Feature Channels: Environmental Science

• share
• favorite_border

UC San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography researchers explore options for desalination in eco-friendly ways.

• share
• favorite_border

In the U.S. and North America, nuclear energy has yet to overcome the stigmas associated with Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, disasters that are an entire generation removed. With energy issues emerging as the great national challenge of our time, and fully 17% of the world's electricity generated from nuclear reactors"”including 80% of France's electricity"”former treasurer of Greenpeace, Canada, and CEO and President of Bancroft Uranium Inc., Paul Leslie Hammond, is available to discuss the future of nuclear energy as an economical and sustainable energy source.

• share
• favorite_border

Are you planning to add a new roof or new siding to your home before winter? Paul Fisette, an expert on green building, says that these home improvement jobs can be the perfect time to boost your home's energy efficiency and lower your heating bills, especially if you own an older home.

• share
• favorite_border

Insight from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, commitment from two Michigan companies and funding from the Department of Energy have led to the commercialization of a lightweight urban transit bus with double the fuel efficiency of conventional hybrid buses.

• share
• favorite_border

The first study to compare the performance of different types of green roofs has been completed by The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin and suggests that buyers shouldn't assume these roofs are created equal.

• share
• favorite_border

The Gulf Stream"”a massive and highly energetic ocean current which holds great potential for electric power generation and other renewable power sources"”physically connects Florida with the United Kingdom. Researchers from Florida Atlantic University's Center for Ocean Energy Technology recently accompanied Florida Governor Charlie Crist to the UK to formalize agreements on ocean energy research and development.

• share
• favorite_border

Wealthy nations willing to collectively spend about $1 billion annually could prevent the emission of roughly half a billion metric tons of carbon dioxide per year for the next 25 years, new research suggests. It would take about that much money to put an end to a tenth of the tropical deforestation in the world, one of the top contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, researchers estimate.

• share
• favorite_border

Jeffrey S. Levinton, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at Stony Brook University and the senior author of the study done with Sharon T. Pochron, Adjunct Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Stony Brook University, found that mercury in common Hudson River fish, has declined strongly over the past three decades.

• share
• favorite_border

Mangrove destruction not only comes with ecological cost, but monetary as well: $37,500 per hectare each year, researchers say.

• share
• favorite_border

Record-setting "dead zones" in the Gulf of Mexico and Chesapeake Bay appear likely this summer, according to new forecasts from a University of Michigan researcher.

• share
• favorite_border

Tufts University students, faculty and staff are first college campus in Massachusetts to join an effort that will finance development of renewable energy projects in low-income communities across the state. School will also solicit donations to purchase renewable energy credits (REC's).

• share
• favorite_border

Once approved by the U.S. and Canadian governments, the Great Lakes Compact will for one thing, erect a "legal fence" prohibiting the exportation of water from the Great Lakes basin. "The Great Lakes are the largest freshwater source on the planet, and their protection and smart use are essential," says water resource management and policy expert Bill Blomquist.

• share
• favorite_border

Conservation biologists from UC San Diego are collaborating with scientists from the African Conservation Centre and other institutions to map patterns of biodiversity and land use in East Africa in unprecedented detail.

• share
• favorite_border

V. Ramanathan's career of climate change discovery cited in Zayed International Prize

• share
• favorite_border

Numerous studies over the past four decades have established that pesticides can move downward to reach the water table at detectable concentrations. This study found that the pesticides detected most frequently in shallow ground-water samples were predominantly from two classes of herbicides"”triazines and chloroacetanilides.

• share
• favorite_border

A key player in the rise of climate studies at Scripps, Roads developed fire weather forecasts and advanced climate prediction capabilities

• share
• favorite_border

Iowa State University faculty and staff members are available to share their insight and expertise on numerous flood-related topics as the devastating Midwest flooding continues this week along the Mississippi River.

• share
• favorite_border

One of Australia's leading environmentalists will spearhead a world-class project to help revegetate the Mount Lofty Ranges, to stave off the effects of climate change and halt the loss of bird, animal and plant species.

• share
• favorite_border

A North Carolina State University study published online this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that examining an insect's "family tree" might help predict a "cousin" insect's level of tolerance to pollutants, and therefore could be a reliable way to understand why certain insect species thrive or suffer under specific ecological conditions.

• share
• favorite_border

A Web site developed at the University of Michigan shows where tornados hit the United States each day. At www.tornadopaths.org, visitors can zoom in to see a city, or zoom out to see the entire country.

• share
• favorite_border

Scientists are deploying an advanced research aircraft to study a region of the atmosphere that influences climate change by affecting Earth's thermal balance. Researchers worldwide will use the project's findings to improve computer models of global climate in preparation for the next report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

• share
• favorite_border

When researchers observe natural changes in clouds and temperature, they have assumed that temperature change caused the clouds to change, and not the other way around. This can lead to overestimates of how sensitive Earth's climate is to greenhouse gas emissions.

• share
• favorite_border

The rate of climate warming in the Arctic could more than triple, raising concerns about thawing permafrost and the potential consequences for sensitive ecosystems, an NCAR study finds.

• share
• favorite_border

The United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) has signed a contract with researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health to lead an assessment of health risks due to environmental factors in the country, one of the fastest developing nations in the world.

