Newswise Feature Channel: Climate Science

How an Iconic Desert Tree Survives Extreme Heat--and the Unique Risk It's Facing Now

Northern Arizona University — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 18:15:42 EST

Even in extreme heat waves, Fremont cottonwood trees can cool themselves through evaporation in their leaves, similar to the way we sweat when we're hot. It's how they've survived in Arizona and throughout the Southwest.

As Wildfires Intensify, Prolonged Exposure to Pollution Linked to Premature Death

Ohio State University — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 09:05:37 EST

Researchers have found evidence that living in areas prone to wildfire smoke may negatively impact an individual's life expectancy.

How Much CO₂ Does Zurich Emit?

Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 02:45:27 EST

To achieve net zero, we need to reduce our CO₂ emissions quickly and efficiently. An EU project involving Empa has selected Zurich as one of three pilot cities in Europe to accurately measure and model their carbon dioxide emissions. The findings will help cities to achieve their climate targets.

The Arctic Is on Fire

Universite de Montreal — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 12:00:18 EST

Wildfires have turned the Far North into a carbon emitter, putting the region's permafrost at risk, according to an alarming new report co-authored by UdeM researcher Oliver Sonnentag.

Ocean's "Big Data": Fusion of Satellite Data for Better Sea Views

Chinese Academy of Sciences — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 08:30:22 EST

Scientists have unveiled a groundbreaking method (CSAC) to harmonize satellite ocean color data across various satellites, which paved the way for the generation of reliable, global-scale, long-term, bio-optical properties of the upper ocean. Such "big data" is the base to assess the status and climate-related dynamics of the marine ecosystems. The CSAC (Cross-Satellite Atmospheric Correction) system ensures consistent remote sensing reflectance (Rrs) products across different satellite ocean color missions, a crucial step for expanding spatial coverage and extending the temporal reach via the fusion of various satellite ocean color measurements.

Pioneering Research Reveals Growing Dangers and Repression of Climate Activism Globally

University of Bristol — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 19:00:00 EST

A new report has uncovered the many risks of participating in climate and environmental protests across the world - and how more countries are criminalising and repressing this activity in a bid to keep it in check.

The Inequity of Wildfire Rescue Resources in California

Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 15:30:00 EST

A detailed analysis of more than 500 California wildfire incidents from 2015 to 2022 by University at Buffalo scientists shows that disaster recovery resources in California favor people living in wealthy communities over disadvantaged residents who lack the resources to plan for and recover from a wildfire. "We discovered that racial and economic inequity plays a pivotal role in resource allocation for wildfire recovery and mitigation," says lead author Poulomee Roy, Ph.D. candidate in Industrial and Systems Engineering. She will present the results in December at the annual meeting of the Society for Risk Analysis in Austin, Texas.

New Breakthrough Sheds Light on the Evolution and Adaptability of Photosynthetic Organisms

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 11:00:32 EST

A team of researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Pennsylvania State University, Yale University, and Louisiana State University has revealed the structure of a modified and evolved version of Photosystem I (PS I), a key protein complex used by plants and cyanobacteria to convert sunlight into chemical energy.

Ripening Secrets: Early Harvested Tomatoes Reveal Maturation Mysteries

Chinese Academy of Sciences — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 10:25:52 EST

A new study has revealed that tomatoes harvested at an extremely early stage can still undergo maturation and ripening postharvest, offering a new avenue to enhance agricultural practices. The research explores the molecular and physiological changes occurring in these early-harvested fruits, demonstrating their ability to mature despite some challenges in pigment and cuticle formation. Importantly, seeds from these tomatoes remain viable, capable of germinating and growing into healthy plants. This discovery challenges conventional views on fruit development and suggests that the genetic programs governing maturation are triggered early, independent of full fruit growth or attachment to the plant.

