Marine species facing threats from the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico far exceed those under legal protection in the United States, a new paper finds. Researchers found 39 additional marine species beyond the 14 protected by federal law, ranging from whale sharks to seagrass, that are at an elevated risk of extinction.
In the May-June 2011 issue of the Journal of Environmental Quality, scientists report how natural plant compounds known as tannins cut both the amount of nitrogen cows excrete in urine, and the action of a microbial enzyme in manure that converts nitrogen into ammonia on the barn floor. In their study, ammonia emissions dropped by up to 30%.
Indiana University Bloomington scientists will use knowledge about methane production by cold-weather microbes on Earth to help NASA zero in on evidence for similar, carbon-based microbes that could have evolved on Mars, the Jovian moon Europa, or Saturn's Enceladus.
Bottlenose dolphins and beluga whales, two marine species at or near the top of their respective food webs, accumulate more chemical pollutants in their bodies when they live and feed in waters near urbanized areas, according to scientists working at the Hollings Marine Laboratory, a government-university collaboration in Charleston, S.C.
While demand for food is soaring, the soil’s ability to sustain and enhance agricultural productivity is becoming increasingly diminished and unreliable. A new book, Soil Management: Building a Stable Base for Agriculture, is now calling for renewed investment in soil management, restoration and science-based soil practices.
A new research paper from an international and interdisciplinary team, published in the journal Ecography, has uncovered the mystery behind the relationship between the duration of the open water period and the geographic coverage of marine species.
In a new book, biologist Joe Roman traces the four-decade history of the Endangered Species Act--while describing his cross-the-nation tour following the tales (and sometime tails) of the many creatures (and a few plants) that have been at the center of the ESA’s contested place in American life.
The American Physical Society has released a new assessment — Direct Air Capture of CO2 with Chemicals — to better inform the scientific community on the technical aspects of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Model points to intensive agriculture, sewage effluent as main sources, not manure, over-fertilization
Tests of a new antibody-based “biosensor” developed by researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science show that it can detect marine pollutants like oil much faster and more cheaply than current technologies. The device is small and sturdy enough to be used from a boat.
Pulling valuable fuels out of thin air? It sounds like magic, but Joel Rosenthal, a chemist at the University of Delaware, is working to transform carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, into gas for your car and clean-energy future fuels. Rosenthal is a winner of the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award from Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU).
In three new studies published in the May issue of the journal Health Affairs, Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers reveal the staggering economic impact of toxic chemicals and air pollutants in the environment, and propose new legislation to mandate testing of new chemicals and also those already on the market.
Evolution is providing the inspiration for University of Adelaide computer science research to find the best placement of turbines to increase wind farm productivity.
Global climate change is anticipated to bring more extreme weather phenomena such as heat waves that could impact human health in the coming decades. An analysis led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health calculated that the city of Chicago could experience between 166 and 2,217 excess deaths per year attributable to heat waves using three different climate change scenarios for the final decades of the 21st century.
For more than two hundred years, the question of why there are more species in the tropics has been a biological enigma.
Rotational grazing of cattle in native pasturelands in Brazil’s Pantanal and Cerrado regions can benefit both cattle and wildlife, according to a new study by the Wildlife Conservation Society.
The West Coast of North America has caught a break that has left sea level in the eastern North Pacific Ocean steady during the last few decades, but there is evidence that a change in wind patterns may be occurring that could cause coastal sea-level rise to accelerate beginning this decade.
The production of wind energy in the U.S. over the next 30-50 years will be largely unaffected by upward changes in global temperature, say a pair of Indiana University Bloomington scientists who analyzed output from several regional climate models to assess future wind patterns in America's lower 48 states.
Vanderbilt University expert suggests how to add some green to your cleaning routine.
Planting trees may be an excellent gateway to further civic and political involvement, concludes a new University of Maryland study, based on work with New York volunteers. "The more a person is involved in environmental stewardship, the more s/he engages with other types of civic and political activities," says the report, released on Arbor Day.
Ultraviolet light can safely sterilize food, water and medical equipment by disrupting the DNA and other reproductive molecules in harmful bacteria. Traditionally, mercury lamps have supplied this UV light, however mercury release from power generation and lamp disposal have generated discussion of harmful environmental impact. A potentially energy efficient and non-toxic alternative is the light-emitting diode, or LED, which can be made to emit at almost any desired wavelength.
Researchers eavesdropping on complex signals emanating from a remote Wisconsin lake have detected what they say is an unmistakable warning — a death knell — of the impending collapse of the lake’s aquatic ecosystem.
The 25-story construction crane used since 1995 to investigate such things as how Pacific Northwest forests absorb carbon dioxide, obtain sufficient water and resist attacks by pests and diseases is being pruned back to just the tower.
BU College of Arts & Sciences Paleoclimatologist Maureen Raymo and colleagues published findings that should help scientists better estimate the level of sea level rise during a period of high atmospheric carbon dioxide levels 3 million years ago.
