Warming Of Earth Research Articles

Transportation-Associated Carbon Dioxide Emissions Avoided by Use of Telehealth Through COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: Increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere contributes to Earth's warming, which has negative impacts on human health. The health care system is a major contributor to CO2 emissions. Telehealth has the capacity to reduce health-care-related emissions by eliminating patient travel to in-person appointments. Methods: Data were obtained from Nebraska Medicine's (NM) electronic medical record. Parameters included patient zip code, provider location, calendar year of visit, and provider specialty. Euclidean distance from centroid zip code to clinic location was calculated. Environmental Protection Agency estimates were used to convert mileage to CO2 saved. Results: During the period January 1, 2019, to January 31, 2022, the NM health care system completed 214,241 telemedicine visits for patients whose home zip code is within Nebraska, resulting in greater than 2,600 metric tons of CO2 avoided. Telehealth appointments increased by more than 22,000% from 2019 to 2020. An average of 12.38 kg of CO2 was avoided with each telehealth visit. Medical specialties that avoided the most CO2 included family medicine, endocrinology, and infectious disease. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the capability of the NM health care system to rapidly adjust to an emergency pandemic by drastically increasing the use of telehealth, which also avoided thousands of tons of transportation-associated CO2 emissions. Telehealth appointments increased during the height of the pandemic by more than 22,000%. Telehealth is an effective CO2 emission-reducing strategy and a worthy avenue to further explore reduced health-care-related emissions.

Phylogenomic analyses shed new light on the spatiotemporal evolution of global larches: Implications for the dynamics of boreal forests

As the Earth warms, understanding the long-term dynamics of forest ecosystems is essential for guiding forest management and biodiversity conservation. Insights from past dynamics may provide valuable lessons for managing today’s forests. Here, we investigated the spatiotemporal evolution of global larches to gain further insights into how boreal forests change over time. We first reconstructed a highly resolved and robust phylogeny of Larix covering all widely recognized species, using both transcriptome-based 1,301 orthologous genes (OGs) and plastid genomes. In sharp contrast to previous studies, an unexpected deep split between the circumboreal and Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) larches was revealed in our study. Within each lineage, two geographically distinct clades were further resolved. Biogeographical analyses suggest that Larix might have an origin of Eocene in high-latitude uplands, and during the Miocene, all extant species have appeared. Cenozoic climate- and orogeny-triggered vicariance likely played a major role in the divergence of global larches. Our results also demonstrate that the proto-boreal forest biome may have a relatively old origin back to the early Miocene, and significant winnowing and species alteration would have occurred as the climate shifted to much colder and drier conditions during the Neogene. Ecological niche analyses show various responses of the circumboreal and QTP larches under different climate scenarios, but both lineages are negatively impacted by warming climates. These findings have important conservation implications given the sensitivity of boreal forests in the face of global warming. Our work further emphasizes the importance of a solid phylogenetic framework for evolutionary and biogeographical inferences.

Structural geological surveys and improvement of tectonic understating of the Pre-Ordovician/Tertiary Graben boundary in vicinity of Nicolaus Copernicus Polar Station, Svalbard

Researchers around the globe are on a quest to develop solutions to mitigate and prevent global warming and climate change. This includes facilitating the switch to renewable energies. Assistant Professor Slawomir Jack Giletycz, Director of the Polar Research Station in Svalbard and part of the Structural Geomorphology Research Group, Department of Earth Sciences at National Central University in Taiwan, is interested in glacial retreat in Svalbard, Norway. As the Earth warms, glaciers are melting and land that was previously buried by glaciers is being exposed. By studying this land, researchers can glean new insights. For example, Giletycz and his collaborators are performing geological mapping of areas that have been recently exposed to subaerial conditions due to the glacial retreat. They are working to develop new geological maps and interpret tectonic and structural settings. The researchers are also investigating fluvial system development and surveying particular glaciers. They are using unmanned aerial vehicles to capture aerial images of entire glacier river systems and can use the images to build a digital surface model that can be used in applications such as QGiS or ArcGiS. In the long tem, they can monitor the development of glacier fluvial systems such as sediment discharge. Another focus for the researchers is conducting plaeocoast surveys of the Kaffiøyra plain in western Svalbard. Excitingly, the researchers are the first humans to study Svalbard in this way and, through this work, they will make significant contributions to geological mapping and underpin geology, tectonics and structures.

