Some plants and patches of Earth withstand heat and dry spells better than others. A new Stanford University study shows those different coping mechanisms are closely linked to wildfire burn areas, posing increasing risks in an era of climate change. The results, published Feb. 7 in Nature Ecology and Evolution, show swaths of forest and shrublands in […]
Stanford University
Posted inSci/Tech
Climate of chaos: Stanford researchers show why heat may make weather less predictable
A new Stanford University study shows rising temperatures may intensify the unpredictability of weather in Earth’s midlatitudes. The limit of reliable temperature, wind and rainfall forecasts falls by about a day when the atmosphere warms by even a few degrees Celsius. “Our results show the state of the climate in general has implications for how […]
Posted inRegional
Sierra Nevada range should celebrate two birthdays
November 15, 2021 – When geologist Elizabeth Miller started mapping a fault system in Death Valley, she questioned the origin of some sedimentary rocks previously assumed to be locally derived. Now, analysis has revealed where they really came from: central Nevada, indicating that part of today’s Great Basin was the highest land in North America […]
Posted inEnviro
Stanford-led research shows carbon emissions have rebounded to near pre-pandemic levels
November 3, 2021 – Industrial emissions of carbon dioxide have returned close to pre-pandemic levels, according to new research published Nov. 4. Surging consumption of coal and natural gas for power plants and industry is driving the rebound – especially in China – even as transportation emissions remain down and renewable energy use ramps up. […]
Posted inSci/Tech
Stanford researchers find whales are more important ecosystems engineers than previously thought
November 3, 2021 – From 1910 to 1970, humans killed an estimated 1.5 million baleen whales in the frigid water encircling Antarctica. They were hunted for their blubber, baleen – the filtering fringe they have in place of teeth – and meat. One might assume that from the perspective of krill – the tiny shrimp-like […]
Posted inCalifornia
Living near oil and gas wells increases air pollution exposure, according to Stanford research
In a 14-year analysis of air quality across California, Stanford researchers observed higher levels of air pollutants within 2.5 miles of oil and gas wells, likely worsening negative health outcomes for nearby residents. The scientists analyzed local air quality measurements in combination with atmospheric data and found that oil and gas wells are emitting toxic […]
Posted inSci/Tech
Pollution’s impact on child health
Studies have shown air pollution is a major risk factor for respiratory infection – the leading cause of death among children under five – but bad air’s specific impacts on developing bodies have remained somewhat of a mystery. A Stanford-led study reveals a link between tiny airborne particles and child health in South Asia, a […]
Posted inCalifornia
Stanford researchers explore how people respond to wildfire smoke
As wildfires become commonplace in the western U.S. and around the world, checking the daily air quality warning has become as routine as checking the weather. But what people do with that data – whether it drives them to slip on a mask before stepping outside or seal up their homes against smoke – is […]
Posted inSci/Tech
Humans drive most of the ups and downs in freshwater storage at Earth’s surface, Stanford study finds
March 4, 2021 – Water levels in the world’s ponds, lakes and human-managed reservoirs rise and fall from season to season. But until now, it has been difficult to parse out exactly how much of that variation is caused by humans as opposed to natural cycles. Analysis of new satellite data published March 3 in Nature shows fully 57 […]
Posted inSci/Tech
More than half of in-hospital deaths from COVID-19 among Black, Hispanic patients, study finds
November 18, 2020 – More than half of all in-hospital deaths due to COVID-19 during the first six months of 2020 were among Black and Hispanic patients, according to a new study led by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Duke University School of Medicine. The researchers did not find any racial or ethnic differences in mortality […]
Posted inEnviro
In a warming world, Cape Town’s ‘Day Zero’ drought won’t be an anomaly
November 10, 2020 – Today, the lakes around Cape Town are brimming with water, but it was only a few years ago that South Africa’s second-most populous city made global headlines as a multi-year drought depleted its reservoirs, impacting millions of people. That kind of extreme event may become the norm, researchers now warn. Using […]
Posted inCalifornia
Stanford researchers identify ‘landfalling droughts’ that originate over ocean
September 24, 2020 – Meteorologists track hurricanes over the oceans, forecasting where and when landfall might occur so residents can prepare for disaster before it strikes. What if they could do the same thing for droughts? Stanford scientists have now shown that may be possible in some instances – the researchers have identified a new kind […]
Posted inCalifornia
Stanford researchers discuss wildfire weather
August 27, 2020 – Something unfamiliar to many Californians – an intense thunderstorm with widespread lightning strikes – spawned the all-too-familiar wildfires that have so far burned more than 1 million acres across the state’s north. That contrast may foreshadow a future of increasingly frequent extreme weather that drives natural disasters. Noah Diffenbaugh, the Kara […]
Posted inSci/Tech
Stanford researchers show how forest loss leads to spread of disease
April 8, 2020 – Viruses that jump from animals to people, like the one responsible for COVID-19, will likely become more common as people continue to transform natural habitats into agricultural land, according to a new Stanford study. The analysis, published in Landscape Ecology, reveals how the loss of tropical forests in Uganda puts people at greater […]
Posted inRegional
Stanford researchers forecast longer, more extreme wildfire seasons
April 2, 2020 – In California, a changing climate has made autumn feel more like summer, with hotter, drier weather that increases the risk of longer, more dangerous wildfire seasons, according to a new Stanford-led study. The paper, published in Environmental Research Letters, provides insights that could inform more effective risk mitigation, land management and […]
Posted inRegional
Stanford researchers explain what to expect from wildfire season this year and in the future
June 14, 2019 – The recipe for disaster is simple. Throughout Western North America, millions of people live in high-risk wildfire zones thanks to increasingly dry, hot summers and abundant organic fuel in nearby wildlands. This year, the National Interagency Fire Center is predicting a heavy wildfire season for areas along the West Coast from […]
Posted inEnviro
Stanford experts discuss challenges and opportunities in disposing of waste
April 24, 2019 – Waste ain’t what it used to be. Since China largely closed the door to imported garbage last year, recycling costs have increased considerably and programs have disappeared or scaled back in communities across the United States. The shift creates an opportunity for reassessing how we create and dispose of waste. The […]
Posted inWorld
Climate change has worsened global economic inequality
April 24, 2019 – A new Stanford University study shows global warming has increased economic inequality since the 1960s. Temperature changes caused by growing concentrations of greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere have enriched cool countries like Norway and Sweden, while dragging down economic growth in warm countries such as India and Nigeria. “Our results show […]
Posted inLife
Nils Nilsson, pioneer in robotics and artificial intelligence, dies at 86
April 24, 2019 – J. Nilsson, the Kumagai Professor of Engineering, emeritus, in the Department of Computer Science at Stanford University, died April 23, 2019, at his home in Medford, OR, after a brief stay in hospice. He was 86. Nilsson is best known for his foundational work in robotics, artificial intelligence and machine learning […]
Posted inCalifornia
Stanford study offers a way to map where flooded fields best replenish groundwater
April 10, 2019 – In California, the amount of water exiting aquifers under the state’s most productive farming region far surpasses the amount of water trickling back in. That rampant overdraft has caused land across much of the region to sink like a squeezed out sponge, permanently depleting groundwater storage capacity and damaging infrastructure. The […]