Air and Water
Pharmaceutical pollution leads to fearless fish
Researchers in Sweden have found that when wild perch are exposed to Oxazepam, a common anti-anxiety medication, they undergo surprising changes in their behavior and feeding rate. [Read more…] about Pharmaceutical pollution leads to fearless fish
Acid rain: Progress but not triumph
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/EW-02-19-13-Acid-Rain.mp3|titles=EW 02-19-13 Acid Rain]
Though not in the news as much as it once was, acid rain remains a problem. Most of our energy needs are derived from burning fossil fuels, such as coal and gasoline. Power plants, factories, and vehicles give off sulfur and nitrogen oxide emissions, which react in the atmosphere to form sulfuric and nitric acids. These acids are then deposited back onto the landscape in rain, snow, fog, or particles. [Read more…] about Acid rain: Progress but not triumph
Keeping U.S. mercury off the global market
The Mercury Export Ban of 2008 went into effect last month. The bill, proposed by then-Senator Barack Obama, was signed into law by President George W. Bush on the eve of the 2008 elections. [Read more…] about Keeping U.S. mercury off the global market
Keeping fresh water flowing to NYC
Though it’s surrounded by the Hudson, New York City doesn’t rely on the river for its freshwater supply. Rather, decades ago, an aqueduct system was built to bring water to Manhattan from upstate—largely drawing on reservoirs in the Catskill region. This is one reason why we see so much concern about natural gas extraction by fracking in the watersheds that feed Catskill reservoirs. [Read more…] about Keeping fresh water flowing to NYC
Is the ocean pumping iron?
About 30 years ago, an oceanographer, John Martin, noticed that large areas of the sea contained ample supplies of nitrogen and phosphorus. He wondered why these nutrients, which fuel plant growth, were not being used by marine plankton. [Read more…] about Is the ocean pumping iron?
Curbing global mercury pollution
Mercury exposure has been tied to a suite of health problems, among them damage to the central nervous system and the immune system. [Read more…] about Curbing global mercury pollution
The world is getting dustier
Scientists have estimated that dust in our atmosphere has doubled in the last century. Some airborne dust comes from naturally occurring geological events, such as drought or volcanoes. [Read more…] about The world is getting dustier
Are we prone to future urban drought?
Once in a while, we get a good piece of environmental news. Such is the case with a new assessment on the vulnerability of U.S. urban areas to water shortages. [Read more…] about Are we prone to future urban drought?
The hazards of dust
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/EW-01-28-13-Toxic-Dust.mp3|titles=EW 01-28-13 Toxic Dust]
It’s well known that dust is a human health hazard. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulates the emissions of particulate matter, which is essentially dust, from construction sites, power plants, dirt roads, automobile tailpipes and industry. [Read more…] about The hazards of dust
Clearing the air
Mercury, hydrogen chloride, and sulfur dioxide. These are just a few of the air pollutants emitted by industrial boilers. And, thanks to new air pollution standards that have been more than a decade in the making, some of our nation’s dirtiest boilers will be cleaning up their act. [Read more…] about Clearing the air
Cement plant emissions
Cement is all around us. It’s used in everything from concrete and mortar to stucco and grout. But making cement is dirty business. A number of pollutants are emitted from cement plants – from both the production process and the fuels used to stoke kilns. [Read more…] about Cement plant emissions
Fish have to eat
My colleague Emma Rosi-Marshall is an aquatic ecologist at the Cary Institute. One of her research projects involves an endangered fish called the humpback chub. She and her team spend a lot of time counting insects in the Colorado River downstream of the Glen Canyon Dam. You might think her time would be better spent counting the actual fish, but her approach will provide us with a lot more information. [Read more…] about Fish have to eat
Penguins on thin ice
Anyone who’s watched the documentary “March of the Penguins” knows that emperor penguins have evolved to live and breed under remarkably harsh conditions. [Read more…] about Penguins on thin ice
A tale of factory farms, fertilizer, and fish
A new study released in the journal Environmental Science and Technology is the second to highlight that manure used to fertilize farm fields may reduce the health of fish living in adjacent streams. [Read more…] about A tale of factory farms, fertilizer, and fish
How fast will the waters rise?
Everyone agrees that if the ice-caps on Greenland and Antarctica melt, the seas will rise. What is difficult is to estimate how fast this may happen, with the ongoing rise in global temperature. Recent measurements of sea-level rise hover about 3.5 mm/year—or about a foot and a half by the end of the century. The highest estimates puts the rate of rise at about twice that fast. [Read more…] about How fast will the waters rise?
Urban green spaces are losing ground
A new study has revealed a concerning trend in many U.S. cities: urban tree cover is in decline, and hardened surfaces are on the rise. [Read more…] about Urban green spaces are losing ground
Tough times for the Arctic
Arctic permafrost is warming, the Greenland Ice Sheet is melting, and the Arctic fox is facing extinction. So reports the 2012 Arctic Report Card—recently unveiled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. [Read more…] about Tough times for the Arctic
How dams can cause fish declines
The Glen Canyon Dam was the last big dam built in the United States. Spanning the Colorado River above the Grand Canyon, it provides hydropower for the region and regulates the flow of water. Until the dam was built, the river would experience spring floods during snowmelt followed by low flow in the summer, especially during drought years. Now water below the dam flows at about the same rate year-round. [Read more…] about How dams can cause fish declines
Making sense out of flame retardants
