EurekAlert! - Atmospheric Science
Sun Apr 24 04:23:09 EDT 2011
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Effect of cloud-scattered sunlight on earth's energy balance depends on wavelength of light - (DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) Atmospheric scientists trying to pin down how clouds curb the amount of sunlight available to warm the earth have found that it depends on the wavelength of sunlight being measured. This unexpected result will help researchers improve how they portray clouds in climate models.

Ben-Gurion University professor awarded top prize for best article on Palestinian-Israeli watersheds - (American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev) Prof. Tal and his co-authors from BGU's Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research were recognized for the article titled "Chemical and Biological Monitoring in Ephemeral and Intermittent Streams: A Study of Two Trans-boundary Palestinian-Israeli Watersheds." The article described the joint monitoring and restoration of the Besor and Alexander streams undertaken by the two groups.

What motivates environmental activists, policymakers? asks new research center - (University of Maryland) A new University of Maryland research center will focus on the human side of environmental policymaking and activism -- one of the first of its kind in the field."Environmental legislation and community activism doesn't just spring up in a vacuum," said Dana R. Fisher, a University of Maryland sociology professor who directs the new Center for Society and the Environment.

Fossil sirenians give scientists new look at ancient climate - (National Science Foundation) What tales they tell of their former lives, these old bones of sirenians, relatives of today's dugongs and manatees. And now, geologists have found, they tell of the waters in which they swam.While researching the evolutionary ecology of ancient sirenians -- commonly known as sea cows--scientist Mark Clementz and colleagues unexpectedly stumbled across data that could change the view of climate during the Eocene Epoch, some 50 million years ago.

Purdue-led team studies Earth's recovery from prehistoric global warming - (Purdue University) The Earth may be able to recover from rising carbon dioxide emissions faster than previously thought, according to evidence from a prehistoric. When faced with high levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide and rising temperatures 56 million years ago, the Earth increased its ability to pull carbon from the air. This led to a recovery that was quicker than anticipated by many models of the carbon cycle.

Berkeley Lab study finds that photovoltaic systems boost the sales price of California homes - (DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) New research by the US Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory finds strong evidence that homes with solar photovoltaic (PV) systems sell for a premium over homes without solar systems. The Berkeley Lab research is the first to empirically explore the existence and magnitude of residential PV sales price impacts across a large number of homes and over a wide geographic area.

Lawn of native grasses beats traditional lawn for lushness, weed resistance - (University of Texas at Austin) A lawn of regionally native grasses would take less resources to maintain while providing as lush a carpet as a common turfgrass used in the South, according to a study by ecologists at The University of Texas at Austin's Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Columbia engineering study links ozone hole to climate change all the way to the equator - (Columbia University) In a study in the April 21 issue of Science, researchers at Columbia University's School of Engineering and Applied Science report their findings that the ozone hole, which is located over the South Pole, has affected the entire circulation of the Southern Hemisphere all the way to the equator. This is the first time that ozone depletion, an upper atmospheric phenomenon confined to the polar regions, has been linked to climate change from the Pole to the equator.

GOES-13 sees an extraordinarily early Atlantic low in the tropics - (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) Hurricane season doesn't start in the Northern Atlantic Ocean until June 1, but a low pressure system in doesn't seem to want to follow the calendar. There's a low pressure area with a small chance for development north-northeast of Puerto Rico, and the GOES-13 satellite captured a visible image of the storm.

Ring around the hurricanes: Satellites can predict storm intensity - (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Coastal residents may soon have longer warning when a storm headed in their direction is becoming a hurricane, thanks to a University of Illinois study demonstrating how to use existing satellites to monitor tropical storm dynamics and predict sudden surges in strength. Using passive microwave satellites, the researchers found that low-shear storm systems form a symmetrical ring of thunderstorms around the center of the system about six hours before rapidly intensifying into a hurricane.

Air pollution exposure affects chances of developing premenopausal breast cancer - (University at Buffalo) Exposure to air pollution early in life and when a woman gives birth to her first child may alter her DNA and may be associated with pre-menopausal breast cancer later in life, researchers at the University at Buffalo have shown.