Methane fueled lake pelagic food webs in a Cretaceous greenhouse world

Methane (CH4) is a potent greenhouse gas but also an important carbon and energy substrate for some lake food webs. Understanding how CH4 incorporates into food webs is, therefore, crucial for unraveling CH4 cycling and its impacts on climate and ecosystems. However, CH4-fueled lake food webs from pre-Holocene intervals, particularly during greenhouse climates in Earth history, have received relatively little attention. Here, we present a long-term record of CH4-fueled pelagic food webs across the Cretaceous Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a (~120 Mya) that serves as a geological analog to future warming. We show an exceptionally strong expansion of both methanogens and CH4-oxidizing bacteria (up to 87% of hopanoid-producing bacteria) during this Event. Grazing on CH4-oxidizing bacteria by zooplankton (up to 47% of ciliate diets) within the chemocline transferred substantial CH4-derived carbon to the higher trophic levels, representing an important CH4 sink in the water column. Our findings suggest that as Earth warms, microbial CH4 cycling could restructure food webs and fundamentally alter carbon and energy flows and trophic pathways in lake ecosystems.

Community perceptions on wildfires in Mount Kenya forest: implications for fire preparedness and community wildfire management

BackgroundNatural ecosystems provide beneficial goods and services to adjacent communities. However, these benefits also come with societal risks, among them wildfires. Kenyan ecosystems have faced increased wildfire risk due to human activities and a warming earth that causes dangerous fire weather conditions. Mount Kenya is one such ecosystem that experiences annual fires; however, there is limited information on the level of knowledge or preparedness of the local community towards wildfires and fire management across the entire ecosystem. Here, we used questionnaires and interviews to randomly and purposively survey 55 respondents across 11 villages that surround Mt Kenya forest, majority of whom were Community Forest Association (CFA) members. We investigated the perceived extent to which the communities contribute to wildfires; their opinions on some aspects of fire management; and what individual and collective actions are required to improve fire preparedness.ResultsThe most perceived causes of wildfires were honey harvesting (56%) and poaching (40%). A minority of the respondents (35%) were aware of the belief that setting forests on fire brings about rainfall, with 56% of that group reporting that the belief contributed to wildfire ignitions by a large extent. This scientifically inconclusive belief was not specific to certain tribes around Mt Kenya, as previously expected. The community strongly rejected the use of prescribed burning in fire management. They were against clearing of forest or farm debris to reduce fuel hazards, and preferred converting debris into compost.ConclusionsTo improve fire preparedness, firefighting training, resourcing, firebreak creation, and sharing of wildfire warnings with the local community need to be enhanced. Despite limited community involvement in fire-management decisions, we recommend a greater involvement of the local community in forest and/or fire management to promote ownership and sustainability.

Clays May Have Slowed Earth’s Recovery After the Great Dying

Without tiny marine organisms using silica for shells, Earth’s oceans generated more clay, released more carbon dioxide, and kept Earth warmer for longer.

Vested Interest Theory as a Framework for Understanding Anthropogenic Climate Change Risk Perceptions

ABSTRACT Climate change due to anthropogenic activities is contributing to the systematic warming of Earth. A warming planet represents an existential threat to humanity, contributing to the increased frequency and magnitude of multiple natural hazards. The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) notes that time is running out to create meaningful change to avert climate-related consequences. This research posits Vested Interest Theory (VIT) as a potentially useful framework for assessing attitudes and risk perceptions associated with anthropogenic climate change (ACC). Vested Interest Theory mediates the attitude-behavior relationship where highly vested individuals are more likely to behave in attitudinally-consistent ways. Vestedness is conceptualized as five distinct and observable variables: salience, certainty, immediacy, self-efficacy, and response-efficacy. To test VIT’s efficacy in this context, a survey was conducted with participants crowdsourced from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk platform (N = 1053). Participants responded to items designed to measure their individual vestedness in ACC consequences, risk perceptions, and behavioral intentions. This initial investigation shows that VIT’s constituent variables predict consequential amounts of observed variance in critical variables including risk perception, perceived event severity, and behavioral intentions related to ACC hazard mitigation. The results support the use of VIT as a framework for understanding attitude-behavior relationships associated with ACC mitigation. Based on these findings, we argue that VIT can also serve as a valuable message design framework to motivate ACC-related mitigation actions.

