https://phys.org/earth-news/ en-us Earth science research, climate change, and global warming. The latest news and updates from Phys.org A new study investigates the sinks and sources of key greenhouse gases of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide in the Arctic landscape with a spatial resolution of only a few square meters. Vegetation and soil conditions explain the differences in greenhouse gas emissions. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-arctic-greenhouse-gas-source-field.html Earth Sciences Environment Thu, 01 Feb 2024 16:18:03 EST news626026681 The "cone of uncertainty" produced by the National Hurricane Center to forecast the location and ferocity of a tropical storm is getting an update this year to include predictions for inland areas, where wind and flooding are sometimes more treacherous than damage to the coasts. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-center-tropical-storm-inland-outstrip.html Environment Thu, 01 Feb 2024 15:59:48 EST news626025582 Humans will need to both drastically reduce emissions and remove at least 10 gigatons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere per year to avoid the worst effects of climate change, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2023 synthesis report. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-carbon-capacities-anoxic-basins.html Earth Sciences Environment Thu, 01 Feb 2024 15:56:54 EST news626025412 New research from Dartmouth College provides the first evidence that the Arctic's frozen soil is the dominant force shaping Earth's northernmost rivers. Permafrost, the thick layer of soil that stays frozen for two or more years at a time, is the reason that Arctic rivers are uniformly confined to smaller areas and shallower valleys than rivers to the south, according to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-permafrost-arctic-rivers-lot-carbon.html Earth Sciences Environment Thu, 01 Feb 2024 15:56:07 EST news626025363 While much of the world is grappling with rising sea levels due to the melting of Greenland's ice sheet, the situation on the Greenlandic mainland is almost the opposite. The land is rising faster than the current sea level. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-rapid-climate-greenland-bedrock-small.html Earth Sciences Environment Thu, 01 Feb 2024 15:05:03 EST news626022302 Governments and businesses are relying on dangerous amounts of future removal of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, instead of more rapidly reducing emissions and phasing out fossil fuels. This problem is partly due to an incomplete picture of the damaging consequences of carbon dioxide removal for people, food security and natural ecosystems, according to new research published in Science. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-highlights-dangerous-overreliance-future.html Earth Sciences Environment Thu, 01 Feb 2024 14:00:01 EST news626003153 In a recent study published in the journal Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, reveals crucial insights into the impact of reduced building occupancy on water quality. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-pandemic-lockdowns-quality-revealing-usage.html Environment Thu, 01 Feb 2024 13:52:06 EST news626017925 Can the transition to a zero-carbon society in the Global South propel sustainable development? A team led by scientists from the Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) has developed the first quantitative approach to measure the extent to which energy transitions in the Global South incorporate elements of energy justice. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-energy-justice-index-spotlight-transition.html Environment Thu, 01 Feb 2024 13:12:03 EST news626015521 Brownie Wilson pulls off a remote dirt road right through a steep ditch and onto a farmer's field. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-agriculture-built-high-plains-towns.html Environment Thu, 01 Feb 2024 12:32:10 EST news626013125 A study led by scientists at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil has shown that the Rio Grande Rise (RGR), a possibly continental basaltic plateau and chain of seamounts now submerged in the South Atlantic Ocean some 1,200 km from the coast of Brazil, was once a giant tropical island, rich in minerals and covered with vegetation. Geologists have dated sediments from the formation to between 45 million and 40 million years ago. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-rio-grande-giant-mineral-rich.html Earth Sciences Thu, 01 Feb 2024 11:58:04 EST news626011081 Spain's second city Barcelona and much of the surrounding region of Catalonia entered a drought emergency on Thursday, clearing the way for tighter water restrictions following three years without significant rainfall. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-barcelona-restrictions-drought-emergency-declared.html Environment Thu, 01 Feb 2024 11:31:40 EST news626009496 Norway has a reputation for environmental leadership, from championing international biodiversity policies to its wilderness protection and ambitious biodiversity regulations. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-norway-deep-sea-exploitation-environmental.html Environment Thu, 01 Feb 2024 11:09:04 EST news626008141 Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden, have discovered a change in what scientists already knew about global warming dynamics. It had been widely accepted since the 1950s that global temperature rises were not consistent throughout the day and night, with greater nighttime warming being observed. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-temperature-difference-day-night-affect.html Earth Sciences Environment Thu, 01 Feb 2024 10:57:20 EST news626007437 Millions of tons of plastic waste enter the oceans each year. The sun's ultraviolet light and ocean turbulence break down these plastics into invisible nanoparticles that threaten marine ecosystems. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-unmask-nanoplastics-oceans-revealing-true.html Environment Thu, 01 Feb 2024 10:57:14 EST news626007432 Mangroves and saltmarshes sequester large amounts of carbon, mitigating the greenhouse effect. New research from the University of Gothenburg shows that these environments are perhaps twice as effective as previously thought. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-tidal-landscapes-greater-carbon-previously.html Earth Sciences Environment Thu, 01 Feb 2024 09:44:07 EST news626003037 The unmanned underwater vehicle Ran has gone missing under a glacier in Antarctica. The vehicle, owned by the University of Gothenburg, is one of just three in the world that is used for research and has contributed to important knowledge about the so-called Doomsday Glacier. