//www.koonmotors.com/news/earth_climate/desert/ Read all about the desert biome, including articles on desertification, semi-arid conditions and more. en-us Thu, 07 Sep 2023 22:54:03 EDT Thu, 07 Sep 2023 22:54:03 EDT 60 //www.koonmotors.com/images/scidaily-logo-rss.png//www.koonmotors.com/news/earth_climate/desert/ For more science news, visit ScienceDaily. //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230821232423.htm Researchers successfully harvest water from the atmosphere using ambient sunlight. Mon, 21 Aug 2023 23:24:23 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230821232423.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230811115516.htm Using a novel method to detect microbial activity in biological soil crusts, or biocrusts, after they are wetted, a research team in a new study uncovered clues that will lead to a better understanding of the role microbes play in forming a living skin over many semi-arid ecosystems around the world. The tiny organisms -- and the microbiomes they create -- are threatened by climate change. Fri, 11 Aug 2023 11:55:16 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230811115516.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230802105822.htm Researchers have analyzed the shifting patterns of entire dune fields on Earth and Mars, as seen from orbit, and found they are a direct signature of recent environmental change. This new tool can be applied anywhere with dunes, such as Mars, Titan, and Venus. Wed, 02 Aug 2023 10:58:22 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/08/230802105822.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230725123037.htm Lower parasitism and predation in urban habitats may contribute to the invasion success of brown widow spiders, according to new research. Tue, 25 Jul 2023 12:30:37 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230725123037.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230718105630.htm A new study compiles the scope of the problem of the global dispersal of harmful microorganisms through the upper layers of the atmosphere. Tue, 18 Jul 2023 10:56:30 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230718105630.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230707111620.htm Scientists in Japan have used a global climate model to show that dust from land without snow cover in the Arctic is a major source of particles that form ice crystals in Arctic low-level clouds. This finding could help improve predictions of Arctic warming, which is suggested to be much faster than in other parts of the world. Fri, 07 Jul 2023 11:16:20 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/07/230707111620.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/06/230615183142.htm Engineers synthesized a superabsorbent material that can soak up a record amount of moisture from the air, even in desert-like conditions. Thu, 15 Jun 2023 18:31:42 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/06/230615183142.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/06/230614220550.htm Newly planted vegetation on coastal sand dunes can accelerate erosion from extreme waves. Wed, 14 Jun 2023 22:05:50 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/06/230614220550.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/05/230531150134.htm Researchers report that in the absence of visible landmarks, desert ants increase the likelihood that foraging nest mates will find their way home quickly and safely by elevating their nest entrance. Ant colonies whose nests are found deep in the Tunisian saltpan are particularly reliant on the self-made landmarks. If the mound at the nest entrance was removed, they immediately began building a new hill, unless the researchers provided artificial landmarks. This phenomenon adds yet another fascinating facet to the amazing navigation skills of these tiny desert animals. Wed, 31 May 2023 15:01:34 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/05/230531150134.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/05/230519104542.htm New evidence for the presence of ancient lakes in some of the most arid regions of South Africa suggests that Stone Age humans may have been more widespread across the continent than previously thought. Fri, 19 May 2023 10:45:42 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/05/230519104542.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/05/230519104539.htm Researchers have identified engravings in Jordan and Saudi Arabia as the oldest known scaled building plans in human history. Fri, 19 May 2023 10:45:39 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/05/230519104539.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/05/230511164615.htm An international team has reconstructed the evolution of groundwater in the Great Basin, USA -- one of the driest regions on Earth -- up to 350,000 years into the past with unprecedented accuracy. The results shed new light on the effects of climate change on water supply and provide important insights for the sustainable use of groundwater resources. Thu, 11 May 2023 16:46:15 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/05/230511164615.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/05/230511164514.htm 一项新的研究表明,沙丘可以作为代表ositories of fire history and aid in expanding scientific understanding of fire regimes around the world. Thu, 11 May 2023 16:45:14 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/05/230511164514.