ScienceDaily: Earth & Climate News

Core work: Iron vapor gives clues to formation of Earth and moon Posted: 02 Mar 2015 09:31 AM PST One of the world's most powerful radiation sources provides scientists clues about Earth's formation and how iron vaporizes.

Munching bugs thwart eager trees, reducing the carbon sink Posted: 02 Mar 2015 09:16 AM PST Hungry, plant-eating insects may limit the ability of forests to take up elevated levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, reducing their capacity to slow human-driven climate change, a new study suggests.

Conservation organizations need to keep up with nature, experts say Posted: 02 Mar 2015 07:53 AM PST In order to cope, conservation organizations need to adapt like the organisms they seek to protect, a new paper suggests, arguing that conservation organizations need to be bolder in their adaptation efforts given the rate and extent of the ecological changes that are coming.

Blend of polymers could one day make solar power lighter, cheaper and more efficient Posted: 02 Mar 2015 07:52 AM PST Scientists are reporting advances on how to one day make solar cells stronger, lighter, more flexible and less expensive when compared with the current silicon or germanium technology on the market.

Environment may change, but microbiome of queen bees does not Posted: 02 Mar 2015 07:50 AM PST Researchers have characterized the gut microbiome of honey bee queens. This is the first thorough census of the gut microbiome -- which consists of all the microorganisms that live in the gut of the organism -- in queen bees.

New NASA soil moisture mapper completes key milestone Posted: 24 Feb 2015 08:11 AM PST Mission controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, today sent commands to unfurl the 20-foot-wide (6-meter) reflector antenna on NASA's new Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) observatory, launched Jan. 31. The deployment of the mesh reflector antenna, which supports the collection of SMAP's radar and radiometer instrument measurements in space, marks a key milestone in commissioning the satellite. SMAP will soon begin its three-year science mission to map global soil moisture and detect whether soils are frozen or thawed.

Study of atmospheric 'froth' may help GPS communications Posted: 25 Feb 2015 08:11 AM PST When you don't know how to get to an unfamiliar place, you probably rely on a smart phone or other device with a Global Positioning System (GPS) module for guidance. You may not realize that, especially at high latitudes on our planet, signals traveling between GPS satellites and your device can get distorted in Earth's upper atmosphere. Researchers are studying irregularities in the ionosphere, a part of the atmosphere centered about 217 miles (350 kilometers) above the ground that defines the boundary between Earth and space.

New NASA space cowboy successfully deploys its 'lasso' Posted: 26 Feb 2015 08:11 AM PST Like a cowboy at a rodeo, NASA's newest Earth-observing satellite, the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP), has triumphantly raised its "arm" and unfurled a huge golden "lasso" (antenna) that it will soon spin up to rope the best soil moisture maps ever obtained from space.

On-board school bus filtration system reduces pollutants by 88 percent Posted: 02 Mar 2015 06:16 AM PST An on-board air filtration system developed specifically for school buses reduces exposure to vehicular pollutants by up to 88 percent, according to a new study.

Norwegian mammals and birds have many different methods of surviving long, intense winter nights Posted: 02 Mar 2015 05:11 AM PST Norwegian mammals and birds have many different methods of surviving long, intense winter nights. A biologist reveals their secrets for survival.

‘Superhero vision’ technology measures European lake’s water quality from space Posted: 02 Mar 2015 04:11 AM PST An international team of researchers has demonstrated a way to assess the quality of water on Earth from space by using satellite technology that can visualize pollution levels otherwise invisible to the human eye through 'Superhero vision'.

Green light for the world's first intelligent oil pipelines Posted: 02 Mar 2015 04:11 AM PST Electronics installed in Norwegian oil pipelines have been tested both at sea and in transport vessel reeling simulations. All that now remains is to install them offshore. Researchers have been developing oil pipelines that can provide real-time condition monitoring reports by means of transmitting data to shore.

Enhancing high-temperature tolerance in plants: Effective on rice and tomatoes Posted: 02 Mar 2015 04:10 AM PST Agricultural researchers have identified for the first time that theE-2-hexenal, a plant-derived chemical substance, can induce a plant's stress response to high temperatures.