Inside the fuel cell: Imaging method promises industrial insight

Hydrogen-containing substances are important for many industries, but scientists have struggled to obtain detailed images to understand the element's behavior. Researchers now demonstrate the quantification of hydrogen for different states of water — i.e., liquid, frozen and supercooled — for applications to eco-friendly fuel cells.

Read more

Lakes worldwide are experiencing more severe algal blooms

The intensity of summer algal blooms has increased over the past three decades, according to a first-ever global survey of dozens of large, freshwater lakes. Researchers used 30 years of data from the Landsat 5 near-Earth satellite and created a partnership with Google Earth Engine to reveal long-term trends in summer algal blooms in 71 large lakes in 33 countries on six continents.

Read more

Hydrologic simulation models that inform policy decisions are difficult to interpret

Hydrologic models that simulate and predict water flow are used to estimate how natural systems respond to different scenarios such as changes in climate, land use, and soil management. The output from these models can inform policy and regulatory decisions regarding water and land management practices. Numerical models have become increasingly easy to employ with advances in computer technology and software with graphical user interface (GUI). While these technologies make the models more accessible, problems can arise if they are used by inexperienced modelers.

Read more

Scientists track wheat aphids and their natural enemies for better pest management in Pakistan

Scientists have studied the distribution and population dynamics of wheat aphids and their natural enemies in Pakistan through seasons and periods of time. This research could be useful to develop better pest management methods and safer, healthier crops in wheat production.

Read more

Warm ocean water attacking edges of Antarctica's ice shelves

Upside-down 'rivers' of warm ocean water are eroding the fractured edges of thick, floating Antarctic ice shelves from below, helping to create conditions that lead to ice-shelf breakup and sea-level rise, according to a new study. The findings describe a new process important to the future of Antarctica's ice and the continent's contribution to rising seas. Models and forecasts do not yet account for the newly understood and troubling scenario, which is already underway.

Read more

Single-particle spectroscopy of CsPbBr3 perovskite reveals the origin low electrolumine

Researchers have used the method of single-particle spectroscopy to study electroluminescence in light-emitting devices. They discovered that efficient charge funneling between individual perovskite nanocrystals and the phenomenon of emission blinking are responsible for the low efficiencies of perovskite light-emitting devices.

Read more

Electrode-fitted microscope points to better designed devices that make fuel from sunlight

Using an atomic-force microscope fitted with an electrode tip 1,000 times smaller than a human hair, researchers have identified in real time how nanoscale catalysts collect charges that are excited by light in semiconductors. It's a discovery that could help efforts to design devices that can store solar power for later use.

Read more

Disappearing Peruvian glaciers

It is common knowledge that glaciers are melting in most areas across the globe. The speed at which tropical glaciers in the Peruvian Andes are retreating is particularly alarming, however. In the first detailed investigation of all Peruvian mountain ranges, a research team has ascertained a drastic reduction of almost 30 percent in the area covered by glaciers between 2000 and 2016.

Read more