Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Scientists create framework to guide development and assessment of urban climate action plans      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

With the world projected to be highly urbanized by 2050, cities are encouraged to take urgent climate actions to mitigate and adapt to the threats of climate change. As climate change intensifies and urbanization increases rapidly, local governments are expected now more than ever to lead climate action planning. However, studies show the limitations of the existing climate action plans (CAPs). So scientists have created an Urban Climate Action Planning (UCAP) framework to guide the development of suitable urban CAPs and support the assessment of the level of suitability of these plans.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Rise of microplastics discovered in placentas of Hawaii mothers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study examined placentas donated by women who delivered in Hawaii from 2006 to 2021, and found the presence of microplastic particles in the placenta.  

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Environmental: General
Published

Identifying Australia's most elusive birds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have analyzed more than 3.8 million volunteer hours of birdwatching data to identify Australia's most elusive species.

Biology: Biochemistry Ecology: Trees Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Severe Weather Paleontology: Climate
Published

600 years of tree rings reveal climate risks in California      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The San Joaquin Valley in California has experienced vast variability in climate extremes, with droughts and floods that were more severe and lasted longer than what has been seen in the modern record, according to a new study of 600 years of tree rings from the valley.

Chemistry: General Engineering: Robotics Research Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Blasts to clear World War II munitions could contaminate the ocean      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

World War II concluded decades ago, but live mines lurking on the ocean floor still pose threats, potentially spewing unexpected geysers or releasing contaminants into the water. Experts conduct controlled explosions to clear underwater munitions, but concerns have arisen over the environmental impacts from these blasts. New results show that the contamination produced by detonation depends on the blast type, with weaker explosions leaving behind more potentially toxic residues.

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

Greener solution powers new method for lithium-ion battery recycling      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Used lithium-ion batteries from cell phones, laptops and a growing number of electric vehicles are piling up, but options for recycling them remain limited mostly to burning or chemically dissolving shredded batteries. Researchers have improved on approaches that dissolve the battery in a liquid solution in order to reduce the amount of hazardous chemicals used in the process. This simple, efficient and environmentally-friendly solution overcomes the main obstacles presented by previous approaches.

Biology: Botany Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Flower power on Indian farms helps bees and boosts livelihoods      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Planting flowers beside food crops on farms in India attracts bees, boosts pollination and improves crop yield and quality, researchers have found.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Breathing highway air increases blood pressure      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study found that unfiltered air from rush-hour traffic significantly increased passengers' blood pressure, both while in the car and up to 24 hours later.

Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Antarctic glacier retreating rapidly      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists are warning that apparently stable glaciers in the Antarctic can 'switch very rapidly' and lose large quantities of ice as a result of warmer oceans.    Their finding comes after glaciologists used satellites to track the Cadman Glacier, which drains into Beascochea Bay, on the west Antarctic peninsula.  

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: General Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science
Published

Slash-and-burn agriculture can increase forest biodiversity, researchers find      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The slash-and-burn agriculture practiced by many Indigenous societies across the world can actually have a positive impact on forests, according to a new study done in Belize. Researchers found that in areas of the rainforest in which Indigenous farmers using slash-and-burn techniques created intermediate-sized farm patches -- neither too small nor too large -- there were increases in forest plant diversity.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Recycled phosphorus fertilizer reduces nutrient leaching, maintains yield      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A promising new form of ammonium phosphate fertilizer has been field-tested. The fertilizer, struvite, offers a triple win for sustainability and crop production, as it recycles nutrients from wastewater streams, reduces leaching of phosphorus and nitrogen in agricultural soils, and maintains or improves soybean yield compared to conventional phosphorus fertilizers.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Mixing heat with hair styling products may be bad for your health      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Hair products often contain ingredients that easily evaporate, so users may inhale some of these chemicals, potentially posing health repercussions. Now, researchers have studied emissions of these volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including siloxanes, which shine and smooth hair. The scientists report that using these hair care products can change indoor air composition quickly, and common heat styling techniques -- straightening and curling -- increase VOC levels even more.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
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Future floods: Global warming intensifies heavy rain -- even more than expected      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The intensity and frequency of extreme rainfall increases exponentially with global warming, a new study finds. The analysis shows that state-of-the-art climate models significantly underestimate how much extreme rainfall increases under global warming -- meaning that extreme rainfall could increase quicker than climate models suggest.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Marine Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate
Published

Deoxygenation levels similar to today's played a major role in marine extinctions during major past climate change event      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have made a surprising discovery that sheds new light on the role that oceanic deoxygenation (anoxia) played in one of the most devastating extinction events in Earth's history. Their finding has implications for current day ecosystems -- and serves as a warning that marine environments are likely more fragile than apparent. New research, published today in leading international journal Nature Geosciences, suggests that oceanic anoxia played an important role in ecosystem disruption and extinctions in marine environments during the Triassic--Jurassic mass extinction, a major extinction event that occurred around 200 million years ago.  Surprisingly however, the study shows that the global extent of euxinia (an extreme form of de-oxygenated conditions) was similar to the present day.

Chemistry: General Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

New method verifies carbon capture in concrete      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Carbon capture is essential to reduce the impact of human carbon dioxide emissions on our climate. Researchers have developed a method to confirm whether carbon in concrete originates from the raw materials, or from carbon in the air which has been trapped when it reacts with the concrete to form the mineral calcium carbonate. By measuring the ratio of certain carbon isotopes in concrete that had been exposed to the air and concrete that hadn't, the team could successfully verify that direct air carbon capture had occurred.  This method could be useful for the industrial sector and countries looking to offset their carbon emissions.

Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General
Published

Wave devouring propulsion: A revolutionary green technology for maritime sustainability      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new form of wave devouring propulsion (WDP) could power ships and help to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the maritime industry.