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Probing Question: How does melting Arctic ice affect weather and climate?

11/1/12

By June 2012, Arctic sea ice had already melted to its lowest extent for the month since satellite record keeping began in 1979, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. How does this affect our weather in the short term and climate in the long term? In several ways, says Andrew Carleton, a Penn State professor of physical geography who specializes in studying sea ice and climate change.

Research focused on underground solution to greenhouse gas challenges

5/17/12

While many are focusing on atmospheric solutions to reduce greenhouse gases, some researchers are setting their sights on the ground -- deep underground. Li Li, an assistant professor of energy and mineral engineering at Penn State, is investigating geologic carbon sequestration (storing carbon dioxide deep beneath the surface of the Earth) as a way to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Untitled

Climate balancing: sea-level rise vs. surface temperature change rates

1/18/12

Engineering our way out of global climate warming may not be as easy as simply reducing the incoming solar energy, according to a team of University of Bristol and Penn State climate scientists. Designing the approach to control both sea level rise and rates of surface air temperature changes requires a balancing act to accommodate the diverging needs of different locations. "Basic physics and past observations suggest that reducing the net influx of solar energy will cool the Earth," said Peter J. Irvine, graduate student, University of Bristol, UK, and participant in the Worldwide Universities Network Research Mobility Programme to Penn State. "However, surface air temperatures would respond much more quickly and sea levels will respond much more slowly."

SIA to host film screening and discussion on climate change

4/12/11

Why has the U.S. government failed to join in climate change agreements adopted by much of the rest of the world? In honor of Earth Day, the School of International Affairs will present an event focused on this question featuring a film screening and discussion moderated by renowned Penn State researcher Professor Donald A. Brown at 7 p.m. on April 20, in 118 Lewis Katz Building, University Park campus.

Probing Question: Are cow burps contributing to global warming?

3/1/11

When people think about the sources of greenhouse gas emissions, they think of oil refineries, smokestacks, and trucks spewing out thick black smoke. They don't usually think of cows.

But recently, the idea that cattle could be a source of greenhouse gas has been attracting attention. It turns out that the belches of cows, sheep, and other livestock animals contain substantial amounts of methane, a particularly potent greenhouse gas that has about 25 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide.

Are cows emitting greenhouse gases?

Untitled

Discovery could aid restoration of coral reefs

6/23/10

Recent discoveries about tropical coral reefs are expected to be invaluable in efforts to restore the corals, which are succumbing to bleaching and other diseases at an unprecedented rate as ocean temperatures rise worldwide. The research gives new insights into how the scientists can help to preserve or restore the coral reefs that protect coastlines, foster tourism and nurture many species of fish. Published on June 23 in the journal PLoS One, the research was accomplished by an international team whose leaders include Iliana Baums, assistant professor of biology at Penn State.

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Video: Researcher studies warming oceans' effects on coral reef life

6/15/10

Iliana Baums, an assistant professor of biology at Penn State, dons scuba gear for work. She studies coral reef ecosystems, the "forests of the oceans," diverse habitats that are vital to many species of ocean life. Warming ocean temperatures disrupt that ecosystem and cause episodes of coral bleaching, which, over time, can kill coral and the life supported by it. Watch a video as Baums explains her research conducted under the sea.

Untitled

Musk Ox population decline due to climate, not to humans, study finds

3/9/10

Scientists have discovered that the drastic decline in Arctic musk ox populations that began roughly 12,000 years ago was due to a warming climate rather than to human hunting. The research is the first study to use ancient musk ox DNA collected from across the animal's former geographic range to test for human impacts on musk ox populations. The research will be published in the early on-line edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences sometime during the week ending Friday, March 12.

Untitled

DNA from rare polar bear fossil sheds light on species' history

3/3/10

A rare, ancient polar bear fossil discovered in Norway in 2004 is yielding a treasure trove of essential information about the age and evolutionary origins of the species. A paper published in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by researchers at Penn State, the University at Buffalo, the University of Oslo and other institutions is filling in key pieces of the evolutionary history of polar bears and brown bears, including their response to past climate changes.

