Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

ScienceDaily: Earth & Climate News

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• Extreme climate change linked to early animal evolution
• Rare great earthquake in April triggers large aftershocks all over the globe
• Hurricane Irene polluted Catskills watershed
• Researchers discover what vampire squids eat: It's not what you think
• As population, interest in outdoor recreation grow, more pressure likely for northern forests
• Tracking koala disease: New findings from old DNA
• Large 2012 earthquake triggered temblors worldwide for nearly a week
• Study reveals complex rupture process in surprising 2012 Sumatra quake
• Salt marsh carbon may play role in slowing climate warming
• Magnitude-8.7 quake was part of crustal plate breakup
• Loss of species makes nature more sensitive to climate change, study finds
• Preserving large females could prevent overfishing of Atlantic cod, Swedish study finds
• Ancient Buddhist statue made of meteorite, new study reveals
• Coral hotspots found in deepwater canyons off northeast US coast
• Backpack-toting birds help researchers reveal migratory divide, conservation hotspots
• Slave rebellion is widespread in ants

Extreme climate change linked to early animal evolution Posted: 26 Sep 2012 01:17 PM PDT An international team of scientists has uncovered new evidence linking extreme climate change, oxygen rise, and early animal evolution.

Rare great earthquake in April triggers large aftershocks all over the globe Posted: 26 Sep 2012 12:30 PM PDT Large earthquakes can alter seismicity patterns across the globe in very different ways, according to two new studies by US Geological Survey seismologists. Both studies shed light on more than a decade of debate on the origin and prevalence of remotely triggered earthquakes. Until now, distant but damaging "aftershocks" have not been included in hazard assessments, yet in each study, changes in seismicity were predictable enough to be included in future evaluations of earthquake hazards.

Hurricane Irene polluted Catskills watershed Posted: 26 Sep 2012 11:17 AM PDT The water quality of lakes and coastal systems will be altered if hurricanes intensify in a warming world, according to a new study.

Researchers discover what vampire squids eat: It's not what you think Posted: 26 Sep 2012 10:32 AM PDT Over the last 100 years, perhaps a dozen scientific papers have been published on the mysterious vampire squid, but no one has been able to figure out exactly what it eats. A new article shows for the first time that the vampire squid uses two thread-like filaments to capture bits of organic debris that sink down from the ocean surface into the deep sea.

As population, interest in outdoor recreation grow, more pressure likely for northern forests Posted: 26 Sep 2012 10:32 AM PDT Despite just modest gains in population and participation in outdoor recreation compared to the rest of the nation, there is a strong likelihood of increasing pressure on forest and other undeveloped lands in northern states as the population grows and recreation demands shift.

Tracking koala disease: New findings from old DNA Posted: 26 Sep 2012 10:32 AM PDT DNA extracted from the skins of koalas displayed in European and North American museums shows that a retrovirus has been a problem for the animals for much longer than was thought, according to researchers.

Large 2012 earthquake triggered temblors worldwide for nearly a week Posted: 26 Sep 2012 10:31 AM PDT This year's largest earthquake, a magnitude 8.6 temblor on April 11 centered in the East Indian Ocean off Sumatra, did little damage, but it triggered quakes around the world for at least a week, according to a new analysis by seismologists.

Study reveals complex rupture process in surprising 2012 Sumatra quake Posted: 26 Sep 2012 10:31 AM PDT The massive earthquake that struck under the Indian Ocean southwest of Sumatra on April 11, 2012, came as a surprise to seismologists and left them scrambling to figure out exactly what had happened. Analysis of the seismic waves generated during the event has now revealed a complicated faulting process unlike anything seen before.

Salt marsh carbon may play role in slowing climate warming Posted: 26 Sep 2012 10:26 AM PDT A warming climate and rising seas will enable salt marshes to more rapidly capture and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, possibly playing a role in slowing the rate of climate change, according to a new study.

Magnitude-8.7 quake was part of crustal plate breakup Posted: 26 Sep 2012 10:26 AM PDT Seismologists have known for years that the Indo-Australian plate of Earth's crust is slowly breaking apart, but they saw it in action last April when at least four faults broke in a magnitude-8.7 earthquake that may be the largest of its type ever recorded.

Loss of species makes nature more sensitive to climate change, study finds Posted: 26 Sep 2012 07:43 AM PDT When we wipe out the most sensitive species, human beings reduce the resilience of ecosystems to climate change, reveals a new study from biologists in Sweden. High biodiversity acts as an insurance policy for nature and society alike as it increases the likelihood that at least some species will be sufficiently resilient to sustain important functions such as water purification and crop pollination in a changing environment.

Preserving large females could prevent overfishing of Atlantic cod, Swedish study finds Posted: 26 Sep 2012 07:42 AM PDT Cod are among Sweden's most common and most popular edible fish and have been fished hard for many years. One consequence is the risk of serious changes in cod stocks, reveals new research.

Ancient Buddhist statue made of meteorite, new study reveals Posted: 26 Sep 2012 07:42 AM PDT An ancient Buddhist statue which was first recovered by a Nazi expedition in 1938 has been analyzed by a team of scientists. The probably 1,000-year-old statue, called the “Iron Man”, weighs 10 kilograms, portrays the Buddhist god Vaisravana and is believed to originate from the pre-Buddhist Bon culture of the 11th Century. Geochemical analyses by the German-Austrian research team revealed that the priceless statue was carved from an ataxite, a very rare class of iron meteorites.

Coral hotspots found in deepwater canyons off northeast US coast Posted: 26 Sep 2012 06:45 AM PDT For the first time in decades, researchers have conducted an extensive exploration for deep-sea corals and sponges in submarine canyons off the northeastern coast of the US. The survey revealed coral "hotspots," and found that a new coral habitat suitability model could help predict where corals are likely to occur.

Backpack-toting birds help researchers reveal migratory divide, conservation hotspots Posted: 26 Sep 2012 06:45 AM PDT By outfitting two British Columbia subspecies of Swainson's thrushes with penny-sized, state-of-the-art geolocators, researchers have been able to map their wildly divergent migration routes and pinpoint conservation hotspots.

Slave rebellion is widespread in ants Posted: 26 Sep 2012 06:29 AM PDT Enslaved worker ants kill the offspring of their parasites and thereby improve the chances of survival for their neighboring relatives. According to new research, this behavior now appears to be a widespread characteristic that is not limited to isolated occurrences.