Precipitation Seasonality Amplifies as Earth Warms

AbstractPrecipitation exhibits a pronounced seasonal cycle, of which the phase and amplitude are closely associated with water resource management. While previous studies suggested an emerged delaying phase in the past decades, whether the amplified amplitude has emerged is controversial. Using multiple observational data sets and climate simulations, here we show that the amplification of precipitation annual cycle has emerged in most global land areas since the 1980s, especially in the tropics. These amplifications are mainly driven by anthropogenic emissions, and will be further intensified by 17.6% in the future (2081–2100) under high emission scenario (Shared Socioeconomic Pathways, SSP585), and limited to 7.2% under SSP126 scenario, relative to the historical period (1982–2014). Precipitation seasonality will be amplified by 4.2% for each 1°C of global warming, which is seen in all emission scenarios. The mitigation of lower emissions is helpful for alleviating the amplification of precipitation seasonality in a warming world.

Widespread warming of Earth's estuaries

AbstractWater temperature responses to climate change may vary across Earth's estuaries. To understand how climate change influences estuarine surface water temperature, we need global, long‐term records of estuarine temperature. Here, we generated surface water temperature data over 1060 estuaries globally using Landsat 5, 7, and 8 from 1985 to 2022 and compared water warming rates with local air temperature warming rates. Forty‐seven percent of Earth's estuaries are warming, with a global average warming rate of 0.070 ± 0.004°C yr−1 (median = 0.060°C yr−1). Estuaries at higher latitudes showed rapid warming. A 1°C increase in air temperature could lead to a 0.81°C increase in estuarine surface water warming and 1.3°C increase in estuaries above 60.5°N. We inferred the potential influences over estuarine warming based on distinct global spatial patterns in water and air warming and discussed the effects of warming water temperature on estuarine metabolism and water quality.

Hybrids of imidazole with indoline derivatives: Microwave assisted synthesis, molecular docking studies, possible biological activities

A new hybrids of imidazole with Indole derivative 1-methyl-3-((1-(2-methyl-1H-Imidazole.-1yl)-methyl)-1H-indol-5-yl)imino)indolin-2-one(3a-o) was prepared by microwave-assisted technique via alkylation and Schiff's and Mannich base mechanism. The chemical structures of the synthesized products were confirmed by IR, 1HNMR and Mass spectra. The in vitro anticancer activity was evaluated via MTT assay technique, as well as their anthelmintic activity by utilising Indian earth warms. Most of the compounds 1-methyl-3-((1-(2-methyl-1H-Imidazole-1yl)-methyl)-1H-indol-5-yl)imino)indolin-2-one demonstrated greater anthelmintic action than the other compounds. The compounds 1,5-dimethyl-3-((1-(2-methyl-1H-Imidazole-1-yl)-methyl)-1H-indol-5-yl)-imino)-indole-2-one and 1-benzyl-5--chloro-3-((1-((2-methyl-1H--imidazole-1-yl) methyl)-1H-indol-5-yl) imino)indolin-2-one exhibit good anticancer action. Lastly, whenever the interaction pattern and selectivity towards the EGFR activity site have been examined, the molecular docking experiments of novel indole derivatives demonstrated good alignment only with biological findings.

