http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/chemistry/ Earth and Climate Chemistry. Full text articles on organic and inorganic chemistry in the environment. Updated daily. en-us Mon, 12 May 2008 21:05:01 EDT Mon, 12 May 2008 21:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/chemistry/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512135102.htm A new study of possible links between climate and geophysics finds that a much hotter climate could shut down the Earth's plate tectonics. While human-induced climate change couldn't generate the needed heat, volcanic activity or changes in the sun's luminosity could. The research, in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, may help explain why Venus swelters beneath a thick blanket of heat-trapping carbon dioxide. Tue, 13 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512135102.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512105739.htm Reducing the level of contamination of water is the aim of a new line of research. Chemists are investigating chemical treatment capable of eliminating contaminants dumped by industry, in order to reuse the waste water. Industrial activity is one of the principal causes of contamination in water, given that industry dumps large amounts of chemical compounds into rivers that are not capable of degrading by themselves. Tue, 13 May 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512105739.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512120523.htm The sun has powered almost everything on Earth since life began, including its climate. The sun also delivers an annual and seasonal impact, changing the character of each hemisphere as Earth's orientation shifts through the year. Since the Industrial Revolution, however, new forces have begun to exert significant influence on Earth's climate. Mon, 12 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512120523.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508181259.htm A team of students led by a chemical engineering professor are working with a New Jersey inventor to advance a new solar thermal collector. The engineering students pointed out that this is the first truly new solar thermal system in more than three decades, and the company stated that it is unique among renewable energy technologies as it is cost effective without any government subsidies. Mon, 12 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508181259.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512143743.htm Blackberries, blueberries, oranges and grapes --- chemistry students are loading up on their fruits these days, but it has nothing to do with the food pyramid. The students are using the fruit to produce solar energy. Actually, they are using the dye from the fruit in a process to create solar cells. Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512143743.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508115822.htm The newest version of the Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions and Energy use in Transportation model will provide researchers with even more tools to evaluate and compare the environmental impacts of new transportation fuels and advanced vehicle technologies. The newest update released May 9 will allow scientists to model combustion of ethanol produced from Brazilian sugarcane and used by U.S. automobiles; production and use of bio-butanol as a potential transportation fuel; and production and use of biodiesel and renewable diesel via hydrogenation, coal/biomass co-feeding for Fischer-Tropsch diesel production and various corn ethanol plant types with different process fuels. Sat, 10 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508115822.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508092004.htm Chile's Chaiten Volcano is shown spewing ash and smoke into the air for hundreds of kilometers over Argentina's Patagonia Plateau in a new Envisat image acquired on May 5, 2008. Thu, 08 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508092004.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506120859.htm A new type of grass may help tackle global warming by cutting the level of methane given off by cows. Researchers are developing a grass that will not only cut the amount of methane cows burp up when chewing their cud, but also grow in hotter climes. Thu, 08 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506120859.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507105549.htm Research led by Iowa State University limnologist John Downing finds that ponds around the globe could absorb as much carbon as the world's oceans. Thu, 08 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507105549.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507084013.htm A common weedkiller in the US, already suspected of causing sexual abnormalities in frogs and fish, has now been found to alter hormonal signaling in human cells, scientists report. The herbicide atrazine is the second most widely used weedkiller in the U.S., applied to corn and sorghum fields throughout the Midwest and also spread on suburban lawns and gardens. It was banned in Europe after studies linked the chemical to endocrine disruptions in fish and amphibians. Thu, 08 May 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507084013.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505094125.htm The Earth's oceans play a vital role in the carbon cycle, making it imperative that we understand marine biological activity enough to predict how our planet will react to the extra 25,000 million tons of carbon dioxide humans are pumping into the atmosphere annually. Wed, 07 May 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505094125.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506100325.htm Brightly colored dyes such as the shimmering Congo Red commonly used in silk clothing manufacture are notoriously difficult to dispose of in an environmentally benign way. Wed, 07 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506100325.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506163915.htm A recent study shows that mercury releases from products in the US declined dramatically between 1990 and 2005, but that they continue to be a significant source of environmental contamination. Mercury released from products contributes nearly one-third of total mercury emissions to the air in the US The findings offer a new view into the relative magnitudes of the different sources of mercury release. Wed, 07 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506163915.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506103036.htm Scientists have helped to identify that the presence of large amounts of seaweed in coastal areas can influence the climate. A new international study has found that large brown seaweeds, when under stress, release large quantities of inorganic iodine into the coastal atmosphere, where it may contribute to cloud formation. Wed, 07 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506103036.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506111917.htm A new material, which has a structure that resembles crispy noodles, could help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide being pumped out and drive the next generation of high-performance hydrogen cars. Tue, 06 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506111917.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505072838.htm Fungi may have an important role to play in the fate of potentially dangerous depleted uranium left in the environment after recent war campaigns, according to a new report in Current Biology. Fungi can "lock" depleted uranium into a mineral form that may be less likely to find its way into plants, animals, or the water supply. Tue, 06 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505072838.