Environment

Mar 23, 2019 10:09 AM EDT

A first glimpse deep beneath an ultraslow-spreading mid-ocean ridge

Technology allows researchers to make images from 120 km below a mid-ocean ridge

Mar 22, 2019 09:15 AM EDT

Pathogenic, drug-resistant bacteria found in wastewater treatment plants

Infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria are a global public health threat causing serious illness and even death. Strains of the bacterium Enterococcus faecium (E. faecium) are generally harmless in healthy people, but can be pathogenic in immunocompromised or severely ill patients.

Mar 21, 2019 10:08 AM EDT

Scientists propose a new benchmark skill for decadal prediction of terrestrial water storage

Terrestrial water storage (TWS) includes all phases of water over land (e.g., surface and groundwater, snow etc.) and acts as an important freshwater resource. It is a critical component of the terrestrial water cycle, so a reliable TWS decadal prediction would be beneficial for sustainable water resources management, especially in a changing climate.

Mar 20, 2019 02:44 PM EDT

Coral reefs near equator less affected by ocean warming

Research based on analysis of field observations from 20-year global coral survey

Mar 19, 2019 09:15 AM EDT

New perspective on changing travel conditions in Arctic communities

Inuit communities' travel skills and regional knowledge have helped mitigate the effects of Arctic climate change on travel conditions, according to a new study.

Mar 18, 2019 10:20 AM EDT

Solar-powered moisture harvester collects and cleans water from air

UT Engineers combine hydrogels that are both highly water absorbent and can release water upon heating to create unique material that captures moisture and returns it as clean water

Mar 18, 2019 10:07 AM EDT

Climate change negatively affects waterbirds in the American West

New research shows that recent climate change is having profound effects on wetlands across the American West - affecting birds that use these wetlands for breeding, migration and wintering.

Mar 16, 2019 09:09 AM EDT

Largest carbon dioxide sink in renewable forests

Forests are the filters of our Earth: They clean the air, remove dust particles, and produce oxygen. So far, the rain forest in particular has been considered the "green lung" of our planet. Yet, an international team, including researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), recently found that the world's largest carbon sinks are located in young, regrowing forests. The results are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS).

Mar 16, 2019 08:30 AM EDT

Rainy Weather on the Greenland Ice -- Triggering Sudden Melting Events

Rainy weather is becoming increasingly common over parts of the Greenland ice sheet, triggering sudden melting events that are eating at the ice and priming the surface for more widespread future melting, says a new study. Some parts of the ice sheet are even receiving rain in winter--a phenomenon that will spread as the climate continues to warm, say the researchers. The study appears this week in the European scientific journal The Cryosphere.

Mar 15, 2019 09:58 AM EDT

Fighting leaf and mandible

Pests and the plant defenses against them drive diversity in tropical rainforests

Mar 15, 2019 09:21 AM EDT

Using Thoreau, scientists measure the impact of climate change on wildflowers

A new study published in Ecology Letters is using observations made by Henry David Thoreau--19th-century American naturalist, social reformer, and philosopher--to explore the effects of climate change on tree leaf-out and, as a result, the emergence of spring wildflowers.

Mar 14, 2019 08:33 AM EDT

Climate change could devastate painted turtles

AMES, Iowa - An Iowa State University biologist is sounding the alarm for the painted turtle, one of many reptiles for which climate change could prove particularly threatening.

Mar 13, 2019 09:13 AM EDT

Study reviews the potential impacts of future heat waves on humans and wildlife

Climate change is often talked about in terms of averages - like the goal set by the Paris Agreement to limit the Earth's temperature increase to 2 degrees Celsius.

Mar 13, 2019 08:21 AM EDT

What do gardens bring to urban ecosystems?

"A healthy community requires healthy soil." This idea spurred a consortium of researchers, farmers, and community garden practitioners to dive into the challenges--and opportunities--of urban agriculture. Their efforts, now in a second year, may highlight how urban soil can be a resource for human and environmental health.