Pink Dolphins Studied for Climate Change Impact

🌎 2023 Global State of Climate Report Published

NCEI and AMS recently published their 34th annual State of Climate report, with contributions from nearly 600 scientists in 60 countries. The report is an international effort to more fully understand global climate conditions, and provide a comprehensive update on Earth’s climate indicators, notable weather events, and other data on land, water, ice, and space. Some of the most notable findings from 2023 include the warmest year on record, record-high greenhouse gas concentrations, record-high sea surface temperatures, record-high global mean sea level, and record-low sea ice. The report also notes how heatwaves and droughts contributed to massive wildfires worldwide and how tropical cyclone activity set records around the globe.

American Meteorological Society

🪵 Genetically Engineered Super Wood Mitigates Climate Change

Researchers are the University of Maryland have developed a new method for producing a “super wood” that stores more carbon and reduces emissions. The scientists have genetically modified poplar trees to lower their lignin content by 12.8%. Lignin is a key component that makes wood durable, but also complicates its processing. By reducing lignin, the wood can be directly used for high-strength applications without chemical treatment. Not only would that simplify the production process, it would also reduce chemical waste and energy consumption, and improve the wood’s carbon storage capabilities, which is crucial for mitigating climate change. The genetically modified wood resists decay better, allowing it to store carbon longer, meaning less CO2 is released into the atmosphere. The wood also tested to be 1.5 times stronger than untreated wood, and as strong as aluminum alloy 6061, a material commonly used in engineering and construction projects.

Stuti Mishra, Independent

🐬 Pink Dolphins in the Amazon Studied for Climate Change Impact

A team of biologists, veterinarians, and fisherman captured rare freshwater dolphins in the Amazon to study their health and find out how climate change may be impacting them. The study comes after more than 200 river dolphins died on Lake Tefé, a tributary of the Amazon River, last year. Last year, a drought caused low river levels and heated water temperatures to intolerable levels for the dolphins. Thousands of fish were also killed due to a lack of oxygen in the water. The lake’s water reached 40.9C (105.62F) during the 2023 drought, more than 10 degrees higher than average for the time of year. Environmental activists say the conditions were a result of climate change and El Niño. The team hopes to learn more about the dolphins before this season’s drought sets in so that researchers can react faster and try to save the dolphins.

Bruno Kelly, Reuters