NOTICIAS RECIENTES SOBRE CALIDAD DEL AIRE
Plastic contaminants harm sea urchins
Plastics in the ocean can release chemicals that cause deformities in sea urchin larvae, new research shows.
30.Nov.2020
Caribbean coral reefs under siege from aggressive algae
Human activity endangers coral health around the world. A new algal threat is taking advantage of coral's already precarious situation in the Caribbean and making it even harder for reef ecosystems to grow. Just-published research details how an aggressive, golden-brown, crust-like alga is rapidly overgrowing shallow reefs, taking the place of coral that was damaged by extreme storms and exacerbating the damage caused by ocean acidification, disease, pollution, and bleaching.
30.Nov.2020
Genes unlock clues to the evolution and survival of the Great Barrier Reef
Innovative molecular techniques explain how corals on the east coast of Australia survived previous tough conditions--enabling the Great Barrier Reef to become the vast reef it is today. Scientists mapped the rise and fall of two coral populations on the reef, tracking which genes rapidly evolved to endure changing conditions, while measuring the flow of genes between locations.
30.Nov.2020
Forest fires, cars, power plants join list of risk factors for Alzheimer's disease
A new study has found that among older Americans with cognitive impairment, the greater the air pollution in their neighborhood, the higher the likelihood of amyloid plaques - a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. The study adds to a body of evidence indicating that pollution from cars, factories, power plants and forest fires joins established dementia risk factors like smoking and diabetes.
30.Nov.2020
Irreversible hotter and drier climate over inner East Asia
Researchers warn that heatwaves and concurrent droughts of Mongolia's semi-arid plateau have increased significantly during the past two decades, with troubling implications for the future. The change also has ramifications for atmospheric conditions across the Northern Hemisphere.
27.Nov.2020
Ghost fishing threatens endangered river dolphins, critically endangered turtles, otters
Waste fishing gear in the River Ganges poses a threat to wildlife including otters, turtles and dolphins, new research shows.
25.Nov.2020
To push or to pull? How many-limbed marine organisms swim
Couinter-intuitively, small marine animals don't use their limbs or propulsors to push themselves through the water while swimming. Instead, their appendages create negative pressure behind them that pulls the animal through the water, scientists report.
24.Nov.2020
Clean Air Act saved 1.5 billion birds
US pollution regulations meant to protect humans from dirty air are also saving birds. So concludes a new continent-wide study. Study authors found that improved air quality under a federal program to reduce ozone pollution may have averted the loss of 1.5 billion birds during the past 40 years.
24.Nov.2020
Strengthening the climate change scenario framework
Over the past decade, the climate change research community developed a scenario framework that combines alternative futures of climate and society to facilitate integrated research and consistent assessment to inform policy. An international team of researchers assessed how well this framework is working and what challenges it faces.
24.Nov.2020
COVID-19: Air quality influences the pandemic
Temperature inversions or Saharan dust intrusions can favor the presence of fine particles in the air. Their high concentration can aggravate the consequences of COVID-19, new research has found.
24.Nov.2020
Areas where the next pandemic could emerge are revealed
A team of experts has incorporated environmental, social and economic considerations -- including air transit centrality -- to identify key areas at risk of leading to the next pandemic. The research shows the cities worldwide that require collective prompt attention.
24.Nov.2020
Supersized wind turbines generate clean energy--and surprising physics
As wind energy scales up, researchers study the fluid dynamics challenges.
23.Nov.2020
The science of windy cities
Researchers model urban airflows to help improve the design of drones, skyscrapers, and natural ventilation systems.
23.Nov.2020
Indonesian wildfires a 'fixable problem'
Indonesian wildfires that cause widespread air pollution and vast carbon emissions are a 'fixable problem', according to the leader of a project set up to help tackle the issue.
23.Nov.2020
Shift in atmospheric rivers could affect Antarctic sea ice, glaciers
Weather systems responsible for transporting moisture from the tropics to temperate regions in the Southern Hemisphere have been gradually shifting toward the South Pole for the past 40 years, a trend which could lead to increased rates of ice melt in Antarctica, according to new research.
23.Nov.2020
Climate change presents new challenges for the drinking water supply
Rising temperatures in Germany's largest drinking water reservoir present new challenges for the drinking water supply. According to a group of researchers, the impacts of this increase can be alleviated by mitigating climate change and applying new management strategies.
23.Nov.2020
Airflow studies reveal strategies to reduce indoor transmission of COVID-19
Researchers present a range of studies investigating the aerodynamics of infectious disease. Their results suggest strategies for lowering risk based on a rigorous understanding of how infectious particles mix with air in confined spaces.
