As a megadrought stresses the water supply throughout the Southwest, revolutionary research out of UNLV is answering this problem with a groundbreaking technology that pulls large amounts of water from the air in low humidity.
Tag: Climate
Weather Radar Supports Research and Education, Helps Fill Coverage Gaps
Collaboration among three Georgia institutions of higher education on the operation of a new weather radar system will enhance student learning, provide new opportunities for research, and help improve severe weather coverage in north Georgia.
WashU Expert: How climate change impacts fall foliage
Many people believe that climate change is pushing back the start of fall leaf color to later in the year. But that does not appear to be the case. Instead, fall foliage might become less brilliant under warming conditions, according…
The Modern Midwest Prairie: How Ranching and Native Grasslands Can Thrive Together in a Changing Climate
It’s August in South Dakota and a weeklong heat wave where temperatures surpassed 100 degrees has just ended. Thankful for a reprieve from the stifling warmth, I head out early on my day off to explore Badlands National Park. I’ve been staying in Fort Pierre, which is situated on the Missouri River, just across from the capital city of Pierre.
Public Attention Can Drive Governments to Take Meaningful Environmental Actions
A new study from the University of California San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy reveals that public outcry can lead to significant environmental action, even when public administrations are openly hostile to environmental priorities.
How features in Utah and Arizona advanced geoscience
University of Utah geoscientists successfully nominated the Henry Mountains, Coyote Buttes and Great Salt Lake to international union’s list of the top geoheritage sites, “the world’s best demonstrations of geologic features and processes.”
UAlbany, Cornell Partner to Bring Advanced Weather Data to Farmers Across New York
A new partnership between the New York State Mesonet at the University at Albany and New York State Integrated Pest Management Program (NYSIPM) at Cornell University is helping farmers and agricultural producers across the state optimize crop management.
New UNLV Startup is Tapping “Unseen River” of Water Hidden in Ambient Air
WAVR Technologies, first startup to launch from NSF SWSIE resources, advances the search for water sustainability solutions in harsh desert climates.
NSF Grant Empowers FAU to Explore Caribbean Climate Crisis with Ethnography
Researchers have received a $650,000 NSF grant to investigate the cultural dimensions of ecological instability by studying the experiences of vulnerable communities in South Florida and Puerto Rico. Using ethnography, they will capture the nuanced ways in which communities are responding to ecological disruptions. Understanding how cultures adapt to ecological instability can provide valuable insights for communities worldwide, including those in the Caribbean. By documenting and analyzing these responses, researchers can develop and refine strategies to enhance collective survival.
UC Irvine study reveals health impacts of repeated wildfires and smoke exposure
Irvine, Calif., Aug. 28, 2024 — University of California, Irvine public health researchers have published a study in the journal Environmental Research Health highlighting the compounded effects of frequent wildfires and smoke exposure on physical and mental health, local economies and community resilience in Southern California.
Blueprint for blueberry improvement: genetic and epigenetic discoveries
Recent research has uncovered significant genetic and epigenetic variations in blueberry cultivars, particularly between northern highbush (NHB) and southern highbush (SHB) blueberries. The study highlights gene introgression’s role in SHB’s adaptation to subtropical climates and identifies key genes, such as VcTBL44, associated with fruit firmness.
FAU Lands $1.3M NSF Grant to Boost Dryland Soil Quality Amid Climate Stressors
Drylands, found across every continent, cover about 45% of the Earth’s land surface and support 38% of the human population. The NSF grant will enable scientists to enhance understanding of climate resistance of individual microbes and to improve microbial remediations to reduce soil degradation under climate change.
Wash U researchers quantify solar absorption by black carbon in fire clouds
Aerosol scientists at Washington University in St. Louis quantify the extent of light absorption by black carbon in fire clouds to better model climate impacts of extreme wildfire events.
Nationwide flood models poorly capture risks to households and properties
Irvine, Calif., July 24, 2024 – Government agencies, insurance companies and disaster planners rely on national flood risk models from the private sector that aren’t reliable at smaller levels such as neighborhoods and individual properties, according to researchers at the University of California, Irvine. In a paper published recently in the American Geophysical Union journal Earth’s Future, experts in UC Irvine’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering caution that relatively new, nation-scale flood data provides an inadequate representation of local topography and infrastructure, factors known to control the spread of floods in urban areas.
Predictive models for photosynthetic active radiation irradiance in temperate climates
Abstract This research evaluated 10 different empirical models designed for predicting Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) at higher latitudes, addressing atmospheric conditions specific to these regions. The research introduces the Musleh-Rahman (MR) model, which substitutes Diffuse Horziontal Irradiance (DHI) with Clear…
Scientists Predict Localized Extinction of Hudson Bay’s Polar Bears if Paris Climate Agreements Are Breached
For the first time, a multi-disciplinary team of scientists analyzes sea ice thickness against polar bear and seal survival across all of Hudson Bay; due to faster-than-expected sea ice loss, scientists predict localized polar bear extinction if Paris Agreements are not met
EXTREME HEAT ASSOCIATED WITH CHILDREN’S ASTHMA HOSPITAL VISITS
For children seeking care at a California urban pediatric health center, extreme heat events were associated with increased asthma hospital visits, according to research published at the ATS 2024 International Conference.
Study led by ORNL informs climate resilience strategies in urban, rural areas
Local decision-makers looking for ways to reduce the impact of heat waves on their communities have a valuable new capability at their disposal: a new study on vegetation resilience.
High-resolution Lidar Sees Birth Zone of Cloud Droplets
Scientists have made the first-ever remote observations of the fine-scale structure at the base of clouds. The results show that the air-cloud interface is a transition zone where aerosol particles suspended in Earth’s atmosphere give rise to the droplets that ultimately form clouds.
Does Using Your Brain More at Work Help Ward Off Thinking, Memory Problems?
The harder your brain works at your job, the less likely you may be to have memory and thinking problems later in life, according to a new study published in the April 17, 2024, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Ice age climate analysis reduces worst-case warming expected from rising CO2
A detailed reconstruction of climate during the most recent ice age, when a large swath of North America was covered in ice, provides information on the relationship between CO2 and global temperature. Results show that while most future warming estimates remain unchanged, the absolute worst-case scenario is unlikely.
Florida Climate Report: Expert Panel Live Event Reporter Q&A
Climate experts from Florida Atlantic University, Archbold Biological Station, and Live Wildly Foundation will speak and answer questions from the media on the Florida Wildlife Corridor (FLWC) and Climate Change managing Florida’s Natural and Human Landscapes for Prosperity and Resilience
Air Pollution Hides Increases in Rainfall
In a new study, researchers broke down how human-induced greenhouse gas and aerosol emissions influence rainfall in the United States.
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.