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501125429.htm Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have identified a potential "red tide killer." Red tides and related phenomena in which microscopic algae accumulate rapidly in dense concentrations have been on the rise in recent years, causing hundreds of millions of dollars in worldwide losses to fisheries and beach tourism activities. Despite their wide-ranging impacts, such phenomena, more broadly referred to as "harmful algal blooms," remain unpredictable in not only where they appear, but how long they persist. Tue, 06 May 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501125429.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430103945.htm Researchers have now quantified the amount of excess nitrogen removed from an urban stream during environmental restoration projects. This breakthrough allows environmental managers to assess the pollution-reducing benefits of storm water management and urban stream restoration, and could lead to new nitrogen reduction opportunities as public works managers make repairs to our nation's aging urban infrastructure. Tue, 06 May 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430103945.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080503071646.htm Free radical pollution in the air could be a cause of asthma. Chemists have discovered that the atmospheric nitrate radical irreversibly damages amino acids, which are the building blocks for proteins in the human body. This, they suggest, could be a cause of some respiratory diseases. Mon, 05 May 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080503071646.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502091430.htm The fate of carbon-based nanoparticles spilled into groundwater -- and the ability of municipal filtration systems to remove the nanoparticles from drinking water -- depend on subtle differences in the solution properties of the water carrying the particles, a new study has found. Mon, 05 May 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502091430.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505120702.htm The asteroid presumed to have wiped out the dinosaurs struck the Earth with such force that carbon deep in the Earth's crust liquefied, rocketed skyward, and formed tiny airborne beads that blanketed the planet, say scientists from the US, UK, Italy, and New Zealand in this month's Geology. Mon, 05 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505120702.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502154252.htm Scientists have discovered a new way that phosphorus is naturally removed from the oceans -- its stored in diatoms. The discovery opens up a new realm of research into an element that's used for reproduction, energy storage and structural materials in every organism. Mon, 05 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502154252.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430134246.htm Scientists probing volcanic rocks from deep under the frozen surface of the Arctic Ocean have discovered a special geochemical signature until now found only in the southern hemisphere. The rocks were dredged from the remote Gakkel Ridge, which lies under 3,000 to 5,000 meters of water; it is Earth's most northerly undersea spreading ridge. Mon, 05 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430134246.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501180247.htm Fire-derived charcoal is thought to be an important carbon sink. However, a new article in Science shows that charcoal promotes soil microbes and causes a large loss of soil carbon. There has been greatly increasing attention given to the potential of ‘biochar’, or charcoal made from biological tissues (e.g., wood) to serve as a long term sink of carbon in the soil. Sun, 04 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501180247.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501133444.htm Montana State University research about pollution in the Ganges River has reached the Supreme Court of India, producing some optimism among MSU scientists. Sat, 03 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501133444.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501110008.htm Bacteria that feed on seaweed could help in the disposal of pollutants in the world's oceans, according to a new study. Researchers explain that as marine pollution is on the increase novel approaches to removing toxic contaminants is becoming an increasingly pressing issue. Fri, 02 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501110008.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430141200.htm Scientists have discovered a new climate pattern, the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation. This pattern explains, for the first time, changes in the water important in helping commercial fishermen understand fluctuations in the fish stock. They're also finding that as the Earth is warming, large fluctuations in these factors could help climatologists predict how oceans will respond in a warmer world. Fri, 02 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430141200.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502133720.htm It is a common belief that the water quality of the Charles River and other lakes, streams and rivers is at its worst after a large rainfall because of pollutants carried by runoff. However, a recent study found high concentrations of E. coli bacteria in the Charles River after a long period of no rain. Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502133720.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428104525.htm Soil "unearthed" at the nanoscale: Soil scientists have seen -- for the first time -- seen soil at a scale of 50 nanometers. This view provided a beautiful glimpse of patterns, how carbon sequestration works, and what happens when soils get wet, warm and cool. Thu, 01 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428104525.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429120817.htm The state of Alaska has the dubious distinction of leading the lower 48 in the effects of a warming climate. Small villages are slipping into the sea due to coastal erosion, soggy permafrost is cracking buildings and trapping trucks. In an effort to better understand how the Pacific Northwest fits into the larger climate-change picture, scientists are heading to Denali National Park on the second leg of a multi-year mission to recover ice cores from glaciers in the Alaska wilderness. Thu, 01 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429120817.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429095100.htm Over millions of years carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have been moderated by a finely-tuned natural feedback system -- a system that human emissions have recently overwhelmed. Scientists have now linked the pre-human stability to connections between carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the breakdown of minerals in the Earth's crust. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429095100.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429135502.htm For years, scientists have known about silver's ability to kill harmful bacteria. Now, researchers have found that silver nanoparticles also may destroy benign bacteria that are used to remove ammonia from wastewater treatment systems. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429135502.