Science through time – Page 4

Thursday, May 2, 2024

Spring flowers are arriving earlier

May 6, 2019 Lindsay Green-Gavrielidis 0 Comments Climate Change, phenology, spring flowering, Trees

In recent decades, trees and plants have begun to flower earlier in the spring. Many studies have shown that this advancement in timing is due to climate change, particularly increases in air temperature. However, these studies have generally been conducted in small areas. A recent study conducted across Europe reports that the timing of spring flowering and other events in 16 tree species has been advancing. More importantly, the timing of flowering trees in warmer and cooler regions of Europe is becoming more similar, which has wide spread ecological consequences.

Case Studies Environmental Science Science through time

Global monitoring shows regulated atmospheric pollutants are not decreasing

April 19, 2019September 16, 2022 Lindsay Green-Gavrielidis 0 Comments air quality, chemical pollutants, man-made chemicals, public health

PFAS and VMS are man-made chemicals that have been used for decades in products that we all use on a daily basis, including personal care products, cookware, and food packing. However, there is growing evidence that these chemicals, which are widespread throughout the globe, can have negative impacts on living organisms and human health. A recent study compared concentrations of these chemicals in the atmosphere at sites across the world from 2009 to 2015. Their findings suggest that there has been a significant increase in PFAS in the atmosphere over this time period, while certain types of VMS chemicals also increased. Future monitoring efforts across the globe are necessary to determine the changes in these chemicals in the air we breathe.

Climate Ecosystems Environmental Science Science through time

Trees, Tempests, and Time: What trees can tell us about weather in the past

April 15, 2019September 16, 2022 Ashley Riane Booth 0 Comments Climate, Climate Change, coastal environments, Ecology, hurricanes, tree rings, wetlands

For storms along the Gulf Coast, first-person recordings are only reliable for the past 150 years. But knowing more about when storms happened in the past helps us understand how the climate is changing and how to reduce storm risks for coastal communities. To do that, we have to use even more unusual records: tree rings.

Climate Remote Environments Science through time

Voyage to Iceberg Alley

April 1, 2019April 4, 2019 Marlo Garnsworthy 0 Comments Antarctica, Ice Sheets, Iceberg Alley, icebergs, Pine Island Glacier, sea level rise, Southern Ocean, Thwaites Glacier

A couple of days ago, right around sunrise, we sailed out of the Straits of Magellan and into the southern Atlantic Ocean, bound for the Southern Ocean and the Antarctic waters known as Iceberg Alley. Giant petrels soared against a clear blue sky, and gentle waves rocked the ship—although we didn’t expect that to last! I am aboard the JOIDES Resolution, a research vessel and drilling ship, and we are intentionally sailing into some of the planet’s wildest seas and the area of greatest iceberg concentration in the Antarctic.

Climate Environmental Science Science through time

Is the Planet Warming?

March 12, 2019September 12, 2022 Andrew Barton 0 Comments Global Warming, global warming hiatus, hockey-stick model, science and morality, temperature increase, time series models

The Earth is warming. No climate scientist would disagree with that conclusion. Right? Nevertheless, controversy persists. Some climate change deniers point to a “global warming hiatus” after 1998. And there’s that striking warm peak during WWII. What’s with that? A new statistical analysis of temperature records addresses these and other questions that nag some who follow climate science. Statistical analysis may not seem sexy or easy, but the math in this article once again confirms profound climate realities facing humanity—and scientists.