Earth Wise

A look at our changing environment.

You are here: Home / Archives for research

research

Bringing Back Bison | Earth Wise

By Leave a Comment

Over the past few decades, research has identified the importance of large mammals like bison as ecosystem engineers.  These animals shape and maintain various natural processes and, in the process, are responsible for the sequestering of large amounts of carbon.  But large mammals – both herbivores and predators – have seen their numbers dwindle over time.  At this point, nearly two-thirds of large carnivores are threatened with extinction.   Overall, less than 6% of worldwide ecosystems have the extensive, intact large-mammal communities that were dominant 500 years ago.

Conservationists around the world have embarked on programs of “rewilding”- reintroducing large mammals into ecosystems.  Some of the animals involved in these programs include brown bears, wild horses, jaguars, reindeer, Eurasian beavers, elk, moose, wolverines, tigers, hippos, and bison.

A group of bison raised in South Dakota have recently been transplanted to the Chihuhuan Desert at the US-Mexico border across Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.  There used to be huge bison herds in that region, but it has been largely bison-free for 150 years.

Perhaps more remarkably, wild bison are also being reintroduced into a forest near Canterbury, England.  There haven’t been bison in the United Kingdom for thousands of years.  But conservationists are introducing European bison into the British forest to knock down trees, trample shrubs, and create space for a greater diversity of flora and fauna. 

Apart from the ecosystem goals of the British project, people in the UK, for the first time in over a thousand years, will be able to experience bison in the wild.

**********

Web Links

Gone for Thousands of Years, Wild Bison Return to the UK

Photo, posted December 31, 2018, courtesy of Marco Verch via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Lithium Mining And The Environment | Earth Wise

By Leave a Comment

The Salar de Atacama in Chile is a large, dry salt flat surrounded by mountain ranges and is one of the driest places on Earth. Parts of the Atacama Desert have gone without rain for as long as people have been keeping track. Water rich in dissolved salts lies beneath this flat surface and it is particularly rich in lithium salts.  Forty percent of the world’s known lithium deposits are the in the Salar.

Lithium is the key component of the batteries that power electric cars as well as cell phones and computers.  It is an essential part of the transition away from fossil fuels and towards green energy.  But it is important that this element is obtained responsibly with minimal damage to the environment.

Lithium, the lightest of the metals, tends to occur in layers of volcanic ash, but reacts quickly with water.  It leaches into groundwater and settles in flat basins where it remains in a briny solution.  This dense brine often ends up beneath pockets of fresh surface water, which are havens for fragile ecosystems.

A new study by the University of Massachusetts Amherst looked at the hydrological impact of lithium mining in the Salar.  The study found that the impact of lithium mining depends critically on how long surface water is in place.  Much of the fresh water there is at least 60 years old.  Both droughts and extreme rainfall can cause major changes to the surface water that ordinarily comes from mountain runoff.  Lithium mining itself only accounts for less than 10% of freshwater usage in the Salar. But the state of the surface water needs to be carefully monitored to protect the ecosystems as the climate continues to change.

**********

Web Links

How environmentally responsible is lithium brine mining? It depends on how old the water is

Photo, posted February 21, 2016, courtesy of Jorge Pacheco via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Electric Cars And The Remote Road Test | Earth Wise

By Leave a Comment

One reason many people are hesitant about switching to an electric car is range anxiety, the fear that their car’s battery will die on them in the middle of a trip.  It is pretty much the same thing as running out of gas, but somehow it seems like more of a danger.

Perhaps this was true when charging stations were few and far between and electric cars couldn’t go very far on a charge, but these days, the average electric car can drive about 200 miles on a charge and there are charging stations all over the place.

A big difference between gas cars and electric cars is that many people can charge their cars at home and start every day with the equivalent of a full tank.  With an electric car, there is little reason to use up all nearly all the charge before filling up the tank again.

The truth is that most people don’t drive all that much on the average day anyway.  In the US, the average driver goes about 39 miles a day.  In Europe, is it considerably less.  Yes, there are some people who drive 200 miles a day, but they are few and far between.

