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Archive for the ‘climatology’ category: Page 16

Feb 21, 2024

Global Implications: More Aerosol Particles Than Thought Are Forming Over Siberia

Posted by in categories: climatology, particle physics

Recent research has discovered that, in contrast to earlier assumptions, substantial quantities of aerosol particles are generated across extensive regions of the West Siberian taiga during spring. These findings indicate that rising temperatures can greatly influence the climate due to this phenomenon.

Aerosol particles significantly contribute to the Earth’s cooling process. They can impact the amount of sunlight that reaches the Earth’s surface either directly or indirectly by aiding in cloud formation. These particles originate from various gas molecules and are found all over the planet.

To understand the circumstances in which these particles are formed, researchers conduct measurements in various environments all over the world. For example, the Finnish flagship station SMEAR II has conducted measurements in the boreal forest for 25 years.

Feb 20, 2024

This startup’s tech turns CO2 into seashell dust

Posted by in categories: climatology, sustainability

UCLA spinout Equatic has developed a carbon removal technology it believes can help the world meet its climate change goals — by converting CO2 in the ocean into seashell dust.

The challenge: To prevent the worst predicted effects of climate change, experts say we need to not only slash our carbon emissions, but also remove and permanently store some of the CO2 that’s already been released.

The ocean does this naturally: it already absorbs about 31% of human-made carbon emissions, but there’s a limit to the amount of CO2 that seawater can absorb before it starts to release the carbon back into the atmosphere. Absorbing CO2 from the air also causes ocean acidification, resulting in further environmental damage.

Feb 19, 2024

This new method to capture carbon is driven by geothermal energy

Posted by in categories: climatology, sustainability

Researchers from Ohio State University have developed an innovative method to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) directly from the atmosphere. Powered by geothermal energy, the team’s method poses a climate-friendly alternative to traditional carbon capture technologies. It highlights the synergy between Direct Air Carbon Dioxide Capture (DACC) technologies and renewable energies from beneath the Earth’s surface.

The approach, named Direct Air CO2 Capture with CO2 Utilization and Storage (DACCUS), promises a significant decrease in atmospheric CO2 levels, a major contributor to global warming.

Climate change primarily results from increased CO2 levels in the Earth’s atmosphere, largely due to human activities like burning fossil fuels for heat, electricity, and transportation.

Feb 18, 2024

Electrification or hydrogen? Both have distinct roles in the European energy transition

Posted by in categories: climatology, economics, sustainability

A study, published in One Earth, is the first to analyze the interplay of electrification and hydrogen in EU climate neutrality scenarios at greater sectoral detail. The analysis shows higher potential for electrification and identifies a more confined deployment range for hydrogen-based energy than earlier studies.

“Previous research has shown that our power system can be transformed to renewable sources like wind and solar at low cost and low environmental impact. However, the next question is how this renewable electricity can be used to substitute in the buildings, industry and transport sectors. Our analysis shows that the direct use of electricity, for example, via and , is critical for a broad range of sectors, while the conversion of electricity to hydrogen is important only for few applications,” says Felix Schreyer, PIK scientist and lead author of the study.

Using the energy-economy model REMIND, PIK-scientists investigated plausible combinations of both strategies in EU energy system transformation pathways under different scenario assumptions.

Feb 13, 2024

Astrobiologists Suggest the Earth Itself May Be an Intelligent Entity

Posted by in categories: alien life, climatology, sustainability

A group of researchers have posed a fascinating — and downright mind bending — thought experiment: If a planet like Earth can be “alive,” can it also have a mind of its own?

The team published a paper exploring this question in the International Journal of Astrobiology. In it, they present the idea of “planetary intelligence,” which describes the collective knowledge and cognition of an entire planet.

Though it seems like something ripped off the screen of a Marvel movie, they believe that the concept might actually help us deal with global issues such as climate change, or even help us discover extraterrestrial life.

Feb 12, 2024

Vanadium research makes key advance for capturing carbon from the air

Posted by in categories: chemistry, climatology, sustainability

A chemical element so visually striking it was named for a goddess shows a “Goldilocks” level of reactivity—neither too much nor too little—that makes it a strong candidate as a carbon scrubbing tool.

The element is , and research by Oregon State University scientists, published in Chemical Science, has demonstrated the ability of vanadium peroxide molecules to react with and bind —an important step toward improved technologies for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The study is part of a $24 million federal effort to develop new methods for , or DAC, of carbon dioxide, a that’s produced by the burning of fossil fuels and is associated with climate change.

Feb 9, 2024

Tesla Cybertruck to be featured at 2024 Chicago Auto Show

Posted by in categories: climatology, sustainability

The Tesla Cybertruck, together with its stablemates, will be displayed at the 2024 Chicago Auto Show, one of the United States’ most prolific automotive events. Updates from the organizers of the 2024 Chicago Auto Show indicate that the Cybertruck has arrived at the event’s venue, and it is ready for some visitors.

The Chicago Auto Show is held every February at the McCormick Place convention center, and it is generally regarded as the largest auto show in North America. The 2024 Chicago Auto Show will be held from February 10 through February 19, though a press preview is scheduled to start February 8. A “First Look for Charity” Gala is also scheduled on February 9, 2024.

Considering the prolific nature of electric vehicles in the United States today, it is no surprise that the 2024 Chicago Auto Show would be featuring a number of EVs. These include electric cars from veteran automakers such as the 2025 BMW i5, the 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ, and the Ford F-150 Lightning Switchgear, to EVs from newcomers like the Lucid Air.

Feb 8, 2024

SpaceX launches NASA’s PACE mission, Earth’s climate guardian satellite

Posted by in categories: climatology, satellites

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched NASA’s newest Earth-observation satellite, the PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem) mission.


The rocket lifted off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Thursday, February 8, at 1:33 a.m. EST.

Feb 8, 2024

A volcano in Iceland is erupting again, spewing lava and cutting heat and hot water supplies

Posted by in category: climatology

GRINDAVIK, Iceland (AP) — A volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted Thursday for the third time since December, sending jets of lava into the sky, triggering the evacuation of the popular Blue Lagoon geothermal spa and cutting heat and hot water to thousands of people.

The eruption began at about 600 GMT (1 a.m. EST) along a three-kilometer (nearly two-mile) fissure northeast of Mount Sýlingarfell, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. Several communities on the Reykjanes Peninsula were cut off from heat and hot water after a river of lava engulfed a supply pipeline.

Continue reading “A volcano in Iceland is erupting again, spewing lava and cutting heat and hot water supplies” »

Feb 8, 2024

SpaceX launches billion-dollar environmental research satellite for NASA

Posted by in categories: biological, climatology, education, satellites, sustainability

SpaceX launched an environmental research satellite for NASA early Thursday, a nearly $1 billion spacecraft that survived multiple cancellation threats and is now poised to shed new light on climate change and the complex interplay of heat-trapping carbon, aerosols and sea life on global scales.

The Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem mission — PACE — “will dramatically advance our understanding of the relationship between aerosols and clouds, and the global energy balance,” said Karen St. Germain, director of NASA’s Earth sciences division. “This is one of the biggest sources of uncertainty in our ability to model the climate.”

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