Research co-led by The University of Queensland has found sharing real-time air quality readings in developing countries can reduce air pollution and lead to lower mortality rates. Dr Andrea La Nauze from UQ’s School of Economics said the project, in conjunction with Carnegie Mellon University in the United States, was sparked by live air quality … Read more
By measuring the electrical fields near swarming honeybees, researchers have discovered that insects can produce as much atmospheric electric charge as a thunderstorm cloud. This type of electricity helps shape weather events, aids insects in finding food, and lifts spiders up in the air to migrate over large distances. The research, appearing on October 24 … Read more
In an age of industrialized farming and complex supply chains, the true environmental pressures of our global food system are often obscure and difficult to assess. “Everyone eats food, and more and more people are paying attention to the planetary consequences of what they eat,” said UC Santa Barbara marine ecologist Ben Halpern. Figuring out … Read more
Clouds are notoriously hard to pin down, especially in climate science. A study from the University of California, Davis, and published in the journal Nature Geoscience shows that air temperature and cloud cover are strongly influenced by the buoyancy effect of water vapor, an effect currently neglected in some leading global climate models. Global climate … Read more
A lack of fresh air was found in a deep London Underground station, and air pollution is at its worst during the evening rush hour, according to new research led by the University of Surrey, which was conducted as part of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council-funded INHALE project. Surrey’s Global Centre for Clear … Read more
A new study shows for the first time that wildfires burning in West Coast states can strengthen storms in downwind states. Heat and tiny airborne particles produced by western wildfires distantly intensify severe storms, in some cases bringing baseball-sized hail, heavier rain and flash flooding to states like Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and the … Read more
The skin is a large, complex organ, and it serves as the body’s primary interface with the environment, playing key roles in sensory, thermoregulatory, barrier, and immunological functioning. As floods, wildfires, and extreme heat events increase in frequency and severity, they pose a significant threat to global dermatological health, as many skin diseases are climate … Read more
Wildfires in California in 2020 produced roughly twice the amount of carbon emissions that state climate policies have eliminated over the past two decades, according to an academic study published this week. While California’s tight environmental regulations have led to a decline of 65 million metric tons (MMT) of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions since 2003, wildfires in 2020 alone … Read more
Around 20 million Shia Muslims participate in Arba’een, one of the world’s largest religious gatherings. A new study projects climate change will make dangerous temperatures more common during Arba’een by the end of the 21st century, threatening participants with an increased risk of heat-related illness. Pilgrims are exposed to the elements while traveling on foot … Read more
SEATTLE — The air quality west of the Cascades from Vancouver, British Columbia, south to Eugene, Oregon, has deteriorated again as wildfires continue to burn. The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency sent out an alert Tuesday afternoon saying the smoke around Seattle was causing unhealthy air and that people should close windows and limit time … Read more