A new study suggests that spring snowmelt in the Alps is occurring earlier in the year, and the earlier warming – due to climate change – threatens vitally important microbial communities in Alpine soils. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/alps-climate-change-driven-snowmelt-abrupt-seasonal-change…
Tag: soils
Dark streaks on Mars may be caused by salts and melting ice
Researchers at the SETI Institute say that unusual dark streaks on sun-facing slopes on Mars, debated about for years, may be small landslides caused by a combination of salts and melting ice just below the surface. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/mars-dark-streaks-melting-ice-recurring-slope-lineae…
The Arctic hasn’t been this warm for 3 million years
The last time CO2 concentrations reached today’s level was 3 million years ago, during the Pliocene Epoch. Hear from geoscientists who see evolving conditions in the Arctic as an indicator of how climate change could transform the planet. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/arctic-warmest-3-million-years…
Design for a space habitat with artificial gravity that could be enlarged over time to fit more people
There are two main approaches that humanity can take to living in space. The one more commonly portrayed is colonizing other celestial bodies such as the moon and Mars. That approach comes with some major disadvantages, including dealing with toxic soils, clingy dust and gravity wells. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-09-space-habitat-artificial-gravity-enlarged.html…
Pesticides and industrial pollutants found in snow atop Arctic glaciers
The long journey of these compounds – likely originating in the U.S. and Eurasia – shows the far-reaching impacts of industrial pollution. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/pesticides-industrial-pollutants-found-atop-arctic-glaciers…
Spreading Rock Dust On Fields Could Remove Vast Amounts of CO2 From Air
Spreading rock dust on farmland could suck billions of tons of carbon dioxide from the air every year, according to the first detailed global analysis of the technique. The Guardian reports: The chemical reactions that degrade the rock particles lock the greenhouse gas into carbonates within months, and some scientists say this approach may be the best near-term way of removing…
Forecast: Dust and sand from the Sahara
Masses of dusty air form over the Sahara Desert and move westward across the tropical North Atlantic frequently from spring to fall. A particularly large swath of dust is headed our way now. Watch for hazy skies in the Caribbean by this weekend, and possibly into the U.S. by next week. Source: https://earthsky.org/todays-image/animation-goes-east-dust-sand-sahara…
Rise of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere continues unabated
NOAA reports that atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) measured at Hawaii’s Mauna Loa Observatory for May 2020 was the highest monthly reading ever recorded. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/rising-carbon-dioxide-co2-record-high-june2020…
Born in June? Here’s your birthstone
Happy birthday June babies! Your month has 3 birthstones – pearl, moonstone, and alexandrite. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/june-birthstone-pearl-moonstone-alexandrite…
Could Cows Actually Help Solve the Climate Crisis?
Cows fertilizing the soil can replenish the land and reduce carbon in the atmosphere, reports CNN — with a farming practice called “ultra-high density grazing”. Conventional thinking says that cows are bad for climate change. After all, livestock contribute to around 14% of all global emissions. Researchers at UC Davis estimate that a single cow can belch around 220 pounds –…