Dust pollution is known to contribute to asthma and heart and lung disease. But dust blowing from the Great Salt Lake in Utah can cause an additional unwanted shock. Metals in dust and sediments around the Great Salt Lake are more reactive than dust from nearby lake beds, researchers report in November. Atmospheric Environment. When … Read more
Extreme Climate Survey Scientific news is collecting questions from readers about how to navigate our planet’s changing climate. What do you want to know about extreme heat and how it can lead to extreme weather events? In just 60 hours, the NHC predicted that PTC9 would intensify at a record pace, going from winds of … Read more
As dust from the Sahara blows thousands of kilometers across the Atlantic Ocean, it becomes progressively more nutritious for marine microbes, a new study suggests. Chemical reactions in the atmosphere grind iron minerals into dust, making them more soluble in water and creating an essential nutrient source for iron-starved seas, researchers report Sept. 20. Frontiers … Read more
Stand back, ordinary ocean-dwelling, oxygen-releasing organisms: There’s a fat, green new mutant in town. And the mighty UTEX 3222 — dubbed “Chonkus” by the researchers who found it — may have the right combination of traits to help with some of humanity’s most pressing problems. Chonkus, in particular, could help fight climate change, report microbiologist … Read more
Extreme Climate Survey Scientific news is collecting questions from readers about how to navigate our planet’s changing climate. What do you want to know about extreme heat and how it can lead to extreme weather events? The rapid intensification of both storms was fueled by unusually warm Gulf water. Developing tropical storms can absorb heat … Read more
Displacement is in the nature of a river. But when a river breaks from its channel and carves a new path across the landscape, devastating floods can descend on communities with little or no warning. For decades, researchers have struggled to explain exactly how river channels prepare for such sudden diversions or avulsions. A study … Read more
Wind ownership is available. As an unpaid intern at an energy company in England, Emilia Groupp spent two years creating wind maps for renewable energy development. Colleagues told Groupp to ignore the wind blowing across British borders, saying things like, “Oh, we don’t want French wind,” recalled Groupp, an energy anthropologist at Stanford University. The … Read more
It’s one of the most massive migrations on Earth: a huge biomass of tiny plankton traveling from the deep sea to the surface. However, not all of these organisms have limbs to propel themselves up. So how some of them manage to undergo such a long journey has been a mystery. Now, a team of … Read more