EARTH: Still in a haze: Black carbon
2011-03-16
(Press-News.org) Alexandria, VA - Black carbon - fine particles of soot in the atmosphere produced from the burning of fossil fuels or biomass - a major contributor to the thick hazes of pollution hovering over cities around the world, has been known to be a health hazard for decades. But over the last decade, scientists have been examining in increasing detail the various ways in which these particles contribute to another hazard: heating up the planet.
Black carbon's impact on climate is not cut-and-dried, however, as EARTH explores in "Still in a Haze: What We Don't Know About Black Carbon" in the April issue. Does black carbon decrease the albedo in snow-covered areas, thus warming the planet? Or does it increase cloud cover, thus cooling the planet?
Learn more about black carbon's mysterious effects on climate, and read other stories on topics such as how microbes survive for tens of thousands of years in salt crystals, how Earth is becoming dustier, and whether invasive species have caused mass extinctions in the past in the April issue of EARTH. Plus, don't miss the surprising story about discovering dinosaur tracks in a New Jersey housing development.
INFORMATION:
These stories and many more can be found in the April issue of EARTH, now available digitally (http://www.earthmagazine.org/digital/) or in print on your local newsstands.
For further information on the April featured article, go to http://www.earthmagazine.org/earth/article/428-7db-3-e .
Keep up to date with the latest happenings in earth, energy and environment news with EARTH magazine, available on local newsstands or online at http://www.earthmagazine.org/. Published by the American Geological Institute, EARTH is your source for the science behind the headlines.
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2011-03-16
TORONTO, On — March 15, 2011 — Minor league hockey players in the Atom division are more than 10 times likely to suffer a brain injury since bodychecking was first allowed among the 9 and 10-year-olds, says a study led by St. Michael's Hospital neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Cusimano.
The findings, published online in the journal Open Medicine, add to the growing evidence that bodychecking holds greater risk than benefit for youth and support widespread calls to ban the practice.
According to the researchers, led by Cusimano, director of the Injury Prevention Research Centre ...
2011-03-16
University Park, Pa. -- Children of immigrants are more likely to live in households headed by two married parents than children of natives in their respective ethnic groups, according to Penn State sociologists.
This intact family structure may offer immigrant children economic and social advantages that help them adapt to their new country, according to Nancy Landale, professor, sociology and demography.
"An intact family is a positive family arrangement because it maximizes the resources available to children," said Landale. "The family is the main source of children's ...
2011-03-16
Car accidents can be very scary and can be disorienting even if you do not appear to be hurt very badly. Even a minor impact can leave you in shock, and feeling bewildered as to what to do. Often, even though you seem not to be injured at the scene of the accident, and decline medical attention, a day or two later you will be feeling really terrible and in increasing pain. This will give you some pointers on dealing with the situation.
Stop and Exchange Information
Stop at the scene and get the other driver's information even if it appears that there is minor damage ...
2011-03-16
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Scientists have shown that an experimental vaccine against the human norovirus – the bug behind about 90 percent of highly contagious nonbacterial illnesses that cause diarrhea and vomiting – can generate a strong immune response in mice without appearing to cause the animals any harm.
Using a novel viral vector-based method to grow and deliver the vaccine that has shown promise in other agents designed to fight such infections as HIV and hepatitis C, the researchers are the first to test this vaccine design method's effectiveness against the human norovirus. ...
2011-03-16
Hospitals in the high- and low-performing groups differed substantially in five ways: organizational values and goals, senior management involvement, broad staff presence and expertise in AMI care, communication and coordination, and problem solving.
"Our research shows that the key facets to safety and quality in hospitals may not be new gadgets," says Elizabeth Bradley, Ph.D., faculty director at the Yale Global Health Leadership Institute, professor of public health and senior author on the paper. "The essential ingredients are not expensive. If we could implement ...
2011-03-16
Irrigation is one of the most controversial aspects in the sustainable management of golf courses. Researchers from the Canary Islands have spent 25 years analysing the practices relating to reclaimed water at one of the oldest golf courses in Spain. The results show that plants on the course receive 83% more water than they need.
"Excessive amounts of water are used, and this cannot be justified from any perspective", María del Pino Palacios Díaz, lead author of the study and a researcher at the Department of Animal Pathology, Animal Production and Food Science and Technology ...
2011-03-16
In most states, New Jersey included, all insurance policies have "uninsured motorist protection", and most have "underinsured motorist protection". What does this mean?
Uninsured motorist protection is mandatory in the State. That is, your insurance carrier/agent must include it in your coverage. You can (and should) have coverage limits which match your own liability insurance coverage limits. This coverage protects you in the event that you are involved in an accident which is caused by a driver who has no liability insurance on his car. By some estimates, nearly 2 ...
2011-03-16
New Rochelle, NY, March 15, 2011—Since the first laparoscopic procedure was performed to remove a diseased kidney 20 years ago at Washington University in St. Louis, this breakthrough minimally invasive technique has become the standard of care for surgical nephrectomy. This remarkable achievement is celebrated with a series of cutting-edge articles in Journal of Endourology, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (www.liebertpub.com). The issue is available free online at www.liebertpub.com/end
In 1990, all of the technical challenges associated ...
2011-03-16
When most of us think of the perils that present themselves during surgery or hospitalization, we think of surgeons who may make cutting mistakes, or leave objects inside of us. We think of nurses who may give us the wrong medications, or unsanitary conditions that may cause severe infections. But it is entirely possible that the greatest danger lurking within the walls of the hospital is anesthesia.
It is an oversimplification to think that anesthesiologists simply render a patient unconscious at the beginning of the surgery, and then wake him up at the end of the surgery. ...
2011-03-16
(Edmonton) University of Alberta researchers have determined that the influence of northern peatlands on the prehistorical record of climate change has been over estimated, but the vast northern wetlands must still be watched closely as the planet grapples with its current global warming trend.
Northern peatlands, which are a boggy mixture of dead organic material and water, cover more than four million square kilometers. The largest northern peatlands occur in the subarctic regions of Canada and Russia. As peatlands grow they sequester carbon (in the form of carbon dioxide ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] EARTH: Still in a haze: Black carbon
