Dark asphalt roads contribute to the urban heat island effect, increasing temperatures in cities relative to the surrounding countryside. ScienceDaily reports that scientists have recently started looking for ways to use that heat, thereby reducing demand for...
In The News
A Warming Planet Weakens Winds
November 16, 2010 |
Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy
Harnessing the power of the winds is an ideal way to meet energy needs while decreasing greenhouse-gas emissions, but a warmer world may weaken the winds, impacting the production of wind power. By looking at the relationship between global temperatures and the strength of the surface winds in eight global climate models, researcher Diandong Ren found that...
Ancient CO2 and Temperature Measurements Provide Insight on Future Climate
November 16, 2010 |
Science
Scientists have found a strong relationship between past concentrations of CO2 and temperature 40 million years ago, during the hot Middle Eocene epoch, helping confirm the sensitivity of the Earth’s climate to greenhouse-gas forcing. Using ocean sediment cores from off the coast of Tasmania,...
Strictest GHG Reduction Regulations Passed in NM
November 11, 2010 |
New Mexico Environment Department
Last week, the New Mexico Environment Improvement Board adopted a regional cap on greenhouse gas emissions. The measure, which passed narrowly by a four to three vote, is the most comprehensive regulation in the nation, according to the New Mexico Environment Department. It will allow New Mexico to...
Global Warming Could Reverse Ocean Circulation
November 11, 2010 |
ScienceDaily
A recent article in Nature details how data from isotopes of uranium in seawater are showing that Atlantic Ocean circulation was very different in the past, at times the reverse of current circulation. Ocean currents are driven by both temperature and salinity gradients;...
Players Control Fate of the World
November 11, 2010 |
Fate of the World
A recently released video game allows users to balance the Earth’s resources and climate changes against a growing population and their food, energy, and space requirements to determine the Fate of the World. Players select from ten different scenarios that can result in outcomes that range from saving the planet to...
Colorado Wins Secure Green Energy Future
November 9, 2010 |
Colorado Independent
The election of John Hickenlooper as governor and Michael Bennet to the U.S. Senate bodes well for the development of green energy and jobs in Colorado, reports the Colorado Independent. Hickenlooper, formerly a geologist and the mayor of Denver, replaces Gov...
Navajo Coal Mine Expansion Suspended
November 9, 2010 |
New York Times
A federal judge has voided a permit previously granted to expand one of two coal-mining operations on Navajo land. The permit to expand the present mine by 4,800 acres was originally granted by the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement in 2005, when the agency’s assessments of the expansion concluded that it would have no impact on the environment or...
Most U.S. Rivers Significantly Altered by Humans
November 9, 2010 |
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
A new study by U.S. Geological Survey scientists concludes that most rivers in the U.S. have had their flow significantly altered by humans. The study measured mean annual, maximum, and minimum streamflow between 1980-2007. Streamflow alteration was calculated based on these values compared to reference values...
Tribe Tries to Block Solar Project
November 9, 2010 |
LA Times
The Quechan tribe living on Fort Yuma Reservation near the lower Colorado River is suing the federal government over the construction of a solar energy project near their lands. Tessera Solar's Imperial Valley Solar...