Research on measuring and modeling the climate. Covers climate extremes, carbon sequestration, monitoring methods, and urban heat exposure.
A genomics study reveals an undetected Zika outbreak in Cuba in 2017, which peaked around the same time international health agencies thought the epidemic was nearing its end. The study uses genomic sequencing and travel patterns to reconstruct virus ancestry and outbreak dynamics, providing insights into how viruses can spread silently.
Researchers found that climate change has a net zero effect on Svalbard barnacle goose populations, with benefits from warmer springs offset by increased predation. Warmer winters also led to increased egg production and gosling survival, benefiting both geese and predators like Arctic foxes.
Experts recommend altering the insurance industry by investing in open-source risk models to enhance society's ability to recover from disasters linked to climate change. The models should provide a long-term view of climate risk and link to insurance solutions.
Recent studies suggest a link between Arctic sea ice decline and mid-latitude cold winters, but a new study finds no causal relationship. Analysis of climate models reveals that both changes are caused by unusual atmospheric circulation patterns, not the Arctic sea ice itself.
A new study led by Virginia Commonwealth University researchers reveals that structurally complex forests in the eastern US outperform simpler ones in carbon sequestration. The discovery suggests that a forest's arrangement of vegetation is a key factor in its ability to absorb and store carbon.
Researchers introduce RadialPheno, a new tool to visualize phenocam-collected phenology data, providing meaningful insights into plant developmental events. The tool uses radial representation to identify recurrent events and integrates with common statistical methods, making it a valuable resource for phenology experts.
Researchers at Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research analyzed historical phenotypic data from the Federal Ex situ Gene Bank to develop statistical models leveraging maximal information from available datasets. The study provides blueprint strategies for correlated dataset preparation, complementing passport inform...
A new study uses ancient plankton fossils to infer temperature data from the Pliocene era, a geological epoch with CO2 levels similar to today's. The findings resolve discrepancies between climate models and other proxy temperature measurements, showing that the Pliocene is a good analog for future climate predictions.
Researchers have used radiokrypton dating to analyze groundwater in the Negev desert, revealing two distinct sources of ancient water that date back 400,000 years. The study suggests that moisture was delivered from the Atlantic Ocean during cooler climates, providing a unique insight into the region's past hydro-climates.
A new study investigates the bioenergetics of sharks and rays, revealing how climate change affects their populations. The research suggests that these ocean giants will face compounding climate pressures, including warmer oceans and reduced prey availability.
Research from Imperial College London finds air pollution associated with increased mortality and reduced life expectancy in the US. Fine particles PM2.5 are estimated to have caused 15,612 female deaths and 14,757 male deaths between 1999-2015.
Research by University of Michigan and Michigan State University researchers found that diversity in science teams surprisingly does not lead to positive outcomes for the diverse individuals themselves. Participants with underrepresented demographic characteristics experienced negative team climate and lower satisfaction.
Researchers from Harvard University and the UK's National Oceanography Centre corrected historic sea surface temperature measurements, identifying two new key causes of warming discrepancies in the North Pacific and North Atlantic. The study suggests that changes in Japanese records, particularly truncation of data, contributed to the ...
A new study published in Journal of Applied Ecology provides a method for verifying the effectiveness of marine protected areas (MPAs) by comparing data collected before and after their implementation. This approach helps scientists determine whether adjustments are needed to improve the impact of MPAs on fish populations.
Researchers predict Joshua trees will not survive beyond this century without drastic action on climate change. The study found that even with reduced greenhouse gas emissions, the park would retain only 19% of its habitat after 2070.
Oregon State University researchers developed a new model to calculate snowpack water content, utilizing snow depth data and climate normals. The model performed better than existing ones against validation datasets, providing a valuable tool for vast areas lacking weather instrumentation.
Massive wildfires in Ontario and Manitoba produce massive amounts of smoke moving southeast into Michigan, over the Great Lakes, and into Minnesota. The smoke is carried on the jet stream, with actively burning areas outlined in red on satellite imagery.
The DoRIoT project aims to enable statutory regulations and industry standards on data security, reliability, and privacy in the Internet of Things. By developing self-organizing migration of services, companies can operate independently of cloud infrastructure and reduce traffic and reaction time.
A global database of regional plant life has been developed to document and understand global plant diversity. The Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT) collates information about the plant species composition in nearly 2,900 regions, covering about 79% of the global land surface.
