Irvine, Calif., March 23, 2020 – East Antarctica’s Denman Glacier has retreated 5 kilometers, nearly 3 miles, in the past 22 years, and researchers at the University of California, Irvine and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory are concerned that the shape of the ground surface beneath the ice sheet could make it even more susceptible to climate-driven collapse.
Tag: Climate
$8.3M award to WHOI extends observational record of critical climate research
The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently awarded $8.2 million to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) to extend the life of the Overturning in the Sub-polar North Atlantic Program (OSNAP) in a key part of Earth’s ocean-climate system. The award is part of a $15.5 million grant to four U.S. institutions that will help add four years to the record being assembled by the observatory.
Increasingly mobile sea ice risks polluting Arctic neighbors
The movement of sea ice between Arctic countries is expected to significantly increase this century, raising the risk of more widely transporting pollutants like microplastics and oil, according to new research from CU Boulder.
California’s strict air quality regulations help farmers prosper, UCI-led study finds
Irvine, Calif., March 16, 2020 – Farmers in California’s Central Valley are not known for their love of government regulations, but those same growers have seen a boost in the productivity of their high-value crops – and greater earnings – as a result of the Golden State’s strict air pollution controls. For a study published today in Nature Food, researchers at the University of California, Irvine and other institutions conducted a statistical analysis of pollution exposure and yields from 1980 to 2015 on a key sector making up about 38 percent of the state’s total agricultural output: perennial crops such as almonds, grapes, nectarines, peaches, strawberries and walnuts.
How new data can make ecological forecasts as good as weather forecasts
Soon, University of Wisconsin–Madison ecologist Ben Zuckerberg thinks we’ll be able to pull off the same forecasting feat for bird migrations and wildlife populations as for climate forecasts. That’s because just as those recurring changes in climate have predictable consequences for humans, they also have predictable effects on plants and animals.
Cover crops can benefit hot, dry soils
Soil gets more than just “cover” from cover crops.
Rutgers Experts Available to Discuss Winter’s Snow Drought in N.J.
New Brunswick, N.J. (March 2, 2020) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick experts are available to discuss New Jersey’s mild weather so far this winter. That includes February, which was the third mildest February since record-keeping began in New Jersey in 1895…
What happened to Alaska’s soils during the 2019 fires?
Protecting the permafrost after a record fire season
Preparing Plants for our Future Climate
Study investigates plant behavior when exposed to higher carbon dioxide levels.
Quadrupling turbines, U.S. can meet 2030 wind-energy goals
The United States could generate 20% of its electricity from wind within 10 years, without requiring any additional land, according to Cornell University research published in Nature Scientific Reports.
Climate-Driven Farming “Frontiers” Pose Major Environmental Risks
Global warming will making farming possible in regions important for biodiversity and carbon storage
Researchers study the intricate link between climate and conflict
New research from the University of Notre Dame is shedding light on the unexpected effects climate change could have on regional instability and violent conflict.
More grocery stores means less food waste — and a big carbon cut
One strategy for reducing food waste’s environmental impact is as counterintuitive as it is straightforward: Open more grocery stores.
Rutgers Experts Available to Discuss Mild January, Low Snowfall in N.J.
New Brunswick, N.J. (Feb. 3, 2020) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick experts are available for interviews on the generally mild January weather and low snowfall in New Jersey so far this winter. “According to preliminary data, January 2020 in New Jersey was the…
UAlbany Atmospheric Scientist Leads $2 Million Project to Study Hurricane Intensity
Atmospheric scientist Brian Tang has been awarded $2.145 million from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to help forecasters better understand and predict the rapid intensification of hurricanes.
If it takes a hike, riders won’t go for bike sharing
Even a relatively short walk to find the nearest bicycle is enough to deter many potential users of bike sharing systems, new Cornell research suggests.
Fungal decisions can affect climate
Research shows fungi may slow climate change by storing more carbon
New Investments and Research Indicate Multi-Trillion Dollar Market for Climate Restoration Through Carbon-Capture
Climate restoration is the global movement to remove the trillion tons of excess CO2 from the atmosphere to restore our air to preindustrial levels of carbon dioxide and to preserve the Arctic ice. Given the climate emergency, climate restoration is a critical third pillar of climate action, complementing ongoing mitigation and adaptation efforts. New technologies and natural solutions for reducing CO2 levels in the next 30 years already exist and the costs for global-scale implementation are projected to be less than 1-3% of the global annual GDP.
New Investments and Research Indicate Multi-Trillion Dollar Market for Climate Restoration Through Carbon-Capture
Climate restoration is the global movement to remove the trillion tons of excess CO2 from the atmosphere to restore our air to preindustrial levels of carbon dioxide and to preserve the Arctic ice. Given the climate emergency, climate restoration is a critical third pillar of climate action, complementing ongoing mitigation and adaptation efforts. New technologies and natural solutions for reducing CO2 levels in the next 30 years already exist and the costs for global-scale implementation are projected to be less than 1-3% of the global annual GDP.
Rutgers Expert Available to Discuss Climate Change Impacts on Land, Wildfires and Solutions
New Brunswick, N.J. (Jan. 15, 2020) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick Professor Pamela McElwee is available for interviews on climate change impacts on land, including increasing wildfires such as in Australia and California, and solutions. She is scheduled to testify before…
Are sinking soils in the Everglades related to climate change?
Soils releasing carbon as gas lead to challenges on valuable farmland
WHOI scientist to provide testimony on climate science and solutions
Richard Murray, Deputy Director and Vice President for Research at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), will testify before the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the U.S. House of Representatives on January 15, 2020.
