The Sahara Desert is Expanding, According to New UMD Study

The Sahara Desert has expanded by about 10 percent since 1920, according to a new study by University of Maryland scientists. The research is the first to assess century-scale changes to the boundaries of the world’s largest desert and suggests that other deserts could be expanding as well. The study was published online March 29, 2018, in the Journal of Climate.

Walleye Fish Populations Are in Decline

Walleye, an iconic native fish species in Wisconsin, the upper Midwest and Canada, are in decline in northern Wisconsin lakes, according to a study published this week in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Species.

Ocean acidification: Herring could benefit from an altered food chain

As soon as they start life, it's all about survival for juvenile young fish. They must learn to catch prey and to escape enemies. Additionally, at this stage of their lives they are highly sensitive to environmental factors such as temperature, oxygen and the pH of the water. Exactly these factors are currently changing on a global scale: temperature is rising, the oxygen content of the ocean is decreasing and more and more carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere dissolves in the seawater, where it forms carbonic acid and lowers the pH level. But not only directly, also indirectly elevated CO2 affects the survival of fish larvae, because it can change their food supply.

Intensifying Tropical Storm Jelawat Evaluated by NASA's GPM Satellite

The Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core observatory satellite flew almost directly above large intensifying tropical storm Jelawat and found strong storms generating very heavy rainfall,

​GPM passed over the Northwestern Pacific Ocean and captured data on Jelawat on March 28, 2018 at 1:10 a.m. EDT (0510 UTC).

The Arctic Sea-Ice Loss and Winter Temperatures in Eurasia

The Arctic warming and the decline of the polar sea ice, do these phenomena have a connection to the cooling trends of winter in the Eurasia?

Course Grains Better Than Rice For Health, Environment

Shifting away from white, polished rice to a diet that includes more wheat and coarse grains can improve how Indians deal with micronutrient deficiencies, and reduce greenhouse gas (GhG) emissions associated with paddy cultivation, says a new study.

Just One High-Fat Meal Sets the Perfect Stage for Heart Disease

A single high-fat milkshake, with a fat and calorie content similar to some enticing restaurant fare, can quickly transform our healthy red blood cells into small, spiky cells that wreak havoc inside our blood vessels and help set the perfect stage for cardiovascular disease, scientists report.

Rapid Emissions Reductions Would Keep CO2 Removal and Costs in Check

Rapid greenhouse-gas emissions reductions are needed if governments want to keep in check both the costs of the transition towards climate stabilization and the amount of removing already emitted CO2 from the atmosphere. To this end, emissions in 2030 would need to be at least 20 percent below what countries have pledged under the Paris climate agreement, a new study finds – an insight that is directly relevant for the global stock-take scheduled for the UN climate summit in Poland later this year. Removing CO2 from the atmosphere through technical methods including carbon capture and underground storage (CCS) or increased use of plants to suck up CO2 comes with a number of risks and uncertainties, and hence the interest of limiting them.

Norfolk’s Iconic Swallowtail Butterfly at Risk from Climate Change

Norfolk’s butterflies, bees, bugs, birds, trees and mammals are at major risk from climate change as temperatures rise – according to new research from the University of East Anglia.

Anthropogenic lead still present in European Shelf Seas

Lead (PB) is one of few elements for which the impact of human activity on the marine environment is clearly evident. It has no biological function and is toxic to humans and marine organisms. The anthropogenic perturbation dates back to the middle of the 19th century, with coal and leaded gasoline combustion serving as major Pb sources to the atmosphere. Anthropogenic Pb is transported in the atmosphere over long distances and deposited in remote areas resulting in enhanced Pb concentrations in surface oceans of >190 pmol kg-1 during the peak of the Pb emissions in 1970-80. These are about 100 times higher than natural background levels.