Earth & Environment - Jan 12, 2010 10:48 - 1 Comment

Western butterflies—nowhere to go but up

UC DAVIS—California butterflies are reeling from a one-two punch of climate change and land development, suggest the results of a study led by butterfly expert Arthur Shapiro. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Jan 8, 2010 15:21 - 0 Comments

Warmer temps stifle trees’ carbon uptake

U. COLORADO—As the climate warms and growing seasons lengthen, subalpine forests are likely to soak up less carbon dioxide. The result will be more greenhouse gas left to concentrate in the atmosphere, new research shows. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Dec 21, 2009 15:35 - 0 Comments

Greener way to build ski runs

UC DAVIS (US)—Building a new ski run by bulldozing a mountainside rather than only cutting its shrubs and trees is far more damaging ecologically, yet might offer only a week’s earlier start to the downhill season. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Dec 17, 2009 12:27 - 1 Comment

Arctic rivers as climate change forecasters

TEXAS A&M (US)—Scientists may be able to gauge the effects of climate change in the polar regions by monitoring bacterial communities in six large Arctic rivers, new research shows. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Dec 15, 2009 16:39 - 0 Comments

‘Triple whammy’ takes toll on Arctic erosion

U. COLORADO (US)—The combined effect of declining sea ice, warming seawater, and increased wave activity is causing the northern coastline of Alaska to erode by up to one-third the length of a football field each year. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Dec 15, 2009 10:48 - 0 Comments

Atlantic Coast sea level rises at faster pace

U. PENN (US)—Sea level along the Atlantic Coast is rising faster now than at any time in the past 4,000 years. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Dec 14, 2009 17:29 - 8 Comments

Don’t blame cows for climate change

UC DAVIS (US)—Consuming less meat and dairy products will not help stop climate change, says Frank Mitloehner, despite claims by sources ranging from the United Nations to music star Paul McCartney. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Nov 24, 2009 18:12 - 12 Comments

Slow CO2 absorption may speed climate change

YALE (US)—The world’s oceans are absorbing less carbon dioxide, which could mean an acceleration in the pace of climate change, according to a new study. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Nov 13, 2009 12:41 - 0 Comments

Warming planet threatens desert plants

CORNELL (US)—As the climate gets warmer, arid soils lose nitrogen as gas, which may lead to deserts with even less plant life than they sustain today. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Nov 12, 2009 15:23 - 1 Comment

How walkable is your neighborhood?

U. MINNESOTA (US)—Life in the suburbs may not be all its cracked up to be. A new study finds that the suburbs fare poorly in both walkability—the degree of ease for walking—and in pollution levels. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Oct 30, 2009 10:38 - 0 Comments

First detailed record of tsunami erosion

U. WASHINGTON (US)—A group of scientists working in the Kuril Islands off the east coast of Russia has documented the scope of tsunami-caused erosion and found that a wave can carry away far more sand and dirt than it deposits. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Oct 29, 2009 14:54 - 4 Comments

Researchers recreate attack-ant chemical

UC BERKELEY (US)—A research team has synthesized chemical molecules that trigger normally friendly ants to turn on each other and attack, a finding that may lead to new tactics for controlling the spread of invasive ant species. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Oct 29, 2009 11:31 - 0 Comments

Global shellfish dip linked to acidic oceans

STONY BROOK (US)—Relatively minor increases in ocean acidity brought about by high levels of carbon dioxide have significant effects on the growth and survival of hard clams, bay scallops, and Eastern oysters, new research finds. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Oct 26, 2009 16:29 - 0 Comments

CO2 not the only gorilla in the room

UC BERKELEY (US)—When world leaders meet in Copenhagen in December to hash out a treaty limiting carbon dioxide emissions, they should begin planning a future summit to address other pollutants—from soot to ozone—that don’t remain in the atmosphere as long as carbon dioxide, but nevertheless are major contributors to global warming. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Oct 23, 2009 11:41 - 0 Comments

Predicting power outages before the storm

JOHNS HOPKINS/TEXAS A&M (US)—Using data from Hurricane Katrina and four other storms, researchers have created new computer models to help utilities better forecast hurricane-caused power outages in advance. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Oct 20, 2009 11:32 - 0 Comments

Arctic cores signal ‘unique’ climate shift

U. COLORADO (US)—An analysis of sediment cores indicates that biological and chemical changes occurring at a remote Arctic lake are unprecedented over the past 200,000 years and likely are the result of human-caused climate change. (more…)

Science & Technology - Sep 16, 2009 19:55 - 3 Comments

‘Tendons’ bring building in line after big quake

STANFORD (US)—A new earthquake-resistant structural system, successfully tested in Japan, helps hold buildings together and even returns them to plumb after a violent earthquake. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Sep 15, 2009 17:27 - 2 Comments

Birds fly the coop when climate shifts

UC BERKELEY (US)—Biologists studying birds in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains have found that 48 out of 53 species have adjusted to climate change over the last century by moving to sites with more favorable temperature and precipitation conditions. (more…)

Posts Tagged ‘environmental sciences’