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/05/230501163955.htm Researchers have characterized two different types of surface water in the hyperarid salars -- or salt flats -- that contain much of the world's lithium deposits. This new characterization represents a leap forward in understanding how water moves through such basins, and will be key to minimizing the environmental impact on such sensitive, critical habitats. Mon, 01 May 2023 16:39:55 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/05/230501163955.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/04/230420135409.htm Biocrusts play a crucial role in maintaining soil health and ecosystem sustainability, but they are currently under assault. Human activities including agriculture, urbanization, and off-road vehicle use can lead to the degradation of biocrusts, which have long-term consequences for these fragile environments. Climate change is also placing stress on biocrusts, which struggle to adapt to sunlight and searing heat in arid landscapes like the Sonoran Desert. Thu, 20 Apr 2023 13:54:09 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/04/230420135409.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/04/230418101414.htm Researchers have discovered how long ago the Australian Nullarbor plain dried out, with a new approach shedding light on how ancient climate change altered some of the driest regions of our planet. Tue, 18 Apr 2023 10:14:14 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/04/230418101414.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/04/230411195920.htm An extreme closeup of feathers from a bird with an uncanny ability to hold water while it flies could inspire the next generation of absorbent materials. Tue, 11 Apr 2023 19:59:20 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/04/230411195920.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/03/230328145445.htm In North America's hottest, driest desert, climate change is causing the decline of plants once thought nearly immortal and replacing them with shorter shrubs that can take advantage of sporadic rainfall and warmer temperatures. Tue, 28 Mar 2023 14:54:45 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/03/230328145445.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/03/230301120828.htm Researchers have developed a method that has now mapped several billion trees and their carbon uptake in Africa's Sahel. In the future, the method could be used to monitor whether climate credit purchases have a positive effect on the number of trees and whether nature restoration is working. Wed, 01 Mar 2023 12:08:28 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/03/230301120828.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/03/230301101524.htm The honeycomb patterns which are often found in salt deserts in Death Valley, US, and Bolivia, among other places, look like something from another world. Researchers can now explain the origin of the mysterious patterns. Wed, 01 Mar 2023 10:15:24 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/03/230301101524.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230208124227.htm The collapse of the Hittite Empire in the Late Bronze Age has been blamed on various factors, from war with other territories to internal strife. Now, scientists have used tree ring and isotope records to pinpoint a more likely culprit: three straight years of severe drought. Wed, 08 Feb 2023 12:42:27 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/02/230208124227.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230131160533.htm As deserts expanded their range over the past 5-7 million years, many plants invaded the new biome and rapidly diversified, producing amazing adaptations to drought and heat. Can plants continue to adapt to increasing aridity caused by climate change? A new study that addressed the origins of desert adaptation concluded that one group of desert plants, rock daisies, came preadapted to aridity, likely helping them survive desert conditions. Not all plants may be so lucky. Tue, 31 Jan 2023 16:05:33 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230131160533.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230131131003.htm Populations of various species of aquatic insects and other invertebrates respond to flooding and waterway drying due to drought in different ways that can be anticipated, according to a new study that employed a novel method to assess the stability of stream ecosystems. Tue, 31 Jan 2023 13:10:03 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230131131003.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230130213941.htm Desert bighorn sheep whose Southern California range is bisected by freeways may one day benefit from modeling designed to show where the animals would be most apt to use overpasses to safely cross the interstates. Mon, 30 Jan 2023 21:39:41 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230130213941.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230118195722.htm Las Vegas, with its rapid urbanization and desert landscape, is highly vulnerable to flooding. For this reason, flood managers have built an extensive system of drainage ditches and detention basins to protect the public. Now, a new study shows how intentional engineering and urban development are interacting with climate change to alter the timing and intensity of flood risk. Wed, 18 Jan 2023 19:57:22 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230118195722.