In a new study, researchers broke down how human-induced greenhouse gas and aerosol emissions influence rainfall in the United States.
Tag: Climate
GW Experts Available: EPA Strengthens Rule on Harmful Soot Pollution
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is strengthening limits on soot, a harmful air pollution in which studies have shown that fine particles kill thousands of Americans every year. According to The Washington Post, the stricter standards could prevent thousands of premature…
Joint Efforts to Ensure the Sustainability of Our One and Only Earth
The 37th International Geological Congress (IGC 2024) in August 2024, Busan, Korea, will highlight a growing concern amid urgent threats posed by accelerated climate and environmental changes.
Education and information can increase the acceptance of climate policies
An important question for policymakers worldwide is how to make climate and environmental policies acceptable among the populations.
Study links changes in global water cycle to higher temperatures
A new study takes an important step toward reconstructing a global history of water over the past 2,000 years. Using geologic and biologic evidence preserved in natural archives — including globally distributed corals, trees, ice, cave formations and sediments — the researchers showed that the global water cycle has changed during periods of higher and lower temperatures in the recent past.
Penn Research Projects Increase in U.S. Cardiovascular Deaths Due to Extreme Heat
The number of heat related cardiovascular deaths in the United States will increase over the next four decades, according to a new analysis from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Climate is increasing risk of high toxin concentrations in Northern US lakes
As climate change warms the Earth, higher-latitude regions will be at greater risk for toxins produced by algal blooms, according to new research led by Carnegie’s Anna Michalak, Julian Merder, and Gang Zhao.
Climate-driven extreme heat may make parts of Earth too hot for humans
If global temperatures increase by 1 degree Celsius (C) or more than current levels, each year billions of people will be exposed to heat and humidity so extreme they will be unable to naturally cool themselves.
New Study Finds That the Gulf Stream is Warming and Shifting Closer to Shore
The Gulf Stream is intrinsic to the global climate system, bringing warm waters from the Caribbean up the East Coast of the United States. As it flows along the coast and then across the Atlantic Ocean, this powerful ocean current influences weather patterns and storms, and it carries heat from the tropics to higher latitudes as part of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation.
A new study published today in Nature Climate Change now documents that over the past 20 years, the Gulf Stream has warmed faster than the global ocean as a whole and has shifted towards the coast. The study, led by Robert Todd, a physical oceanographer at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), relies on over 25,000 temperature and salinity profiles collected between 2001 and 2023.
Record $80 million grant to fund pilot program encouraging the implementation of climate-smart practices on farms
With the Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture, which is now underway, Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will distribute more than $57 million of the largest grant in the university’s history to producers to enact climate-friendly practices and serve as a pilot program for a national model.
Deciphering the intensity of past ocean currents
Details of past climate conditions are revealed to researchers not only by sediment samples from the ocean floor, but also by the surface of the seafloor, which is exposed to currents that are constantly altering it.
Scientists investigate Grand Canyon’s ancient past to predict future climate impacts
The Grand Canyon’s valleys and millions of years of rock layers spanning Earth’s history have earned it a designation as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
FSU atmospheric scientist available to comment on what El Niño conditions mean for winter, spring
By: Patty Cox | Published: October 2, 2023 | 12:30 pm | SHARE: El Niño, the climate phenomenon characterized by warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures across the equatorial central and eastern Pacific Ocean, has far-reaching impacts on weather patterns across the globe. El Niño events can last for several months up to a year or more and typically peak in the winter months of the Northern Hemisphere, so we’re likely to see El Niño conditions continue to strengthen over the coming months, said Alyssa Atwood, an assistant professor in Florida State University’s Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, part of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Important additional driver of insect decline identified: Weather explains the decline and rise of insect biomass over 34 years
Insects react sensitively when temperature and precipitation deviate from the long-term average. In an unusually dry and warm winter, their survival probabilities are reduced; in a wet and cold spring, hatching success is impaired.
Greenwashing a threat to a ‘nature positive’ world
Researchers have identified the threat greenwashing poses to a ‘nature positive’ world, one where environmental decline halts and biodiversity outcomes improve.
Soil Salinity: Wild Grapevine Defends Itself
Climate change increases the need for artificial irrigation of agricultural areas. When water evaporates, however, salts remain in the upper soil layers and increase the plant’s stress.
LLNL scientists among finalists for new Gordon Bell climate modeling award
A team from Lawrence Livermore and seven other Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories is a finalist for the new Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Gordon Bell Prize for Climate Modeling for running an unprecedented high-resolution global atmosphere model on the world’s first exascale supercomputer.
UC Irvine launches climate action innovation hub with $1 million state grant
Irvine, Calif., Sept. 14, 2023 — The State of California, through the University of California Office of Research and Innovation, has granted $1 million to the University of California, Irvine for the establishment of a broad, collaborative initiative to accelerate the growth of companies focused on climate goals.