The earstones of fish record their presence in "dead zones" in oceans and coastal waters and could be a tool in understanding fishes' interactions with their environment.
The large number of planet-friendly standards and regulations creates a sometimes-confusing array of options for “going green.” NIST researchers have prototyped a framework to help organizations of all types sort through the welter of choices and evaluate and implement sustainability standards most appropriate for their operations and interests.
Natural gas is an abundant energy resource for the United States, but much of it remains trapped in shale or tight-sand formations. Researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology hope to develop a way to extract that gas by studying the energy source at the molecular level.
NIST researchers studied different methods for collecting, extracting and quantifying microbial spores from indoor surfaces to estimate parameters that should be considered in the development of a standard biological sampling protocol.
In a pair of studies, researchers at the Hollings Marine Laboratory report that persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are consistently showing up in the blood and eggs of loggerhead sea turtles, that the turtles accumulate more of the contaminant chemicals the farther they travel up the Atlantic coast, and that the pollutants may pose a threat to the survival of this endangered species.
Scientists made 20 collections of Searls prairie clover in an attempt to characterize their potential for agronomic seed production, flowering date and biomass, inherent population relationships, and phenotypic correlation.
A new book on the bogged-down international politics of global warming lays out a detailed roadmap on how to leverage the self-interest of countries to address climate change rather than relying on high-profile international climate conferences that accomplish little.
As food suppliers attempt to meet the growing demand for local products, a new study finds it’s not always economically or environmentally viable for multi-product industries to focus heavily on local sales.
Indiana University scientists Marta Venier and Ronald Hites have found chemical flame retardants in the blood of pet dogs at concentrations five to 10 times higher than in humans, but lower than levels found in a previous study of cats.
An American University study Is first to compare funding, media coverage and strategy of green groups and industry-linked organizations in Cap & Trade fight.
For 25 years, scientists at RTI International have supported federal efforts to protect and enhance the scenic beauty and air quality of U.S. national parks by analyzing air samples collected through a nationwide network of air monitoring devices.
Atmospheric scientists trying to pin down how clouds curb the amount of sunlight available to warm the earth have found that it depends on the wavelength of sunlight being measured. This unexpected result will help researchers improve how they portray clouds in climate models.
Forty years after Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970, simple strategies to combine sustainable principles and everyday decision-making can remain elusive. “Sustainable living is not a one-size-fits-all set of items on a list that can be marked as ‘done,’ which can be challenging in a checklist society,” says Wake Forest’s sustainability director Dedee DeLongpré Johnston.
Earth Day 2011 at The Florida State University will find its Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science faculty celebrating not only the one-year anniversary of their interdisciplinary unit's formation but also the huge response from FSU undergraduates - more than 300 so far - to the department's new Environmental Science degree programs.
A new University of Maryland research center will focus on the human side of environmental policymaking and activism - one of the first centers of its kind in the field. "Environmental legislation and community activism doesn't just spring up in a vacuum," says sociologist Dana R. Fisher, who directs the new Center for Society and the Environment.
Whether it’s Earth Day or laundry day, consumers can take simple steps to save energy and conserve water while getting their clothes cleaner than ever, according to the American Cleaning Institute®. ACI offers earth-friendly information for consumers as they prepare to do the laundry.
Teams of students from seven institutions of higher learning in Virginia and Maryland will play the University of Virginia Bay Game on Earth Day, April 22.
Urban centres worldwide are the leading contributors of greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new report by UN-HABITAT prepared with expertise from a Canadian climate change scholar at Ryerson University.
A lawn of regionally native grasses would take less resources to maintain while providing as lush a carpet as a common turfgrass used in the South, according to a study by ecologists at The University of Texas at Austin’s Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Sandia's food waste composting program diverts food waste from landfills.
Three independent investigations published online April 21 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) have reached similar conclusions, associating prenatal exposure to organophosphate (OP) pesticides with IQ deficits in school-age children. The fact that three research groups reached such similar conclusions independently adds considerable support to the validity of the findings.
Melting glaciers and ice caps on Canadian Arctic islands play a much greater role in sea level rise than scientists previously thought, according to a new study led by a University of Michigan researcher.
Can sustainable aquaculture be the key in saving the blue fin tuna and keeping the fish a culinary treat worldwide.
On April 22, 2011, Earth Day, Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP), the peer-reviewed journal covering environmental health sciences as they relate to human health, will launch a website dedicated to this event. The site, available on Friday at http://ehponline.org/earthday2011, features a collection of recent EHP research, news, science education materials, and podcasts that relate to the overarching themes of air, land, water and climate.
Scientists conducted an experiment over an 86-day period to determined the effect of incorporating biochar into the soil on nitrous oxide emissions from the urine patches produced by cattle.
Scientists at the Johannes Gutenberg University at Mainz, Germany, recently examined the mobility of arsenic and copper found in dendrites of a local limestone.
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