http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/earth_science/ Earth science research and news. Read science articles on air quality, geology, meteorology, oceanography, paleontology and science and the environment. en-us Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:05:01 EST Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/earth_science/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215142814.htm Scientists have proposed mass melting as a new force behind volcanic activity in the Columbia River region. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:28:28 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215142814.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215100256.htm A new NASA satellite instrument that makes a quantum leap forward in detector technology has arrived at Orbital Sciences Corp. in Gilbert, Ariz. There it will be integrated into the next Landsat satellite, the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM). Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:02:02 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215100256.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215095843.htm With missions scheduled throughout the year, 2012 is shaping up to be an extraordinary time for NASA's Airborne Science Program and Earth system science research. Multiple aircraft and specialized instruments will operate in the United States, Europe, Asia and South America this year in support of studies conducted by NASA and the Earth science community, improving scientists' understanding of our planet. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:58:58 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215095843.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120214145337.htm The models used to understand how Earth's climate works include thousands of different variables from many scientific including atmospherics, oceanography, seismology, geology, physics and chemistry, but few take into consideration the vast effect that microbes have on climate. Now, a new report offers a plan for integrating the latest understanding of the science of microbiology into climate models. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:53:53 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120214145337.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120214121852.htm By combining airborne laser technology, satellite mapping, and ground-based plot surveys, a team of researchers has produced the first large-scale, high-resolution estimates of carbon stocks in remote and fragile Madagascar. The group has shown that it is possible to map carbon stocks in rugged geographic regions and that this type of carbon monitoring can be successfully employed to support conservation and climate-change mitigation under the United Nations initiative on Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:18:18 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120214121852.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120214100819.htm Seismic risk at the Fukushima nuclear plant increased after the magnitude 9 earthquake that hit Japan last March, scientists report. The new study, which uses data from over 6,000 earthquakes, shows the 11 March tremor caused a seismic fault close to the nuclear plant to reactivate. The research suggests authorities should strengthen the security of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to withstand large earthquakes that are likely to directly disturb the region. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:08:08 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120214100819.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213154053.htm A study of the evolutionary history of Antarctic fish and their "anti-freeze" proteins illustrates how tens of millions of years ago a lineage of fish adapted to newly formed polar conditions -- and how today they are endangered by a rapid rise in ocean temperatures. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:40:40 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213154053.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213143327.htm Geologists have a new tool to study how earthquakes change the landscape, and it's giving them insight into how earthquake faults behave. Scientists from the United States, Mexico and China report the most comprehensive before-and-after picture yet of an earthquake zone, using data from the magnitude 7.2 event that struck near Mexicali, northern Mexico in April 2010. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:33:33 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213143327.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213133056.htm Arctic sea ice is rapidly retreating. Within a few decades the North Pole could be completely ice-free in summer. How will that affect our weather? In the research project "Seasonal Predictability over the Arctic Region" (SPAR), scientists in Norway have made some discoveries that may lead to more reliable seasonal forecasts. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:30:30 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213133056.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209152816.htm Scientists are using computer models to help unravel the mystery of a record-setting snowfall in the Washington, DC area in early 2010. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:28:28 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209152816.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209144007.htm Geologists have a new tool to study how earthquakes change the landscape down to a few inches, and it's giving them insight into how earthquake faults behave. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:40:40 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209144007.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209144003.htm As oceans warm due to climate change, water layers will mix less and affect the microbes and plankton that pump carbon out of the atmosphere – but researchers say it's still unclear whether these processes will further increase global warming or decrease it. It could be either, they say. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:40:40 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209144003.