Researchers confirm that the tropical atmospheric circulation pattern, the Hadley cell, is weakening due to anthropogenic emissions. This finding has significant implications for predicting future subtropical rainfall and the drying of regions already receiving little rainfall.
The B-GOOD project aims to create a EU-wide management and health data platform to assist sustainable beekeeping. The platform will utilize real-time data from six different monitoring tools to provide comprehensive analysis and advice for beekeepers.
Climate change is putting pressure on river ecosystems, with iconic species like the Murray cod in danger of disappearing. Researchers outline a four-part plan for an 'adaptive' approach to river management, including forecasting tools and process-based models that can track and predict ecosystem changes.
The WASCAL project aims to address new research questions, further develop the research infrastructure, and train African scientists. The team will also create a data cube for satellite data and assess the effects of climate change on fires in West Africa.
The study found that alternative grains such as millet, sorghum, and maize are more resilient to extreme weather, while rice experiences larger declines in yields. This suggests that diversifying India's crop production can help adapt to climate change and improve nutrition.
The first mission involving 'Boaty McBoatface' has shed light on the connection between increasing Antarctic winds and rising sea temperatures. The data collected will help build more accurate predictions of climate change's impact on sea levels.
A recent study by Technical University of Munich analyzed hardware manufacturers' IPO filings and Bitcoin mining IP addresses to calculate the cryptocurrency's carbon footprint. The research team found that the energy consumption associated with Bitcoin use is real and comparable to cities like Hamburg and Las Vegas.
CABI aims to gather sufficient data to act as evidence for prioritizing research and policy in plant health. The initiative will provide accurate information for decision makers to allocate resources between diseases, enabling investment in plant health systems.
Two RIT scientists, Aaron Gerace and Matthew Montanaro, received the USGIF Academic Achievement Award for solving a stray-light problem affecting the Landsat 8 satellite's Thermal Infrared Sensor. They developed an algorithm to estimate source problems in real-time, improving the accuracy of Earth's surface temperature readings.
This special issue of Applications in Plant Sciences presents cutting-edge methods to study plant phenology, including automated scoring from herbaria collections and standardized ontology for data integration. These innovations enable large-scale datasets to be generated, addressing the urgent need to understand ecosystem responses to...
Researchers propose that surface erosion events played a crucial role in starting and maintaining plate tectonics. Continental sediments act as a lubricant for subduction, reducing friction between plates.
This book introduces computational legal analysis, studying law as data to transform how laws are experienced, practiced, and studied. Experimental work pushes methodological boundaries, expanding horizons of legal analysis.
Researchers at University of Maryland Baltimore County develop new method to measure atmospheric hydroxyl radicals, a key molecule involved in methane breakdown. This improvement can enhance the accuracy of climate models and inform policy decisions on reducing methane emissions.
Researchers identified at least three possible routes for Homo sapiens to travel through North and Central Asia during the Late Pleistocene Epoch, using GIS software and archaeological data. These routes follow ancient lake and river systems and may have been traversable during warmer interglacial periods.
A groundbreaking study quantifies the impact of lobbying on climate policy enactment, finding that firms expecting losses benefited from lobbying efforts and reduced the bill's chances by 13 percentage points.
Historical documents suggest that a mountain surveyed by Humboldt was actually Mt. Antisana, which the authors resurveyed to compare with original observations. The resurvey found that vegetation belts have shifted upwards by 215-266 meters, consistent with global range shifts.
The GRACE mission has provided unprecedented insight into global water resources, measuring polar ice loss and ocean currents. The data has also highlighted the impact of drought and aquifer depletion worldwide.
A team of scientists identified the tropical Pacific as a crucial factor in climate forecasting, with natural climatic fluctuations affecting future climate development. Better ocean data, particularly subsurface data, can improve predictions significantly.
A new method has been developed to predict the vulnerability of ecosystems, focusing on predators' body mass and prey characteristics. The approach enables researchers to determine habitat structure and stability without comprehensive data on all organisms.
A new study published in Agricultural and Forest Meteorology successfully predicts Australian wheat yield two months before the crop matures using a combination of climate and satellite data. The researchers achieved an accuracy rate of approximately 75% in their predictions, outperforming traditional statistical methods.
A new open-access data platform, ZooArchNet, links biological and archaeological databases to provide a long-term perspective on biodiversity crises. The platform enables researchers to reconstruct biodiversity baselines from the earliest periods of human history.
A new ocean climatology reveals the global ocean is warming due to changes in atmospheric conditions, with temperatures increasing by 0.05°C over the past 25 years. The study provides valuable background information for various applications and highlights the importance of periodic updates to ocean climatologies.
