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Archive for October, 2015
Climate Change Threatens an Iconic Desert Tree
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 28th, 2015
National Geographic: Close your eyes and imagine a species living in a harsh environment threatened by climate change. If you conjured up a polar bear, Cameron Barrows has a suggestion: Consider, instead, the Joshua tree-the gnarly icon of the Southwest's Mojave Desert that looks like it sprang from a Dr. Seuss book.
"Animals living in the Arctic get a lot more attention than plants in arid lands, but desert plants like the Joshua tree are also threatened by a changing climate," says Barrows, a research ecologist...
Climate 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 SayStunning Drone Footage Shows Greenland Literally Melting Away
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on October 27th, 2015
EcoWatch: A team of scientists are working on a project in Greenland, the results of which could provide "groundbreaking information" on just how fast the ice mass is melting, reports The New York Times.
The only place with more of the world’s ice than Greenland is Antarctica. But Greenland is warming twice as fast as Antarctica, and this rapid melting is raising global sea levels at an alarming rate--even faster than expected. In August, Jakobshavn--Greenland`s fastest-moving glacier and one of the fastest...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Stunning Drone Footage Shows Greenland Literally Melting AwayLoss 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 ShowsThe Impact Of Climate Change Is Even Worse Than You Realize
Posted by Refinery29: None Given on October 27th, 2015
Refinery29: A breathtaking new video shows one stark reality of climate change: A huge portion of Greenland is literally melting away.
The New York Times deployed a drone to capture the devastating effects of rising temperatures on the northern Atlantic nation. The drone's cameras rolled as it flew above part of Greenland's melting ice sheet. Scientists are using the footage to document and better understand just how quickly Greenland is melting.
The result? Sweeping aerial views of deep blue rivers and...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on The Impact Of Climate Change Is Even Worse Than You RealizeThawing Permafrost Soils Rapidly Release CO2 Into Atmosphere
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 27th, 2015
Yale Environment 360: A new study in Alaska shows that as permafrost soils thaw, they rapidly release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, further exacerbating global warming. Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey and two universities dug a tunnel in permafrost near Fairbanks and subjected the frozen soils to rising temperatures. The study showed that permafrost is highly biodegradable, with the carbon in the thawing soils rapidly being consumed by single-celled organisms. Those organisms then release carbon into...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Thawing Permafrost Soils Rapidly Release CO2 Into AtmosphereSecrets of a rice-killing fungal toxin
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 27th, 2015
ScienceDaily: Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Sciences (CSRS) have discovered the enzyme needed for synthesis of tenuazonic acid (TeA), a well-known toxin that is produced by multiple types of fungus and affects fruits, vegetables, rice, and other crops. In their study published in Nature Communications, the authors describe how they found the gene for this enzyme, and reveal that its structure is unique among known enzymes.
Mycotoxins are toxic compounds produced by fungi that are...
Climate change will bring deadly heat to Middle East
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 27th, 2015
CNN: Climate change could ultimately make parts of the Middle East too hot for human beings to survive, according to studies published in Nature Climate Change.
"The combination of high temperatures and humidity could, within just a century, result in extreme conditions around the Persian Gulf that are intolerable to humans, if climate change continues unabated," wrote Christopher Schär of the Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science in Zurich, Switzerland.
Schär, who authored of one of the...
‘We the People Have Changed Tar Sands Pipeline Game Forever’
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on October 27th, 2015
EcoWatch: The pipelines exporting tar sands out of Alberta are almost full, according to a new analysis released today by Oil Change International. Without major expansion-driving pipelines such as Energy East, Kinder Morgan or Keystone XL, there will be no room for further growth in tar sands extraction, and tens of billions of metric tons of carbon will be kept in the ground. This would be a significant step towards a safer climate, cleaner water and air, and healthier communities.
NEW REPORT: No new...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on ‘We the People Have Changed Tar Sands Pipeline Game Forever’Power grid remains ill prepared for future hurricanes, study shows
Posted by InsideClimate: Phil McKenna on October 27th, 2015
InsideClimate: Three years after Hurricane Sandy devastated the East Coast, key electrical infrastructure remains vulnerable to flooding in major storms. A study released Tuesday by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) says millions of Americans living along the East and Gulf coasts would likely lose power in a Category 3 hurricane.
Sandy left more than 8 million people across 21 states without power and caused billions of dollars in damage when power plants and major electrical substations were inundated...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Power grid remains ill prepared for future hurricanes, study shows