It won't solve global warming, but a group of scientists are calling for a focused research program to investigate ways to seed the atmosphere with chemicals that would let the heat out -- literally.
Geoengineering is not a new concept. Governments have changed how and where water flows, filled in lakes and other wetlands for construction, even attempted to control the weather. A project to counter climate change, however, would take geoengineering to an entirely new level.
Leaving aside what may be insurmountable political, cultural and ethical issues, scientists meeting at the American Geophysical Conference in San Francisco earlier this month focused on the practical aspects of releasing gases into the stratosphere that could open Earth's greenhouse.
Read full story Discovery News
Posted by Personal Injury Lawyers in Phoenix, Arizona
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
On Earth, Evolution Booms in Bursts
Life on Earth went from single microscopic cells to blue whales and giant sequoias in 3.5 billion years in two distinct bursts tied to the planet's geological evolution, according to a new study.
The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, goes against the common hypothesis that life slowly evolved from a single-celled organism to complex multi-celled organisms.
"We were surprised to observe that nearly all of the increase in size occurred in two distinct time-intervals," said Michal Kowalewski, a co-author of the study and professor of geosciences at Virginia Tech.
"And what is more, those intervals followed two major oxygenation events."
Read full story Discovery News
Posted by Auto Accident Lawyers in Phoenix, Arizona
The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, goes against the common hypothesis that life slowly evolved from a single-celled organism to complex multi-celled organisms.
"We were surprised to observe that nearly all of the increase in size occurred in two distinct time-intervals," said Michal Kowalewski, a co-author of the study and professor of geosciences at Virginia Tech.
"And what is more, those intervals followed two major oxygenation events."
Read full story Discovery News
Posted by Auto Accident Lawyers in Phoenix, Arizona
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Earth's Magnetic Field Flawed
Add particularly nasty solar storms to the list of woes facing the planet in the coming years.
Scientists have learned that it's not just the size and the strength of the sun's eruptions that threaten power grids, disable satellites and scramble radio signals on Earth. In a startling reversal of generally accepted theory, researchers using a fleet of solar-watching satellites have learned that thick gobs of solar plasma have easy and regular access into Earth's magnetosphere, thanks to a trick of nature.
Read full story Discovery News
Posted by Auto Accident Attorneys in Phoenix, Arizona
Scientists have learned that it's not just the size and the strength of the sun's eruptions that threaten power grids, disable satellites and scramble radio signals on Earth. In a startling reversal of generally accepted theory, researchers using a fleet of solar-watching satellites have learned that thick gobs of solar plasma have easy and regular access into Earth's magnetosphere, thanks to a trick of nature.
Read full story Discovery News
Posted by Auto Accident Attorneys in Phoenix, Arizona
Monday, December 22, 2008
Tropics Cooled by Volcanic Eruptions
Dec. 22, 2008 -- Volcanic eruptions have periodically cooled the tropics over at least the last 450 years by spewing out particles that girdle the world at high altitude and reflect sunlight, according to a study released Sunday.
The research adds a chunk of regional evidence to earlier work that found major eruptions -- such as Krakatoa, Indonesia, in 1883 and Huaynaputina, Peru, in 1600 -- contribute to cooling on a worldwide scale.
Read full story Discovery News
Posted by Personal Injury Lawyers in Phoenix, Arizona
The research adds a chunk of regional evidence to earlier work that found major eruptions -- such as Krakatoa, Indonesia, in 1883 and Huaynaputina, Peru, in 1600 -- contribute to cooling on a worldwide scale.
Read full story Discovery News
Posted by Personal Injury Lawyers in Phoenix, Arizona
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Two Trillion Tons of Land Ice Melted Since 2003
Dec. 16, 2008 -- More than 2 trillion tons of land ice in Greenland, Antarctica and Alaska have melted since 2003, according to new NASA satellite data that show the latest signs of what scientists say is global warming.
