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Salmon provide nutrients to Alaskan streambanks

Science Daily - Wed, 03/18/2020 - 09:44
Nutrient cycling of stream ecosystems dependent on portion of salmons' lifecycle.

For narwhals, the 'unicorn of the seas,' size matters for sexual selection

Science Daily - Tue, 03/17/2020 - 20:56
Showy peacock feathers, extravagant elk antlers and powerful crayfish claws are just a few examples of the ostentatious animal extremes used to compete for and attract mates, a process called sexual selection. Now, we can add the 'unicorn of the seas,' the narwhal, to the list. A new study demonstrates the best evidence to date that the narwhal tusk functions as a sexual trait.

Mysterious bone circles made from the remains of mammoths reveal clues about Ice Age

Science Daily - Mon, 03/16/2020 - 19:46
Mysterious bone circles made from the remains of dozens of mammoths have revealed clues about how ancient communities survived Europe's ice age.

New research first to relate Antarctic sea ice melt to weather change in tropics

Science Daily - Mon, 03/16/2020 - 13:15
While there is a growing body of research showing how the loss of Arctic sea ice affects other parts of the planet, a new study is the first to also consider the long-range effect of Antarctic sea ice melt. It estimates that Arctic and Antarctic ice loss will account for about one-fifth of the warming that is projected to happen in the tropics.

Bargain-hunting for biodiversity

Science Daily - Mon, 03/16/2020 - 13:14
The best bargains for conserving some of the world's most vulnerable salamanders and other vertebrate species can be found in Central Texas and the Appalachians, according to new conservation tools.

What causes an ice age to end?

Science Daily - Fri, 03/13/2020 - 10:21
Research by an international team helps to resolve some of the mystery of why ice ages end by establishing when they end.

Computer model solves mystery of how gas bubbles build big methane hydrate deposits

Science Daily - Thu, 03/12/2020 - 13:48
New research has explained an important mystery about natural gas hydrate formations and, in doing so, advanced scientists' understanding of how gas hydrates could contribute to climate change and energy security.

Melting glaciers will challenge some salmon populations and benefit others

Science Daily - Wed, 03/11/2020 - 15:19
A new study looking at the effects that glacier retreat will have on western North American Pacific salmon predicts that while some salmon populations may struggle, others may benefit.

New flood damage framework helps planners prepare for sea-level rise

Science Daily - Wed, 03/11/2020 - 15:18
Researchers have developed a new framework allowing urban planners and policymakers to consider a combination of responses to sea-level rise and, if hard structures, how high these protections should be built, depending on their tolerance for risk and the projected financial losses to a particular area due to flooding.

Coral reefs 'weathering' the pressure of globalization

Science Daily - Wed, 03/11/2020 - 09:08
More information about the effects human activities have on Southeast Asian coral reefs has been revealed, with researchers looking at how large-scale global pressures, combined with the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate pattern, can detrimentally impact these delicate marine ecosystems.

Paleontologists discover solid evidence of formerly elusive abrupt sea-level jump

Science Daily - Tue, 03/10/2020 - 08:42
Meltwater pulses (MWPs) known as abrupt sea-level rise will inevitably affect cities especially those on coastal plains of low elevation. A recent study presented evidence of abrupt sea level change between 11,300-11,000 years ago in the Arctic Ocean, solving the puzzle of second largest meltwater pulse (labelled as ''MWP-1B'' next to the largest and already well understood MWP-1A).

Why organisms shrink in a warming world

Science Daily - Mon, 03/09/2020 - 08:30
Everyone is talking about global warming. A team of paleontologists has recently investigated how prehistoric organisms reacted to climate change, basing their research on belemnites. These shrunk significantly when the water temperature rose as a result of volcanic activity approximately 183 million years ago, during the period known as the Toarcian.

Newly uncovered Arctic landscape plays important role in carbon cycle

Science Daily - Thu, 03/05/2020 - 19:35
As the ice sheet covering most of Greenland retreats, researchers are studying the newly revealed landscape to understand its role in the carbon cycle.

Almost alien: Antarctic subglacial lakes are cold, dark and full of secrets

Science Daily - Wed, 03/04/2020 - 13:14
More than half of the planet's fresh water is in Antarctica. While most of it is frozen in the ice sheets, underneath the ice pools and streams of water flow into one another and into the Southern Ocean surrounding the continent. Understanding the movement of this water, and what is dissolved in it as solutes, reveals how carbon and nutrients from the land may support life in the coastal ocean.

Ancient Australian trees face uncertain future under climate change, study finds

Science Daily - Tue, 03/03/2020 - 13:01
Tasmania's ancient rainforest faces a grim future as a warming climate and the way people used the land have brought significant changes to the island state off mainland Australia's southeastern coast, according to a new study.

New version of Earth model captures climate dynamics

Science Daily - Tue, 03/03/2020 - 10:33
A new high-resolution Earth systems model has been designed to predict climate trends into the next century. The model will provide the scientific basis by which to mitigate the effects of extreme climate on energy and other essential services.

Geologists determine early Earth was a 'water world' by studying exposed ocean crust

Science Daily - Mon, 03/02/2020 - 11:24
Geologists have studied exposed, 3.2-billion-year-old ocean crust in Australia and used that rock data to build a quantitative, inverse model of ancient seawater. The model indicates the early Earth could have been a 'water world' with submerged continents.

Study shows rapid sea level rise along Atlantic coast of North America in 18th century

Science Daily - Fri, 02/28/2020 - 09:22
Sea levels along a stretch of the Atlantic coast of North America in the 18th century were rising almost as fast as in the 20th century, a new study has revealed.

Antarctic ice walls protect the climate

Science Daily - Thu, 02/27/2020 - 10:45
Inland Antarctic ice contains volumes of water that can raise global sea levels by several meters. A new study shows that glacier ice walls are vital for the climate, as they prevent rising ocean temperatures and melting glacier ice.

Freshwater flowing into the North Pacific plays key role in North America's climate

Science Daily - Wed, 02/26/2020 - 13:54
Massive freshwater river flows stemming from glacier-fed flooding at the end of the last ice age surged across eastern Washington to the Columbia River and out to the North Pacific Ocean, where they triggered climate changes throughout the northern hemisphere.

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