Category: Environment

A new study shows that sunlight transforms oil spills on the ocean surface more quickly and significantly than previously thought, limiting the effectiveness of chemical dispersants that break up floating oil. A research team funded by the National Science Foundation…

When people think of the Arctic, snow, ice and polar bears come to mind. Trees? Not so much. At least not yet.   A new NASA-led study using data from the Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE)shows that carbon in Alaska’s North Slope…

Climate change could speed the natural regrowth of forests on undeveloped or abandoned land in the eastern U.S., according to a new study. If left to nature’s own devices, a field of weeds and grasses over time will be replaced by…

Researchers from the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo have been hard at work collecting data at the current Kīlauea eruption on Hawai‘i Island. As the lava continues to flow, UH Hilo professors, scientists and students are providing valuable expertise and resources…

Accurately predicting whether, and when, a species may go extinct has never been more critical. The United Nations recently reported that one million species are now in danger of disappearing, and conservationists are scrambling to mitigate the losses. Doing so…

Trade and social networking helped our Homo sapiens ancestors survive a climate-changing volcanic eruption 40,000 years ago, giving hope that we will be able to ride out global warming by staying interconnected, a new study suggests. Analyzing ancient tools, ornaments and human…