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209100544.htm In the first comprehensive satellite study of its kind, researchers have used NASA data to calculate how much Earth's melting land ice is adding to global sea level rise. Using satellite measurements from the NASA/German Aerospace Center Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), the researchers measured ice loss in all of Earth's land ice between 2003 and 2010, with particular emphasis on glaciers and ice caps outside of Greenland and Antarctica. The total global ice mass lost from Greenland, Antarctica and Earth's glaciers and ice caps during the study period was about 4.3 trillion tons (1,000 cubic miles), adding about 0.5 inches (12 millimeters) to global sea level. That's enough ice to cover the United States 1.5 feet (0.5 meters) deep. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:05:05 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209100544.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120208132301.htm Earth's glaciers and ice caps outside of the regions of Greenland and Antarctica are shedding roughly 150 billion tons of ice annually, according to a new study led by the University of Colorado Boulder. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:23:23 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120208132301.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120207152545.htm It's big, it's old and it lives under the sea -- and now an international research collaboration has confirmed that an ancient seagrass holds the secrets of the oldest living organism on Earth. Ancient giant Posidonia oceanica reproduces asexually, generating clones of itself. A single organism -- which has been found to span up to 15 kilometers in width and reach more than 6,000 metric tonnes in mass -- may well be more than 100,000 years old. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:25:25 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120207152545.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120206174350.htm In a study of the harsh but beautiful White Sands National Monument in New Mexico, researchers have uncovered a unifying mechanism to explain dune patterns. The new work represents a contribution to basic science, but the findings may also hold implications for identifying when dune landscapes like those in Nebraska's Sand Hills may reach a "tipping point" under climate change, going from valuable grazing land to barren desert. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:43:43 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120206174350.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120205163804.htm Some climate cooling caused by past volcanic eruptions may not be evident in tree-ring reconstructions of temperature change because large enough temperature drops lead to greatly shortened or even absent growing seasons, according to climate researchers, who compared tree-ring temperature reconstructions with model simulations of past temperature changes. Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:38:38 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120205163804.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120203113308.htm Around 250 million years ago, most life on Earth was wiped out in an extinction known as the "Great Dying." Geologists have learned that the end came slowly from thousands of centuries of volcanic activity. Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:33:33 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120203113308.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202164819.htm Internet information giant Google updated ocean data in its Google Earth application this week, reflecting new bathymetry data assembled by researchers from around the world. The newest version of Google Earth includes more accurate imagery in several key areas of ocean using data collected by research cruises over the past three years. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:48:48 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202164819.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202151604.htm Geophysics researchers have created a new way to study fractures by producing elastic waves, or vibrations, through using high-intensity light focused directly on the fracture itself. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:16:16 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202151604.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202150825.htm The Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) Peru program recently announced the discovery of 365 species previously undocumented in Bahuaja Sonene National Park in southeastern Peru. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:08:08 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202150825.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201181457.htm NASA's GCPEx science team is collecting as much data as they can to improve understanding of snow dynamics inside clouds, because they relate to how snow moves through Earth's water and climate cycles. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:14:14 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201181457.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201142402.htm A potent follow-up solar flare, which occurred Jan. 17, 2012, just days after the Sun launched the biggest coronal mass ejection seen in nearly a decade, delivered a powerful radiation punch to Earth's magnetic field despite the fact that it was aimed away from our planet. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:24:24 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201142402.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201105227.htm Tropical cyclones will cause $109 billion in damages by 2100, according to researchers in a new paper. That figure represents an increased vulnerability from population and especially economic growth, as well as the effects of climate change. Greater vulnerability to cyclones is expected to increase global tropical damage to $56 billion by 2100 -- double the current damage -- from the current rate of $26 billion per year if the present climate remains stable. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:52:52 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201105227.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201105126.htm Even if the current weather situation may seem to go against it, the probability of cold winters with a lot of snow in Central Europe rises when the Arctic is covered by less sea ice in summer. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:51:51 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201105126.