Tons of PCBs Reaching the Deep Oceans
University of Rhode IslandResearchers have found that approximately 870 kilograms of PCBs per year make their way to the deep ocean at four subduction zones in the North Atlantic and the Southern Ocean.
Researchers have found that approximately 870 kilograms of PCBs per year make their way to the deep ocean at four subduction zones in the North Atlantic and the Southern Ocean.
A nine-member reporting team with The Record newspaper (Bergen County, N.J.) is the 2006 winner of the Grantham Prize for Excellence in Reporting on the Environment. The team won the $75,000 prize for its "Toxic Legacy" investigative series on pollution caused by a Mahwah, N.J., Ford Motor Company automobile-assembly plant.
An international team of scientists has found that the second largest volcanic eruption in human history, the massive Bronze Age eruption of Thera in Greece, was much larger and more widespread than previously believed.
Terrorism in ports or on the high seas, a catastrophic natural disaster striking a center of global trade, and the disruption of oil supplies are among the scenarios that will be discussed at the first international conference on port security and marine transportation, which will be held at the University of Rhode Island Sept. 25 and 26.
URI business students have created business plans and provided other support to numerous non-profit agencies in Rhode Island through Social Venture Partners, a collaborative of professionals focused on advancing the non-profit sector and social change.
If Barbaro could talk, the doctors treating the racehorse's devastating injury would be better able to understand the stress he is undergoing as he recovers and relieve his pain. That's the idea behind the Equine Vocalization Project, an acoustical analysis of horse vocalizations designed to improve the lives of horses by interpreting how stress is communicated when they whinny.
Over 400 meters of sediment core collected beneath the Arctic Ocean have revealed a 56-million-year record of climate changes that could help clarify present and future climate trends. The cores provide a surprising record of a climate transition from a warm "greenhouse" world to a colder "icehouse" world influenced by sea ice and icebergs.
The most accurate hurricane forecasting model used by the National Hurricane Center over the last three years has been improved for the 2006 hurricane season to incorporate the phenomenon responsible for intensifying Hurricanes Katrina and Rita last year -- the Loop Current.
Four Revolutionary War-era ships, believed to be part of a fleet of 13 British transport ships deliberately sunk by British forces defending Newport in 1778, have been discovered in Newport Harbor, Rhode Island.
A brief delay in clamping the umbilical cords of babies born before 32 weeks protects them from bleeding in the brain and infections, according to a new study by a University of Rhode Island professor. The easy, no-cost delay procedure increases the amount of blood the baby receives at birth, providing more blood cells to carry oxygen and high concentrations of beneficial stem cells.
The largest volcanic eruption in human history extinguished the tiny island kingdom of Tambora in Indonesia in 1815. A University of Rhode Island scientist has unearthed the first remnants of a Tamboran village under 10 feet of ash to reveal clues about its culture.
The 36,000-ton ferry Norröna, which travels weekly from Denmark to Iceland, is the latest among a small group of commercial "ships of opportunity" that oceanographers are enlisting to aid in their research.
A new law has been put into place to deal with one of the most critical, unaddressed issues of the brutal trafficking and enslavement of women and children for commercial sex. Estimates are that hundreds of thousands to well over a million people are trapped in prostitution in the U.S. alone.
A 12-year project to create an electronic record of clothing patterns created from 1868 to 1968 has become a treasure trove for theatrical designers, clothing manufacturers, social historians and museum curators. Patterns from the 1970s will soon be added to the world's largest pattern collection at the University of Rhode Island.
Journalists interested in reporting on environmental issues may qualify for two fellowship opportunities: The Metcalf Institute Eighth Annual Workshop for Journalists and the Metcalf Institute Diversity Fellowships in Environmental Reporting.
Squid have always been considered poor parents. But a biologist has made the first observation of parental care by squid by using a remotely operated underwater vehicle in the deep sea to watch as five squid each carried thousands of eggs in their arms.
The first research expedition to directly observe the seafloor near the epicenter of the earthquake that caused the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami has revealed unexpected results that will dramatically improve forecasting of future tsunamis.
Two researchers have been awarded a grant to create maps of the East Coast of the U.S. that will identify potential flooding and damage that could occur if a tsunami struck the region.
While much research has been conducted on the effects of fishing gear on the gravel habitats on Georges Bank, a recent long-term study reveals for the first time that it may take as long as 10 years for this habitat to recover from the impact of fishing.
Thirty tick-killing bait stations were deployed last month in what is likely the largest tick control project in the nation. The bait stations are being used to kill Lyme disease-carrying deer ticks where they concentrate and are most vulnerable -- on deer.
Imagine an entire biotechnology laboratory reduced to the size of a pea and placed on a computer chip. Research to develop applications for this technology is also leading to establishment of a unique international engineering Ph.D. program.
Future precipitation rates in southern New England will likely remain similar to those in recent decades, but increasing variability may mean that dry years will be drier and wet years will be wetter. That is the conclusion drawn after sampling estuary sediments to determine "moisture budgets" for the last millennium.
