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Climate Change Tag

30 Sep

New research can help electric utilities account for climate change

by TMR Desk
Climate Change
Researchers have devised a method to determine the impact of climate change on the supply and variability of local renewable energy. An increase in unusual weather patterns related to climate change means the demand for power and the availability of solar, hydro and wind energy can all become more variable. The method by researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute and in Spain will help local energy planners determine the optimal mix of renewable energy sources and energy storage needs. The research was published in August in the journal Land. Geophysical Institute atmospheric sciences professor Uma Bhatt is the lead author. "It is important for society to understand the impact of climate change and variability on renewable energy resources in order to design...
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22 Sep

A better understanding of crop yields under climate change

by TMR Desk
Agriculture, Climate Change
Research solves long-standing mystery of how water impacts agricultural production You don't need a PhD in agriculture to know that water is critical to crop production. But for years, people like Jonathan Proctor, who has a PhD in Agriculture and Resource Economics from the University of California Berkeley, have been trying to explain why the importance of water isn't showing up in statistical models of crop yield. "Studies analyzing how crop yields respond to temperature and rainfall tend to find that temperature matters much more than water, even though we understand from plant physiology that temperature and water supply are both really important for crops," said Proctor, a postdoctoral fellow in Prof. Peter Huybers' group at the Harvard John A. Paulson School...
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22 Sep

Climate change may impact marine environments more than anything else

by TMR Desk
Climate Change
Promoting the sustainable development of marine environments requires planning, just as we have long had spatial planning for land-based activities. Now researchers from the University of Gothenburg and elsewhere are showing that marine planning must take climate change into consideration -- something that it does not currently do. The researchers' models show that changes to temperature and salt content may impact ecosystems and species as much as all other effects on the environment combined. Symphony is a digital tool that has existed for the past few years. It uses GIS maps that show the distribution of important ecosystems and species along Sweden's coastlines and how by environmental disturbances, such as nutrient pollution, boat traffic and fishing, affect them in different areas....
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17 Sep

Mexican mangroves have been capturing carbon for 5,000 years

by TMR Desk
Climate Change
Researchers have identified a new reason to protect mangrove forests: they've been quietly keeping carbon out of Earth's atmosphere for the past 5,000 years. Mangroves thrive in conditions most plants cannot tolerate, like salty coastal waters. Some species have air-conducting, vertical roots that act like snorkels when tides are high, giving the appearance of trees floating on stilts. A UC Riverside and UC San Diego-led research team set out to understand how marine mangroves off the coast of La Paz, Mexico, absorb and release elements like nitrogen and carbon, processes called biogeochemical cycling. As these processes are largely driven by microbes, the team also wanted to learn which bacteria and fungi are thriving there. The team expected that carbon would be found in the...
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15 Sep

Climate change is affecting drinking water quality

by TMR Desk
Climate Change, Water
The disappearance of forests will have consequences for water quality in reservoirs The water stored in reservoirs ensures our supply of drinking water. Good water quality is therefore important -- but is at significant risk due to climate change. In a model study of the Rappbode reservoir in the Harz region, a research team from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) demonstrated how the climate-related disappearance of forests in the catchment area for Germany's largest drinking water reservoir can affect water quality. The problem of such indirect consequences of climate change is seriously underestimated, the scientists warn in Water Research. Water quality is of critical importance, especially for drinking water reservoirs, as subsequent treatment in the waterworks must continually meet...
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14 Sep

Forests’ carbon uptake will be compromised by climate change, leaf temperature study suggests

by TMR Desk
Climate Change
A new study led by Oregon State University suggests leaves in forest canopies are not able to cool themselves below the surrounding air temperature, likely meaning trees' ability to avoid damaging temperature increases, and to pull carbon from the atmosphere, will be compromised in a warmer, drier climate. The findings by an international collaboration that included researchers from multiple universities and government agencies contrast with a prevailing theory in the scientific community that canopy leaves can keep their temperature within an optimal range for photosynthesis -- the process through which green plants make their food from sunlight and carbon dioxide. Published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the research is important for understanding and predicting plant responses to climate...
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14 Sep

Insects struggle to adjust to extreme temperatures making them vulnerable to climate change

by TMR Desk
Climate Change
Insects have weak ability to adjust their thermal limits to high temperatures and are thus more susceptible to global warming than previously thought. As more frequent and intense heat waves expose animals to temperatures outside of their normal limits, an international team led by researchers at the University of Bristol studied over 100 species of insect to better understand how these changes will likely affect them. Insects -- which are as important as pollinators, crop pests and disease vectors -- are particularly vulnerable to extreme temperatures. One way insects can deal with such extremes is through acclimation, where previous thermal exposure extends their critical thermal limits. Acclimation can trigger physiological changes such as the upregulation of heat shock proteins, and result in...
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13 Sep

Is climate change disrupting maritime boundaries?

by TMR Desk
Climate Change
Coral reef islands and their reefs -- found across in the Indo-Pacific -- naturally grow and shrink due to complex biological and physical processes that have yet to be fully understood. Now, climate change is disrupting them further, leading to new uncertainties for legal maritime zones and small island states. But it may not be time to panic yet. A number of technologies and new approaches, coupled with expanded research into coral reef island behaviour, may help dispel some of the uncertainties and solidify claims. A study by University of Sydney researchers, published in Environmental Research Letters, finds that the rules for atolls and coral reefs in international law of the sea -- already murky and subject to interpretation due to their shifting...
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11 Sep

Climate change is increasing frequency of fish mass die-offs

by TMR Desk
Climate Change
As the planet's climate has gotten warmer, so has the prevalence of fish die-offs, or mass mortality events. These die-offs can have severe impacts on the function of ecosystems, imperil existing fish populations and reduce the global food supply. And the frequency of these events appears to be accelerating, with potentially dire consequences for the world if global carbon emissions are not substantially reduced over the 21st century. Those are the findings of a recent paper co-authored by two members of the University of Arkansas Department of Biological Sciences: doctoral student Simon Tye and associate professor Adam Siepielski, along with several of their colleagues. The paper, "Climate warming amplifies the frequency of fish mass mortality events across the north temperate lakes," compiled...
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10 Sep

Climate change puts availability of vital renewable energy source at risk

by TMR Desk
Climate Change
Climate change is putting the availability of biomass fuels and technologies -- a vital alternative to fossil fuels -- at risk, according to new research. The study has found that as temperatures rise, the window of opportunity to maximise the use of biomass from plants, wood and waste as a renewable energy source and an alternative to petrochemicals is closing. Published in Nature and led by researchers at the universities of York and Fudan in China, the study investigated the sustainability of biomass exploitation. The researchers found that if urgent action is not taken to reduce fossil fuels in favour of bioenergy and other renewables, climate change will decrease crop yields, reducing the availability of biomass feedstocks. Reducing food production is also likely to incentivise...
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