(University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Emissions regulations do have an environmental impact, according to a long-term study of acidic rainfall by researchers at the University of Illinois. A report detailing trends in acidic rainfall frequency and concentration over 25 years found that as sulfur and nitrogen emissions have dropped in response to the Clean Air Act, acid ions in rainwater have dropped by similar magnitudes.

(Office of Naval Research) The Office of Naval Research (ONR) released Nov. 16 its latest science and technology (S&T) strategic plan, which reflects future naval requirements, including a new emphasis on autonomous systems, and current fiscal realities. The 2011 Naval S&T Strategic Plan communicates how ONR delivers cutting-edge technology to Sailors and Marines. It has been simplified from those of previous years and reveals a renewed focus on ONR’s core competencies of mid- to long-term S&T investments.

(USDA Forest Service – Northern Research Station) A study that will be published in Nature on Thursday, Nov. 17, concludes that forests influence temperature, and their influence largely depends on latitude.

(University of Wisconsin-Madison) A new report published by an independent global commission of eminent scientists states that the world’s food system needs an immediate transformation to meet current and future threats to food security and environmental sustainability.

(INRS) For the first time, researchers have identified two important strategies for optimizing the effects of the enzymes involved in degrading persistent pollutants such as PCBs. These scientific advances, achieved by professor Michel Sylvestre of Centre INRS — Institut Armand-Frappier in conjunction with US and Indian researchers, will serve not only to help develop effective biocatalysts for resolving environmental pollution problems, but also to synthesize new chemical compounds of biopharmaceutical interest.

(Asian Institute of Technology) The Thailand-based Asian Institute of Technology is in charge of project management of the Disaster Charter on Thailand floods, and it is producing flood maps despite being inundated itself.

(Penn State) Michael Mann, professor of meteorology and geosciences and director, Earth System Science Center, Penn State, was awarded the Hans Oeschger Medal of the European Geosciences Union.

(Carnegie Institution) Scientists have developed a new, integrated, ten-year science plan to better understand the details of Earth’s carbon cycle. It identifies new research areas such as the role of humans as agents and managers of carbon cycling and climate change, the direct impact of greenhouse gases on ecosystems including changes to plant and animal diversity and ocean acidification, the need to address social concerns, and how best to communicate results to the public and decision makers.

(Burness Communications) Ahead of the UN global climate talks in Durban, South Africa, an independent, global commission of eminent scientists today released a set of recommendations to policy makers on how to achieve food security in the face of climate change. UK’s Sir John Beddington, Chair of the Commission, said, “It’s about reorienting the whole global food system — not just agricultural production, and not just in developing countries.”

(University of Copenhagen) Amphibian populations are declining worldwide, and their declines far exceed those of other animal groups: more than 30 percent of all species are listed as threatened according to the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.