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| Headline |
Author |
Published |
Section |
Climate whiplash
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Andrew Dessler |
18 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| In a recent article in The New York Times, Andy Revkin talks about the whiplash effect: When science is testing new ideas, the result is often a two-papers-forward-one-paper-back intellectual tussle among competing research teams. When the work touches on issues that worry the public, affect the economy or polarize politics, the news media and advocates of all stripes dive in. Under nonstop scrutiny, conflicting findings can make news coverage veer from one extreme ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change impacts, climate science, mainstream media, scientific research (all these topics) |
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'Chemical symbol H-twenty'
A video for World Water Week |
Holly Richmond |
18 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| It's World Water Week, so I have an almost-legit excuse for posting this quirky, quotable video. It's part of the Look Around You series, a British spoof of '70s and '80s educational videos that takes on other scientific topics like Maths and Ghosts. Make sure you have your copybook at hand: |
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| Topics: funnies, green living, scientific research, video (all these topics) |
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I Dream of Oxygenie
Number of ocean dead zones increasing dramatically, study says |
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14 Aug 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 4:48 PM on 14 Aug 2008 As if fish didn't have enough to worry about, now those near coastal areas are threatened by an unprecedented number of dead zones, says a study being published Friday in the journal Science. The number of dead zones -- oxygen-deprived areas that can no longer support marine life -- has doubled every decade since the 1960s, and the zones have been getting bigger and badder. Resear ... |
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| Topics: fishing, news, scientific research (all these topics) |
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The uncertainty agenda
Journalists need to evaluate strength of scientific consensus |
Andrew Dessler |
13 Aug 2008 |
Gristmill |
| One of the biggest problems in the climate change debate is the fact that many people out there fail to understand the finer points of 'scientific consensus.' For an example of this misunderstanding, see Ron Rosenbaum's recent article in Slate. (h/t Dot Earth.) His article trots out one of the staples of the denial industry: Science has been wrong in the past, so how do we know that a scientific consensus on climate change is right? Because of this, reporters ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate science, mainstream media, scientific research (all these topics) |
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NOAA's Arctic
U.S. scouts out territory in Arctic; ice-cover loss could be worst ever |
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12 Aug 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 1:09 PM on 12 Aug 2008 U.S. scientists will head to the Arctic this week on a quest to map the ocean floor, and will collaborate with Canada on a surveying trip in September. The two nations -- and their Arctic-bordering compatriots Russia, Denmark, and Norway -- are scrambling to measure their respective continental shelves, with an eye to claiming as much as they can of the estimated 90 billion bar ... |
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| Topics: Arctic, Canada, climate, climate change impacts, news, oil and gas drilling, scientific research, United States (all these topics) |
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When It Rains, It Pours
Climate change will increase extreme rainfall, says study |
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08 Aug 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 12:21 PM on 08 Aug 2008 Photo: Ali Nishan Climate change will likely lead to more powerful rainstorms, says a new study published in Science. Computer models may "substantially" underestimate the number of heavy rainfalls that will occur in a warming world, say scientists who researched naturally occurring weather events during El Niņo patterns between 1987 and 2004. "A warmer atmosphere co ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change impacts, news, scientific research, severe weather (all these topics) |
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I'll Have the Marsupial of the Day
Aussies should fight climate change by eating kangaroo, says study |
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08 Aug 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:29 AM on 08 Aug 2008 Australians who want to make a dent in climate change just need to eat more kangaroo, says a new study in the journal Conservation Letters. The methane-producing burps and farts of sheep and cattle contribute 11 percent of Australia's annual greenhouse-gas emissions. Kangaroos, however, emit little methane. Researchers say that 175 million kangaroos could produc ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, Australia, climate, climate change mitigation, food, greenhouse-gas emissions, livestock, news, scientific research, wildlife (all these topics) |
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I Wear My Sunglasses at Night
With research breakthrough, solar power could work when the sun don't shine |
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01 Aug 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:51 AM on 01 Aug 2008 Wind and solar energy face a distinct hurdle: sometimes the wind don't blow and the sun don't shine. But new research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology suggests a breakthrough in the intermittency problem. In a study published Friday in Science, researchers demonstrate a photosynthesis-inspired process to use electricity from renewable sources t ... |
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| Topics: energy, innovation, news, progress, renewable energy, scientific research, solar voltaic power (all these topics) |
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Irony-gate
Viscount Monckton, a British peer, says his paper was peer-reviewed by a scientist |
Joseph Romm |
