Tuesday, January 05, 2021

Pollutants rapidly changing the waters near Ieodo Island

POHANG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (POSTECH)

There has been frequent occurrence of red tide in coastal waters around Korea where the sea turns red. Red tide is a phenomenon in which phytoplankton proliferate as nutrient or sewage flow into seawater, making it appear red. This not only causes damage to the fisheries industry but also affects the marine ecosystem.

Professor Kitack Lee and Ph.D. candidate Ji-Young Moon (first author) of POSTECH's Division of Environmental Science and Engineering have confirmed that the inflow of nitrogen pollutants since the 1980s has disturbed the nutrient balance in the northeast Asian waters and is changing the species of phytoplankton responsible for red tide. The team also found that the fastest change in the oceanic conditions caused by this inflow of nitrogen pollutants is happening in the waters near the Ieodo Ocean Research Station, located downstream of the Changjiang River of China. These findings were recently introduced in the journal Limnology and Oceanography.

The Northeast Asia region, including Korea, China, and Japan, has seen an increase of nitrogen pollutants because of the rapid population growth and industrialization in modern times. As the nitrogen pollutant flows into the sea as a result of floods and monsoons, northeast Asian waters have experienced an unexpected massive fertilization. Many scientists have warned that these nitrogen pollutants not only increase harmful algae bloom in the coastal waters, but also lead to deterioration of water quality and changes in the formation of marine ecosystem species.

The researchers analyzed the nutrient concentration data and the occurrence of red tide in the East China seas and coastal waters of the Korean Peninsula in the past 40 years since the 1980s. The results show that a wide range of oceans in this region have changed from being nitrogen deficient to phosphorus (P) deficient, while at the same time the concentration of nitrate (N) has been higher than that of silicate (Si). In particular, it has been confirmed that the major phytoplankton in Korea's coastal waters are also changing from diatoms to dinoflagellates.

The research team explained that this is direct evidence that the nutrient regime in the northeast Asian marginal sea is changing as the amount of nitrogen pollutants is increasing, which is further creating phytoplankton species and disrupting the marine ecosystem.

At the same time, the team verified that the fastest place to see these oceanic changes due to the inflow of nitrogen pollutants was in the waters around Ieodo Ocean Research Station.

"Since the changes in the waters near Ieodo Ocean Research Station will soon occur in the waters near the Korean Peninsula, long-term observation of the concentration of nutrient in the coastal waters and changes in the ecosystem are necessary," proposed Professor Kitack Lee who led the study. He added, "The findings can be used as important scientific evidence for establishing environmental policies, such as setting nitrogen pollutant emissions."

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This study was conducted as part of the National Institute of Fisheries Science's Impact and Prediction of Oceanic Acidification due to Climate Change and the Korea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Agency's Ocean Carbon Circulation Response with Climate Change and the Interrelationship Study (I

Risk of extinction cascades from freshwater mussels to a bitterling fish

Decline of unionid mussels heightens hybridisation of native and introduced bitterling fish

EHIME UNIVERSITY

Research News

IMAGE: FRESHWATER FISH DISTRIBUTED IN JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA, AND CHINA. LISTED AS NEAR THREATENED IN JAPANESE RED LIST. view more
CREDIT: HIROKI HATA (EHIME UNIVERSITY)

Bitterling fishes (Subfamily: Acheilognathinae) spawn in the gills of living freshwater mussels obligately depending on the mussels for reproduction. On the Matsuyama Plain, Japan, populations of unionid mussels--Pronodularia japanensis, Nodularia douglasiae, and Sinanodonta lauta--have decreased rapidly over the past 30 years. Simultaneously, the population of a native bitterling fish, Tanakia lanceolata, which depends on the three unionids as a breeding substrate, has decreased. Furthermore, a congeneric bitterling, Tanakia limbata, has been artificially introduced, and hybridisation and genetic introgression occur between them. Here, we surveyed the reproduction and occurrence of hybridisation between native and invasive species of bitterling fishes. We collected mussels in which these bitterlings lay their eggs, kept them separately in aquaria, collected eggs and larvae ejected from the mussels, and genotyped them using six microsatellite markers and mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences.

