Climate – Page 6 – PossibleThreat Articles

A tool to understand how ecosystems are responding to a changing climate

October 3, 2019 0 Comments Climate, Earthquakes, Ecology, Ecosystems, Environmental Awareness, Environmental Issues, Global Warming, Weather

As climate change accelerates, recording shifts in plant flowering times is critical to understanding how changes in climate will impact ecosystem interactions. To help measure these shifts, researchers have introduced a new quantitative measure of phenological status, called the 'phenological index,' that improves scoring of developmental stage in herbarium specimens, and predicts a higher degree of phenological advancement in response to climate change.

News Science

Besides hot water, coral bleaching also about location, location, location

October 2, 2019 0 Comments Climate, Coral Reefs, Ecology, Ecology Research, Extinction, Global Warming, Marine Biology, Sea Life

A new study revealed a more complex view than current standard predictions of coral bleaching events caused primarily by heat stress; rather, the scientists found that bleaching is driven by a variety of stressors, and each region responds differently.

News Science

An India-Pakistan nuclear war could kill millions, threaten global starvation

October 2, 2019 0 Comments Atmosphere, Climate, Earth Science, Earthquakes, Nuclear Energy, Physics, Thermodynamics, Weapons Technology

A nuclear war between India and Pakistan could, over the span of less than a week, kill 50-125 million people — more than the death toll during all six years of World War II, according to new research.

News Science

Microscopic evidence sheds light on the disappearance of the world's largest mammals

October 2, 2019 0 Comments Climate, Early Climate, Early Humans, Earth Science, Endangered Animals, Environmental Awareness, Extinction, Human Evolution, Nature

Understanding the causes and consequences of Late Quaternary megafaunal extinctions is increasingly important in a world of growing human populations and climate change. A review highlights the role that cutting-edge scientific methods can play in broadening the discussions about megafaunal extinction and enabling insights into ecosystems and species-specific responses to climate change and human activities.

News Science

Species could buffer reproduction against climate change through sperm and egg plasticity

October 2, 2019 0 Comments Climate, Environmental Awareness, Environmental Policy, Evolutionary Biology, Extreme Survival, Global Warming, Mating and Breeding, Nature

New research shows that beetles have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to reproduce despite warmer temperatures. They have evolved mechanisms that allow their sperm and eggs to quickly cope with increasing environmental temperature variation. And this could help species buffer themselves against climate change.

News Science

Carbon emissions soar as tourism reaches new heights

October 2, 2019 0 Comments Aerospace, Air Quality, aviation, Climate, Forest, Global Warming, Graphene, Transportation Science

A researcher is examining how the flight routes people take to get to tourist destinations impact the amount of pollution in the air.

News Science

Climate change could pit species against one another as they shift ranges

October 1, 2019 0 Comments Climate, Ecology, Endangered Animals, Environmental Awareness, Environmental Policy, Extinction, Nature, New Species

Species have few good options when it comes to surviving climate change — they can genetically adapt to new conditions, shift their ranges, or both. But new research indicates that conflicts between species as they adapt and shift ranges could lead experts to underestimate extinctions, and underscores the importance of landscape connectivity.

News Science

Microbes in warm soils released more carbon than those in cooler soils

October 1, 2019 0 Comments Climate, Environmental Issues, Forest, Fungus, Global Warming, Nature, Organic, Soil Types

Simply by moving tropical soils down a mountainside into warmer environments, a team has discovered that much more CO2 may be released due to increased microbial activity as soils warm.

News Science

Collapse of desert bird populations likely due to heat stress from climate change

October 1, 2019 0 Comments Bird Flu Research, Birds, Climate, Environmental Awareness, Environmental Issues, Nature, Water, Zoology

Last year, biologists discovered that bird populations in the Mojave Desert had crashed over the past 100 years. The biologists now have evidence that heat stress is a key cause. Simulations with a computerized 'virtual bird' suggest that with higher temperatures, birds need more water to keep cool. Larger insectivores or carnivores should be most affected, and small seed-eaters less so if drinking water is available: just as the biologists reported last year.

News Science

Multifactor models reveal worse picture of climate change impact on marine life

September 30, 2019 0 Comments Climate, Endangered Animals, Environmental Awareness, Fish, Nature, New Species, Oceanography, Weather

Rising ocean temperatures have long been linked to negative impacts for marine life, but a team has recently found that the long-term outlook for many marine species is much more complex — and possibly bleaker — than scientists previously believed.