How global warming might affect food security – The Hindu
Between the year 1870 (the first industrial revolution) and today, the global temperature has risen by almost 2 degrees Celsius. This has come about due to more fossil burning (oil, natural gas, coal), which has also increased the carbon dioxide…
During COVID, scientists turn to computers to understand C4 photosynthesis
When COVID closed down their lab, a team of researchers turned to computational approaches to understand what makes some plants better adapted to transform light and carbon dioxide into yield through photosynthesis. Most plants use C3 photosynthesis, which is more common but not as efficient as C4. The researchers uncovered clues as to how C4 crops are able to express key enzymes in specialized cells that increase photosynthetic efficiency.
Humans and climate drove giants of Madagascar to extinction
(University of Innsbruck) The entire endemic megafauna of Madagascar and the Mascarene islands Mauritius and Rodrigues was eliminated during the past millennium. To investigate possible drivers of this extinction, an international team of scientists constructed an 8000-year record of the islands’ past climate. Their findings imply that the ecosystem was resilient to prior climate stress but ultimately collapsed with an increase in human activities. The results have now been published in Science Advances.
Long-term data show a recent acceleration in chemical and physical changes in the ocean
(Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences) New research published in Nature Communications Earth & Environment uses data from two sustained open-ocean hydrographic stations (Hydrostation ‘S’ and the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study) in the North Atlantic Ocean near Bermuda to demonstrate recent changes in ocean physics and chemistry since the 1980s. The study shows decadal variability and recent acceleration of surface warming, salinification, deoxygenation, and changes in carbon dioxide (CO2)-carbonate chemistry that drives ocean acidification.
Unprecedented energy use since 1950 has transformed humanity’s geologic footprint
(University of Colorado at Boulder) A new study makes clear the extraordinary speed and scale of increases in energy use, economic productivity and global population that have pushed the Earth towards a new geological epoch, known as the Anthropocene.
Eco-Activists’ Well-Funded War On Pennsylvania’s Energy Industry
Summary: The Keystone State, an oil and natural gas powerhouse, is under siege by an alliance of well-organized, well-funded “green” activists. From cap-and-trade schemes meant to bleed ratepayers dry to fracking bans on one of Pennsylvania’s most vital industries, the…
How Biden would use trade agreements to fight global warming – POLITICO
“The U.S. is in a globally unique position,” said Todd Tucker, a trade and climate researcher at the Roosevelt Institute, a progressive think tank. “It’s got the largest consumer market in the world and with that comes a lot of…
BONKERS: NYT’s Krugman Says Charles Koch Wants Barrett To ‘Destroy The Planet’
New York Times economist Paul Krugman is at it again. He’s promoting a conspiracy theory that libertarian billionaire Charles Koch wants U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett to — wait for it — destroy the planet. Sounds like…
Port engineers need guidance incorporating sea level rise into construction designs
(University of Rhode Island) A survey of maritime infrastructure engineers by University of Rhode Island researchers found that the rising sea level is often not factored into designs of ports, breakwaters, fishing piers and other coastal infrastructure.
Untangling impacts of global warming and Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation on long-term variability of North Pacific tropical cyclone track density – Science Advances
INTRODUCTION Tropical cyclones (TCs) are among the most devastating weather systems and can cause large casualties and heavy property losses. The western North Pacific (WNP) features the largest number of TCs, while the eastern NP (ENP) has the most TCs…
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