Climate change is one of the most serious global problems today. Increasing temperatures, rising sea levels, acidification of the ocean, damaging hurricanes, droughts, wildfires and other extreme events have caused devastating human, environmental and economic damage. In response to escalating climate change concerns, the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was created in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) …
Fishes Contribute Roughly 1.65 Billion Tons of Carbon in Feces and Other Matter Annually
Scientists have little understanding of the role fishes play in the global carbon cycle linked to climate change, but a Rutgers-led study found that carbon in feces, respiration and other excretions from fishes – roughly 1.65 billion tons annually – make up about 16 percent of the total carbon that sinks below the ocean’s upper layers. Better data on this key part …
Important Climate Change Mystery Solved by Scientists
Revised Holocene temperature record affirms role of greenhouse gases in recent millennia Scientists have resolved a key climate change mystery, showing that the annual global temperature today is the warmest of the past 10,000 years – contrary to recent research, according to a Rutgers-led study in the journal Nature. The long-standing mystery is called the “Holocene temperature conundrum,” with some skeptics contending …
#EOAS in the News: Science Friday interviews Asa Rennermalm Today
Streaming live at 3:20-3:28 p.m ET on Fri. Jan. 22 on https://www.sciencefriday.com/. Science Friday (Public Radio) interviews Asa Rennermalm. An associate professor in the Department of Geography, at Rutgers University New Brunswick, Rennermalm is a physical geographer specializing in climate change, hydrology, and glaciology of the polar regions. In 2019 she was both a Kavli Fellow (National Academy of Sciences) and …
Greenland Melting Likely Increased by Bacteria in Sediment
Microbes in meltwater stream sediment may help boost island’s contribution to sea-level rise Bacteria are likely triggering greater melting on the Greenland ice sheet, possibly increasing the island’s contribution to sea-level rise, according to Rutgers scientists. That’s because the microbes cause sunlight-absorbing sediment to clump together and accumulate in the meltwater streams, according to a Rutgers-led study – the first of …
How to Identify Heat-Stressed Corals
“Coral hospital” tool could help safeguard reefs facing climate change Researchers have found a novel way to identify heat-stressed corals, which could help scientists pinpoint the coral species that need protection from warming ocean waters linked to climate change, according to a Rutgers-led study. “This is similar to a blood test to assess human health,” said senior author Debashish Bhattacharya, a Distinguished Professor in …
Planning Ahead Protects Fish and Fisheries
Effective planning for climate change helps avoid conflicts over ocean uses Conservation of fish and other marine life migrating from warming ocean waters will be more effective and also protect commercial fisheries if plans are made now to cope with climate change, according to a Rutgers-led study in the journal Science Advances. “Sticking our heads in the sand doesn’t work,” said lead author Malin …
#EOAS in the News: Heidi Fuchs Discusses how Snail Adaptations to Climate Change are Potentially Deadly
Noticing that two snail species on the U.S. east coast have adapted to climate change by moving into shallower, warmer water, a habitat that could be potentially deadly for them, #EOAS faculty member Heidi Fuchs and her colleagues examined 60 years of data on 50 invertebrate species including shellfish, sea stars, and worms in the Atlantic, and saw that they too had …
#EOAS in the News: How Snowy will this Winter Be? David Robinson Weighs In
La Niña will be strong during the upcoming winter, so does this mean New Jersey will get more than the average amount of snow this year? EOAS faculty member and N.J. State Climatologist David Robinson told The Star Ledger (nj.com) in the article La Niña has strengthened, what this means for N.J. this winter, “snow is awfully difficult to predict, as …
#EOAS in the News: Ximing Guo speaks to Science Magazine about the Impact of Genomics on Aquaculture
Science Magazine interviewed EOAS faculty member Ximing Guo for the article “New genetic tools will deliver improved farmed fish, oysters, and shrimp. Here’s what to expect” published Nov. 19, 2020 Guo is a Professor at the Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory, Rutgers Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences. His primary research interests are the biology, genetics, and evolution of marine mollusks, and marine aquaculture. He is interested …