Climate Change

Study Shows How Trees Help CREATE Smog

Laura Candler — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:30:00 +0000

A new study from researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has revealed exactly how trees play a role in smog production. The question has been a source of scientific uncertainty for years, and the findings are a milestone in air pollution research, with potentially significant implications for public health.

How Climate Change Could Threaten The Food Supply

Alex Granados and Frank Stasio — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 16:28:54 +0000

Climate change often sparks concerns over rising sea levels and melting ice caps. But its impact on agriculture could be just as devastating. A new report from the US Department of Agriculture highlights the potential problems and how farmers will have to adapt.

Eaarth

Frank Stasio and Susan Davis — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 15:45:00 +0000

shrinking polar ice caps, rising temperatures, vanishing forests, acidic oceans and superstorms. Welcome to the new planet earth. A renowned environmental writer came up with this new spelling of Earth - Eaarth - because the planet we live on no longer resembles the planet we used to live on. The new planet has a new name.

UNC Working to Save Native Species in Galapagos

Sandy Hausman — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 10:00:00 +0000

The Galapagos is a chain of 13 large islands about six hundred miles from the coast of Ecuador. It was there, in 1835, that the British scientist Charles Darwin began thinking about how animals change over time. Since then, scientists have called the Galapagos a living laboratory, a place to study evolution and natural selection. Now, with 180,000 tourists visiting each year, experts say the living lab is in danger, and University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill scientists are stepping up to help.

Who Owns the Arctic?

Frank Stasio and Meghan Modafferi — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:16:00 +0000

The question of who owns the Arctic is under consideration at a conference hosted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill this week. The issue of Arctic sovereignty has arisen largely in response to climate change.

NC Wraps Up One of its Warmest Winters

Isaac-Davy Aronson — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 11:00:00 +0000

It's the first day of Spring but it may feel like winter never really settled in. State Climatologist Ryan Boyles says it was the 8th-warmest winter on record in North Carolina and the 6th-driest. He says that's had some up-sides.

Ryan Boyles: Recreation has been much higher this year; people have been able to really get out and enjoy the outdoors this past winter because we've had such mild temperatures. Snow removal costs have been very small this past winter, especially compared to the previous two winters. But there are some negative impacts as well.

Study: Climate Change Altering Bird Migration

Eric Hodge — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 12:13:00 +0000

There's more evidence that climate change is altering bird migration patterns. A new study from UNC-Chapel Hill finds some species along the east coast are migrating three-to-six days earlier than they were just ten years ago. Allen Hurlbert is an assistant professor of biology at UNC. He says birds face problems if they get the timing wrong.

New Planting Map Shows Warmer Winters

Isaac-Davy Aronson — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:05:00 +0000

The US Department of Agriculture says winters aren't as cold as they used to be in North Carolina. It has released its first new map of planting zones in more than 20 years. Tony Avent is the owner of Plant Delights Nursery in Raleigh. He was a technical advisor on the map. He says its detailed, interactive features surpass anything previously available.

Harp Seals Dying as Ice Shrinks

Catherine Brand — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 22:18:00 +0000

Warmer temperatures in the North Atlantic over the last several decades have resulted in significantly higher mortality rates of baby harp seals. A new study out of Duke looked at satellite data of ice conditions in the Gulf of St Lawrence, a major breeding region and compared them to yearly reports of dead seal pups that washed up on shore. Lead researcher David Johnston is a scientist at the Duke University Marine Lab:

David Johnston: These animals have evolved to take advantage of the advan tages of ephemeral surfaces like ice.

Climate Change Forcing Tropical Bird Migration

Jeremy Loeb — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 18:10:00 +0000

A new study out of Duke University finds global warming is forcing tropical birds in Peru to migrate to higher elevations. But it also finds they're migrating at a slower rate than the world is warming.