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Categories: Geoscience: Environmental Issues, Space: Exploration
Published The metalens meets the stars
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a 10-centimeter-diameter glass metalens that can image the sun, the moon and distant nebulae with high resolution. It is the first all-glass, large-scale metalens in the visible wavelength that can be mass produced using conventional CMOS fabrication technology.
Published Let it glow: Scientists develop new approach to detect 'forever chemicals' in water
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have created a new way to detect 'forever chemical' pollution in water, via a luminescent sensor.
Published US air pollution rates on the decline but pockets of inequities remain
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Our latest study shows there are racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in air pollution emissions reductions, particularly in the industry and energy generation sectors. The findings provide a national investigation of air pollution emission changes in the 40 years following the enactment of the Clean Air Act (CAA). Until now, studies have primarily focused on evaluating air pollution disparities at a single time point, focusing on pollutant concentrations instead of emissions. A focus on emissions, however, has more direct implications for regulations and policies. In this study, the researchers used county-level data to evaluate racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in air pollution emissions changes in the contiguous U.S. from 1970 to 2010.
Published Microplastics from natural fertilizers are blowing in the wind more often than once thought
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Though natural fertilizers made from treated sewage sludge are used to reintroduce nutrients onto agricultural fields, they bring along microplastic pollutants too. And according to a small-scale study, more plastic particles get picked up by the wind than once thought. Researchers have discovered that the microplastics are released from fields more easily than similarly sized dust particles, becoming airborne from even a slight breeze.
Published New AI makes better permafrost maps
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New insights from artificial intelligence about permafrost coverage in the Arctic may soon give policy makers and land managers the high-resolution view they need to predict climate-change-driven threats to infrastructure such as oil pipelines, roads and national security facilities.
Published Study delivers detailed photos of galaxies' inner structures
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source High-resolution images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope are offering powerful insights into the complex dust patterns of nearby star-forming galaxies.
Published Stalagmites as climate archive
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source When combined with data from tree-ring records, stalagmites can open up a unique archive to study natural climate fluctuations, a research team has demonstrated. The researchers analyzed the isotopic composition of oxygen in a stalagmite formed from calcareous water in a cave in southern Germany. In conjunction with the data acquired from tree rings, they were able to reconstruct short-term climate fluctuations over centuries and correlate them with historically documented environmental events.
Published Artificial 'power plants' harness energy from wind and rain
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Fake plants are moving into the 21st century! Researchers developed literal 'power plants' -- tiny, leaf-shaped generators that create electricity from a blowing breeze or falling raindrops. The team tested the energy harvesters by incorporating them into artificial plants.
Published Space solar power project ends first in-space mission with successes and lessons
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A 10-month mission demonstrated three elements of the plan to beam solar power from space to Earth.
Published A new, rigorous assessment of OpenET accuracy for supporting satellite-based water management
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Sustainable water management is an increasing concern in arid regions around the world, and scientists and regulators are turning to remote sensing tools like OpenET to help track and manage water resources. OpenET uses publicly available data produced by NASA and USGS Landsat and other satellite systems to calculate evapotranspiration (ET), or the amount of water lost to the atmosphere through soil evaporation and plant transpiration, at the level of individual fields. This tool has the potential to revolutionize water management, allowing for field-scale operational monitoring of water use, and a new study provides a thorough analysis of the accuracy of OpenET data for various crops and natural land cover types.
Published Climate change threatens global forest carbon sequestration, study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Climate change is causing Western U.S. forests to be less effective carbon sinks, even as it boosts the productivity of forests in the Eastern U.S., according to new research.
Published Astronomers produce most sensitive radio image ever of ancient star cluster
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Astronomers have created the most sensitive radio image ever of a globular cluster, an ancient ball of tightly-packed stars.
Published Discovery changes understanding of water's history on the Moon
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research shows the early lunar crust which makes up the surface of the Moon was considerably enriched in water more than 4 billion years ago, counter to previously held understanding.
Published Chasing the light: Study finds new clues about warming in the Arctic
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The Arctic, Earth's icy crown, is experiencing a climate crisis like no other. It's heating up at a furious pace -- four times faster than the rest of our planet. Researchers are pulling back the curtain on the reduction of sunlight reflectivity, or albedo, which is supercharging the Arctic's warming.
Published Study quantifies how aquifer depletion threatens crop yields
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Three decades of data have informed a new Nebraska-led study that shows how the depletion of groundwater -- the same that many farmers rely on for irrigation -- can threaten food production amid drought and drier climes. The study found that, due in part to the challenges of extracting groundwater, an aquifer's depletion can curb crop yields even when it appears saturated enough to continue meeting the demands of irrigation.
Published Research sheds new light on Moon rock formation solving major puzzle in lunar geology
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research has cracked a vital process in the creation of a unique rock type from the Moon. The discovery explains its signature composition and very presence on the lunar surface at all, unraveling a mystery which has long-eluded scientists.
Published Earth-sized planet discovered in 'our solar backyard'
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Astronomers have discovered a planet closer and younger than any other Earth-sized world yet identified. It's a remarkably hot world whose proximity to our own planet and to a star like our sun mark it as a unique opportunity to study how planets evolve.
Published NASA analysis confirms 2023 as warmest year on record
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Earth's average surface temperature in 2023 was the warmest on record, according to an analysis by NASA. Global temperatures last year were around 2.1 degrees Fahrenheit (1.2 degrees Celsius) above the average for NASA's baseline period (1951-1980), scientists from NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York reported.
Published How tidal range electricity generation can protect coastal areas from flooding
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Tidal range schemes can protect estuaries and coastal areas from the effects of sea level rise, according to researchers who say that tidal range schemes are vital to protect habitats, housing and businesses from a rising sea level estimated to be over one metre within 80 years. High tides can be limited to existing levels simply by closing sluices and turbines and existing low tide levels can be maintained by pumping. Development of estuarine barrages has been hampered by misconceptions about their operation and fears of disturbance of the ecologically sensitive intertidal areas.
Published Scientists uncover ocean's intricate web of microbial interactions across depths
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An international team of scientists has uncovered the ocean's intricate web of microbial interactions across depths. Their research provides crucial insights into the functioning of ocean ecosystems.