Climate & Environment

Exploring selfish incentives for pursuing climate policy

Elizabeth Lock — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 18:09:33 +0000

Exploring selfish incentives for pursuing climate policy Elizabeth Lock Fri, 01/17/2025 - 11:09

CU ��«��Ƶ economist Alessandro Peri makes the case that empowering the young can meaningfully affect climate policy and climate outcomes.

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Study provides detailed look at water quality along Colorado River’s upper basin

Elizabeth Lock — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 22:40:46 +0000

Study provides detailed look at water quality along Colorado River’s upper basin Elizabeth Lock Mon, 01/13/2025 - 15:40

Michael Gooseff and collaborators are gathering the first-ever continuous, long-term water quality sample of the Colorado River’s upper basin. INSTAAR Senior Communication Specialist Gabe Allen joined them for three days on the river.

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How powerful winds are turning California fires into an uncontrollable crisis

Yvaine Ye — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 20:12:31 +0000

How powerful winds are turning California fires into an uncontrollable crisis Yvaine Ye Mon, 01/13/2025 - 13:12

Yvaine Ye

Since last Tuesday, a series of ferocious wildfires have broken out in Southern California, with fast-moving flames raging through the Los Angeles area, killing at least 24 people and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes.

The state has been grappling with a prolonged drought in recent months, leaving vegetation parched, according to Andrew Winters, assistant professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at CU ��«��Ƶ. On top of that, the region’s strong winter winds have accelerated the spread of fires and made containment efforts extremely difficult.

The Palisades fire, the largest and most destructive, which has burned more than 23,000 acres along the Pacific Coast, is only 14% contained as of Monday. The Eaton fire, northeast of L.A., burned down as many as 6,500 structures, and is 33% contained.

The fires’ proximity to densely populated areas could make them one of the costliest wildfires in California history.

Andrew Winters

With dangerous winds expected to return to the area today, CU ��«��Ƶ Today sat down with Winters to discuss the role of winds in the fires, how climate change might have influenced fire risks in the West and what individuals living in fire-prone areas can do to prepare for a potential evacuation.

What contributed to the rapid spread of the L.A. fires?

California had a really wet year last year because of the strong El Niño event. They had heavy amounts of rain that allowed for subsequent growth of grasses and plants around the region.

Since this summer, as we've transitioned out of an El Niño into a La Niña, conditions have dried out considerably. Usually this time of year, California would see a fair amount of rain, but we barely saw any this winter. In fact, California is looking at some of their driest conditions on record over this period.

The lack of rainfall has allowed for the growth that occurred last year to dry out. The dried vegetation became particularly susceptible to wildfires and at the same time provided a lot of fuel for wildfire growth.

Then the strong Santa Ana winds blowing in the area created a condition that allowed these fires to take off and spread quickly.

What are the Santa Ana winds?

The Santa Ana winds are an intermittent strong wind flow that blows from Nevada and Utah into Southern California almost every year from fall to the early part of winter.

They are part of a normal weather pattern commonly observed in the Los Angeles area. What's rare about this particular situation is that these winds are occurring within an environment that has been suffering from a severe drought.

How are the winds making firefighting more difficult?

The winds create hostile environments for firefighters. When some of the fires in California first started, the winds were gusting to 80, 90 or even 100 miles an hour— similar to that of a Category 2 or 3 hurricane.

During the 2021 Marshall fire here in Colorado, winds were also blowing at 100 miles an hour, and that allowed the fire to spread rapidly and become highly destructive.

Things also got more difficult as the L.A. fires moved into an urban location. The burning of structures and their contents can release considerable harmful nonorganic chemicals into the atmosphere.

Moreover, the wind can take embers and spread them far away from the current location of the fire. This can lead to rapid development of wildfire spread that gets out of hand very quickly.

Does climate change play a role in causing these fires?

It’s tough to say at this point whether the Santa Ana wind pattern is becoming more or less frequent under climate change. But research has shown that climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of wildfires.

We’re expecting droughts to become drier and more exacerbated under future climate scenarios. So climate change is likely involved in the development of the antecedent drought that's created more susceptible fuels for wildfires to start.

Additionally, some research has suggested that climate change could increase the likelihood of whiplashes between very wet periods to very dry periods. Such conditions allow for periods of intense growth of grasses that will then dry out. That means we might have more fuel available to burn if there’s a fire.

Lastly, as the climate warms, more water tends to evaporate from the ground and vegetation, causing fuels like grasses to dry out faster than they would in a cooler climate.

Can we predict these conditions in advance to reduce damage?

Prior to the fires, forecasters at the National Weather Service had done a really good job predicting these strong winds. There was an indication multiple days in advance of very critical fire weather conditions, both in terms of the dry fuels and the strong winds that may accelerate rapid fire spread. It's just unfortunate that the fire transpired into a remarkably catastrophic event.