Life in extreme environments paves the way for international collaboration - (European Science Foundation) Life thriving in deserts, the polar regions and the deep sea is the focus of a report released today by the CAREX project, involving over 200 international scientists. The CAREX (Coordination Action for Research Activities on life in Extreme Environments) roadmap outlines priorities for future research into life in extreme environments, giving the basis for international collaboration.

Shades of gray: LSU researcher studies South Louisiana's historical ties to the oil industry - (Louisiana State University) In response to the probing questions being asked of science and society, LSU researchers are taking a better look at how oil has influenced Louisiana -- and how Louisiana influences the industry.

Contemporary climate change alters the pace and drivers of extinction - (Wiley-Blackwell) Local extinction rates of American pikas have increased nearly five-fold in the last 10 years, and the rate at which the climate-sensitive species is moving up mountain slopes has increased 11-fold, since the 20th century, according to a study soon to be published in Global Change Biology.

Singapore's first locally made satellite launched into space - (Nanyang Technological University) Singapore's first indigenous micro-satellite, X-SAT, lifted off on board India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C16 at 10.12am Indian Standard Time (12.42pm, Singapore time) on April 20, 2011. The X-SAT, developed and built by Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (NTU), in collaboration with DSO National Laboratories, was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, India.

Can biochar help suppress greenhouse gases? - (American Society of Agronomy) Scientists at Lincoln University in New Zealand, conducted an experiment over an 86-day spring/summer period to determined the effect of incorporating biochar into the soil on nitrous oxide emissions from the urine patches produced by cattle.

NJIT professor develops a biologically inspired catalyst, an active yet inert material - (New Jersey Institute of Technology) NJIT Associate Professor Sergiu M. Gorun is leading a research team to develop biologically-inspired catalysis active, yet inert, materials. The work is based on organic catalytic framework made sturdy by the replacement of carbon-hydrogen bonds with a combination of aromatic and aliphatic carbon-fluorine bonds. Graduate students involved with this research recently received first place recognition at the annual NJIT Dana Knox student research showcase.

Democrats and Republicans increasingly divided over global warming - (Michigan State University) Despite the growing scientific consensus that global warming is real, Americans have become increasingly polarized on the environmental problem, according to a first-of-its-kind study led by a Michigan State University researcher.

UNH Carsey Institute: Americans believe climate change is occurring, but disagree on why - (University of New Hampshire) Most Americans now agree that climate change is occurring, but still disagree on why, with opinions about the cause of climate change defined by political party, not scientific understanding, according to new research from the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire.

The Arctic as a messenger for global processes -- climate change and pollution - (University of Copenhagen) The Arctic as a Messenger for Global Processes -- Climate Change and Pollution is a scientific conference that will gather more than 400 of the leading international experts on climate change, pollution, ecosystems and societies in the Arctic.

Gold prices spur six-fold spike in Amazon deforestation - (Duke University) Deforestation in parts of the Peruvian Amazon has increased six-fold in recent years as small-scale miners, driven by record gold prices, blast and clear more of the lowland rainforest, according to a new Duke University-led study.

Clouds, clouds, burning bright - (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) High up in the sky near the poles some 50 miles above the ground, silvery blue clouds sometimes appear, shining brightly in the night. These are noctilucent or "night shining" clouds. Since 2007, a NASA mission called Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) has shown that the cloud formation is changing year to year, a process they believe is intimately tied to the weather and climate of the whole globe.

GOES-13 satellite animation shows US severe storms and tornado outbreak - (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) The GOES-13 satellite captured images of the powerful weather system that triggered severe weather in the southern US this weekend, and NASA created an animation to show its progression. GOES-13 satellite data showed the strong cold front as it moved eastward from Saturday through Monday and generated tornadoes before moving off-shore into the Atlantic Ocean.

NASA's Aqua satellite sees weaker Tropical Depression Errol crossing West Timor - (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image of Tropical Depression Errol's warming cloud temperatures as it was crossing the southern tip of West Timor today.

New Baylor research shows using leaves' characteristics improves accuracy measuring past climates - (Baylor University) A study led by Baylor University geologists shows that a new method that uses different size and shape traits of leaves to reconstruct past climates over the last 120 million years is more accurate than other current methods.