ScienceDaily: Earth & Climate News

Elusive El Niño arrives: Forecasters predict it will stay weak, have little influence on weather and climate Posted: 05 Mar 2015 12:27 PM PST The long-anticipated El Niño has finally arrived, according to forecasters with NOAA's Climate Prediction Center. In their updated monthly outlook released today, forecasters issued an El Niño Advisory to declare the arrival of the ocean-atmospheric phenomenon marked by warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the central Pacific Ocean near the equator.

Snffing out origins of methane: instrument identifies methane's origins in mines, deep-sea vents, and cows Posted: 05 Mar 2015 12:21 PM PST Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, second only to carbon dioxide in its capacity to trap heat in Earth's atmosphere for a long time. The gas can originate from lakes and swamps, natural-gas pipelines, deep-sea vents, and livestock. Understanding the sources of methane, and how the gas is formed, could give scientists a better understanding of its role in warming the planet.

Nutrient pollution damages streams in ways previously unknown, ecologists find Posted: 05 Mar 2015 12:21 PM PST An important food resource has been disappearing from streams without anyone noticing until now. Ecologists reports that nutrient pollution causes a significant loss of forest-derived carbon from stream ecosystems, reducing the ability of streams to support aquatic life.

Nine steps to survive 'most explosive era of infrastructure expansion in human history' Posted: 05 Mar 2015 09:54 AM PST A team of scientists call attention to nine issues that must be considered if there is to be any hope of limiting the environmental impacts of the ongoing expansion of new roads, road improvements, energy projects, and more now underway or 'coming soon' in countries all around the world.

Flood and drought risk to cities on rise even with no climate change Posted: 05 Mar 2015 09:51 AM PST A heads-up to New York, Baltimore, Houston and Miami: a new study suggests that these metropolitan areas and others will increase their exposure to floods even in the absence of climate change.

Hidden hazards found in 'green' products Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:06 AM PST Common consumer products, including those marketed as 'green,' 'all-natural,' 'non-toxic' and 'organic' emit a range of compounds that could harm human health and air quality, researchers have found. But most of these ingredients are not disclosed to the public.

Yucatan Peninsula hit by tsunami 1,500 years ago, evidence indicates Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:05 AM PST The eastern coastline of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, a mecca for tourists, may have been walloped by a tsunami between 1,500 and 900 years ago, says a new study. There are several lines of evidence for an ancient tsunami, foremost a large, wedge-shaped berm about 15 feet above sea level paved with washing machine-sized stones, said the researchers. Set back in places more than a quarter of a mile from shore, the berm stretches for at least 30 miles, alternating between rocky headlands and crescent beaches as it tracks the outline of the Caribbean coast near the plush resorts of Playa del Carmen and Cancun.

'Extinct' bird rediscovered: Last seen in 1941 Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:02 AM PST A scientific team has rediscovered a bird previously thought to be extinct. Jerdon's babbler (Chrysomma altirostre) had not been seen in Myanmar since July 1941, where it was last found in grasslands near the town of Myitkyo, Bago Region near the Sittaung River.

Protecting crops from radiation-contaminated soil Posted: 05 Mar 2015 05:17 AM PST A chemical compound that prevents plants from taking up cesium, thus protecting them -- and us -- from the harmful effects of soil contaminated with radiocesium, has been discovered by scientists.

Space technology investigates large-scale changes to Africa's climate Posted: 05 Mar 2015 05:11 AM PST Researchers have mapped climate and human impacts on Africa's land resources using satellite mapping technology.

L.A. story: Cleaner air, healthier kids Posted: 04 Mar 2015 04:02 PM PST A 20-year study shows that decreasing air pollution in Los Angeles has led to healthier lungs for millennials when compared to children in the '90s. The gains in lung function paralleled improving air quality in the communities studied, and across the Los Angeles basin, as policies to fight pollution took hold.

Water in smog may reveal pollution sources Posted: 02 Mar 2015 12:07 PM PST The chemical signature of water vapor emitted by combustion sources such as vehicles and furnaces has been found in the smoggy winter inversions that often choke Salt Lake City. The discovery may give researchers a new tool to track down the sources of pollutants and climate-changing carbon dioxide gas.