Archive for January, 2013

Evidence of geological ‘facelift’ in the Appalachians

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How does a mountain range maintain its youthful, rugged appearance after 200 million years without tectonic activity? Try a geological facelift -- courtesy of Earth's mantle....

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Ozone thinning has changed ocean circulation

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A hole in the Antarctic ozone layer has changed the way that waters in the southern oceans mix, a situation that has the potential to alter the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and eventually could have an impact on global climate change....

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Cyclone did not cause 2012 record low for Arctic sea ice

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It came out of Siberia, swirling winds over an area that covered almost the entire Arctic basin in the normally calm late summer. It came to be known as "The Great Arctic Cyclone of August 2012," and for some observers it suggested that the historic sea ice minimum may have been caused by a freak summer storm, rather than warming temperatures. But new results show that the August cyclone was not responsible for last year's record low for Arctic sea ice....

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New research shows complexity of global warming

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Global warming from greenhouse gases affects rainfall patterns in the world differently than that from solar heating, according to a new study....

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‘Challenger’ Mission Aimed at Sending First Underwater Glider Round the World [What’s New]

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Scientists from Rutgers University, a Mid-Atlantic partner of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®), recently launched a second test mission, called “Challenger,” aimed at sending the first unmanned, underwater robotic vehicle--known as a “glider”--around the world.

The scientists launched the remote-controlled glider from South Africa and plan to fly it to northern Brazil, a mission that could last up to a year. In the first test mission, a glider went from Iceland to the Canary Islands. That glider is also now headed for Brazil.

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Tomorrow’s life-saving medications may currently be living at the bottom of the sea

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Two new research articles demonstrate how the next class of powerful medications may currently reside at the bottom of the ocean. In both cases, the researchers were focused on ocean-based mollusks – a category of animal that includes snails, clams and squid and their bacterial companions....

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Antarctic lake beneath the ice sheet tested

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In a first-of-its-kind feat of science and engineering, scientists have successfully drilled through 800 meters (2,600 feet) of Antarctic ice to reach a subglacial lake and retrieve water and sediment samples that have been isolated from direct contact with the atmosphere for many thousands of years....

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Bugs in the atmosphere: Significant microorganism populations found in middle and upper troposphere

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In what is believed to be the first study of its kind, researchers used genomic techniques to document the presence of significant numbers of living microorganisms -- principally bacteria -- in the middle and upper troposphere, that section of the atmosphere approximately four to six miles above Earth's surface....

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Climate change impacts to U.S. coasts threaten public health, safety and economy, report finds

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According to a new technical report, the effects of climate change will continue to threaten the health and vitality of US coastal communities' social, economic and natural systems....

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Groundwater depletion linked to climate change

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Climate change may be exacerbating many countries' experience of water stress, according to new research. Experts explain how several human-driven factors, if not rectified, will combine with climate change to significantly reduce useable groundwater availability for agriculture globally....

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