The introduced T. limbata was more abundant, had a longer breeding period, and produced more juveniles than the native T. lanceolata. Hybrids between the two species occurred frequently, and in total 101 of the 837 juveniles genotyped were hybrids. The density of P. japanensis was low, at most 0.42 individuals/m2. Nodularia douglasiae and S. lauta have nearly or totally disappeared from these sites. Hybrid clutches of the Tanakia species occurred more frequently where the local density of P. japanensis was low. The mussels were apparently overused and used simultaneously by three species of bitterlings.

The decline of freshwater unionid populations has heightened hybridisation of native and invasive bitterling fishes by increasing the competition for a breeding substrate. We showed that a rapid decline of host mussel species and an introduction of an invasive congener have interacted to cause a rapid decline of native bitterling fish. The degradation of habitat and the introduction of invasive species interact to cause a cascade of extinctions in the native species. In our study, obligate parasite species are threatened because the host species are disappearing, resulting in a serious threat of coextinction.

CAPTION

Freshwater unionid species endemic in Japan.

CAPTION

Excessive crowding of a native Tanakia lanceolata (orange fin) and invasive Tanakia limbata (olive brown body) of a mussel, Pronodularia japanensis, seen at the bottom center in the image.

Researchers discover a new tool for reconstructing ancient sea ice to study climate change

BROWN UNIVERSITY

NEWS RELEASE 4-JAN-2021

Research News

IMAGE: A COMPOUND THAT WAS NOTORIOUS FOR THROWING OFF RECONSTRUCTIONS OF SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE TURNS OUT TO BE A GOOD PROXY FOR RECONSTRUCTING PAST SEA ICE, A NEW STUDY FINDS. view more
CREDIT: KAREN WANG

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] -- Sea ice is a critical indicator of changes in the Earth's climate. A new discovery by Brown University researchers could provide scientists a new way to reconstruct sea ice abundance and distribution information from the ancient past, which could aid in understanding human-induced climate change happening now.

In a study published in Nature Communications, the researchers show that an organic molecule often found in high-latitude ocean sediments, known as tetra-unsaturated alkenone (C37:4), is produced by one or more previously unknown species of ice-dwelling algae. As sea ice concentration ebbs and flows, so do the algae associated with it, as well as the molecules they leave behind.

"We've shown that this molecule is a strong proxy for sea ice concentration," said Karen Wang, a Ph.D. student at Brown and lead author of the research. "Looking at the concentration of this molecule in sediments of different ages could allow us to reconstruct sea ice concentration through time."

Other types of alkenone molecules have been used for years as proxies for sea surface temperature. At different temperatures, algae that live on the sea surface make differing amounts of alkenones known as C37:2 and C37:3. Scientists can use the ratios between those two molecules found in sea sediments to estimate past temperature. C37:4 -- the focus of this new study -- had been long considered a bit of problem for temperature measurements. It turns up in sediments taken from closer to the Arctic, throwing off the C37:2/C37:3 ratios.

"That was mostly what the C37:4 alkenone was known for -- throwing off the temperature ratios," said Yongsong Huang, principal investigator of the National Science Foundation-funded project and a professor in Brown's Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Science. "Nobody knew where it came from, or whether it was useful for anything. People had some theories, but no one knew for sure."

To figure it out, the researchers studied sediment and sea water samples containing C37:4 taken from icy spots around the Arctic. They used advanced DNA sequencing techniques to identify the organisms present in the samples. That work yielded previously unknown species of algae from the order Isochrysidales. The researchers then cultured those new species in the lab and showed that they were indeed the ones that produced an exceptionally high abundance of C37:4.