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230117192916.htm A study shows that global atmospheric dust -- microscopic airborne particles from desert dust storms -- has a slight overall cooling effect on the planet that has hidden the full amount of warming caused by greenhouse gases. Climate change could accelerate slightly if dust levels stop climbing. Tue, 17 Jan 2023 19:29:16 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230117192916.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230111075835.htm Despite recent, torrential rains, most of Southern California remains in a drought. Accordingly, many residents plant trees prized for drought tolerance, but a new study shows that these trees lose this tolerance once they're watered. Wed, 11 Jan 2023 07:58:35 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2023/01/230111075835.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221209094746.htm The biochemical process by which cyanobacteria acquire nutrients from rocks in Chile's Atacama Desert has inspired engineers at the University of California, Irvine to think of new ways microbes might help humans build colonies on the moon and Mars. Fri, 09 Dec 2022 09:47:46 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221209094746.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221206083115.htm An almost limitless supply of fresh water exists in the form of water vapor above Earth's oceans, yet remains untapped, researchers said. A new study suggests an investment in new infrastructure capable of harvesting oceanic water vapor as a solution to limited supplies of fresh water in various locations around the world. Tue, 06 Dec 2022 08:31:15 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/12/221206083115.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/11/221114190634.htm Researchers are using dust trapped in glacier ice in Tibet to document past changes in Earth's intricate climate system -- and maybe one day help predict future changes. Mon, 14 Nov 2022 19:06:34 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/11/221114190634.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221027123936.htm Based on new analyses of satellite data, scientists have found that hydrologic conditions that increase flash drought risk occur more often than current models predict. The research also shows that incorporating how plants change soil structures can improve Earth system models. Thu, 27 Oct 2022 12:39:36 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221027123936.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221021181032.htm A new study on early human migration shows that semi-arid and desert zones of Central Asia may have served as key areas for the dispersal of hominins into Eurasia during the Middle Pleistocene. Central Asia is positioned at a crossroads linking several zones important to hominin dispersal during this period, however much evidence from this region lacks context for dating and climate conditions, making it difficult to understand these dynamics. Fri, 21 Oct 2022 18:10:32 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221021181032.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221020122948.htm Scientists have puzzled over the origin of Namibia's fairy circles for nearly half a century. It boiled down to two main theories: either termites were responsible, or plants were somehow self-organizing. Now, researchers benefiting from two exceptionally good rainfall seasons in the Namib Desert, show that the grasses within the fairy circles died immediately after rainfall, but termite activity did not cause the bare patches. Instead, continuous soil-moisture measurements demonstrate that the grasses around the circles strongly depleted the water within the circles and thereby likely induced the death of the grasses inside the circles. Thu, 20 Oct 2022 12:29:48 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221020122948.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221017081920.htm A new study indicates previously unknown high altitude contests between two of America's most sensational mammals -- mountain goats and bighorn sheep -- over access to minerals previously unavailable due to the past presence of glaciers which, now, are vanishing due to global warming. Mon, 17 Oct 2022 08:19:20 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/10/221017081920.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/09/220922124355.htm 在今年年初,世界卫生组织anization (WHO) announced that the Middle East ranks among the regions with the worst air quality. There is a common misconception that desert dust is the most significant cause of air pollution from particulate matter in this region, but a new study has shown that more than 90 percent of the particulate matter that is detrimental to health originates from anthropogenic sources. This human-made fine particulate matter differs from the less harmful desert dust particles. Scientists determined this through ship borne measurements and verified it in elaborate modeling calculations. The anthropogenic particles are primarily caused by the production and use of fossil fuels such as oil and gas. They are generally smaller than desert dust and can penetrate deep into the lungs. Thu, 22 Sep 2022 12:43:55 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/09/220922124355.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/09/220902111328.htm New research has mapped the DNA from more than 150 species of native rodents from across Australia, New Guinea and Melanesian islands, painting a clearer picture of how they're related and how they ended up spreading across the Pacific. Fri, 02 Sep 2022 11:13:28 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/09/220902111328.