Rivers are lifelines for many countries. They create valuable ecosystems, provide drinking water for people and raw water for agriculture and industry. In the Global South in particular, there is strong competition for access to freshwater resources. The increasing use…
Tag: HYDROLOGY/WATER RESOURCES
New tracking system monitors danger to rainforests
Scientists develop novel new indicator for monitoring danger to the world’s rainforests, which are losing capacity to cycle carbon and water
Mini radar could find water and habitable tunnels on the Moon or Mars
A miniature radar device that scans deep below ground is being developed to identify ice deposits and even hollowed out lava tubes on the Moon to support possible human settlement.
New study reports strong indications of freshened groundwater offshore the Maltese Islands
Study is a product of the MARCAN project, led by the University of Malta
Land repair vital for survival
Successful dryland restoration to benefit 2bn people
California’s carbon mitigation efforts may be thwarted by climate change itself
UCI study: Higher heat will limit ecosystem’s role in removing atmospheric CO2
Biodiversity, climate change and the fate of coral reefs
Actions in coming decade will determine whether reefs survive, scientists say
New long-term satellite analysis shows “plum” rainy season wetter now than ever before
Meiyu-Baiu fronts in the most recent decade the wettest on record
Rapid evolution in waterfleas yields new conservation insights
The extraordinary ability of animals to rapidly evolve in response to predators has been demonstrated via genetic sequencing of a waterflea population across nearly two decades. In a new study, published in Nature Communications , scientists at the Universities of…
Resilience, not collapse: What the Easter Island myth gets wrong
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — New research from Binghamton University, State University of New York suggests that the demographic collapse at the core of the Easter Island myth didn’t really happen. You probably know this story, or a version of it: On…
UN’s new global framework for managing nature: 1st detailed draft agreement launched
Draft 1 of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework includes 21 action targets proposed for 2030; Will be considered at UN Convention on Biological Diversity’s COP15
Sea-level rise solutions
Stanford researchers map how sea-level rise adaptation strategies impact economies and floodwaters
Mapping extreme snowmelt and its potential dangers
Rapid snowmelt can be dangerous, and understanding its drivers is important for understanding the world under the influence of climate change
Engineering seeds to resist drought
A new seed-coating process could facilitate agriculture on marginal arid lands by enabling the seeds to retain any available water
Coastal wetlands are nature’s flood defences
They offer more protection than we thought, estuaries study shows
Model predicts when rivers that cross faults will change course
Researchers created a model that uses the movement at fault lines to understand river flow and vice versa
$1.4 million grant increases coverage of Mississippi River Basin
Walton Family Foundation grant will create the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, covering agriculture, water and environmental issues within the region
Remotely-piloted sailboats monitor ‘cold pools’ in tropical environments
Conditions in the tropical ocean affect weather patterns worldwide. The most well-known examples are El Niño or La Niña events, but scientists believe other key elements of the tropical climate remain undiscovered. In a study recently published in Geophysical Research…
What kind of sea ice is that? Ask Knut!
A new app under development is using deep learning and artificial intelligence to classify different kinds of sea ice
Q-CTRL awarded $3.5 million grant from Australian government for space-based quantum sensors
Company to expand the development and manufacture of advanced sensors for climate data monitoring, mining, defense applications and more
A universal approach to tailoring soft robots
An integrated design optimisation and fabrication workflow opens new opportunities for tailoring the mechanical properties of soft machines.
Changes in Earth’s orbit enabled the emergence of complex life
Scientists at the University of Southampton have discovered that changes in Earth’s orbit may have allowed complex life to emerge and thrive during the most hostile climate episode the planet has ever experienced. The researchers – working with colleagues in…
NASA space lasers map meltwater lakes in Antarctica with striking precision
From above, the Antarctic Ice Sheet might look like a calm, perpetual ice blanket that has covered Antarctica for millions of years. But the ice sheet can be thousands of meters deep at its thickest, and it hides hundreds of…
Rethinking southeast asia’s energy plans
Scientists in Singapore are calling for revisions in planned hydropower expansions in light of the rapidly decreasing cost of solar photovoltaic systems
Global BECCS potential is largely constrained by sustainable irrigation
A new collaborative research led by researchers from the National Institute for Environmental Studies, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Ritsumeikan University, and Kyoto University found that although unlimited irrigation could increase global BECCS potential (via the increase of bioenergy…
Study: constructed wetlands are best protection for agricultural runoff into waterways
LAWRENCE — A new paper from a lead author based at the University of Kansas finds wetlands constructed along waterways are the most cost-effective way to reduce nitrate and sediment loads in large streams and rivers. Rather than focusing on…
Stanford research shows muskrats are a bellwether for a drying delta
The muskrat, a stocky brown rodent the size of a Chihuahua – with a tail like a mouse, teeth like a beaver and an exceptional ability to bounce back from rapid die-offs – has lived for thousands of years in…
The missing ocean plastic sink: Gone with the rivers
The mysterious ocean plastic sink
Underwater seismometer can hear how fast a glacier moves
Scientists show that an ocean-bottom seismometer deployed close to the calving front of a glacier in Greenland can detect continuous seismic radiation from a glacier sliding, reminiscent of a slow earthquake. Basal slip of marine-terminating glaciers controls how fast they…
Instant water cleaning method ‘millions of times’ better than commercial approach
Creation of hydrogen peroxide in situ could provide clean, drinkable water to communities in the poorest nations around the world
Is global plastic pollution nearing an irreversible tipping point?