The next step was to see whether the molecules left behind by these ice-dwelling algae could be used as a reliable sea ice proxy. To do that, the researchers looked at concentrations of C37:4 in sediment cores from several spots in the Arctic Ocean near the present-day sea ice margins. In the recent past, sea ice in these spots is known to have been highly sensitive to regional temperature variation. That work found that the highest concentrations of C37:4 occurred when climate was coldest and ice was at its peak. The highest concentrations dated back to the Younger-Dryas, a period of very cold and icy conditions that occurred around 12,000 years ago. When climate was at its warmest and ice ebbed, C37:4 was sparse, the research found.

"The correlations we found with this new proxy were far stronger than other markers people use," said Huang, a research fellow at the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society. "No correlation will be perfect because modeling sea ice is a messy process, but this is probably about as strong as you're going to get."

And this new proxy has some additional advantages over others, the researchers say. One other method for reconstructing sea ice involves looking for fossil remains of another kind of algae called diatoms. But that method becomes less reliable further back in time because fossil molecules can degrade. Molecules like C37:4 tend to be more robustly preserved, making them potentially better for reconstructions over deep time than other methods.

The researchers plan to further research these new algae species to better understand how they become embedded in sea ice, and how they produce this alkenone compound. The algae appear to live in brine bubbles and channels inside sea ice, but it may also bloom just after the ice melts. Understanding those dynamics will help the researchers to better calibrate C37:4 as a sea ice proxy.

Ultimately, the researchers hope that the new proxy will enable better understanding of sea ice dynamics through time. That information would improve models of past climate, which would make for better predictions of future climate change.

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Other coauthors on the study were Markus Majaneva, Simon Belt, Sian Liao, Joseph Novak, Tyler R. Kartzinel, Timothy Herbert, Nora Richter and Patricia Cabedo-Sanz. The work was supported by the National Science Foundation (EAR-1762431).

New data-driven global climate model provides projections for urban environments

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, NEWS BUREAU
Research News

AT MAKES PROJECTIONS SPECIFIC TO URBAN AREAS PREDICTS THAT BY THE END OF THIS CENTURY, WARMING ACROSS GLOBAL CITIES WILL INCREASE BY 1.9 DEGREES CELSIUS... view more
CREDIT: GRAPHIC BY MICHAEL VINCENT

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Cities only occupy about 3% of the Earth's total land surface, but they bear the burden of the human-perceived effects of global climate change, researchers said. Global climate models are set up for big-picture analysis, leaving urban areas poorly represented. In a new study, researchers take a closer look at how climate change affects cities by using data-driven statistical models combined with traditional process-driven physical climate models.

The results of the research led by University of Illinois Urbana Champaign engineer Lei Zhao are published in the journal Nature Climate Change.

Home to more than 50% of the world's population, cities experience more heat stress, water scarcity, air pollution and energy insecurity than suburban and rural areas because of their layout and high population densities, the study reports.

"Cities are full of surfaces made from concrete and asphalt that absorb and retain more heat than natural surfaces and perturb other local-scale biophysical processes," said Zhao, a civil and environmental engineering professor and National Center for Supercomputing Applications affiliate. "Incorporating these types of small-scale variables into climate modeling is crucial for understanding future urban climate. However, finding a way to include them in global-scale models poses major resolution, scale and computational challenges."

Global climate models project future scenarios by modeling how broader-scale processes like greenhouse gas emissions force the global climate to respond. By combining this technique with a statistical model that emulates a complex and detailed climate model for urban landscapes, Zhao's team confronted the urban-to-global information gap.

The team applied its urban climate emulation technique to data from 26 global climate models under intermediate- and high-emissions scenarios. This approach allowed researchers to model outputs into city-level projections of temperature and relative humidity through the year 2100, permitting climate change and uncertainty quantification.

The model predicts that by the end of this century, average warming across global cities will increase by 1.9 degrees Celsius with intermediate emissions and 4.4 C with high emissions, with good agreement among existing climate models over certain regions, Zhao said.

The projections also predicted a near-universal decrease in relative humidity in cities, making surface evaporation more efficient and implying that adaptation strategies like urban vegetation could be useful.

