Showing 20 articles starting at article 861
< Previous 20 articles Next 20 articles >
Categories: Environmental: Water, Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published Adapting to hypoxia: Zooplankton influence the efficiency of the biological carbon pump in the Humboldt Current off Peru
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Marine organisms play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle. Phytoplankton absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and sequester it in organic matter that sinks to the deep ocean where it can be stored for long periods of time. Until now, this process -- the biological carbon pump -- was thought to be particularly efficient in oxygen-poor areas. A new study suggests that the influence of certain zooplankton species on the biological carbon pump has been underestimated.
Published Molecular fossils shed light on ancient life
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Paleontologists are getting a glimpse at life over a billion years in the past based on chemical traces in ancient rocks and the genetics of living animals. New research combines geology and genetics, showing how changes in the early Earth prompted a shift in how animals eat.
Published Three proposals from researchers to meet EU climate goals
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The ability to meet EU climate goals is enhanced by investing in new technologies that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Although it is currently unprofitable for both companies and countries to do so, there are solutions to make it financially viable.
Published Sister climate cities, utility data predict future water, electricity demands
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Modern-day Ciudad Mante, Mexico, could help Tampa, Florida, plan for shifting water and electricity demands due to climate change, according to an international team of researchers. Researchers used utilities data and climate analogs -- contemporary cities with climates close to what other cities are predicted to experience in the future -- to assess how climate change may impact residential water and electricity use across 46 cities in the United States.
Published Geoscientists map changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide over past 66 million years
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An international consortium of geoscientists has reconstructed atmosphereric levels of carbon dioxide going back 66 million years using proxies in the geoloogical record. Today's concenteration, 420 parts per million, is higher than it's ever been in 14 million years.
Published Researchers develop grassroots framework for managing environmental commons
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A team of sustainability scientists recently announced that they have developed a community-based framework, founded on extensive local and traditional knowledge, to help assess and respond to the kinds of ecological threats that are widely dispersed across a varied landscape and whose solutions are not immediately obvious. The framework, which was developed to address watershed issues in Honduras's Lake Yojoa, is widely applicable to a broad range of threats facing ecological commons wherever they may occur around the world.
Published The ocean may be storing more carbon than estimated in earlier studies
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The ocean's capacity to store atmospheric carbon dioxide is some 20% greater than the estimates contained in the latest IPCC report. Scientists looked at the role played by plankton in the natural transport of carbon from surface waters down to the seabed. Plankton gobble up carbon dioxide and, as they grow, convert it into organic tissue via photosynthesis.
Published Harvesting water from air with solar power
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a promising new solar-powered atmospheric water harvesting technology that could help provide enough drinking water for people to survive in difficult, dryland areas: They synthesized a super hygroscopic gel capable of absorbing and retaining an unparalleled amount of water. One kilogram of dry gel could adsorb 1.18 kilograms of water in arid atmospheric environments and up to 6.4 kilograms in humid atmospheric environments. This hygroscopic gel was simple and inexpensive to prepare and would consequently be suitable for large-scale preparation.
Published Using AI to find microplastics
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An interdisciplinary research team is using artificial intelligence (AI) to identify microplastics faster and more accurately than ever before.
Published 'Shocking' discovery: Electricity from electric eels may transfer genetic material to nearby animals
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have discovered that electric eels can alter the genes of tiny fish larvae with their electric shock. Their findings help to better understand electroporation, a method by which genes can be transported using electricity.
Published Wildfires have erased two decades' worth of air quality gains in western United States
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study concludes that wildfires originating in the western United States and Canada have erased air quality gains over the past two decades and caused an increase of premature deaths in fire-prone areas and downwind regions, primarily in the western U.S.
Published Fossil CO2 emissions at record high in 2023
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Global carbon emissions from fossil fuels have risen again in 2023 -- reaching record levels, according to new research.
Published Recycling concrete using carbon can reduce emissions and waste
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Amid the rubble of large-sale earthquake, war or other disaster -- and as ageing buildings and infrastructure are replaced -- mountains of concrete are often taken to landfill or pounded into rubble for roads. For a more sustainable approach, experts are developing a 'value add' for old broken concrete to 'upcycling' coarse aggregate to produce a strong, durable and workable concrete using a small amount of a secret ingredient -- graphene.
Published Deep sea sensor reveals that corals produce reactive oxygen species
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new sensor on the submersible Alvin discovered reactive oxygen species for the first time in deep-sea corals, broadening our understanding of fundamental coral physiology.
Published How mountains affect El Niño-induced winter precipitation
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A consideration of how mountains influence El Niño and La Niña-induced precipitation change in western North America may be the ticket to more informed water conservation planning along the Colorado River, new research suggests.
Published Snail-inspired robot could scoop ocean microplastics
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Inspired by a small and slow snail, scientists have developed a robot protype that may one day scoop up microplastics from the surfaces of oceans, seas and lakes.
Published More than a meteorite: New clues about the demise of dinosaurs
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source What wiped out the dinosaurs? A meteorite plummeting to Earth is only part of the story, a new study suggests. Climate change triggered by massive volcanic eruptions may have ultimately set the stage for the dinosaur extinction, challenging the traditional narrative that a meteorite alone delivered the final blow to the ancient giants.
Published Researchers decode aqueous amino acid's potential for direct air capture of CO2
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have made a significant stride toward understanding a viable process for direct air capture, or DAC, of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This DAC process is in early development with the aim of achieving negative emissions, where the amount of carbon dioxide removed from the envelope of gases surrounding Earth exceeds the amount emitted.
Published Unlocking the secret strength of marine mussels
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source How do you create strong, yet quick-release connections between living and non-living tissues? This is a question that continues to puzzle bioengineers who aim to create materials that bond together for advanced biomedical applications. Looking to nature for inspiration, this research zeroed in on the marine mussel byssus, a fibrous holdfast, which these bivalve mollusks use to anchor themselves in seashore habitats.
Published Ash can fertilize the oceans
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Flames roared through Santa Barbara County in late 2017. UC Santa Barbara canceled classes, and the administration recommended donning an N95, long before the COVID pandemic made the mask a household item. Smoke and ash choked the air, but the Thomas Fire's effects weren't restricted to the land and sky. Huge amounts of ash settled into the oceans, leaving researchers to wonder what effect it might have on marine life.