Untitled

Discovery gives hope for resilience of corals to future global warming

2/16/10

Penn State researchers and their international collaborators have discovered a diversity of corals harboring unusual species of symbiotic algae in the warm waters of the Andaman Sea in the northeastern Indian Ocean. "The existence of so many novel coral symbioses thriving in a place that is too warm for most corals gives us hope that coral reefs and the ecosystems they support may persist -- at least in some places -- in the face of global warming," said the team's leader, Penn State assistant professor of biology Todd LaJeunesse.

Untitled

'The Global Water Crisis' is topic of Feb. 23 lecture

2/5/10

A free public lecture titled "The Global Water Crisis" will be given by Gregory Knight, professor of geography at Penn State, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 13, in room 100 of the Thomas Building on Penn State's University Park campus. The event is the fourth of six lectures in the 2010 Penn State Lectures on the Frontiers of Science, a free minicourse for the general public with the theme "Water: The Next Frontier." No registration is required. The lectures take place on six consecutive Saturdays More information can be found at http://www.science.psu.edu/alert/frontiers online.

Inquiry into climate scientist moves to next phase

2/3/10

An internal inquiry by Penn State into the research and scholarly activities of a well-known climate scientist will move into the investigatory stage, which is the next step in the University's process for reviewing research conduct.In looking at four possible allegations of research misconduct against Michael Mann, a committee determined that further investigation is warranted for one of those allegations.

Untitled

Global warming cycles threaten endangered primate species

10/28/09

One of the first-ever analyses of the effects of global warming on endangered primates has examined how El Nino warming has affected the abundance of four highly threatened New World monkeys. All four monkey species showed drops in abundance relating to large-scale climate fluctuations. The study suggests that the consequences of intensified climate fluctuations could be devastating for several primate species.

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Probing Question: How does melting Arctic ice affect weather and climate?

11/1/12

By June 2012, Arctic sea ice had already melted to its lowest extent for the month since satellite record keeping began in 1979, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. How does this affect our weather in the short term and climate in the long term? In several ways, says Andrew Carleton, a Penn State professor of physical geography who specializes in studying sea ice and climate change.

Research focused on underground solution to greenhouse gas challenges

5/17/12

While many are focusing on atmospheric solutions to reduce greenhouse gases, some researchers are setting their sights on the ground -- deep underground. Li Li, an assistant professor of energy and mineral engineering at Penn State, is investigating geologic carbon sequestration (storing carbon dioxide deep beneath the surface of the Earth) as a way to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Untitled

Climate balancing: sea-level rise vs. surface temperature change rates

1/18/12

Engineering our way out of global climate warming may not be as easy as simply reducing the incoming solar energy, according to a team of University of Bristol and Penn State climate scientists. Designing the approach to control both sea level rise and rates of surface air temperature changes requires a balancing act to accommodate the diverging needs of different locations. "Basic physics and past observations suggest that reducing the net influx of solar energy will cool the Earth," said Peter J. Irvine, graduate student, University of Bristol, UK, and participant in the Worldwide Universities Network Research Mobility Programme to Penn State. "However, surface air temperatures would respond much more quickly and sea levels will respond much more slowly."

SIA to host film screening and discussion on climate change

4/12/11

Why has the U.S. government failed to join in climate change agreements adopted by much of the rest of the world? In honor of Earth Day, the School of International Affairs will present an event focused on this question featuring a film screening and discussion moderated by renowned Penn State researcher Professor Donald A. Brown at 7 p.m. on April 20, in 118 Lewis Katz Building, University Park campus.

Probing Question: Are cow burps contributing to global warming?

3/1/11

When people think about the sources of greenhouse gas emissions, they think of oil refineries, smokestacks, and trucks spewing out thick black smoke. They don't usually think of cows.

