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Environment - Life Sciences - 29.09.2023 
Soil bacteria prevail despite drought conditions
Real-world climate change experiment reveals surprising soil response Recent research uncovers the resilience of certain soil microorganisms in the face of increasing drought conditions. While many bacteria become inactive during dry spells, specific groups persist and even thrive. This study, conducted by the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science (CeMESS) at the University of Vienna, offers ground-breaking insights into bacterial activity during drought periods, with implications for agriculture and our understanding of climate change impacts.
Environment - Agronomy / Food Science - 25.09.2023 
How can the use of plastics in agriculture become more sustainable?
It is impossible to imagine modern agriculture without plastics. 12 million tonnes are used every year. But what about the consequences for the environment? An international team of authors led by Thilo Hofmann from the Division of Environmental Geosciences at the University of Vienna addresses this question in a recent study in Nature Communication Earth and Environment .
Environment - 19.09.2023
Chemistry - Environment - 14.08.2023 
New materials for climate neutrality
Cluster of Excellence Materials for Energy Conversion & Storage In the Cluster of Excellence Materials for Energy Conversion & Storage (MECS) researchers from the Vienna University of Technology, IST Austria, the University of Innsbruck and the University of Vienna develop new technologies for efficient energy conversion and storage, in order to pave the way for a climate-neutral society.
Environment - Innovation - 08.08.2023 
AI Designs Sustainable Electricity Storage at TU Graz
By Falko Schoklitsch Based on the vanillin made usable for electricity storage in 2020, an AI-optimised prototype of an environmentally friendly electricity storage system is now being developed in an international project. In 2020, Stefan Spirk from the Institute of Bioproducts and Paper Technology at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) described the research achievement with which he and his team had succeeded as a "ground-breaking success in the field of sustainable energy storage technologies" to make redox flow batteries more environmentally friendly.
Environment - Earth Sciences - 08.08.2023 
Scientists discover a new ecosystem under hydrothermal vents
During a research cruise, an international research team led by marine biologist Monika Bright of the University of Vienna discovered a new ecosystem in the deep sea. This is located beneath the surface of hydrothermal vents of a well-studied underwater volcano on the East Pacific Ridge off Central America.
Environment - 18.07.2023 
The carbon cycle is speeding up
Soil is the largest natural carbon storage in the world. In Northern ecosystems particularly large amounts of carbon are stored, but they are also particularly strongly affected by global warming. A recently published study by an international team led by Michael Bahn of the University of Innsbruck investigated how ongoing warming affects the uptake and release of carbon dioxide in subarctic grassland.
Environment - 18.07.2023 
Carbon cycle accelerates
Soils are the largest natural carbon reservoirs in the world. In the far north, this store is particularly large, but it is also particularly affected by global warming there. A recent study by an international team led by Michael Bahn of the University of Innsbruck investigated how ongoing warming affects the uptake and release of carbon dioxide in subarctic grasslands.
Environment - Health - 11.07.2023 
Work in transition: Climate crisis complicates conditions for home office
Climate change is accompanied by increasing temperatures, which are leading to ever greater challenges in urban areas, both at work and in the home office.
Environment - 20.06.2023 
Alps: Lightning activity doubled in a few decades
In the high altitudes of the European Eastern Alps, the number of detected lightning strikes has doubled in the course of the last 40 years. The reasons for this lie in the consequences of the climate crisis. This has now been shown for the first time by a team of Innsbruck researchers from the Institutes of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and Statistics in the scientific journal Climate Dynamics .
Environment - 14.06.2023 
Climate change alters biodiversity
Scientists from the Universities of Salzburg, Torun (Poland) and Potsdam and the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research demonstrate in their recent study that butterflies in the province of Salzburg are sensitive to climate change and intensified agriculture. The studies appeared in the journal Science of the Total Environment.
Environment - Earth Sciences - 05.06.2023 
The Rise of Pelagic Fungi and their Crucial Role in Oceanic Ecosystems
Mycoplankton plays an active role in the degradation of organic matter and the cycling of nutrients Fungi play a vital and previously neglected role in the complex tapestry of marine ecosystems, a study by Eva Breyer and Federico Baltar of the University of Vienna reveals. The results have now been published in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution.
Health - Environment - 24.05.2023 
Consistent link between the seaside and better health
15-country study confirms that people living near or visiting the seaside enjoy better health Seaside residents and holidaymakers have felt it for centuries, but scientists have only recently started to investigate possible health benefits of the coast.
