While studying the environmental impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, recent Texas Tech University-led research has discovered high concentrations of lead in the poorest and oldest parts of New Orleans.
A new interdisciplinary curriculum in environmental sustainability, developed by University of Rochester faculty and students, will help two independent schools in the U.S. and Africa to develop cross-cultural understanding and support for one another around sustainability issues.
The Wildlife Conservation Society today announced findings from a study showing that closures and gear restrictions implemented in fishing areas can increase fishery revenue and net profits.
A study published online May 13 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) shows for the first time that elevated levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) like those predicted by models of climate change can drive increased production of fungal spores, including some associated with allergies and asthma.
The Advanced Energy Center today announced a partnership with the New York State Department of Labor, The New York City Labor Market Information Service (NYCLMIS) at the CUNY Graduate Center, the State University of New York at Albany, and SUNY in the first comprehensive New York State research project to measure employer demand for “green jobs” against the capacity of educational and training resources to address these needs.
AU has purchased wind-generated renewable energy credits equivalent to 100 percent of the university’s 53 million kilowatt hours of annual electricity usage--equal to planting 451,000 trees, a forest four times size of the national mall.
Field studies have shown for the first time that several common species of seaweeds in both the Pacific and Caribbean Oceans can kill corals upon contact using chemical means.
A Temple University researcher who studied the Exxon Valdez spill is available to the news media to discuss the two oil spills, the environmental impact to the Gulf, as well as efforts to control and stop the spill.
Top honors in the second annual University of Virginia Student Sustainability Project Competition went to a proposal to better educate local homeowners on saving energy.
Despite reduced catches in Canada since 1992, cod are now at such historically low levels that they may no longer be able to replace themselves in their ecosystem, increasing the chances the species could face extinction according to Dalhousie University researcher, Jeffrey Hutchings.
Ever wondered what happens to the piles of plastic bottles collected for recycling? This year, some 48,000 of them will be worn by Wake Forest graduates, as the university becomes one of the first adopters of recycled regalia.
A new study using satellite imagery finds the greatest loss in forest cover wasn't in rain forests, but in boreal forests in places like North America.
The environmental and economic impacts of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will likely be devastating, says Dr. Julia Cherry, assistant professor in New College and Biological Sciences.
Among the worrisome environmental effects of global warming is the thawing of Arctic permafrost---soil that normally remains at or below the freezing point for at least a two-year period and often much longer. Monitoring changes in permafrost is difficult with current methods, but a study by University of Michigan researchers offers a new approach to assessing the extent of the problem.
Travel from the tropics to the poles, and you'll notice that the diversity of mammals declines with distance from the equator. Move from lowland to mountains, and you'll see diversity increase as the landscape becomes more varied. Ecologists have proposed various explanations for these well-known "biodiversity gradients," invoking ecological, evolutionary and historical processes.
Jeffrey J. Rachlinski, Cornell University Professor of Law and an expert in environmental law, comments on the liability facing BP as a result of the ongoing Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Of all the things that might control the onset of disease epidemics in Michigan lakes, the shape of the lakes' bottoms might seem unlikely. But that is precisely the case, and a new BioScience report by scientists from Indiana University Bloomington and four other institutions explains why.
Help America's high school students learn how they can solve the world's energy crisis! The 2011 JETS TEAMS Competition will focus on energy and experts are needed to develop questions regarding energy diversification, efficiency, security and ecological sustainability.
A new study led by the University of Adelaide’s Environment Institute in Australia has ranked most of the world’s countries for their environmental impact.
Diversity in some coral populations may significantly influence their response to extreme temperature disturbances — such as those predicted from climate warming. A team demonstrated natural selection acting on the species of algae living within corals may determine survival in extreme temperatures.
Officials say it may take up to three months to seal off a leaking oil well 5,000 feet below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico that has created a massive environmental crisis that could affect much of the Gulf coast. The Florida State University, which is leading a statewide Oil Spill Academic Task Force to assist the Gulf region in preparing for and responding to the oil spill, is home to some of the nation’s top experts in measuring and modeling the magnitude and trajectory of the spill, providing information on the potential and actual ecological impacts of the oil and evaluating risks associated with the spill. The spill followed an explosion on April 20.
SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT: EFFECT OF OIL SPILLS ON ENVIRONMENT
Dr. Richard E. Dodge
Professor and Dean, NSU Oceanographic Center
Executive Director, National Coral Reef Institute
Contact Dr. Dodge Cell phone 954.629.2134
Researchers in British Columbia, Canada, have used a technique known as ecological niche modeling to identify likely areas where a potentially lethal fungus could spread next. Cryptococcus gattii, which can cause life-threatening infections of the lungs and central nervous system when inhaled, infects humans as well as a broad range of wild and domestic animals.
Ken Rosenberg, director of conservation science at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and a specialist on the conservation of birds throughout the Western Hemisphere, comments on the ecological threat posed by the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Disappearing coral reefs are among a host of ecological markers that showcase how promises to protect the planet’s biodiversity are not being met, according to a study this week in the journal Science. The findings are an assessment of targets made at the 2002 Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). UNC marine scientist John Bruno is a study co-author.
The growing oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico could void years of conservation work to save a species of turtle that calls the Alabama Gulf Coast home, say the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) biologists who are behind the effort.
Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a report on “Climate Change Indicators” reviewing 24 critical indicators of the planet’s environmental health for visible impacts of climate change. For the vast majority of the indicators, 22 of 24, the report’s authors conclude that climate change has already had scientifically verified effects on our air, oceans, weather and wildlife.
A study published April 19, 2010 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) demonstrates that conditions that can support the establishment of Lyme disease have come together in southern Quebec, an area that until now has not sustained the disease.
Researchers studied the impact of grass and grass/tree buffer strips on three herbicides commonly used in agriculture. The scientists studied the transport of the herbicides in both surface runoff and subsurface infiltration during two growing seasons.
National Wildlife Federation and 25 groups issued a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today calling for suspension of the permitting process for a proposed tar sands pipeline known as Keystone XL. The groups say the full scope of its environmental and social impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions have not been considered.
University of New Hampshire professor Nancy Kinner, director of the joint UNH/NOAA Coastal Response Research Center, is available to media to discuss the impact of the oil spill from the burning oil rig off the coast of Louisiana.
Both ozone and primary pollutants from traffic substantially increase asthma-related emergency department visits in children, especially during the warm season, according to researchers from the Department of Environmental Health at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta.
A report released today by a federal working group highlights 11 key categories of diseases and other health consequences that are occurring or will occur due to climate change. The report, A Human Health Perspective on Climate Change, provides a starting point for coordination of federal research to better understand climate’s impact on human health. The recommendations of the working group include research to identify who will be most vulnerable, and what efforts will be most beneficial.
A comprehensive assessment of global fossil-fuel subsidies has found that governments are spending $500 billion annually on policies that undermine energy security and worsen the environment.
A new “gasification” method of converting biomass feedstock into sustainable fuel developed by researchers in Massachusetts and Minnesota greatly reduces greenhouse gas emissions and doubles the amount of fuel made from an acre of biomass feedstock, says UMass Amherst scientist Paul J. Dauenhauer.
The annual survey at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry says cutting consumerism is the first step toward a more sustainable lifestyle.
Three Temple University environmental experts are available to discuss the 40th Earth Day, the current state of the environment, where it is going and what needs to be done to get there.
Shells from mollusks presented to the dead during ancient funeral ceremonies are keys to helping a geologist gauge ocean movements near the Peruvian coast from as much as 13,000 years ago.
Birth control for moths – that’s one way of describing the focus of a start-up company hoping to take a bite out of the $100 billion hole that insects inflict each year via crop losses worldwide.
On this 40th anniversary of Earth Day, the call to action is aimed at individuals, not just government. That’s the view of Dedee DeLongpré Johnston, director of sustainability at Wake Forest University, who is issuing a call to action for Earth Day 2010.
American Society of Agronomy President participates in “Great Outdoors” policy event at White House Conference. He joins an exclusive list of leaders gathered to define conservation challenges and the best solutions to solve these issues.
Sahotra Sarkar, a philosophy professor at The University of Texas at Austin and leader in the study of environmental ethics, works with the conservationists, companies and governments to develop strategies that balance economic development and biodiversity while respecting the needs of indigenous people.