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 […]
Tag: conservation
Virus could be the cause of sea star die-offs
Researchers announced they have found a virus that may be the cause of a mysterious disease that infects dozens of sea star species along the Pacific coast between Alaska and Mexico, including off the coast of Vancouver since 2013. A study shows that sea star wasting disease (SSWD) could be caused by a very small virus (∼25 nm) […]
International collaboration needed to protect endangered species
A new study uses models to show that international collaboration is critically needed to prevent catastrophic habitat loss for some of the world’s most threatened species. The authors analyzed the distribution of almost 25,000 threatened species across the world and found that expanding the global protected area network to cover 17% of the world’s land […]
Key bird habitats under siege
Over 350 of the world’s Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) are under threat, according to a new report. In 2012 protection was suspended in the Bay of Panama wetlands, one of the most important sites for migratory waterbirds in the Americas. Closer to home, British Columbia’s Boundary Bay – Roberts Bank – Sturgeon Bank […]
Robo-penguin could help monitor animal movements
A robotic rover disguised to look like a penguin has shown promise in helping to track animal movements. In some fields, such as fish farming, animals are implanted with passive integrated transponder (PIT-tags), a kind of electronic barcode that can be read by a hand-held device at a distance of up to 2 feet. However, […]
Deepwater Horizon: soiled ocean floor
After the 2010 Deepwater Horizon incident, the fate of around two million barrels of oil out of the five million barrels released in the Gulf of Mexico was uncertain. R esearchers now estimate that much of these two million barrels has settled on the ocean floor around the well at a depth of 1.5 km. They looked […]
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 […]
How to reduce damage from unregulated fisheries
Canadians are used to the idea that governments regulate fisheries, but around the world more than 100 million people – 90 per cent of the worlds’ fishers – operate in small-scale fisheries with no records or controls. In a Policy Forum article, the authors recommend methods to reduce the damage that illegal, unregulated and unreported […]
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. […]
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 […]
Carbon quotas are nearly used up
Two upcoming papers discuss the concept of a carbon quota, that is, a limited amount of carbon that can be released to the atmosphere in order to remain below a certain global warming target. The first paper, published in Nature Geoscience, indicates that we have already used up two thirds of the carbon quota needed […]
Microplastic pollution found in the St. Lawrence River
Concentrations of microplastic particles in the St. Lawrence are as high as has been observed in the world’s most contaminated marine sediments, a new study shows. This is also the first time such pollutants have been found in freshwater sediments. The authors dug up microplastics (in the form of polyethylene ‘microbeads’, <2 mm diameter) from the […]
Chemicals could help bee colonies fight mite infestations
Researchers have identified certain chemical compounds that could help fight infestations of the parasitic Varroa destructor mite, a major pest for beekeepers. The mites use smell to distinguish between different worker types in the bee colony, preferring younger ‘nurse’ bees over older foragers. The team found that treating the bees with certain chemical compounds confused […]
Climate change: cropland could expand in Canada
A new simulation of the impact of climate change on the supply of agricultural land shows that suitable cropland will expand in Canada, Russia, China and other countries in the high latitudes of the Northern hemisphere. On the other hand the authors project a significant loss of highly fertile cropland in the Mediterranean regions and […]
Resistance of the boreal forest to fire
A new study shows that the boreal forest could be more resilient to forest fire than previously thought. Using climate projections, scientists estimate that forest fire in the Boreal forest in Canada will be bigger and happen more frequently by the end of the 21st century. However, a careful study of the past 200 years […]
Calculating the impact of a “Green Revolution”
New research suggests that improving crop yields has reduced carbon emissions and land use worldwide, but that this might not be the case in the future. The “Green Revolution” refers to the use of fertilizers, pesticides and other agricultural technology to increase crop yields. Previous studies have shown that rather than decreasing the amount of land […]