Remote and regional Australia is a place where distances between essential services can be very large.  But a new study from the Australian National University found that even under those trying conditions, the vast majority of residents, about 93%, can go about their business even with the lower-range electric vehicles available on the market without having to recharge en route.

Electric cars may not be practical for some drivers, but for most, they are already a great choice.

**********

Web Links

Electric vehicles pass the remote road test

Electric car range and 5 reasons why your range anxiety is unwarranted

Photo, posted May 21, 2022, courtesy of Ivan Radic via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Better Marine Protected Areas | Earth Wise

By Leave a Comment

Marine protected areas are regions of seas, oceans, estuaries, and in the US, the Great Lakes, that are afforded special protections.  MPAs restrict human activity for conservation purposes, generally in order to protect natural or possibly cultural resources.   MPAs may limit such things as development, fishing practices, fishing seasons, catch limits, moorings, and removal or disruption of marine life.

A new study by the University of Plymouth in the UK looked at the effectiveness of MPAs in increasing the total abundance of reef species.  It looked at the MPAs in Lyme Bay, off the south coast of England, where two of them are co-located but governed by different constraints.

The study found that whole-site management of an MPA can increase the total abundance of reef species within its borders by up to 95%.  This is in contrast to the MPA where only known features are conserved and human activity is otherwise allowed to continue unchecked.  In that place, species abundance increased by only 15%.

The whole-site MPAs were observed to have other benefits as well.   They show higher levels of functional redundancy, meaning that when there are species losses, they are compensated by other species.  Whole-site MPAs also exhibit higher levels of species diversity.

MPAs are increasingly being recognized as a sustainable way to enhance the marine environment even while supporting coastal communities.  The Global Ocean Alliance, a 72-country alliance led by the UK, has set a target of protecting 30% of all marine areas by 2030.  The new study shows that even more important than simply establishing marine protected areas, it is essential that they are effectively implemented.

**********

Web Links

Whole-site management of Marine Protected Areas can lead to a 95% increase in reef species

Photo, posted October 28, 2011, courtesy of Benjamin Evans via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Making Cotton More Sustainable | Earth Wise

By Leave a Comment

In the United States, cotton is a $7 billion annual crop grown in 17 states.  Cotton plants in the largest producing countries in the world – India, China, and the U.S. – are genetically very similar and, like other crops that lack diversity, can be at risk.

Cultivated cotton around the world has been bred to look and act very similar.  It is high yielding and easy to harvest using machines.  But it is also wildly unprepared to fight disease, drought, or insect-borne pathogens.

Researchers are looking beyond breeding for ways to combat the low genetic diversity of cultivated cotton.  There are new approaches that combine breeding with elements of genetic modification.  Most cotton in the U.S. has already been genetically modified to resist caterpillar pests.  But as new problems emerge, new solutions will be needed that may require complicated changes to the cotton genome.  Getting regulatory approval for a genetically modified crop is a long and expensive process.

However, ordinary genetic modification is not the only possibility.  Modern genetic sequencing technology can allow researchers to examine various wild cotton varieties and identify the genetic markers for desirable traits.  Once valuable genes in wild species have been identified, traditional plant breeding techniques could be used to produce cultivated cotton varieties that are more resistant to disease and drought.

Climate change is raising average global temperatures and some important cotton-producing regions such as the U.S. Southwest are becoming drier.  Researchers are hoping to produce cultivated cotton that can tolerate drought at the seedling stage.  The ultimate goal is to create more sustainable and genetically diverse cotton that can thrive in a changing world.

**********

Web Links

Cotton Breeders Are Using Genetic Insights To Make This Global Crop More Sustainable

Photo, posted November 9, 2008, courtesy of BP Takoma via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Return Of The Fin Whale | Earth Wise

By Leave a Comment

The fin whale is the second largest whale species and therefore the second largest creature on Earth.  They can grow to more than 80 feet in length.  From 1904 to 1976, there was massive industrial whaling in the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica.  During that period, whalers killed about 700,000 fin whales, reducing their population by 99%.  The species was nearly extinct.

