Explained: Radiative forcing (PhysOrg)
When people talk about global warming or the greenhouse effect, the main underlying scientific concept that describes the process is radiative forcing. And despite all the recent controversy over leaked emails and charges of poorly sourced references in the last Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, the basic concept of radiative forcing is one on which scientists -- whatever their ...
Low strengthens into Hubert, making landfall in Madagascar (PhysOrg)
The low that forecasters were watching for development yesterday, March 9, strengthened into Tropical Storm Hubert, and is already making landfall in eastern Madagascar.
90Q: A curious short-lived 'tropical' cyclone in the southern Atlantic (PhysOrg)
Tropical cyclones typically don't form in the Southern Atlantic because the waters are usually too cool. However, forecasters at the Naval Research Laboratory noted that a low pressure system off the coast of Brazil appeared to have tropical storm-force winds yesterday.
Prehistoric response to global warming informs human planning today (PhysOrg)
Since 2004, University at Buffalo anthropologist Ezra Zubrow has worked intensively with teams of scientists in the Arctic regions of St. James Bay, Quebec, northern Finland and Kamchatka to understand how humans living 4,000 to 6,000 years ago reacted to climate changes.
Mysterious Cosmic 'Dark Flow' Tracked Deeper into Universe (w/ Video) (PhysOrg)
(PhysOrg.com) -- Distant galaxy clusters mysteriously stream at a million miles per hour along a path roughly centered on the southern constellations Centaurus and Hydra. A new study led by Alexander Kashlinsky at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., tracks this collective motion -- dubbed the "dark flow" -- to twice the distance originally reported.
NoMix toilets get thumbs-up in 7 European countries (PhysOrg)
People in seven European countries have positive attitudes toward a new eco-friendly toilet that could substantially reduce pollution problems and conserve water and nutrients, scientists in Switzerland are reporting. Their article, which calls on authorities to give wider support for the innovative toilet technology, is in ACS' Environmental Science & Technology.
Climate Myths and Questions, Part II (Discovery Channel)
In Part One of our series, we looked at polar bears, hockey sticks, Medieval Warm Periods and Little Ice Ages, among other topics. Today our list includes water vapor, volcanoes, and CO2. As with Part I, I offer the following ...
World crude oil production may peak a decade earlier than some predict (PhysOrg)
In a finding that may speed efforts to conserve oil and intensify the search for alternative fuel sources, scientists in Kuwait predict that world conventional crude oil production will peak in 2014 - almost a decade earlier than some other predictions. Their study is in ACS' Energy & Fuels.
The smell of salt air, a mile high and 900 miles inland (PhysOrg)
The smell of sea salt in the air is a romanticized feature of life along a seacoast. Wind and waves kick up spray, and bits of sodium chloride - common table salt - can permeate the air.
Study shows 'plausible' connection between DFW quakes, saltwater injection well (PhysOrg)
(PhysOrg.com) -- A study of seismic activity near Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport by researchers from Southern Methodist University and UT-Austin reveals that the operation of a saltwater injection disposal well in the area was a "plausible cause" for the series of small earthquakes that occurred in the area between Oct. 30, 2008, and May 16, 2009.