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Categories: Geoscience: Environmental Issues, Geoscience: Landslides
Published Study reveals new clues about how 'Earth's thermostat' controls climate
(via sciencedaily.com) Rocks, rain and carbon dioxide help control Earth's climate over thousands of years -- like a thermostat -- through a process called weathering. A new study may improve our understanding of how this thermostat responds as temperatures change.
Published Ice cores show even dormant volcanoes leak abundant sulfur into the atmosphere
(via sciencedaily.com) Non-erupting volcanoes leak a surprisingly high amount of sulfur-containing gases. A Greenland ice core shows that volcanoes quietly release at least three times as much sulfur into the Arctic atmosphere than estimated by current climate models. Aerosols are the most uncertain aspect of current climate models, so better estimates could improve the accuracy of long-term projections.
Published Nematodes can help us detect indoor air impurities
(via sciencedaily.com) Good quality indoor air is crucial to our well-being, while impurities in the air can compromise our working capacity and health. Researchers have developed a new method for measuring indoor air quality, making use of fluorescent strains of nematodes.
Published Energy-efficient construction materials work better in colder climates, say researchers
(via sciencedaily.com) In a new study, researchers claim that the energy payback period of using phase change materials, new technology in the construction industry, is the shortest in a colder climate. The optimal location for their usage is the interior on the northern side of the building. The study provides informed answers regarding the application of PCMs to improve buildings' energy efficiency.
Published Study links adoption of electric vehicles with less air pollution and improved health
(via sciencedaily.com) A team of researchers have now begun to document the actual impact of electric vehicle adoption in the first study to use real-world data to link electric cars, air pollution and health. Leveraging publicly available datasets, the researchers analyzed a 'natural experiment' occurring in California as residents in the state rapidly transitioned to electric cars, or light-duty zero emissions vehicles (ZEVs). The team compared data on total ZEV registration, air pollution levels and asthma-related emergency room visits across the state between 2013 to 2019. As ZEV adoption increased within a given zip code, local air pollution levels and emergency room visits dropped.
Published Evolution of wheat spikes since the Neolithic revolution
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Around 12,000 years ago, the Neolithic revolution radically changed the economy, diet and structure of the first human societies in the Fertile Crescent of the Near East. With the beginning of the cultivation of cereals -- such as wheat and barley -- and the domestication of animals, the first cities emerged in a new social context marked by a productive economy. Now, a study analyses the evolution of wheat spikes since its cultivation began by the inhabitants of ancient Mesopotamia -- the cradle of agriculture -- between the Tigris and the Euphrates.
Published Small isolated wetlands are pollution-catching powerhouses
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Small isolated wetlands that are full for only part of the year are often the first to be removed for development or agriculture, but a new study shows that they can be twice as effective in protecting downstream lake or river ecosystems than if they were connected to them.
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 Engineers examine drinking water management strategies
(via sciencedaily.com) While residents in California are still dealing with damage from last month's floods -- after years of devastating droughts -- engineers are looking at better ways to manage the delivery of safe drinking water to homes. Things to consider include a changing climate, costs and sustainability.
Published Chess players face a tough foe: Air pollution
(via sciencedaily.com) Chess players perform worse when air pollution increases, according to new research.
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 Soil tainted by air pollution expels carbon
(via sciencedaily.com) New research suggests nitrogen released by gas-powered machines causes dry soil to let go of carbon and release it back into the atmosphere, where it can contribute to climate change.
Published 1. 5-degree goal not plausible: Social change more important than physical tipping points
(via sciencedaily.com) Limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is currently not plausible, as is shown in a new, central study. Climate policy, protests, and the Ukraine crisis: the participating researchers systematically assessed to what extent social changes are already underway -- while also analyzing certain physical processes frequently discussed as tipping points. Their conclusion: social change is essential to meeting the temperature goals set in Paris. But what has been achieved to date is insufficient.
Published China's stricter clean heating policies may have saved thousands of lives
(via sciencedaily.com) China's stricter clean heating policies have improved air quality in northern China, particularly in Beijing and surrounding cities -- potentially reducing 23,000 premature deaths due to air pollution in 2021 than in 2015, a new study reveals.
Published Over 4% of summer mortality in European cities is attributable to urban heat islands
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Over four percent of deaths in cities during the summer months are due to urban heat islands, and one third of these deaths could be prevented by reaching a tree cover of 30%, according to a modelling study. The study results, obtained with data from 93 European cities, highlight the substantial benefits of planting more trees in cities to attenuate the impact of climate change.
Published Thin, lightweight layer provides radiation barrier for perovskites in space, protection from elements on Earth
(via sciencedaily.com) An ultrathin protective coating proves sufficient to protect a perovskite solar cell from the harmful effects of space and harden it against environmental factors on Earth, according to newly published research.
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 Biorefinery uses microbial fuel cell to upcycle resistant plant waste
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have developed a sustainable, inexpensive two-step process that can upcycle organic carbon waste -- including lignin, a difficult-to-breakdown material that gives plants their structure. By processing waste through a microbe-driven biorefinery, the researchers turned lignin into carbon sources that could be used in high-value, plant-derived pharmaceuticals and antioxidant nutraceuticals as well as carbon-based nanoparticles for drug or chemical delivery.
Published Understanding plants can boost wildland-fire modeling in uncertain future
(via sciencedaily.com) A new conceptual framework for incorporating the way plants use carbon and water, or plant dynamics, into fine-scale computer models of wildland fire provides a critical first step toward improved global fire forecasting.
Published Short-term bang of fireworks has long-term impact on wildlife
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Popular fireworks should be replaced with cleaner drone and laser light shows to avoid the 'highly damaging' impact on wildlife, domestic pets and the broader environment, new research has found.