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/07/220727211935.htm A new study reveals that introduced donkeys and indigenous pumas are helping to resurrect extinct food webs in Death Valley. Wed, 27 Jul 2022 21:19:35 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/07/220727211935.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/07/220720121048.htm Rising annual temperatures and dwindling yearly precipitation across the mid-latitudes of Central Asia have extended its desert climate 60 miles northward since the 1980s, says a recent study. Wed, 20 Jul 2022 12:10:48 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/07/220720121048.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/06/220627100206.htm The first high-quality genome of the desert locust -- those voracious feeders of plague and devastation infamy and the most destructive migratory insect in the world -- has been produced. The genome of the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) is enormous at just under 9 billion base pairs, nearly three times the size of the human genome. The size of the desert locust's chromosomes is remarkable; compare them to those of the model fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, the first insect genome ever assembled. Many of the desert locust's individual chromosomes are larger than the entire fruit fly genome. Next to the fruit fly, it's like an 18-wheeler next to a compact car. Mon, 27 Jun 2022 10:02:06 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/06/220627100206.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/06/220614164423.htm Researchers conducted an eight-year experiment that found that climate warming played a predominant role in shaping microbial biodiversity, with significant negative effect. Tue, 14 Jun 2022 16:44:23 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/06/220614164423.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/06/220606111530.htm Trees planted in the tropics as part of nations' reforestation commitments can have unintended consequences, sometimes degrading biodiversity hotspots, damaging ecosystems like grasslands, or encroaching on protected areas. Mon, 06 Jun 2022 11:15:30 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/06/220606111530.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/06/220601092202.htm A new study has found that 21 percent of the reptile species on Earth (one in five species), amounting to a total of about 2,000 species, are threatened with extinction. Experts estimate that there are over 12,000 species of reptiles in the world. Wed, 01 Jun 2022 09:22:02 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/06/220601092202.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/05/220523162813.htm Researchers developed a low-cost gel film made of abundant materials that can pull drinkable water from the air in even the driest climates. Mon, 23 May 2022 16:28:13 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/05/220523162813.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/04/220428125453.htm As reservoir levels dwindle in the Southwest, scientists have developed a method to estimate summer rainfall in the region months in advance. These seasonal predictions can enable state and local officials to make key reservoir and water allocation decisions earlier in the season and support more efficient water management. Thu, 28 Apr 2022 12:54:53 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/04/220428125453.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/04/220418085656.htm A new study shows it's not how much extra water you give your plants, but when you give it that counts. Researchers observed that in summer, plants grow more when given extra water, in addition to any natural rainfall. However, the same is not true in winter. Mon, 18 Apr 2022 08:56:56 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/04/220418085656.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/03/220330121414.htm Deserts may seem lifeless and inert, but they are very much alive. Sand dunes, in particular, grow and move -- and according to a decades long research project, they also 'breathe' humid air. Wed, 30 Mar 2022 12:14:14 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/03/220330121414.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/03/220321103744.htm From the Murray-Darling system to Great Artesian Basin, 'invisible' underground groundwater is often the only water supply available across the vast majority Australia where its annual contribution to GDP is estimated at more than $6.8 billion a year. However, overuse of groundwater during droughts and aquifer depletion has already seen water crises, including in Australia's 'food bowl' the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB), California and Cape Town in South Africa, with more likely to follow with groundwater management largely reactive and unlikely to avert more crises as climate change accelerates and populations grow. Mon, 21 Mar 2022 10:37:44 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/03/220321103744.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/03/220316115006.htm Dry, hot regions are difficult places to grow plants because the soil dries out quickly. As a result, farmers in arid and semi-arid regions irrigate their fields with buried networks of irrigation tubing and cover the ground with plastic sheets. But plastic sheets are expensive and create waste. Now, researchers have developed a simple, biodegradable ground cover -- wax-coated sand -- which keeps soil wet and increases crop yields. Wed, 16 Mar 2022 11:50:06 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/03/220316115006.