With concerns about global warming on the rise, a team of scientists is trying to improve the current understanding of the ocean's role in transferring carbon dioxide from the surface to the deep sea.
University of Rhode Island students want campus and local authorities to increase enforcement efforts and develop new programs to address the problem of drinking and driving, according to a new survey.
Researchers have successfully tested a new fishing net configuration that will selectively catch the plentiful haddock without affecting declining stocks of cod and flounder. After additional tests and review by fishery managers, the net may allow fishermen to extend the number of days they are permitted to be at sea.
Allegations of steroid use by athletes continue to play prominently in media across the globe. The chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency will address these issues in a lecture Sept. 27 as part of the University of Rhode Island's Honors Colloquium.
A University of Rhode Island physics professor may have discovered a way to stop cancer cell growth without harming the healthy cells that surround them.
URI experts can offer commentary on numerous aspects of the Hurricane Katrina aftermath, including mass evacuations, coastal development, hurricane forecasting, and coastal erosion.
As hurricane Dennis has intensified and threatens to make landfall along the U.S. Gulf coast, the accuracy of one of the tools being used to predict the storm's path and intensity was recently improved by researchers.
Deer tick abundance in Rhode Island has skyrocketed this summer despite early season predictions that tick numbers could be lower this year. A state-wide survey of tick populations is finding that tick numbers are, on average, 30 percent higher than the same time last year.
A scientific team has just returned from the first scientific expedition to dive 4,500 metres into ocean water to explore the seabed site of the 2004 Asian tsunami. They have revealed dramatic photographic evidence of seafloor ruptures that contributed to the deadly December 26 tsunami wave.
Cable television network Showtime will broadcast "Holy Water-Gate: Abuse Cover-Up in the Catholic Church," a documentary by a URI lecturer about the church's sexual abuse scandal, on May 19, 25 and 27. The documentary won the 2005 CINE Golden Eagle for investigative journalism.
The news last June that an inventor had shrunk the antenna size without shrinking its effectiveness, produced a large group of Doubting Thomases worldwide. Prove it, they demanded. With the help of the Navy's antenna test range, the inventor has done just that.
A team of oceanographers probed the ancient sediments beneath Lake Malawi in East Africa and recovered sediment samples that provide up to 1.5 million years of information about how climate in Africa has changed "“ the longest continuous record of such data ever collected from that continent.
Ever wondered how and why U.S. fashions have gone from hoop skirts to hot pants, from zoot suits to sweat suits? A new book traces the socio-political, cultural and economic factors that have shaped American fashion changes over the last century.
Although Captain Hook and Bluebeard are long gone, pirates still sail the high seas around the world. There is growing concern that there is an increasing problem with pirates plundering the oceans by illegally catching and selling finfish and shellfish.
Laboratory mice will take to the pool to help a URI researcher discover the mechanisms involved when regular exercise leads to growth of the heart. The researcher will ultimately apply what he learns from the swimming mice to understand abnormal heart growth caused by disease.
Chronic health issues often make it impossible for small-diameter veins to be grafted to replace diseased blood vessels. A team of researchers has developed a new way to synthesize such grafts from material made of polyester and collagen.
A soldier suffers a life threatening wound at a remote location, miles from any medical assistance. A newly developed wound dressing surface could be the answer to helping that soldier stop the bleeding and prevent infection.
The University of Rhode Island has scientists and social scientists available for interviews on such topics as the infectious diseases, sexual exploitation of victims, and more.
A new suit to remove the "under God" phrase in the pledge of allegiance was filed this week. URI student Nathaniel Nelson writes that the phrase should be retained.
As news about the effects of the tsunami and its victims swells worldwide, headlines are beginning to show man-made offenses. A URI expert on sexual exploitation and trafficking says predators are always looking for ways to prey on the vulnerable.
As digital information becomes more pervasive its role as evidence in commercial, criminal, or national cases is becoming more prominent. Computer science students now can become digital detectives by becoming experts in the field of computer forensics.
Holy Water-Gate, a documentary film about the cover-up of abuse in the Catholic Church, has won a CINE Golden Eagle Award. It will have its U.S. premiere in Brookline, Mass. on Jan. 10.
When dinosaurs became extinct from the effects of a massive asteroid hitting Earth 65 million years ago, there were more varieties of the reptiles living than ever before, according to a new analysis of global fossil records.
Based on a new review of neutron activation analyses and ballistic evidence, two researchers have concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy 41 years ago.
Byproducts given off by food plants grown on a mission to Mars may pose a potential health risk to astronauts, so a URI pharmacy researcher and NASA fellow is analyzing candidate crops to ensure they do not contaminate the air supply.
Based on a new review of neutron activation analyses and ballistic evidence, two researchers have concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy 41 years ago.
Despite numerous attempts to improve reading proficiency levels, nationwide scores have remained fairly flat for the past decade. A URI professor is launching a study this fall to help elevate those proficiency scores by providing teachers with new strategies for teaching reading.
Students interested in following the footsteps of marine explorer Robert Ballard can now do so. That's because Ballard has created the first graduate degree program in archaeological oceanography to educate students in this emerging and growing discipline.