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Precipitation Changes Linked To Global Warming
Posted by redOrbit: April Flowers on November 12th, 2013
RedOrbit: According to Eliza Doolittle from “My Fair Lady,” the rain in Spain lies mainly on the plain. However, according to a new study from the scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), the location and intensity of rain is changing around the globe, not only in Spain. The study, published in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals that observed changes in global (ocean and land) precipitation are directly affected by human activities and...
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Nutrient Pollution Could Cause Record-Setting ‘Dead Zone’ In Gulf Of Mexico
Posted by redOrbit: April Flowers on June 19th, 2013
RedOrbit: cientists are expecting a very large “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico, according to several NOAA-supported forecast models. Those same models predict a smaller than average hypoxic level in the Chesapeake Bay.
A research team comprised of scientists from the University of Michigan, Louisiana State University, and the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium used the NOAA-supported models to forecast that this year’s Gulf of Mexico hypoxic “dead zone" will be between 7,286 and 8,561 square miles,...
Pollution Does Not Change The Rate Of Droplet Formation In Clouds
Posted by redOrbit: April Flowers on February 19th, 2013
RedOrbit: A little bit of oily and viscous organic material doesn`t seem to matter much when it comes to forming the droplets that make up clouds. This is good news for reducing the uncertainty of climate model predictions.
For accurate climate modeling, understanding cloud formation is essential. This understanding has to start with droplet formation, which occurs when water vapor is attracted to particles floating in the atmosphere. These particles include dust, sea salt from the ocean, microorganisms,...
Amphibian Biodiversity Makes Entire Ecosystem More Robust
Posted by redOrbit: April Flowers on February 14th, 2013
RedOrbit: A new study from the University of Colorado, Boulder shows that the richer the biodiversity of amphibian species living in a pond, the more protection that ecosystem has against parasitic infections.
The finding of the study support the broader theory that greater biodiversity in large-scale ecosystems such as forests or grasslands may also provide greater protection against diseases, including those that attack humans. A larger number of mammals in an area, for example, may curb cases of Lyme...
Study Highlights Amazing Biodiversity Of Philippines
Posted by redOrbit: April Flowers on February 8th, 2013
RedOrbit: A recent study of the amphibians and reptiles of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range, located in the northeast region of the Philippine island of Luzon, revealed more than 100 species that add to the unique biodiversity of the region. Currently, more than 150 species round out Luzon’s herpetological niche, with a total of 49 amphibians. Of those, 44 are native to the island and 32 endemic to the region. The reptile count is even higher, with 106 native species, of which 76 are unique to the region. ...
Working Elephants Experience Soaring Death Rates In Face Of Climate Change
Posted by redOrbit: April Flowers on February 5th, 2013
RedOrbit: Climate change models are predicting higher temperatures and months without rainfall, which could negatively impact populations of already endangered Asian elephants.
Led by scientists from the University of Sheffield, the research team, matched monthly climate records with birth and death data to track how climate variation affects the survival rate of elephants.
The results of this study were recently published in the journal Ecology. The team, which included members from the Berlin College...
Greenhouse Gases Affect Rainfall Differently Than Natural Global Warming
Posted by redOrbit: April Flowers on January 31st, 2013
RedOrbit: An international group of scientists has shown that global warming from greenhouse gases affects global rainfall patterns differently than global warming from solar heating. Using computer model simulations, the research team showed that global rainfall has increased less over the present-day warming period than during the Medieval Warm Period between 950 and 1250 AD despite the fact that temperatures today are higher than during that time.
The findings of this study were published in today’s...
Amazon Rainforest Under Threat From Climate Change
Posted by redOrbit: April Flowers on January 18th, 2013
RedOrbit: A megadrought that started in 2005 is still affecting a portion of the Amazon Rainforest twice the size of California, a new study led by NASA`s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) finds.
The results of this study, combined with the observed recurrences of droughts every few years and associated damage to forests in both the southern and western Amazon over the past decade, reveal that the rainforest might be showing the initial signs of potential large-scale degradation due to climate change.
An...
Extreme Climate Events Create Synchronized Population Fluctuations
Posted by redOrbit: April Flowers on January 18th, 2013
RedOrbit: Scientists have known that climate change affects the population dynamics of single species, such as reindeer or caribou, but the effects of such climate change at the community level have been much harder to document and quantify.
A new study from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) has found that extreme climate events cause a synchronized population fluctuation among all vertebrate species in a relatively simple high arctic community. The findings, published in a recent...
Rapid Environmental Changes May Have Help Drive Human Evolution
Posted by redOrbit: April Flowers on December 25th, 2012
RedOrbit: A research team from Penn State and Rutgers University found that roughly 2 million years ago in East Africa, a series of rapid environmental changes may be responsible for driving human evolution.
"The landscape early humans were inhabiting transitioned rapidly back and forth between a closed woodland and an open grassland about five to six times during a period of 200,000 years," said Clayton Magill, graduate student in geosciences at Penn State. "These changes happened very abruptly, with each...