ScienceDaily: Earth & Climate NewsEarth Science News. From earthquakes and hurricanes to global warming and energy use, read the latest research news here.Studying Volcanoes With Balloons- August 14, 2008 People do all kinds of crazy things in Hawaii, but flying balloons over a volcano usually isnt one of them. Unless youre Adam Durant, that is.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080814154435.htm Researching Most Promising Carbon Dioxide Capture Technologies- August 14, 2008 A scientific research and development programme is being launched in Norway with the aim of generating more cost effective technology for CO2-capture. The project is one of the biggest of its kind to date.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080814091048.htm NASA Study Improves Ability To Predict Aerosols' Effect On Cloud Cover- August 14, 2008 Using a novel theoretical approach, researchers from NASA and other institutions have identified the common thread that determines how aerosols from human activity, like the particles from burning of vegetation and forests, influence cloud cover and ultimately affect climate. The study improves researchers' ability to predict whether aerosols will increase or decrease cloud cover.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080814163554.htm Smells Like Bees' Spirit: Response To Pheromone Changes According To Situation- August 14, 2008 When bumblebees return to the nest from a successful foraging mission, they produce a pheromone which encourages their nest mates to also go out and find food. Scientists had originally thought that these pheromones elicited a standard response from all bees. But new research from Queen Mary's School of Biological and Chemical Sciences has shown that bees' response to the pheromone changes according to their situation.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080813114229.htm Green Roofs Differ In Building Cooling, Water Handling Capabilities- August 14, 2008 The first study to compare the performance of different types of green roofs suggests that buyers shouldn't assume these roofs are created equal.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080812135648.htm Using Live Fish, New Tool A Sentinel For Environmental Contamination- August 14, 2008 Researchers have harnessed the sensitivity of days-old fish embryos to create a tool capable of detecting a range of harmful chemicals. By measuring rates of oxygen use in developing fish, which are sensitive to contaminants and stressful conditions, the technology could reveal the presence of minute levels of toxic substances before they cause more obvious and substantial harm. It could be used as an early warning system against environmental contamination or even biological weapons.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080813114225.htm Climate Change May Boost Middle East Rainfall- August 14, 2008 The prospect of climate change sparking food and water shortages in the Middle East is less likely than previously thought, with new research by an Australian climate scientist suggesting that rainfall will be significantly higher in key parts of the region.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080813095724.htm Mass Extinctions And 'Rise Of Slime' Predicted For Oceans- August 13, 2008 Human activities are cumulatively driving the health of the world's oceans down a rapid spiral, and only prompt and wholesale changes will slow or perhaps ultimately reverse the catastrophic problems they are facing.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080813144405.htm Pesticide Spills Common When Farmers Transfer Highly Concentrated Liquids Into Spray Tanks- August 13, 2008 Scientists in Sweden are cautioning about the need for further research as more countries embrace a popular method for preventing pesticide spills. Researchers point out that pesticide spills are common when farmers transfer highly concentrated liquid preparations into spray tanks where the pesticide is diluted with water. Even if a small, few-inch wide puddle of this concentrate spilled under the tank, the nearby environment could be exposed to up to one hundred thousand times the normal...http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080811092448.htm Strange Molecule In The Sky Cleans Acid Rain, Scientists Discover- August 13, 2008 Researchers have discovered an unusual molecule that is essential to the atmosphere's ability to break down pollutants, especially the compounds that cause acid rain. It's the unusual chemistry facilitated by this molecule, however, that will attract the most attention from scientists. A technical paper describing the molecule is published this week in a special edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080812213935.htm |