22.Nov.2020
U.S.-European mission launches to monitor the world's oceans
The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite will extend a nearly 30-year continuous dataset on sea level collected by an ongoing collaboration of U.S. and European satellites while enhancing weather forecasts and providing detailed information on large-scale ocean currents to support ship navigation near coastlines.
22.Nov.2020
Some Amazon rainforest regions more resistant to climate change than previously thought
A new observational study demonstrates that increasing air dryness does not reduce photosynthesis in certain very wet regions of the Amazon rainforest, contradicting Earth System Models that show the opposite.
20.Nov.2020
There are microplastics near the top of Mount Everest too
Researchers analyzing snow and stream samples have found evidence of microplastic pollution on Mount Everest. While the highest concentrations of microplastics were around Base Camp where hikers and trekkers spend the most time, the team also found microplastics as high up as 8,440 meters above sea level, just below the summit.
20.Nov.2020
Climate change and 'atmospheric thirst' to increase fire danger and drought in NV and CA
Climate change and a 'thirsty atmosphere' will bring more extreme wildfire danger and multi-year droughts to Nevada and California by the end of this century, according to new research.
19.Nov.2020
A filter for environmental remediation
Scientists have discovered a new method for producing sodium titanate mats nanostructured in a seaweed-like morphology for filtering heavy metal ions and radioactive materials from water. This work may lead to advances in treating contaminated wastewater.
19.Nov.2020
'Oasis effect' in urban parks could contribute to greenhouse gas emissions
Following a year of on-site analyses at a Phoenix-area park, hydrologists identified that the park showed what meteorologists call the 'oasis effect,' a microclimate that is cooler than a surrounding dry area due to the evaporation of a water source.
19.Nov.2020
Does air pollution increase women's risk of dementia?
Older women who live in locations with higher levels of air pollution may have more brain shrinkage, the kind seen in Alzheimer's disease, than women who live in locations with lower levels, according to a new study.
18.Nov.2020
More children and youth drowning as warming temperatures create unstable lake ice
As winters become milder and lake ice less stable, more children and young adults are falling through the ice and fatally drowning, say researchers. A new study, which looked at 4,000 drownings in 10 countries, including Canada, Russia, Finland, Germany, Sweden, and the United States, found warming winter air temperatures were a good predictor of the number of drownings.
18.Nov.2020
Health trade-offs for wildlife as urbanization expands
City living appears to improve reproductive success for migratory tree swallows compared to breeding in more environmentally protected areas, a new five-year study suggests. But urban life comes with a big trade-off - health hazards linked to poorer water quality.
18.Nov.2020
New technique seamlessly converts ammonia to green hydrogen
Researchers have developed a highly effective, environmentally friendly method for converting ammonia into hydrogen. The new technique is a major step forward for enabling a zero-pollution, hydrogen-fueled economy. The idea of using ammonia as a carrier for hydrogen delivery has gained traction in recent years because ammonia is much easier to liquify than hydrogen and is therefore much easier to store and transport. This technological breakthrough overcomes several existing barriers to the production of clean hydrogen from ammonia.
18.Nov.2020
Which particulate air pollution poses the greatest health risk?
Researchers have investigated whether particulate matter from certain sources can be especially harmful to human health. They found evidence that the amount of particulate matter alone is not the greatest health risk. Rather, it could be the so-called oxidative potential that makes particulate pollution so harmful.
18.Nov.2020
Trees and green roofs can help reduce the urban heat island effect
Air pollution experts have found that green infrastructure (GI), such as trees, can help reduce temperatures in many of Europe's cities and towns.
18.Nov.2020
Community helps scientists evaluate smoke forecasts
Across the Wasatch Front, both researchers and community members maintain enough air quality sensors to provide a high-resolution picture of how the smoke moved through the valley -- perfect for testing and refining smoke forecast models.
18.Nov.2020
Does air pollution affect mental health later in life?
In a study of women aged 80 years and older, living in locations with higher exposures to air pollution was associated with increased depressive symptoms.
18.Nov.2020
NASA model reveals how much COVID-related pollution levels deviated from the norm
Using computer models to generate a COVID-free 2020 for comparison, NASA researchers found that since February, pandemic restrictions have reduced global nitrogen dioxide concentrations by nearly 20 percent.
17.Nov.2020
Pesticides commonly used as flea treatments for pets are contaminating English rivers
Researchers have found widespread contamination of English rivers with two neurotoxic pesticides commonly used in veterinary flea products: fipronil and the neonicotinoid imidacloprid.
17.Nov.2020
Tropical peatland conservation could protect humans from new diseases
Conservation of tropical peatlands could reduce the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the likelihood of new diseases jumping from animals to humans, researchers say.
17.Nov.2020
Reducing aerosol pollution without cutting carbon dioxide could make the planet hotter
Humans must reduce carbon dioxide and aerosol pollution simultaneously to avoid weakening the ocean's ability to keep the planet cool, new research shows.
