Research Vessel Polarstern returns to port with new findings and a wealth of data and samples. Sparse sea ice, thousands of datapoints and samples, a surprising number of animals and hydrothermal vents – those are the impressions and outcomes that an international research team is now bringing back from a Polarstern expedition to the Central Arctic. After a four-month-long Arctic season, the Alfred Wegener Institute’s research icebreaker is expected to arrive back in Bremerhaven with the morning high tide on…
Light pollution is more serious than expected: Moths not only lose their orientation directly under street lamps. Their flight behaviour is also disturbed outside the cone of light. The increasing use of artificial light at night is one of the most dramatic man-made changes on earth. Streetlights and illuminated buildings are significantly changing the environment for nocturnal animals. Scientists have identified light pollution as one of the causes of the sharp decline in insects in recent years: many nocturnal insects…
How Climate Change Impacts Contaminants in the Sea. Toxic trace elements such as lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium naturally occur in small quantities in coastal seas. However, human activities, such as industry and agriculture, contribute significantly larger amounts. A new study has examined how climate change already affects the distribution and accumulation of these elements and how it could impact them in the future. One of the findings: Climate-related natural events are releasing more contaminants, which pose a risk to…
Pesticides aren’t always necessary: researchers at the University of Zurich have conducted a comprehensive field study showing that damage from herbivores can be reduced by using biodiversity within a plant species. Different plant genotypes can cooperate to help fend off herbivorous insects. Just like humans, plants interact with the individuals around them. For example, if the people around you are more susceptible to infections, your own risk of getting infected increases, and vice versa. The same is true for plants….
An “invisible forest” of phytoplankton is thriving in part of our warming ocean, new research shows. Phytoplankton are tiny drifting organisms that do about half of the planet’s “primary production” (forming living cells by photosynthesis). The new study, by the University of Exeter, examined phytoplankton at the ocean surface and the “subsurface” – a distinct layer of water beneath – to see how climate variability is affecting them. Published in the journal Nature Climate Change, the findings show these two…
The global production of plastic has increased to such an extent that plastics have become ubiquitous in our environment. Plastic of various sizes are also found on the German North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts. In the citizen science project “Microplastic Detectives”, researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute, together with citizens, have now collected samples from beaches along the entire German coast to be analyzed for microplastics. The resulting dataset is the first to be large enough to make reliable…
Researchers find that a 32% cut in plastic littering by 2035 is necessary to prevent further water pollution. In a report published in Marine Pollution Bulletin, researchers from Kyushu University have for the first time, provided a clear numerical target for global efforts to tackle marine plastic pollution. By mapping the flow and fate of plastic waste in the oceans, the team found that at a minimum there must be a 32% reduction in plastic littering by 2035 to prevent…
New research out of Southern Cross University has found previously undocumented variation in coral heat tolerance on the Great Barrier Reef, giving hope that corals’ own genetic resources may hold the key for us to help in its recovery and adaptation. New research out of Southern Cross University has found previously undocumented variation in coral heat tolerance on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, giving hope that corals’ own genetic resources may hold the key for us to help in its recovery…
Researchers find that all coral components—including its skeleton—contain microplastics. Researchers from Japan and Thailand investigating microplastics in coral have found that all three parts of the coral anatomy—surface mucus, tissue, and skeleton—contain microplastics. The findings were made possible thanks to a new microplastic detection technique developed by the team and applied to coral for the first time. These findings may also explain the ‘missing plastic problem’ that has puzzled scientists, where about 70% of the plastic litter that has entered…
The Galápagos Islands are struggling with invasive species. To counter this, conservationists resort to drastic measures for removal. A biologist from Würzburg is investigating how these impact native lizards and their food webs. In 1875, Charles Darwin admired uniqueness of species found on the Galápagos Islands in his work A Naturalist’s Voyage Round the World, in particular the group of birds described today as Darwin’s finches. Kirtana Kumar and Galapagos field ranger Henry during her field work in Galapagos. (c)…
Study challenges previous assertions of Gulf Stream slowdown. A new study by scientists at the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS), the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML), and the National Oceanography Centre found that the strength of the Florida Current, the beginning of the Gulf Stream system and a key component of the global Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC, has remained stable for the past four decades. There is…
Protective gloves, such as those used for work, sport or household gardening, retrieve their protective function from a special coating. This coating provides abrasion resistance, makes the material waterproof and resistant to chemicals or oil, and even protects against cuts and punctures. Until now, coatings made of oil-based polymers, nitrile rubber or latex have been the main materials used. Using innovative technologies, scientists at the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF) have succeeded in developing a robust…
Membranes based on natural silk and cellulose can remove many contaminants, including “forever chemicals” and heavy metals. Water contamination by the chemicals used in today’s technology is a rapidly growing problem globally. A recent studyby the U.S. Centers for Disease Control found that 98 percent of people tested had detectable levels of PFAS, a family of particularly long-lasting compounds, also known as forever chemicals, in their bloodstream. A new filtration material developed by researchers at MIT might provide a nature-based solution…
University of Queensland research has revealed that informing tourists visiting the Great Barrier Reef about climate impact doesn’t negatively affect their experience and can help encourage climate action. The researchers surveyed 656 reef visitors about their experiences and behaviours during boat trips. Dr Yolanda Waters from UQ’s School of the Environment said the results showed information on climate change was positively received by visitors. “Informing visitors about the impacts climate change has had on our marine environment doesn’t diminish visitor’s enjoyment of the…
In the Arctic Archipelago Svalbard, this August roughly 20 experts from seven German universities and research centres set up their labs and instruments for the polar research project YESSS (Year-round EcoSystem Study on Svalbard). Coordinated by the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), YESSS is intended to yield new insights into climate change effects. To help make that a reality, a small team of researchers – and this is the unique aspect – will also…
New research adds solid evidence to the suspicion that steep declines in America’s wild bee populations stem in large part from the use of pesticides. Saving the crucial pollinators requires new approaches to managing pesky insects, say the USC Dornsife. Whether you’re strolling through a garden, wandering a park, or simply enjoying an open space in the United States, you’re likely to notice bees buzzing about the flowers. While honeybees, imported from Europe in the 17th century to produce honey,…
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