Posts Tagged ‘atmosphere’
Taking twinkle, twinkle out of night sky
U. ARIZONA (US)—A breakthrough in adaptive optics allows astronomers to obtain space-telescope quality images over a wide field of view—here on Earth. Continue…
Thursday, August 5, 2010 12:03 - 0 Comments
Earth & Environment - Dec 21, 2009 14:59 - 3 Comments
From space, daily snapshot of CO2 levels
TEXAS A&M (US)—Researchers studying climate now have a new tool at their disposal that yields daily global measurements of carbon dioxide and water vapor in a key part of Earth’s atmosphere. (more…)
Science & Technology - Dec 18, 2009 18:27 - 0 Comments
Fog found on Titan
CALTECH (US)—Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, looks to be the only place in the solar system—aside from our home planet, Earth—with copious quantities of liquid (largely, liquid methane and ethane) sitting on its surface. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Oct 6, 2009 15:49 - 1 Comment
Pollution-haze mix may affect world’s weather
TEXAS A&M (US)—“Blue haze,” a common occurrence in mountain ranges and forests around the world, is formed by natural emissions of chemicals, but a recent study suggests human activities can worsen it to the point of affecting weather worldwide, potentially causing climate problems. (more…)
Science & Technology - Oct 5, 2009 12:01 - 0 Comments
Model suggests it’s raining rocks on exoplanet
WASHINGTON-ST. LOUIS (US)—An exoplanet discovered last February by the COROT space telescope is close enough to its star that its “day-face” is hot enough to melt rock. Theoretical models suggest the planet has a gaseous-rock atmosphere and boiling oceans on its surface. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Sep 28, 2009 11:17 - 0 Comments
Portable device uses lasers to detect pollutant
PRINCETON/RICE (US)—A newly developed portable device could make it much easier to detect nitric oxide, a serious pollutant that plays a role in the body, affecting heart rate, blood flow, nerve signals, and immune function. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Aug 10, 2009 4:00 - 0 Comments
In African rocks, traces of evolutionary blast
UNC marine geologist Justin Ries in the Zebra River Valley, southern Namibia. The Nama Group carbonates, which contain sulfur isotopic signatures suggesting that low marine sulfate and low atmospheric oxygen conditions persisted up until the Cambrian Explosion, loom in the background. (Credit: Gordon Love)
Earth & Environment - Jul 22, 2009 10:52 - 0 Comments
In the air, ozone and some nasty chemistry
“We should be monitoring it and incorporating it into atmospheric models,” says Barbara Finlayson-Pitts, the study’s lead author, about a newly discovered, ozone-boosting chemical reaction. “We still don’t really understand important elements of the atmosphere’s chemistry.”
Earth & Environment - Jul 20, 2009 12:28 - 1 Comment
Getting best eco-bang for biofuel buck
“Future carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere will tell us when we’re kidding ourselves about what actually works. For carbon management, the atmosphere is the ultimate accountant,” says Princeton University’s Robert Socolow.
Earth & Environment - Jul 9, 2009 14:39 - 1 Comment
Plants save Earth from icy doom
“Our research supports the emerging view that plants should be recognized as a geologic force of nature, with important consequences for all life on Earth,” says coauthor David Beerling from the University of Sheffield.
Earth & Environment - Jul 6, 2009 16:51 - 0 Comments
Could ocean wind be an energy bonanza?
A new study finds wind energy over the planet’s oceans is a vastly underutilized renewable resource.
Science & Technology - Jun 10, 2009 6:00 - 2 Comments
Alligator lungs show how dinosaurs adapted
Biologist James Hicks studies alligators for insight into dinosaur survival in the prehistoric atmosphere. His findings shed light on how animals adapt to changing oxygen levels. (Credit: Daniel A. Anderson)
Science & Technology - Apr 3, 2009 10:52 - 0 Comments
80 telescopes. 24 hours. One world.
U. CHICAGO (US)—“Around the World in 80 Telescopes” is a live 24-hour webcast, following night and day around the globe to some of the most advanced observatories both on and off the planet. The webcasts start Friday, April 3, in Hawaii, then move around the world. (more…)
