Though prescribed burns reduce wildfire threats and even improve habitat for some animals, new research shows these fires also spread stinknet, an aptly named weed currently invading superblooms across the Southwestern U.S.
Researchers examine cooling power plants with brackish groundwater
Nontraditional water sources can be deployed to help cope with climate-induced water risks and tackle the increasing water demand for decarbonization of fossil fuel-fired power plants, but that could increase the cost of electricity generation by 8 percent to 10 percent.
Microorganisms’ Climate Adaptation Can Slow Down Global Warming
A new study from Lund University in Sweden shows that the ability of microorganisms to adapt to climate warming will slow down global warming by storing carbon in soil.
Satellites Reveal Widespread Decline in Global Lake Water Storage
More than 50 percent of the largest lakes in the world are losing water, according to a groundbreaking new assessment published today in Science.
Stop Eradication of Small Mammals to Protect Vital Ecosystems, Say Scientists
A new article published in the Journal of Animal Ecology suggests that current measures to protect grasslands in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau are damaging the ecosystem and should be stopped.
UW Researchers Examine Cooling Power Plants With Brackish Groundwater
A new analysis led by a University of Wyoming researcher shows that brackish or salty groundwater has the potential to replace fresh water to cool coal- and natural gas-fired power plants and strengthen resilience in the energy infrastructure, although there’s a cost associated with doing so.
Cheap and Effective Monitoring of Glacier Discharge
Glaciers have been melting and shrinking at an alarming rate, raising the sea-level and causing outburst floods.
Electronic noses sniff out volatile organic compounds
Tracing volatile organic compounds is important for public safety and all 'smell' related issues. To this end, researchers introduce a fluid mechanics-based chamber design for an electronic nose that consistently detects VOCs at low concentrations. The strategy, which includes using a shunt-like device to control the behavior of fluid flow,...
Identifying the bee’s knees of bumble bee diets
A new study has identified the bee's knees of bumble bee dietary options in Ohio and the Upper Midwest. By viewing almost 23,000 bumble bee-flower interactions over two years, researchers found that these bees don't always settle for the most abundant flowers in their foraging area -- suggesting they have...
How a drought affects trees depends on what’s been holding them back
Droughts can be good for trees. Certain trees, that is. Contrary to expectation, sometimes a record-breaking drought can increase tree growth. Why and where this happens is the subject of a new article.