22 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| 'The Viscount Monckton of Brenchley' is full of crap himself. Before casting a wary eye on his new ribaldry, however, let me direct you to yet another dismantling of his 'thesis' -- this one by Deltoid at ScienceBlogs: 'Monckton's triple counting.'(Even more debunking here.) But I digress. The Viscount Monckton of Brenchley, as he prefers to call himself, or TVMOB, as I will call him because, damn, the acronym is just too sweet, has penned an epistle to the president of ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change skepticism, insanity, scientific research (all these topics) |
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The newest denialist talking point
Physicists reaffirm that human-induced GHGs affect the atmosphere |
Andrew Dessler |
18 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| It goes something like this: The American Physical Society, an organization representing nearly 50,000 physicists, has reversed its stance on climate change and is now proclaiming that many of its members disbelieve in human-induced global warming. Of course that's not true. Today a statement appeared on the APS website saying:APS Position Remains Unchanged The American Physical Society reaffirms the following position on climate change, adopted by its governing b ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change skepticism, climate science, greenhouse-gas emissions, scientific research (all these topics) |
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Ice, Ice Scraping
Antarctic icebergs scraping seafloor bare more often due to climate change |
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18 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 7:14 AM on 18 Jul 2008 The warming Antarctic is changing life on the seafloor as well as above as icebergs freed from surrounding sea ice earlier than in previous years can pummel bottom-dwelling creatures for much of the year, according to a new study. "Our results suggest that as the winter sea-ice season shortens, the thousands of icebergs that float around the coastline of the Antarct ... |
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| Topics: Antarctica, climate, climate change impacts, news, scientific research, wildlife (all these topics) |
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Top of the crops
USDA scientist: Some crop residues may be too valuable for biofuels |
Ron Steenblik |
17 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Converting crop residues into cellulosic ethanol sounds to many people like a good idea -- certainly better than using food crops themselves. Yet according to respected USDA soil scientist Ann Kennedy, the stems and leaves left over after crops are harvested may have more value if they are left on the ground, especially in areas receiving less than 25 inches of precipitation annually. That includes most of the United States (click on link to see map) west of the 100th ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, biofuels, ethanol, scientific research (all these topics) |
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Tide to be Fit
On sea-level rise |
Umbra Fisk |
16 Jul 2008 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I'm a bit confused about the possible rise in sea level that may be caused by global warming. I know that in general water expands when warmed, and that is one cause of sea level elevation with respect to global warming. The larger cause for alarm seems to be the melting or collapse of the polar ice caps. I recently read an article that warned that Antarctica, which stores 70 percent of the world's fresh water, could lose the ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, climate, climate change impacts, oceans, scientific research (all these topics) |
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Coal for dummies
Study finds that prenatal exposure to coal-plant emissions impedes neurodevelopment |
Joseph Romm |
16 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| A major new study by the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health finds: Closing coal-fired power plants can have a direct, positive impact on children's cognitive development and health ... [P]renatal exposure to coal-burning emissions was associated with significantly lower average developmental scores and reduced motor development at age two. In the second unexposed group, these adverse effects were no longer observed; and the frequency of delayed m ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, China, coal, energy, scientific research (all these topics) |
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Go With the Floe
Russian researchers abandon shrinking ice floe |
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15 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:33 PM on 15 Jul 2008 Russian scientists are evacuating early from their research base on a shrinking Arctic ice floe. Last April, the floe was sturdy enough to build an air strip on. In September, 21 researchers and two dogs arrived, at which point their ice abode measured 1.2 by 2.5 miles. The researchers meant to leave in late August, but will evacuate this week from a floe that has shrunk to a mere 1,000 by 2,000 fee ... |
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| Topics: Arctic, climate, climate change impacts, news, Russia, scientific research (all these topics) |
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Model behavior
Global warming will worsen storms, says U of Michigan scientist |
JMG |
11 Jul 2008 |
Gristmill |
| From ScientificBlogging: Mathematical Model Says Climate Change Will Make Storms WorseA new mathematical model developed by University of Michigan atmospheric and planetary scientist Nilton Renno says that dust devils, water spouts, tornadoes, hurricanes, and cyclones are all born of the same mechanism and will intensify as climate change warms the Earth's surface.Renno hopes the new equation will allow scientists to more accurately calculate the maximum expected intensity ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change impacts, scientific research, severe weather (all these topics) |
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The Smog Days of Summer (and Spring, and Fall)
EPA says climate change could worsen smog levels, extend smog season |
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11 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 8:38 AM on 11 Jul 2008 In a draft report released Thursday, the U.S. EPA said smog levels could increase significantly in many areas of the United States due to climate change, especially in the Northeast, lower Midwest, and mid-Atlantic regions. Smog is mainly a summer phenomenon in most places, caused by sunlight reacting with nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compo ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, climate, climate change impacts, news, scientific research, US EPA (all these topics) |