To Cut Global Emissions, Replace Meat and Milk with Plant-Based Alternatives
Replacing 50% of meat and milk products with plant-based alternatives by 2050 can reduce agriculture and land use related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 31% and halt the degradation of forest and natural land, according to new research in Nature Communications journal.
Study: Atmospheric circulation weakens following volcanic eruptions
A new study in Nature has revealed that the Pacific Walker Circulation has changed its behavior over the industrial era in ways that weren’t expected.
Fire, disease threatening sanctuary plants for Australian wildlife
New research has revealed that Australia’s iconic grass trees – aka yaccas – play a critical role in protecting wildlife from deadly weather extremes, thereby ensuring their survival. But the grasses themselves are under threat due to back burning, clearing and disease.
Curbing waste improves global food security but has limited environmental benefits
Reducing waste is one way to help combat hunger around the world, but stricter control over food loss and waste does not lead to better environmental outcomes, according to researchers at the University of California, Irvine and the University of Colorado Boulder. In a paper published recently in Nature Food, the scientists stress that curbing food spoilage increases the amount of produce in markets, which leads to lower costs.
These Foods Can Help You Live Longer and Protect the Planet
Eating more planet-friendly foods could help you live a longer, healthier life, according to new research.
Cities need plans for extreme heat, says expert, as heat waves stretch across the globe
Extreme heat is now plaguing parts of the U.S., Europe, and Asia. A Virginia Tech expert explains what is making this one of the hottest summers on record.
NUTRITION 2023 Press Materials Available Now
Press materials are now available for NUTRITION 2023, the annual flagship meeting of the American Society for Nutrition (ASN).
Meet the world’s 1st outdoor sweating, breathing and walking manikin
In the coming decades, every region in the U.S. is expected to experience higher temperatures and more intense heat waves. Thousands of people around the country die from heat-related illnesses each year, and in Maricopa County alone in 2022 there were 425 heat-related fatalities, a 25% increase from the previous year. ASU researchers aim to better understand heat stress on the human body and what makes hot weather so deadly using ANDI the world’s 1st outdoor sweating, breathing and walking manikin.
World registers hottest day ever recorded; what’s to come?
Randy Cerveny, the keeper of the world’s records of weather for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and a President’s Professor in ASU’s School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning shares insights about trends of extreme heat, the consequences of record-breaking temperatures and what the future may look like if current trends aren’t stalled or reversed.
Air Force Weather-funded research aims to improve predictability of extreme weather
As extreme weather devastates communities worldwide, scientists are using modeling and simulation to understand how climate change impacts the frequency and intensity of these events. Although long-term climate projections and models are important, they are less helpful for short-term prediction of extreme weather that may rapidly displace thousands of people or require emergency aid.
Prioritizing Equity and Inclusion in Carbon Removal Policy
Carbon Removal Justice Fellows Program at American University is a first-of-its-kind initiative to educate early career professionals and scientists in the social dimensions of policy for carbon removal
Less Rain in Town, More Rain on the Farm: the Effects of Urbanization and Irrigation on Mid-Atlantic Summer Precipitation
Researchers investigated how large-scale urbanization and irrigation in the United States affect the three dominant types of summer precipitation in the mid-Atlantic region. They found that urbanization suppresses all three types of precipitation. Irrigation enhances non-convective and isolated deep convection precipitation, and its effects on mesoscale convective systems (MCS) depends on whether an MCS formed locally or remotely.
Mountains Vulnerable to Extreme Rain from Climate Change
A new study by Lab scientists finds that as rising global temperatures shift snow to rain, mountains across the Northern Hemisphere will be hotspots for extreme rainfall events that could trigger floods and landslides – potentially impacting a quarter of the world’s population.
Climate change could lead to “widespread chaos” for insect communities
New research from Binghamton University, State University of New York explores how a warming world could impact ecosystems and derail the development of new species.
New Research Suggests Wheat Crops May Be Threatened by Unprecedented Heat and Drought
A recent study led by a researcher at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University found that the likelihood of extreme temperatures that could affect crop yields has increased significantly in wheat-producing regions of the U.S. and China.
New report finds that carbon capture and storage in California can concurrently serve local communities, the environment and the economy
A new report co-authored by George Peridas of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Benjamin Grove of the Clean Air Task Force examines the economic viability of carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects in California and finds that several classes of projects are viable today.
Firsthand fieldwork: ORNL scientists establish monitoring in at-risk coastal ecosystem
As a biogeochemist at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Matthew Berens studies how carbon, nutrients and minerals move through water and soil. In this firsthand account, Berens describes recent fieldwork in Louisiana with colleagues to better understand coastal ecosystems.
