http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/geography/ Geography. Read the latest geographical research from universities and institutes around the world. Geography articles, maps, images. en-us Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:05:02 EST Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:05:02 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/geography/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215143003.htm More than one in three counties in the US could face a "high" or "extreme" risk of water shortages due to climate change by the middle of the 21st century, according to a new study. The report concluded seven in 10 of the more than 3,100 counties could face "some" risk of shortages of fresh water. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:30:30 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215143003.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/2012/02/120214134936.htm The American West has seen a recent increase in large wildfires due to droughts, the build-up of combustible fuel, or biomass, in forests, a spread of fire-prone species and increased tree mortality from insects and heat. A research team warns that these conditions may be "a perfect storm" for more fires. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:49:49 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120214134936.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/2012/02/120213154053.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/2012/02/120210110041.htm A new report sheds light on current recycling practices and on socio-economic characteristics of the E-waste sector in West Africa. In the five countries studied, between 650,000 and 1,000,000 tons of domestic E-waste are generated each year, which need to be managed to protect human health and the environment in the region. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120210110041.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/2012/02/120209144003.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/2012/02/120209140200.htm Global warming is having an effect on the dive behavior and search for food of southern elephant seals. Researchers have discovered that the seals dive deeper for food when in warmer water. The scientists attribute this behavior to the migration of prey to greater depths and now wish to check this theory using a new sensor which registers the feeding of the animals below water. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:02:02 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209140200.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/2012/02/120208153449.htm During January, warmer-than-average conditions enveloped most of the contiguous United States, with widespread below-average precipitation. The overall weather pattern for the month was reflected in the lack of snow for much of the Northern Plains, Midwest, and Northeast. This scenario was in stark contrast to Alaska where several towns had their coldest January on record. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:34:34 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120208153449.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/2012/02/120206143952.htm Satellite tracking of threatened loggerhead sea turtles has revealed two previously unknown feeding "hotspots" in the Gulf of Mexico that are providing important habitat for at least three separate populations of the turtles. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:39:39 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120206143952.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120205163754.htm A new study shows that land-cover changes, in particular deforestation, in the vicinity of glaciers do not have an impact on glacier loss. However, the study also shows that deforestation decreases precipitation in mid elevation zones, which affects the quality of life of the population living in the surrounding areas. Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:37:37 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120205163754.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/2012/02/120202094608.htm Around the world coral reefs are facing threats brought by climate change and dramatic shifts in sea temperatures. While warming has been the primary focus for scientists and ocean policy managers, cold can also cause significant damage. Scientists have shown that cool temperatures can inflict more damage in the short term, but heat is more destructive in the long run. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:46:46 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202094608.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/2012/02/120201181220.htm Blooms, or proliferation, of jellyfish have shown a substantial, visible impact on coastal populations -- clogged nets for fishermen, stinging waters for tourists, even choked intake lines for power plants -- and recent media reports have created a perception that the world's oceans are experiencing increases in jellyfish due to human activities such as global warming and overharvesting of fish. Now, a new study questions claims that jellyfish are increasing worldwide and suggests claims are not supported with any hard evidence or scientific analyses to date. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:12:12 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201181220.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201173254.htm A global study has questioned claims that jellyfish are increasing worldwide. Blooms, or proliferation, of jellyfish have shown a substantial, visible impact on coastal populations -- clogged nets for fishermen, stinging waters for tourists, even choked intake lines for power plants -- and recent media reports have created a perception that the world's oceans are experiencing increases in jellyfish due to human activities such as global warming and overharvesting of fish. Now, a new global and collaborative study questions claims that jellyfish are increasing worldwide and suggests claims are not supported with any hard evidence or scientific analyses to date. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:32:32 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201173254.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201173222.htm Humpback whales on both sides of the southern Indian Ocean are singing different tunes, unusual since humpbacks in the same ocean basin usually all sing very similar songs. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:32:32 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201173222.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/2012/01/120131092455.htm An evolutionary geneticist helped discover the gene in passion vine butterflies that keeps predators from eating them. The gene is responsible for red patterns on the butterflies' wings. