Ardern tours "devastating" New Zealand floods
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern toured flood-hit areas of the country's South Island on Tuesday, expressing shock at the destruction left when three months' worth of rain fell in three days......»»
Fossil unearthed in New Zealand contains the largest fossil crab claw ever found
A pair of researchers, one a paleoecologist with Utrecht University, the other an independent ancient crab enthusiast, have identified the largest known crab fossil claw ever discovered. In their paper published in the journal New Zealand Journal of.....»»
New "digital twin" Earth technology could help predict water-based natural disasters before they strike
The water cycle looks simple in theory—but human impacts, climate change, and complicated geography mean that in practice, floods and droughts remain hard to predict. To model water on Earth, you need incredibly high-resolution data across an immen.....»»
New study sheds light on 2020 extreme weather event that brought fires and snow to western US
The same weather system that led to the spread of the devastating Labor Day wildfires in 2020 brought record-breaking cold and early-season snowfall to parts of the Rocky Mountains. Now, new research from Portland State is shedding light on the meteo.....»»
Self-pay gas station pumps break across NZ as software can’t handle Leap Day
"We'll add it to our Outlook reminders..." Enlarge / A gas station displays an out-of-order sign on February 29, 2024 in New Zealand. (credit: Mark Coote/Bloomberg via Getty Images) Today is Leap Day, meaning that for.....»»
Plant biologists identify promising new fungicides
A promising new fungicide to fight devastating crop diseases has been identified by researchers at the University of California, Davis. The chemical, ebselen, prevented fungal infections in apples, grapes, strawberries, tomatoes and roses and improve.....»»
Oranges wither, cows go hungry in drought-hit Sicily
Marilina Barreca has two grim options: feed her cows tainted fodder or set them to graze on barren hillsides as Sicily battles a crop-devastating drought which is sucking reservoirs dry......»»
New Zealand opens first "kiwi hospital" for injured birds
New Zealand on Friday opened its first hospital exclusively treating kiwi birds, and vets have already nursed the first patient back to health—a chick nicknamed "Splash" that tumbled into a swimming pool......»»
Climate change not to blame for deadly Chile Fires: researchers
Neither human-induced climate change nor the El Nino weather phenomenon were determining factors in the devastating forest fires that killed more than 130 people in Chile this month, according to the results of an international study revealed Thursda.....»»
Little groundwater recharge in ancient Mars aquifer, according to new models
Mars was once a wet world. The geological record of the Red Planet shows evidence for water flowing on the surface—from river deltas to valleys carved by massive flash floods......»»
Hiroshima fallout debris linked to first solar system condensates
The atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, by the United States in August 1945 was not only devastating at the time, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, but it has had long-standing impacts to the present day, particularly the el.....»»
A new tool can help protect California and Nevada communities from floods while preserving their water supply
At the dawn of the new year in 1997, the Truckee River transformed. The winter season had thus far been great for snow, but when a subtropical storm from near the Hawaiian Islands rolled in, it carried with it unseasonably warm rain. The warm rainfal.....»»
Can astronomers use radar to spot a cataclysmic asteroid?
How can humans protect the Earth from "devastating asteroid and comet impacts?" According to the National Academies and their 2023-2032 Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey, ground-based astronomical radar systems will have a "unique rol.....»»
Researchers shed light on river resiliency to flooding
Researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno have completed one of the most extensive river resilience studies, examining how river ecosystems recover following floods. They developed a novel modeling approach that used data from oxygen sensors plac.....»»
Florida coral reef still struggling after 2023 heat wave
Coral reefs off the Florida Keys islands are struggling to recover from last summer's record-breaking heat wave, new data showed Thursday, in another sign of the devastating impacts of human-caused climate change......»»
Scientists discover microbe unique to New Zealand
Professor Matthew Stott co-leads a team of researchers from Canterbury and Waikato universities that has identified an endemic genus of geothermal microorganisms—a discovery believed to be a world-first......»»
How to survive Valentine"s Day when you"re heartbroken
8 ways to forget your heartbreak on the most cursed day of the year Many Februarys ago, I went for lunch with a friend and was served a devastating blow. As I ordered a club sandwich, I caught her eyeing me nervously. "So, I have some news," sh.....»»
Groundwater upsurge floods homes in Libyan coastal town
Much of Libya is bone-dry desert but one Mediterranean coastal town is suffering the opposite problem—its houses and fields have been inundated by a mysterious upsurge of groundwater......»»
High-tech spray can prevent and cure rusty plant threat
Researchers from The University of Queensland have developed a treatment that can both prevent and cure infection caused by an invasive fungal disease devastating native Australian plants......»»
China"s doom loop: A dramatically smaller (and older) population could create a devastating global slowdown
China has announced that in 2023 its population declined from 1.4118 to 1.4097 billion people. Forecasting by the UN suggests China's population will dip to 1.313 billion by 2050 and then down to about 800 million by 2100. This is a significant chang.....»»
What"s causing the Amazon"s ongoing record drought?
The devastating drought in the Amazon River Basin that reported in October has continued into Northern Hemisphere winter, which is the heart of the wet season in the southern part of the basin. The drought is cutting off rural and riverside communiti.....»»