‘It makes no sense’: Trump pipeline proposal undercuts climate progress
The Trump Administration is expected to announce a plan on Thursday morning that exempts projects from environmental assessments — making it easier to build pipelines, mines and kickstart other infrastructure projects that would normally undergo environmental reviews. Robert Howarth is…
Rutgers Expert Available to Discuss 2019 Climate, Weather Events in N.J.
New Brunswick, N.J. (Jan. 8, 2020) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick Professor David A. Robinson is available for interviews on New Jersey’s weather and climate in 2019, including the Office of the New Jersey State Climatologist’s list of top 10 events. Robinson can also…
Australian fires will be ‘dwarfed’ by future events, continued warming, drying climate
West Virginia University geographer and paleoclimatologist Amy Hessl has studied the climate history of Australia and even happens to be in the country as it faces massive fires that have left many homeless and resulted in at least 20 deaths. A changing climate,…
Rutgers Expert Available to Discuss Australian Climate and Wildfires
New Brunswick, N.J. (Jan. 7, 2020) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick climatologist David A. Robinson is available for interviews on weather and climate conditions that have contributed to catastrophic wildfires in Australia. “The remarkable wildfire outbreak in Australia is a result of persistent drought…
Rutgers Expert Available to Discuss Greenland Ice Sheet Study
New Brunswick, N.J. (Dec. 23, 2019) – The southern Greenland Ice Sheet may experience precipitous melting this century due to a much smaller temperature increase than scientists thought would be required, according to a Rutgers co-authored study. The global sea level…
Leftover grain from breweries could be converted into fuel for homes
A Queen’s University Belfast researcher has developed a low cost technique to convert left over barley from alcohol breweries into carbon, which could be used as a renewable fuel for homes in winter, charcoal for summer barbecues or water filters in developing countries.
Rutgers Experts Can Discuss Large Number of Tornadoes in N.J.
New Brunswick, N.J. (Nov. 5, 2019) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick experts are available to discuss the unusually large number of tornadoes confirmed in New Jersey so far this year. Since 1950, the Garden State has averaged about two tornadoes a…
Preserved pollen tells the history of floodplains
Fossil pollen can help reconstruct the past and predict the future
Cold, hard data: ORNL data scientists support historic Arctic expedition
MOSAiC, the largest polar expedition of all time, will produce demanding quantities of data. ORNL staff in the field and the lab collect, store and process it to share with collaborators around the world.
Information theory as a forensics tool for investigating climate mysteries
During Earth’s last glacial period, temperatures on the planet periodically spiked dramatically and rapidly. A new paper in the journal Chaos suggests that mathematics from information theory could offer a powerful tool for analyzing and understanding these mysterious events.
Rutgers Expert Can Discuss Exceedingly Dry, Warm September in N.J.
New Brunswick, N.J. (Oct. 3, 2019) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick Professor David A. Robinson, the New Jersey State Climatologist, can provide insight on one of the driest and warmest Septembers in New Jersey since record-keeping began in 1895. Last month was the sixth driest September…
Rutgers Experts Available to Discuss U.N. Report on Climate Change, Oceans
New Brunswick, N.J. (Sept. 25, 2019) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick Professor Malin Pinsky and Rutgers coastal expert Lisa Auermuller are available to comment on a new United Nations report on climate change and ocean, coastal, polar and mountain ecosystems. More than…
Upcoming: Embracing the Digital Environment Meeting
Agronomists, crop and soil scientists from around the world to meet in San Antonio
Scientists Prepare Ship for Mission Locked in Arctic Ice
The German icebreaker RV Polarstern is scheduled to set sail today from Tromsø, Norway, for a 13-month journey to wherever the sea ice takes it. In a week or so, the ship will get locked into the Arctic ice and drift with the ice floes for a year so that scientists can gather unprecedented data about the Arctic climate.
University of California, Irvine ecologist Steven D. Allison and School of Huamanites Dean Tyrus Miller can comment on why science heeds the humanities to solve climate change
A University of California, Irvine ecologist and humanities dean believe scientists and humanists must collaborate to solve climate change. Together, they’ve developed a program to embed humanities graduate students in science teams, an idea that climate research centers are also…
EPA to ease methane regs for industry, ‘single largest culprit’ of emissions spike
The Trump administration is expected to announce today that it plans to roll back regulations on methane emissions, making it easier for energy companies to release methane — a potent greenhouse gas — into the atmosphere. Robert Howarth is professor…
UAlbany Atmospheric Scientists Available to Discuss Hurricane Dorian
ALBANY, N.Y. (Aug. 29, 2019) — According to latest forecasts, Hurricane Dorian has strengthened and could reach Category 3 status by Sunday morning. The storm is currently projected to make landfall early Monday somewhere along the Florida or Georgia coast.…
Rutgers Coastal Expert Can Discuss ‘King Tide’ in N.J.
New Brunswick, N.J. (Aug. 28, 2019) – Rutgers coastal expert Lisa Auermuller is available for interviews on the “king tide” in New Jersey, which will lead to abnormally high water levels through Labor Day, causing localized tidal flooding and illustrating…
Fracking prompts global spike in atmospheric methane
As methane concentrations increase in the Earth’s atmosphere, chemical fingerprints point to a probable source: shale oil and gas, according to new Cornell University research published in Biogeosciences, a journal of the European Geosciences Union.
FSU Expert Discusses El Niño effects, prediction strategies
In the past few months, extreme weather events have caused significant damage to communities throughout the United States. From flooding in the Mississippi River region to the tornadoes tearing through the Midwest to a delay of the North American monsoon,…