In 1982, the International Whaling Commission voted to ban commercial whaling.  Since that time, fin whales started to make a comeback in their historical feeding grounds.

During a nine-week expedition in the waters around the Antarctic Peninsula, researchers encountered the largest gathering of fin whales ever documented.  About 150 fin whales were seen diving and lunging against the water’s surface.  It was a feeding frenzy triggered by large amounts of krill in the water.  The actions of the whales are known as a “whale pump” that drives the krill to the surface.  Not only does it provide huge amounts of food for the whales but also for other animals, including seabirds and seals.

Forty years after the commercial whaling ban, the number of fin whales has been increasing.  Large groups were observed in a 2013 survey.  Aerial surveys in 2018 and 2019 recorded 100 groups of fin whales, usually composed of a just a handful of individuals.  They did document eight large groups of up to 150 individuals.

Not all species of whales have rebounded so successfully since the whaling ban.  The rebound in fin whale population is not only good for the whales, but for the entire ecosystem in the Southern Ocean.  It is a glimmer of good news in a time of great challenges for global biodiversity and for marine life in particular.

**********

Web Links

Once Facing Extinction, Massive Fin Whales Have Returned to Antarctic Waters

Photo, posted November 15, 2007, courtesy of Gregory Smith via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Building Resilient Food Systems | Earth Wise

By Leave a Comment

According to the United Nations and The World Bank, global hunger levels in 2021 surpassed the previous record set in 2020.  The organizations also found that acute food insecurity – defined as when a person’s inability to consume adequate food puts their lives or livelihoods in immediate danger – could continue to worsen this year in many countries around the world. 

According to a new study led by researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder, increased demand for water will be the biggest threat to food security during the next 20 years, followed closely by heat waves, droughts, income inequality, and political instability.  

The report, which was recently published in the journal One Earth, calls for increased collaboration to build a more resilient global food supply.  The impacts of conflict and climate change are already measured and studied around the world.  While these pressing threats are not new, the researchers found that better collaboration between these areas of research could fortify and strengthen global food security. 

In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, the researchers surveyed 69 experts in various fields related to food security.  They found that many effects of climate change – such as unpredictable weather changes – could have the greatest negative impacts on food security.  The researchers also found that threats to food security from income inequality, global price shocks, and political instability and migration are highly likely during the next two decades.  More than half of the world’s food insecure populations also live in conflict-prone regions.

According to the research team, food security has never been a problem of production.  It’s a problem of distribution, access, and poverty, and can be exacerbated by conflict.   

**********

Web Links

Amid climate change and conflict, more resilient food systems a must, report shows

Photo, posted July 19, 2009, courtesy of Danumurthi Mahendra via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Rooftop Solar Taking Off In China | Earth Wise

By Leave a Comment

The total amount of solar power generating capacity in the world has been growing rapidly.  In 2008, there was a total of only 15 gigawatts installed world-wide.  By 2012, the total was 100 gigawatts.  As of this spring, there is now 1 terawatt – that’s 1,000 gigawatts – of solar power installed in the world.   About a third of that total is in China, and solar power is really booming there.

Estimates are that China will install 108 gigawatts of solar capacity this year, which is about double the amount installed in 2021.  Much of the growth in solar in China is in the form of rooftop solar, as opposed to utility-scale solar farms.

China is aiming to have 50% of new factory rooftops carry solar installations by 2025.   By the end of next year, China’s National Energy Bureau is aiming for solar panels to cover 50% of rooftops on party and government buildings, 40% of schools, hospitals, and other public buildings, 30% of industrial and commercial buildings, and 20% of rural homes.  This new initiative will drive China’s installed solar capacity to impressive levels in the coming years.

After China, the leading installers of solar energy capacity are the European Union, the United States, and Japan. 

