Research on measuring and modeling the climate. Covers climate extremes, carbon sequestration, monitoring methods, and urban heat exposure.
Climate researchers at the University of East Anglia have made world temperature records available via Google Earth, allowing users to zoom in on 6,000 weather stations and view monthly, seasonal, and annual temperature data. The dataset combines records from 150 years ago, providing valuable insights into climate change.
Research shows that China's export of air pollution reaches the western United States, tied to consumer goods production. A study in India reveals a 60% increase in sulfur dioxide emissions from 2005 to 2012, shifting India into the No. 2 spot as the biggest emitter after China.
The National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center has accepted a new Cray XC30 supercomputer named Edison, designed for scientific productivity. The system features nearly 2.4 quadrillion floating-point operations per second and can handle both data analysis and simulation and modeling with equal efficiency.
A study published in PLOS ONE suggests that penguins' ability to respond to changes in sea ice concentrations is disrupted by extreme environmental events. Adélie penguins can cope with reduced summer sea ice, but extreme events like giant icebergs reduce their access to prey and overall efficiency.
A new study reveals Herdwicks contain a 'primitive genome' from ancient founder flocks in Sweden, Finland, and the Orkney Islands. The research also found that these breeds have lower risk of infection to Maidi Visna virus, providing potential genetic traits for future sheep farming.
Barton's team will develop interconnected, web-based analysis and visualization tools to discern complex relationships among societies and their environments. The project aims to create new insights into socio-ecological systems and make them accessible to the general public, policymakers, and stakeholders.
A new study of vast weather data reveals hundreds of smaller storms that had previously escaped detection, increasing the number of Arctic cyclones by 40% to around 1,900 per year. This finding is important for understanding current weather patterns and potential climate change in the future.
A new study by Robert J. Brulle exposes the organizational underpinnings of the climate change denial movement, revealing a web of funding from conservative foundations and 'dark money' sources. The study found that donations to denial organizations have shifted towards untraceable pass-through foundations.
A new study reveals that favorable climate conditions in the year prior to nesting and the number of returning female turtles significantly impact loggerhead sea turtle nesting activity. The research suggests that protecting older juveniles and sub-adults is crucial for population recovery, and may be more important than protecting hat...
Researchers have developed a precision instrument that can determine water loss in agricultural systems, enabling growers to make informed irrigation decisions and reducing water waste. The system provides real-time data on water use by plants versus evaporation, leading to significant water savings.
A study by Ohio State University researchers found that there were approximately 1,900 cyclones per year in the Arctic region from 2000 to 2010, 40% more than initially estimated. This increased detection rate has significant implications for understanding regional weather patterns and potential climate change.
Researchers find consistent types of organisms in subsurface rocks across globe, challenges imagination to think of nearly identical microbes 16,000 km apart.
The Total Solar Irradiance Calibration Transfer Experiment (TCTE) mission aims to provide accurate measurements of the sun's energy impact on Earth. The new instrument, deployed in November 2013, will overlap with the existing TIM instrument to ensure continuous data flow and improve accuracy.
Researchers at EPFL have discovered a law that can predict the growth of cities based on past population data and neighboring cities. This allows for better planning and management of urbanization. The study analyzed data from Spain over 111 years, uncovering patterns in urban migration.
The installation of Blue Gene Active Storage at JSC enables scientists to exploit the performance of the supercomputer, facilitating interactive access to large amounts of data. The system's non-volatile memory technology features high bandwidth and very high access rates, addressing the increasing costs of data transport.
A team of scientists has discovered a volcano hidden beneath a kilometer of ice in West Antarctica, sparking concerns about its potential impact on the continent's major ice streams. The volcano, located approximately 25-40 kilometers below the surface, is believed to be fueled by a hot spot in the Earth's mantle.
Researchers have reconstructed 'missing' global temperatures using a combination of satellite and surface data, revealing that the Arctic is warming rapidly. The new study suggests that the rate of warming since 1997 has been two and a half times greater than previously estimated.
The HyperSpectral Imager for Climate Science (HySICS) has made its inaugural engineering balloon flight, collecting radiance data for nearly half of its eight and a half hour flight. This technology advance enables climate predictions and trends to be seen with higher accuracy using shorter duration data sets.
A study by ICRAF and European institutions finds that local communities using simple tools can produce accurate forest carbon data on par with results by professional foresters. Community-gathered data is also found to be more legitimate, cost-effective, and improve trust among local communities.