"Our findings highlight the critical need for global projections of local urban climates for climate-sensitive urban areas," Zhao said. "This could give city planners the support they need to encourage solutions such as green infrastructure intervention to reduce urban heat stress on large scales."

Currently, the projections do not account for the effects of future urban development. However, the researchers hypothesize that they can extend their strategy to make up for this. "The methodology, overall, is very flexible and can be adjusted to capture things like finer time scales and can even be applied to other ecosystems, like forests and polar regions, for example," Zhao said.

The National Science Foundation and the Army Research Office supported this study.

Editor's notes:

To reach Lei Zhao, call 217-300-9546; email leizhao@illinois.edu.

The paper "Global multi-model projections of local urban climates" is available from the U. of I. News Bureau. DOI: 10.1038/s41558-020-00958-8.

A robotic revolution for urban nature

UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS

Research News

Drones, robots and autonomous systems can transform the natural world in and around cities for people and wildlife.

International research, involving over 170 experts and led by the University of Leeds, assessed the opportunities and challenges that this cutting-edge technology could have for urban nature and green spaces.

The researchers highlighted opportunities to improve how we monitor nature, such as identifying emerging pests and ensuring plants are cared for, and helping people engage with and appreciate the natural world around them.

As robotics, autonomous vehicles and drones become more widely used across cities, pollution and traffic congestion may reduce, making towns and cities more pleasant places to spend time outside.

But the researchers also warned that advances in robotics and automation could be damaging to the environment.

For instance, robots and drones might generate new sources of waste and pollution themselves, with potentially substantial negative implications for urban nature. Cities might have to be re-planned to provide enough room for robots and drones to operate, potentially leading to a loss of green space. And they could also increase existing social inequalities, such as unequal access to green space.

Lead author Dr Martin Dallimer, from the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds, said: "Technology, such as robotics, has the potential to change almost every aspect of our lives. As a society, it is vital that we proactively try to understand any possible side effects and risks of our growing use of robots and automated systems.

"Although the future impacts on urban green spaces and nature are hard to predict, we need to make sure that the public, policy makers and robotics developers are aware of the potential pros and cons, so we can avoid detrimental consequences and fully realise the benefits."

The research, published today in Nature Ecology & Evolution, is authored by a team of 77 academics and practitioners.

The researchers conducted an online survey of 170 experts from 35 countries, which they say provides a current best guess of what the future could hold.

Participants gave their views on the potential opportunities and challenges for urban biodiversity and ecosystems, from the growing use of robotics and autonomous systems. These are defined as technologies that can sense, analyse, interact with and manipulate their physical environment. This includes unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), self-driving cars, robots able to repair infrastructure, and wireless sensor networks used for monitoring.

These technologies have a large range of potential applications, such as autonomous transport, waste collection, infrastructure maintenance and repair, policing and precision agriculture.

The research was conducted as part of Leeds' Self Repairing Cities project, which aims to enable robots and autonomous systems to maintain urban infrastructure without causing disruption to citizens.

First author Dr Mark Goddard conducted the work whilst at the University of Leeds and is now based at the Northumbria University. He said: "Spending time in urban green spaces and interacting with nature brings a range of human health and well-being benefits, and robots are likely to transform many of the ways in which we experience and gain benefits from urban nature.

"Understanding how robotics and autonomous systems will affect our interaction with nature is vital for ensuring that our future cities support wildlife that is accessible to all."

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This work was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Notes to editors

For interview requests please contact press officer Simon Moore in the University of Leeds press office on s.i.moore@leeds.ac.uk

The paper is titled 'A global horizon scan of the future impacts of robotics and autonomous systems on urban ecosystems' and is published today in Nature Ecology & Evolution.

