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Categories: Biology: Botany, Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published Lesser known ozone layer's outsized role in planet warming
(via sciencedaily.com) New research has identified a lesser-known form of ozone playing a big role in heating the Southern Ocean -- one of Earth's main cooling systems.
Published With dwindling water supplies, the timing of rainfall matters
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study shows it's not how much extra water you give your plants, but when you give it that counts. Researchers observed that in summer, plants grow more when given extra water, in addition to any natural rainfall. However, the same is not true in winter.
Published Exposure assessment for Deepwater Horizon oil spill: Health outcomes
(via sciencedaily.com) Mathematicians have developed statistical methods that lay the framework for the crucial first step of determining whether there are any linkages between exposures and health outcomes from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which is considered the largest marine oil spill in the history of the U.S.
Published A 4 V-class metal-free organic lithium-ion battery gets closer to reality
(via sciencedaily.com) Organic, metal free, high-energy batteries are a pathway to a greener future. Yet scientists have struggled to find ways to boost the voltage in organic lithium-ion batteries. Now, a study has proposed a small organic molecule known as croconic acid that can maintain a working voltage of around 4 Volts.
Published How plants activate their immune system against pathogens in rain
(via sciencedaily.com) A recent study has revealed that when plants are exposed to rain, hair-like structures on the leaf surface called trichomes recognize this rain as a risk factor for causing disease and activate their immune system to prevent infections. These findings could contribute to the development of methods to protect plants from infectious diseases caused by rain.
Published Earthworms like to eat some plastics, but side effects of their digestion are unclear
(via sciencedaily.com) Earthworms are a welcome sight for gardeners and farmers because the wriggling invertebrates recycle nutrients from soil, making them more accessible to plants. As worms burrow, they consume almost everything in their path, including microscopic plastic pollution. Now, researchers have observed that earthworms actually prefer soil with some types of microplastics but digest the polymers differently, which the team suggests could impact the animals' health and the ecosystem.
Published Ozone may be heating the planet more than we realize
(via sciencedaily.com) New research reveals ozone in the lower atmosphere in particular contributed to warming in the Southern Ocean - which absorbs much of the planet's excess heat - more than previously realized. The study shows that ozone is more than just a pollutant, but also may be playing a significant role in climate change.
Published Smoke from major wildfires destroys the ozone layer
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study shows that smoke from wildfires destroys the ozone layer. Researchers caution that if major fires become more frequent with a changing climate, more damaging ultraviolet radiation from the sun will reach the ground.
Published Ancient ice reveals scores of gigantic volcanic eruptions
(via sciencedaily.com) Ice cores drilled in Antarctica and Greenland have revealed gigantic volcanic eruptions during the last ice age. Sixty-nine of these were larger than any eruption in modern history. According to the physicists behind the research, these eruptions can teach us about our planet's sensitivity to climate change.
Published Following rain, desert microbes exhale potent greenhouse gas
(via sciencedaily.com) New research shows how, after it rains, microbes in desert soil convert one form of pollution into another -- laughing gas.
Published Natural gas flares likely source of respiratory illness spike
(via sciencedaily.com) Flaring of natural gas from oil wells appeared to cause an increase of around 11,000 hospital visits for respiratory reasons in North Dakota, US, up to 60 miles away from oil drilling sites.
Published Study of algae in Acadia National Park lakes shows recovery from acidification
(via sciencedaily.com) Research shows that federal regulations to reduce human-caused sulfur in the atmosphere have aided in the recovery of algal ecosystems for two lakes in Acadia National Park. However, the study also shows that the warming climate negatively impact certain types of lakes more than others, which could affect future ecosystem recovery.
Published Chemical link between wildfire smoke and ozone depletion
(via sciencedaily.com) Atmospheric chemists have found that the smoke from Australia's 'Black Summer' wildfires set off chemical reactions in the stratosphere that contributed to the destruction of ozone. The study is the first to establish a chemical link between wildfire smoke and ozone depletion.
Published Basis for next-gen bioprocesses
(via sciencedaily.com) Succinic acid is an important precursor for pharmaceutical and cosmetic products and also serves as a component in biodegradable plastics. It is currently derived mainly from petroleum-based processes. Researchers are using the marine bacterium Vibrio natriegens as a biocatalyst. This could permit the production of succinic acid in sustainable processes using renewable raw materials.
Published Dissolving oil in a sunlit sea
(via sciencedaily.com) The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill was the largest marine oil spill in United States history. The disaster was caused by an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, taking 11 lives and releasing nearly 210 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Twelve years and hundreds of millions of dollars later, scientists are still working to understand where all this oil ended up, a concept known as environmental fate.
Published Air chemistry data from South Korea field study puts models to the test
(via sciencedaily.com) An international effort to measure air quality in South Korea, a region with complex sources of pollution, may provide new insights into the atmospheric chemistry that produces ozone pollution, according to a team of scientists.
Published Rare earth elements await in waste
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists applied their flash Joule heating process to coal fly ash and other toxic waste to safely extract rare earth elements essential to modern electronics and green technologies.
Published What the rise of oxygen on early Earth tells us about life on other planets
(via sciencedaily.com) When did the Earth reach oxygen levels sufficient to support animal life? Researchers have discovered that a rise in oxygen levels occurred in step with the evolution and expansion of complex, eukaryotic ecosystems. Their findings represent the strongest evidence to date that extremely low oxygen levels exerted an important limitation on evolution for billions of years.
Published Copper-based chemicals may be contributing to ozone depletion
(via sciencedaily.com) As Earth's ozone layer recovers from past emissions of now-banned CFCs and halons, other chemicals are emerging as major causes of stratospheric ozone depletion. Atmospheric scientists have been searching for the sources of about one-third of the major threats, methyl bromide and methyl chloride. New research shows that copper-based compounds in common use generate these compounds when interacting with soil and seawater, with sunlight boosting production by a factor of 10.
Published Air pollution from wildfires, rising heat affected 68% of US West in one day
(via sciencedaily.com) Large wildfires and severe heat events are happening more often at the same time, worsening air pollution across the western United States, a study has found. In 2020, more than 68% of the western U.S. -- representing about 43 million people -- were affected in one day by the resulting harmful-levels of air pollution, the highest number in 20 years. The study found that these concurrent air pollution events are increasing not only in frequency but duration and geographic extent across the region. They have become so bad that they have reversed many gains of the Clean Air Act. The conditions that create these episodes are also expected to continue to increase, along with their threats to human health.