ScienceDaily: Earth & Climate News

How rivers creep, flow to shape landscapes over time Posted: 09 Mar 2015 02:48 PM PDT Most models predict that rivers only transport sediment during conditions of high flow and, moreover, that only particles on the surface of the river bed move due to the force of the flowing water above. But using a custom laboratory apparatus, a new study shows that, even when a river is calm, sediment on and beneath the river bed slowly creeps forward.

Benefits of adding a second, smaller rotor to wind turbines Posted: 09 Mar 2015 02:45 PM PDT Aerospace engineers are developing dual-rotor technology to improve the energy harvest of wind turbines. The idea to look for better performance by adding a second rotor to wind turbines came from a previous study. The researchers used wind tunnel tests to see how hills, valleys and the placement of turbines affected the productivity of onshore wind farms.

CO2 increase can intensify future droughts in tropics, study suggests Posted: 09 Mar 2015 12:55 PM PDT A new article discusses the importance of research that suggests increases in atmospheric CO2 could intensify extreme droughts in tropical and subtropical regions. "This is the first study that suggests a possible intensification of droughts in the tropic-subtropical margins in warmer climate. The finding is critical to understanding what the world will be like as the climate continues to change," the lead investigator said.

Biofuel proteomics: Researchers use proteomics to profile switchgrass Posted: 09 Mar 2015 11:57 AM PDT Researchers used an advanced proteomic techniques to identify 1,750 unique proteins in shoots of switchgrass, a native prairie grass viewed as one of the most promising of all the plants that could be used to produce advanced biofuels.

Earth's climate is starting to change faster, new research shows Posted: 09 Mar 2015 10:46 AM PDT Earth is now entering a period of changing climate that will likely be faster than what's occurred naturally over the last thousand years, according to a new article, committing people to live through and adapt to a warming world.

Tsunami on demand: Nanoscale rogue waves research sheds light on power to harness catastrophic events Posted: 09 Mar 2015 09:41 AM PDT A new study features a nano-optical chip that makes possible generating and controlling nanoscale rogue waves. The innovative chip was developed by an international team of physicists and is expected to have significant applications for energy research and environmental safety.

Saving Chilean mummies from climate change Posted: 09 Mar 2015 06:32 AM PDT At least two thousand years before the ancient Egyptians began mummifying their pharaohs, a hunter-gatherer people called the Chinchorro living along the coast of modern-day Chile and Peru developed elaborate methods to mummify not just elites but all types of community members--men, women, children, and even unborn fetuses. Radiocarbon dating as far back as 5050 BC makes them the world's oldest human-made mummies.

Early herders' grassy route through Africa: Old teeth show Lake Victoria wasn't tsetse fly habitat Posted: 09 Mar 2015 05:26 AM PDT A new study of nearly 2,000-year-old livestock teeth show that early herders from northern Africa could have traveled past Kenya's Lake Victoria on their way to southern Africa because the area was grassy -- not tsetse fly-infested bushland, as previously believed.