ScienceDaily: Earth & Climate News

Habitat degradation, climate shifts impact survival of the white-collared manakin Posted: 06 Mar 2015 03:17 PM PST To better understand the interacting effects of habitat degradation and climate on bird populations, researchers spent 12 years studying the white-collared manakin, a fruit-eating tropical bird, in mature and young forests along the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica.

Is the tasty blue crab's natural range creeping north? Posted: 06 Mar 2015 03:17 PM PST Scientists have observed the Atlantic (or Chesapeake) blue crab, a commercially important species, moving north of its native range into the Gulf of Maine.

Atmosphere above Africa: Clouds and aerosol measurements Posted: 06 Mar 2015 10:28 AM PST From Saharan dust storms to icy clouds to smoke on the opposite side of the continent, the first image from NASA's newest cloud- and aerosol-measuring instrument, CATS, provides a profile of the atmosphere above Africa.

Evidence from glacier ice: Until it was banned, leaded gasoline dominated the humanmade lead emissions in South America Posted: 06 Mar 2015 10:26 AM PST Leaded gasoline was a larger emission source of the toxic heavy metal lead than mining in South America - even though the extraction of metals from the region's mines historically released huge quantities of lead into the environment. Researchers have discovered evidence of the dominance of leaded gasoline based on measurements in an ice core from a Bolivian glacier. The scientists found that lead from road traffic in the neighboring countries polluted the air twice as heavily as regional mining from the 1960s onwards.

3-D imaging reveals hidden forces behind clogs, jams, avalanches, earthquakes Posted: 05 Mar 2015 05:17 AM PST When you walk on the beach, the sand supports your weight like a solid. What happens to the forces between the sand grains when you step on them to keep you from sinking? Researchers have developed a new way to measure the forces inside materials such as sand, soil or snow under pressure. The technique uses lasers coupled with force sensors, cameras and advanced computer algorithms to measure the forces between neighboring particles in 3-D.

Miscanthus-based ethanol boasts bigger environmental benefits, higher profits Posted: 04 Mar 2015 04:00 PM PST A recent study simulated a side-by-side comparison of the yields and costs of producing ethanol using miscanthus, switchgrass, and corn residue. The fast-growing energy grass miscanthus was the clear winner. Models predict that miscanthus will have higher yield and profit, particularly when grown in poor-quality soil. It also outperformed corn residue and switchgrass in its ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.