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Categories: Chemistry: Thermodynamics, Environmental: Ecosystems
Published 'Game-changing' findings for sustainable hydrogen production
(via sciencedaily.com) Hydrogen fuel could be a more viable alternative to traditional fossil fuels, according to University of Surrey researchers who have found that a type of metal-free catalysts could contribute to the development of cost-effective and sustainable hydrogen production technologies.
Published Reducing pesticide pollution and the intensity of harvesting can increase crop yield and contribute to climate change mitigation
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have found that carbon sequestration and plant resilience as well as forage pasture yield can be increased through key adjustments in agricultural management. The results provide a roadmap for reducing pesticide loads in soils and the first steps towards increasing climate change mitigation while improving crop yield in grasslands.
Published New research suggests drought accelerated empire collapse
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The collapse of the Hittite Empire in the Late Bronze Age has been blamed on various factors, from war with other territories to internal strife. Now, scientists have used tree ring and isotope records to pinpoint a more likely culprit: three straight years of severe drought.
Published Plastic debris in the Arctic comes from all around the world
(via sciencedaily.com) In the course of five years, citizens who went on sailing cruises to the Arctic surveyed and collected plastic debris that had washed up on the shores of Svalbard. This has now been analyzed. According to the findings, one third of the plastic debris which still bore imprints or labels allowing an analysis of their origin came from Europe, and much of that number from Germany.
Published Long-term restoration of a biodiversity hotspot hinges on getting seeds to the right place at the right time
(via sciencedaily.com) New research shows that degraded savanna ecosystems can reap lasting benefits from a single seeding of native understory plants. Once a diverse understory of savanna plants became established, its long-term persistence was relatively unaffected by environmental factors -- with one exception. Higher temperatures during the height of the growing season were associated with poorer long-term survival among some species, indicating one threat posed by a warming climate.
Published More frequent atmospheric rivers hinder seasonal recovery of Arctic sea ice
(via sciencedaily.com) The Arctic is rapidly losing sea ice, even during winter months when temperatures are below freezing and ice should be recovering from the summer melt. A new study found powerful storms called atmospheric rivers are increasingly reaching the Arctic in winter, slowing sea ice recovery and accounting for a third of all winter sea ice decline, according to a team led by Penn State scientists.
Published Pacific Northwest heat dome tree damage more about temperature than drought, scientists say
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Widespread tree scorch in the Pacific Northwest that became visible shortly after multiple days of record-setting, triple-digit temperatures in June 2021 was more attributable to heat than to drought conditions, researchers say.
Published Forest trees find a new watery 'sweet spot' when CO2 is high
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Trees living in conditions where the carbon dioxide (CO2) has been artificially elevated are likely to become more efficient in conserving water.
Published Wildfires are increasingly burning California's snowy landscapes and colliding with winter droughts to shrink California's snowpack
(via sciencedaily.com) A research team examined what happens to mountain snowpacks when sunny, midwinter dry spells occur in forests impacted by severe wildfire.
Published A quasiparticle that can transfer heat under electrical control
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists have found the secret behind a property of solid materials known as ferroelectrics, showing that quasiparticles moving in wave-like patterns among vibrating atoms carry enough heat to turn the material into a thermal switch when an electrical field is applied externally.
Published Mistaken fossil rewrites history of Indian subcontinent for second time
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists discovered the first-ever Dickinsonia fossil in India two years ago, changing our understanding of how the continent came to be. Now, new research shows the 'fossil' was just a beehive all along, changing our understanding for a second time, and the original scientists now support the new findings.
Published Climate change may cut US forest inventory by a fifth this century
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A study found that under more severe climate warming scenarios, the inventory of trees used for timber in the continental United States could decline by as much as 23% by 2100. The largest inventory losses would occur in two of the leading timber regions in the U.S., which are both in the South.
Published Passive radiative cooling can now be controlled electrically
(via sciencedaily.com) Energy-efficient ways of cooling buildings and vehicles will be required in a changing climate. Researchers have now shown that electrical tuning of passive radiative cooling can be used to control temperatures of a material at ambient temperatures and air pressure.
Published With rapidly increasing heat and drought, can plants adapt?
(via sciencedaily.com) As deserts expanded their range over the past 5-7 million years, many plants invaded the new biome and rapidly diversified, producing amazing adaptations to drought and heat. Can plants continue to adapt to increasing aridity caused by climate change? A new study that addressed the origins of desert adaptation concluded that one group of desert plants, rock daisies, came preadapted to aridity, likely helping them survive desert conditions. Not all plants may be so lucky.
Published Aquatic organisms respond to flooding and drought disturbance in different ways
(via sciencedaily.com) Populations of various species of aquatic insects and other invertebrates respond to flooding and waterway drying due to drought in different ways that can be anticipated, according to a new study that employed a novel method to assess the stability of stream ecosystems.
Published Deer browsing is just one of many factors shaping North American forests
(via sciencedaily.com) In a new study, a research team discovered evidence that browsing by white-tailed deer had relatively little long-term impact on two tree species in a northern forest.
Published GPS tracking, simulations show optimal locations to help desert bighorn sheep cross freeways
(via sciencedaily.com) Desert bighorn sheep whose Southern California range is bisected by freeways may one day benefit from modeling designed to show where the animals would be most apt to use overpasses to safely cross the interstates.
Published Researchers can 'see' crystals perform their dance moves
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers already knew the atoms in perovskites react favorably to light. Now they've seen precisely how the atoms move when the 2D materials are excited with light. Their study details the first direct measurement of structural dynamics under light-induced excitation in 2D perovskites.
Published Person-shaped robot can liquify and escape jail, all with the power of magnets
(via sciencedaily.com) Inspired by sea cucumbers, engineers have designed miniature robots that rapidly and reversibly shift between liquid and solid states. On top of being able to shape-shift, the robots are magnetic and can conduct electricity. The researchers put the robots through an obstacle course of mobility and shape-morphing tests.
Published No 'second law of entanglement' after all
(via sciencedaily.com) When two microscopic systems are entangled, their properties are linked to each other irrespective of the physical distance between the two. Manipulating this uniquely quantum phenomenon is what allows for quantum cryptography, communication, and computation. While parallels have been drawn between quantum entanglement and the classical physics of heat, new research demonstrates the limits of this comparison. Entanglement is even richer than we have given it credit for.