The paper will be available online here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-020-01358-z

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

Psychological distress during first months of pandemic equal to that during prior year

First longitudinal study of psychological distress during the pandemic shows big spike during early months

RAND CORPORATION

Research News

The coronavirus pandemic is creating a large spike in significant psychological distress among Americans, with the first month of the pandemic causing as much distress in the same number of individuals that experienced it during the whole previous year, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

Findings from the first longitudinal study of psychological distress during the pandemic show that among a representative sample of Americans, more than 10% reported experiencing symptoms of significant psychological distress during April and May of 2020 -- the same amount they reported experiencing over an entire year during a survey conducted a year earlier.

The study also found that people with distress prior to the pandemic were more likely to report distress during the pandemic. Among people with severe distress prior to the pandemic, 48% reported distress during the pandemic while among people with low or no distress prior to the pandemic, just 3% reported distress during the pandemic.

The findings are published online by the journal Preventive Medicine.

"We found equal numbers of people experienced serious psychological distress over 30 days during the pandemic as did over an entire year prior to the pandemic," said Joshua Breslau, the study's lead author and a senior behavioral scientist at RAND, a nonprofit research organization.

The study found there was a higher risk of an increase in psychological distress among people younger than age 60, suggesting that the distress may be driven more by economic stressors than fears specific to the disease, since older individuals are at higher risk of serious illness and death from the virus.

The survey was fielded using the RAND American Life Panel, a nationally representative internet panel. Participants were surveyed in February 2019 and again in May 2020, about 8 weeks after the declaration of a national emergency. There were 2,555 respondents to the first wave of the survey and 1,870 respondents to the second wave.

During each survey, participants were asked about their level of psychological distress at various points over the prior year using standard research assessment tools.

Researchers found that the past-month prevalence of serious psychological distress reported by participants of the second survey was as high (10.9%) as the past-year prevalence reported by individuals in the first survey (10.2%). Previous research has found that the 30-day prevalence of significant distress typically is about half the 12-month prevalence when both are assessed at the same time.

More than 12% of the participants reported higher levels of psychological distress during the second survey as compared to the first. Increases in distress were more common among women compared with men, those under 60 compared with those over 60, and Hispanic people compared with people of other racial/ethnic groups.

"Elevated psychological distress has been observed during prior disasters, but it has never before been seen as a persistent and complex stressor affecting the entire U.S. population," Breslau said. "Policymakers should consider targeting services to population groups at high risk for elevated psychological distress during the pandemic, including people vulnerable to the economic consequences of social distancing."

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Support for the study was provided by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and the National Institute of Mental Health. Other authors of the study are Melissa L. Finucane, Alicia R. Locker, Matthew Baird, Elizabeth Roth and Rebecca L. Collins.

RAND Health Care promotes healthier societies by improving health care systems in the United States and other countries.

Public Concern About Violence, Firearms, and the COVID-19 Pandemic in California

Key Points

Questions Is the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic associated with changes in individuals’ worry about violence happening to themselves or others, the prevalence of and reasons for firearm and ammunition acquisition, and changes in firearm storage practices?

Findings In this survey study of 2870 adults in California, worry about multiple types of violence for oneself increased during the pandemic. Individuals expressed concern that someone else might physically harm themselves because of pandemic-related losses; there was an increase in firearm acquisition and in unsecure storage practice of loaded firearms in response to the pandemic.

Meaning The findings of this study suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to lessen its spread have compounded the public health burden of violence.

Abstract

Importance Violence is a significant public health problem that has become entwined with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Objective To describe individuals’ concerns regarding violence in the context of the pandemic, experiences of pandemic-related unfair treatment, prevalence of and reasons for firearm acquisition, and changes in firearm storage practices due to the pandemic.

Design, Setting, and Participants This survey study used data from the 2020 California Safety and Well-being Survey, a probability-based internet survey of California adults conducted from July 14 to 27, 2020. Respondents came from the Ipsos KnowledgePanel, an online research panel with members selected using address-based sampling methods. Responses were weighted to be representative of the adult population of California.

Main Outcomes and Measures Topics included worry about violence for oneself before and during the pandemic; concern about violence for someone else due to a pandemic-related loss; experiences of unfair treatment attributed to the pandemic; firearm and ammunition acquisition due to the pandemic; and changes in firearm storage practices due to the pandemic.