In a lot of these cases, with strong winds that promote rapid wildfire spread, you may only have a couple of minutes to evacuate. For individuals, there's just not going to be enough time to work through everything you might want to pack up and bring with you.

So start taking some time to think ahead and prepare a go-bag with all of your essentials. That includes not only what's important and valuable to you, but also thinking about how are you going to take care of pets and kids, and potentially your neighbors who may have less ability to move quickly.

Planning ahead and knowing how to act when you need to is probably the best way to go.

CU ��«��Ƶ Today regularly publishes Q&As with our faculty members weighing in on news topics through the lens of their scholarly expertise and research/creative work. The responses here reflect the knowledge and interpretations of the expert and should not be considered the university position on the issue. All publication content is subject to edits for clarity, brevity and university style guidelines.

As intense wildfires spread around Los Angeles, atmospheric scientist Andrew Winters explains the conditions that have led to the devastating disaster.

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The Palisades Fire has destroyed more than 1,200 structures. (Credit: CAL FIRE_Official/Wikicommons)

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New research demystifies carbon cycling in freshwater lakes around the world

Megan Maneval — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 21:30:36 +0000

New research demystifies carbon cycling in freshwater lakes around the world Megan Maneval Thu, 01/09/2025 - 14:30

INSTAAR

A refined mathematical model is now capable of predicting carbon inputs and outputs for freshwater lakes around the world, according to new research from INSTAAR’s Isabella Oleksy and collaborators. Their work could help scientists understand the role of freshwater lakes in the global carbon cycle.

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CUriosity: How do sea creatures make light?

Yvaine Ye — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 21:02:06 +0000

CUriosity: How do sea creatures make light? Yvaine Ye Wed, 01/08/2025 - 14:02

Yvaine Ye

In CUriosity, experts across the CU ��«��Ƶ campus answer pressing questions about humans, our planet and the universe beyond.

This week, Jingchun Li, associate professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at CU ��«��Ƶ, answers: “How do sea creatures make light?”

Disco clams can reflect ambient light with their silica-containing tissue. (Credit: Brook Peterson/Adobe stock)

From shallow reefs to pitch-black depths, the ocean is alive with sparkling lights. Fish, squid, clams and plankton have found a wide range of ways to glow, shimmer and flash, lighting up the dark water like stars in the night sky.

Scientists estimate that in the deep ocean where sunlight cannot reach, 90% of animals can produce some kind of light.

“Light is important for signaling,” said Li, who has spent much of her career working in oceans around the world to study marine life. “It helps animals of the same species communicate and recognize each other, and it can also serve as a warning to other animals.”

Previously in CUriosity

Do animals have emotions?

Bioluminescence is one of the most common methods animals use to do this. By triggering a chemical reaction between oxygen, a molecule called luciferin and an enzyme, luciferase, in their bodies, they can light up.

On land, fireflies use bioluminescence to emit their electric green light. In the deep ocean, anglerfish, a terrifying antagonist seen in Finding Nemo, use the same method to shine in the abyss.

The fish has a bony structure on its forehead that lights up like a lantern, thanks to the large number of bioluminescent bacteria living inside the fish.

But not all animals are born with the right chemical ingredients to generate light on their own. Some still find ways to shine.

The disco clam (Ctenoides ales), a mollusk living in the shallow waters of the Indo-Pacific Ocean, has evolved a unique strip of tissue on their mantle that can reflect ambient light. Previous research has found that the clam’s reflective strip contains silica, the main component in glass. When disco clams furl and unfurl their mantles quickly, they reflect sunlight, creating an effect reminiscent of a disco ball.

Li said scientists are still working to understand how disco clams developed their reflective tissue through evolution. Other closely related species, such as rough file clams (Ctenoides scaber), lack the silica structure in their tissue.

The disco clam’s dazzling display might serve as a defense mechanism. Disco clams regularly open and close their shells, but Li and her team found that when the clams sense a shadow looming over them—a sign that a predator might be approaching—they flash much faster, up to six times per second, like a strobe light.

Anglerfish, on the other hand, light up to draw smaller fish toward them, helping to attract prey in the dark. The ostracod, a tiny, bioluminescence crustacean that looks like a shrimp inside a pod, glows to attract mates. Males spit out a glowing mucus to create a special pattern during mating rituals.

The question of why deep-sea animals produce light remains an intriguing scientific mystery.

“To survive in extremely dark and cold water, every bit of energy matters. But having a vision is energetically demanding,” Li said. “From an evolutionary perspective, it’s surprising that so many animals in the deep ocean retained the ability to see and even evolved ways to illuminate their surroundings.”

Biologist Jingchun Li shares her research in marine animals and the unique ways they illuminate the sea.

