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Sandia effort images the sea monster of nuclear fusion: The Rayleigh-Taylor instability

Scientists at Sandia have successfully imaged the Rayleigh-Taylor instability in fast Z-pinches, a major obstacle to harnessing nuclear fusion. The accurate simulations will enable researchers to better tweak conditions and combat the effect of the instability, potentially achieving scientific breakeven in two to three years.

SourceDOE/Sandia National Laboratories·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateNov 11, 2010

Generating energy from ocean waters off Hawaii

The University of Hawaii at Manoa has identified the Leeward side of Hawaiian Islands as a promising location for ocean-based renewable energy plants using seawater to drive massive heat engines. This technology, known as Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC), has the potential to produce steady amounts of renewable energy by harnessi...

SourceAmerican Institute of Physics·JournalJournal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy·DateAug 3, 2010

AGU journal highlights -- Aug. 3

Scientists studied the impact of a prolonged Sun cycle on Earth's conveyor belt and found that it may have led to a longer cycle. Additionally, researchers examined how global water supply sharing affects drought vulnerability, finding that sharing water globally during times of drought can increase societal resilience.

SourceAmerican Geophysical Union·JournalGeophysical Research Letters·DateAug 3, 2010

Why mercury is more dangerous in oceans

Research by Duke University scientists reveals that seawater's higher concentrations of mercury make saltwater fish like tuna and shark more toxic to humans. Methylmercury latches onto dissolved organic matter in freshwater, but tightly binds to chloride in seawater, where sunlight can't break it down as easily.

SourceDuke University·JournalNature Geoscience·DateJun 27, 2010

Retooling the ocean conveyor belt

Researchers are rethinking the ocean conveyor belt model due to its limitations in accounting for eddies and wind field. The overturning of ocean waters may vary between ocean basins and be influenced by climate change, highlighting the need for a revised understanding of this critical process.

SourceDuke University·JournalScience·DateJun 18, 2010

Melting icebergs causing sea level rise

Scientists have discovered that changes in floating ice are causing sea levels to rise, resulting in a 2.6% increase of global sea levels. The study found that the loss of floating ice amounts to a sea level rise of 49 micrometers per year.

SourceUniversity of Leeds·JournalGeophysical Research Letters·DateApr 28, 2010

Rare 95-million-year-old flying reptile Aetodactylus halli is new pterosaur genus, species

A new genus and species of flying reptile, Aetodactylus halli, has been discovered in Texas, providing insights into the diversity of pterosaurs during the Cretaceous Period. The specimen is estimated to be around 3 meters long and had a unique jaw structure with 54 teeth sockets, differing from other ornithocheirid species.

SourceSouthern Methodist University·JournalJournal of Vertebrate Paleontology·DateApr 27, 2010

Massive Southern Ocean current discovered

Scientists have discovered a massive Southern Ocean current with a volume equivalent to 40 Amazon Rivers near the Kerguelen Plateau. The current carries dense, oxygen-rich water that sinks near Antarctica to the deep ocean basins further north.

SourceCSIRO Australia·JournalNature Geoscience·DateApr 26, 2010