Results Of 5018 invited panel members, 2870 completed the survey (completion rate, 57%). Among respondents (52.3% [95% CI, 49.5%-55.0%] women; mean [SD] age, 47.9 [16.9] years; 41.9% [95% CI, 39.3%-44.6%] White individuals), self-reported worry about violence for oneself was significantly higher during the pandemic for all violence types except mass shootings, ranging from a 2.8 percentage point increase for robbery (from 65.5% [95% CI, 62.8%-68.0%] to 68.2% [95% CI, 65.6%-70.7%]; P = .008) to a 5.6 percentage point increase for stray bullet shootings (from 44.5% [95% CI, 41.7%-47.3%] to 50.0% [47.3%-52.8%]; P < .001). The percentage of respondents concerned that someone they know might intentionally harm themselves was 13.1% (95% CI, 11.5%-15.3%). Of those, 7.5% (95% CI, 4.5%-12.2%) said it was because the other person had experienced a pandemic-related loss. An estimated 110 000 individuals (2.4% [95% CI, 1.1%-5.0%] of firearm owners in the state) acquired a firearm due to the pandemic, including 47 000 new owners (43.0% [95% CI, 14.8%-76.6%] of those who had acquired a firearm). Of owners who stored at least 1 firearm in the least secure way, 6.7% (95% CI, 2.7%-15.6%) said they had adopted this unsecure storage practice in response to the pandemic.

Conclusions and Relevance In this analysis of findings from the 2020 California Safety and Well-being Survey, the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with increases in self-reported worry about violence for oneself and others, increased firearm acquisition, and changes in firearm storage practices. Given the impulsive nature of many types of violence, short-term crisis interventions may be critical for reducing violence-related harm.

READ / DOWNLOAD THE REPORT HERE;

Public Concern About Violence, Firearms, and the COVID-19 Pandemic in California | Firearms | JAMA Network Open | JAMA Network

Scientists develop new approach to understanding massive volcanic eruptions

Numerical model gives scientists a new tool for estimating the magnitudes of large explosive eruptions occurring thousands of years ago.

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA (USF INNOVATION)

Research News

IMAGE: DORMANT VOLCANO IN EQUADOR. view more
CREDIT: ALAIN VOLENTIK

A geosciences team led by the University of South Florida (USF) has developed a new way to reconstruct the sizes of volcanic eruptions that occurred thousands of years ago, creating a first-of-its kind tool that can aid scientists in understanding past explosive eruptions that shaped the earth and improve the way of estimating hazards of future eruptions.

The advanced numerical model the USF team developed allows scientists to reconstruct eruption rates through time by estimating the dimensions of the umbrella clouds that contribute to the accumulation of vast deposits of volcanic ash. The research is published in the new edition of the Nature Journal, Communications, Earth and Environment.

The research, which was used to decipher the 2,500-year-old eruption of a volcano in Ecuador, was led by USF doctoral candidate Robert Constantinescu in collaboration with USF colleagues Research Associate Laura Connor, Professor Chuck Connor, Associate Professor Sylvain Charbonnier, doctoral alum Alain Volentik and other members of an international team. USF's Volcanology Group is one of the world's leading centers of volcano science and hazard assessment.

When large explosive eruptions occur, they form laterally spreading umbrella clouds into the stratosphere, facilitating the transport of fine-grained ash over hundreds of miles that settles and covers large swaths of land.

Current technology allows scientists to observe ash clouds. However, past eruptions are characterized based on the geological interpretation of their tephra deposits - the pieces and fragments of rock ejected into the air by an erupting volcano. By estimating the erupted volume and mass, plume height, umbrella cloud dimensions and other characteristics, the scientists are able to understand and characterize the volcanic eruptions, therefore improving the forecast of future events.