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Wildfires accompanied past periods of abrupt climate change

Megan Maneval — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 20:46:06 +0000

Wildfires accompanied past periods of abrupt climate change Megan Maneval Tue, 01/07/2025 - 13:46

CIRES

Ancient gases trapped in Antarctic ice reveal wildfire activity during the last glacial period tracked with changes in rainfall and temperature.

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CUriosity: Do animals have emotions?

Yvaine Ye — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 15:00:00 +0000

CUriosity: Do animals have emotions? Yvaine Ye Wed, 12/18/2024 - 08:00

Yvaine Ye

In CUriosity, experts across the CU ��«��Ƶ campus answer pressing questions about humans, our planet and the universe beyond.

This week, Marc Bekoff, professor emeritus in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at CU ��«��Ƶ, answers: “Do animals have emotions?”

Pet owners tend to see their animals’ feelings clearly. Dogs wagging their tails when the owners get home? Happiness. Crouching down after being caught raiding the trash? Embarrassment. Barking, and jumping up and down when they see their friends? Excitement.

But what about less cuddly creatures? Do crustaceans and birds have emotions, too?

Previously in CUriosity

Previously in CUriosity

What does an all-nighter do to your body?

“Of course they do,” Bekoff said “There's solid science showing very clearly that a wide diversity of animals have emotions, from mammals to all the vertebrates and invertebrates.”

Bekoff has spent decades observing animals from coyotes in the Rocky Mountains to Adélie penguins in Antarctica. He has written multiple books about animal sentience including “The Emotional Lives of Animals: A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy—and Why They Matter.”

He said emotions play an important role in helping animals make decisions about how to respond to social situations, such as whether to run from a potential danger or to approach a mate. For group-living animals like coyotes and wolves, having emotions is fundamental to forming packs.

Evidence has shown that mammals—including humans—emit similar brain chemicals during emotional situations. For example, birds secrete dopamine, a chemical that makes humans feel good, when they sing songs to attract a potential mate.

But even invertebrates like insects and crustaceans could experience emotions, according to a growing body of research. While scientists can't definitively say lobsters experience happiness the same way as humans do, they certainly avoid painful situations.

Marc Bekoff looking for dingoes in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, Australia. (Credit: Brad Purcell)

“There is a biodiversity of emotions,” Bekoff said. He explained that the feeling of joy varies even between different people, but that doesn’t mean animals like lobsters or ants don’t experience happiness. “It may simply look different than in humans.”

Recognizing all animals have emotions can help people develop more empathy toward wildlife and support wildlife conservation efforts, he added.

In a paper published earlier this year, Bekoff and his collaborators proposed that treating individual animals as creatures with emotions and personalities, in addition to understanding the species as a whole, could help preserve biodiversity.

For example, people might be more willing to use loud sounds or strong scents to scare away predators they encounter rather than resort to killing.

Bekoff said Colorado could apply these approaches to help manage its wildlife, including grey wolves, which were reintroduced in the state in December following a voter-approved initiative. For social animals like wolves, if the leader dies, it can lead to the dissolution of the entire pack, he said.

“Wolves have very tight bonds with their pack members,” Bekoff said. “Pups have very tight bonds with their mom. Killing any of these individuals will not support a sustainable population.”

In the end, Bekoff says humans shouldn’t be so quick to brush off other animals.

“It's really easy to write off an ant or a lobster or a crayfish, but there's no reason to. My take as a scientist is to keep the door open until we are sure that it is not true.”

Professor Emeritus Marc Bekoff shares his decades of research on the emotional lives of animals and how it could influence wildlife management.

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A front-row seat to evolution: What common barn swallows can teach us about how new species form

Yvaine Ye — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 19:00:00 +0000

A front-row seat to evolution: What common barn swallows can teach us about how new species form Yvaine Ye Thu, 12/12/2024 - 12:00

Yvaine Ye

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder—even if that beholder is a barn swallow.

Depending on where the birds live, some of them may favor mates with a paler chest color while others find a redder chest more attractive. The difference in what these birds prefer when it comes to choosing a mate is helping scientists unlock one of biology’s greatest mysteries: How do new species originate?

In a new CU ��«��Ƶ-led study, biologists used genetic sequencing from barn swallows around the globe to provide real-time evidence that sexual selection, in which organisms choose mates based on traits they find attractive, drives the emergence of new species.

The study was published Dec 12 in the journal Science.

A pair of Hirundo rustica erythrogaster. (Credit: Matt Wilkins)

“This is one of the very first papers to comprehensively show the role of mate selection decisions in the evolution of new species,” said Rebecca Safran, the paper’s senior author and professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. The new findings shed light on how new species form, a fundamental but elusive process for all life on Earth.

Proving Darwin right

Charles Darwin proposed the theory of sexual selection in 1875. It suggests that organisms evolve showy traits, like extravagant plumage or eye-catching dance moves, to attract mates. When organisms of the same species develop preferences for different traits and no longer breed with each other, new species could emerge over time, a process known as speciation.

