|
Tiny Dust Particles From Sahara Could Help Scientists Study Climate Change |
|
Scientists of the Soil Science and Geopharmacy Research Group of the University of Granada (Spain), directed by Rafael Delgado, have discovered and characterized a new type of atmospheric aerosols named "iberulites," which could be useful for the study of relevant atmospheric reactions from Earth. Researchers José Luis Díaz Hernández, of the Andalusian Research and Farming, Fishing, Food, and Ecological Production Training Institute (IFAPA) and Jesús Párraga Martínez, of the Department of Edaphology and Farming Chemistry of the University of Granada, have insisted that such iberulites form in the troposphere from mineral small grains emitted from desert soils and bordering regions, burst into the atmosphere in a chaotic way, collect water vapour which becomes condensed and make up little rain drops. "As we all know," the scientists point out, "the Sahara is a powerful emitter of atmospheric dust, which travels to the Amazon and Caribbean regions, including Florida, also reaching the North of Europe, Israel and even the Himalayas. Such mineral grains, which contain iron, calcium, sulphur and sometimes phosphorus, fertilize the soil, forests and plankton of the oceans, lakes and seas they go through... continued at ScienceDaily.com |
|
|
What's That Smell? Fair Ride Runs On Manure |
|
A children's ride at the California State Fair will soon run entirely on cow manure, and despite the likely bathroom humor, fair officials said it's a great step forward. Pacific Gas and Electric Company and developer BioEnergy Solutions will power the "Barnyard Animal Train" ride with renewable biogas, made from state dairy cows, reported Sacramento TV station KCRA…. continued at WXII12.com |
|
A look at why lakes are green |
|
The Shell Rock River Watershed District board has come out with a list of prioritized plans to improve water quality and algae levels in the lakes and waters of Freeborn County, a process leading to the dredging of Albert Lea Lake and Fountain Lake. Clayton Petersen, a board member of the Shell Rock Watershed District board and an agronomist, said he sought to be on the watershed board because he comes from a background based in science and feels he can use this knowledge to help the watershed board. A major step by the watershed board has been to make a list of their projects through 2015 available to the public. The board compiled all issues, prioritized them and put a dollar amount to each issue to show how it will be taken out of the sales tax each year. This gives the public a plan as to when each project will be dealt with and where the money is going... continued at Albert Lea Tribune |
|
Wildlife refuge begins recovery |
|
Burned pond pine trees stand as if on stilts in this blackened scrub after a summer wildfire burned away the peat soil beneath their roots. All but dead, the pines have sprouted bright green clumps of needles directly from their charred trunks in a reflexive bid to survive. Ferns have started reclaiming the blackened ground where firefighters battled the wildfire in June and July as it scorched 64 square miles of Eastern North Carolina. Black bears and deer are moving back onto the land. The Pocosin Lakes refuge is starting to recover three months after a lightning strike ignited the wildfire… continued at newsobserver.com |
|
Soil carbon makes sense, not just for good farming |
|
With all the current talk about climate change, reducing green house gas emissions, National Emissions Trading Scheme and carbon trading its a lot of information and new lingo to get your head around. One issue that has arisen is whether or not farmers may be able to store soil carbon and then sell it as a carbon credits. The organic carbon found in soils is a mixture of plant residues that break down and decomposes at different rates. The total amount of carbon in the soil at anyone time is the difference between the inputs (plant residues comprising of roots, leaf litter etc) and the losses due to decomposition and mineralization. The age of soil carbon can vary from the very recent to charcoal fragments that can survive in the soil for thousands of years.... continued at: The Islander |
|
|
|
|