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201094923.htm New research reveals how the arrival of the first plants 470 million years ago triggered a series of ice ages. The research reveals the effects that the first land plants had on the climate during the Ordovician Period, which ended 444 million years ago. During this period the climate gradually cooled, leading to a series of 'ice ages.' This global cooling was caused by a dramatic reduction in atmospheric carbon, which this research now suggests was triggered by the arrival of plants. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:49:49 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201094923.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201093105.htm Coastal waters of the tropical Western Pacific produce natural halogenated organic molecules involving chlorine, bromine and iodine atoms that may damage the stratospheric ozone layer. This is the conclusion drawn from the initial findings of a field measurement campaign conducted in the South China Sea. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:31:31 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201093105.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131175152.htm The current issue of PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases presents a new collection of articles on the use of genetically modified (GM) insects for controlling some of the most widespread infectious diseases. Articles from across the PLoS journals describe the technological advances these tools represent, the regulatory framework, and the societal dialogue that is necessary for their wide-scale application for disease control. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:51:51 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131175152.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131143745.htm When scientists discovered two great swaths of radiation encircling Earth in the 1950s, it spawned over-the-top fears about "killer electrons" and space radiation effects on Earthlings. The fears were soon quieted: the radiation doesn't reach Earth, though it can affect satellites and humans moving through the belts. Nevertheless, many mysteries about the belts -- now known as the Van Allen Radiation belts -- remain to this day. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:37:37 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131143745.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130172611.htm A new NASA study underscores the fact that greenhouse gases generated by human activity -- not changes in solar activity -- are the primary force driving global warming. The study offers an updated calculation of Earth's energy imbalance, the difference between the amount of solar energy absorbed by Earth's surface and the amount returned to space as heat. The researchers' calculations show that, despite unusually low solar activity between 2005 and 2010, the planet continued to absorb more energy than it returned to space. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:26:26 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130172611.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130171913.htm Two decades after the United Nations established the Framework Convention on Climate Change in order to "prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system", the Arctic shows the first signs of a dangerous climate change. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:19:19 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130171913.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130131509.htm Scientists suggest that the Little Ice Age was triggered by an unusual, 50-year episode of four massive volcanic eruptions. This led to an expansion of sea ice and a related weakening of Atlantic currents that caused the cool period to persist for centuries. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:15:15 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130131509.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130131503.htm According to a new study, the Little Ice Age began abruptly between A.D. 1275 and 1300, triggered by repeated, explosive volcanism, and was sustained for centuries by a self- perpetuating sea ice-ocean feedback system in the North Atlantic Ocean. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:15:15 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130131503.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130102538.htm Oceanographers have identified a series of ocean hotspots around the world generated by strengthening wind systems that have driven oceanic currents, including the East Australian Current, polewards beyond their known boundaries. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:25:25 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130102538.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130100202.htm The sun unleashed an X1.8 class flare that began at 1:12 PM ET on January 27, 2012 and peaked at 1:37. The flare immediately caused a strong radio blackout at low-latitudes, which was rated an R3 on NOAA's scale from R1-5. The blackout soon subsided to a minor R1 storm. Models from NASA's Goddard Space Weather Center predict that the CME is traveling at over 1500 miles per second. It does not initially appear to be Earth-directed, but Earth may get a glancing blow. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:02:02 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130100202.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120129232818.htm Killer whales are the top marine predator. The increase in hunting territories available to killer whales in the Arctic due to climate change and melting sea ice could seriously affect the marine ecosystem balance. New research has combined scientific observations with Canadian Inuit traditional knowledge to determine killer whale behavior and diet in the Arctic. Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:28:28 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120129232818.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120129151054.htm The earth beneath our feet plays an important role in carbon storage – a key factor in climate change – and new research shows that in times of drought some types of soil perform better than others. Sun, 29 Jan 2012 15:10:10 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120129151054.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127173939.htm Leaner, greener flying machines for the year 2025 are on the drawing boards of three industry teams under contract to the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate's Environmentally Responsible Aviation Project. Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:39:39 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127173939.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127173235.htm Two years ago, scientists released a study claiming that inconsistencies between satellite observations of Earth's heat and measurements of ocean heating amounted to evidence of "missing energy" in the planet's system. Where was it going? Or, they wondered, was something wrong with the way researchers tracked energy as it was absorbed from the sun and emitted back into space? An international team of atmospheric scientists and oceanographers set out to investigate the mystery. Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:32:32 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127173235.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127172736.htm The largest solar particle event since 2005 hit Earth, Mars and the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft traveling in-between, allowing the onboard Radiation Assessment Detector to measure the radiation a human astronaut could be exposed to en route to the Red Planet. Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:27:27 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127172736.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127140528.htm Hundreds of rare, endemic species in the Central Andes remain unprotected and are increasingly under threat from development and climate change, according to a new study. Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:05:05 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127140528.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127140523.htm The large changes in the carbon isotopic composition of carbonates which occurred prior to the major climatic event more than 500 million years ago, known as "Snowball Earth," are unrelated to worldwide glacial events, a new study suggests. Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:05:05 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127140523.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126224515.htm Over dinner on R.V. Calypso while anchored on the lee side of Glover's Reef in Belize, Jacques Cousteau told Phil Dustan that he suspected humans were having a negative impact on coral reefs. Dustan -- a young ocean ecologist who had worked in the lush coral reefs of the Caribbean and Sinai Peninsula -- found this difficult to believe. It was December 1974. But Cousteau was right. During the following three-plus decades, Dustan, an ocean ecologist and biology professor at the University of Charleston in South Carolina, has witnessed widespread coral reef degradation and bleaching from up close. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:45:45 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126224515.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126223929.htm The Andes-Amazon basin of Peru and Bolivia is one of the most biologically rich and rapidly changing areas of the world. A new study has used information collected over the last 100 years by explorers and from satellite images which reveals detailed patterns of species and ecosystems that occur only in this region. Worryingly, the study also finds that many of these unique species and ecosystems are lacking vital national level protection. Endemic species are restricted to a specific area and occur nowhere else. These species are especially vulnerable to climate and environmental changes because they require unique climates and soil conditions. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:39:39 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126223929.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126152132.htm Japan used seawater to cool nuclear fuel at the stricken Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant after the tsunami in March 2011 -- and that was probably the best action to take at the time, say experts. But researchers have since discovered a new way in which seawater can corrode nuclear fuel, forming uranium compounds that could potentially travel long distances, either in solution or as very small particles. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:21:21 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126152132.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126131511.htm Discoveries made in some underwater caves by researchers in the Bahamas could provide clues about how ocean life formed on Earth millions of years ago, and perhaps give hints of what types of marine life could be found on distant planets and moons. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:15:15 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126131511.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126123712.htm Researchers have discovered that certain photosynthetic ocean bacteria need to beware of viruses bearing gifts. These viruses are really con artists carrying genetic material taken from their previous bacterial hosts that tricks the new host into using its own machinery to activate the genes, a process never before documented in any virus-bacteria relationship. The con occurs when a grifter virus injects its DNA into a bacterium living in a phosphorus-starved region of the ocean. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:37:37 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126123712.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126115125.htm A new study comparing the carbon-holding power of freshwater wetlands has produced measurements suggesting that wetlands in temperate regions are more valuable as carbon sinks than current policies imply. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:51:51 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126115125.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125142212.htm New research demonstrates that one suggested method of geoengineering the atmosphere to deal with climate change, injecting sulfate particles into the stratosphere, probably would have limited success. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:22:22 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125142212.