http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/water/ Learn about Earth's water resources. Read current research on the water cycle, water pollution, groundwater depletion and lake protection. en-us Tue, 13 May 2008 07:05:01 EDT Tue, 13 May 2008 07:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/water/ 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/2008/05/080509171616.htm Reducing the spread of some invasive species into our lakes could be as simple as asking boaters and fishers to dry out their equipment, says one biology professor studying invasive species in Lake Ontario. When anchor rope, fishing line and the boats themselves are thoroughly dried, the invasive species and their eggs will die, rather than spreading to another location, she explains. "It's such a simple thing for the general public to do, and yet it could make a big difference in the way that our lake ecosystems function." Tue, 13 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080509171616.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/2008/05/080512092420.htm Scientists in Louisiana are reporting development and successful testing of a new cost-effective system to kill unwanted plants and animals that hitch a ride to the United States in the ballast water of merchant ships. These so-called "invasive species," such as the notorious zebra mussel, devastate native organisms and infrastructure and cost taxpayers billions of dollars annually. Mon, 12 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512092420.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512153631.htm Over a decade of work and contributions by more than 200 leading conservation scientists have produced a first-ever comprehensive map and database of the diversity of life in the world's freshwater ecosystems. Freshwater Ecoregions of the World divides the world's freshwater systems into 426 distinct conservation units, many of which are rich in species but under increasing pressure from human population growth, rising water use, and habitat alteration. Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512153631.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508115835.htm A novel gas sensor system makes it possible to monitor large areas cost-effectively the first time. The patented gas sensor is based on the principle of diffusion, according to which certain gases pass through a membrane faster than others. Using a tube-like sensor it is possible to measure an average gas concentration value over a certain distance without influencing or distorting conditions in the measuring environment. Fri, 09 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508115835.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507083955.htm Nearly 35% of all amphibians are now threatened of extinction raising them to the position of the most endangered group of animals in the world. Decline of amphibian populations and species is ongoing due to habitat loss, fungal disease, climate shift and agrochemical contaminants. These impacts are even worse to frogs that reproduce in water bodies such as streams and ponds. Scientists now propose a priority set of areas for the conservation of frogs and toads in Latin America. The study is unprecedented in terms of not only the proposition of key-conservation areas, but also because it shows that the inclusion of species biological traits, such as reproductive modes, affects the performance of area-prioritization analyses. Fri, 09 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507083955.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508115809.htm The National Center for Atmospheric Research has taken delivery of a new IBM supercomputer that will advance research into severe weather and the future of Earth's climate. The supercomputer, known as a Power 575 Hydro- Cluster, is the first in a highly energy-efficient class of machines to be shipped anywhere in the world. Fri, 09 May 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508115809.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507132855.htm Computer analyses of global climate have consistently overstated warming in Antarctica, new research concludes. The study can help scientists improve computer models and determine if Earth's southernmost continent will warm significantly this century, a major research question because of Antarctica's potential impact on global sea-level rise. Thu, 08 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507132855.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506100329.htm Using sophisticated unmanned aircraft, research scientists hope to assess Southern California's potential for climate change and better understand the sources of air pollution. Thu, 08 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506100329.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507133314.htm National Geographic and the international polling firm GlobeScan will unveil results of a new mechanism for measuring and comparing consumer behavior concerning the environment. Fourteen thousand consumers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Spain and the United States were polled in this first-ever study of environmentally sustainable consumption and behavior. The study will be conducted annually and will assess progress people are making to protect the environment. Thu, 08 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507133314.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/2008/05/080507133330.htm What if hydrology is more important for predicting biodiversity than biology? New research challenges current thinking about biodiversity, and opens up new avenues for predicting how climate change or human activity may affect biodiversity patterns. Thu, 08 May 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507133330.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/2008/05/080505224659.htm Genetically engineered rice plants that resist the uptake of toxic metals could boost production and ease the shortage of this staple crop in Asia, India and Bangladesh, where irrigation with contaminated groundwater has created soils with toxic levels of arsenic. More than 80 percent of the world's population depends on rice as a staple food, but production is dropping in the rice paddies of Bangladesh, parts of India and South and East Asia due to toxic levels of arsenic in the topsoil. Om Parkash of the University of Massachusetts Amherst leads a research team that uses genetic engineering to produce rice plants that block the uptake of arsenic, which could increase production of this valuable crop and provide safer food supplies for millions. Wed, 07 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505224659.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/2008/05/080505162820.htm Like the popular children's song "There's a Hole in My Bucket," in which Liza and Henry try to patch a leaking pail, researchers with the San Diego Supercomputer Center at UC-San Diego are plugging a hole in the data management process by creating a universally accepted cyber-infrastructure to study our most valuable natural resource -- water. Tue, 06 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505162820.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/2008/05/080502091430.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/2008/05/080501093513.htm Geologists call into question three decades of conventional wisdom regarding some of the physical processes that helped shape the Earth as we know it today. New research provides a direct challenge to the popular "late veneer hypothesis," a theory which suggests that all of our water, as well as several so-called "iron-loving" elements, were added to the Earth late in its formation by impacts with icy comets, meteorites and other passing objects. Sat, 03 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501093513.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/2008/04/080430141200.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/2008/04/080430152025.htm The USGS recently collected new information to aid in resource and hazards assessments of Afghanistan. This survey presents valuable new information to policymakers, potential private investors, and the public in that the data will help identify fault lines and the potential location of undiscovered water, oil and gas, and non-fuel mineral resources in Afghanistan. Data was acquired from an airborne geophysical and photographic survey of the country. Fri, 02 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430152025.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/2008/05/080501091349.htm Russian and American scientists have discovered that the rising temperature of the world's largest lake, located in frigid Siberia, shows that this region is responding strongly to global warming. Thu, 01 May 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501091349.