These figures are for generating capacity.  What ultimately matters is solar’s share of total electricity consumption.  In China and the EU, solar provides over 6% of the electricity used.  In the US, that figure is about 3.5%.  In Germany and Australia, solar power provides 10% of electricity needs.  All these numbers will continue to go up rapidly as solar installations grow.

**********

Web Links

China Sees Rooftop Solar Take Off as New Policies Bolster Growth

Photo, posted June 17, 2022, courtesy of Nguyễn Mỹ Hoa via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

North American Birds And Climate Change | Earth Wise

By Leave a Comment

Most plants and animals live in areas with specific climate conditions, such as rainfall patterns and temperature, that enable them to thrive. Any change in the climate of an area can affect the plants and animals living there, which in turn can impact the composition of the entire ecosystem.   

As such, the changing climate poses many challenges to plants and animals.  For example, appropriate climatic conditions for many species are changing.  As a result, some may even disappear altogether.  These problems can be compounded when the climate is changing in tandem with other human-caused stressors, such as land use change.

When there is increasing divergence between suitable climatic conditions for a particular species and its abundance and distribution through time, this is known as climate decoupling.

According to a new study recently published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, some species of North American birds have not fully adjusted their distributions in response to climate change.  The areas where these birds live have become more decoupled from their optimal climate conditions.  Climate decoupling as a result of ongoing climate change could lead to additional stressors on many bird species and exacerbate bird population declines.

In the study, the research team analyzed data on bird population changes through time from the North American Bird Survey.  They found that at least 30 out of 114 species (or 26%) of North American birds have become less well adjusted to their climate over the last 30 years. This means that their distributions and abundances were increasingly decoupled from climate over time.

The researchers also found that the overall trend of climate decoupling shows no signs of slowing down. 

**********

Web Links

North American birds not fully adjusting to changing climate

Photo, posted July 16, 2016, courtesy of Kelly Azar via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Progress On Artificial Photosynthesis | Earth Wise

By Leave a Comment

Photosynthesis is the process by which plants use the energy from sunlight to turn water and carbon dioxide into biomass and ultimately the foods we and other organisms eat.  Scientists at the University of California Riverside and the University of Delaware have found a way to create food from water and carbon dioxide without using biological photosynthesis and without needing sunlight.

The research, recently published in the journal Nature Food, uses a two-step electrocatalytic process to convert carbon dioxide, electricity, and water into acetate, which is the primary component of vinegar.   Food-producing microorganisms then consume the acetate in order to grow.   Solar panels are used to generate the electricity to power the electrocatalysis.  The result is a hybrid organic-inorganic system that is far more efficient in converting sunlight into food than biological photosynthesis.

The research showed that a wide range of food-producing organisms can be grown in the dark directly on the acetate output of the electrolyzer.  These include green algae, yeast, and the fungal mycelium that produce mushrooms.   Producing algae with this technology is about 4 times more energy efficient than growing it with photosynthesis.  Yeast production is about 18 times more energy efficient than the typical method of cultivating it using sugar extracted from corn.

Artificial photosynthesis has the potential to liberate agriculture from its complete dependence on the sun, opening the door to a wide range of possibilities for growing food under the increasingly difficult conditions imposed by the changing climate.

**********

Web Links

Artificial photosynthesis can produce food without sunshine

Photo, posted September 7, 2016, courtesy of Kevin Doncaster via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Sea Urchins And Climate Change | Earth Wise

By Leave a Comment

There is a thriving population of black sea urchins in bubbling volcanic vents off the coast of Ishia, a small island in the Gulf of Naples.  The oceanic environment there is very acidic, high in carbon dioxide, and very warm.   The environment represents a proxy for what is gradually happening to oceans around the world.

Researchers from the University of Sydney have determined that the ability of sea urchins to prosper in such an environment means that these animals, which are already abundant in the Mediterranean Sea are likely to spread further afield as oceans continue to warm and become more acidic.  The Mediterranean Sea is warming 20% faster than the global average.

