Category Environment/Geology

Location of the southern Antarctic Circumpolar Current front (white contour), with -1 degree Celsius sea surface temperature lines (black contours) on Sept. 22 each year from 2002-2009, plotted against a chart of the depth of the Southern Ocean around Antarctica. The white cross is Bouvet Island. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Why has the sea ice cover surrounding Antarctica been increasing slightly, in sharp contrast to the drastic loss of sea ice occurring in the Arctic Ocean? A new NASA-led study finds the geology of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean are responsible.

A NASA/NOAA/university team led by Son Nghiem of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, used satellite radar, sea surface temperature, land form and bathymetry (ocean depth) data to study the physical processes a...

The sheet made of cellulose nanofibers in the mille-feuille filter which can remove resistant viruses from water. Research led by Albert Mihranyan, Professor of Nanotechnology at Uppsala University, Image by Simon Gustafsson. Credit: Simon Gustafsson

A simple paper sheet made by scientists at Uppsala University can improve the quality of life for millions of people by removing resistant viruses from water. The sheet, made of cellulose nanofibers, is called the mille-feuille filter as it has a unique layered internal architecture resembling that of the French puff pastry mille-feuille (English translation thousand leaves)...

At least 11 islands across the northern Solomon Islands have either totally disappeared over recent decades or are currently experiencing severe erosion, an Australian study shows

A further 6 reef islands have been severely eroded in the remote area of the Solomons with one experiencing some 10 houses being swept into the sea between 2011 and 2014.”At least 11 islands across the northern Solomon Islands have either totally disappeared over recent decades or are currently experiencing severe erosion,” the study published in Environmental Research Letters said. “Shoreline recession at 2 sites has destroyed villages that have existed since at least 1935, leading to community relocations.”

The scientists said the 5 that had vanished were all vegetated reef islands up to 5 hectares (12 acres) t...

Young-A Lee and her research team have designed a vest and shoe prototype from the cellulosic fiber grown in this lab. Credit: Christopher Gannon, Iowa State University

The fashion industry generates a lot of waste, which is why a team of researchers developed a new fiber that’s 100% biodegradable. Researchers are testing the fiber – made from a green tea byproduct – to see if it’s a viable alternative. Instead of soil and seeds, LeBaron Hall lab plastic bins contain a gel-like film consisting of cellulose fibers – a byproduct of kombucha tea – that feeds off a mixture of vinegar and sugar. The film is grown by using a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY)...