Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Study finds microbial-plant interactions affect the microbial response to climate change      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Biologists have discovered that plants influence how their bacterial and fungal neighbors react to climate change. This finding contributes crucial new information to a hot topic in environmental science: in what manner will climate change alter the diversity of both plants and microbiomes on the landscape?

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

The persistent danger after landscape fires      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Every year, an estimated four percent of the world's vegetated land surface burns, leaving more than 250 megatons of carbonized plants behind. A study has now recorded elevated concentrations of environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFR) in these charcoals - in some cases even up to five years after the fire. These EPFR may generate reactive substances, which in turn harm plants and living organisms.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Ancient megafaunal mutualisms and extinctions as factors in plant domestication      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The development of agriculture is often thought of as a human innovation in response to climate change or population pressure. A new manuscript challenges that concept, suggesting that plants that had already evolved adaptive traits for life among large-bodied grazing and browsing animals were more likely to prosper on a highly disturbed anthropogenic landscape.

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Space: The Solar System
Published

The case of the cloudy filters: Solving the mystery of the degrading sunlight detectors      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Sun-facing satellites monitor the Sun's ultraviolet (UV) light to give us advance warning of solar storms. But over the course of just a year or two, the metal filters in the detectors mysteriously lose their ability to transmit UV light. Now, scientists have found the first evidence indicating that carbonization is not the problem.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Greenland caves: Time travel to a warm Arctic      (via sciencedaily.com) 

An international team of scientists presents an analysis of sediments from a cave in northeast Greenland, that cover a time period between about 588,000 to 549,000 years ago. This interval was warmer and wetter than today, the cave deposits provide an outlook in a possible future warmer world due to climate change.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

How grasslands respond to climate change      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration and concurrent climate change has led to yield reductions of grass-rich grassland vegetation in the past century.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Last Ice Age: Precipitation caused maximum advance of Alpine Glaciers      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Geologists unexpectedly found mineral deposits in former ice caves in the Austrian Alps dating back to the peak of the last ice age. These special calcite crystals demonstrate that intensive snowfall during the second half of the year triggered a massive glacier advance leading to the climax of the last ice age.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Whooping cranes steer clear of wind turbines when selecting stopover sites      (via sciencedaily.com) 

An article reports that whooping cranes migrating through the U.S. Great Plains avoid 'rest stop' sites that are within 5 km of wind-energy infrastructure.

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Space: The Solar System
Published

The aurora's very high altitude booster      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Electrons arriving from the Sun are propelled by electrical energy generated as high as 30,000 kilometers above Earth, ultimately creating the dazzling displays of the northern and southern lights.

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Space: Exploration
Published

'Space hurricane' in Earth's upper atmosphere discovered      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Analysis of observations made by satellites in 2014 has revealed a long-lasting 'space hurricane' -- a swirling mass of plasma several hundred kilometers above the North Pole, raining electrons instead of water.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Rarest seal breeding site discovered      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists have discovered a previously unknown breeding site used by the world's rarest seal species.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Metal whispering: Finding a better way to recover precious metals from electronic waste      (via sciencedaily.com) 

With a bit of 'metal whispering,' engineers have developed technology capable of recovering pure and precious metals from the alloys in our old phones and other electrical waste. All it takes is the controlled application of oxygen and relatively low levels of heat.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Dingo effects on ecosystem visible from space      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Satellite images taken over three decades show that keeping dingoes out comes at a price.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Impacts of climate warming on microbial network interactions      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new study explores the impacts of climate warming on microbial network complexity and stability, providing critical insights to ecosystem management and for projecting ecological consequences of future climate warming.

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms
Published

Ancient relic points to a turning point in Earth's history 42,000 years ago      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The temporary breakdown of Earth's magnetic field 42,000 years ago sparked major climate shifts that led to global environmental change and mass extinctions, a new international study shows.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Ancient seashell resonates after 18,000 years      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Almost 80 years after its discovery, a large shell from the ornate Marsoulas Cave in the Pyrenees has been studied by a multidisciplinary team: it is believed to be the oldest wind instrument of its type.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Early Indian monsoon forecasts could benefit farmers      (via sciencedaily.com) 

First ever in-depth analysis of ECMWF's latest seasonal forecasting system shows it accurately predicts Indian monsoon onset and rainfall, and could be used to avoid crop losses.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Study challenges ecology's 'Field of Dreams' hypothesis      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new study challenges the 'Field of Dreams' hypothesis in restoration ecology, which predicts that restoring plant biodiversity will lead to recovery of animal biodiversity. The study of restored tallgrass prairie found the effects of management strategies (specifically controlled burns and bison reintroduction) on animal communities were six times stronger on average than the effects of plant biodiversity.

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms
Published

How do electrons close to Earth reach almost the speed of light?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

In the Van Allen radiation belts, electrons can reach almost the speed of light. Researchers have revealed conditions for such strong accelerations. They had demonstrated in 2020: during solar storm plasma waves play a crucial role. However, it remained unclear why ultra-relativistic electron energies are not achieved in all solar storms. They now show: extreme depletions of the background plasma density are crucial.

Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Disease threatens to decimate western bats      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A four-year study concludes that the fungal disease, white-nose syndrome, poses a severe threat to many western North American bats.