In a new study, geophysicists have determined that Earth’s rotational pole has shifted almost one meter in a 20-year period due to groundwater being pumped from one location and moved elsewhere. Researchers found that pumping and moving groundwater led the Earth’s rotational axis to shift about 80 centimeters (31.5 inches) east from 1993 to 2010. […]
For hundreds, possibly thousands, of years humans have lived inside a relatively comfortable “climate niche” wherein a large portion of the world’s population have mostly enjoyed liveable temperatures and infrequent extreme weather events. Conditions that have not only been within a healthy temperature range for humans, but for the plants, animals and ecosystems of our […]
Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have developed a new electrolyte for lithium-ion batteries. The safer electrolyte can work just as well in sub-zero temperatures as it does around room temperature, or 68 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Lithium-ion batteries have a liquid electrolyte, which is important for carrying ions through the […]
The Big Apple is sinking under its own weight, posing a worsening flood risk to the city, according to a new study by researchers from the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography. Already faced with intensifying extreme weather and an increasing threat of flooding due to sea level rise, New York City is […]
While increasing carbon emissions are heating Earth’s atmosphere near the planet’s surface, higher carbon dioxide levels are cooling the upper atmosphere. Scientists say this phenomenon could impact satellites and the ozone layer, and contribute to weather changes below. A new study published in PNAS adds to the evidence of humanity’s fingerprint on climate change. While […]
We’re fast approaching the threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels that we’ve been warned about. According to the latest Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update, produced by the United Kingdom’s Met Office and issued by the United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization (WMO), there is a 66 percent likelihood that between 2023 and 2027 […]
Urban environments can be stressful places for wild animals. They are not only exposed to loud noises, vehicles and humans, but to other environmental stressors like lack of adequate food sources and fragmented habitats. In a new study, researchers from Canada’s York University looked at the increased environmental stressors — such as difficulty finding mates […]
New research from the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) shows half the number of farms that exist now will be gone by the end of the century, while the average farm size will double, a trend that could pose major risks for global food systems. The study is the first to follow the size […]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a wide-ranging new proposal for limits on greenhouse gas emissions from coal– and gas-fired power plants. If finalized, the new rule will be the first time the federal government has restricted carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants, which generate about a quarter of the country’s emissions. […]