Runway Test of Solar Plane

The Solar Impulse team have taken the prototype solar aircraft, designed to be the first to fly around the world powered only by solar energy, for successful test runs in Switzerland.



Reference: Wired

Acidic Clouds Nourish Ocean

Scientists have discovered that acid in the atmosphere breaks down from large particles of iron found in dust into small soluble nanoparticles, which can be useful to plankton. The lack of iron in the ocean can be a limiting factor for plankton growth. Man made pollution increases the acidity of the atmosphere and thus enourage formation of iron nanoparticles. This is the previously unknown source of bio-available iron that is delievered to Earth's surface in precipitation.

Reference
Shi et al. Formation of Iron Nanoparticles and Increase in Iron Reactivity in Mineral Dust during Simulated Cloud Processing. Environmental Science & Technology, 2009; 43 (17): 6592 DOI: 10.1021/es901294g