17.Nov.2020
Researchers quantify carbon changes in Sierra Nevada meadow soils
Meadows in the Sierra Nevada mountains are critical components of watersheds. In addition to supplying water to over 25 million people in California and Nevada, meadows contain large quantities of carbon belowground. While it has been known for some time that meadows have large quantities of soil carbon, whether meadow soils are gaining or losing carbon has remained unclear.
16.Nov.2020
Fish carcasses deliver toxic mercury pollution to the deepest ocean trenches
The sinking carcasses of fish from near-surface waters deliver toxic mercury pollution to the most remote and inaccessible parts of the world's oceans, including the deepest spot of them all: the 36,000-foot-deep Mariana Trench in the northwest Pacific.
16.Nov.2020
Implementing carbon pricing during the pandemic could help countries recover greener, smarter
As economies 'build back better,' it may be an opportune time to introduce carbon pricing to tackle climate change, according to new research.
16.Nov.2020
Plastic pollution is everywhere. Study reveals how it travels
A study reveals the mechanism by which microplastics, like Styrofoam, and particulate pollutants are carried long distances through soil and other porous media, with implications for preventing the spread and accumulation of contaminants in food and water sources.
16.Nov.2020
New method brings physics to deep learning to better simulate turbulence
Deep learning, also called machine learning, reproduces data to model problem scenarios and offer solutions. However, some problems in physics are unknown or cannot be represented in detail mathematically on a computer. Researchers developed a new method that brings physics into the machine learning process to make better predictions. The researchers used turbulence to test their method.
16.Nov.2020
How air pollution affects homeless populations
When air quality worsens, either from the smoke and ozone of summer or the inversion of winter, most of us stay indoors. But for individuals experiencing homelessness, that's not always an option. Researchers document the effect of air pollution on people experiencing homelessness, finding that nearly all notice and are impacted by air pollution, whether or not they reside in shelters.
13.Nov.2020
What type of forest to choose for better CO2 storage?
An international team has studied which types of forest are the most effective in storing carbon. Inventory data from natural forests on five continents show that species diversity is optimal for equatorial and tropical rainforests, and that, conversely, in forests located in cold or dry regions, it is the abundance of trees and not their diversity that favours the recapture of CO2.
13.Nov.2020
Pollution and pandemics: A dangerous mix
Pollution may bear part of the blame for the rapid proliferation in the United States of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the spread of COVID-19, according to new research.
12.Nov.2020
In a warming climate, can birds take the heat?
We don't know precisely how hot things will get as climate change marches on, but animals in the tropics may not fare as well as their temperate relatives. Many scientists think tropical animals, because they're accustomed to a more stable thermal environment, may be pushed beyond their limits quickly as temperatures soar. Yet researchers show both temperate and tropical birds can handle acute heat stress better than expected.
12.Nov.2020
Governments can curb over-fertilization in agriculture
Many countries could be using less nitrogen fertilizer in their agriculture without compromising their crop yields, as an international research team is demonstrating.
12.Nov.2020
Early-life events linked to lung health in young adulthood
Early-life events, such as the exposure to air pollutants, increases the risk of chronic lung disease in young adulthood, according to new results. The studies add to the growing evidence that chronic lung disease in adulthood can be traced back to childhood.
12.Nov.2020
Atmospheric rivers help create massive holes in Antarctic sea ice
Warm, moist rivers of air in Antarctica play a key role in creating massive holes in sea ice in the Weddell Sea and may influence ocean conditions around the vast continent as well as climate change, according to new research.
11.Nov.2020
Noise and light can 'profoundly' alter bird reproduction
By analyzing nesting data from across the contiguous US, the authors found widespread impacts of noise and light pollution on bird nesting habits and success. Birds that live in forests were most sensitive to noise pollution, as were those with low frequency songs. Sensitivity to light pollution was strongly linked to variation in low light vision. The results reveal traits and contexts indicative of sensitivities to these stimuli that can be used for conservation planning.
11.Nov.2020
3D-printed weather stations could enable more science for less money
3D printing and low-cost sensors have made it possible to build a weather station for a few hundred dollars. Could these inexpensive, homegrown versions perform as well as their pricier counterparts?
11.Nov.2020
Drop in pandemic carbon dioxide emissions previews world of electric vehicles
When the San Francisco Bay Area mandated shelter-in-place March 16, it created a natural experiment for UC Berkeley's Ron Cohen, who had established an inexpensive pollution sensor network in local neighborhoods. The sensors showed carbon dioxide emissions plummeting 25 percent in the subsequent six weeks, mostly because of a 48 percent drop in traffic. Networks like this -- soon to be emplaced in Glasgow -- can track greenhouse gases and progress toward lowering them, including the impact of electric vehicles.
10.Nov.2020