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A Living Desert Underground

By Guest PostNovember 20, 2013Natureantje legatzki, archaea, atacama desert, australia, bacteria, biomass, brisbane, carbon dioxide, cave formation, Chile, desert ecosystem, dna analysis, ecosystem of microbes, environmental cleanup solutions, erythromycin, exploring mars, groundwater, hypersaline water, julie neilson, kartchner caverns, kentucky, limestone cave, limestone cave system, living desert underground, organic carbon, raina maier, rod wing, sewage treatment plant, shark bay, southeastern arizona, stromatolite, sunlight, throne room, type of habitat, typical ecosystem, university of arizona, west virginia, whetstone mountains

In the perpetual darkness of a limestone cave, UA researchers have discovered a surprisingly diverse ecosystem of microbes eking out a living from not much more than drip water, rock and air. The discovery not only expands our understanding of how microbes manage to colonize every niche on the planet but also could lead to applications ranging from environmental cleanup solutions to drug development.

Hidden underneath the hilly grasslands studded with ocotillos and mesquite trees in southeastern Arizona lies a world shrouded in perpetual darkness: Kartchner Caverns, a limestone cave system renowned for its untouched cave formations, sculpted over millennia by groundwater dissolving the bedrock and carving out underground rooms, and passages that attract tourists from all over the world. (more…)

Rainfall in South Pacific Was More Variable Before 20th Century

By Guest PostSeptember 14, 2013Science20th century, 50 year cycle, anthropogenic climate change, austin, bislama, cave formation, charles jackson, christopher maupin, climate modeler, dry periods, frederick taylor, good stone, hem gudfala ston, history of rainfall, hypothesis, island nation, jud partin, oxygen isotope level, oxygen isotopes, pacific convergence zone, pacific decadal variability, pdv, rainfall, rainfall in vanuatu, rainfall value, South Pacific, stalagmite, stalagmite data, university of texas, vanuatu

AUSTIN, Texas — A new reconstruction of climate in the South Pacific during the past 446 years shows rainfall varied much more dramatically before the start of the 20^thcentury than after. The finding, based on an analysis of a cave formation called a stalagmite from the island nation of Vanuatu, could force climate modelers to adjust their models. The models are adjusted to match the current levels of climate variability that are smaller now than they were in the recent past for this region.

“In this case, the present is not the key to the past, nor the future,” says Jud Partin, a research scientist associate at The University of Texas at Austin’s Institute for Geophysics who led the study. The institute is part of the Jackson School of Geosciences. “Instead, the past is the key to what may happen in the future.” (more…)

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A Living Desert Underground

Rainfall in South Pacific Was More Variable Before 20th Century