But recently, the idea that cattle could be a source of greenhouse gas has been attracting attention. It turns out that the belches of cows, sheep, and other livestock animals contain substantial amounts of methane, a particularly potent greenhouse gas that has about 25 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide.

Are cows emitting greenhouse gases?

Untitled

Discovery could aid restoration of coral reefs

6/23/10

Recent discoveries about tropical coral reefs are expected to be invaluable in efforts to restore the corals, which are succumbing to bleaching and other diseases at an unprecedented rate as ocean temperatures rise worldwide. The research gives new insights into how the scientists can help to preserve or restore the coral reefs that protect coastlines, foster tourism and nurture many species of fish. Published on June 23 in the journal PLoS One, the research was accomplished by an international team whose leaders include Iliana Baums, assistant professor of biology at Penn State.

Untitled

Video: Researcher studies warming oceans' effects on coral reef life

6/15/10

Iliana Baums, an assistant professor of biology at Penn State, dons scuba gear for work. She studies coral reef ecosystems, the "forests of the oceans," diverse habitats that are vital to many species of ocean life. Warming ocean temperatures disrupt that ecosystem and cause episodes of coral bleaching, which, over time, can kill coral and the life supported by it. Watch a video as Baums explains her research conducted under the sea.

Untitled

Musk Ox population decline due to climate, not to humans, study finds

3/9/10

Scientists have discovered that the drastic decline in Arctic musk ox populations that began roughly 12,000 years ago was due to a warming climate rather than to human hunting. The research is the first study to use ancient musk ox DNA collected from across the animal's former geographic range to test for human impacts on musk ox populations. The research will be published in the early on-line edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences sometime during the week ending Friday, March 12.

Untitled

DNA from rare polar bear fossil sheds light on species' history

3/3/10

A rare, ancient polar bear fossil discovered in Norway in 2004 is yielding a treasure trove of essential information about the age and evolutionary origins of the species. A paper published in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by researchers at Penn State, the University at Buffalo, the University of Oslo and other institutions is filling in key pieces of the evolutionary history of polar bears and brown bears, including their response to past climate changes.

Untitled

Discovery gives hope for resilience of corals to future global warming

2/16/10

Penn State researchers and their international collaborators have discovered a diversity of corals harboring unusual species of symbiotic algae in the warm waters of the Andaman Sea in the northeastern Indian Ocean. "The existence of so many novel coral symbioses thriving in a place that is too warm for most corals gives us hope that coral reefs and the ecosystems they support may persist -- at least in some places -- in the face of global warming," said the team's leader, Penn State assistant professor of biology Todd LaJeunesse.

Untitled

'The Global Water Crisis' is topic of Feb. 23 lecture

2/5/10

A free public lecture titled "The Global Water Crisis" will be given by Gregory Knight, professor of geography at Penn State, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 13, in room 100 of the Thomas Building on Penn State's University Park campus. The event is the fourth of six lectures in the 2010 Penn State Lectures on the Frontiers of Science, a free minicourse for the general public with the theme "Water: The Next Frontier." No registration is required. The lectures take place on six consecutive Saturdays More information can be found at http://www.science.psu.edu/alert/frontiers online.

Inquiry into climate scientist moves to next phase

2/3/10

An internal inquiry by Penn State into the research and scholarly activities of a well-known climate scientist will move into the investigatory stage, which is the next step in the University's process for reviewing research conduct.In looking at four possible allegations of research misconduct against Michael Mann, a committee determined that further investigation is warranted for one of those allegations.

Untitled

Global warming cycles threaten endangered primate species

10/28/09

One of the first-ever analyses of the effects of global warming on endangered primates has examined how El Nino warming has affected the abundance of four highly threatened New World monkeys. All four monkey species showed drops in abundance relating to large-scale climate fluctuations. The study suggests that the consequences of intensified climate fluctuations could be devastating for several primate species.