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NASA Says Sea-Level Rise Temporarily Slowed By Aquifers & Lakes
Posted by Nature World: None Given on February 15th, 2016
Nature World: For the first time, scientists can see how water storage on land affects how much and how fast sea levels have risen. An orbiting NASA satellite calculated the amount of water stored on Earth's continents, and the measurements revealed that terrestrial bodies are soaking up an extra 3.2 trillion tons of water, which is briefly mitigating the rise in sea level by approximately 20 percent. This land water is being stored in lakes, underground aquifers and the soil. Researchers from NASA's Jet Propulsion...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on NASA Says Sea-Level Rise Temporarily Slowed By Aquifers & LakesHarmful Algae Toxins Found In 13 Alaskan Marine Animals
Posted by Nature World: None Given on February 15th, 2016
Nature World: Harmful algae toxins have been found in as many as 13 marine animals living in Alaska, according to a new study from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Researchers examined the stomach content, urine and feces of whales, walruses, sea lions, seals, porpoises and sea otters in the search of two types of toxins: domoic acid and saxitoxin.
"What really surprised us was finding these toxins so widespread in Alaska, far north of where they have been previously documented in...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Harmful Algae Toxins Found In 13 Alaskan Marine AnimalsMountains in Central Appalachia Flatter Post-Mining
Posted by Nature World: None Given on February 5th, 2016
Nature World: Mining has not only moved mountains; it has made them flatter.
That's according to a new study from Duke University, which looked at data from 40 years of mountaintop coal mining in Central Appalachia. The research concluded that those mountain areas are now 60 percent more flat than they were before the excavation work.
In the research, scientists looked at topographic data of southern West Virginia sites from before and after the mining. In part, they were examining how such mines can affect...
Hydroelectric Dams Planned World’s Largest Rivers Threaten Fish
Posted by Nature World: None Given on January 8th, 2016
Nature World: Hydroelectric dam builders, and the need to curb greenhouse emissions, often underestimate the long-term effects these massive structures have on local biodiversity. In a new study, 30 leading aquatic ecologists warn impending dams in the Mekong, Amazon and Congo -- the world's three greatest and most diverse tropical rivers -- could have drastic impacts on the world's food supply.
"These three river basins hold roughly one-third of the world's freshwater fish species," Kirk Winemiller, lead author...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Hydroelectric Dams Planned World’s Largest Rivers Threaten FishClimate Change and Lizards: Reproduction Strategy May Need to Change, Researchers Say
Posted by Nature World: None Given on October 27th, 2015
Nature World: In an attempt to adjust to increasing climate temperatures, common lizards may start breeding more frequently but also start dying off at a younger age. To better understand retilian response to climate change, an international team of researchers closely examined how a warmer climate of just two-degrees celsius would affect populations of common lizards (Zootoca vivipara) over time. Since a reptile's body temperature depends directly on the atmospheric temperature, researchers predict that lizards...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Climate Change and Lizards: Reproduction Strategy May Need to Change, Researchers SayLoss Of Animals’ Poop Disrupts Nutrient Cycles, New Study Shows
Posted by Nature World: None Given on October 27th, 2015
Nature World: Believe it or not, we rely more heavily on animals' feces than you would think. Essentially, the poop from wild animals keeps the planet fertile by transporting nutrients deep from the ocean floor all the way to mountain tops, a recent study revealed. This makes the extinction of large animals even more devastating.
"This once was a world that had ten times more whales; twenty times more anadromous fish, like salmon; double the number of seabirds; and ten times more large herbivores--giant sloths...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Loss Of Animals’ Poop Disrupts Nutrient Cycles, New Study ShowsBeavers and the Environment: Dams Help Remove Nitrogen From Estuaries and Restore Streams
Posted by Nature World: None Given on October 22nd, 2015
Nature World: Beaver dams are helping prevent harmful levels of nitrogen from reaching vulnerable estuaries in the Northeastern U.S., a new study revealed. Researchers from the University of Rhode Island discovered that ponds created from beaver dams slow the movement of water, which subsequently causes nitrogen build up. Along with organic matter build up this creates ideal conditions for scientists to adequately remove nitrogen, according to a news release. With the increased use of agricultural fertilizers...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Beavers and the Environment: Dams Help Remove Nitrogen From Estuaries and Restore StreamsPredator Defenses Backfired Poisonous Frogs Higher Risk Extinction
Posted by Nature World: None Given on October 20th, 2015
Nature World: Sometimes, being the most poisonous in the bunch isn't the best defense, it seems. In order to escape predation, many species have evolved to use special defenses that include camouflaging themselves, mimicking other species or using chemicals. For some amphibians that use toxins to protect themselves, the self-defense plan has backfired. Researchers from the University of Liverpool recently discovered that this predatory defense puts animals such as the iconic poison-dart frogs at a higher risk...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Predator Defenses Backfired Poisonous Frogs Higher Risk ExtinctionClimate Change: Mountain Ponds Dried Up in the Heat Leaves Amphibians Starving for Water
Posted by Nature World: None Given on September 6th, 2015
Nature World: Between less winter snowfall, increased evaporation and the lengthened period of drought occurring in the Pacific Northwest, amphibians are stressing as they lose their mountain pond habitats.
"We've seen that the lack of winter snowpack and high summer temperatures have resulted in massive breeding failures and the death of some adult frogs," Wendy Palen, co-author and associate professor at Canada's Simon Fraser University, said in a news release. "More years like 2015 do not bode well for the...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Climate Change: Mountain Ponds Dried Up in the Heat Leaves Amphibians Starving for WaterSeven New Teeny-Tiny Frog Species Discovered in Brazil
Posted by Nature World: None Given on June 4th, 2015
Nature World: Seven new teeny-tiny frog species have recently been discovered in the cloud forests of Brazil, and though they were just found, scientists already say that they are threatened and on the brink of extinction.
The southern Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest harbors a highly unique group of frogs that have intrigued scientists for over a century. Known as Brachycephalus, these miniature frogs are among the smallest terrestrial vertebrates, with adult sizes often not exceeding 1 cm in length. Their pocket...