Chilling Discovery: Wild Potato's DNA Fights Freeze

Chinese Academy of Sciences — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 09:50:32 EST

A recent study has unlocked the genetic secrets of the wild potato Solanum commersonii, revealing key genes that contribute to its remarkable ability to resist freezing temperatures. This research offers new hope for developing cultivated potatoes that can withstand extreme cold, a critical advancement for safeguarding global food supplies in the face of climate change. By identifying a key genetic segment, scientists have taken a major step toward fortifying crops against unpredictable climate shifts, ensuring long-term agricultural resilience.

Lower-Quality Public Housing Is at High Risk of Flood Damage

Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 15:30:00 EST

Preliminary findings suggest that lower-quality public housing structures (with lower inspection scores) are more likely to be located in a FEMA flood zone and in areas with higher flood risk as defined by FEMA's National Risk Index. They are also more likely to be home to higher percentages of people of color. Kelsea Best, assistant professor of Urban Climate Resilience and Adaptation Disparities in Ohio State University's College of Engineering, will present the team's research in December at the annual Society for Risk Analysis meeting in Austin, Texas.

Researchers Uncover a Troubling Trend in Tropical Rainforest Biodiversity

Northern Arizona University — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 15:00:00 EST

Scientists across four continents worked together to create and analyze three-dimensional maps of tropical rainforests throughout the globe. What they found is worrying: three- quarters of rainforests worldwide are suffering from human intervention, endangering thousands of animal species and threatening delicate ecosystems that are crucial to human survival.

Climate Change Impacting Freshwater Fish Species, Study Finds

University of Bristol — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 15:00:00 EST

Freshwater fish populations that dwell nearer the poles are outperforming their equatorial counterparts, researchers have found.

NASA's Hubble Celebrates Decade of Tracking Outer Planets

Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 13:00:00 EST

For a decade, Hubble's OPAL program has kept an eye on our solar system's outer planets, making global studies of their cloud coloration, activity, and atmospheric motion to understand the underlying mechanics of their weather and climate systems.

Thawing Permafrost Reveals Complex Microbiome-Metabolite Interplay

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory - EMSL — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 17:50:13 EST

Research led by a multi-institutional study found that microbes interact with sulfur- and nitrogen-rich compounds, possibly from mosses in bogs. This interaction appears to contribute to greenhouse gas production.

Record-Low Antarctic Sea Ice Can Be Explained and Forecast Months Out by Patterns in Winds

University of Washington — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 12:50:27 EST

University of Washington researchers show that the all-time record low in winter sea ice extent in 2023 can be explained by warm Southern Ocean conditions and patterns in the winds that circled Antarctica months earlier, allowing forecasts for sea ice coverage around the South Pole to be generated six or more months in advance. This could support regional and global weather and climate models.

Physical Climate Change Exposure and Firms' Adaptation Strategy

Strategic Management Journal — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 08:50:53 EST

Seven People of Infrastructure Resilience

Argonne National Laboratory — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 16:15:19 EST

Argonne's scientific, analytical and technological expertise serves communities in times of stress or change and helps communities plan and adapt to future challenges.

Media Advisory: Virginia Tech Expert Explains NOAA Forecast for Mild Winter in Mid-Atlantic Region

Virginia Tech — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 15:00:58 EST

Drew Ellis, a professor in the Department of Geography and an expert in climate science, explains the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's winter outlook, which predicts a mild winter for the mid-Atlantic region of the United States.

UC Irvine Researchers Reveal Superconductivity Secrets of an Iron-Based Material

University of California, Irvine — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 12:50:38 EST

Irvine, Calif., Dec. 5, 2024 -- Scientists at the University of California, Irvine have uncovered the atomic-scale mechanics that enhance superconductivity in an iron-based material, a finding published recently in Nature. Using advanced spectroscopy instruments housed in the UC Irvine Materials Research Institute, the researchers were able to image atom vibrations and thereby observe new phonons -quasiparticles that carry thermal energy -at the interface of an iron selenide (FeSe) ultrathin film layered on a strontium titanate (STO) substrate.