Earth warming and its impact on suspended dust in Iraq for the period (1991-2021)

يهدف البحث الى دراسة ظاهرة الاحترار الأرضي وتاثيرها على الغبار العالق في العراق واعتمدت الدراسة على بيانات ثمانية محطات مناخية هي: (الموصل، كركوك، بغداد، الرطبة، الحي ،الناصرية ، الديوانية، البصرة)للمدة (1991-2021). وتم التطرق الى العوامل المؤثرة في الاحترار وتكرار الظواهر الغبارية من خلال تحليل المرئيات الفضائية لكل من الغطاء المائي والغطاء النباتي والغطاء الحضري فضلا بيان الغازات المسببة للاحترار، وظهر وجود تراجع في الغطاء المائي والغطاء النباتي وتوسع في مساحة الغطاء الحضري مما كان له تأثير في زيادة الاحترار و تكرار الغبار العالق في العراق. ولتوضيح العلاقة بين الاحترار كعامل مستقل متمثلا بمعدل درجات الحرارة الصغرى والعظمى والمعدل مع الغبار العالق استعمل الاحصاء الجغرافي واكدت نتائج التحليل أن العلاقة كانت علاقة طردية ومعنوية.

Ignoring Plant Physiological Responses to Elevated CO2 Will Overestimate Terrestrial Vertebrate Biodiversity Loss Under Global Climate Change

AbstractRising CO2 is accelerating Earth warming and drying by altering the radiation budget (CO2 radiative effect), and it is commonly thought that future biodiversity will be greatly threatened. However, elevated CO2 also modifies plant physiology including photosynthesis rate and water use efficiency (CO2 physiological effect), the impacts of which have been usually ignored. By coupling machine learning techniques and Earth system models, this study considered both of the two effects and simulated terrestrial vertebrate biodiversity changes under moderate CO2 emission pathway. Our results show that the CO2 radiative effect positively impacts terrestrial vertebrate biodiversity at high latitudes but has a negative impact at low latitudes, whereas the physiological effect generally has a positive impact that peaks near the equator. Between 45°N and 45°S, 15% of areas with diminishing terrestrial vertebrate biodiversity due to radiative effect experience a reversal in trend when physiological effect is also considered; species migration pressure is also mitigated. Additionally, the protection priority rankings of 36 biodiversity hotspots need to be readjusted with the consideration of CO2 physiological effect, for which the impacts on terrestrial vertebrate biodiversity are important and varied greatly over space. Overall, our findings highlight the critical impacts of vegetation physiology on terrestrial vertebrate biodiversity in response to elevated atmospheric CO2, which can provide a reference for resource allocation and biodiversity conservation policymaking.

Robust acceleration of Earth system heating observed over the past six decades

Global heating of the Earth system is unequivocal. However, detecting an acceleration of Earth heating has remained elusive to date, despite suggestive evidence of a potential increase in heating rates. In this study, we demonstrate that since 1960, the warming of the world ocean has accelerated at a relatively consistent pace of 0.15 ± 0.05 (W/m2)/decade, while the land, cryosphere, and atmosphere have exhibited an accelerated pace of 0.013 ± 0.003 (W/m2)/decade. This has led to a substantial increase in ocean warming, with a magnitude of 0.91 ± 0.80 W/m2 between the decades 1960–1970 and 2010–2020, which overlies substantial decadal-scale variability in ocean warming of up to 0.6 W/m2. Our findings withstand a wide range of sensitivity analyses and are consistent across different observation-based datasets. The long-term acceleration of Earth warming aligns qualitatively with the rise in CO2 concentrations and the decline in aerosol concentration during the same period, but further investigations are necessary to properly attribute these changes.

Yakutia as a model of global warming of the Earth’s climate: the case of atmospheric circulation

Investigations over the last decades have shown that Yakutia is not only a highly representative area for the study of global climate patterns, it is a model of the Earth due to the extensive influence of the Siberian anticyclone. Covering a grid of coordinates from the Arctic and Pacific Oceans almost to the Atlantic and Tibet, Yakutia dictates the patterns of climate change for the entire Northern Hemisphere. That can be clearly seen on example of modern climate change. The rate of warming here outpaces the rate of the Earth warming in 3-5 average annual degrees, thus showing not only the current warming trend, but also predicting it for the entire Earth with further temperature rise in future. Our paper shows the course of climate change over the last three centuries. It relies on the global patterns of atmospheric circulation on the wave of the hundred-year rhythm. Their essence is that the middle of centuries always brings cooling associated with latitudinal circulation of the atmosphere, and the turn of the century – the warming, in which latitudinal circulation is replaced by meridian circulation. It was happening in the last three centuries, confirmed by instrumental observations, and so it was in the time of Columbus and Vikings. Both came to America at the turn of the century 500 and 1000 years ago, when the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic were ice-free.

