New Data Confirm Increased Frequency of Extreme Weather Events

European national science academies urge further action on climate change adaptation

Elephant and Cow Manure for Making Paper Sustainably

It’s likely not the first thing you think of when you see elephant dung, but this material turns out to be an excellent source of cellulose for paper manufacturing in countries where trees are scarce, scientists report.

Seaweeds Shelter Calcifying Marine Life from Acidifying Oceans

Seaweeds create a chemical microenvironment at their surface, providing refuge for calcifying organisms that are at risk from decreasing oceanic pH, shows new research published in the journal Functional Ecology.

Flood Protection is Everyone’s Responsibility

The complex interactions between floods and society are currently being investigated at TU Wien. The economy needs the central government to organise flood protection.

Radar Images Show Large Swath of Texas Oil Patch is Heaving and Sinking at Alarming Rates

Analysis indicates decades of oil production activity have destabilized localities in an area of about 4,000 square miles populated by small towns, roadways and a vast network of oil and gas pipelines and storage tanks

Our Changing Climate

UC geography professor creates a new map to examine climate change anywhere in the world.

Cutting Greenhouse Gas Emissions Would Help Spare Cities Worldwide from Rising Seas

Coastal cities worldwide would face a reduced threat from sea level rise if society reduced greenhouse gas emissions, with especially significant benefits for New York and other U.S. East Coast cities, new research indicates.

The study, by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), used a powerful computer model to tease out the ways that winds and currents in a warming world push ocean water around, lifting it in some regions and lowering it in others. The scientists examined how these variations in sea level rise would change under two conditions: if emissions continue on their current trajectory, or if they are sharply reduced.

Depth-sensing imaging system can peer through fog

MIT researchers have developed a system that can produce images of objects shrouded by fog so thick that human vision can’t penetrate it. It can also gauge the objects’ distance.

An inability to handle misty driving conditions has been one of the chief obstacles to the development of autonomous vehicular navigation systems that use visible light, which are preferable to radar-based systems for their high resolution and ability to read road signs and track lane markers. So, the MIT system could be a crucial step toward self-driving cars.

Hunting squid slowed by rising carbon levels

Scientists have found that high carbon dioxide levels cause squid to bungle attacks on their prey.

PhD candidate Blake Spady from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (Coral CoE) at James Cook University (JCU) led the investigation. He said that the oceans absorb more than one-quarter of all the excess carbon dioxide (CO2) released into the atmosphere by humans and this uptake of additional CO2 causes seawater to become more acidic.

As the Last Northern White Male Rhino Dies, Scientists Look to IVF to Save the Subspecies

Sudan, the world’s last remaining male northern white rhino, has died at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya — pushing the species even closer to extinction after decades of poaching. Just two females of the subspecies remain alive today, Sudan’s daughter and granddaughter.