Articles tagged with Mountains
Researchers found that small island rivers in Taiwan and New Zealand produce high amounts of sediment, potentially impacting global climate change. The amount of sediment varies greatly between rivers, with the Cropp River in New Zealand producing 32,000 tons per square kilometer.
A new study suggests that lowland deforestation may be robbing mountain cloud forests of critical cloud cover, threatening their survival. Breaking up deforested land into a mosaic of uses can help restore cloud formation.
Researchers at Michigan Tech have deployed a laboratory on Pico mountain in the Azores to track air pollution drifting across the North Atlantic. The lab, known as PICO-NARE, will detect ozone, black carbon dust, and carbon monoxide, shedding light on the impact of local pollution on global warming.
University of North Carolina chemist Michael T. Crimmins wins national award for developing laboratory methods to create compounds with anti-tumor activity and potential health benefits. His team successfully synthesized a chemical from the gingko tree called gingkolide B, which may also delay Alzheimer's disease onset.
Scientists at University of Michigan developed a new approach to date shallow faults, essential for understanding the evolution of Earth's crust and fault processes. The technique provides precise ages within a couple of million years, narrowing down previous estimates that spanned many million years.
The USGS is studying the effects of climate change, fire, and carbon dioxide on ecosystems in America's grasslands, deserts, and mountains. Researchers have found that high mortality rates among grassland birds in Colorado may be caused by small mammals invading nests.
A University of Washington researcher found that climbers using supplemental oxygen on Mount Everest had a 3% death rate during descent, compared to an 8.3% death rate for those not using oxygen. A similar pattern emerged on K2, where none of the successful climbers who used supplemental oxygen died during descent.
Researchers found that mountainous areas can receive dramatically different amounts of pollutants and excess nutrients, creating 'hotspots' with high ecological sensitivity. The study suggests that estimates of atmospheric deposition must take into account complex mountain landscapes, elevations, aspect, and vegetation type.
The CU National Snow and Ice Data Center has posted avalanche awareness information on its website to educate skiers and backcountry enthusiasts. The materials provide guidance on evaluating snowpack stability, recognizing danger signals, and surviving avalanches, with links to related sources.
Yucca Mountain's long-term hydrologic stability makes it a potential site for storing nuclear waste. Calcite and opal deposits indicate minimal water flow into the mountain's cavities.
A recent USGS study found that a subalpine wetland in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park was a net source of carbon to the atmosphere during a two-year period, despite being a net carbon sink for thousands of years. The study suggests that climate change may be affecting the carbon balance of these wetlands.
A study published in Environmental Geology suggests that a magnitude 5 or 6 earthquake could raise the water table by up to 750 feet at the Yucca Mountain storage site, leading to potential flooding. The researchers used computer modeling based on geological data and historical quakes to make their predictions.