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125113147.htm Mediterranean bottom currents and the sediment deposits they leave behind offer new insights into global climate change, the opening and closing of ocean circulation gateways and locations where hydrocarbon deposits may lie buried under the sea. A team of 35 scientists from 14 countries recently returned from an expedition off the southwest coast of Iberia and the nearby Gulf of Cadiz. There the geologists collected core samples of sediments that contain a detailed record of the Mediterranean's history. The scientists retrieved the samples by drilling into the ocean floor during an eight-week scientific expedition onboard the ship JOIDES Resolution. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:31:31 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125113147.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125093918.htm NASA has renamed its newest Earth-observing satellite in honor of the late Verner E. Suomi, a meteorologist at the University of Wisconsin who is recognized widely as "the father of satellite meteorology." NASA launched the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project, or NPP, on Oct. 28, 2011, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. NPP was renamed Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership, or Suomi NPP. The satellite is the first designed to collect critical data to improve short-term weather forecasts and increase understanding of long-term climate change. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:39:39 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125093918.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125093821.htm Solar flares are giant explosions on the sun that send energy, light and high speed particles into space. These flares are often associated with solar magnetic storms known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs). While these are the most common solar events, the sun can also emit streams of very fast protons -- known as solar energetic particle (SEP) events -- and disturbances in the solar wind known as corotating interaction regions (CIRs). All of these can produce a variety of "storms" on Earth that can -- if strong enough -- interfere with short wave radio communications, GPS signals, and Earth's power grid, among other things. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:38:38 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125093821.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124184157.htm Half of all wetlands in the US, Europe and China were destroyed during the 20th century, but a thriving restoration effort aims to recreate marshes and other ecosystems lost. A new study cautions, however, that restored wetlands do not recover to the condition of a natural, undamaged wetland for hundreds of years, if ever. This calls into question mitigation banks that allow developers to destroy one wetland if they create another. Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:41:41 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124184157.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124183528.htm A significant blast of energy from the sun arrived at Earth on Jan. 24, 2012 at 10 a.m. EST, triggering a moderate geomagnetic storm here that's unlikely to cause major problems. But skywatchers take note: the storm could set off bright Northern and Southern lights Tuesday night, possibly visible from as far south as New York and Oregon. Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:35:35 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124183528.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120123131125.htm NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center -- the nation's official source of warnings and alerts about space weather and its impacts on Earth -- has issued a watch for a geomagnetic storm associated with a bright flare on the sun Sunday evening (Jan. 22, 2012). The storm could arrive Tuesday morning, with possible impacts to navigation, the power grid and satellites. Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:11:11 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120123131125.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120123094801.htm Lessons from tens of millions of years ago are pointing to new ways to save and protect today's coral reefs and their myriad of beautiful and many-hued fishes at a time of huge change in the Earth's systems. Today's complex relationship between fishes and corals developed relatively recently in geological terms -- and is a major factor in shielding reef species from extinction, say experts. Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:48:48 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120123094801.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120123094523.htm Diamond-bearing kimberlites are volcanic rocks that originate deep in the Earth and are erupted onto the surface. Researchers have now shown that other rock types, incorporated into the magma as it rises through overlying formations, provide the necessary buoyancy for its long ascent. Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:45:45 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120123094523.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120122152615.htm Carbon dioxide emissions have been increasing over the past decades, causing Earth to get hotter and hotter. There are concerns that a continuation of these trends could have catastrophic effects. This has led some to explore drastic ideas for combating global warming, including the idea of counteracting it by reflecting sunlight away from the Earth. However, it has been suggested that reflecting sunlight away from Earth might itself threaten the food supply. New research examines the potential effects that geoengineering the climate could have on global food production and concludes that sunshade geoengineering would be more likely to improve rather than threaten food security. Sun, 22 Jan 2012 15:26:26 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120122152615.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120122152542.htm Recent carbon dioxide emissions have pushed the level of seawater acidity far above the range of the natural variability that existed for thousands of years, affecting the calcification rates of shell-forming organism. Sun, 22 Jan 2012 15:25:25 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120122152542.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120120010357.htm Biodiversity is declining rapidly throughout the world. The challenges of conserving the world's species are perhaps even larger than mitigating the negative effects of global climate change, experts say. Fri, 20 Jan 2012 01:03:03 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120120010357.htm