Sea urchins are already an environmental problem in many places around the world.  When their numbers increase disproportionately, they decimate kelp forests and algae, leading to the demise of other species that depend on these things for food or shelter.  The result is something called an urchin barren, which is a rocky, sandy, urchin-filled seafloor devoid of other life.

Urchin barrens are increasingly common in many places, including the east coast of Australia and the coastline in the Americas stretching from Nova Scotia to Chile.

In Australia, for example, sea urchin populations have multiplied, and their range has expanded considerably, overgrazing kelp and damaging abalone and lobster farms.

Tests run by the Sydney researchers found that it is difficult to stress sea urchins.  They appear to tolerate conditions that other creatures simply cannot.   The only real positive is that understanding the urchins’ remarkable survival abilities might offer insights into adaptations that other animals might need in order to survive as the oceans become warmer and more acidic.

**********

Web Links

Colonising sea urchins can withstand hot, acidic seas

Photo, posted January 31, 2010, courtesy of Anna Barnett via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Space Tourism And The Climate | Earth Wise

By Leave a Comment

Space tourism is human space travel for recreational purposes.  A few well-known billionaires have taken rocket rides in recent years and at least a dozen companies are at the vanguard of what they are expecting to be a burgeoning industry.  If space tourism truly takes off – pun intended – it could be a serious threat to the climate and the environment.

Black carbon – essentially soot – is emitted when fossil fuels, including rocket fuels, are burned.  Black carbon absorbs light from the sun and releases thermal energy, making it a powerful climate warming agent.  At lower altitudes, black carbon quickly falls from the sky, remaining in the atmosphere for only a matter of days or weeks.

Rockets are another story entirely.  They dump black carbon into the stratosphere as they blast into space, and up there black carbon is 500 times worse for the climate and sticks around for several years.

A detailed study by researchers at University College London looked at the climate impact of present-day space launches compared with the potential massive expansion of launches from a large space tourism industry.

The overall result is that current space launches are not a significant source of emissions, but space launches would become incredibly significant if projections of tourist space flights proved to be true.  Currently, there are roughly 100 space launches a year world-wide.  If that number becomes thousands, the impact on the climate would be substantial.

The same researchers looked at the ozone impact of rocket launches and reached a similar conclusion.  The current impact of spaceflights is not very significant, but a massive increase in launches could have a major impact on atmospheric ozone concentrations.

Space tourism may be exciting, but it also could be very dangerous for the planet.

**********

Web Links

Space Tourism Poses a Significant ‘Risk to the Climate’

Impact of Rocket Launch and Space Debris Air Pollutant Emissions on Stratospheric Ozone and Global Climate

Photo, posted May 30, 2020, courtesy of Daniel Oberhaus (2020) via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Heatwaves And Bird Populations | Earth Wise

By Leave a Comment

The increased occurrence and intensity of heatwaves around the world is affecting most living things.  Heatwaves can be lethal for warm-blooded animals – including people – but the behavioral and physiological effects of sub-lethal heat have not been extensively studied.  Heat that doesn’t kill animals can still impact their ability to adapt and thrive as the climate changes.

Researchers at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville recently published a new study that examined how heat impacts the behavior and physiology of Zebra finches.  They exposed the birds to a four-hour heat challenge, similar to what wild birds might experience during a hot summer afternoon.   They used Zebra finches because these songbirds experience extreme temperature fluctuations in their native Australia.

The team measured heat effects on thermoregulatory behavior, how heat alters gene activity in tissues critical to reproduction, and how heat affects the area of the brain that controls singing.  The evidence showed that even sub-lethal heat can change a bird’s ability to reproduce both from the functioning of its reproductive system and its motivational circuits for mating behavior.

The researchers found that some individual birds were better able to minimize the physiological effect of heat, for example by adjusting their behavior to dissipate heat.  Some individuals and even some species are likely to be able to adapt to increasingly extreme temperatures.

Global bird populations have been dramatically declining over the past few decades.  Previous studies have shown that birds sing less during heatwaves. Based on the new study, it appears that increasing heatwaves may be a potential underlying mechanism for the decline in bird populations.

