Healthy Trees need Oxygen, not Natural Gas in their soil – Case Study in Chelsea, MA
Schollaert, C., R. C. Ackley, A. DeSantis, E. Polka, M. K. Scammell. 2020. Natural gas leaks and tree death: a
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Climate
Added Benefits: Cleaning up our Energy
There are many factors to consider when making energy choices. Fortunately, one choice can have many benefits.
Read MoreComputer models suggest how COVID-19 may disrupt warming oceans
COVID-19 has disrupted much of life as we know it – and the environment is no different. While we may not know the full impact until many years later, scientists suspect that the sudden, drastic decrease in fossil fuel use, especially air travel, will appear as some disruption to our seemingly unstoppable climb in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. The primary way humans can slow global warming is to decrease our use of fossil fuels. What would such a world look like? Scientists hope to build models in order to learn and make better predictions from this unexpected experiment.
Read MoreWhat causes fire tornadoes?
When wildfires cause severe weather, they can do a lot more damage.
Read MoreUncool beans: The future of coffee under climate change
A lot of people would say that a hot cup of coffee is a morning necessity, but a hotter future under climate change could mean trouble is brewing. In this study, scientists examined how rising temperatures might impact the growth of one of the major types of coffee produced in the world.
Read MoreArtificial intelligence suggests crop growth will be different in a warming planet
New technology like AI can help farmers predict what will happen to their land in the future. With more accurate predictions spanning larger geographic locations, more people can plan for climate change-induced effects on the growth of their crops.
Read More“Mite”-y Mothers Protect Their Eggs from Drought
Mother’s Day is near, and what better way to celebrate than by learning about some “mite”-y moms! When predatory mite mothers are exposed to drought conditions, they prepare their eggs to survive stressful environments. In doing so, mite mothers exert more energy and resources which reduces the number of eggs that are produced and the time the mothers survive.
Read MoreBring on the (prescribed) fire!!!
Prescribed burns should be applied not only to avoid uncontrolled wildfires, but also to maintain open vegetation types and their biodiversity as fundamental pieces of savannas and grasslands, threatened by fire suppression or modified fire regimes. (Modified from Durigan et al. (2020))
Read MoreLooking Ahead to the Past: Archeological Evidence Suggests Potential Solutions to Looming Climactic Challenges
Global warming is rapidly changing our planet which will impact the natural world as well as our daily life. Scientist are looking into the past to see if they can discover lessons on how to cope and survive extreme weather events. Recent archeological findings shed light on how the ancient people of Arabia dealt with changing climate over thousands of years.
Read MoreTurtle Hatch Rates Skyrocket after Incubation
Sea turtles are often seen as a “poster-child” animal for conservation efforts in coastal areas. Beaches are covered with signs, and local groups search every night for mothers’ nests so they can put up protective barriers and increase the hatching success. However, for other species of turtles, like the freshwater spiny softshell turtles (Apalone spinifera), simple protection of the nests are not currently an effective way to increase hatching success. Instead, researchers have found incubating the eggs of spiny softshell turtles more than doubled the hatching success rate, which may help save this endangered population in Québec, Canada.
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