Rice – which provides nearly half the daily calories for the world’s population – could become adapted to climate change and some catastrophic events by colonizing its seeds or plants with the spores of tiny naturally occurring fungi, U.S. Geological Survey-led research shows.
Coccolithophores, a certain group of algae, form thinner calcite skeletons when the pH value in the ocean drops. In marine ecosystems, changes in the degree of calcification are much more pronounced than presumed to date based on laboratory tests. These changes have an impact on the global carbon balance since the examined microalgae influence the carbon dioxide exchange between ocean and atmosphere.
Carbon dioxide still plays a major role in climate change, but other greenhouse gases contribute to the problem.
Fallen autumn leaves transfer as much, if not more, hazardous mercury from the atmosphere to the environment as does precipitation each year, according to recent U.S. Geological Survey research.
While international climate talks remain deadlocked, the Montreal Protocol has been methodically eliminating some of the worst chemicals contributing to global warming.
New research suggests that nearly half the Earth's heat comes from the radioactive decay of materials beneath the surface, according to a large international research collaboration that includes a Kansas State University physicist.
Building on the agreement for model year 2012-2016 vehicles, which will raise fuel efficiency to 35.5 mpg, the next round of standards will require performance equivalent to 54.5 mpg or 163 grams/ mile of CO2 for cars and light-duty trucks by model year 2025.
A group of scientists from the University of Alabama are exploring caves in the South Pacific to gain insight on ancient weather patterns.
The previously unexplained differences between model-based forecasts of rapid global warming and meteorological data showing a slower rate of warming have been the source of often contentious debate and controversy for more than two decades.
Senior energy executive Karl W. Miller is a major supporter in establishing a comprehensive energy plan for the U.S.
Erosion happens. But for the modern geologist a vexing question remains: how fast does this erosion happen? For more than a century, scientists have looked for ways to measure and compare erosion rates across differing landscapes around the globe—but with limited success.
After a 10,000-year absence, wildfires have returned to the Arctic tundra, and a University of Florida (UF) study shows that their impact could extend far beyond the areas blackened by flames.
If researchers can coax yeast into processing more of the sugars found in biofuel feedstocks, they can improve the efficiency of producing renewable fuels from biomass crops like corn stover or switchgrass.
As the nation grapples with a record year for storms, drought and weather-related devastation, a new report claims climate change is leaving American cities open to a range of water-related vulnerabilities –- from drought to sea level rise and increased rainfall –- regardless of region or size. The report looks at how communities facing these new extremes are trying to protect their water supplies and waterways.
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have been reduced by an accumulated 5.7 million metric tonnes (mt) in Mexico City since it began implementing its Green Plan in 2008, the Mexico City government recently announced.
An increase in wildfires due to climate change could rapidly and profoundly alter the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, according to a new study authored by environmental engineering and geography Professor Anthony Westerling of the University of California, Merced.
In a paper published in the journal Nature Climate Change, researchers from CSIRO, University of Queensland and United States Geological Survey present a pragmatic decision framework for determining when, if ever, to move species in the face of climate change.
A recent increase in the abundance of particles high in the atmosphere has offset about a third of the current climate warming influence of carbon dioxide (CO2) change during the past decade, according to a new study led by NOAA and published today in the online edition of Science.
U.S. Department of Agriculture scientists have produced the first detailed data on how large-scale dairy facilities contribute to the emission of greenhouse gases.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released final guidance on Appalachian surface coal mining, designed to ensure more consistent, effective, and timely review of surface coal mining permits under the Clean Water Act and other statutes.