Research

Microbes, not fossil fuels, drove methane growth between 2020–22 (CU �鶹ӰԺ Today)

David J Lubinski — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 18:29:54 +0000

Microbes, not fossil fuels, drove methane growth between 2020–22 (CU �鶹ӰԺ Today) David J Lubinski Mon, 10/21/2024 - 12:29

A new analysis from INSTAAR's Sylvia Michel, Jianghanyang (Ben) Li, and collaborators investigates the root cause of a recent atmospheric methane spike. While their finding suggests microbes have been emitting more methane than fossil fuels in recent years, reducing fossil fuel consumption remains key to addressing climate change.

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Could life exist below Mars ice? NASA study proposes possibilities (NASA JPL)

David J Lubinski — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 18:54:01 +0000

Could life exist below Mars ice? NASA study proposes possibilities (NASA JPL) David J Lubinski Thu, 10/17/2024 - 12:54

New computer modeling suggests meltwater beneath Martian ice could support microbial life. A team led by Aditya Khuller (NASA JPL) and including Gary Clow (INSTAAR) found that the amount of sunlight that can shine through water ice would be enough for photosynthesis to occur in shallow pools of meltwater below the surface of that ice.

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How mountain chickadees changed their songs to stand out (CU �鶹ӰԺ Today)

David J Lubinski — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 21:42:43 +0000

How mountain chickadees changed their songs to stand out (CU �鶹ӰԺ Today) David J Lubinski Fri, 10/11/2024 - 15:42

Mountain chickadees in �鶹ӰԺ have evolved a different tune to avoid getting mixed up with their black-capped cousins. The results provide real-time evidence for one of Charles Darwin’s famous theories and shed light on how pressure from human activity can impact wildlife’s evolution. The study was led by members of Scott Taylor's Lab.

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Extreme floods, like those caused by Hurricane Helene, are becoming more frequent

Anonymous — Wed, 09 Oct 2024 17:12:08 +0000

Extreme floods, like those caused by Hurricane Helene, are becoming more frequent Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 10/09/2024 - 11:12

Gabe Allen

Late last month, Hurricane Helene drenched the Southwest United States. Devastating floods hit communities in the Gulf Coast and Southern Appalachia. The storm killed more than 200 people and destroyed billions of dollars of property.

As relief efforts begin to put the pieces back together, many are left wondering if the norms of extreme weather in America have changed. Was this unprecedented storm a freak occurrence or a new precedent?

Albert Kettner is the associate director of INSTAAR and the director of the DFO Flood Observatory (formerly the Dartmouth Flood Observatory). Since he took over the observatory in 2019, Kettner has tracked precipitation, drought and flooding around the world. His observations are built on the foundations laid by INSTAAR Senior Research Scientist Robert Brakenridge, who founded the observatory in 1993.

According to Kettner’s data, extreme floods like the ones that hit Appalachia last month have become more common in the 21st century.

Number of large and extreme floods on an annual basis from 1985 to 2020 (Credit: Robert Brakenridge). For comparison, the Appalachia floods caused by Hurricane Helene in 2024 were in the extreme category. Flood magnitude =LOG(Duration x Severity x Affected Area). The graph is based on data from the DFO Flood Observatory, accessible at https://floodobservatory.colorado.edu/Archives/.

It’s not the case that the world is getting wetter, in fact many places are becoming more arid. Rather, really big floods, which were previously rare, are happening more often.

According to Kettner, the reasons behind this are hard to parse out. In some cases, it could be that warmer air temperatures allow the atmosphere to hold more moisture. In other cases, extreme flooding might be driven by urban infrastructure that lacks adequate drainage. Most of the underlying causes of catastrophic floods boil down to two categories: climate change and human changes to the landscape.

“Flooding is both a derivative of precipitation and the area where that precipitation is landing,” Kettner explained.

As the climate continues to shift, so too will patterns of extreme weather. Amidst this uncertainty, tools like the DFO Flood Observatory can also help humanity better respond to natural disasters. Kettner has leveraged his expertise in flood tracking to create inundation maps for the United Nations World Food Programme in the past. He hopes to foster more collaboration between aid organizations and the observatory in the future.

If you have questions about this story, or would like to reach out to INSTAAR for further comment, you can contact Senior Communications Specialist Gabe Allen at gabriel.allen@colorado.edu.

Have the norms of extreme weather in America changed? DFO Flood Observatory director Albert Kettner explains that catastrophic floods have become more common in the 21st century. The reasons behind this shift are complex — invoking climate change, urban infrastructure and human impacts on ecosystems and landscapes.

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Photo: Devastation in Asheville NC after Hurricane Helene. Bill McMannis, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Antarctic sea ice maximum in 2024 is ‘second lowest’ on record (Carbon Brief)

Anonymous — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 22:59:06 +0000

Antarctic sea ice maximum in 2024 is ‘second lowest’ on record (Carbon Brief) Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 10/04/2024 - 16:59

This fall, sea ice extent was second smallest in Antarctica and fourth smallest in the Arctic. Moreover, sea ice volume was very low in the Arctic. Alexandra Jahn notes that human-caused emissions “are required to get an Arctic sea ice loss as large as observed”.

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What was behind the seismic boom that wrapped Earth for 9 days? (Grist)

Anonymous — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 22:35:33 +0000

What was behind the seismic boom that wrapped Earth for 9 days? (Grist) Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 09/30/2024 - 16:35

A melting glacier collapsed, sending the mountaintop it propped up careening into the Dickson Fjord in East Greenland. The impact created a 650-foot tall tsunami, which crashed back and forth between the steep channel walls. Tyler Jones puts the event into the context of arctic climate change.

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The mayflies are sending us a warning about urban wildfires (Washington Post)

Anonymous — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 06:00:00 +0000

The mayflies are sending us a warning about urban wildfires (Washington Post) Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 09/17/2024 - 00:00

Lauren Magliozzi (CEAE researcher) offers her perspective on what happens to tiny organisms in streams affected by wildfires has meaning for humans, as well. The story told by these streams and their tiny inhabitants is clear: Urban wildfires pose a serious threat to water quality and aquatic life.

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The not-so-permanent frost (Nepali Times)

Anonymous — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 22:24:30 +0000

The not-so-permanent frost (Nepali Times) Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 09/13/2024 - 16:24

Wilfried Haeberli and Alton C. Byers

Rapid thawing of the Himalayan ice-cap is compounded by little-studied melting of permafrost that destabilizes peaks, write Wilfried Haeberli and Alton Byers.

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Increased krill fishing threatens whale comeback (CU �鶹ӰԺ Today)

Anonymous — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 20:54:02 +0000

Increased krill fishing threatens whale comeback (CU �鶹ӰԺ Today) Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 09/11/2024 - 14:54

Antarctic krill fishing could threaten the recovery of whale species that were nearly wiped out by industrial whaling, according to a study led by CU �鶹ӰԺ and Stanford University, and published Sept. 10 in the journal Nature Communications. Zephyr Sylvester and Cassandra Brooks were part of the research team.

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How Earth’s most intense heat wave ever impacted life in Antarctica (CU �鶹ӰԺ Today)

Anonymous — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 21:54:17 +0000

How Earth’s most intense heat wave ever impacted life in Antarctica (CU �鶹ӰԺ Today) Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 09/04/2024 - 15:54

An atmospheric river brought warm, humid air to the coldest and driest corner of the planet in 2022, pushing temperatures 70 degrees above average. Mike Gooseff and Anna Wright were part of a study revealing what happened to Antarctica’s smallest animals.

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