Expert available to discuss new report that puts globe on course for breaching benchmark high temperature
A new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) shows that the world’s average temperature could breach a record 1.5 Celsius of warming compared to pre-Industrial Revolution levels. News reports call the WMO announcement a critical warning of an average world temperature limit in the face of climate. Researchers indicate the threshold could be broken as early as 2027.
UAlbany Experts Available to Speak on Earth Day Topics
ALBANY, N.Y. (April 19, 2023) – Saturday marks the tradition known as “Earth Day,” an annual event that promotes awareness about climate change and other environmental issues that threaten the health of our planet. First held on April 22, 1970,…
GW Expert Available to Discuss Youth Climate Activism During Earth Week
This week, people across the globe are organizing events around sustainability, green living and climate change to mark the annual celebration of Earth Day. Often leading the charge is young people, who one faculty expert at the George Washington University…
GW Experts Available: EPA Proposes Historic Auto Pollution Limits That Would Boost EV Sales
The Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday plans that would ensure two-thirds of new passenger cars and a quarter of new heavy trucks sold in the United States are all-electric by 2032. According to The New York Times, “if the two rules…
A Better Understanding of Gas Exchange Between the Atmosphere and Ocean Can Improve Global Climate Models
The injection of bubbles from waves breaking in turbulent and cold high-latitude regions of the high seas is an underappreciated way in which atmospheric gases are transported into the interior ocean. An improved mechanistic understanding of gas exchange in high latitudes is important for several reasons, including to better constrain climate models that are used to predict changes in the ocean inventory of key gases like oxygen and carbon dioxide.
The ‘missing puzzle piece’ to the American West’s water future: precipitation
An ongoing water crisis in the West has seven states struggling to agree on how to divide water from the Colorado River, leaving the federal government to forge a plan that will likely lead to litigation. Meanwhile, scientists are forecasting all-time…
In the Wake of a Wildfire, Embers of Change in Cognition and Brain Function Linger
Five years after the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history, UC San Diego researchers document persistent differences in cognitive function among survivors.
Climate change could cause “disaster” in the world’s oceans, say UC Irvine scientists
Irvine, Calif., Jan. 4, 2023 — Climate-driven heating of seawater is causing a slowdown of deep circulation patterns in the Atlantic and Southern oceans, according to University of California, Irvine Earth system scientists, and if this process continues, the ocean’s ability to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere will be severely limited, further exacerbating global warming.
High-Pressure Systems Favor Sea-Breeze Convection Over Southeastern Texas
In the summer, sea- and bay-breeze circulations are important drivers of the weather in southeastern Texas. This research used machine learning techniques to unpack how these circulations interact with larger-scale weather systems to affect how thunderstorms form in the Houston area. These insights are helping researchers focus their study of aerosol and cloud life cycle, aerosol-cloud interactions, and air quality during the TRACER field campaign in the Houston area in 2021 and 2022.
Department of Energy Announces $35 Million to Build Research Capacity, Infrastructure, and Expertise at Institutions Historically Underrepresented in Science
Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $35 million to build research capacity, infrastructure, and expertise at institutions historically underrepresented in science, including minority serving institutions (MSIs) and emerging research institutions (ERIs). FAIR will enhance research at these institutions on clean energy, climate, and additional topics spanning the Office of Science portfolio. This investment will help develop a diverse, vibrant, and excellent scientific workforce and contribute to the science innovation ecosystem.
PPPL awarded more than $12 million to speed development of a fusion pilot plant
The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded PPPL funding of more than $12 million to work with laboratories around the world to accelerate the development of a pilot plant powered by the carbon-free fusion energy that drives the sun and stars and can counter climate change.
New center empowers climate storytellers across the communications landscape
USC Annenberg launched the Center for Climate Journalism and Communication to empower journalists and communications professionals to understand climate science, to capture its effects, particularly when felt disproportionately in under-resourced communities, and to drive action that preserves the health of our planet.
Johns Hopkins APL Releases First-Ever Global Estimates for Road Transportation Greenhouse Emissions Leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Satellite Images
APL scientists have leveraged the global coverage of satellite imagery and the strengths of machine learning to create the first automated approach for estimating greenhouse gas emissions from the road transportation sector.
Blind spots in the monitoring of plastic waste
Whether in drinking water, food or even in the air: plastic is a global problem – and the full extent of this pollution may go beyond of what we know yet. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), together with partners from the Netherlands and Australia, have reviewed conventional assumptions for the transport of plastic in rivers.
Electric buses can be ‘mobile batteries’, keeping lights on when power cuts
The Biden administration is awarding grants to school districts around the country, totaling about $1 billion, to purchase about 2500 electric school buses. The administration touts electrifying school buses as an important step for reducing emissions and pollution, but the…