Ecology articles

Greenland's ancient forests shed light on stability of ice sheet
Ice cores drilled from southern Greenland have revealed the first evidence of a surprisingly lush forest that existed in the region within the past million years. The findings from an international study published in the journal Science suggest that the southern Greenland ice sheet may be much more stable against rising temperatures than previously thought.

The earth is smaller than assumed
Although the discrepancy is not large, it is significant: Geodesists from the University of Bonn have remeasured the size of the Earth in a long lasting international cooperation project. The blue planet is accordingly some millimeters smaller than up to now assumed. The results are important, for example, to be able to demonstrate a climate contingent rise in sea level.

Ethanol from corn
With all the publicity about Ethanol being made from Corn, we decided to write a series of simple articles explaining what Ethanol is, how it is produced, and the amount of corn required to produce a gallon of Ethanol.

Global warming is evaporating arctic ponds
High Arctic ponds – the most common source of surface water in many polar regions – are now beginning to evaporate due to recent climate warming, say two of Canada's leading environmental scientists.

Satellite images reveal link between urban growth and changing rainfall patterns
For the first time, scientists have used satellite images to demonstrate a link between rapid city growth and rainfall patterns, as well as to assess compliance with an international treaty to protect wetlands.

Piecing together the cyanobacteria puzzle
Blue green algae are significant species in the global carbon cycle because they transform nitrogen gas from the atmosphere into a useable nutrient, enabling photosynthesis in nutrient-poor waters.

Study shows sonar did not harm fish
A new University of Maryland study in the July issue of the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America reports that high powered sonar, like that used by U.S. Navy ships, did not harm test fish, including their hearing, in a controlled setting.

Invisible gases form most organic haze in both urban and rural areas
A new University of Colorado at Boulder study shows that invisible, reactive gases hovering over Earth's surface, not direct emissions of particulates, form the bulk of organic haze in both urban and rural areas around the world.

Catastrophic flooding changes the course of british history
A catastrophic megaflood separated Britain from France hundreds of thousands of years ago, changing the course of British history, according to research published in the journal Nature.

Fisheries may imply climate change
Watching the ebb and flow of populations of fisheries around the world can provide some insight into understanding the effects of global warming on our planet, according to a group of researchers writing in the summer 2007 issue of Natural Resource Modeling, an international journal devoted to mathematical modeling of natural resource systems. The fact that fisheries are closely tied to the health of humans and species across the globe adds to their significance.

In evolutionary arms race, a bacterium is found that outwits tomato plant's defenses
An arms race is under way in the plant world. It is an evolutionary battle in which plants are trying to beef up their defenses against the innovative strategies of pathogens. The latest example of this war is a bacterium (Pseudomonas syringae) that infects tomatoes by injecting a special protein into the plant's cells and undermines the plant's defense system.

Geologists witness unique volcanic mudflow in action in new zealand
Volcanologist Sarah Fagents from the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at the University of Hawaii at Manoa had an amazing opportunity to study volcanic hazards first hand, when a volcanic mudflow broke through the banks of a volcanic lake at Mount Ruapehu in New Zealand.

Manchester expert helps with pharaoh dna analysis
Preliminary results from DNA tests carried out on a mummy believed to be Queen Hatshepsut is expected to support the claim by Egyptian authorities that the remains are indeed those of Egypt's most powerful female ruler.

Detection of human influence on precipitation patterns
For the first time, climate scientists have clearly detected the human fingerprint on changing global precipitation patterns over the past century.

Glaciers and ice caps to dominate sea level rise through 21st century
Ice loss from glaciers and ice caps is expected to cause more global sea rise during this century than the massive Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, according to a new University of Colorado at Boulder study.

Researchers watch antibiotics, bacteria meet at atomic level
A new understanding of an enzyme important for the transfer of genetic information in bacteria may help scientists improve current antibiotics and also create antibiotics that are less vulnerable to resistance.

Prof using penguin remains to measure antarctic ice movement
Climate change is nothing new. For thousands, perhaps millions of years, Antarctica's massive ice sheet - 5.5 million square miles - has advanced and retreated as the earth's atmosphere cooled and warmed. Yet, until recently, there was no precise way to measure the shifting interface between ice and open water.

Freq. of Atl. Hurricanes doubled over last century
About twice as many Atlantic hurricanes form each year on average than a century ago, according to a new statistical analysis of hurricanes and tropical storms in the north Atlantic. The study concludes that warmer sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and altered wind patterns associated with global climate change are fueling much of the increase.

How bacteria evolve into superbugs
Researchers at McGill and Oxford Universities have applied ecological and evolutionary theory to demonstrate how bacteria become resistant to antibiotics in hospitals.

Seas could rise higher than we thought
Leading climatologist Professor Stefan Rahmstorf has revealed at a UNSW public lecture that sea-level rises caused by global warming are higher than those published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change earlier this year.