Earth
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Humans
Sarah’s tale of Arctic warming
Over a half-century or so, Sarah James' town of some 150 Athabascan Indians has watched as the formerly extreme but fairly predictable climate in this amazingly remote region of inland Alaska has become warmer and more erratic. Overall, that’s definitely not been a change for the better, she says. James ventured to South Florida this week — and the Society of Environmental Journalists’ annual meeting — to describe what it’s like to weather life on the frontlines of climate change.
- Paleontology
Oxygen blew up ancient amoebas
Single-celled creatures' size spiked as oxygen levels rose.
- Earth
Trees have a tipping point
Satellite data confirm that the amount of forest cover can shift suddenly in response to relatively small changes in fire frequency and rainfall.
- Humans
Columbus’ arrival linked to carbon dioxide drop
The depopulation of the Americas due to introduced European diseases may have spurred Europe's Little Ice Age.
- Chemistry
Cloud seeding by trees could alter precipitation, climate
Some tree pollens shed molecules that can affect precipitation.
- Earth
Solar changes help create cold northern winters
Fluctuations in ultraviolet light can set up frigid, snowy conditions across parts of the Northern Hemisphere.
- Life
When snowpack shrinks, elk can binge on aspen
As winters warm in the Rockies, majestic grazers may be threatening iconic Western tree.
- Humans
Really bad year for Arctic sea ice
On October 4, the National Snow and Ice Data Center posted information on its website indicating that the summer melt of sea ice in the Arctic, this year, approached — but did not quite match — the record set four years ago. A team of European scientists now concludes NSIDC underestimated those Arctic losses.
- Humans
Study recalibrates trees’ carbon uptake
Photosynthesis appears to be somewhat speedier than conventional wisdom had suggested, a new study finds. If true, this suggests computer projections are at risk of overestimating the potential for trees to sop up carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas.
- Humans
Arctic ozone: ‘Hole’ or just not whole?
This past spring, the Arctic stratosphere’s ozone layer suffered unprecedented depletion. But whether the record loss constituted a “hole” depends on which experts you consult.
- Earth
Arctic ozone loss in 2011 unprecedented
Report describes a ‘hole’ comparable to conditions observed over Antarctica during the mid-1980s.
- Earth
Earth/Environment
Diamonds from the depths have shallow elements, New Zealand earthquake helped triggered its successor and more in this week’s news.