A study by the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture reveals that Vietnam can achieve significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions through affordable agricultural practices, increasing productivity, and reducing inputs. Implementing these measures could eliminate up to 51% of p...
Researchers mapped eight tree species in Forest Park using satellite imaging data and machine learning techniques. The data will help inform best practices for managing healthy green spaces and trimming programs to avoid power outages following storms. By analyzing tree health and species, experts can track growth rates and identify tr...
Researchers found that eliminating digital waste, such as avoiding sending images to users who only listen to audio, could reduce YouTube's carbon footprint by 100-500Kt CO2e. The study suggests that Sustainable Interaction Design has potential to offer more carbon savings than current strategies.
UK rapeseed growers are facing significant losses due to temperature fluctuations during late November to December. The study found that even small changes in temperature during this period can lead to yield losses of up to £160 million, or 25% of the total value.
A NASA study reveals that human activities have been influencing global drought patterns since the early 20th century. The research, published in Nature, used a combination of modern soil moisture measurements and tree ring-based records to identify a 'human fingerprint' in drought data.
A recent US study found that excessive rainfall can reduce corn yield by up to 34% relative to expected yields, similar to the impact of extreme heat and drought. The research highlights the need for improved crop insurance models to address climate change-driven extreme weather events.
Global ocean wind speeds and wave heights have increased slightly over the last three decades, according to a new study. The analysis of satellite data spanning thirty years confirms small but significant increases in extreme conditions, particularly in the Southern Ocean.
Researchers reconstructed Greenland Ice Sheet mass changes from 1972 to 2018 using data on ice velocity, thickness, and surface elevation. The study found a significant increase in ice loss, with an average of 290 Gt per year during 2010-2018, contributing to a 13.7 mm rise in global sea level.
Assistant professor Bala Chaudhary's research aims to understand how symbiotic plant microbes disperse at large continental scales. The project will use data from the National Ecological Observatory Network and analyze soil samples using DNA sequencing to determine eco-climatic predictors of mycorrhizal communities.
The GRACE satellite mission has revealed significant changes in Earth's gravitational field, providing insights into the terrestrial water cycle, ice sheet and glacier mass balance, and sea-level rise. The data highlights the effects of global warming on ice sheets and glaciers, as well as changes in freshwater storage and ocean dynamics.
A new study from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution uses coral chemical data to reconstruct nearly three centuries of wind data, revealing that monsoon winds have indeed increased over the past centuries. This finding suggests that stronger winds may be becoming more common due to climate change.
Research reveals a correlation between exposure to extreme temperatures and precipitation, and reduced educational attainment among children in the tropics. Exposure to higher-than-average temperatures in utero and early childhood correlates with fewer years of education, particularly in Asia.
Researchers found that enhanced rainfall in the tropics preceded each heat wave in predictable patterns, linking tropical weather to Central California's hot weather. The study used data from 1979 to 2010 and linked heat waves to the Madden-Julian Oscillation, a large atmospheric circulation pattern.
A recent study reveals that thawing Alaskan permafrost is releasing about twelve times higher amounts of nitrous oxide than previously assumed, making it a significant contributor to global warming. The potent greenhouse gas can stay in the atmosphere for up to 114 years, posing an additional threat to the ozone layer.
Researchers from UC Davis and APEC Climate Center found a significant correlation between tropical rainfall and heat waves in Central California. The study analyzed data from 1979 to 2010 and identified a predictable pattern linking enhanced MJO activity in the Pacific and Indian Oceans to intense heat waves.
A study of 400,000 camera-trap records from 36 mammal species on three continents found that tropical mammals respond to changing local temperatures and other species nearby. Temperatures did not increase drastically overall during the study period, but micro habitat use changed over time due to temperature fluctuations.
A recent study by ETH researchers suggests that anthropogenic climate change is causing simultaneous heatwaves across the Northern Hemisphere, affecting key agricultural regions and densely populated areas. The study found that such large-scale heatwaves first appeared in 2010 and have since become more frequent and widespread.
Svalbard reindeer population behaves counterintuitively under harsher climate scenarios, with high density and competition leading to population crashes. However, the population's internal restructuring and age structure buffer the effects of climate change, allowing them to survive in a warming environment.
The GeoFarmer app enables smallholder farmers to collect and share vital information on climate-related agricultural interventions. Farmers produced tens of thousands of data points despite limited internet connectivity, demonstrating the app's potential to increase communication and empower farmers.