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Senior Defense Officials Gather to Address Need for Collaborative Research in Polar Regions

To address the need for collaborative research in the Polar Regions, Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Mat Winter met in Finland last week with counterparts from five nations in a first-ever gathering of senior defense officials to coordinate science and technology research in high latitudes.

29 Feb 2016

Researchers Follow Radioactive Waste to Understand Formation of Ocean Currents

After the Fukushima incident in Japan in March of 2011, where the nuclear power plant was hit by a tsunami, scientists used numerical models of ocean currents to predict the possible speed and direction of radioactive materials that had been released.

29 Feb 2016

New Genetic Tools Identify Links Between Early Developmental Traits and Biomass Yield in Miscanthus

The U.S. government has mandated a rise in domestic ethanol production from cellulosic bioenergy crops, spurring research to identify and improve high-yielding biomass crops. One of the strongest contenders is Miscanthus, a large Asian perennial grass.

26 Feb 2016

Increased Levels of Dissolved Salts can be Toxic to Aquatic Invertebrates

Aquatic life can suffer when high concentrations of dissolved salts enter freshwater ecosystems, a process known as salinization.

26 Feb 2016

Cooperative Field Study of Air Quality to Advance Air Pollution Monitoring from Space

NASA and the Republic of Korea are developing plans for a cooperative field study of air quality in May and June to advance the ability to monitor air pollution accurately from space.

26 Feb 2016

Researchers Study Impact of Freshwater Biodiversity on Inland Fishery Yields

A recent study from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the University of Southampton reveals that inland freshwaters with a wide range of fish species contain higher-yielding and less variable fisheries.

25 Feb 2016

Biomass Production from Perennial Grasslands Increases Economic Benefits of CRP Land

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) was established 30 years ago by the USDA’s Farm Service Agency as part of an initiative to boost habitat for sensitive wildlife species, minimize soil erosion, and enhance the quality of water. Farmers receive rent from the program in exchange for land to be removed from crop production and planted with species that enhance the quality of the environment. The land, as well as its cover crop, would be left untouched for a period of 10 to 15 years.

25 Feb 2016

Researchers Propose Carbon Budget for Keeping Global Warming Below 2°C

In a comprehensive new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change, researchers propose a limit to future greenhouse gas emissions--or carbon budget--of 590-1240 billion tons of carbon dioxide from 2015 onwards, as the most appropriate estimate for keeping warming to below 2°C, a temperature target which aims to avoid the most dangerous impacts of climate change.

25 Feb 2016

New Model Determines How Efficiently Oceans Will Continue to Soak Up CO2 Humans Emit

Since pre-industrial times, the world's oceans have absorbed 41 percent of the carbon dioxide humans have released into the atmosphere. The remainder stays airborne, warming the planet.

25 Feb 2016

Breakthrough Mathematical Model to Determine Optimal Design of Algae-Based Biorefinery

The combustion of fossil fuels drives the world's energy production, but it also emits carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases. In recent years, researchers have worked to cultivate alternative, renewable energy sources, including using algae-based systems.

25 Feb 2016

New Model Helps Predict Impact of Changing Climate on Forests over Thousands of Years

It can take Mother Nature 1,000 years to grow a forest. But Nikolay Strigul, assistant professor of mathematics and statistics at Washington State University Vancouver, can grow one on a computer in three weeks.

25 Feb 2016

MIT Economist Supports Carbon Tax to Make up for Disparity in Energy Costs

In recent years, proponents of clean energy have taken heart in the falling prices of solar and wind power, hoping they will drive an energy revolution. But a new study co-authored by an MIT professor suggests otherwise: Technology-driven cost reductions in fossil fuels will lead us to continue using all the oil, gas, and coal we can, unless governments pass new taxes on carbon emissions.

25 Feb 2016

Researchers Use Microbial Fuel Cells to Generate Electricity from Wastewater

Historically, solar rays dominate the the renewable energy source market. Two researchers, Xueyang Feng and Jason He, from Virginia Tech have developed a new technique to increase the amount of electric current that can be produced from the wastewater.

25 Feb 2016

Scientists Discover Genetic Diversity Enhances Productivity Yields of Switchgrass

Going down in history we find that even before farmers could settle down in the Midwestern United States and plant crops, there existed the root systems of prairie grasses, including strong-stemmed and tall switchgrass species that improved the quality of the soil, thus developing millions of acres of top-quality farmland.

25 Feb 2016