Using a series of field techniques combined with statistical and numerical modeling, volcanologists extract information from the deposits in order to characterize and classify an eruption on one of the most commonly used scales, the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI). Until now, the most sought-after information is the eruption column height and the total erupted mass or volume, Constantinescu said.

But over time, deposits erode and can provide an uncertain picture of older eruptions. Also, current models have been limited in that they assume all volcanic eruptions created mostly vertical plumes, Constantinescu said, and don't account for large explosive eruptions that form laterally spreading umbrella ash clouds.

The USF team's work shows that it is the dimensions of the umbrella clouds that is the telling factor in reconstructing past large explosive eruptions.

"The better we can reconstruct the nature of past eruptions from deposit data, the better we can anticipate potential hazards associated with future explosive eruptions," the team wrote in the new journal article.

The researchers propose updating the VEI scale with the umbrella cloud dimensions, which can now be easily estimated using the mathematical models they've developed.

The researchers applied their model to the tephra deposit of the eruption of Pululagua, a now dormant volcano about 50 miles north of the capital city of Quito. Ecuador is considered one of the world's most hazardous countries for volcanoes. The volcano last erupted an estimated 2,500 years ago and the area is now a geobotanical reserve renowned for its biodiversity and lush green landscape.

There are about 1,500 potentially active volcanoes worldwide, in addition to those that lurk beneath the world's oceans. In 2020, there were at least 67 confirmed eruptions from 63 different volcanoes, according to the Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program. "If in modern times the umbrella clouds of large eruptions are easily observed, we now have the ability to estimate the umbrella clouds of past eruptions," Constantinescu said. "Our numerical model enables us to better characterize past volcanic eruptions and inform models for future hazard assessment."

CAPTION

Numerical model allows scientists to reconstruct eruption rates through time by estimating the dimensions of the umbrella clouds that contribute to the accumulation of vast deposits of volcanic ash.

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The USF team was joined in the research by Aurelian Hopulele-Gligor of Cluj-Napoca, Romania; Costanza Bonadonna of the University of Geneva; and Jan M. Lindsay of the University of Auckland. The research was funded in part by the National Science Foundation.

SOVIET SCIENCE

Bacteriophage has important role in agriculture and aquaculture

MARY ANN LIEBERT, INC./GENETIC ENGINEERING NEWS

Research News

IMAGE: DEDICATED TO FUNDAMENTAL BACTERIOPHAGE RESEARCH AND ITS APPLICATIONS IN MEDICINE, AGRICULTURE, AQUACULTURE, VETERINARY APPLICATIONS, ANIMAL PRODUCTION, FOOD SAFETY, AND FOOD PRODUCTION. view more
CREDIT: MARY ANN LIEBERT, INC., PUBLICATIONS

New Rochelle, NY, January 4, 2021--Crop plants and animals can be infected by bacterial pathogens that reduce yield, cause food wastage, and carry human pathogens that spread disease on consumption. Bacteriophage can play an important role in microbial control, according to a new Special Issue on Agriculture and Aquaculture published in the peer-reviewed journal PHAGE: Therapy, Applications, and Research. Click here to read the issue.

"Although the number of problems associated with bacterial diseases in agriculture and aquiculture has increased, food producers are under pressure to reduce their reliance on antibiotics. There is therefore a clear need for effective antimicrobials to prevent and treat infections in food animals, to both reduce food waste, and prevent human infection. Clearly if developed properly, phages can at least in part, help to solve this need," says Martha Clokie, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of PHAGE and Professor of Microbiology, University of Leicester.

