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Category: sustainability – Page 54

Community estimate of global glacier mass changes from 2000 to 2023

Glaciers separate from the continental ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica covered a global area of approximately 706,000 km2 around the year 200019, with an estimated total volume of 158,170 ± 41,030 km3, equivalent to a potential sea-level rise of 324 ± 84 mm (ref. 20). Glaciers are integral components of Earth’s climate and hydrologic system1. Hence, glacier monitoring is essential for understanding and assessing ongoing changes21,22, providing a basis for impact2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 and modelling11,12,13 studies, and helping to track progress on limiting climate change23. The four main observation methods to derive glacier mass changes include glaciological measurements, digital elevation model (DEM) differencing, altimetry and gravimetry. Additional concepts include hybrid approaches that combine different observation methods. In situ glaciological measurements have been carried out at about 500 unevenly distributed glaciers24, representing less than 1% of Earth’s glaciers19. Glaciological time series provide seasonal-to-annual variability of glacier mass changes25. Although these are generally well correlated regionally, long-term trends of individual glaciers might not always be representative of a given region. Spaceborne observations complement in situ measurements, allowing for glacier monitoring at global scale over recent decades. Several optical and radar sensors allow the derivation of DEMs, which reflect the glacier surface topography. Repeat mapping and calculation of DEM differences provide multi-annual trends in elevation and volume changes26 for all glaciers in the world27. Similarly, laser and radar altimetry determine elevation changes along linear tracks, which can be extrapolated to calculate regional estimates of glacier elevation and volume change28. Unlike DEM differencing, altimetry provides spatially sparse observations but has a high (that is, monthly to annual) temporal resolution26. DEM differencing and altimetry require converting glacier volume to mass changes using density assumptions29. Satellite gravimetry estimates regional glacier mass changes at monthly resolution by measuring changes in Earth’s gravitational field after correcting for solid Earth and hydrological effects30,31. Although satellite gravimetry provides high temporal resolution and direct estimates of mass, it has a spatial resolution of a few hundred kilometres, which is several orders of magnitude lower than DEM differencing or altimetry26.

The heterogeneity of these observation methods in terms of spatial, temporal and observational characteristics, the diversity of approaches within a given method, and the lack of homogenization challenged past assessments of glacier mass changes. In the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s Sixth Assessment Report (AR6)16, for example, glacier mass changes for the period from 2000 to 2019 relied on DEM differencing from a limited number of global27 and regional studies16. Results from a combination of glaciological and DEM differencing25 as well as from gravimetry30 were used for comparison only. The report calculated regional estimates over a specific baseline period (2000–2019) and as mean mass-change rates based on selected studies per region, which only partly considered the strengths and limitations of the different observation methods.

The spread of reported results—many outside uncertainty margins—and recent updates from different observation methods afford an opportunity to assess regional and global glacier mass loss with a community-led effort. Within the Glacier Mass Balance Intercomparison Exercise (GlaMBIE; https://glambie.org), we collected, homogenized and combined regional results from the observation methods described above to yield a global assessment towards the upcoming IPCC reports of the seventh assessment cycle. At the same time, GlaMBIE provides insights into regional trends and interannual variabilities, quantifies the differences among observation methods, tracks observations within the range of projections, and delivers a refined observational baseline for future impact and modelling studies.

A groundbreaking development in South Korea is transforming sodium battery manufacturing, promising an energy storage revolution

In a major leap forward for energy storage technology, a team of researchers from South Korea has developed a groundbreaking method that could revolutionize the manufacturing of sodium-ion batteries. This innovation not only promises to enhance battery efficiency but could also reshape how we think about energy storage and its future applications in various industries.

At the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI), a team led by Dr. Kim and Dr. Park has achieved a breakthrough in the production of hard carbon anodes for sodium-ion batteries. By using a method that involves microwave induction heating, they are now able to prepare these anodes in just 30 seconds —a dramatic improvement over conventional methods. This quick processing technique could significantly reduce manufacturing times and costs, potentially making sodium-ion batteries a more viable option for widespread use.

The research team’s approach has already gained considerable attention in the scientific community, as it marks a significant step toward the commercialization of sodium-ion batteries, which are seen as a safer, more sustainable alternative to lithium-ion batteries.

Researchers 3D print high-performance, sustainable thermoelectric materials

A recent study published in Science by a Belgian research team investigates how genetic switches that regulate gene activity define brain cell types across different species.

A species is a group of living organisms that share a set of common characteristics and are able to breed and produce fertile offspring. The concept of a species is important in biology as it is used to classify and organize the diversity of life. There are different ways to define a species, but the most widely accepted one is the biological species concept, which defines a species as a group of organisms that can interbreed and produce viable offspring in nature. This definition is widely used in evolutionary biology and ecology to identify and classify living organisms.

Jump-Based Training May Combat Cartilage Breakdown in Space

What exercises can future astronauts on long-term missions to the Moon or Mars conduct to help mitigate the effects of cartilage damage resulting from microgravity? This is what a recent study published in npj Microgravity hopes to address as an international team of researchers investigated the health benefits of future astronauts performing jumping workouts during long-duration space missions. This study holds the potential to help astronauts, mission planners, and the public better understand the risks and strategies for long-duration space missions, especially as human exploration expands to the Moon and Mars.

“Think about sending somebody on a trip to Mars, they get there, and they can’t walk because they developed osteoarthritis of the knees or the hips and their joints don’t function,” said Dr. Marco Chiaberge, who is a research scientist at Johns Hopkins University and lead author of the study. “Astronauts also perform spacewalks often. They serviced the Hubble Space Telescope five times, and in the future, they will need to spend more time in space and the Moon, where we will build larger telescopes to explore the universe and where they will need to stay as healthy as possible.”

For the study, the researchers conducted a nine-week study with mice to ascertain the benefits of jumping exercises three times a week compared to limited movement regarding cartilage growth and sustainability. In the end, the researchers found that not only did the mice who participated in jumping exercises exhibit a 26 percent increase in cartilage compared to 14 percent reduction for the non-movement mice, but the jumping mice also displayed 110 percent thicker cartilage. Additionally, the jumping mice were found to exhibit 15 percent greater bone mineral density due to the jumping exercises.

Light-powered breakthrough enables precision tuning of quantum dots

Researchers at North Carolina State University have demonstrated a new technique that uses light to tune the optical properties of quantum dots—making the process faster, more energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable—without compromising material quality.

The findings are published in the journal Advanced Materials.

“The discovery of quantum dots earned the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2023 because they are used in so many applications,” says Milad Abolhasani, corresponding author of a paper on the work and ALCOA Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at NC State. “We use them in LEDs, , displays, quantum technologies and so on. To tune their , you need to tune the bandgap of quantum dots—the minimum energy required to excite an electron from a bound state to a free-moving state—since this directly determines the color of light they emit.

Copper-Based Electrocatalysts: Using Corrosion for Efficient Biomass Upgrading

Researchers at NIMTE have turned metal corrosion into a tool for efficient biomass upgrading, achieving high HMF-to-BHMF conversion rates with a CoCuMW/CF electrode. Their findings offer a low-cost, sustainable solution for bio-based chemical production.

A research team led by Prof. Jian Zhang from the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has harnessed metal corrosion to develop high-performance electrodes, facilitating the efficient and cost-effective upgrading of bio-based 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). Their findings were published in Chem Catalysis.

While corrosion is typically associated with material degradation and economic loss, researchers are now investigating its potential for advantageous applications, particularly in biomass upgrading.

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