Christie gets credit in Iowa for vetoing pig crate bill
philly.com, 12/1/2014
In vetoing a ban on narrow cages that prevent pregnant pigs from turning around, Gov. Christie drew
accusations last week from animal-rights advocates of bowing to the will of the pork industry, which has a
large presence in the early presidential nominating state of Iowa. On Monday, the governor won a
positive reaction for his decision - in Iowa...Gestation crates, however, don't prevent piglets from being
crushed - they're only for pregnant sows, said Larry Katz, a professor of animal sciences and senior
associate director of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station at Rutgers University. Sows
that have recently given birth are kept in farrowing crates, Katz said, which are designed to give piglets an
escape route to prevent them from being crushed. He said New Jersey's bill wouldn't have outlawed
farrowing crates.
New Frog Species Coughs Instead of Croaking
news.discovery.com, 12/2/2014
A new frog species has been found that ranges from Connecticut to North Carolina and emits a distinct
call that sounds more like a cough than a croak. The find not only welcomes a new frog to a life of
recognition and a fancy classification name, but it also confirms claims of its existence that had long ago
been discounted...The new frog was never considered a new species because it was closely related to
two other leopard frogs, one to the north of it and one to the south (the northern and southern leopard
frogs). But it was spotted on Staten Island six years ago by Rutgers doctoral candidate and lead author
of the study, Jeremy Feinberg.
Does this explain the slowdown in global warming?
forumblog.org, 12/3/2014
New research shows that relatively small volcanic eruptions can increase aerosol particles in the
atmosphere, temporarily mitigating the global warming caused by greenhouse gases. The impact of such
smaller eruptions has been underestimated in climate models, the researchers say, and helps to account
for a discrepancy between those models and the actual temperatures observed over the last 15
years...Alan Robock, a professor of environmental sciences at Rutgers University, says, "This work
helps to better quantify the impacts of the most important natural cause of climate change, volcanic
eruptions. We have an imperfect observational system for volcanic aerosols, and this work exploits some
previously unused sources of information to better quantify the effects of small eruptions for the past
decade."
Study shows that the effects of smaller volcanic eruptions have been underestimated in
climate models
phys.org, 12/3/2014
New research shows that relatively small volcanic eruptions can increase aerosol particles in the
atmosphere, temporarily mitigating the global warming caused by greenhouse gases. The impact of such
smaller eruptions has been underestimated in climate models, the researchers say, and helps to account
for a discrepancy between those models and the actual temperatures observed over the last 15
years...Alan Robock, a professor of environmental sciences at Rutgers University, says, "This work helps
to better quantify the impacts of the most important natural cause of climate change, volcanic eruptions.
We have an imperfect observational system for volcanic aerosols, and this work exploits some previously
unused sources of information to better quantify the effects of small eruptions for the past decade."
Project plans to prevent groundwater pollution
eb.gmnews.com, 12/4/2014
The Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program has conducted assessments for East
Brunswick, Milltown, New Brunswick, North Brunswick and South Brunswick. The project involved
providing suggestions to intercept and treat water runoff with porous asphalt, rain gardens and other
techniques before runoff goes into waterways such as the Lawrence Brook, Farrington Lake and other
bodies of water. Chris Obropta, extension specialist in water resources for the Rutgers Cooperative
Extension and an associate professor with the Department of Environmental Sciences at the
School of Environmental & Biological Sciences at Rutgers University, presented the assessments
Nov. 25 at the monthly meeting of the Lawrence Brook Watershed Partnership at the Milltown Senior
Center.
Growing Antarctic Ice Sheets May Have Sparked Ice Age
livescience.com, 12/4/2014
The origins of the last major ice age, which cloaked the Northern Hemisphere in colossal glaciers, might
have had a surprising cause: the buildup of ice sheets on the other side of the planet, in Antarctica,
researchers say...The findings also reveal that "a change in deep-sea heat transport had a profound
effect on the Earth's climate," said lead study author Stella Woodard, a geochemist and
paleooceanographer at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Deep-sea currents are responsible for
about 30 to 50 percent of global heat storage and transport. In the study, Woodard and her colleagues
analyzed the shells of microscopic bottom-dwelling organisms known as foraminifera in ancient sediments
in the Pacific collected by the International Ocean Discovery Program.
NSIDC: Arctic Sea Ice Growth "Average" in November
reportingclimatescience.com, 12/4/2014
Arctic sea ice grew at a "fairly average" rate through November, according to the US National Snow and
Ice Data Center (NSIDC). Arctic sea ice extent for November averaged 10.4 million km2 which is 6 per
cent or some 630,000km2 below the long run average for November over the period from 1981 to
2010...New research this year from Japanese scientists (Mori et al., 2014) provides support for the
hypothesis, put forward by Jennifer Francis of Rutgers University and Steve Vavrus of the University of
Wisconsin, that the warming Arctic is contributing to an increasing waviness of the jet stream with the
potential for more extreme weather events, including cold outbreaks in the lower 48 U.S. and Eurasia that
have been seen in recent years.
Fall snow cover in Northern Hemisphere was most extensive on record, even with
temperatures at high mark
washingtonpost.com, 12/4/2014
In 46 years of records, more snow covered the Northern Hemisphere this fall than any other time. It is a
very surprising result, especially when you consider temperatures have tracked warmest on record over
the same period. Data from Rutgers University Global Snow Lab show the fall Northern Hemisphere
snow cover extent exceeded 22 million square kilometers, exceeding the previous greatest fall extent
recorded in 1976. New Jersey state climatologist David Robinson, who runs the snow lab, shared
additional snow cover statistics.
Local Rutgers professors receive Fullbright grants
MyCentralJersey.com, 12/7/2014
Two Central Jersey residents are among the seven Rutgers professors who have received Fulbright
Scholar grants for research and teaching abroad next year at institutions in Austria, Brazil, Iceland and
India...Eric Lam, of Monroe, a professor at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences,
will continue his work on improving biofuel production by enhancing plant sources in Brazil...Daniel
Hoffman in nutritional sciences will lead seminars and teach courses that promote an interdisciplinary
approach to global health research and education, bridging nutrition and public health with economics,
engineering, women's studies and urban planning in Brazil.
Growing Antarctic Ice Sheets May Have Sparked Ice Age
news.yahoo.com, 12/8/2014
The origins of the last major ice age, which cloaked the Northern Hemisphere in colossal glaciers, might
have had a surprising cause: the buildup of ice sheets on the other side of the planet, in Antarctica,
researchers say...The findings also reveal that "a change in deep-sea heat transport had a profound
effect on the Earth's climate," said lead study author Stella Woodard, a geochemist and
paleooceanographer at Rutgers University in New Jersey...In the study, Woodard and her colleagues
analyzed the shells of microscopic bottom-dwelling organisms known as foraminifera in ancient sediments
in the Pacific collected by the International Ocean Discovery Program.
10 Toxic Substances to Avoid
thehorse.com, 12/8/2014
There are many things horses should never eat. Certainly, toxic plants rank high on the list of things to
avoid, but other substances, organisms, and chemicals can pose risks as well...American, English,
Japanese, and Western yew are ornamental evergreen hedge-type plants that grow red berries in the fall.
They are commonly used in landscaping across much of North America. As little as a mouthful or two of
yew can be lethal, says Sarah Ralston, VMD, PhD, professor in Rutgers University's Department of
Animal Sciences. The plant's alkaloid toxin taxine causes cardiac and respiratory failure, often within
minutes. "It's not uncommon for horses to be found dead with the plant still in their mouth," Ralston says.
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