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Categories: Geoscience: Environmental Issues, Geoscience: Landslides
Published Researchers uncover new water monitoring technique
(via sciencedaily.com) The new method simultaneously monitors the size and shape of the clumps and the mixing intensity in a single step, in real time, allowing for more accurate measurements. The value of the research lies in the fact that mixing is one of the most energy-consuming processes during water and wastewater purification.
Published New superacid converts harmful compounds into sustainable chemicals
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have succeeded in producing very special catalysts, known as 'Lewis superacids', which can be used to break strong chemical bonds and speed up reactions. The production of these substances has, until now, proven extremely difficult. The chemists' discovery enables non-biodegradable fluorinated hydrocarbons, similar to Teflon, and possibly even climate-damaging greenhouse gases, such as sulphur hexafluoride, to be converted back into sustainable chemicals.
Published Measuring 6,000 African cities: Double the population means triple the energy costs
(via sciencedaily.com) Using a new dataset, scientists analyzed the coordinates and surface of 183 million buildings in nearly 6,000 cities across all 52 countries in Africa. With their model, they quantify the shape of cities. Thus, they show that if a city's population doubles, the energy demand associated with commuting triples. These results clearly show how important it will be to plan fast-growing cities in a sustainable way.
Published Human-wildlife conflicts rising worldwide with climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists reveal that a warming world is increasing human-wildlife conflicts globally. They show that climate shifts can drive conflicts by altering animal habitats, the timing of events, wildlife behaviors and resource availability. It also showed that people are changing their behaviors and locations in response to climate change in ways that increase conflicts.
Published Satellites observe speed-up of Glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula
(via sciencedaily.com) Glaciers -- giant blocks of moving ice -- along Antarctica's coastline are flowing faster in the summer because of a combination of melting snow and warmer ocean waters, say researchers. On average, the glaciers travel at around one kilometre a year. But a new study has found a seasonal variation to the speed of the ice flow, which speeded up by up to 22 % in summer when temperatures are warmer. This gives an insight into the way climate change could affect the behaviour of glaciers and the role they could play in raising sea levels.
Published To promote exercise, planners must look beyond cities
(via sciencedaily.com) To encourage more active lifestyles, public health agencies recommend mixed-use neighborhoods and 'complete' streets that are friendlier to walkers and bikers, but new research finds that while those strategies increase physical activity, an urban bias limits their applicability in many parts of the country.
Published Clues about the Northeast's past and future climate from plant fossils
(via sciencedaily.com) A team of researchers is working to understand the details of the climate for the eastern portion of the United States from the Miocene, which unfortunately is a blank spot on paleo-climate maps. New findings suggest the future climate will be very close to the warmer, wetter, and more homogeneous climate similar to conditions experienced 5 million years ago.
Published Developing countries pay the highest price for living with large carnivores
(via sciencedaily.com) A team of researchers has highlighted human-wildlife conflict as one of the globe's most pressing human development and conservation dilemmas. New research looked at 133 countries where 18 large carnivores ranged, and found that a person farming with cattle in developing countries such as Kenya, Uganda or India were up to eight times more economically vulnerable than those living in developed economies such as Sweden, Norway or the U.S.
Published Research captures and separates important toxic air pollutant
(via sciencedaily.com) A series of new stable, porous materials that capture and separate benzene have been developed.
Published Scientists unlock key to drought-resistant wheat plants with longer roots
(via sciencedaily.com) Growing wheat in drought conditions may be easier in the future. Researchers found the right number of copies of a specific group of genes can stimulate longer root growth, enabling wheat plants to pull water from deeper supplies.
Published Plastic upcycling to close the carbon cycle
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new method to convert waste plastic to fuel and raw materials promises to help close the carbon cycle at mild temperature and with high yield.
Published Researchers create E. coli-based water monitoring technology
(via sciencedaily.com) People often associate Escherichia coli with contaminated food, but E. coli has long been a workhorse in biotechnology. Scientists have now demonstrated that the bacterium has further value as part of a system to detect heavy metal contamination in water.
Published A labyrinth lake provides surprising benefits for an endangered seal
(via sciencedaily.com) The endangered Saimaa ringed seal is an Ice Age relict living in the highly labyrinthine Lake Saimaa, Finland. The newly published work shows that although individual seals have greatly reduced genetic variation, the loss of variation has been complementary, preserving the adaptive potential of the whole population.
Published Novel air filter captures wide variety of pollutants
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An air filter made out of corn protein instead of petroleum products can concurrently capture small particulates as well as toxic chemicals like formaldehyde that current air filters can't. The research could lead to better air purifiers, particularly in regions of the world that suffer from very poor air quality. The more environmentally friendly air filter was able to simultaneously capture 99.5% of small particulate matter, similar to commercial HEPA filters, and 87% of formaldehyde, which is higher than specially designed air filters for those types of toxics.
Published Children's lung capacity improved in cleaner air
(via sciencedaily.com) As air pollution in Stockholm has decreased, so has the lung capacity of children and adolescents has improved, a new study reports. The researchers consider the results important, since the lung health of the young greatly affects the risk of their developing chronic lung diseases later in life.
Published New design for lithium-air battery could offer much longer driving range compared with the lithium-ion battery
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists have built and tested for a thousand cycles a lithium-air battery design that could one day be powering cars, domestic airplanes, long-haul trucks and more. Its energy storage capacity greatly surpasses that possible with lithium-ion batteries.
Published Prioritize tackling toxic emissions from tires, urge experts
(via sciencedaily.com) Experts are calling for more to be done to limit the potentially harmful impact of toxic tire particles on health and the environment.
Published Forecasting malaria outbreaks
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study integrates climate, land use, and socioeconomic data to explain and predict malaria dynamics at the village level. The approach could inform health care practitioners and make control strategies more efficient and cost-effective.
Published 'Electronic nose' built with sustainably sourced microbial nanowires that could revolutionize health monitoring
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists recently announced the invention of a nanowire 10,000 times thinner than a human hair that can be cheaply grown by common bacteria and tuned to 'smell' a vast array of chemical tracers -- including those given off by people afflicted with a wide range of medical conditions, such as asthma and kidney disease. Thousands of these specially tuned wires, each sniffing out a different chemical, can be layered onto tiny, wearable sensors, allowing healthcare providers an unprecedented tool for monitoring potential health complications. Since these wires are grown by bacteria, they are organic, biodegradable and far greener than any inorganic nanowire.
Published Early Cretaceous shift in the global carbon cycle affected both land and sea
(via sciencedaily.com) Geologists doing fieldwork in southeastern Utah's Cedar Mountain Formation found carbon isotope evidence that the site, though on land, experienced the same early Cretaceous carbon-cycle change recorded in marine sedimentary rocks in Europe. This ancient carbon-cycle phenomenon, known as the 'Weissert Event' was driven by large, sustained volcanic eruptions in the Southern Hemisphere that greatly increased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and produced significant greenhouse climate effects over a prolonged time.