The Special Issue features valuable articles on a broad range of topics. These include the following:

inPhocus: A Local Perspective on Phage-Based Biocontrol in Agriculture and Aquaculture in India
The Application of Bacteriophage Diagnostics for Bacterial Pathogens in the Agricultural Supply Chain: From Farm-to-Fork
Bacteriophages as Biocontrol Agents for Flavobacterium psychrophilum Biofilms and Rainbow Trout Infections
Effectiveness of Bacteriophages Against Biofilm- Forming Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli on Leafy Greens and Cucumbers
Effect of Phage Targeting Therapy of Brucellosis on Host Antibody Response in Cattle
A Rare, Virulent Clostridium perfringens Bacteriophage Susfortuna Is the First Isolated Bacteriophage in a New Viral Genus

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About the Journal

PHAGE: Therapy, Applications, and Research is the only peer-reviewed journal dedicated to fundamental bacteriophage research and its applications in medicine, agriculture, aquaculture, veterinary applications, animal production, food safety, and food production. Led by Editor-in-Chief, Martha Clokie, PhD, University of Leicester, United Kingdom, the Journal showcases groundbreaking research, reviews, commentaries, opinion pieces, profiles and perspectives dedicated to defining the roles of phages in all facets of microbiology and microbial ecology and exploring their potential to manipulate bacterial communities and treat infection. For complete tables of content and a special issue, visit the PHAGE website.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 90 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for PHAGES (plawiuk.blogspot.com)

Norway first to reach 50% electric in new car sales

Electric cars being charged on a street in Oslo.

Norway has become the first country where more than half of new cars are electrically powered

JANUARY 5, 2021

Norway has become the first country in the world where electric cars account for more than half of new registrations, according to figures published Tuesday by an industry group.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic delaying the release of several new models, electric vehicles accounted for 54.3 percent of the new car market last year, up from 42.4 percent a year earlier, according to Opplysningsradet for Veitrafikken (OFV, "Information Council for Road Traffic").

In December, electric car sales set a monthly record in Norway accounting for 66.7 percent of new sales, the numbers boosted by the arrival of new models, OFV said.

"This is an extremely positive trend", Christina Bu, secretary general of the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association, said.

Bu, who told AFP that Norway was the first country to break the overall 50 percent threshold, added that the country is "almost on track to meet the 2025 targets."

The Nordic country, which is ironically the largest producer of oil in Western Europe, aims to have all new cars being "zero emission"—meaning electric or hydrogen powered—by that year.

Heavy subsidies

Norway has pushed ahead of the rest of Europe when it comes to paving the way for electric cars, by instituting heavy subsidies.

Unlike diesel or petrol cars, clean cars are virtually tax-free in the country, making their prices much more competitive, even if other benefits—such as being exempt from tolls and being able to use lanes reserved for public transport—have been cut back.

The four best-selling models in the Nordic country were the Audi e-tron, the Tesla Model 3, the Volkswagen ID.3 and the Nissan Leaf—all fully electric.

The fifth placed car —the Volkswagen Golf—can be bought in a rechargeable version but the statistics do not differentiate the engine types.

Hybrid vehicles, combining fossil fuel and renewable energy, also gained market share in 2020, up to 29.1 percent compared to 25.9 percent in 2019.

Despite outpacing the rest of the world, the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association was hungry for even more and had expected electric cars to account for around 60 percent of new cars last year.

"We would have made it if it hadn't been for the coronavirus," Bu said.

"But the virus has delayed several launches," she added.

Heading for more records

For this year the association expects electric cars to account for 65 percent of new cars.

"For the first time, the number of launches of electric models, up to 40, is expected to exceed that of other vehicles, less than 30, including rechargeable hybrids," Bu said.

Even if it is progressing at record levels, the electrified portion of the Norwegian car fleet is still small and at the end of 2019, only nine percent of the country's vehicles were electric.

The advances have also come at a steep price tag for the country. According to the Norwegian Ministry of Finance, last year the loss of tax revenue from the subsidies approached 20 billion Norwegian kroner ($2.3 billion, 1.9 billion euros).

"It's not very well thought out," said Bjart Holtsmark, a researcher at the SSB statistics institute, who is critical of government subsidies and says they might not even have the intended effect.

"These subsidies meant that the best-selling vehicle last year was a large 2.5-tonne 4x4 which requires a lot of energy to move around and whose weight means that it causes noise pollution and harmful fine particles," he added.

Explore further E-car sales in Norway reach new record high

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