RSS Feed
Author Archive
Climate: Limiting Future Warming 1.5°C Not Impossible
Posted by Nature World: None Given on May 21st, 2015
Nature World: It has been said that our lofty goal of preventing the world from warming an additional 2 degrees Celsius is utterly inadequate. After all, research has already shown that means to keep to this two-degree limit are slipping away. And yet, despite all the speculation, one new study says that it is even possible to limit future warming to a more ambitious goal of 1.5 degrees C by 2100.
That's at least from a purely technological standpoint, according to researchers at the International Institute...
Posted in 
Antarctic Ice Shelf Thinning from Above… and Below
Posted by Nature World: None Given on May 13th, 2015
Nature World: One of Antarctica's largest ice shelves is thinning from above and below, helping scientists finally understand just what exactly is causing this rapid ice melt, according to new research.
The Larsen C Ice Shelf - whose neighbors Larsen A and B, collapsed in 1995 and 2002 - has long puzzled scientists. They have debated for decades whether warming air temperatures or warmer ocean currents are behind the collapse of the Antarctic Peninsula's floating ice shelves.
But new findings, published...
Warming Climate May Release Massive Carbon Storehouse Arctic Soils
Posted by Nature World: None Given on April 28th, 2015
Nature World: It's no secret that our warming climate is causing ice everywhere to melt, but now new research shows that this thaw may release a massive storehouse of carbon in long-frozen Arctic soils. This could potentially have a catastrophic effect on climate change, which is already wreaking havoc on the environment and wildlife around the world.
While climatologists have been closely monitoring carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the atmosphere, it seems they should be focusing just as much on what's under...
Pesticide Use May Threaten Global Freshwater Biodiversity
Posted by Nature World: None Given on April 14th, 2015
Nature World: Pesticide use, while it's been tied to a decline in honeybee populations and other pollinators, now may also threaten global freshwater biodiversity, according to new research.
Specifically, it's insecticides, a type of pesticide that is used to specifically target and kill insects, that are the problem. Despite the fact that insecticide use is regulated, and cannot surpass legally-accepted regulatory threshold levels (RTLs), it appears that they are still causing problems for various ecosystems...
Goldfish 3,000 Strong: Dumped Koi Raised Invading Army in Colorado
Posted by Nature World: None Given on April 10th, 2015
Nature World: An army of 3,000 strong and counting is building in a lake in Boulder, Colorado, and the potential impact of this invasive exotic fish has conservationists on edge.
The fish in question are koi goldfish - the vibrantly orange, white, and black fish that frequently fill the artificial ponds of homes and restaurants.
According to multiple local media accounts, a park ranger first noticed the clouds of an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 fish in Boulder's Teller Lake #5 a few weeks ago. News of the population...
Some Biodiversity Loss Can Be Reversed: Study
Posted by Nature World: None Given on April 6th, 2015
Nature World: It has been suggested that climate change threatens biodiversity worldwide, but now new hopeful research claims that some biodiversity loss can be reversed.
That is, according to findings published in the journal Nature, which say that even though humanity's use of land for agricultural production has come at a cost to local ecosystems worldwide, some of the damage can be undone.
A global network of contributors has submitted data from every continent, providing the most complete picture yet...
Deforestation Drives Changes in Climate, Food Production
Posted by Nature World: None Given on April 3rd, 2015
Nature World: Deforestation is driving changes in the climate that threaten to impact global food production, according to a new study. "Understanding the precise mechanisms of forest-generated warming or cooling could help regional management agencies anticipate changes in crop yields. Together with a knowledge of other ecological factors, this information can help decision makers and stakeholders design policies that help to sustain local agricultural practices," co-author Safa Motesharrei said in a statement....
The Everglades’ Mammals Are Disappearing, and We Can Definitely Blame the Pythons
Posted by Nature World: None Given on March 22nd, 2015
Nature World: Researchers have long had anecdotal evidence that the mammal population in the Florida Everglades - a region famous for its wild and rich biodiversity - was on the decline. That's right, 'mammals' - as in all that's cute, furry, savage, and sly - ranging from skunks, to bats, to even bobcats. Now a new study has found the first concrete example of this decline, with invasive pythons named as the primary killers of the region's disappearing marsh rabbits.
If you know anything about rabbits, you...
Arctic Ice Extent has Reached its Limit: Lowest on Record
Posted by Nature World: None Given on March 19th, 2015
Nature World: With winter at its end, it appears that the extent of Arctic sea ice has reached its limit. Worryingly, it's the lowest extent ever seen, reaching only about 5.61 million square miles. What's more, this is also one of the earliest maximum extents ever reached, with most seen much further into the end of the season.
Arctic sea ice is pretty self explanatory: it's frozen seawater that grows on the surface of the Arctic Ocean between fall and winter, and gradually recedes at the end of this period....
Scientists Pinpoint Exact Date When Humans Began to Dominate Earth
Posted by Nature World: None Given on March 12th, 2015
Nature World: It has long been suggested that our impact on the planet is so substantial that it grants its own new geological epoch - known as the Anthropocene. While the beginning of this new era has been heatedly debated, one group of scientists believes it has finally pinpointed the exact date of when humans began to dominate the Earth.
The year was 1610, when the effects of the collision between the New and Old Worlds, which occurred a century earlier, were first felt around the globe. That is, there was...