ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Glimpse into the future of acidic oceans shows ecosystems transformed
• Finding the Goldilocks sites to store carbon dioxide underground
• Innovative study estimates extent to which air pollution in China shortens human lives
• Corals cozy up with bacterial buddies
• NASA's polar robotic ranger passes first Greenland test
• Plant molecular biologist are getting to the root of the matter
• 'Dead zone' impacts Chesapeake Bay fishes
• Sydney's urban areas to be hit hardest by global warming
• Moths talk about sex in many ways
• Researchers warn of legacy mercury in the environment
• Deserts 'greening' from rising carbon dioxide: Green foliage boosted across the world's arid regions
• Unlikely competitor for diamond as best thermal conductor: Boron arsenide potential for cooling applications
• Deep sea isolation: Hypersaline 'islands' harbor unique life
• Archaeologists unearth a virtually intact Late Roman well
• Earthworms could help scientists 'dig' into past climates
• Even slight temperature increases causing tropical forests to blossom

Glimpse into the future of acidic oceans shows ecosystems transformed Posted: 08 Jul 2013 02:10 PM PDT In the waters surrounding Castello Aragonese, a 14th century castle off the coast of Italy, volcanic vents naturally release bubbles of carbon dioxide gas, creating different levels of acidity among the marine-animal and plant communities there. These gradients of acidity gave scientists a glimpse of what a future marked by increasingly acidic ocean waters could look like, and how the creatures and plants living in those environments may react to it.

Finding the Goldilocks sites to store carbon dioxide underground Posted: 08 Jul 2013 02:09 PM PDT To implement carbon capture and storage successfully, each underground repository will need careful appraisal based on its unique history and setting, according to a new study.

Innovative study estimates extent to which air pollution in China shortens human lives Posted: 08 Jul 2013 01:19 PM PDT A high level of air pollution, in the form of particulates produced by burning coal, significantly shortens the lives of people exposed to it, according to a unique new study of China.

Corals cozy up with bacterial buddies Posted: 08 Jul 2013 12:10 PM PDT Corals may let certain bacteria get under their skin, according to a new study. The study offers the first direct evidence that Stylophora pistillata, a species of reef-building coral found throughout the Indian and west Pacific Oceans, harbors bacterial denizens deep within its tissues.

NASA's polar robotic ranger passes first Greenland test Posted: 08 Jul 2013 11:33 AM PDT Defying 30 mph gusts and temperatures down to minus 22 F, NASA's new polar rover recently demonstrated in Greenland that it could operate completely autonomously in one of Earth's harshest environments.

Plant molecular biologist are getting to the root of the matter Posted: 08 Jul 2013 11:33 AM PDT Plant molecular biologists go looking for the genetics of poplar root growth in low-nitrogen soil and wind up with a model for genetic interaction.

'Dead zone' impacts Chesapeake Bay fishes Posted: 08 Jul 2013 11:31 AM PDT A 10-year study provides the first quantitative evidence on a bay-wide scale that low-oxygen "dead zones" are impacting the distribution and abundance of "demersal" fishes -- those that live and feed near the Bay bottom.

Sydney's urban areas to be hit hardest by global warming Posted: 08 Jul 2013 08:51 AM PDT Green spaces, trees and bodies of water are must-have design features for future development in Sydney's suburbs after researchers found that by 2050 global warming combined with Sydney's urban heat island effect could increase temperatures by up to 3.7°C.

Moths talk about sex in many ways Posted: 08 Jul 2013 08:49 AM PDT Originally moths developed ears so that they could hear their worst enemy, the bat, but now moths also use their ears to communicate about sex in a great number of different ways.

Researchers warn of legacy mercury in the environment Posted: 08 Jul 2013 08:45 AM PDT Environmental researchers have published evidence that significant reductions in mercury emissions will be necessary just to stabilize current levels of the toxic element in the environment. So much mercury persists in surface reservoirs (soil, air, and water) from past pollution, going back thousands of years, that it will continue to persist in the ocean and accumulate in fish for decades to centuries, they report.

Deserts 'greening' from rising carbon dioxide: Green foliage boosted across the world's arid regions Posted: 08 Jul 2013 07:35 AM PDT Increased levels of carbon dioxide have helped boost green foliage across the world's arid regions over the past 30 years through a process called carbon dioxide fertilization, according to new research.

Unlikely competitor for diamond as best thermal conductor: Boron arsenide potential for cooling applications Posted: 08 Jul 2013 07:34 AM PDT Researchers report the potential for boron arsenide to challenge the extraordinarily high thermal conductivity of diamond, which could pave the way for a more plentiful and affordable alternative to cooling high tech devices.

Deep sea isolation: Hypersaline 'islands' harbor unique life Posted: 08 Jul 2013 07:33 AM PDT Deep in the ocean exist super salty anoxic basins that form 'islands' allowing evolution to vary between communities of ciliated plankton. These unique communities provide an opportunity to observe multiple results of evolution from the same stock and different solutions to environmental difficulties.

Archaeologists unearth a virtually intact Late Roman well Posted: 08 Jul 2013 07:33 AM PDT Archaeologists say a virtually intact Late Roman well discovered near Heslington, on the outskirts of the city, may have had significance in contemporary local agricultural cycles and fertility practices.

Earthworms could help scientists 'dig' into past climates Posted: 08 Jul 2013 07:29 AM PDT A team of UK researchers believes earthworms could provide a window into past climates, allowing scientists to piece together the prevailing weather conditions thousands of years ago.

Even slight temperature increases causing tropical forests to blossom Posted: 08 Jul 2013 07:27 AM PDT A new study shows that tropical forests are producing more flowers in response to only slight increases in temperature.

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