The tiniest greenhouse gas emitters
Vienna, Austria (SPX) Apr 09, 2014 -
Climate feedbacks from decomposition by soil microbes are one of the biggest uncertainties facing climate modelers. A new study from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and the University of Vienna shows that these feedbacks may be less dire than previously thought.
The dynamics among soil microbes allow them to work more efficiently and flexibly as they break ...
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Climate Models Underestimate Costs to Future Generations
Gothenburg, Germany (SPX) Apr 09, 2014 -
Future generations will have to pay more for today's carbon emissions than what governments across the world currently understand. The climate models used by policymakers around the world to estimate the economic and social costs of CO2 emissions have to be improved according to Thomas Sterner, professor of Environmental Economics at the School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothe ...
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Scientists find missing piece of air particle equation hiding in the walls
Davis CA (SPX) Apr 09, 2014 -
Laboratory chamber walls have been stealing vapors, causing researchers to underestimate the formation of secondary organic aerosol in the atmosphere.
A study published April 7 in PNAS Online Early Edition describes how a team of scientists, including researchers from the University of California, Davis, showed that vapor losses to the walls of laboratory chambers can suppress the formatio ...
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A Few Winners, But Many More Losers In Climate Change
Reston VA (SPX) Apr 09, 2014 -
Dramatic distribution losses and a few major distribution gains are forecasted for southwestern bird and reptile species as the climate changes, according to just-published research by scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of New Mexico, and Northern Arizona University.
Overall, the study forecasted species distribution losses - that is, where species are able to live ...
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Researchers find arid areas absorb unexpected amounts of atmospheric carbon
Pullman WA (SPX) Apr 09, 2014 -
Researchers led by a Washington State University biologist have found that arid areas, among the biggest ecosystems on the planet, take up an unexpectedly large amount of carbon as levels of carbon dioxide increase in the atmosphere. The findings give scientists a better handle on the earth's carbon budget-how much carbon remains in the atmosphere as CO2, contributing to global warming, and how ...
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New method confirms humans and Neandertals interbred
Bethesda MD (SPX) Apr 09, 2014 -
Technical objections to the idea that Neandertals interbred with the ancestors of Eurasians have been overcome, thanks to a genome analysis method described in the April 2014 issue of the journal GENETICS. The technique can more confidently detect the genetic signatures of interbreeding than previous approaches and will be useful for evolutionary studies of other ancient or rare DNA samples.
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Permafrost thawing could accelerate global warming
Tallahassee FL (SPX) Apr 09, 2014 -
A team of researchers lead by Florida State University have found new evidence that permafrost thawing is releasing large quantities of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere via plants, which could accelerate warming trends.
The research is featured in the newest edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"We've known for a while now that permafrost is thawing," s ...
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