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Categories: Geoscience: Environmental Issues, Geoscience: Geology
Published Breakthrough: Highly efficient electrocatalyst for clean energy
(via sciencedaily.com) A research team has achieved a groundbreaking advancement in nanomaterials by successfully developing a highly efficient electrocatalyst which can enhance the generation of hydrogen significantly through electrochemical water splitting. This major breakthrough has great application potential for the clean energy industry.
Published Earth's stability and ability to support civilization at risk: Six of nine planetary boundaries exceeded
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study updates the planetary boundary framework and shows human activities are increasingly impacting the planet and, thereby, increasing the risk of triggering dramatic changes in overall Earth conditions.
Published Electrifying vehicles in Chicago would save lives, reduce pollution inequities
(via sciencedaily.com) If the Chicago region replaced 30% of all on-road combustion-engine vehicles -- including motorcycles, passenger cars and trucks, buses, refuse trucks and short- and long-haul trucks -- with electric versions, it would annually save more than 1,000 lives and over $10 billion, according to a new study.
Published Scientists invent a bright way to upcycle plastics into liquids that can store hydrogen energy
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists have created a process that can upcycle most plastics into chemicals useful for energy storage, using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and a commercially available catalyst, all at room temperature. The new process is very energy-efficient and can be easily powered by renewable energy in the future, unlike other heat-driven recycling processes like pyrolysis. Currently, only nine per cent of plastics globally are recycled and the rest are typically discarded in landfills or incinerated.
Published Some spiders can transfer mercury contamination to land animals
(via sciencedaily.com) Sitting calmly in their webs, many spiders wait for prey to come to them. Arachnids along lakes and rivers eat aquatic insects, such as dragonflies. But, when these insects live in mercury-contaminated waterways, they can pass the metal along to the spiders that feed on them. Now, researchers have demonstrated how some shoreline spiders can move mercury contamination from riverbeds up the food chain to land animals.
Published Ohio's droughts are worse than often recognized, study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new type of analysis suggests that droughts in Ohio were more severe from 2000 to 2019 than standard measurements have suggested.
Published More Texas owls are testing positive for rat poisons
(via sciencedaily.com) New research suggests that owls in Texas have high rates of anticoagulant rodenticides (AR) -- blood thinning rat poisons -- in their systems.
Published New research reveals why and when the Sahara Desert was green
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A pioneering study has shed new light on North African humid periods that have occurred over the past 800,000 years and explains why the Sahara Desert was periodically green.
Published Roadside hedges can reduce harmful ultrafine particle pollution around schools
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study confirms that planting hedges between roadsides and school playgrounds can dramatically reduce children's exposure to traffic-related particle pollution.
Published New rivers in the North? Scientists identify how the dissection of Arctic landscapes is changing with accelerating climate change
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research shows that amplified global warming in the Canadian High Arctic drove a profound shift in the structure of a river network carved into a permafrost landscape in only 60 years.
Published Plant-based food alternatives could support a shift to global sustainability
(via sciencedaily.com) Replacing 50% of meat and milk products with plant-based alternatives by 2050 can reduce agriculture and land use related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 31% and halt the degradation of forest and natural land, according to new research.
Published Exposure to air pollution while in the womb is linked to adverse changes in cell processes in new-born babies
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Exposure to air pollution while in the womb is linked to alterations in proteins that can be detected after a baby is born, and which affect cell processes such as autophagy, the 'self-eating' of damaged cells that occurs in response to stress.
Published Climate change is reducing global river water quality
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A review of almost 1000 studies on the effects of climate change and extreme weather events on rivers around the world has found an overall negative effect on water quality in rivers globally. An international team of experts sourced from every continent, conducted between 2000-2022.
Published Surfactants can cause toxic chemicals in aerosols to last longer in the air
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Research has found that hazardous chemicals commonly encountered in aerosols, such as those produced by cooking and cleaning, can be 'protected' in 3D structures formed by surfactants, causing them to last longer in the air.
Published Fall snow levels can predict a season's total snowpack in some western states
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Research found that, in some western states, the amount of snow already on the ground by the end of December is a good predictor of how much total snow that area will get.
Published Hot summer air turns into drinking water with new gel device
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have focused on the moisture present in the air as a potential source of drinking water for drought-stressed populations. They reached a significant breakthrough in their efforts to create drinkable water out of thin air: a molecularly engineered hydrogel that can create clean water using just the energy from sunlight.
Published Atmospheric scientists reveal much of Houston's ozone exceedance due to air flows from the north
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Atmospheric science researchers published findings on Houston's ozone. They found that while local emissions play a role in the rise of Houston's ozone levels, most of the pollutants are carried in from other parts of the country.
Published Urban parks built on former waste incineration sites could be lead hotspots
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study finds that surface soil in parks and playgrounds built on former waste incineration and ash disposal sites may contain levels of lead exceeding EPA safety standards for areas where children play. The contamination, which can persist long after an incinerator is closed, stems from burning paint, pipes and other products that contained lead. Sites in hundreds of U.S. and Canadian cities could be contaminated. Increased monitoring is needed to pinpoint hotspots.
Published High levels of particulate air pollution associated with increased breast cancer incidence
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers found that living in an area with high levels of particulate air pollution was associated with an increased incidence of breast cancer. The study is one of the largest studies to date looking at the relationship between outdoor air pollution, specifically fine particulate matter, and breast cancer incidence.
Published New methodology reveals health, climate impacts of reducing buildings' energy use
(via sciencedaily.com) Increasing energy efficiency in buildings can save money -- and it can also decrease the carbon emissions and air pollution that lead to climate change and health harms. But the climate and health benefits of reducing buildings' energy consumption are rarely quantified. Now, researchers have developed a new method for calculating the health and climate impacts of these energy savings.