As climate change alters habitats for birds and bees and everything in between, so too does the way humans decide to use land. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Aarhus University in Denmark have, for the first time, found a way to determine the potential combined impacts of both climate and land-use change on plants, animals and ecosystems across the country.
An international team of conservationist scientists and practitioners has published new research showing the precarious state of the world’s primary forests.
Novel ecosystems arise when human activities transform biological communities through species invasions and environmental change. They are seemingly ubiquitous, and thus many policymakers and ecologists argue for them to be accepted as the "new normal"—an idea the researchers say is a bad one.
In research to be published in the journal Ecology — and currently posted online as a preprint — Thomas Givnish, a professor of botany at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, attempts to resolve a debate as to which factors actually set maximum tree height, and how their relative importance varies in different parts of the world.
Researchers at Texas Tech's Wildlife Toxicology Laboratory necropsied hundreds of birds throughout a 19-million-acre area of land and discovered large numbers of parasitic eyeworms in many of the birds they sampled.
Turtles are well known for their longevity and protective shells, but it turns out these reptiles use sound to stick together and care for young, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society and other organizations.
Researchers at NCAR and partner organizations are making significant headway in predicting the behavior of the atmosphere on a variety of fronts. Highlights include improving weather forecasts, advancing renewable energy capabilities, helping satellites avoid space debris, and estimating the risk of a crop slowdown due to climate change.
A 57-acre research plot at a University of Michigan forest preserve northwest of Ann Arbor has been added to a Smithsonian Institution global network used to study tropical and temperate forest function and diversity.
An international team of scientists compared mainstream bioeconomic theory with the lesser-known “fishing-down” theory, to discover that a large, commercially important fish from the Amazon Basin has become extinct in some local fishing communities.
A team of materials chemists, polymer scientists and device physicists this week report a breakthrough technique for controlling assembly of nanoparticles over multiple length scales that may allow cheaper, ecologically friendly manufacture of organic photovoltaics and other electronic devices.
96 Elephants and Partners Commemorate World Elephant Day, Today, August 12
Scientists who sequenced the genome of the Antarctic midge suspect the genome’s small size – the smallest in insects described to date – can probably be explained by the midge’s adaptation to its extreme living environment.
When the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently requested a figure on global temperature trends for its annual report, the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Zhengyu Liu knew that was going to be a problem. Liu and his colleagues describe a consistent global warming trend over the course of the Holocene counter to a study published last year.
A new study by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Idaho State University (ISU) explored how habitat alterations, including the addition of energy transmission towers, affect avian predators nesting in sagebrush landscapes.
Seismic events aren’t rare occurrences on Antarctica, where sections of the frozen desert can experience hundreds of micro-earthquakes an hour due to ice deformation. Some scientists call them icequakes. But in March of 2010, the ice sheets in Antarctica vibrated a bit more than usual because of something more than 3,000 miles away: the 8.8-magnitude Chilean earthquake. A new Georgia Institute of Technology study published in Nature Geoscience is the first to indicate that Antarctica’s frozen ground is sensitive to seismic waves from distant earthquakes.
Many of today’s technological innovations from the iPhone to electric motors for hybrid cars require the use of materials — elements — that are scarce or difficult to obtain. As demand for these devices grows, the problem of dwindling critical element supplies must be addressed. That’s the conclusion of a white paper written by eminent scientists. The product of the 5th Chemical Sciences and Society Summit (CS3), the white paper recommends focusing research on finding alternative materials and new approaches to technology development in order to prevent these elements from disappearing.
As the Food and Drug Administration mulls over whether to rein in the use of common antibacterial compounds that are causing growing concern among environmental health experts, scientists are reporting today that many pregnant women and their fetuses are being exposed to these substances. They will present their work at the 248th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.
A plastic sponge that sops up the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) might ease our tranisition away from polluting fossil fuels to new energy sources like hydrogen. At the 248th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, a researcher will describe a relative of food container plastics that could play a role in President Obama’s plan to cut CO2 emissions. The material might also someday be integrated into power plant smokestacks.
A new approach for formulating the active chemical ingredients of common drugs and agricultural products has been developed by researchers in Italy, and it holds broad potential to make such products more durable, safer, cheaper, easier to manufacture and less harmful to the environment.
The message is simple: to save elephants, all ivory markets must close and all ivory stockpiles must be destroyed, according to a new peer-reviewed paper by the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Elizabeth Addis, assistant professor of biology at Gonzaga University, and three senior biology majors are spending this summer researching why the local population of yellow-bellied marmots – those gregarious, burrowing rodents ubiquitous near the Spokane River – are not only surviving but thriving in the urban areas of Spokane. Most research exploring patterns of species survival has focused on birds; little is known about the physiological mechanisms that allow animals to survive in urban environments.
New research by a Florida State University geography professor shows that climate change may be playing a key role in the strength and frequency of tornadoes hitting the United States.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – When the ants come marching in, having miles of linked habitats may not be such a good idea after all.
Global Temperature Report: July 2014
As production of shale gas soars, the industry's effects on nature and wildlife remain largely unexplored, according to a study by a group of conservation biologists published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment on Aug. 1.
