Reindeer Reproduction in a Warming World

Published October 18, 2013

According to the authors of this study, who examined satellite derived measures of vegetation green-up, population densities, calf body masses and female reproductive success, the “effects of global warming on plant productivity and onset of spring are likely to positively affect sub-Arctic reindeer”… Read More

CMIP5 Backward Projections of Temperature and Precipitation (15 Oct 2013)
The best climate models of the present day are still not up to doing what we really need them to do to be of much service… Read More

Being Efficient Despite Adversity. How Do Lizards Do It? (15 Oct 2013)
Scientists from Argentina have learned that “despite living at high elevation and harsh climatic conditions,” four species of lizards were able to “behaviorally or physiologically thermo-regulate to achieve body temperatures close to their preferred temperatures”… Read More

Declining Diurnal Temperature Range Increases Human Longevity (15 Oct 2013)
Recent global warming – where the rise of the minimum temperature has occurred at a rate three times greater than that of the maximum temperature over most of the world – has actually helped to reduce temperature-related deaths, not only by the means described in this study, but also due to the fact that extreme cold yearly kills far more people than extreme heat… Read More

Environmental Conditioning of Sole Larvae Prepares Them for Subsequent Juvenile and Adult Challenges (16 Oct 2013)
It appears that experiencing environmental stresses earlier in life “may attenuate some of the more severe predictions about organisms’ responses to global warming and eutrophication,” as the stress experienced early on fosters adaptive responses as the organisms age… Read More

Modeling East Asian Summer Monsoon Precipitation (16 Oct 2013)
The authors of this study conclude their examination by stating that “similar to the results based on CMIP3 models, CMIP5 models also show no skill in simulating precipitation variation with time,” and, therefore, they say that “more research is needed in the future to further improve the reliability of climate projections”… Read More

Pollen-Mediated Gene Flow along an Altitudinal Gradient (16 Oct 2013)
Can it enhance adaptive responses to rapid climate change in a pair of common herbs? You bet it can!… Read More