**********

Web Links

New Research Suggests Heat Waves Could Lead to Avian Population Decline

Photo, posted August 22, 2017, courtesy of Dennis Jarvis via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Bumblebees And Climate Change | Earth Wise

By Leave a Comment

Pollinators, such as bees and bats, are vital for global food production.  They provide an ecological service that’s necessary for the reproduction of nearly 75% of the world’s flowering plants, including more than two-thirds of global food crops.

Bumblebees are among the most important plant pollinators.  They pollinate many food crops, including apples, tomatoes, blueberries and legumes, as well as countless types of trees, shrubs, and wildflowers.

According to a new study by researchers from Simon Fraser University in Canada, temperature changes have negatively impacted most bumblebee species during the past 120 years.  The research, which was recently published in the journal Biology Letters, found that these changes in temperature had more of a negative impact than other factors such as precipitation or floral resources. 

The research team analyzed existing data on 46 bumblebee species across North America between 1900 and 2020.  The researchers created two occupancy models – one that was focused on time and the other that focused on environmental factors – to see how climate change and land-use variables impacted species’ occupancy.  They found that six bumblebee species decreased through time, 22 increased, and 18 remained stable.

Temperature changes had primarily negative impacts on bumblebees.  In fact, 37 of the 46 species studied exhibited declines or less positive occupancy increases under observed changes in temperature when compared with temperatures remaining constant.  Approximately half of the bumblebee species were negatively impacted by changes in precipitation or floral resources while the other half were positively impacted.

Bumblebee populations are changing as a consequence of climate change. 

**********

Web Links

The American Bumblebee

Climate change negatively impacting bumble bees: Study

Photo, posted July 14, 2019, courtesy of Dmitry Grigoriev via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

A Better Way To Recycle Plastic | Earth Wise

By Leave a Comment

The current state of plastic recycling is not very effective.  Plastic recycling is only able to replace 15-20% of the fossil-fuel-derived raw material needed to produce society’s demand for plastic.

Researchers at Chalmers University in Sweden have now demonstrated how the carbon content in mixed waste could be used to replace all of the fossil raw materials in the production of new plastic.  In principle, their technology could completely eliminate the climate impact of plastic materials.

According to the researchers, there are enough carbon atoms in waste to meet the needs of all global plastic production.

The Chalmers process is based on thermochemical technology and involves heating waste to 1100-1500 degrees Fahrenheit.  The waste is thereby vaporized and when hydrogen is added, becomes a carbon-based substance that can replace the fossil-fuel building blocks of plastic.  The method does not require sorting the waste materials.  Different types of waste, such as old plastic products and even paper cups, with or without food residues, can be fed into the recycling reactors.  The researchers are now developing the techniques required to utilize their recycling technology in the same factories in which plastic products are currently being made from fossil oil or gas.

The principle of the process is inspired by the natural carbon cycle in which plants break down into carbon dioxide when they wither and die, and then photosynthesis uses carbon dioxide and solar energy to grow new plants.

Producing new plastics would no longer require petroleum or other fossil fuels as raw materials.  If the energy needed to drive the recycling reactors is taken from renewable sources, plastics could become the basis of a sustainable and circular economy.

**********

Web Links

Pioneering recycling turns mixed waste into premium plastics with no climate impact

Photo, posted August 10, 2013, courtesy of Lisa Risager via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

A Geoengineering Research Plan | Earth Wise

By Leave a Comment

The 2022 federal appropriations act, signed into law in March, directed the Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop a cross-agency group to coordinate research on climate interventions, in partnership with NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Department of Energy.

The group is tasked with creating a research framework to “provide guidance on transparency, engagement, and risk management for publicly funded work on solar geoengineering research.”  The group is supposed to develop a five-year plan that will define research goals for the field, assess the potential hazards of climate interventions, and evaluate the level of federal funding required to carry out the work.

