The Arctic’s Permafrost-Obsessed Methane Detectives
The Far North is thawing, unleashing clouds of planet-heating gas. Scientists rely on an arsenal of tech to sniff out just how nasty the problem is......»»
As Arctic warms, caribou and muskoxen slow biodiversity loss
Rapidly warming conditions in the Arctic and the loss of sea ice caused by climate change are driving a steep decline in biodiversity, including among plants, fungi and lichen......»»
Disappearing Himalayan snow and ice will impact food production in one of the world"s major rice bowls, says report
A major new assessment report from an eight-nation body, the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), to which WUR contributed, reveals the changes to the glaciers, snow and permafrost of the Hindu Kush Himalayan region driv.....»»
Plant life found to determine soil bacteria diversity in the Arctic tundra
Living and nonliving factors that influence the types of vegetation that grow at different elevations in the Arctic tundra also regulate the types of bacteria that grow in the soil. The distribution of generalist bacteria, which can adapt to a broade.....»»
Dam construction mitigates methane emissions along river-estuary continuum of Yangtze River, finds study
Methane (CH4) is the second most important greenhouse gas. Despite occupying only 0.58% of Earth's non-glaciated land surface, rivers play a critical role in carbon delivery and transformation within aquatic networks, rendering them a significant con.....»»
Composite embankment with L-shaped, two-phase, closed thermosyphons influences permafrost deformation: Study
Climate change and engineering disturbance cause degradation of permafrost, which affects infrastructure stability and transportation safety. Two-phase closed thermosyphons (TPCTs) are widely used to tackle external disturbances by cooling the permaf.....»»
Algae in feed troughs make cows belch less methane, finds research
Some very special cows are walking around the stables in Foulum, a little city outside Viborg in Denmark. The cows have been implanted with a so-called fistula. This is a kind of window leading directly into the stomach of the cow......»»
Researchers develop novel technique for in-situ detection of gas-phase active intermediates in photocatalysis
Prof. Pan Yang and Associate Researcher Liu Chengyuan, researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), have achieved significant progress in detecting intermediates in methane photoc.....»»
How Arctic ice melt raises the risk of far-away wildfires
As millions of people in New York and other major North American cities choke on acrid smoke, they could point their accusatory fingers farther North than the wildfires ravaging Quebec—all the way to the global Arctic......»»
Climate change is altering the linkage between the Arctic and subarctic oceans, finds study
The Arctic Ocean is connected with the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans through several ocean gateways, and changes in the linkage between these oceans and the Arctic Ocean can affect both climate and marine ecosystems......»»
Arctic Ocean could be ice-free in summer by 2030s, with global, damaging and dangerous consequences
The Arctic Ocean could be ice-free in summer by the 2030s, even if we do a good job of reducing emissions between now and then. That's the worrying conclusion of a new study in Nature Communications......»»
An Ice-free Arctic Could Be Only a Decade Away
A new study finds that Arctic sea ice could disappear in the summers as early as the 2030s, a decade earlier than previously thought.....»»
Arctic could be ice-free a decade earlier than thought
The Arctic Ocean's ice cap will disappear in summer as soon as the 2030s and a decade earlier than thought, no matter how aggressively humanity draws down the carbon pollution that drives global warming, scientists said Tuesday......»»
How a microbe creates its own sulfate reduction machinery
Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen, Germany, have uncovered the molecular secrets of a methane-generating microbe that can transform sulfate into sulfide—a ready-to-use cellular building block. This discovery o.....»»
X-rays visualize how one of nature"s strongest bonds breaks
The use of short flashes of X-ray light brings scientists one big step closer toward developing better catalysts to transform the greenhouse gas methane into a less harmful chemical. The result, published in the journal Science, reveals for the first.....»»
Petit-spot volcanoes involve deepest known submarine hydrothermal activity, may release methane
Underwater volcanoes on the Earth's crust are active contributors of many different elements to the oceanic environment. Hence, they play an important role in biogeochemical and chemosynthetic cycles of the ocean. Although there have been many studie.....»»
COVID outbreak at CDC gathering infects 181 disease detectives
Nearly all of the attendees were vaccinated, but 70% said they didn't mask. Enlarge / The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters stands in Atlanta, Georgia, on Saturday, March 14, 2020. (credit: Getty | Blo.....»»
Sunlight-powered catalyst transforms methane into valuable chemicals
In a concerted effort with collaborators from the University College London, Professor Zhengxiao Guo from the Department of Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong (HKU), and Professor Junwang Tang, now at the Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsing.....»»
From mangroves to fjords, coastal ecosystems can take up or emit greenhouse gases. But globally, they"re a vital sink
Coastal ecosystems can absorb or emit the three main greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide......»»
Warming Arctic could put chill on squirrel "date nights"
As Alaska's bleak winter sets in, arctic ground squirrels burrow deep into the ground to begin an eight-month-hibernation before popping up again in spring, famished and eager to breed......»»
Rocket Report: Europe has a rocket problem, FAA testing safety of methane
"SpaceX continues to totally redefine the world’s access to space." Enlarge / Korea's Nuri rocket launched for the third time on Thursday. (credit: KARI) Welcome to Edition 5.40 of the Rocket Report! I would like to c.....»»