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-underwater-unmanned-vehicle-doomsday-glacier.html Earth Sciences Wed, 31 Jan 2024 16:11:58 EST news625939912 Scientists have harnessed cutting-edge technology to produce the most comprehensive map of hedgerows across the length and breadth of England. The researchers at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) hope this innovative mapping will guide planting and restoration of these vulnerable habitats to support wildlife and mitigate climate change. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-high-tech-aerial-reveals-england.html Earth Sciences Wed, 31 Jan 2024 16:11:17 EST news625939871 Trees are struggling to sequester heat-trapping carbon dioxide (CO2) in warmer, drier climates, meaning that they may no longer serve as a solution for offsetting humanity's carbon footprint as the planet continues to warm, according to a new study led by Penn State researchers. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-trees-struggle-climate.html Earth Sciences Environment Wed, 31 Jan 2024 16:10:07 EST news625939801 Geoscientists have uncovered a missing link in the enigmatic story of how the continents developed—a revised origin story that doesn't require the start of plate tectonics or any external factor to explain their formation. Instead, the findings published last week in Nature Communications rely solely on internal geological forces that occurred within oceanic plateaus that formed during the first few hundred million years of Earth's history. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-uncover-source-real-continents.html Earth Sciences Wed, 31 Jan 2024 15:59:03 EST news625939141 Intensive agricultural cultivation and the resulting changes in soil structure cause low humidity in the near-surface air during heat waves in really dry years. As a result, summer cold fronts roar across the Great Hungarian Plain without the usual thunderstorms and precipitation. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-drought-eastern-hungarian-plains.html Earth Sciences Environment Wed, 31 Jan 2024 15:48:03 EST news625938481 Record-high ocean temperatures observed in 2023 could become the norm if the world moved into a climate that is 3°C warmer than pre-industrial levels, according to a new study. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-unprecedented-ocean-world-3c-warmer.html Earth Sciences Environment Wed, 31 Jan 2024 13:42:47 EST news625930963 The concept of geospatial data, or information related to locations on Earth's surface, has evolved. With the advent of widely available internet and smartphones, directions that were once only available on a paper map are now updated on your phone in real time to account for traffic. That evolution was, and will continue to be, driven by how the data is gathered, according to an international research collaboration representing 18 institutions in four countries. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-seismic-shift-crowdsourced-geospatial-complex.html Earth Sciences Wed, 31 Jan 2024 13:41:18 EST news625930873 Days after a wildfire, a type of smoke can linger in the atmosphere that contains tiny, brown, light-absorbing particles known as tar balls. These particles are believed to have a significant impact on Earth's radiative balance, and as a result, a role in both the warming and cooling of the atmosphere. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-scientists-reveal-tar-particles-wildfire.html Earth Sciences Environment Wed, 31 Jan 2024 13:40:03 EST news625930801 Fueled by increasing temperatures and droughts, severe wildfires are on the rise around the world—as are the smoke-borne contaminants that harm the environment and human health. In 2023, Canada recorded its worst wildfire season ever, with fires releasing more than 290 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere. California also experienced record-setting fire seasons in 2020 and 2021. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-artificial-intelligence-pollution-air.html Earth Sciences Environment Wed, 31 Jan 2024 13:25:07 EST news625929885 New Curtin University-led research has estimated that 1,454 avoidable deaths (one person every five days) occurred in Australian capital cities in the past 20 years because of fine particle air pollution from extreme events such as bushfires and dust storms, wood-heater smoke or industrial accidents. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-death-toll-extreme-air-pollution.html Environment Wed, 31 Jan 2024 13:04:08 EST news625928645 University researchers in the UK, across all disciplines and at all career stages, are struggling to take action against climate change despite wanting to do so. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-climate-university-powerless-action-survey.html Environment Wed, 31 Jan 2024 13:01:03 EST news625928461 A series of atmospheric rivers is bringing the threat of heavy downpours, flooding, mudslides and avalanches to the Pacific Northwest and California this week. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-qa-atmospheric-river-hydrologist-good.html Earth Sciences Environment Wed, 31 Jan 2024 12:59:04 EST news625928342 Norway's district court in Oslo recently made a decision on fossil fuels that deserves the attention of every person concerned about climate change. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-oil-firms-full-climate-effects.html Environment Wed, 31 Jan 2024 12:55:03 EST news625928101 The challenge for climate change communicators a couple of decades ago was conveying what the research was showing: that the burning of fossil fuels was altering the planet's climate. That communication played a vital role in facilitating the current widespread understanding that the climate is changing and it is a crisis. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-approach-energy-benefit-canada-planet.html Environment Wed, 31 Jan 2024 12:49:04 EST news625927741 The Hadley circulation is a key atmospheric circulation pattern in the tropics. It helps even out the temperature between the equator and the poles by moving energy and momentum toward higher latitudes. However, recent studies indicate that the Hadley circulation cells have expanded toward the poles in the 21st century, increasing by several degrees each year. This expansion can have a substantial impact on the global weather and climate, resulting in adverse events like heat waves, droughts, and tropical cyclones https://phys.org/news/2024-01-decode-key-airflow-pattern-impacting.html Earth Sciences Environment Wed, 31 Jan 2024 11:32:48 EST news625923165