This marks the first federally coordinated effort of this kind and is especially significant because it contributes to the perception that geoengineering is an appropriate and important area of research as the climate continues to warm.

It is an understatement to say that such research is controversial.  Geoengineering has often been a taboo topic among scientists. There are significant questions about potential environmental side effects and concerns that the impact of any such efforts would be felt unevenly in different parts of the world.  There are challenging questions about global governance , including who should be able to make decisions about any potential deployment of climate interventions and what the goals of such interventions should be.

These are momentous issues to grapple with, but as the threat of climate change grows and nations continue to fail to make rapid progress on emissions, researchers, universities, and nations are increasingly motivated to seriously explore the potential effects of geoengineering approaches.  We can’t hide from the fact that these issues are going to be explored.

**********

Web Links

The US government is developing a solar geoengineering research plan

Photo, posted June 28, 2013, courtesy of Fernando Aramburu via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Climate Resilient Microalgae | Earth Wise

By Leave a Comment

The plight of the world’s coral reefs has been a growing environmental crisis for many years.  Coral reefs provide sustenance and income to half a billion people, are major tourist attractions, protect coastlines, and are important centers of biodiversity.   And because of the warming climate as well as other effects of human activity, more than half of the world’s coral reefs are under stress.

The primary threat is coral bleaching, which is the disruption of the symbiotic relationship between coral polyps (which are tiny animals) and the heavily pigmented microalgae that live within the coral structures and provide most of the energy for the polyps. When corals are stressed, often because water temperatures are too high, they expel the microalgae within them.  The structures then become transparent, leaving only the white skeletal corals.  Bleached corals aren’t dead, but they are at great risk of starvation and disease until and unless new symbiont algae are acquired.

A new study by scientists at Uppsala University in Sweden investigated how different species of coral symbiont algae react to temperature stress.  They discovered differences among symbiont cells that enable the prediction of how temperature stress tolerant the cells are.  Such predictive ability could provide the means to identify and select more temperature-tolerant coral symbionts that could conceivably be introduced into coral host larvae in order to make corals more robust against climate change.

The research has a ways to go, but the new tools may help coral reef monitoring and increase the speed at which reef restoring efforts can create stocks of climate-resistant symbionts.

**********

Web Links

Climate resilient microalgae could help restore coral reefs

Photo, posted September 28, 2009, courtesy of Matt Kieffer via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Less Phytoplankton In The Gulf Of Maine | Earth Wise

By Leave a Comment

Phytoplankton, also known as microalgae, are the base of the marine food web and also play a key role in removing carbon dioxide from the air.  They are eaten by primary consumers like zooplankton, small fish, and crustaceans. 

Phytoplankton, like land plants, absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and use photosynthesis to grow.  Then they become a food source for other organisms and ultimately for people who depend upon marine ecosystems.   If phytoplankton productivity is disrupted, there can be adverse effects on regional fisheries and the communities that depend on them.

The Gulf of Maine is becoming warmer and saltier, because of ocean currents pushing warm water into the gulf from the Northwest Atlantic.  These temperature and salinity changes have led to a significant decrease in the productivity of phytoplankton.   According to a new paper from scientists at Bigelow Laboratory of Ocean Sciences in Maine, phytoplankton are about 65% less productive in the gulf than they were 20 years ago.

The study’s results come from the analysis of the Gulf of Maine North Atlantic Time Series, a 23-year sampling program of the temperature, salinity, chemical, biological, and optical measurements of the gulf.  The scientists refer to what they describe as a giant windmill effect happening in the North Atlantic, which is changing the circulation of water coming into the Gulf of Maine.  In the past, inflows from the North Atlantic brought water from the Labrador Current, which made the gulf cooler and fresher.  The new circulation is making the water warmer and saltier.

These changes have significant implications for higher marine species, fisheries, the lobster industry, and other activities in the states that border the Gulf of Maine.