Carmakers like Toyota have long touted the eco-friendly virtues of zero-emission hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, but commercialization was hindered by the high cost of critical materials and infrastructure. Now, Toyota has cut costs by 90 percent and German industrial gases and engineering company Linde AG will start small-series production of hydrogen fueling stations. Some of the stations are slated to open in California as Toyota debuts its Highlander hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) in 2015.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture today released a report that, for the first time, provides uniform scientific methods for quantifying the changes in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and carbon storage from various land management and conservation activities. Colorado State University faculty members served as authors and external science advisors on the new report, and a CSU team is leading the implementation of a new online tool that provides customized GHG reports and management plans in accordance with the new guidelines.
A new study looks at 20 years of data concerning the consequences of burning Flint Hills prairie at different times of the year. It finds that burning outside of the current late spring time frame has no measurable negative consequences for the prairie, and in fact, may have multiple benefits.
Nonwoven cotton could become the new picker-upper for oil spills.
The Kavli Foundation Lecture series features two prominent scientists: one in the booming area of ionic liquids, the other in medical materials. The former has made a novel compound with the potential to lower the energy it takes to capture carbon dioxide. The latter has engineered tissues and medical materials such as a stretchy glue that could transform surgery. They are presenting at the 248th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.
As the oil and gas drilling technique called hydraulic fracturing proliferates, a new study on the contents of the fluids used raises concerns over several ingredients. The scientists presenting the work today at the 248th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society say out of nearly 200 commonly used compounds in “fracking,” there’s very little known about the potential health risks of about one-third, and eight are toxic to mammals.
A new technique transforming stinky, air-polluting landfill gas could produce the sweet smell of success as it leads to development of a fuel cell generating clean electricity for homes, offices and hospitals, researchers say. The advance would convert methane gas into hydrogen, an efficient, clean form of energy. Their report was part of the 248th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.
For decades, crystal-clear water bubbling from the ground has driven Florida tourism, via scuba divers, canoeists, boaters and swimmers, but today, many of those springs aren't healthy. Although the blame for algae-choked springs is often pinned on excess nitrate, scientists say the absence of algae-eating native freshwater snails known as Elimia may be a key to restoring the springs' health.
Scientists are concerned about the impact climate change--particularly warming--may have on tropical rainforests. They are undertaking the first field study ever to find out.
University of Iowa researchers examined how changes in rainfall amounts and an increase in the amount of acreage used to grow such crops as corn and soybeans can affect the volume of river water flow in the U.S. Midwest.
Study looks at factors related to intensity of hurricanes/cyclones
A new ultra-sensitive, low-cost and portable system for detecting mercury in environmental water has been developed by University of Adelaide researchers.
Citing many sobering examples of how wildlife loss leads to conflict among people around the world, a new article co-authored by Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Health & Ecosystems: Analysis of Linkages (HEAL) Program Director Dr. Christopher Golden, calls for an interdisciplinary approach to tackle global biodiversity decline.
Strengthening community forest rights is an essential strategy to reduce billions of tonnes of carbon emissions, making it an effective way for governments to meet climate goals, safeguard forests and protect the livelihoods of their citizens, according to a major new report. The report, called “Securing Rights, Combating Climate Change: How Strengthening Community Forest Rights Mitigates Climate Change,” is being published jointly by World Resources Institute (WRI) and Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI). The paper provides the most comprehensive analysis to date linking legal recognition and government protection of community forest rights with reductions in carbon pollution.
El fortalecimiento de los derechos forestales comunitarios es una estrategia esencial para reducir los miles de millones de toneladas de emisiones de carbono, haciéndolo una forma efectiva para que los gobiernos cumplan los objetivos climáticos, salvaguarden los bosques y protejan las subsistencias de sus ciudadanos, según un importante reporte nuevo. El informe, llamado "Asegurando derechos, luchando contra el cambio climático: Cómo el fortalecimiento de los derechos forestales comunitarios mitiga el cambio climático", está siendo publicado conjuntamente por el Instituto de Recursos Mundiales (World Resources Institute - WRI) y la Iniciativa Derechos y Recursos (Rights and Resources Initiative - RRI). El documento proporciona el análisis más completo a la fecha vinculando el reconocimiento legal y la protección gubernamental de los derechos forestales comunitarios junto con las reducciones en la contaminación de carbono.
Scientists from the Weizmann Institute and the U.S. created a tool to analyze the environmental costs of agriculture, with the goal of determining which types of animal-based food one should eat, environmentally speaking. In the most comprehensive study of its kind, they came up with answers both expected and surprising.
A new geological study concludes.the disastrous March 22 landslide that killed 43 people in the rural Washington state community of Oso involved the "remobilization" of a 2006 landslide on the same hillside.
Seeking to gain a high-tech edge over illegal fishers, the Government of Belize will use “eyes in the sky” to enforce fishing regulations in the biodiverse Glover’s Reef Marine Reserve and other reef systems in what is the first use of conservation drones to monitor marine protected areas.
A multi-university team will answer the ongoing questions of how the impacts of manmade stressors such as agricultural use and burgeoning populations work in concert with a warming planet on water systems.
Statistical analysis of average global temperatures between 1998 and 2013 shows that the slowdown in global warming during this period is consistent with natural variations in temperature, according to research by McGill University physics professor Shaun Lovejoy.
A paper co-written by an Indiana University researcher describes how households can reduce water use substantially by simple actions such as installing more efficient appliances and changing day-to-day habits.
The 1500 mile Appalachian mountain chain runs along a nearly straight line from Alabama to Newfoundland—except for a curious bend in Pennsylvania and New York State. Researchers from the College of New Jersey and the University of Rochester now know what caused that bend—a dense, underground block of rigid, volcanic rock forced the chain to shift eastward as it was forming millions of years ago.
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