Ecosystems News

RSS

How Microorganisms in the Oceans Affect Rising Levels of Atmospheric CO2

A startling discovery by scientists at the Carnegie Institution puts a new twist on photosynthesis, arguably the most important biological process on Earth. Photosynthesis by plants, algae, and some bacteria supports nearly all living things by producing food from sunlight, and in the process these organisms release oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide.

11 Mar 2008

Green Development Center to Support Green Design and Construction

In its role as the national force behind comprehensive community revitalization, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) today announced the launch of its Green Development Center to support green design, construction, and management principles in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods.

6 Mar 2008

The Snow is Gone Sooner

Spring in the Rockies begins when the snowpack melts. But with the advent of global climate change, the snow is gone sooner. Research conducted on the region’s wildflowers shows some plants are blooming less because of it.

5 Mar 2008

Understanding Sea Ice Thickness is Critical for Improving Global Climate Models

Scientists recently developed a new modeling approach to estimate sea ice thickness. This is the only model based entirely on historical observations.

5 Mar 2008

Recovery of Ocean Reefs from the Growing Damage Caused by Warming Sea

How well ocean reefs recover from the growing damage caused by warming sea temperatures depends both on how much the tiny coral polyps can eat, and how healthy they can keep the microscopic algae that live inside their bodies.

4 Mar 2008

Warming Climate Making World's Arctic Tundra Far More Susceptible to Fires

Research from ancient sediment cores indicates that a warming climate could make the world’s arctic tundra far more susceptible to fires than previously thought.

4 Mar 2008

Disruption of Desert Soil Surface Results in Wind Erosion of Nitrate-Rich Soil

A UC Riverside-led study in the Mojave Desert, Calif., has found that soils under "desert pavement" have an unusually high concentration of nitrate, a type of salt, close to the surface.

1 Mar 2008

Rain-Making Bacteria Could Have Implications for Climate and Global Warming

Brent Christner, LSU professor of biological sciences, in partnership with colleagues in Montana and France, recently found evidence that rain-making bacteria are widely distributed in the atmosphere.

28 Feb 2008

Loss of Forest Ecosystems Affects the Environmental Health of the Entire Planet

Turning just one Sumatran province's forests and peat swamps into pulpwood and palm oil plantations is generating more annual greenhouse gas emissions than the Netherlands and rapidly driving the province's elephants into extinction, a new study by WWF and partners has found.

26 Feb 2008

Wealth of Information About Coral Reefs and Threats from Human Activities

An ambitious expedition led by scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego to a chain of little-known islands in the central Pacific Ocean has yielded an unprecedented wealth of information about coral reefs and threats from human activities.

25 Feb 2008