoir in the Harz region, a research team demonstrated how the climate-related disappearance of forests in the catchment area for Germany's largest drinking water reservoir can affect water quality. The problem of such indirect consequences of climate change is seriously underestimated, the scientists warn. Water quality is of critical importance, especially for drinking water reservoirs, as subsequent treatment in the waterworks must continually meet high standards.
Published Mirror image molecules reveal drought stress in forests
(via sciencedaily.com) Worldwide, plants emit about 100 million tons of monoterpenes into the atmosphere each year. These volatile organic molecules include many fragrances such as the molecule pinene -- known for its pine fresh scent. Since these molecules are highly reactive and can form tiny aerosol particles that can grow into nuclei for clouds droplets, natural emissions play an important role in our climate. Therefore, it is important for climate predictions to know how monoterpene emissions will change as temperatures rise.
Published Smoke from the Black Summer wildfires in Australia impacted the climate and high altitude winds of the southern hemisphere for more than a year and a half
(via sciencedaily.com) The 2019/20 wildfires in Australia transported more smoke into the atmosphere than observed ever before anywhere in the world. In the so-called Black Summer, three times as many particles reached high air layers as in the previous record wildfires in Canada during summer 2017. Research now reveals the climate impact of these huge fires: Smoke particles with a total mass of around one million tonnes spread across the southern hemisphere and affected the climate for about one and a half years by warming the upper atmosphere and cooling the lower atmosphere close to Earth's surface.
Published New method to systematically find optimal quantum operation sequences for quantum computers developed
(via sciencedaily.com) Computer scientists have succeeded in developing a method for systematically finding the optimal quantum operation sequence for a quantum computer. They have developed a systematic method that applies optimal control theory (GRAPE algorithm) to identify the theoretically optimal sequence from among all conceivable quantum operation sequences. This method is expected to become a useful tool for medium-scale quantum computers and is expected to contribute to improving the performance of quantum computers and reducing environmental impact in the near future.
Published People generate their own oxidation field and change the indoor air chemistry around them
(via sciencedaily.com) High levels of hydroxyl radicals (OH) can be generated indoors, simply due to the presence of people and ozone.
Published Global analysis identifies at-risk forests
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers quantify the risk to forests from climate change along three dimensions: carbon storage, biodiversity and forest loss from disturbance, such as fire or drought. The results show forests in some regions experiencing clear and consistent risks. In other regions, the risk profile is less clear, because different approaches that account for disparate aspects of climate risk yield diverging answers.
Published From bits to p-bits: One step closer to probabilistic computing
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists have developed a mathematical description of what happens within tiny magnets as they fluctuate between states when an electric current and magnetic field are applied. Their findings could act as the foundation for engineering more advanced computers that can quantify uncertainty while interpreting complex data.
Published Pretreating soil with ethanol protects plants from drought, study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) Ethanol can help plants survive in times of drought says a new study. Adding ethanol to soil allows plants, including rice and wheat, to thrive after two weeks without any water. As ethanol is safe, cheap, and widely available, this finding offers a practical way to increase food production all over the world when water is scarce, without the need for costly, time-consuming, and sometimes controversial production of genetically modified plants.
Published Scientists develop new method to assess ozone layer recovery
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have developed a new method for assessing the impacts of ozone-destroying substances that threaten the recovery of the ozone layer.
Published Large regional differences in agricultural adaptation to future climate change in Europe
(via sciencedaily.com) Marked differences in how climate change will affect different parts of Europe require further focus and political attention if European agriculture is to adapt to future climatic conditions, say researchers.
Published Sulfur shortage: A potential resource crisis looming as the world decarbonizes
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study highlights that global demand for sulfuric acid is set to rise significantly from '246 to 400 million tons' by 2040 -- a result of more intensive agriculture and the world moving away from fossil fuels. A projected shortage of sulfuric acid, a crucial chemical in our modern industrial society, could stifle green technology advancement and threaten global food security, according to a new study.