Mirror image molecules reveal drought stress in forests

Ecosystem changes can be more accurately predicted by emissions of chiral compounds

09-Sep-2022 - Worldwide, plants emit about 100 million tonnes of monoterpenes into the atmosphere each year. These volatile organic molecules include many fragrances such as the molecule pinene – known for its pine fresh scent. Since these molecules are highly reactive and can form tiny aerosol particles that ...

A chemical criterion for rating movies

The isoprene concentration in the air is an objective indicator for setting the age rating of films

15-Oct-2018 - A measurable criterion now exists for determining the age rating of films. A group of scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz has found that the concentration of isoprene in cinema air correlates with the cinema industry‘s voluntary classification of films. Evidently, the ...

Multiyear Tracking of Atmospheric Radicals

New method derive both short-lived atmospheric hydroxyl and chlorine radical concentrations over several years

13-Sep-2018 - Hydroxyl radicals (OH) keep our atmosphere clean. They react away toxic gases such as carbon monoxide (CO), and slow climate warming by removing greenhouse gases like methane (CH4). In some parts of the atmosphere, chlorine radicals (Cl) can also help this purification process, for example in the ...

Soil crusts emit nitrogen oxides and nitrous acid

Study shows that biological soil crusts release large quantities of reactive nitrogen compounds

03-Dec-2015 - For a long time now, researchers have been racking their brains over the large quantities of reactive nitrogen compounds observed in arid regions after periods of rainfall without being able to identify the source. A study is now bringing light into the darkness. Bettina Weber and her colleagues ...

Scientists develop new soil moisture sensor

Innovative measuring device enables the water content of biological soil crusts to be measured for the first time

15-Sep-2015 - Biological soil crusts comprising lichens, algae and mosses play an important role in the earth’s ecosystems. They fix carbon dioxide and nitrogen while giving off significant amounts of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide. Information on soil moisture is of vital importance to investigate their ...

Deep recycling in the Earth faster than thought

Sunken oceanic crust resurfaces from Earth's mantle after only 500 million years

12-Aug-2011 - The recycling of the Earth's crust in volcanoes happens much faster than scientists have previously assumed. Rock of the oceanic crust, which sinks deep into the earth due to the movement of tectonic plates, reemerges through volcanic eruptions after around 500 million years. Researchers from the ...

Bleach in the Icelandic Volcanic Cloud

Chlorine in the ash plume of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull attacked atmospheric trace gases

31-May-2011 - One year after the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland brought European air traffic to a standstill its ash plume revealed a surprising scientific finding: Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz found that the ash plume contained not only the common volcanic gas sulfur ...

The Amazon rainforest -- a cloud factory

22-Sep-2010 - The forest in the Amazon Basin produces its own rain. During the wet season, aerosol particles, which serve to condensate clouds and precipitation here, mainly consist of organic material. These aerosols are released by the rainforest itself. This has been demonstrated by scientists from the Max ...