Better capturing the effect of aerosol particles on clouds and the climate
The extent to which aerosol particles affect the climate depends on how much water the particles can hold in the atmosphere. The capacity to hold water is referred to as hygroscopicity (K) and, in turn, depends on further factors—particularly the s.....»»
NASA pilots use specialty suits to validate data
Welcome to NASA's Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem Postlaunch Airborne eXperiment (PACE-PAX). We've been talking about this validation campaign and now are finally here. "Here" being one of three main locations where PACE-PAX validation effo.....»»
How coral and sediments helped to reconstruct 2.6 million years of climate history
Today's climate change is man-made. The consensus in the climate science community is unequivocal, but in order to determine just how exceptional current climate change is, we have had to contextualize the present on a much longer time scale. To do t.....»»
Investigating "climate burnout" to learn how people can maintain motivation to fight climate change
As the occurrence of weather extremes continues to escalate, the climate change movement now grapples with a new challenge, "climate burnout.".....»»
Current economic system fails examination by sustainability experts
Our current economic system is based on poor science and should not be used to guide government decision-making when faced with threats to existence like climate change. That's the conclusion of a new paper led by UNSW Sydney sustainability scientist.....»»
Deadly flooding in Central Europe made twice as likely by climate change
Human-caused climate change doubled the likelihood and intensified the heavy rains that led to devastating flooding in Central Europe earlier this month, a new flash study found......»»
Better together: Gut microbiome communities found to have enhanced resilience to drugs
Many human medications can directly inhibit the growth and alter the function of the bacteria that constitute our gut microbiome. EMBL Heidelberg researchers have now discovered that this effect is reduced when bacteria form communities......»»
Quantum sensing approach captures nanoscale electrochemical evolution in battery
Battery performance is heavily influenced by the non-uniformity and failure of individual electrode particles. Understanding the reaction mechanisms and failure modes at nanoscale level is key to advancing battery technologies and extending their lif.....»»
In the gateway to the Arctic, fat, ice and polar bears are crucial. All three are in trouble.
Searching for polar bears where the Churchill River dumps into Canada's massive Hudson Bay, biologist Geoff York scans a region that's on a low fat, low ice diet because of climate change......»»
Graphene at 20: Still no sign of the promised space elevator, but the material is quietly changing the world
Twenty years ago this October, two physicists at the University of Manchester, Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, published a groundbreaking paper on the "electric field effect in atomically thin carbon films." Their work described the extraordinar.....»»
Global crises are multiplying: Here"s how science can help our public decision-makers
Housing, climate, cost of living, health—the multitude of interconnected crises the world is facing has spawned a new term: "polycrisis.".....»»
Businesses trying to come clean about their impact on nature can end up concealing more than they reveal
Humans have overfished the ocean, cleared forests, polluted water and created a climate crisis by burning fossil fuels. These actions are affecting biodiversity around the world, from remote islands to our own backyards......»»
Climate change is a pollution problem, and countries have stopped similar threats before—think DDT and acid rain
Climate change can seem like an insurmountable challenge. However, if you look closely at its causes, you'll realize that history is filled with similar health and environmental threats that humanity has overcome......»»
High-resolution images of the sun show how flares impact the solar atmosphere
Solar flares are a fascinating thing and have a profound effect on what astronomers refer to as "space weather." These events vary with the sun's 11-year solar cycle, releasing immense amounts of radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum (from ex.....»»
California carbon emissions lag behind 2030 climate targets, data show
California carbon emissions are falling, but not fast enough to reach the state's 2030 climate targets, according to data released Friday by the Air Resources Board. Leaders predicted that new and existing industry regulations would put the state on.....»»
Scientists reviewed 7,000 studies on microplastics. Their alarming conclusion puts humanity on notice
It's been 20 years since a paper in the journal Science showed the environmental accumulation of tiny plastic fragments and fibers. It named the particles "microplastics.".....»»
Many people in the Pacific lack access to adequate toilets—and climate change makes things worse
The Pacific Islands may evoke images of sprawling coastlines and picturesque scenery. But while this part of the world might look like paradise, many local residents are grappling with a serious public health issue......»»
New tool to help decision makers navigate possible futures of the Colorado River
The Colorado River is a vital source of water in the Western United States, providing drinking water for homes and irrigation for farms in seven states, but the basin is under increasing pressure from climate change and drought. A new computational t.....»»
Even the heaviest particles experience the usual quantum weirdness, new experiment shows
One of the most surprising predictions of physics is entanglement, a phenomenon where objects can be some distance apart but still linked together. The best-known examples of entanglement involve tiny chunks of light (photons), and low energies......»»
A record of the Earth’s temperature covering half a billion years
With one exception, a strong link between carbon dioxide and global temperatures. Enlarge / The cycle of building and breaking up of supercontinents seems to drive long-term climate trends. (credit: Walter Myers/Stocktrek Images).....»»
Study reveals large ocean heat storage efficiency during the last deglaciation
As one of the largest heat reservoirs in the climate system, the global ocean absorbs more than 90% of the excess energy from ongoing anthropogenic warming. In the last century, the greatest warming in the ocean has occurred in the upper 500 m, with.....»»