Common press release: Stockholm University, Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research
UMaine-led study: Imaging spectroscopy can predict water stress in wild blueberry fields
Imaging spectroscopy can help predict water stress in wild blueberry barrens, according to a University of Maine-led study. The technology involves measuring the light reflected off of objects depicted in images captured by drones, satellites and other remote sensing technology…
Extreme events: Ecosystems offer cost effective protection
Decision-makers around the world are increasingly interested in using ecosystem solutions such as mangroves, coral reefs, sand dunes and forests on steep slopes to help buffer the impacts from hazard events and protect populations. But what evidence exists to show…
Water meters help scientists quantify river runoff at third pole
The Third Pole centered on the Tibetan Plateau is home to the headwaters of multiple rivers in Asia. Despite the importance of these rivers, scientists have not known exactly how much water flows out of the mountains of the Third…
Numerical Study First to Reveal Origin of ‘Motion of the Ocean’ in the Straits of Florida
Scientists Identify Mechanisms of Instability Responsible for the Formation of Sub-mesoscale Eddies
Preformed gel particles tested for enhanced oil recovery
A joint paper went out in Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering
Most rivers run dry — now and then
Over half of the world’s rivers cease to flow for at least one day a year on average
Using microorganisms to monitor water quality within minutes
SUTD researchers have demonstrated a technology that allows users with camera phones to track the health of aquatic microorganisms — assessing water quality and drinkability in the process
Predicting the spread of invasive carp using river water flows
University of Missouri engineers are partnering with the US Geological Survey to better understand how to stop invasive carp from damaging both the economy and the environment
The most ancient ice in the Alps will be preserved in Antarctica
The Ice Memory mission by CNR, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and PSI (Switzerland) has extracted two ice cores over 80 m long from Colle Gnifetti, at 4,500 meters
Research suggests ways to tackle water security challenges in world’s drylands
The research – published ahead of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought on 17 June 2021 – examines recent and projected climate change impacts on water security across the world’s drylands up to the year 2100. It concludes that…
Not acting like themselves: Antidepressants in environment alter crayfish behavior
Crayfish exposed to low levels of antidepressant medication behaved in ways that could make them more vulnerable to predators
Mains to Rains website promotes steps towards sustainable gardening
Researchers at Cranfield University have worked with colleagues at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) to launch a new website aimed at saving water in the garden. Gardeners visiting the Mains to Rains website can pledge to reduce their dependence on…
NASA Snow Campaign Wraps for 2021
As the last snow melts, NASA’s SnowEx teams are packing up the snowshoes, skis, and scientific instruments they’ve used all winter to study snow in mountains and prairies. Now, they’re turning their attention to a different kind of mountain –…
Biodiversity ‘hotspots’ imperiled along California’s streams
Intensive water management promotes ‘live fast, die young’ cycle in floodplain forests
Climate conditions during the migration of Homo sapiens out of Africa reconstructed
An international research team led by Professor Dr Frank Schäbitz has published a climate reconstruction of the last 200,000 years for Ethiopia. This means that high-resolution data are now available for the period when early Homo sapiens , our ancestors,…
IPBES/IPCC: Tackling the biodiversity and climate crises together, and their combined social impacts
Global experts identify key options for solutions; First-ever collaboration between IPBES- and IPCC-selected scientists
Combating maritime litter
Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon categorizes innovative solutions for fighting pollution in the oceans
Chamoli disaster could happen again
Some four months ago, a devastating flood ravaged the Chamoli district in the Indian Himalayas, killing over 200 people. The flood was caused by a massive landslide, which also involved a glacier. Researchers at the University of Zurich, the WSL…
A study analyzes the risk of karst groundwater contamination to human consumption
A scientific study conducted by researchers from 11 countries, five of them from the Centre of Hydrogeology of the UMA