How nitric acid overcame its fear of water with a little help from its friends
Whether it is a pond or raindrop, when a common nitrogen-containing acid encounters water's surface, it typically falls apart, dissociating into two charged particles. Except, sometimes it is able to...
View ArticleSilicon-carbon electrodes snap, swell, don't pop
A study that examines a new type of silicon-carbon nanocomposite electrode reveals details of how they function and how repeated use could wear them down. The study also provides clues to why this...
View ArticleFeds: 'Meterological March madness' mostly random
(AP) -- Freak chance was mostly to blame for the record warm March weather that gripped two-thirds of the country, with man-made global warming providing only a tiny assist, a quick federal analysis...
View ArticlePlump up the clay: Carbon dioxide moves into and expands a common mineral in...
(Phys.org) -- For the first time, scientists have direct evidence that high-pressure carbon dioxide or CO2 migrates into the clay montmorillonite causing it to expand, according to scientists at...
View ArticleMultiple proxy datasets can clarify ancient climate regimes
(Phys.org) -- Tree ring and oxygen isotope data from the U.S. Pacific Northwest do not provide the same information on past precipitation, but rather than causing a problem, the differing results are a...
View ArticleToward a better understanding of earthquakes
The earth is shaken daily by strong earthquakes recorded by a number of seismic stations worldwide. Tectonic tremor, however, is a new type of seismic signal that seismologist started studying only...
View ArticleWashington's forests will lose stored carbon as area burned by wildfire...
Forests in the Pacific Northwest store more carbon than any other region in the United States, but our warming climate may undermine their storage potential.
View ArticleCrystal structure of a cyanobacterial protein associated with nitrogen fixation
(Phys.org) -- The crystal structure of a protein in a bacterium being studied for its renewable energy potential suggests that the protein's biological function may be unique to a process leading to...
View ArticleActive forest management to reduce fire could help protect northern spotted owl
The northern spotted owl, a threatened species in the Pacific Northwest, would actually benefit in the long run from active management of the forest lands that form its primary habitat and are...
View Article13-year Cascadia study complete -- and Northwest earthquake risk looms large
A comprehensive analysis of the Cascadia Subduction Zone off the Pacific Northwest coast confirms that the region has had numerous earthquakes over the past 10,000 years, and suggests that the southern...
View ArticleUnusual reaction eschews high temperatures and water to lock carbon dioxide away
(Phys.org) -- When it comes to reducing the impact of the energy we use to cool our homes and power our computers, one option is to remove gaseous carbon dioxide (CO2), pump it into underground...
View ArticleFresh water from rivers and rain makes hurricanes, typhoons, tropical...
An analysis of a decade's worth of tropical cyclones shows that when hurricanes blow over ocean regions swamped by fresh water, the conditions can unexpectedly intensify the storm. Although the...
View ArticleExtracting uranium from seawater
(Phys.org) -- Fueling nuclear reactors with uranium harvested from the ocean could become more feasible because of a material developed by a team led by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National...
View ArticleScientists use satellites to measure how pollution particles affect clouds
(Phys.org)—Grabbing a virtual tiger by the tail, scientists led by researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory directly linked a cloud's inclination to rain to its effects on the climate....
View ArticleLEDs winning light race to save energy, the environment: report
Today's light-emitting diode light bulbs have a slight environmental edge over compact fluorescent lamps. And that gap is expected to grow significantly as technology and manufacturing methods improve...
View ArticleWest coast log, lumber exports down in first half of 2012
Log exports from Washington, Oregon, northern California, and Alaska totaled 736 million board feet in the first 6 months of 2012, a decrease of 25 percent compared to the same time last year,...
View ArticleHow to restore native grasslands in the interior Pacific Northwest
Weed scientists in Oregon have found that the timing of herbicide application along with reseeding of native grasses offers the best recipe for restoring native grasslands while controlling invasive...
View ArticleNOAA: Warm winter in West, but East? Who knows
Federal meteorologists are forecasting a milder and drier winter for much of the western United States, but say they are stumped about what will happen in the East.
View ArticleMountain meadows dwindling in the Pacific Northwest
(Phys.org)—Some high mountain meadows in the Pacific Northwest are declining rapidly due to climate change, a study suggests, as reduced snowpacks, longer growing seasons and other factors allow trees...
View ArticleUnexpectedly large sunlight reflecting impact of big particles in a clean sky
(Phys.org)—A few large particles in a crowd of tiny ones have often been ignored when calculating the amount of sunlight bounced back into space in clean-sky conditions. Scientists at Pacific Northwest...
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