Downtown Calgary, Alberta. Credit: Wikimedia
Featured research
Air pollution harms Indigenous and low-income Canadians
Canada’s Indigenous peoples, including the First Nations, Métis and Inuit, and low-income communities are more likely to experience air pollution-related deaths than non-Indigenous, wealthier populations living in the same cities. This vulnerability is exacerbated by the fact that these groups have higher baseline mortality rates. [GeoHealth research]
Fewer tropical storms to hit South Asia, but they’ll be stronger
Climate change will reduce the number of tropical storms over the Ganges and Mekong river basins, but with a catch. The remaining storms will likely be more intense, increasing socio-economic loss for communities that already have limited capacity to mitigate disasters. [Geophysical Research Letters research]
The source of Callisto’s oxygen remains a mystery
Previous observations of Jupiter’s second largest moon, Callisto, found molecular oxygen in Callisto’s atmosphere. Scientists assumed the atmosphere’s oxygen was caused by Jupiter’s magnetic field interacting with the moon’s icy surface. However, a new study shows that this source does not produce enough oxygen to match observations. Thus, Callisto must have another mechanism for oxygen formation. [JGR Planets research]
Antarctic heatwaves to be five degrees Celsius warmer by end of century
In March 2022, East Antarctica experienced a record-breaking heatwave following a record sea ice minimum. Scientists estimate that climate change made the heatwave two degrees Celsius higher, and by the end of the 21st century, heatwaves will be up to five to six degrees Celsius higher. This would lead to near-melting temperatures over the East Antarctic ice cap during extreme heatwaves. [Geophysical Research Letters research]
Climate modeling, no supercomputer required
High-precision atmospheric modeling often requires expensive, power-intensive supercomputers, which are not available to many researchers globally. A new, simplified model requires fewer resources and maintains accuracy with only minor differences, opening climate research to scientists who lack supercomputer access. [Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems research]
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