More than half of the loss of landlocked ice in the past five years has occurred in Greenland, based on measurements of ice weight by NASA's GRACE satellite, said NASA geophysicist Scott Luthcke. The water melting from Greenland in the past five years would fill up about 11 Chesapeake Bays, he said, and the Greenland melt seems to be accelerating.
Read full story Discovery news
Posted by Personal Injury Lawyers in Phoenix, Arizona
More than half of the loss of landlocked ice in the past five years has occurred in Greenland, based on measurements of ice weight by NASA's GRACE satellite, said NASA geophysicist Scott Luthcke. The water melting from Greenland in the past five years would fill up about 11 Chesapeake Bays, he said, and the Greenland melt seems to be accelerating.
Read full story Discovery news
Posted by Personal Injury Lawyers in Phoenix, Arizona
North America Warming Unevenly
Dec. 12, 2008 -- Climate change caused by greenhouse gases is warming the United States, though unevenly, government researchers said Thursday.
"The continent as a whole is warming, mostly as a result of the energy sources we are using," William J. Brennan, acting administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, asaid at a briefing on the nation's climate since 1951.
But there is a "warming hole" where no change occurred in the center of the country, roughly between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachians, added Martin Hoerling of NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory.
Read full story Discovery News
Posted by Serious Injury Lawyers in Phoenix, Arizona
"The continent as a whole is warming, mostly as a result of the energy sources we are using," William J. Brennan, acting administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, asaid at a briefing on the nation's climate since 1951.
But there is a "warming hole" where no change occurred in the center of the country, roughly between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachians, added Martin Hoerling of NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory.
Read full story Discovery News
Posted by Serious Injury Lawyers in Phoenix, Arizona
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Maxing Out on Oil Could Speed Up Climate Change
Dec. 10, 2008 -- As humanity wrings ever more fossil fuels from our planet, the question of when the taps will start to run dry -- when "peak oil" will occur -- looms ever closer on the horizon. Some say a decade, maybe two. Some say it's already passed. No one is sure.
Whatever the answer, new research has come to the ominous conclusion that slackening oil and gas supplies could actually accelerate the pace of global warming.
Read full story: Discovery News
Posted by Auto Accident Lawyers in Phoenix, Arizona
Whatever the answer, new research has come to the ominous conclusion that slackening oil and gas supplies could actually accelerate the pace of global warming.
Read full story: Discovery News
Posted by Auto Accident Lawyers in Phoenix, Arizona
Monday, December 1, 2008
Mega Wind Farms Could Steer Storms
Nov. 25, 2008 -- Mega wind farms of the future could have a major impact on weather, clearing up cloudy skies and even steering storm systems, according to new research.
In the United States, wind power still only accounts for a little over 1 percent of electricity generation. But the industry is growing fast, from 17 gigawatts of installed capacity at the end of 2007 to 21 through the end of September.
Read full story Discovery news
Posted by Auto Accident Lawyers in Phoenix, Arizona
In the United States, wind power still only accounts for a little over 1 percent of electricity generation. But the industry is growing fast, from 17 gigawatts of installed capacity at the end of 2007 to 21 through the end of September.
Read full story Discovery news
Posted by Auto Accident Lawyers in Phoenix, Arizona
Ocean Acidity Rising at Surprising Pace
Nov. 25, 2008 -- Measurements of ocean acidification in the U.S. Pacific Northwest show acidity is rising more than ten times faster than climate models have predicted.
The researchers can't yet say how widespread this trend is. But as the waters acidified over the eight years the team measured, the numbers of barnacles, mussels and algae inhabiting the area also changed.
Read full story Discovery News
Posted by Personal Injury Lawyers in Phoenix, AZ
The researchers can't yet say how widespread this trend is. But as the waters acidified over the eight years the team measured, the numbers of barnacles, mussels and algae inhabiting the area also changed.
Read full story Discovery News
Posted by Personal Injury Lawyers in Phoenix, AZ
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