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/2008/04/080428133928.htm Half a century after most of Costa Rica's rain forests were cut down, researchers are attempting what many thought was impossible -- restoring a tropical rain forest ecosystem. When the researchers planted worn-out cattle pastures in Costa Rica with a sampling of local trees in the early 1990s, native species of plants began to move in and flourish, raising the hope that destroyed rain forests could one day be replaced. Ten years after the tree plantings, researchers counted the species of plants that took up residence in the shade of the new planted areas. They found remarkably high numbers of species -- more than 100 in each plot. And many of the new arrivals were also to be found in nearby remnants of the original forests. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428133928.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429095039.htm Despite significant efforts to improve access to safe water and sanitation, a new report argues that much more needs to be done. A major survey in Kazakhstan found that, despite meeting the UN definition of what constitutes safe water, a large number of people reported suffering from illnesses like hepatitis and gastroenteritis. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429095039.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/2008/04/080424152254.htm Europeans want to peek into the world's soil and see how dry various regions are. The European Space Agency (ESA) is set to launch the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite this fall as researchers try to learn more about the amount of moisture in the ground in the United States and around the world. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424152254.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424140413.htm More than one billion acres of biotech crops have been grown in the US, but their environmental impacts are not fully known. In Arizona, farmers share maps of biotech cotton fields with University of Arizona scientists, enabling detailed analyses of the effects of this technology. Now a team of biologists proposes that making similar maps of the entire US available to scientists will permit much-needed studies of the environmental impacts of genetically engineered crops. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424140413.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424133349.htm Natural barriers like waterfalls play an important role in preventing lake trout from spreading through Glacier National Park, so maintaining those barriers should be a priority, researchers said after conducting a four-year study in the park. Park workers might have to remove ice, logs or debris to keep the water from rising behind those barriers. If they don't, lake trout will have an easier time swimming up the rivers and invading new lakes. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424133349.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424115706.htm In less than three decades the round goby has become one of the most colorful features of the southern Baltic. The fish, which comes from the Black Sea, has rapidly adapted to Baltic conditions and can locally dominate coastal fish populations. This has led to competition with indigenous fish species, such as the flounder, but it has also become a significant contribution to the diet of important predatory fishes, such as cod and perch. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424115706.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424113456.htm Recent advances in technology have made removing salt from seawater and groundwater a realistic option for increasing water supplies in some parts of the US, and desalination will likely have a niche in meeting the nation's future water needs, says a new report. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424113456.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423153318.htm Geologists studying deposits of volcanic glass in the western United States have found that the central Sierra Nevada largely attained its present elevation 12 million years ago, roughly 8 or 9 million years earlier than commonly thought. The finding has implications not only for understanding the geologic history of the mountain range, but for modeling ancient global climates. Sat, 26 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423153318.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423135236.htm The 1600 eruption of Huaynaputina in Peru had a global impact on human society, according to geologists. The eruption is known to have put a large amount of sulfur into the atmosphere, and tree ring studies show that 1601 was a cold year, but no one had looked at the agricultural and social impacts. Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423135236.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424165309.htm Conditions are ripe for another large red tide bloom in New England waters; weather and current patterns will determine outcome. The end of April usually brings the first signs of harmful algae in New England waters, and this year, researchers are preparing for the worst. Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424165309.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422103930.htm The 1930s semi-detached house: three million of them were built in the United Kingdom, they stimulated a boom in employment, and they turned a nation of shop keepers into a nation of home owners. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422103930.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/2008/04/080420111817.htm A system that turns irrigation water on and off automatically based on leaf temperature is being developed by Agricultural Research Service soil scientists. They are developing time-temperature threshold technology that is based in part on the discovery that plants grow best at certain narrow temperature ranges that vary by crop species. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080420111817.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421111622.htm The Antarctic deep sea is getting colder, which might stimulate the circulation of the oceanic water masses. Scientists studied ocean currents as well as the distribution of temperature, salt content and trace substances in Antarctic sea water. Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421111622.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422103853.htm Researchers investigated the water quality effects of using residual versus contact herbicides on corn and herbicide-tolerant soybean. They found that losses of contact herbicides in surface runoff were usually much less than those for the residual herbicides, and never exceeded established or proposed drinking water standards. These results suggest that herbicide losses and concentrations in runoff can be reduced by planting herbicide-tolerant corn and soybean varieties and applying contact herbicides. Wed, 23 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422103853.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421195005.htm Boosted by the influence of a larger climate event in the Pacific, one of the strongest La Niñas in many years is slowly weakening but continues to blanket the Pacific Ocean near the equator, as shown by new sea-level height data collected by the U.S.-French Jason oceanographic satellite. Tue, 22 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421195005.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417173953.htm It is easy to overlook that most of the energy we consume daily, such as electricity or natural gas, is produced with the help of a dwindling resource -- fresh water. Scientists are researching the water-efficiency of some of the most common energy sources and power generating methods. Tue, 22 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417173953.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421123231.htm Rising energy and environmental costs may prevent nuclear power from being a sustainable alternative energy source in the fight against global warming, according to a new study. Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421123231.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421124230.htm The shrinking expanse of Arctic sea ice is increasingly vulnerable to summer sunshine. New research finds that unusually sunny weather contributed to last summer's record loss of Arctic ice, while similar weather conditions in past summers did not have comparable impacts. Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421124230.htm