For the past 150 years, researchers of sexual selection have primarily studied organisms that already diverged into distinct species. For example, orchids, which now encompass more than 25,000 species, originated from a common ancestor. Their remarkable diversity often leads to the assumption that they evolved different looks to attract different pollinators, said Drew Schield, the paper’s first author and assistant professor at the University of Virginia.

“It’s logical to think this way and it could totally be the case,” said Schield, who did the research while a postdoctoral researcher at CU ��«��Ƶ. “But with speciation already having occurred, it’s impossible to know for certain.” As a result, it has been difficult to find direct evidence that sexual selection drives the emergence of new species.

Barn swallows provide a unique opportunity to explore the speciation process as it unfolds.

These birds are one of the most common and widespread species on our planet. Currently, there are six subspecies of barn swallow each looking slightly different in some traits critical to the mate choice decisions depending on where they are.

Hirundo rustica rustica (left) and Hirundo rustica tytleri (right) have different sexually selected traits. For example, one has a red chest and the other has a pale chest.

For example, the East Asian group, Hirundo rustica gutturalis, has a pale chest and shorter tail streamers—the elongated outer tail feathers. Hirundo rustica tytleri, found in Siberia, has long tail streamers and red chest feathers. The subspecies in Europe and western Asia, Hirundo rustica rustica, has a pale chest and long tail streamers.

Reuniting after isolation

Evidence suggests that the bird’s ancestors left the Nile River valley in northern Africa about 11,000 years ago and spread out across the Northern Hemisphere. For thousands of years, different populations barely interacted and developed diverse traits, forming subspecies.

Some 800 to 2000 years ago, certain subspecies expanded their territories, and habitats began to overlap. In some parts of the world, subspecies now interact with each other, producing hybrid offspring.

Safran and her team set out to investigate whether sexual selection in these birds was driving the speciation process.

The team, including Elizabeth Scordato, associate professor at the California State Polytechnic University, sequenced the genomes of 336 barn swallows from around the globe, encompassing all subspecies and three hybrid zones, where subspecies interbreed, in Eurasia.

The researchers found a dozen regions in the barn swallow genome associated with the birds’ two sexually selected traits: Ventral coloration—the plumage color of their chest and belly— and tail streamer length.

When individuals reproduce, the genes from both parents reshuffle and combine to form the genes of their offspring. When two populations encounter one another, the flow of genetic material from one to another is a marker of how similar the populations are. If the rate of gene flow is low, it means the two populations are breeding with each other at a lower rate than they would if they are the same species.

The study found that in barn swallow hybrid zones much of their genes flows freely across groups. But the genetic regions coding for ventral coloration and tail streamer length hardly transfer to other populations.

A pair of Hirundo rustica rustica in Turkey. (Credit: Matt Wilkins)

It suggests that among the hybrid individuals with parents from different subspecies, a small number of lucky birds that inherit a favorable combination of tail streamer and ventral color genes are able to attract mates. Hybrids that receive less favorable combinations tend to be less successful in reproduction.

“These genes are hitting a boundary due to divergent sexual selection, and they stop moving from one population to the other,” Schield said.

The different preferences for tail feather length and chest color across subspecies make barn swallows more likely to mate within their own group, Schield added. If the trend continues, these groups could no longer interbreed or produce offspring, markers for the formation of separate species.

Next, the team plans to sample more birds and study whether being a hybrid affects reproductive success.

“It’s very cool that we could capture a real-time evolutionary portrait of this common animal and understand how and why the populations are diverging,” Safran said. “Our understanding of the process is fundamentally important for addressing a wide range of questions related to biodiversity, evolution and conservation.”

In a CU ��«��Ƶ-led study, scientists describe how different traits used to choose mates in barn swallow populations are driving the bird to diverge, which could eventually lead to the formation of new species.

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A Hirundo rustica erythrogaster in Colorado. (Credit: Matt Wilkins)

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A Hirundo rustica erythrogaster in Colorado. (Credit: Matt Wilkins)

Scientists aim to reduce emissions from cows—by changing their diet

Megan Maneval — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 16:08:24 +0000

Scientists aim to reduce emissions from cows—by changing their diet Megan Maneval Thu, 12/12/2024 - 09:08

CIRES

A high-tech laser measured gases produced by cattle on a Kansas feedlot. The results may help mitigate future cattle emissions.

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CU ��«��Ƶ at AGU 2024: From Earth to space

Daniel William Strain — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 10:19:10 +0000

CU ��«��Ƶ at AGU 2024: From Earth to space Daniel William… Mon, 12/09/2024 - 03:19

From Dec. 9 to 13, tens of thousands of people from more than 100 countries will gather in Washington D.C. for the 2024 meeting of the American Geophysical Union.

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