Researchers discovered a five-year delay between slow tree growth and increased mortality in a Black Spruce forest, suggesting that older forests may be storing more carbon than previously estimated. This finding has important implications for understanding the impact of climate change on forest health and carbon sequestration.
The New York Botanical Garden has digitized the two-millionth plant specimen, a rare purple pitcher plant, as part of its ambitious project to make scientific collections widely available online. The milestone achievement marks almost one-third of the way to the garden's goal of digitizing its entire collection of 7.3 million specimens.
The WIFIRE project aims to create a scalable system for wildfire analysis, integrating networked observations and computational techniques. It will support situational awareness, responses, and decision-making at local, state, national, and international levels.
A study by Aarhus University researchers found that global forests are being cleared and restricted to steep terrain, leading to reduced biodiversity. The shift is driven by human activities such as agriculture, urbanization, and efficient land use practices.
A team led by NASA's Robert Bindschadler measures the rate at which warm ocean water melts Antarctica's Pine Island Glacier ice shelf from underneath. The study reveals melt rates of up to 2.36 inches per day, with implications for sea level rise and glacier stability.
A new £800,000 grant from the Medical Research Council will enable scientists to connect diverse databases and investigate links between climate, environment, and human health. The project aims to develop an IT system and database linking weather, climate, and environmental data with information on health and wellbeing.
A new study by University of Florida researchers highlights the need for more effective methods in storing genetic data. The study finds that about 70 percent of published genetic sequence comparisons are not publicly accessible, hindering research efforts worldwide.
Researchers use airborne radar data to uncover a 750km-long, meandering river channel beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet. The canyon is thought to predate the ice sheet and played a crucial role in transporting sub-glacial meltwater into the Arctic Ocean.
A new study by UC Berkeley and Princeton researchers found that climate strongly affects human conflict and violence globally. Climate-related factors such as temperature and drought are consistently linked to increased personal and intergroup violence.
Researchers found a significant correlation between climate conditions and human conflict, with even moderate changes in temperature and rainfall increasing the risk of personal violence and social unrest. A 1 standard-deviation shift in heat or rainfall boosts the risk of riot, civil war, or ethnic conflict by an average of 14%.
Researchers have developed a high-fidelity national carbon map of Panama using field data, satellite imagery, and LiDAR measurements. The maps provide unprecedented accuracy in estimating carbon stocks at the national level, with an uncertainty of around 10% per hectare.
New research shows that most big data centers could slash their greenhouse gas emissions by 88% by switching to efficient equipment and improving energy management. Improving computing efficiency is the key factor, with renewable power helping reduce emissions by 98% when combined with other strategies.
The first global atlas of marine plankton catalogues an estimated 100 trillion individual organisms, revealing surprising similarities in phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass. The open-source database will aid conservation efforts and inform computer models to predict climate change impacts.
The global atlas, MAREDAT, provides unprecedented insights into oceanic plankton diversity and biomass across 500,000 locations worldwide. It reveals surprising findings, such as zooplankton having more biomass than phytoplankton in some regions.
A new technology allows for real-time acoustic recording and species identification in remote locations, providing reliable long-term data on tropical species. The system has been tested in Puerto Rico and Costa Rica, enabling the analysis of over 1 million recordings and supporting conservation efforts.
Forests across the globe are losing less water and becoming more efficient in using it for growth as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels rise. Scientists found that forests are storing more carbon due to higher growth rates.
The Wellcome Trust launches a global funding scheme to investigate the impact of climate change, urbanization, and nutrition on human health. Researchers can apply for up to £250,000 support for pilot projects addressing behaviour change, global nutrition, and ecological public health.
A Harvard study found that forests across the globe are becoming more efficient in using water, contrary to expectations. The research team used long-term data from over 20 years of eddy covariance measurements to show that forests are storing more carbon and growing faster due to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.
A study led by a University of Arizona ecologist found that many species evolve too slowly to adapt to the rapid climate change expected in the next 100 years. Terrestrial vertebrate species appear to evolve too slowly to be able to adapt to the dramatically warmer climate expected by 2100.
A new study found that birds can survive climate change through phenotypic plasticity, a flexibility in behavior. This adaptation enables them to track environmental changes, increasing their chances of survival. However, slow-reproducing species are more vulnerable to extinction due to the need for precise adaptations.
