Posts Tagged ‘fossil fuels’

Nitrogen ‘double whammy’ could alter lakes

U. WASHINGTON (US) — Nitrogen derived from human activities has polluted lakes for more than a century. The fingerprint is evident even in remote lakes thousands of miles from the nearest city. Continue…

Wednesday, December 21, 2011 14:48 - 0 Comments

Tune E. coli to churn out biodiesel

STANFORD (US) — E. coli bacteria have what it takes to produce high volumes of biofuel cheaply and efficiently. All that’s needed, scientists say, is a tweak to kick E. coli into high gear. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Nov 10, 2011 15:46 - 0 Comments

Methane likely fueled Earth’s big warm-up

RICE (US) — New calculations suggest the release of massive amounts of carbon from methane hydrate frozen under the seafloor 56 million years ago likely led to a major climate shift on Earth. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Aug 11, 2011 10:37 - 0 Comments

Keep grasses to avoid carbon debt

MICHIGAN STATE (US) — Converting natural cover to corn or soybeans for the production of biofuels will come at a high carbon cost—even when care is taken to protect soil by using no-till cultivation. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Jul 25, 2011 12:06 - 1 Comment

Trees’ footprints smaller than steel’s

U. WASHINGTON (US) — By regularly harvesting trees and using wood in place of steel and concrete, the amount of carbon dioxide taken out of the atmosphere by a forest could be quadrupled in 100 years. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Jun 27, 2011 9:10 - 3 Comments

Nixing nuclear plants will strain system

CARNEGIE MELLON (US) — Curtailing nuclear power will put undue stress on the supply and cost of electricity, while increasing air pollution, carbon emissions, and the reliance on fossil fuels
. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Feb 25, 2011 16:15 - 1 Comment

Is future of fuel in photosynthesis?

PENN STATE (US) — Inexpensive hydrogen for automotive or jet fuel may be possible by mimicking photosynthesis, but the process needs to overcome several hurdles first. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Dec 22, 2010 12:24 - 0 Comments

Ocean’s acidity jolts marine microbes

USC (US) — Increases in carbon dioxide emissions—exacerbated by the burning of fossil fuels and other human activities—are making sea water more acidic and will ultimately have significant impact on marine life. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Aug 30, 2010 12:54 - 0 Comments

Soot hits Arctic ice with double whammy

STANFORD (US)—The quickest and best way to slow the rapid melting of Arctic sea ice is to reduce soot emissions from the burning of fossil fuel, wood, and dung, according to a new study. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Jul 30, 2010 11:26 - 0 Comments

Why black carbon’s in the climate hotseat

U. IOWA (US)—Increasing the ratio of black carbon to sulphate in the atmosphere increases climate warming, finds a new study published in the journal Nature Geoscience. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Jan 20, 2010 15:06 - 0 Comments

Ozone spike linked to overseas emissions

COLORADO (US)—Springtime ozone levels above western North America are rising primarily due to air flowing eastward from the Pacific Ocean, a trend that is largest when the air originates in Asia. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Nov 17, 2009 17:56 - 1 Comment

Taking America’s energy temperature

RUTGERS (US)—Of the estimated 1,000 energy-related public opinion polls conducted during the last 20 years, environmental policy expert Michael Greenberg says there are two basic types: polls that include energy questions among a range of societal issues and hypothesis-driven surveys that measure preferences and try to link them to underlying factors. (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 23, 2009 17:25 - 3 Comments

Totally clean and green by 2030?

STANFORD (US)—Most of the technology needed to shift the world from fossil fuel to clean, renewable energy already exists. A new report suggests that implementing that technology requires overcoming obstacles in planning and politics, but doing so could result in a 30 percent decrease in global power demand. (more…)

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 16, 2009 13:25 - 2 Comments

Carbon not the only culprit in global warming?

Mean surface temperature anomalies during the period 1999 to 2008 with respect to the average temperatures from 1940 to 1980. (Courtesy: Robert A. Rohde/Wikipedia)

Earth & Environment - Jun 19, 2009 9:02 - 0 Comments

Ice cores show fossil fuels disrupt nitrogen cycle

Scientists extracted a 100-meter-long ice core in Greenland to measure how fossil fuel burning of industrial times has disrupted the global nitrogen cycle. At left is Meredith Hastings of Brown University, the lead author of the study, accompanied by Bella Bergeron from Ice Coring and Drilling Services. (Credit: Meredith Hastings/Julia Jarvis)