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428104521.htm A new NASA satellite mission will make global soil moisture and other measurements essential to the accuracy of weather forecasts and predictions of global carbon cycle and climate. At present, scientists have no network for gathering soil moisture data as they do for rainfall, winds, humidity and temperature. SMAP will change that. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428104521.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428081732.htm Chondritic meteorites have a similar chemical composition to the sun and are therefore reliable witnesses as to what the solar nebula, from which the planets formed, was composed of. This can be used to deduce what the Earth consists of chemically. However, researchers have now discovered that strictly speaking this fundamental geological assumption is not true. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428081732.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424141929.htm Monitoring Earth's rising greenhouse gas levels will require a global data collection network 10 times larger than the one currently in place in order to quantify regional progress in emission reductions, according to a new research. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424141929.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428130641.htm Before ice first began to form in Antarctica around 34 million years ago, the Earth was a very different place - but then greenhouse conditions swiftly gave way to an icehouse climate, causing the oceans to become less acidic. Scientists have been piecing together how Earth's changing climate affected ocean chemistry during this period of transition. Their work sheds light on the links between glaciation and the ocean carbon cycle. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428130641.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428091839.htm Levying a price on carbon dioxide released by electric generators could considerably reduce greenhouse gas emissions -- even before the deployment of any environmentally friendly technology -- according to scientists. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428091839.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080425163711.htm Engineering researchers report that plug-in hybrid electric vehicles could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions that fuel global warming, but the benefits are highly dependent on how the electricity system changes in the coming decades. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080425163711.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424103217.htm Scientists have developed a highly energy-efficient method of converting waste carbon dioxide into chemical compounds known as cyclic carbonates. Cyclic carbonates are widely used in the manufacture of products including solvents, paint-strippers, biodegradable packaging, as well as having applications in the chemical industry. The team estimates that the technology has the potential to use up to 48m tons of waste carbon dioxide per year, reducing the UK's emissions by about four percent. Sun, 27 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424103217.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423101813.htm Ecologists have discovered that subterranean and aboveground herbivorous insects can communicate with each other by using plants as telephones. Subterranean insects issue chemical warning signals via the leaves of the plant. This way, aboveground insects are alerted that the plant is already "occupied." Sun, 27 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423101813.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424112451.htm In the first experiment in a natural environment, scientists have shown that greater plant diversity significantly enhances an ecosystem's productivity. The finding underscores the importance of biodiversity to an ecosystem's value, such as capturing the global warming gas carbon dioxide. Sun, 27 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424112451.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424140407.htm A much-discussed idea to offset global warming by injecting sulfates into the stratosphere would drastically affect the ozone layer. A new study warns that such an approach might delay recovery of the Antarctic ozone hole by decades and cause significant ozone loss over the Arctic. Fri, 25 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424140407.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424113454.htm A full recovery of the stratospheric ozone hole could modify climate change in the southern hemisphere and even amplify Antarctic warming, according to scientists. While Earth's average surface temperatures have been increasing, the interior of Antarctica has exhibited a unique cooling trend during the austral summer and fall caused by ozone depletion, they said. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424113454.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421143836.htm Improved management of crops and perennials could go a long way toward alleviating the problem of hypoxia, which claims thousands of fish, shrimp and shellfish in the Gulf of Mexico each spring. The problem is caused in part by fertilizer run-off from agricultural activities in the Mississippi basin, which drains about 48 percent of the U.S. land. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421143836.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423181652.htm Last year alone global levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, the primary driver of global climate change, increased by 0.6 percent, or 19 billion tons. Additionally methane rose by 27 million tons after nearly a decade with little or no increase. NOAA scientists released these and other preliminary findings Aprill 23 as part of an annual update to the agency's greenhouse gas index, which tracks data from 60 sites around the world. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423181652.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422150655.htm The definition of "organic" is defined by the US Department of Agriculture; "natural," however, can be defined differently depending on who's doing the labeling. But both terms mean one thing: higher costs for producers. That's why researchers hope to provide another tool to help those in the beef industry pondering whether to abandon conventional methods and go natural or organic. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422150655.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421160728.htm Increased carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere is causing microscopic ocean plants to produce greater amounts of calcium carbonate (chalk) - with potentially wide ranging implications for predicting the cycling of carbon in the oceans and climate modelling. Wed, 23 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421160728.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416211436.htm Every year, more than 30 billion water bottles are added to America's landfills, creating a mountainous environmental problem. But if new research is successful, the plastic bottles of the future could literally disappear within four months of being discarded. Scientists are constructing new breeds of biodegradable and bioavailable plastics in an effort to reduce the tons of plastic waste that ends up in the nation's landfills each year. Bioavailable plastics contain substances that can be absorbed by living systems during their normal physiological functions. Mon, 21 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416211436.htm