Life Sciences - Environment - 25.04.2023 
Ocean ecosystem: Mixotrophic microorganisms play key role
Previously unknown group of bacteria in the deep sea regulates energy balance A team of international researchers led by Federico Baltar of the University of Vienna and José M González of the University of La Laguna has identified a previously unknown group of bacteria, called UBA868, as key players in the energy cycle of the deep ocean.
Chemistry - Environment - 12.04.2023 
The glyphosate filter
Clean drinking water is essential. Therefore, an international research team led by Dominik Eder has now shown how groundwater can be efficiently freed from pollutants such as glyphosate. Contaminated drinking water poses a major threat to our health. However, various pollutants such as pesticides, herbicides, hormones, medicines and other chemical compounds cannot be completely removed from groundwater with the methods currently available.
Chemistry - Environment - 11.04.2023 
From greenhouse gas to value-added product
If one converts CO2 into synthesis gas, a valuable starting material for the chemical industry can be obtained. Researchers at TU Wien show how this works even at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Thinking of CO2, terms like climate-damaging or waste product probably quickly come to mind. While CO2 has been that for a long time - a pure waste product - more and more processes are being developed with which the greenhouse gas can be converted into valuable raw materials.
Environment - Innovation - 03.04.2023 
Hidden Ice Melt in the Himalaya: Revealing the ’Invisible’ Glacier Loss Underwater
By Chinese Academy of Sciences A study by a multinational research team with the participation of Graz University of Technology shows that the actual mass loss of numerous glaciers in the Himalayas has been significantly underestimated so far. A new insightful study reveals that the mass loss of lake-terminating glaciers in the greater Himalaya has been significantly underestimated, due to the inability of satellites to see glacier changes occurring underwater, leading to critical implications for the region's future projection of glacier disappearance and water resources.
Environment - Earth Sciences - 29.03.2023 
New edition of a classic: Decades-old turbulence theory updated
A correct representation of turbulence in the atmosphere is crucial for accurate weather forecasts and climate projections. However, the theory behind this is not only very old, but also not very representative, since it only applies to flat terrain. Innsbruck meteorologist Ivana Stiperski has now extended the theory on turbulence that has been in use since the 1950s.
Environment - Health - 20.03.2023
Health - Environment - 09.03.2023
Environment
Results 1 - 20 of 120.
Real-world climate change experiment reveals surprising soil response Recent research uncovers the resilience of certain soil microorganisms in the face of increasing drought conditions. While many bacteria become inactive during dry spells, specific groups persist and even thrive. This study, conducted by the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science (CeMESS) at the University of Vienna, offers ground-breaking insights into bacterial activity during drought periods, with implications for agriculture and our understanding of climate change impacts.
It is impossible to imagine modern agriculture without plastics. 12 million tonnes are used every year. But what about the consequences for the environment? An international team of authors led by Thilo Hofmann from the Division of Environmental Geosciences at the University of Vienna addresses this question in a recent study in Nature Communication Earth and Environment .
Glacier Loss Day as an indicator of glacier health
In the summer of 2022, one of Tyrol's largest glaciers recorded its largest mass loss ever. The Hintereisferner in the Ötztal valley reached its Glacier Loss Day (GLD) earlier than ever before. GLD serves as an indicator of a glacier's health over the course of the year, similar to how Earth Overshoot Day measures the Earth's resource consumption.
In the summer of 2022, one of Tyrol's largest glaciers recorded its largest mass loss ever. The Hintereisferner in the Ötztal valley reached its Glacier Loss Day (GLD) earlier than ever before. GLD serves as an indicator of a glacier's health over the course of the year, similar to how Earth Overshoot Day measures the Earth's resource consumption.
Cluster of Excellence Materials for Energy Conversion & Storage In the Cluster of Excellence Materials for Energy Conversion & Storage (MECS) researchers from the Vienna University of Technology, IST Austria, the University of Innsbruck and the University of Vienna develop new technologies for efficient energy conversion and storage, in order to pave the way for a climate-neutral society.
By Falko Schoklitsch Based on the vanillin made usable for electricity storage in 2020, an AI-optimised prototype of an environmentally friendly electricity storage system is now being developed in an international project. In 2020, Stefan Spirk from the Institute of Bioproducts and Paper Technology at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) described the research achievement with which he and his team had succeeded as a "ground-breaking success in the field of sustainable energy storage technologies" to make redox flow batteries more environmentally friendly.
During a research cruise, an international research team led by marine biologist Monika Bright of the University of Vienna discovered a new ecosystem in the deep sea. This is located beneath the surface of hydrothermal vents of a well-studied underwater volcano on the East Pacific Ridge off Central America.
