Satellites and space debris disrupted by climate change

In that region, more than 50 miles above Earth's surface, carbon emissions cause cooling rather than warming because carbon dioxide molecules collide with oxygen atoms and release heat into space. Because such cooling makes the planet's atmosphere contract, it can reduce drag on satellites and debris that orbit the earth, possibly having "adverse consequences for the orbital debris environment that is already unstable," the researchers wrote.  http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-climate-change-satellites-debris-20121112,0,3501663.story?track=rss

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Time/Science Now by Eryn Brown

 

 

 

Warming climate may starve bamboo-eating pandas

Already endangered by deforestation, poor reproductive rates and hunting, China's giant pandas may now face a new threat: global warming.According to a study published online Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change, rising temperatures could eliminate much of the bamboo that pandas rely on for sustenance in China's Qinling Mountains. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-giant-panda-20121112,0,1607423.story?track=rss

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Monte Morin

 

 

 

Poorest nations urge Obama to help the most vulnerable to climate change

Now, as the world?s nations prepare to meet in Qatar for annual United
Nations climate change treaty negotiations later this month, the
world?s 48 least developed countries have issued a strongly worded
letter to Obama urging him to take a leadership role in helping poor
countries prepare for climate change. Poor countries have long charged
they suffer the most from climate change brought on by wealthy
countries that are emitting the vast majority of heat-trapping gases
from power plants, cars, and industry.

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/greenblog/?s_campaign=cse


----------------------------------------------------------------
This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program.

Hurricane Sandy will impact New England and landfall appears likely near Delaware Bay, forecasters say

Hurricane Sandy’s latest projected path shows the storm will likely make landfall early Tuesday morning near the border of Delaware and New Jersey, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The storm is currently 460 miles south-southeast of Charlestown, S.C., moving north at 6 miles per hour. Sandy’s sustained winds are as strong as 80 miles per hour, the Hurricane Center reported at 11 a.m.

From his office in Taunton, National Weather Service meteorologist Alan Dunham said today that regardless of where it hits the coast, New England is going to feel it.  http://boston.com/metrodesk/2012/10/26/impacts-sandy-will-felt-new-england-just-how-bad-not-yet-known-national-weather-service-says/DG4j4pMGEUbqbB66hmE8SN/story.html

Article courtesy of The Boston Globe -Metrodesk by Melissa M. Werthmann

Congress members voice doubts about BioWatch

WASHINGTON — For two years, the nationwide BioWatch system, intended to protect Americans against a biological attack, operated with defective components that left it unable to detect lethal germs, according to scientists with direct knowledge of the matter. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-biowatch-20120914,0,5355655.story

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by David Willman, Washington Bureau

 

Diesel fumes more polluting than gas, new California study finds

A chemical analysis of air samples taken from California's San Joaquin Valley and an Oakland traffic tunnel show that diesel fuel emissions are more polluting than previously thought, according to researchers.

The study, which appeared Monday in the journal PNAS, focuses on a specific form of pollutant known as secondary organic aerosol, or SOA. The pollutant is a major element of smog and can contribute to heart and respiratory problems. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-diesel-pollution-20121022,0,7643604.story?track=rss

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times /Science Now by Monte Morin

 

 

 

Dolphins can remain alert for 15 days at a time, study finds

If you're the type who keeps a case of Red Bull under their desk at work for those long nights, you have a new role model: The remarkable ability of dolphins to rest only half their brain at a time allows them to remain alert indefinitely, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal PLoS ONE. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-dolphins-can-remain-alert-for-15-days-at-a-time-20121017,0,7885869.story?track=rss

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times-Science Now by Jon Bardin