Global Warming – envirobites

Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Prickly Adaptability: Will Crown-of-Thorn Starfish Populations Survive Rising Ocean Temperature and Acidity?

March 1, 2022February 26, 2022 Andrea Valcarcel 0 Comments adult exposure, Climate Change, coastal environments, Crown-of-Thorn starfish, developmental study, Global Warming, ocean acidification, ocean warming

Crown-of-Thorns starfish outbreaks are of growing concern for the wellbeing of Indo-Pacific coral reefs. When these starfish populations grow too quickly, they feed on corals at rates that don’t allow the ecosystem to recover fast enough. With coral reefs struggling to survive rising ocean temperatures and acidity, it is essential to determine how these conditions affect their predators – in this case, the Crown-of-Thorn starfish. A recent study found that ocean warming and acidification affect larval development but not survivability. Could this mean bad news for coral reefs?

Animal behavior Climate Ecosystems

Alpine Plants May Struggle for Pollination as Climate Warms

February 7, 2022January 30, 2023 Julia Bebout 0 Comments alpine, bees, Climate Change, flies, flowers, Global Warming, plant communities, plant-pollinator interactions, pollinators, species interactions

Climate warming is likely to change how plants and pollinators interact in mountain ecosystems, with possible consequences for biodiversity.

Case Studies Climate Ecosystems Environmental Science Remote Environments Science through time Toxicology

Unleashing Pollutants: Environmental Fate of Antarctica In a Warmer World

February 7, 2020 Anita Masse 0 Comments Antarctica, Climate Change, Global Warming, Pollution

Antarctica has been a depository for pollutants for decades. The brutal cold has kept them dormant and unable to inflict harmful effects on nature. As temperatures rise and ice melts, what is the fate of these pollutants in this unique landscape?

Climate Environmental Science Human Exposure and Public Health

It Makes “Cents”: Generating Renewable Electricity Benefits Health and Climate

November 8, 2019November 7, 2019 Mary Davis 0 Comments Air pollution, electricity, fossil fuels, Global Warming, Renewable energy

Replacing fossil fuel electricity generation with renewable technologies has measurable benefits to human health and the climate. Researchers recently developed a simulation tool that reveals benefits are higher in certain regions of the US than others. Read more to see where deploying renewables would have the biggest impact!

Environmental Science

100% Sustainable Electricity by 2050 is Quite Possible

August 12, 2019August 10, 2019 Munim Deen 0 Comments electricity, Global Warming, greenhouse gases, Pollution, Renewable energy

The technology to produce electricity from renewable resources like sunlight and wind has been around for many years. However, the vast majority of electricity in the world is generated from fossil fuels, which is a major contributor to pollution and climate change. Recent research shows that sustained, incremental changes can lead to sustainable, renewable electricity around the globe by 2050 – mitigating environmental damage from current practices.

Climate Environmental Science

In a climate crisis no one is safe, but marine species are getting hit twice as hard

June 6, 2019June 6, 2019 Aleksandra Dolezal 0 Comments climate crisis, Conservation, Global Warming, marine species, terrestrial species

Our world is undergoing a climate crisis, which threatens every living thing on the planet. A study by Pinsky et al. (2019) has found that marine species are more vulnerable to warming than terrestrial species which may change the course of conservation management and deployment of conservation resources.

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.