Study explores soot and volatile particles’ role in contrail formation and climate impact
New research from Fangqun Yu, senior researcher at the University at Albany, focuses on contrail formation’s environmental effects, examining how soot and volatile particles influence ice particle formation in contrails.
This process, crucial to understanding aviation’s climate impact, sees emissions from aircraft forming cirrus clouds that trap heat, contributing over half of aviation’s total climate impact.
Yu’s study, conducted with NASA and German Aerospace Center collaborators, highlights the role of volatile particles even when soot emissions are moderate, expanding the conditions under which contrails impact the atmosphere.
“This research aims to improve our understanding of the processes controlling the number of contrail ice particles formed during flights,” Yu stated, emphasizing its relevance for sustainable aviation.
Journal Reference:
Fangqun Yu, Bernd Kärcher, and Bruce E. Anderson, ‘Revisiting Contrail Ice Formation: Impact of Primary Soot Particle Sizes and Contribution of Volatile Particles’, Environmental Science & Technology 58 (40) 17650-17660 (2024). DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c04340
Article Source:
Press Release/Material by University at Albany, State University of New York
NSF grant supports research on restoration of degraded ecosystems
An international research team led by Penn State’s Ida Djenontin, assistant professor of geography at Penn State, has received $1.3 million grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation to explore the socioecological impacts of restoring degraded woodlands ecosystems, with a focus on Southern Africa.
The project will assess restoration’s dual impact on biodiversity and local livelihoods, navigating complex tradeoffs.
“Restoration actions are expected to recover biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services that support natural resource-based livelihoods and contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation,” Djenontin explained, “but it’s not about restoring to a pristine ideal landscape – rather it’s about restoring to the objectives defined by the people living in those landscapes.”
Utilizing methods such as remote sensing, field-based ecological measurements of biodiversity and carbon storage, household surveys, interviews and focus group discussions, the team aims to address globally important critical knowledge gaps in restoration science.
Journal Reference:
Fleischman, F., Coleman, E., Fischer, H. et al. ‘Restoration prioritization must be informed by marginalized people’, Nature 607, E5–E6 (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04733-x
Article Source:
Press Release/Material by Penn State
Antagonistic gene selection enables soybean adaptation to latitude and increases yield
Research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences explores how artificial selection of two E3 ubiquitin ligase genes, ZTL2 and FKF1, allows soybean to optimize flowering time in response to latitude.
This balance is crucial, as flowering impacts both adaptation and yield. ZTL2 accelerates flowering, whereas FKF1 delays it, helping soybeans fine-tune growth cycles for diverse climates. “This antagonistic function allows soybeans to adapt to different latitudes,” the authors noted, demonstrating the genes’ role in supporting yield across varying geographies.
Journal Reference:
Fan Wang, Shuangrong Liu, Haiyang Li, Xiaoya Lin et al. ‘Artificial selection of two antagonistic E3 ubiquitin ligases finetunes soybean photoperiod adaptation and grain yield’, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 121 (45) e2321473121 (2024). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2321473121
Article Source:
Press Release/Material by PNAS
Regional climate simulation projects altered precipitation patterns across South America
A climate simulation study in Frontiers in Climate projects significant shifts in precipitation patterns across South America by 2100 under an RCP8.5 scenario. The study, conducted using the South America Convection-Permitting Regional Climate Model (SA-CPRCM), anticipates that Eastern Amazon will experience prolonged droughts, while Southeastern Brazil may see increased rainfall, intensifying flood risks.
The authors noted that “the models produce broadly similar large-scale spatial patterns of mean precipitation,” underlining regional disparities that reflect intensified drought and flood conditions. These changes are expected to pose major challenges for ecosystems and human resilience in tropical South America.
Journal Reference:
Ron Kahana, Kate Halladay, Lincoln Muniz Alves, Robin Chadwick, Andrew J. Hartley, ‘Future precipitation projections for Brazil and tropical South America from a convection-permitting climate simulation’, Frontiers in Climate 6 (2024). DOI: 10.3389/fclim.2024.1419704
Article Source:
Press Release/Material by Frontiers
Featured image credit: Gerd Altmann | Pixabay
