A University of Oklahoma research study, led by Professor Xiangming Xiao, reveals the divergent trends of open surface water bodies in the contiguous United States from 1984 to 2016, specifically, a decreasing trend in the water-poor states and an increasing trend in the water-rich states. Surface water resources are critical for public water supply, industry, agriculture, biodiversity and ecosystem services.
articles
NASA Measures Tropical Cyclone Nora's Flooding Rains in Queensland
NASA used satellite data to calculate the heavy rainfall created by Tropical Cyclone Nora as it came ashore in northwestern Queensland on March 24, 2018.
Nora reached peak intensity of 95 knots (109 mph) was reached when it was moving through the central northern Gulf of Carpentaria. Winds had decreased slightly to 90 knots (104 mph) by landfall. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) reported that Nora produced over 110 mm (4.3 inches) of rain in 24 hours.
Alberta’s boreal forest could be dramatically altered by 2100 due to climate change
Half of Alberta’s upland boreal forest is likely to disappear over the next century due to climate change, a new study shows.
Honeybees May Unlock the Secrets of How the Human Brain Works
Researchers from the University of Sheffield have discovered that looking at honeybees in a colony in the same way as neurons in a brain could help us better understand the basic mechanisms of human behaviour.
Many environmental protection programs around the world poorly designed, ineffective
Incentive programs to encourage farmers and other landowners to protect the environment are key to conservation, but new research shows issues such as lack of enforcement undermine their effectiveness on a global scale.
These programs, called Payments for Environmental Services (PES), are a way to improve environmental management and livelihoods by attaching a dollar value to the benefits nature provides, such as clean water and air. They have been in place for two decades, but their design and cost-effectiveness are a concern for experts.
Study describes earliest evidence of ancient Maya dog trade
Police detectives analyze isotopes in human hair to find out where a murder victim was born and grew up. Researchers from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, the University of Florida and the University of Arizona combined clues from carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and strontium isotope analysis discovering the earliest evidence that the Maya raised and traded dogs and other animals, probably for ceremonial use.