Response of grassland growing season length to extreme climatic events on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Extreme Climatic Events (ECEs) are increasing in intensity, frequency, and duration as the earth warms, which greatly affects the vegetation phenology. However, the response of vegetation phenology to different types of ECEs (e.g., extreme hot, extreme cold, extreme drought, and extreme wet) has not been extensively studied. To fill this knowledge gap, we investigated the relationship between the length of growing season (LOS) of grassland and ECEs on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). First, we analyzed the spatial distribution and interannual trends of phenology based on the MODIS Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Second, we used Coincidence Rate (CR) analysis to quantify the relationship between LOS anomalies and ECEs. Finally, we analyzed the sensitivity of LOS to the intensity of ECEs. The results indicated that the spatial distribution of LOS was closely related to local hydrothermal conditions, with longer LOS in places with more precipitation or higher temperatures during the growing season, and LOS extended by 0.28 days/year from 2000 to 2022. Moreover, we found that the CR of negative LOS anomalies to ECEs notably exhibited variations along climatic gradients, with higher CR to extreme hot generally occurring in warmer areas. Meanwhile, the CR of extreme wet increased while the CR of extreme drought decreased with increasing precipitation. We also found that the sensitivity of LOS to ECEs changed more markedly, along the climatic gradients, in alpine ecoregions compared to temperate ecoregions. Overall, the sensitivities of LOS ranked in descending order of absolute sensitivity to extreme drought, extreme wet, extreme hot, and extreme cold. This study furthers our understanding of the grassland response to ECEs under different hydrothermal conditions, which can provide valuable reference for the management and conservation of grassland ecosystems in QTP under future climate change scenarios.

Global Warming And Impacts: Green Entrepreneurship To The Rescue

Global warming and the impacts on humans have attracted global attention. Many continents are under serious threats of heatwaves and wild fires, including other climate related pestilence. The authors having understood the role of green entrepreneurship (greening, and green technology) thus promotes it as a viable mitigation measure against global warming and is optimistic that its full development in Nigeria would be a sure path towards achieving sustainable environment That is the reason stakeholders need to expedite actions to develop in the youth’s green entrepreneurship skills. This would serve as both a rescue to cool the warming earth and for economic gains. The youths are looked upon as builders of tomorrow’s society. They are the future generation. They should occupy center stage in development of any society given their youthfulness. Their population in the Nigerian society is so large to be ignored, which is the more reason that they should be skilled, upskilled and motivated to action. The integrated rural development approach of empowerment emphasizes the need for people like the youths at the rural areas to be equipped with knowledge and skills in order to engender sustainable livelihoods. Therefore, through green entrepreneurship it’s envisaged that trained youths could become empowered and self-reliant. And at the same time constitute the needed pathway to rescue the earth from warming. It is hoped that through proliferation of green ventures; sustainable livelihoods should be engendered and naturally everyone should work to reduce their carbon footprint.

Photocatalysis: A Possible Vital Contributor to the Evolution of the Prebiotic Atmosphere and the Warming of the Early Earth

The evolution of the early atmosphere was driven by changes in its chemical composition, which involved the formation of some critical gases. In this study, we demonstrate that nitrous oxide (N2O) can be produced from Miller’s early atmosphere (a mixture of CH4, NH3, H2, and H2O) by way of photocatalysis. Both NH3 and H2O were indispensable for the production of N2O by photocatalysis. Different conditions related to seawater and reaction temperature are also explored. N2O has a strong greenhouse gas effect, which is more able to warm the Earth than other gases and offers a reasonable explanation for the faint young Sun paradox on the early Earth. Moreover, the decomposition of N2O into N2 and O2 can be boosted by soft irradiation, providing a possible and important origin of atmospheric O2 and N2. The occurrence of O2 propelled the evolution of the atmosphere from being fundamentally reducing to oxidizing. This work describes a possible vital contribution of photocatalysis to the evolution of the early atmosphere.