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:24:24 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131092455.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/2012/01/120130171911.htm It took about 10 million generations for terrestrial mammals to hit their maximum mass: that's about the size of a cat evolving into the size of an elephant. Sea mammals, such as whales took about half the number of generations to hit their maximum. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:19:19 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130171911.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/2012/01/120130093113.htm Researchers are working on long-term sustainability study to prepare for an oil spill that could catastrophically impact Florida. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:31:31 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130093113.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/2012/01/120129151009.htm Tropical vegetation contains 21 percent more carbon than previously thought. Using a combination of remote sensing and field data, scientists were able to produce the first "wall-to-wall" map (with a spatial resolution of 500 m x 500 m) of carbon storage of forests, shrublands, and savannas in the tropics of Africa, Asia, and South America. Sun, 29 Jan 2012 15:10:10 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120129151009.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127174844.htm Powerful Cyclone Funso's eye has been clear in NASA satellite imagery over the last several days until NASA's Aqua satellite noticed it had "closed" and become filled with high clouds on January 27. Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:48:48 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127174844.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127174842.htm NASA satellites are providing valuable data to forecasters as Tropical Cyclone Iggy nears Western Australia. NASA's Aqua satellite provided visible and infrared data on Iggy, observing colder cloud tops and strengthening storm. Iggy has already triggered warnings and watches along coastal areas. Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:48:48 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120127174842.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/2012/01/120127140528.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/2012/01/120126224520.htm Powerful Cyclone Funso is now beginning to exit the Mozambique Channel, and NASA's Aqua satellite captured a stunning image of the storm that shows the depth and extent of it. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:45:45 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126224520.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126224518.htm The AIRS infrared instrument that flies on NASA's Aqua satellite has been providing forecasters with the cloud top temperatures in the Southern Indian Ocean's ninth tropical cyclone, which has officially been renamed Iggy. AIRS data showed that the area of strong thunderstorms around Iggy's center has expanded in area over the last day. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:45:45 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126224518.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/2012/01/120126142908.htm Fish biologists conducted one of the first studies of deep-sea fish sounds in more than 50 years, 2,237 feet under the Atlantic. With recording technology more affordable, fish sounds can be studied to test the idea that fish communicate with sound, especially those in the dark of the deep ocean. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:29:29 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126142908.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/2012/01/120126123701.htm A new study uses genetic analysis to look for clues about the migration of the first modern humans who moved out of Africa more than 60,000 years ago. The research, published Jan. 26 by Cell Press in the American Journal of Human Genetics provides intriguing insight into the earliest stages of human migration and suggests that modern humans settled in Arabia on their way from the Horn of Africa to the rest of the world. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:37:37 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126123701.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/2012/01/120126100641.htm People living in countries with low carbon emissions can attain a reasonably high life expectancy, but cannot generally achieve high levels of income. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:06:06 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126100641.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125172315.htm Coastal storms are known to cause serious damage along the shoreline, but they also cause significant disruption of the deep-sea ecosystem as well. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:23:23 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125172315.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125163410.htm Tropical Cyclone Funso is now a dangerous Category four cyclone in the Mozambique Channel, moving southward between Mozambique on the African mainland and the island nation of Madagascar. As Funso became a major cyclone two NASA satellites were providing forecasters with valuable storm information. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:34:34 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125163410.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125163408.htm NASA's Aqua satellite passed over the low pressure system called System 97S on Jan. 24 and observed a large area of strong thunderstorms around its center that hinted at further development. On Jan. 25, the low strengthened into the ninth tropical depression and now a tropical storm of the Southern Indian Ocean. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:34:34 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125163408.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/2012/01/120124200106.htm The mating habits of marine turtles may help to protect them against the effects of climate change. The study shows how the mating patterns of a population of endangered green turtles may be helping them deal with the fact that global warming is leading to a disproportionate number of females being born. Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:01:01 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124200106.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124184208.htm Microbiologists have found that the microbes that thrive on hot fluid methane and sulfur spewed by active hydrothermal vents are supplanted, once the vents go cold, by microbes that feed on the solid iron and sulfur that make up the vents themselves. Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:42:42 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124184208.htm