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Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone Severely Impairs Reproduction in Atlantic Croaker, Researchers Find

By Guest PostJune 16, 2011Environment, Scienceandrogens, aromatase, atlantic croaker, coast of louisiana, coastal regions, dead zone, enzyme, estrogens, female sex hormones, fish population, gulf of mexico, hypoxic area, hypoxic coastal zone, hypoxic dead zone, impairment of reproductive output, low oxygen waters, male sex hormones, marine animals, marine science, marine scientist, masculinized, neuroendocrine function, ovarian masculinization, oxygen levels, peter thomas, reproductive impairment, saydur rahman, second largest seasonal hypoxic zone, sperm and eggs, the university of texas at austin, thomas and rahman, world

AUSTIN, Texas — Atlantic croaker living in the large Gulf of Mexico “Dead Zone” exhibit severe reproductive impairment with potential long-term impacts on the fish’s population abundance, researchers from The University of Texas at Austin’s Marine Science Institute have found.

Males and females were found to produce dramatically fewer sperm and eggs. In addition, females in the hypoxic Dead Zone waters were masculinized — some 20 percent actually produced sperm in their ovaries. The sex ratio was also heavily skewed toward males in the hypoxic area. (more…)

GPS Stations Can Detect Clandestine Nuclear Tests

By Guest PostJune 15, 2011Environment, Scienceair molecules, airborne radioactive gas, bubble of disturbed particles, chemical sensors, comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty organization, computer algorithms, ctbto, dorota grejner brzezinska, earth, eastern asia, evidence of a nuclear explosion, fluctuation in atmospheric electron density, gangwon province, geodetic science, global positioning system, gps, hamyong province, igs, illegal nuclear explosions, inje county, international gnss service, ionosphere, ionospheric electron density, jihye park, luis gaya pique, north korea, north korean nuclear test in 2009, ohio state university, punggye, ralph von frese, seismic detectors, shockwave, south korea, south korean gps network, underground nuclear tests, upper atmosphere, yu morton

VIENNNA, Austria – At the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) meeting, American researchers are unveiling a new tool for detecting illegal nuclear explosions: the Earth’s global positioning system (GPS).

Even underground nuclear tests leave their mark on the part of the upper atmosphere known as the ionosphere, the researchers discovered, when they examined GPS data recorded the same day as a North Korean nuclear test in 2009. Within minutes on that day, GPS stations in nearby countries registered a change in ionospheric electron density, as a bubble of disturbed particles spread out from the test site and across the planet. (more…)

Air Quality Worsened by Paved Surfaces

By Guest PostJune 11, 2011Environmentair pollution, impact of pavement, paved surfaces, urban development, urbanization

Widespread urban development alters weather patterns

New research focusing on the Houston area suggests that widespread urban development alters weather patterns in a way that can make it easier for pollutants to accumulate during warm summer weather instead of being blown out to sea. (more…)

‘Mountain Pine Beetle Activity May Impact Snow Accumulation And Melt’

By Guest PostJune 10, 2011Environmentinfestation of trees, mountain pine beetles, snow accumulation, snow surface albedo, snowmelt rates

A new University of Colorado Boulder study indicates the infestation of trees by mountain pine beetles in the high country across the West could potentially trigger earlier snowmelt and increase water yields from snowpack that accumulates beneath affected trees. (more…)

Shaping The Future of Global Energy Policy

By Guest PostJune 7, 2011Environmentclimate change mitigation, global energy policy, sustainable futures

A leading academic at the University of Exeter has played a central role in compiling a report which could be vital for global efforts to tackle climate change. (more…)

Going Green: Berkeley Lab on a Path to Substantially Cut Its Emissions

By Guest PostJune 6, 2011Environmentadvanced lighting systems, energy savings technologies, energy use, going green, green products

Energy use intensity is down; sustainability plan would reduce it even further

There’s an old saying that the cobbler’s children have no shoes. But at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, whose scientists have pioneered many of the energy efficiency technologies being deployed around the world today, energy conservation is not neglected at home. In fact, a number of homegrown energy-savings technologies are in use at the Lab itself, allowing Berkeley Lab to substantially reduce its energy use intensity and make headway towards achieving significant cuts in its greenhouse gas emissions. (more…)

River Mystery Solved

By Guest PostJune 5, 2011Environmentbacteria, biofilms, biogeochemical processes, blooms of didymo, Chile, didymo, didymo growth, didymosphenia geminata, freshwater algae, mats, microbes, microenvironment, national science foundation, new zealand, nutrients, oligotrophic, oliogotrophic streams, p v sundareshwar, phosphorus, rapid creek, rivers, rock, south dakota school of mines and technology, species, streams, tim kratz, uncommon environmental phenomena, unpolluted waterways, water bodies in the southern hemisphere

*Scientists discover how “Didymo” algae bloom in pristine waters with few nutrients*

The pristine state of unpolluted waterways may be their downfall, according to research results published in a paper this week in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

A species of freshwater algae that lives in streams and rivers, called Didymo for Didymosphenia geminata, is able to colonize and dominate the bottoms of some of the world’s cleanest waterways–precisely because they are so clear. (more…)

New Map Reveals Giant Fjords Beneath East Antarctic Ice Sheet

By Guest PostJune 4, 2011Environmentairborne geophysical instruments, antarctic ice sheet, Antarctica, aurora subglacial basin, australia, computer modelers, dc 3 aircraft, donald blankenship, duncan young, earth, east antarctic ice sheet, east antarctica, fjords, global sea level, high resolution topographic map, ice cut channels, ice penetrating radar, icecap, icecap project, investigating the cryospheric evolution of the central antarctic plate, sea level, sea level fluctuations, texas, university of texas at austin, world war

AUSTIN, Texas — Scientists from the U.S., U.K. and Australia have used ice-penetrating radar to create the first high-resolution topographic map of one of the last uncharted regions of Earth, the Aurora Subglacial Basin, an immense ice-buried lowland in East Antarctica larger than Texas.

The map reveals some of the largest fjords or ice cut channels on Earth, providing important insights into the history of ice in Antarctica. The data will also help computer modelers improve their simulations of the past and future Antarctic ice sheet and its potential impact on global sea level. (more…)

Category Archives: Environment