A new study by UC Santa Barbara's NCEAS found that tropical forests are sensitive to small changes in temperature, producing more flowers. The study analyzed global data and satellite information, indicating that clouds mainly affect short-term growth, while longer-term changes are due to temperature.
Scientists at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research have developed a novel approach to forecast El Niño events, extending the prediction time to one year or more. The method employs network analysis and was tested successfully, predicting the absence of an El Niño event in the last year.
Researchers will use 30-meter resolution satellite images to identify eight different crops and changes in acreage over four decades, providing insights into climate change implications and carbon storage.
A recent study found that human influences through global warming increased the chances of Australians experiencing record hot summers like 2013 by more than five times. The research suggests that greenhouse gas emissions will lead to even more frequent and severe extreme heat events in the future.
New research from Ohio State University predicts that the growing human population will lead to an increase of 10.8% more threatened species by 2050. The study suggests that meaningful biodiversity conservation efforts must take into account the expanding human population footprint, which can exacerbate extinction threats.
A new study found that the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) is more accurate than administrative data for tracking 30-day hospital readmissions. The study analyzed colorectal surgical patients and found that 30% of readmissions could be prevented with accurate tracking, potentially ...
The Landsat satellite has been collecting millions of images for over 40 years, providing a wealth of data on Earth's surface. With the launch of Landsat 8, scientists can now access images that are accurate and consistent with previous missions, allowing for more detailed analysis and research.
The new radiometer will globally map soil moisture levels, a crucial gauge for drought monitoring and prediction. It will also help scientists understand the water cycle and crack an unsolved climate mystery: the location of carbon dioxide stores.
A study by Berkeley Lab found that increasing classroom ventilation rates up to the state standard can reduce student absences by approximately 3.4 percent, leading to significant cost savings for schools and families. This reduction in absenteeism is estimated to be worth $33 million annually to California's school districts.
A new dataset called Bedmap2 offers a clearer picture of Antarctica, providing valuable information on ice thickness and bedrock depth. The improvement in resolution, coverage, and precision will lead to more accurate calculations of ice volume and sea level rise.
A new paper validates a fundamental assumption in space-for-time substitution, a popular approach for predicting relationships between complex variables. The study used fossilized pollen data to reconstruct ancient ecosystems and found that the model explained about 72 percent of the variation in their time data.
Research reveals sulfur dioxide from volcanoes affects stratospheric aerosol concentration, cooling the climate. The study uses MIPAS data to analyze sulfur budget in the stratosphere and excludes anthropogenic sources.
A new study projects that heat-related deaths in Manhattan will increase by 20 percent by the 2020s and potentially up to 90 percent or more by the 2080s. Higher winter temperatures may offset some of these deaths, but overall temperature-related mortality is expected to rise.
Researchers found that extensive warming on the Antarctic Peninsula occurs during its fall months, governed by atmospheric circulation patterns originating in the tropics. The autumn warming leads to a notable reduction in sea ice cover, resulting in warmer temperatures on nearby land in winter and spring.
The grant aims to improve solar energy system efficiency and reduce costs in West Michigan. Researchers will collect data on residential and commercial solar installations to better understand the region's unique conditions.
Research using GBIF data found nearly two-thirds of plants and half of animals could lose more than half their climate range by 2080. Swift action to limit emissions can reduce losses by 60% and buy additional time for species adaptation.
A comprehensive study of global temperature change over the past 1,000 to 2,000 years found pronounced regional differences. The research, led by Northern Arizona University's Darrell Kaufman, provides insight into climate variability and its impact on societies and ecosystems.
A study by the University of Zurich found that climate variability accounts for 54% of global vegetation activity changes. Human activity caused over 30% of changes, with regions such as Tanzania and Zimbabwe experiencing declines in vegetation activity. The research team will further investigate interactions between humans and climate.
A comprehensive marine biodiversity observation network could be established within 5 years with modest funding, addressing gaps in understanding global marine organism distribution under climate change threats. The network would help identify threats like exotic species invasions and resolve conflicts over ocean management.
Researchers at MIT found that measuring recovery length, a spatial counterpart to recovery time, can help predict population collapse risk. By analyzing variations in population density in neighboring regions, scientists can identify areas at risk of collapse, allowing for timely intervention.
University of Cincinnati student researcher Bo Yang develops method to combine thermal data from separate satellite systems, creating detailed maps of regional temperature fluctuations. This technique simplifies the process of analyzing parallel data, allowing geographers to derive daily surface temperature and emissivity information.