Climate Change! We are finished!

Climate change is a reality on the face of the globe as existing natural systems are being destroyed left and right. The realities of the catastrophic nature of climate change are manifested in the apparent extreme events such as extreme heat and winds, incessant forest fires, droughts, devastating floods, unpredictable weather patterns, famine, livelihood insecurity and a number of species of plants and animals have gone extinct. All over the world, both highly and less sophisticated observers of the world’s current biodiversity are appealing to humanity to effectively safeguard globally significant ecosystem services and ensure ecological resilience related to the current state of affairs in order to protect nature from being destroyed. Understanding of the facts that underplay the occurrences of climate change may not be on a similar footing worldwide. Hence, this poem is developed to resonate the ontological construction of reality in basically collectivistic cultures as a contribution to conceptualize the apparent extreme events, habitat degradation and to address attempts to fix the warming earth by these particular inhabitants on the globe.

Review of the History of Mesoscale Convective System Forecasts on Aviation

Airports are important national resources, and Aviation Weather Services are critical to the aviation industry's success. According to the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) analysis of weather-related circumstances that influence near- surface aircraft operations, wind and turbulence caused 1381 accidents, visibility, ceiling height (hc), and precipitation-related accidents occurred 485 times, and aircraft icing caused 150 accidents between 2003 and 2007. Mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) arise when cumulonimbus clouds merge into a single entity that can span hundreds of miles and continue for hours, posing a higher threat to aviation due to its size and duration. The mesoscale downdraft of a squall-line MCS's stratiform area sometimes merges with the convective downdrafts in the leading line of convection, and these mergers can produce strong effects, with the gust front surging forward and triggering new convection in the form of a “bow echo," according to Doppler radar. Bow echo events are of particular concern to forecasters because they are typically associated with strong, damaging surface winds. Because MCSs are still a major socioeconomic issue, it's critical to construct climate models that incorporate them, whether through cloud-resolving modeling or parameterization. MCS characteristics are influenced by the increasingly contaminated aerosol environment in most parts of the world, and as the Earth warms, MCS patterns will certainly change.

Three decades of ocean warming impacts on marine ecosystems: A review and perspective

Ocean warming, primarily resulting from the escalating levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, leads to a rise in the temperature of the Earth's oceans. These gases act as heat-trapping agents, contributing to the overall phenomenon of global warming. In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of how ocean warming impacts marine ecosystems, a thorough literature review was conducted over a span of three decades, involving 2484 initial publications. The systematic literature review screening was facilitated by utilizing Abstrackr's web-based application to efficiently select relevant abstracts, resulting in a final list of 797 publications aligned with the study's objectives. Since the advent of the industrial revolution, greenhouse gas emissions have witnessed an exponential surge, leading to a cumulative increase in atmospheric temperatures at an average rate of 0.08 °C (0.14 °F) per decade since 1880. Over the past 50 years, the ocean has emerged as a primary heat reservoir, absorbing and distributing the majority of the Earth's warming, with more than 90% of the heat gain occurring within its waters. Between 1950 and 2020, the global sea surface temperature (SST) increased by 0.11 °C (0.19 °F). The consequences of ocean warming extend significantly to the environment and climate. It induces the expansion of the ocean, alters its stratification and currents, diminishes oxygen availability, elevates sea levels, and intensifies hurricanes and storms. It also affects marine species' physiology, abundance, distribution, trophic interactions, survival, and mortality and can also cause stress and consequences for human societies that depend on impacted marine resources. Ocean warming is projected to increase from 2 to 4 and 4–8 times under climate scenarios Shared Socioeconomic Pathways 1–2.6 and Shared Socioeconomic Pathways 5–8.5, respectively, with an additional 0.6–2.0 °C added by the end of the century. We summarize its impacts and detailed negative or positive responses on marine taxonomic groups. We also provide critical information to help stakeholders, scientists, managers, and decision-makers to mitigate and adapt while improving biodiversity conservation and sustainability of marine ecosystems.