Soil is the largest natural carbon storage in the world. In Northern ecosystems particularly large amounts of carbon are stored, but they are also particularly strongly affected by global warming. A recently published study by an international team led by Michael Bahn of the University of Innsbruck investigated how ongoing warming affects the uptake and release of carbon dioxide in subarctic grassland.
Soils are the largest natural carbon reservoirs in the world. In the far north, this store is particularly large, but it is also particularly affected by global warming there. A recent study by an international team led by Michael Bahn of the University of Innsbruck investigated how ongoing warming affects the uptake and release of carbon dioxide in subarctic grasslands.
Climate change is accompanied by increasing temperatures, which are leading to ever greater challenges in urban areas, both at work and in the home office.
In the high altitudes of the European Eastern Alps, the number of detected lightning strikes has doubled in the course of the last 40 years. The reasons for this lie in the consequences of the climate crisis. This has now been shown for the first time by a team of Innsbruck researchers from the Institutes of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and Statistics in the scientific journal Climate Dynamics .
Scientists from the Universities of Salzburg, Torun (Poland) and Potsdam and the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research demonstrate in their recent study that butterflies in the province of Salzburg are sensitive to climate change and intensified agriculture. The studies appeared in the journal Science of the Total Environment.
Mycoplankton plays an active role in the degradation of organic matter and the cycling of nutrients Fungi play a vital and previously neglected role in the complex tapestry of marine ecosystems, a study by Eva Breyer and Federico Baltar of the University of Vienna reveals. The results have now been published in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution.
15-country study confirms that people living near or visiting the seaside enjoy better health Seaside residents and holidaymakers have felt it for centuries, but scientists have only recently started to investigate possible health benefits of the coast.
Previously unknown group of bacteria in the deep sea regulates energy balance A team of international researchers led by Federico Baltar of the University of Vienna and José M González of the University of La Laguna has identified a previously unknown group of bacteria, called UBA868, as key players in the energy cycle of the deep ocean.
Clean drinking water is essential. Therefore, an international research team led by Dominik Eder has now shown how groundwater can be efficiently freed from pollutants such as glyphosate. Contaminated drinking water poses a major threat to our health. However, various pollutants such as pesticides, herbicides, hormones, medicines and other chemical compounds cannot be completely removed from groundwater with the methods currently available.
If one converts CO2 into synthesis gas, a valuable starting material for the chemical industry can be obtained. Researchers at TU Wien show how this works even at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Thinking of CO2, terms like climate-damaging or waste product probably quickly come to mind. While CO2 has been that for a long time - a pure waste product - more and more processes are being developed with which the greenhouse gas can be converted into valuable raw materials.
By Chinese Academy of Sciences A study by a multinational research team with the participation of Graz University of Technology shows that the actual mass loss of numerous glaciers in the Himalayas has been significantly underestimated so far. A new insightful study reveals that the mass loss of lake-terminating glaciers in the greater Himalaya has been significantly underestimated, due to the inability of satellites to see glacier changes occurring underwater, leading to critical implications for the region's future projection of glacier disappearance and water resources.
A correct representation of turbulence in the atmosphere is crucial for accurate weather forecasts and climate projections. However, the theory behind this is not only very old, but also not very representative, since it only applies to flat terrain. Innsbruck meteorologist Ivana Stiperski has now extended the theory on turbulence that has been in use since the 1950s.
Climate protection: Sustainability in anaesthesia and intensive care medicine
Medicine & Science Climate protection and sustainability are among the major issues of the future. The concerns are also increasingly coming to the fore in the health sector. Anaesthesia, and intensive care in particular, contribute to greenhouse gas emissions through the use of pollutants such as anaesthetic gases and equipment such as heart-lung machines, which have a high energy consumption.
Medicine & Science Climate protection and sustainability are among the major issues of the future. The concerns are also increasingly coming to the fore in the health sector. Anaesthesia, and intensive care in particular, contribute to greenhouse gas emissions through the use of pollutants such as anaesthetic gases and equipment such as heart-lung machines, which have a high energy consumption.
Allergies in Europe: regional differences in sensitisation profiles identified in children for the first time
Medicine & Science As part of a MedUni Vienna-led study conducted in cooperation with Stockholm's Karolinska Institute and the Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences in Krems, a comprehensive European allergy atlas has been compiled for the first time using a newly developed test method.
Medicine & Science As part of a MedUni Vienna-led study conducted in cooperation with Stockholm's Karolinska Institute and the Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences in Krems, a comprehensive European allergy atlas has been compiled for the first time using a newly developed test method.