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/03/220311141427.htm Dust that accumulates on solar panels is a major problem, but washing the panels uses huge amounts of water. Engineers have now developed a waterless cleaning method to remove dust on solar installations in water-limited regions, improving overall efficiency. Fri, 11 Mar 2022 14:14:27 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/03/220311141427.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/03/220309104446.htm New research shows how, after it rains, microbes in desert soil convert one form of pollution into another -- laughing gas. Wed, 09 Mar 2022 10:44:46 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/03/220309104446.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/03/220301131056.htm Using a unique hydrogel, scientists have created a solar-driven system that successfully grows spinach by using water drawn from the air while producing electricity. The proof-of-concept design offers a sustainable, low-cost strategy to improve food and water security for people living in dry-climate regions. Tue, 01 Mar 2022 13:10:56 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/03/220301131056.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/02/220216112227.htm Due to human-caused pressures and global warming, some soils in Europe's Mediterranean region are reaching what the researchers refer to as 'critical limits for their ability to provide ecosystem services,' which include farming and absorbing carbon, among others. Perhaps even more troubling, the problem could be even more extensive than we realize, says an author of a new study. Wed, 16 Feb 2022 11:22:27 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/02/220216112227.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/01/220111153706.htm Researchers have unearthed the earliest definitive evidence of broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum) in ancient Iraq, challenging our understanding of humanity's earliest agricultural practices. Tue, 11 Jan 2022 15:37:06 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/01/220111153706.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/01/220111100019.htm 研究人员分析了一个广泛的收集of sand samples from so-called megaripple fields around the world and gained new insights into the composition of these sand waves. These could help settle debates about the mechanistic origin of some recently discovered enigmatic extraterrestrial sand structures and improve our ability to infer information about past weather and climate events from sediment records. Tue, 11 Jan 2022 10:00:19 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2022/01/220111100019.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/12/211222153149.htm 当风阁楼细沙尘高到atmosphere, iodine in that dust can trigger chemical reactions that destroy some air pollution, but also let greenhouse gases stick around longer. The finding may force researchers to re-evaluate how particles from land can impact the chemistry of the atmosphere. Wed, 22 Dec 2021 15:31:49 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/12/211222153149.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/12/211220190703.htm Shrubs in the desert Southwest have increased their water use efficiency at some of the highest rates ever observed to cope with a decades-long megadrought. Researchers found that although the shrubs' efficiency increases are unprecedented and heroic, they may not be enough to adapt to the long-term drying trend in the West. Mon, 20 Dec 2021 19:07:03 EST //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/12/211220190703.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/11/211104115245.htm Scientists have built a plant that can produce carbon-neutral liquid fuels from sunlight and air. The next goal will be to take this technology to industrial scale and achieve competitiveness. Researchers now describe how this novel solar reactor functions and outline a policy framework that would provide incentives to expand the production of 'solar kerosene'. Thu, 04 Nov 2021 11:52:45 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/11/211104115245.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/11/211102180530.htm Heat from a comet exploding just above the ground fused the sandy soil into patches of glass stretching 75 kilometers, a new study found. Tue, 02 Nov 2021 18:05:30 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/11/211102180530.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/10/211026124324.htm Scientists have used down-scaled laboratory models to show how sand dunes move through a landscape, revealing the conditions that determine whether they will pass through hurdles in their path -- like pipelines or walls -- or get stopped in their tracks. Tue, 26 Oct 2021 12:43:24 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/10/211026124324.htm //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/10/211026124307.htm Water is a scarce commodity in many countries worldwide, but new cost-effective technology pioneered by researchers in Australia, Egypt and Saudi Arabia could ensure sustainable water supplies for decades to come. Tue, 26 Oct 2021 12:43:07 EDT //www.koonmotors.com/releases/2021/10/211026124307.htm