Synthetic fibers and tire abrasion have the strongest impact on corals. Studies on the effects of microparticles of different materials on reef-building corals and their feeding behavior. Corals feed on plankton, which they catch from the seawater. Due to the increasing pollution of the oceans, they also ingest tiny plastic particles. Sometimes, the corals are unable to expel the microplastics from their bodies. Instead, they store it in their calcareous skeleton, which can be bad for some species: they grow…
AWI research team shows that jellyfish play an important, previously unknown role in the diet of amphipods during the polar night. The Arctic is changing rapidly due to climate change. It is not only affected by increasing surface temperatures, but also by warm water from the Atlantic, which is flowing in more and more – changing the structures and functions of the ecosystem as it also leads to species from warmer regions, such as jellyfish, arriving in the Arctic. Using…
University of Queensland-led research has shown there is more coral reef area across the globe than previously thought, with detailed satellite mapping helping to conserve these vital ecosystems. Dr Mitchell Lyons from UQ’s School of the Environment, working as part of the Allen Coral Atlas project, said scientists have now identified 348,000 square kilometres of shallow coral reefs, up to 20-30 metres deep. “This revises up our previous estimate of shallow reefs in the world’s oceans,” Dr Lyons said. “Importantly, the high-resolution, up-to-date mapping…
New technique can aid in coral reef protection and restoration efforts. Researchers used Earth-orbiting satellites to map coral reef biodiversity at a global scale to show that areas of high habitat diversity also have high species diversity. This new satellite mapping technique can help guide future efforts to identify and protect highly biodiverse reefs, according to the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science research team that conducted the study. “As remote sensing technology becomes more…
For the first time, pollutants from burning fossil fuels have been found embedded in corals, offering scientists a potential new tool to track the history of pollution, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, identified carbon particles emitted by burning fossil fuels embedded in the corals of Illa Grossa Bay, off the Columbretes Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. Finding this type of pollution – known as fly-ash or…
The new research project YESSS – Year-round EcoSystem Study on Svalbard – is focussing on how Arctic warming is changing over the seasons in Svalbard. The team of around 30 scientists observes the life cycles, foraging and overwintering strategies of selected key species all year round and conducts experiments at the AWIPEV station on Svalbard. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research is funding the project, which is coordinated by the Alfred Wegener Institute, with 2.7 million euros until the…
Insect pollination is vital for many plants. Air pollution caused by humans can disrupt this sensitive process. This is shown in a review article written at the University of Würzburg. Pollination, i.e. the transfer of pollen grains from the male to the female organs, is an essential part of reproduction for the majority of plants. For many of these plants, this transfer is carried out by insects in search of food – this is known as insect pollination. The impact…
A lot of waste is generated in the trade fair and event industry. It makes sense to have furniture that can quickly be dismantled and stored to save space – or simply disposed of and recycled. Paper is the ideal raw material here: locally available and renewable. It also has an established recycling process. The German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research (DITF) and their project partners have jointly developed a recycling-friendly modular system for trade fair furniture. The “PapierEvents”…
…paves the way for saving the northern white rhinos from extinction. BioRescue, an international consortium of scientists and conservationists, succeeded in achieving the world’s first pregnancy of a rhinoceros after an embryo transfer. The southern white rhino embryo was produced in vitro from collected egg cells and sperm and transferred into a southern white rhino surrogate mother at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya on September 24, 2023. The BioRescue team confirmed a pregnancy of 70 days with a well-developed…
Help from artificial intelligence (AI) in observing marine mammals is crucial. Computers can count seals from aerial photographs with lightning speed and reliability. Based on their spatial patterns, the tiny dots on the aerial images can even be assigned to one of the two major species of seals in the Wadden Sea. That is shown in the thesis that marine biologist Jeroen Hoekendijk will defend on January 26 in Wageningen. “To better understand if and how marine mammals like seals…
At the beginning of November, The New York Times ran the headline, “America is using up its groundwater like there’s no tomorrow.” The journalists from the renowned media outlet had published an investigation into the state of groundwater reserves in the United States. They came to the conclusion that the United States is pumping out too much groundwater. But the US isn’t an isolated case. “The rest of the world is also squandering groundwater like there’s no tomorrow,” says Hansjörg…
Clustering and Predictive Artificial Intelligence Predicts Characterization of Emerging Contaminants in Wastewater. Expected to be used in water treatment facilities by shortening difficult analytical procedures. The global consumption of pharmaceuticals is growing rapidly every year, reaching 4 billion doses in 2020. As more and more pharmaceuticals are metabolized by the human body and enter sewage and wastewater treatment plants, the amount and types of trace substances found in them are also increasing. When these trace substances enter rivers and oceans…
Worcester Polytechnic Institute researchers unlock secret to upcycling organic compound. WPI Researchers have developed a material to remove urea from water and potentially convert it into hydrogen gas. By building these materials of nickel and cobalt atoms with carefully tailored electronic structures, the group has unlocked the potential to enable these transition metal oxides and hydroxides to selectively oxidize urea in an electrochemical reaction. The study, led by Xiaowei Teng, the James H. Manning professor of Chemical Engineering at WPI, was recently published in…
Protecting the world’s oceans against accelerating damage from human activities could be cheaper and take up less space than previously thought, new research has found. The University of Queensland’s Professor Anthony Richardson collaborated on the study, which looks to halt the rapid decline of marine biodiversity from expanding industrial activities in marine areas beyond national jurisdictions (ABNJ). “This ‘blue acceleration’ as we call it, has seen a greater diversity of stakeholders interested in ABNJs, such as the high seas and the international…
DBFZ publishes database on available resources in Germany and the EU. Biogenic waste and residues hold growing potential for a sustainable and bio-based economy. Until now, freely available and systematically processed data was not fully available. In the revised DBFZ resource database, scientists from the DBFZ present comprehensive data on biomass potentials for Germany and the EU. The database provides detailed information on the availability of various biomasses, including biowaste from private households, cereal straw and industrial residues. The web…
…through an uncrewed surface vehicle. In a recent tragic incident, approximately 100 elephants in Africa perished due to inadequate access to water. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) issues a warning that around 2.5 billion people worldwide could face water scarcity by 2025. In the face of water shortages affecting not only human society but also the entire ecological community due to the climate crisis, it becomes crucial to adopt comprehensive measures for managing water quality and quantity to avert…
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