Environment

Feb 04, 2019 08:03 AM EST

Variations in seafloor create freak ocean waves

Florida State University researchers have found that abrupt variations in the seafloor can cause dangerous ocean waves known as rogue or freak waves -- waves so catastrophic that they were once thought to be the figments of seafarers' imaginations.

Examples of Organisms that May Be Particularly at Risk of Losing Fertility Due to High Temperatures (IMAGE)

Feb 01, 2019 09:10 AM EST

Climate change and infertility -- a ticking time bomb?

Rising temperatures could make some species sterile and see them succumb to the effects of climate change earlier than currently thought, scientists at the University of Liverpool warn.

Feb 01, 2019 09:08 AM EST

Climate change could make corals go it alone

Climate change is bad news for coral reefs around the world, with high ocean temperatures causing widespread bleaching events that weaken and kill corals. However, new research from The University of Texas at Austin has found that corals with a solitary streak - preferring to live alone instead of in reef communities - could fare better than their group-dwelling relatives.

Feb 01, 2019 09:00 AM EST

Antarctic meltwater streams shed light on longstanding hydrological mystery

In one of the coldest, driest places on Earth, CU Boulder scientists have developed a possible answer to a longstanding mystery about the chemistry of streamflow, which may have broad implications for watersheds and water quality around the world.

Miscanthus Varieties Vary in Cold Tolerance

Jan 31, 2019 08:28 AM EST

Miscanthus with improved winter-hardiness could benefit northern growers

For farmers, Miscanthus represents a big up-front investment. The large perennial grass must be established from vegetative pieces at great cost to farmers, but it promises a decade or more of massive biomass yields, starting in year two or three. If a cold winter happens to strike in the first year, however, all bets are off.

Jan 31, 2019 08:21 AM EST

Plastic in Britain's seals, dolphins and whales

Microplastics have been found in the guts of every marine mammal examined in a new study of animals washed up on Britain's shores.

Jan 30, 2019 09:11 AM EST

Cattle urine's planet-warming power can be curtailed with land restoration

When cow urine falls on degraded land, it releases far more nitrous oxide -- a potent greenhouse gas -- than when absorbed by healthy pasture; the findings show additional benefits of landscape restoration and conservation

Jan 30, 2019 09:02 AM EST

Prairie strips transform farmland conservation

Modern agriculture's large monoculture fields grow a lot of corn and soybeans, planted annually. The outputs from row crops can be measured both in dollars paid in the market and also in non-market costs, known as externalities.

Glacier melting away due to global warming

Jan 28, 2019 06:48 PM EST

Climate change reshaping how heat moves around globe

The Earth's atmosphere and oceans play important roles in moving heat from one part of the world to another, and new research is illuminating how those patterns are changing in the face of climate change.

John Scott, Illinois Sustainable Technology Center

Jan 25, 2019 03:55 PM EST

Microplastic contamination found in common source of groundwater, researchers report

Microplastics contaminate the world's surface waters, yet scientists have only just begun to explore their presence in groundwater systems. A new study is the first to report microplastics in fractured limestone aquifers - a groundwater source that accounts for 25 percent of the global drinking water supply.

Jan 25, 2019 03:49 PM EST

Do microbes control the formation of giant copper deposits?

This contribution to Geology by Fernando Tornos and colleagues tries to solve the long-standing debate on the control of microbes on secondary sulfide formation. They predict that future multidisciplinary studies will prove that microbes have a key control on the precipitation of metals in these shallow environments.