Today, increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are warming up the planet. Climate change can disrupt the balance of ecosystems and contribute to endangerment and extinction of some species. New research suggests that a period of intense volcanism in the Central Andes may be the missing link in the story of past climate … Read more
About 56 million years ago, volcanoes quickly dumped massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, heating the Earth rapidly. This time period — called the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, or PETM — is often used as a historic parallel for our own future under climate change, since humans have also rapidly poured carbon dioxide into … Read more
Just like the old adage says: When it rains, it pours. That turns out to be increasingly true for much of the United States, according to Northwestern University researchers. In a new study, researchers compared observed rainfall from two climatologically distinct time periods and across 17 different climate regions in the U.S. They found that … Read more
For the first time, high-energy muon particles created in the atmosphere have allowed researchers to explore the structures of storms in a way that traditional visualization techniques, such as satellite imaging, cannot. The detail offered by this new technique could aid researchers modeling storms and related weather effects. This could also lead to more accurate … Read more
Oil and gas prices skyrocketed following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in spring 2022, creating a global energy crisis similar to the oil crisis of the 1970s. While some countries used the price shock to accelerate the transition to cleaner sources of energy, such as wind, solar and geothermal, others have responded by expanding the … Read more
New technology developed at the University of Waterloo could make a significant difference in the fight against climate change by affordably converting harmful carbon dioxide (CO2) into fuels and other valuable chemicals on an industrial scale. Outlined in a study published today in the journal Nature Energy, the system yields 10 times more carbon monoxide … Read more
Try as they might, parents can’t protect their little ones from this danger. New research shows unborn children have air pollution particles in their brains and lungs before they enter the world, a new study found. The pollutant nanoparticles, called black carbon or soot particles, come from gas and diesel engines, according to the Environmental … Read more
A proposal to cover Arctic sea ice with layers of tiny hollow glass spheres about the thickness of one human hair would actually accelerate sea-ice loss and warm the climate rather than creating thick ice and lowering the temperature as proponents claim. Sea ice, by reflecting the majority of the sun’s energy back to space, … Read more
Researchers from Nagoya University in Japan have reported that nitrate accumulated in soil bordering streams plays an important role in the increase of nitrate levels in stream water when it rains. Their findings, published in the journal Biogeosciences, may help reduce nitrogen pollution and improve water quality in downstream bodies of water, such as lakes … Read more
Particle radioactivity, a characteristic of air pollution that reflects the colorless, odorless gas radon found in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution, enhances PM2.5 toxicity and increases risk of death from cardiovascular disease, especially from heart attack or stroke, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open … Read more