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News and analysis on fundamental and applied environmental science
News RSS feedTar sands exploitation would mean game over for climate, warns leading scientist
May 24, 2013
Prof James Hansen rebukes oil firms and Canadian government over stance on exploiting fossil fuel, which he says would make climate problem unsolvable (from the Guardian)
Insight: study updates water-use estimates for different electricity generation methods
May 23, 2013
Water consumption depends on type of power station
Solar 'sandwich' could cover a variety of surfaces
May 22, 2013
Flexible photovoltaic made from atom-thin layers
Early springs spell trouble for northern forests
May 21, 2013
Summertime drought may be culprit for drop in boreal-forest productivity following early spring
Solar could replace nuclear power in Japan
May 20, 2013
Photovoltaics could provide base load post-Fukushima thanks to Japan's large-scale pumped hydroelectric storage
Atmosphere agitated by breaking waves
May 17, 2013
Study could have implications for atmospheric models
Scientists concur that man is causing climate change
May 16, 2013 4 comments
97% of academic papers expressing a position agreed with the consensus that man is responsible for global warming
New insights into what triggers lightning
May 15, 2013
Cosmic rays and water droplets could play lead role in lightning initiation
Insight: long-term nitrogen trends in pristine streams
May 14, 2013
Drawing on 500-plus years of data, study highlights value of long-term stream monitoring
Car versus bike: road design to cut pollution
May 13, 2013
Converting roadside parking into cycle lanes could reduce congestion and cut costs for all
Expanding agriculture in Amazon is ‘no-win’ scenario
May 10, 2013
Increased farming may cut yields as rainfall declines due to deforestation
Insight: aerosols weaken Southern Hemisphere subtropical jet
May 8, 2013
Increasing amounts of long-lived greenhouse gases have opposite effect, however
Molecular cluster ions in atmosphere absorb infrared
May 8, 2013 1 comment
Products of cosmic rays affect radiative balance
Over half world's population could depend on imported food by 2050
May 7, 2013
Up from 16% of population living in countries that are not food self-sufficient today
Bringing energy to all would cost 4% of current investment
May 3, 2013 1 comment
Universal household energy access by 2030 would require $65–86 bn per year
New grass could help tackle flooding, say scientists
May 2, 2013
Natural hybrid grass cuts water run-off by 50%, can feed livestock and resist extreme weather (from the Guardian)
Insight: winter Arabian Sea too cold in models
May 1, 2013
Cold land biases lead to sea-surface temperature and wind errors, affecting monsoon forecasts
How can quantum techniques improve the efficiency of solar cells? – VIDEO
Apr 30, 2013
Chris Phillips describes a novel approach to capturing sunlight
Climate change could degrade indoor air quality
Apr 29, 2013 1 comment
Air around us indoors matters as much as outdoor air, says researcher
Pollen trapped in glaciers could reveal plant species as well as family
Apr 26, 2013
First DNA analysis of frozen pine pollen indicates it is well preserved