At least 269,000 tons of plastic pollution could be floating in the world’s oceans, according to a new study. Researchers collected small, floating plastic particles across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean as well as off the coast of Australia, in the Bay of Bengal, and the Mediterranean Sea between 2007 and 2013. They then […]
Tag: climate change
Carbon dioxide warming effects felt 10 years after being emitted
It takes ten years for an emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) to have its maximum warming effects on the Earth, a new study shows. It was previously thought that the warming effects from a CO2 emission would not be felt for several decades. The authors conclude that benefit from avoided CO2 emissions, and thus avoided droughts, […]
Atmospheric pollutant hides in the dirt at night
A new explanation for rising and falling concentrations of the atmospheric pollutant nitrous acid (HNO2 ) could help predict ‘smog days’. Nitrous acid is quickly destroyed by sunlight in the atmosphere, but nevertheless it can build up to detectable levels during the day, pointing to an unknown source. The new study explains how HNO2 created […]
Melting ice could jeopardize 25% of polar bears by 2100
A new study suggests that if arctic warming trends continue, a quarter of the world’s polar bears will be unable to survive by 2100. The study uses a climate model to create detailed projections for the ice cover in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the series of islands and channels that dominate the far North of […]
A cool way to cool
Researchers have created a new rooftop cooling device that works under direct sunlight, without electricity, by emitting back heat radiation into space. The authors have produced a multi-layered solar reflector made of hafnium dioxide (HfO2) and silicon dioxide (SiO2) that reflects 97 per cent of sunlight at a frequency called the ‘infrared atmospheric transparency window’ […]
World’s first mass extinction was many events, not one
The world’s first mass extinction 444 million years ago was likely caused by a series of freeze-ups, and not a single massive ice age as previously thought. The extinction, which marks the boundary between the Ordovician and Silurian ages, wiped out 85 per cent of life in the oceans. In the new paper, fossil records […]
The ‘jellification’ of Canada’s freshwater lakes
A strange jelly-covered organism is taking over various lakes in Canada, and the cause is a kind of ‘aquatic osteoporosis’ due to low calcium levels, according to a new study. Researchers studied two kinds of tiny crustaceans about 1 mm or less in size: Daphnia – AKA water fleas – have a hard shell, while Holopedium […]
Towards carbon neutral wheat production
Improved practices in the farming of wheat could lead to a significant reduction in its carbon footprint according to a new study. With the changes suggested by the researchers, the carbon footprint of wheat could potentially be lowered to the extent that it removes more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than is emitted during production. The […]
Everything you want to know about climate change in three easy lessons
The Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS) recently released the third and final installment of Climate Insights 101, a free online course designed to help journalists and the public get up to speed on the best available peer-reviewed science about climate change. The new installment, BC Climate Impacts and Adaptation. Through videos and test-your-knowledge sections the […]
Arctic sea-ice decline has made severe Eurasian winters twice as likely
The decline in Arctic sea ice over the past few decades has doubled the chance of severe winters in Europe and Asia, a new study shows. Researchers performed computer simulations to show that sea-ice decline in the Arctic Barents and Kara seas since 2004 is linked to blocking situations of the jetstream which in turn […]
Abundant natural gas won’t solve greenhouse emissions
Models suggest that a shift from coal to cheap natural gas is unlikely to lead to a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Natural gas is often touted as a greener fuel than coal because it produces fewer greenhouse gases, and due to advances in hydraulic fracturing technology it has become readily available. Researchers […]
China heats up
Eastern China experienced a record-breaking summer heatwave in 2013, but analysis shows that this extreme could soon become the new normal. Researchers looked at temperature records in eastern China from 1950 to 2013 and found that average summer temperatures have increased by 0.82 C during that time. Summers as hot as 2013 are now 60 […]
Climate change will shift fish toward poles
A new analysis using computer models indicates that many commercially important species of fish are moving toward the poles and that some could disappear from the tropics altogether by 2050. The analysis used multiple models and covered 802 species to show that fish ranges are moving at a rate between 15 and 26 km per year. […]
Oil industries and winter ozone pollution
A new study explains the mechanism by which ground-level ozone pollution peaks during winter in oil and gas producing regions. Winter ozone pollution is hard to explain because the summer sunlight is normally needed to spark the chemical reactions that create ground-level ozone. The authors analyzed the chemical reactions happening in the atmosphere during winter in […]
‘Upside-down’ water flows keep the Fraser Canyon steep
A new study shows water in certain stretches of the 542-kilometre Fraser Canyon in British Columbia is flowing ‘upside-down’, a discovery that helps explain why the canyon walls remain so steep. Researchers discovered that high velocity water flows down into deep pools and then upwells along the canyon walls, such that the water along the bottom flowing […]
How will climate change affect sugar maples?
A changing climate means trees will grow in new places, but an experiment with sugar maples shows that other factors – such as soil conditions or seed predation – need to be taken into account as well. Researchers grew maple seedlings on the slopes of a Quebec mountain where climate conditions are more favourable for […]
