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Category: climatology

Frozen, but not sealed: Arctic Ocean remained open to life during ice ages, study suggests

For years, scientists have debated whether a giant thick ice shelf once covered the entire Arctic Ocean during the coldest ice ages. Now, a new study published in Science Advances challenges this idea as the research team found no evidence for the presence of a massive ~1km ice shelf. Instead, the Arctic Ocean appears to have been covered by seasonal sea ice—leaving open water and life-sustaining conditions even during the harshest periods of cold periods during the last 750,000 years.

The paper is titled “Seasonal sea ice characterized the glacial Arctic–Atlantic gateway over the past 750,000 years.”

This discovery gives insights crucial for our understanding of how the Arctic has responded to in the past—and how it might behave in the future.

Scientists use lightning to make ammonia out of thin air

University of Sydney researchers have harnessed human-made lightning to develop a more efficient method of generating ammonia—one of the world’s most important chemicals. Ammonia is also the main ingredient of fertilizers that account for almost half of all global food production.

The research was published in Angewandte Chemie International edition.

The team have successfully developed a more straightforward method to produce (NH3) in gas form. Previous efforts by other laboratories produced ammonia in a solution (ammonium, NH4+), which requires more energy and processes to transform it into the final gas product.

Climate satellite MethaneSAT backed by Bezos and Google fails in space after just 1 year

MethaneSAT was designed as a sort of check against commercial climate measurements in order to help policymakers independently verify industry emissions reports. “MethaneSAT is specifically designed to catalyze methane reductions by creating unprecedented transparency,” the mission’s website states.

EDF lists 10 mission partners credited with bringing the $88 million satellite to fruition, including BAE Systems, Harvard University, the New Zealand Space Agency, Bezos Earth Fund, Google and more. Though MethaneSAT is now out of service, mission operators say they’re still committed to turning the data they were able to collect into actionable results.

“We will continue to process data that we have retrieved from the satellite and will be releasing additional scenes of global oil and gas production region-scale emissions over the coming months,” EDT officials said. “To solve the climate challenge requires bold action and risk-taking and this satellite was at the leading edge of science, technology and advocacy. ”

Grok in Tesla’s Leaked / Tesla Expands Robotaxi Invites / Surprising EV Sales Data

Questions to inspire discussion.

🏭 Q: How much LFP cell production capacity does Tesla have in Nevada? A: Tesla’s Nevada facility has equipment for 7–8 GWh of LFP cell production across two production lines, potentially for EVe and grid storage cells.

Tesla Business and Sales.

📊 Q: What are the expectations for Tesla’s Q2 PND report? A: Troy Teslike estimates 356,000 deliveries, while analyst consensus is 385,000, but PND reports are becoming less significant for Tesla’s business model.

💰 Q: What’s crucial for Tesla to become a multi-trillion dollar company? A: Unsupervised FSD rollout and Optimus sales at scale are key, not just increased car or megapack sales.

🇨🇳 Q: How are Tesla’s China sales performing? A: Latest week sales were 20,684 units, down 4.9% QoQ and 11% YoY, but year-to-date figures show Tesla China is closing the gap, down only 4.6% YoY.

Continue reading “Grok in Tesla’s Leaked / Tesla Expands Robotaxi Invites / Surprising EV Sales Data” | >

Volcano Alert: Experts Predict Eruptions in France Imminent!

Though the last volcanic eruption in Puy-de-Dôme dates back to ancient times, there could be new occurrences in the future within the Central Massif. It is indeed true that a layer of lava lies beneath the region and is expected to eventually resurface.

In France, Puy de Dôme is not only known as a department but primarily as a volcano approximately 11,000 years old, with its last eruption occurring in 5,760 BC. Since then, no lava has flowed within France. However, this might not be a permanent situation, according to Guillaume Boudoire, a volcanologist at the Laboratory of Magmas and Volcanoes at Clermont Auvergne University. Interviewed by the Journal Du Net in an article published in April 2025, Boudoire spoke about a very likely “volcanic reactivation” in the Central Massif.

While the expert is certain of this reactivation, it’s crucial to note that forecasting future eruptions is extremely challenging. However, volcanic activity tends to follow cycles, alternating between active and dormant phases. The activity in the Central Massif is not extinguished but merely slumbering, having been dormant for 7,000 years.

Simulating Shade: Researchers Model Tree Impact on Vegas Heat

How can trees provide relief from extreme heat in urban climates? This is what a recent study published in Environmental Research Climate hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated using urban street trees to provide shade relief from extreme temperatures, which continue to increase due to climate change. This study has the potential to help researchers, climate scientists, legislators, city planners, and the public better understand the benefits of trees for cooling urban spaces in the face of the increasing threat of climate change.

For the study, the researchers used a series of computer models between July and August 2022 to simulate how street tree planting in Las Vegas could provide relief from extreme heat and heat exposure. The goal of the study was to ascertain the overall effectiveness of planting non-native trees in an urban setting while estimating the amount of water they would need to survive and provide shade relief from extreme heat. In the end, the researchers found that desert environments are too hot for trees to adequately provide shade relief, primarily due to the trees’ water conservation efforts.

“Urban trees are not a silver bullet for cooling our cities, particularly for desert cities like Las Vegas,” said Dr. Juan Henao, who is a postdoctoral researcher at the Desert Research Institute and lead author of the study. “But they provide significant shade and of course other benefits. I know that I prefer to see trees, and they can help store carbon. We just need to remember that in order to cool the air, they need to release water vapor, and we need to give them enough water to do that. Any hot, dry city will need to consider these tradeoffs and really do their research to identify the right species for planting efforts.”

Living Planet Symposium opens in Vienna

ESA’s Living Planet Symposium, one of the world’s leading Earth observation conferences, opened today in Vienna.

More than 6,500 participants from almost 120 countries signed up to attend the event. With more than 4,200 scientific presentations and posters, the symposium provides a forum and meeting point for scientists, academics and space industry representatives, as well as students and citizens.

The event takes place every three years and this year the focus is ‘from observation to climate action and sustainability for Earth’

Strange Atlantic cold spot linked to century-long slowdown of major ocean current

For more than a century, a patch of cold water south of Greenland has resisted the Atlantic Ocean’s overall warming, fueling debate among scientists. A new study identifies the cause as the long-term weakening of a major ocean circulation system.

Researchers from the University of California, Riverside show that only one explanation fits both observed ocean temperatures and salinity patterns: the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC, is slowing down. This massive current system helps regulate climate by moving warm, salty water northward and cooler water southward at depth.

“People have been asking why this cold spot exists,” said UCR climate scientist Wei Liu, who led the study with doctoral student Kai-Yuan Li. “We found the most likely answer is a weakening AMOC.”

Hurricane-based company breaks ground on 20,000-square-foot robotics facility in Toquerville

TOQUERVILLE, Washington County — The Hurricane-based robotics company IME Automation recently announced the purchase of 6.5 acres of land at Anderson Junction in Toquerville, where the company has broken ground for its new 20,000-square-foot facility.

IME Automation develops custom robotic systems for manufacturing operations worldwide. This new facility will expand its capabilities and footprint in the region.

The land was acquired approximately eight months ago during the summer of 2024, brokered by sales agent Brandon Price with the commercial real estate agency NAI Excel. Price said he delayed putting out information about the acquisition until IME Automation was completely ready to break ground.