**********

Web Links

NASA-funded Study: Gulf of Maine’s Phytoplankton Productivity Down 65%

Photo, posted November 15, 2015, courtesy of Paul VanDerWerf via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Lithium-Sulfur Batteries | Earth Wise

By Leave a Comment

Existuje také spousta přípravků ve formě vitaminových a minerálních komplexů, které nasycují tělo všemi užitečnými zdroji pro správné fungování celého těla a sexuálního systému. Nejoblíbenější jsou dnes syntetické stimulanty, protože poskytují silný apothekeein.com a stabilní účinek, doplňky stravy a homeopatické léky se častěji používají pro prevenci problémů tohoto druhu.

The growing use of electric vehicles as well as energy storage systems has created a major focus on the batteries for these applications.  Lithium-ion batteries dominate these applications and the demand for the materials needed to manufacture them continues to grow.

The raw materials for these batteries include not only lithium, but also can include nickel, manganese, and cobalt. 

Sulfur has been a desirable alternative for use in lithium-based batteries for quite a while because it is an abundant element and can be extracted in ways that are safe and environmentally friendly.  However, previous attempts to create lithium batteries that combine sulfur cathodes and the standard carbonate electrolytes used in lithium-ion batteries have not been successful because of irreversible chemical reactions between intermediate sulfur products and the electrolytes.

A group of chemical engineers at Drexel University has now found a way to introduce sulfur into lithium-ion batteries that solves the stability problem and also has major performance advantages.  The new batteries have three times the capacity of conventional lithium-ion batteries, and last more than 4,000 recharges, which is also a substantial improvement.

The new battery technology involves creating a stable form of sulfur called monoclinic gamma sulfur by depositing the sulfur on carbon nanofibers.   Previously, this sulfur phase was only observed at high temperatures and was only stable for 20 or 30 minutes.  This chemical phase of sulfur does not react with carbonate electrolytes and therefore produces a battery that is chemically stable over time.

 Incorporating this sulfur into battery cathodes results in a better battery that doesn’t need any cobalt, nickel, or manganese.  It could be the next big thing in electric vehicle batteries.

**********

Web Links

Breakthrough in Cathode Chemistry Clears Path for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries’ Commercial Viability

Photo, posted April 5, 2022, courtesy of Oregon Department of Transportation via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Feeding Cows Seaweed | Earth Wise

By Leave a Comment

When cows digest their food, they burp, and when they burp, they release methane.  This is called enteric methane and it’s a real problem.  A single cow belches out 220 pounds of methane each year, which is the greenhouse gas equivalent of burning over 900 gallons of gasoline.  That’s more than the average car uses in a year.

Several studies have shown that feeding cows seaweed has the potential to substantially reduce the amount of methane in cow burps.  The latest comes from a trial that took place at the Straus Family Creamery, an organic dairy producer in Marin County, California.

The trial used a new seaweed-derived feed additive called Brominata.  Brominata is made of a red seaweed called Asparagopsis taxiformis.  The addition of the seaweed to the cows’ diets on the Straus farm resulted in an 52% average reduction in enteric methane emissions.  One cow in the study showed a reduction of 92%.

Cutting enteric methane emissions in half would be a huge improvement that would be quite difficult to achieve by convincing enough people to reduce meat and dairy consumption.

The California Air Resources Board has identified feed additives as an emissions-reduction strategy for the dairy industry.  There are now some synthetic feed additives that have been developed that reduce enteric methane, but they haven’tyet  received FDA approval for use in the U.S.  Brominata has been approved as Generally Regarded as Safe by the California Food and Drug Administration.  Whether it and similar seaweed-based feeds can be produced in sufficient quantity and without adverse environmental effects remains to be seen.  But it is an intriguing approach to solving a complicated problem.

**********

Web Links

Feeding Cows Seaweed Reduces Their Methane Emissions, but California Farms Are a Long Way From Scaling Up the Practice

Photo, posted November 10, 2015, courtesy of Lance Cheung/USDA via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

WAMC Northeast Public Radio

WAMC/Northeast Public Radio is a regional public radio network serving parts of seven northeastern states (more...)