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The Window to the Sol
Your windows could collect solar energy, says study |
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10 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:49 PM on 10 Jul 2008 Have windows? Then you could collect solar energy, says a new study published in the journal Science. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a light-absorbing dye that, when painted on a window, transfers energy via the glass into solar cells at the window's edges (through a process we don't pretend to understand). If the dye-coated glass is placed atop a s ... |
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| Topics: energy, innovation, news, renewable energy, scientific research, solar voltaic power (all these topics) |
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A Penguin for Your Thoughts
Penguin declines don't bode well for the rest of us |
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01 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:49 PM on 01 Jul 2008 Penguin populations are declining, which is bad news not just for the tuxedoed birds but for, well, the world in general. A new scientific review published in the journal BioScience shows that everywhere they live, penguins are suffering from a combination of climate change, ocean pollution, overfishing, tourism, and development. "Many penguins we thought would be safe because t ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change impacts, endangered species, news, scientific research, water pollution, wildlife, World Conservation Union (all these topics) |
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Milkin' It
More use of growth hormones would boost sustainability of dairy industry, says study |
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01 Jul 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 2:00 PM on 01 Jul 2008 Shooting up cows with artificial growth hormones increases the sustainability of the dairy industry, claims a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "Giving rbST to 1 million cows would enable the same amount of milk to be produced using 157,000 fewer cows," says the study, thus easing the impact that giant dairy-cow operatio ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, air pollution, food, health, industrial ag, news, scientific research, water pollution (all these topics) |
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Let's Talk About You and Me
An interview with Bonk author Mary Roach |
Michelle Nijhuis |
01 Jul 2008 |
Grist Feature |
| Photo: cybertoad Ah, sex. Source of carnal bliss, domestic harmony, cute infants ... and global population problems. (Oh, environmentalists are such killjoys.) Overpopulation aside for the moment, sex is fundamental to humanity, and to the rest of the natural world -- and besides, it's a dang fascinating subject, as Mary Roach found out while researching her new book Bonk: The Curious Coupling of ... |
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| Topics: books, green living, interview, scientific research, sex (all these topics) |
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The Weather Aboveground
U.S. federal report details climate change's impact on weather extremes |
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20 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 6:41 AM on 20 Jun 2008 North America will continue to experience more heat waves, intense rains, increased drought, and stronger hurricanes due to the worsening effects of climate change, says a new report from the U.S. federal government. The report by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program is being billed as the first comprehensive federal review of climate change's effects on weather ex ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate science, news, scientific research, United States (all these topics) |
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Just Wrapping Up Loose Ends
White House decides to check in on environment |
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17 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 5:12 PM on 17 Jun 2008 A mere 2,705 days after President George W. Bush was inaugurated, the White House has decided to check in on how the environment is doing. Four federal agencies have been directed to develop environmental indicators that will ostensibly be used to analyze national trends and evaluate policies. The first project, which won't be released until 2009, will track amount and quality of U.S. wat ... |
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| Topics: news, politics, scientific research, water pollution, White House (all these topics) |
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Hitting the Squids
Deep-sea squid and octopi full of human-made chemicals |
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13 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 12:10 PM on 13 Jun 2008 Human-made chemicals have snuck on down into the ocean depths, showing up in the tissues of deep-sea cephalopods, says new research. In a study to be published in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin, researchers found various persistent organic pollutants -- including PCBs and DDT -- in nine species of octopi, squid, cuttlefish, and nautiluses. "The fact that we detected a variety o ... |
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| Topics: news, oceans, scientific research, toxics (all these topics) |
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A Ruminant With a Phew!
Vaccine, nut oil may cut cow belching's contribution to climate change |
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11 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 7:29 AM on 11 Jun 2008 The worldwide race to quell livestock belching is on! Earlier this month, New Zealand researchers came one step closer to developing a vaccine that would reduce the methane emitted from belching livestock. Ruminant livestock burp and fart significant quantities of methane -- a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. "Our agricultural research o ... |
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| Topics: agriculture, climate, news, scientific research (all these topics) |
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