• share
• favorite_border

In October 2006, an historic system of parks in Buffalo, chock full of 12,000 trees, was devastated by a pre-season ice storm. Starting Wednesday, June 11, a total of nearly 200 corporate volunteers will pitch in their time to restore the Olmsted Parks, and in doing so will contribute to a $100 million effort to fight climate change around the world.

• share
• favorite_border

Employees of HSBC, the world's largest bank, will abandon their offices for one day to help revitalize a unique green urban space in the Bronx, NY. This effort is part of an employee program on climate change spearheaded by Earthwatch, a major partner in the five-year HSBC Climate Partnership that launched last year.

• share
• favorite_border

New survey by National Wildlife Federation shows that many more mainstream retailers are offering outdoor furniture made from sustainable wood which is good for the environment and is priced competitively.

• share
• favorite_border

Prof. John Quigley conducts the first systematic analysis of environmentally-sustainable construction and its economic impact on the real estate market

• share
• favorite_border

For those hoping to create a greener world, our country's millions of miles of asphalt roads may seem like an odd place to seek solutions. Yet, it's precisely because asphalt is so common that we have much to gain from making it more eco-friendly, says University of Wisconsin-Madison civil engineering professor Hussain Bahia.

• share
• favorite_border

A Missouri University of Science and Technology team is one of 17 university groups from the United States and Canada selected to compete in a three-year competition, to design a more eco-friendly vehicle, announced today by the U.S. Department of Energy, General Motors and Natural Resources Canada.

• share
• favorite_border

A Kansas State University instructor and his students tell businesses they can be profitable and environmentally friendly. And then they tell them how to do it.

• share
• favorite_border

The first graduating class from the University of Maryland's distinctive real estate development program sees the world through green-colored glasses. Most are early or mid-career professionals with real-world experience, and their teachers say they are poised to change the field.

• share
• favorite_border

The problem of excessive reactive nitrogen in the environment is little-known beyond a growing circle of environmental scientists who study how the element cycles through the environment and negatively alters local and global ecosystems and potentially harms human health. Two new papers by leading environmental scientists bring the problem to the forefront in the May 16 issue of the journal Science.

• share
• favorite_border

Forty-two Eugene-area residents took some big steps to improve their environmental friendly living styles after completing a newly developed Climate Master program at the University of Oregon. Their efforts resulted in reduced greenhouse emissions by two tons per person, according to a review of the program's first year.

• share
• favorite_border

The Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association encourages bamboo industry leaders to back up their "green" claims regarding bamboo resource management and manufacturing practices and create a system regarding practices with the credibility of an independently verified, third-party certification program similar to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) for Northern hard maple.

• share
• favorite_border

Long-term survey will profile pollutants to determine their origination.

• share
• favorite_border

Earthwatch kicks off a five-year global forest research program at the Smithsonian as part of the HSBC Climate Partnership. Over the next four years, hundreds of employees from the world's largest bank will slog through a forest bordering Chesapeake Bay, learn about how climate change relates to their bottom line, and live in dorms for 12 days at a time.

• share
• favorite_border

Scientists confirm computer model predictions that oxygen-depleted zones in tropical oceans are expanding, possibly because of climate change.

• share
• favorite_border

Children who live in tree lined streets have lower rates of asthma, suggests research published ahead of print in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

• share
• favorite_border

Jonathan Sawyer spent $30 000--and voided the warranty--to add a plug to his Prius hybrid.

• share
• favorite_border

Earthwatch-supported study reveals that climate change-related storms limit the number of coral recruits that enter a coral community.

• share
• favorite_border

Earth Day 2008 will be celebrated on Tuesday, April 22. Faculty experts from The University of Texas at Austin are available to discuss their research on topics ranging from building sustainable communities to plant ecology and environmental policies.

• share
• favorite_border

Expert discusses how reducing carbon footprint illuminates small business' bottom line

• share
• favorite_border

Useable wood for cities urban forests often is wasted. A conference on recycling urban trees looks at ways the wood can be used for other purposes.

• share
• favorite_border

As people around the world prepare to celebrate Earth Day on Tuesday, April 22, researchers at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) are doing their part by developing smart, practical, green solutions to better the environment.

• share
• favorite_border

Grooming that expanse of velvety green grass typically involves pesticides, herbicides and plenty of water, not to mention the oil and gasoline needed to fuel the lawn mower. Now, just in time for Earth Day, there's help for eco-warrior wannabes who want some green space at home (and time to enjoy it).

• share
• favorite_border

UC San Diego, a world leader in climate change research, is taking steps to become the leading utilizer of renewable energy among U.S. universities within the next few years.

• share
• favorite_border

The University of Oregon's Jim Hutchison already holds three patents in the emerging field of nanotechnology as well as leadership roles in organizations that promote the technology's potential in materials science and medicine. Hutchison, a chemist and materials scientist, however, also embraces a strong call for exploring potential environmental and health implications, which he says could be many, and for designing new materials with reduced hazard.

• share
• favorite_border

James Galloway and Harold Mooney share the 2008 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, administered by the University of Southern California. Galloway described the "nitrogen cascade" of ecological impacts from fertilizers and fossil fuels; Mooney helped transform ecology into a global discipline.

• share
• favorite_border

The University of Illinois at Chicago's City Design Center has produced a 96-page electronic publication illustrating ideas for green development in East Garfield Park as a case study for use by Chicago neighborhoods and individuals.