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Sea ice's cooling power is waning faster than its area of extent
2024-08-19 (or before) in Science DailyAs sea ice disappears and grows less reflective, the Arctic has lost around a quarter of its cooling power since 1980, and the world has lost up to 15%, according to new research.
Wind farms can offset their emissions within two years
2024-08-08 (or before) in Science DailyAfter spinning for under two years, a wind farm can offset the carbon emissions generated across its entire 30-year lifespan, when compared to thermal power plants.
Tagged under: Wind Power | Oceans | Renewable Energy
Link between global warming and rising sea levels
2024-08-04 (or before) in Science DailyA new study suggests that Earth's natural forces could substantially reduce Antarctica's impact on rising sea levels, but only if carbon emissions are swiftly reduced in the coming decades. By the same token, if emissions continue on the current trajectory, Antarctic ice loss could lead to more future sea level rise than previously thought.
Tagged under: Antarctic | Sea Level | Global Warming
Reforestation programs could threaten vast area of tropical grasslands
2024-02-29 (or before) in Science DailyNew research reveals the scale of inappropriate reforestation projects across Africa. A new study reveals that an area the size of France is threatened by forest restoration initiatives, such as the AFR100 initiative (African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative), due to inappropriate restoration in the form of tree-planting.
Tagged under: Carbon Offsetting | Trees | Africa | Grasslands
Last Time Carbon Dioxide Levels Were This High: 15 Million Years Ago, Scientists Report
2023-09-06 (or before) in Science DailyYou must go back 15 million years to find carbon dioxide levels as high as they are today, Earth scientists report. "The last time carbon dioxide levels were apparently as high as they are today and sustained at those levels, global temperatures were five to 10 degrees Fahrenheit higher than they are today," said Aradhna Tripati, UCLA assistant professor of Earth and Space Sciences and lead author.
Honey bee life spans are 50 percent shorter today than they were 50 years ago: A drop in longevity for lab-kept honey bees could help explain colony losses and lower honey production in recent decades
2022-12-23 (or before) in Science DailyA new study by entomologists shows that the lifespan for individual honey bees kept in a controlled, laboratory environment is 50% shorter than it was in the 1970s. As the first study to show an overall decline in honey bee lifespan potentially independent of environmental stressors, this work hints that genetics may be influencing the broader trends of higher colony turnover rates seen in the beekeeping industry.
Tagged under: Butterflies and Moths | Bees | Insects | Food Production and Consumption
Elevated CO2 levels cause mineral deficiency in plants resulting in less nutritious crops
2022-12-02 (or before) in Science DailyFor years, scientists have seen enhanced photosynthesis as one of the only possible bright sides of increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) -- since plants use carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, it is anticipated that higher levels of the gas will lead to more productive plants. Scientists now explain why this effect may be less than expected because elevated levels of CO2 make it difficult for plants to obtain minerals necessary to grow and provide nutritious food.
Tagged under: Rainforests | Minerals
Failing phytoplankton, failing oxygen: Global warming disaster could suffocate life on planet Earth
2022-07-18 (or before) in Science DailyFalling oxygen levels caused by global warming could be a greater threat to the survival of life on planet Earth than flooding, according to new research.
Permafrost peatlands approaching tipping point
2022-03-15 (or before) in Science DailyResearchers warn that permafrost peatlands in Europe and Western Siberia are much closer to a climatic tipping point than previous believed. The frozen peatlands in these areas store up to 39 billion tons of carbon -- the equivalent to twice that stored in the whole of European forests.
Tagged under: Russia | Trees | Tipping Points
Inactive oil wells could be big source of methane emissions: Geologist studies greenhouse gas emissions from uncapped, idle wells in Texas
2021-10-31 (or before) in Science DailyUncapped, idle oil wells could be leaking millions of kilograms of methane each year into the atmosphere and surface water, according to a new study.
Tagged under: Global Warming | Drought | Greenhouse Gases | Methane | Texas
Few realistic scenarios left to limit global warming to 1.5°C
2021-05-16 (or before) in Science DailyOf the over 400 climate scenarios assessed in the 1.5°C report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), only around 50 scenarios avoid significantly overshooting 1.5°C. Of those only around 20 make realistic assumptions on mitigation options, for instance the rate and scale of carbon removal from the atmosphere or extent of tree planting, a new study shows. All 20 scenarios need to pull at least one mitigation lever at 'challenging' rather than 'reasonable' levels.
Tagged under: Oceans | Global Warming | IPCC | Climate Change | Climate Change Mitigation | Carbon Capture and Storage
Large-scale afforestation of African savannas will destroy valuable ecosystems: African scientists speak out about global plans to plant trees on their continent in order to fight climate change
2019-10-23 (or before) in Science DailyScientists from around the world argue that the suggested afforestation of large areas of Africa to mitigate climate change will destroy valuable ecological, agricultural, and tourist areas, while doing little to reduce global CO2 levels.
Tagged under: Africa | Climate Change | Trees
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