Air and Water
Genetically engineered food and consumer choice
Last month, California had the chance to be the first state in the union to require the mandatory labeling of genetically engineered food. Dubbed the ‘Right to Know Act,’ Proposition 37 would have required producers to clearly label raw or processed foods that contained modified ingredients. [Read more…] about Genetically engineered food and consumer choice
A jet-setting bird under attack from several fronts
The Bicknell’s Thrush is a reclusive cousin to the American Robin. Smaller, with a brown spotted breast and a distinctive raspy song, it breeds in high mountains in New York, New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont. [Read more…] about A jet-setting bird under attack from several fronts
When is a nutrient a bad thing?
Ecologists often refer to “nutrient loading” as an adverse environmental condition. It can be confusing, because nutrients are supposed to be good, right? But as in the case of some vitamin supplements, too much of a good nutrient can create problems. [Read more…] about When is a nutrient a bad thing?
In the wake of Hurricane Sandy
In late October, a tropical cyclone devastated parts of the Caribbean and America’s East Coast. Named Hurricane Sandy, this “super storm” was the largest Atlantic hurricane on record. Many impacted areas are still recovering, with damages in excess of $50 billion dollars. [Read more…] about In the wake of Hurricane Sandy
Coal ash – waste piles we don’t often consider
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Coal is a rock, albeit a soft rock that is mostly made of carbon. When we burn coal, this carbon is released to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. A portion of the remaining materials, composing about 1% of coal, is left behind as ash. [Read more…] about Coal ash – waste piles we don’t often consider
Trading one form of pollution for another
Recent work at a Superfund site located outside of New York City has revealed that a water clean-up effort appears to be polluting the air. Newtown Creek is one of the most polluted waterways in America. [Read more…] about Trading one form of pollution for another
Throughout much of the Northeast, trees have just lost their autumn finery – soon their fallen leaves will turn into fertilizer.
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Maples, oaks and other trees are now, for the most part, barren. In residential landscapes, fallen leaves have been raked, bagged, and sent to the dump. The lawn reigns. But in the forest, it’s a different story. [Read more…] about Throughout much of the Northeast, trees have just lost their autumn finery – soon their fallen leaves will turn into fertilizer.
It’s fall – that means raking leaves, apple pies, and the reappearance of the ozone hole
Ozone is found in two places in Earth’s atmosphere. At ground-level, ozone is a dangerous air pollutant with a wide variety of human-health effects. About 25 miles above us, the ozone layer shields us from the Sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation. Without ozone in the stratosphere, the Earth would be uninhabitable by higher forms of life….like us. [Read more…] about It’s fall – that means raking leaves, apple pies, and the reappearance of the ozone hole
Clear-cutting the ocean floor
We’re all familiar with the environmental damage that can be caused by clear-cutting rainforests. So it is unfortunate to hear that a similar scenario is being played out underwater, in our oceans. Research shows that trawling for fish can disturb the seabed in ways comparable to slash-and-burn clear-cuts.
Trawling is on the increase, in part because of improvements to fishing gear. Nets are dragged on the ocean floor to catch bottom dwellers like cod, shrimp, and scallops. As these species are overfished, trawlers go farther out to sea, or use nets equipped with rubber wheels to navigate rocky areas and coral banks that were once safe-havens.
Research has shown that ocean floors once complex in topography and rich in marine life have been scraped bare by trawling. As ocean floors are flattened, and sponges, corals, and giant kelps are damaged. Loss of habitat threatens an array of ocean life, including young fish. And sediment loosened by trawling clouds the water and reduces its oxygen content.
Researchers studying trawling have written that, “with the possible exception of agriculture, we doubt that any other human activity physically disturbs the biosphere to this degree.”
Remediating seafloor damage will probably involve limiting what kind of trawling equipment can be used in sensitive areas and establishing no-trawl zones as underwater wildlife sanctuaries.
We must balance the need to feed and shelter our population and to provide jobs with the desire to protect the environment. That’s why our policymakers need the best information science can provide—so that they can make informed decisions about critical environmental issues.
Web Links
Ploughing the Deep Sea Floor (Nature, September 23, 20123)
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v489/n7415/full/nature11410.htm
Disturbance of the Seafloor by Mobile Fishing Gear
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1523-1739.1998.0120061180.x/abstract
Photo, taken on June 20, 2011, courtesy of Mike Baird via Flickr.
American agriculture and the albatross
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Fertilizer supplies key nutrients to plants, including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. In the early 20th century, chemists learned to synthesize nitrogen fertilizer in the lab, sparking the Green Revolution. [Read more…] about American agriculture and the albatross
Will warmer winters mute fall foliage?
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Leaves change color in the fall when deciduous trees and shrubs stop producing chlorophyll, the green pigment that lets plants obtain energy from sunlight. Shortly before leaves are shed, they put on a colorful show. [Read more…] about Will warmer winters mute fall foliage?
The Clean Water Act’s 40th birthday
Just four decades ago Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River was known for its flammability. It, and countless other rivers, streams, and lakes were used as dumping grounds for sewage and commercial waste. [Read more…] about The Clean Water Act’s 40th birthday
Pollution doesn’t recognize state lines
The Cross State Air Pollution Rule was initiated to encourage states to be better neighbors. If pollution from a coal-fired power plant in Ohio was poisoning air downwind in Connecticut, the Environmental Protection Agency would have a mechanism to reduce offending emissions. [Read more…] about Pollution doesn’t recognize state lines
The environment used to be a bipartisan issue
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“Shall we surrender to our surroundings, or shall we make our peace with nature and begin to make reparations for the damage we have done to our air, to our land, and to our water?”
That’s from the State of the Union Address of 1970, during wartime, by a Republican president.
Restoring nature to its natural state is a cause beyond party and beyond factions. Clean air, clean water, open spaces-these should once again be the birthright of every American. If we act now, they can be.”
Richard Nixon, an unlikely environmental trail blazer, went on to call for the most comprehensive environmental program in America’s history. Under his leadership, the Environmental Protection Agency was formed.
Finally, the U.S. had a central authority overseeing environmental protection. And that was just the beginning. Nixon empowered the EPA to let us all breath a little easier by signing the Clean Air Act Extension of 1970. Under it, we saw reductions in harmful emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, ozone, and lead.
Water got cleaner too. Nixon proposed the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974, which allowed the EPA to set and enforce federal drinking water standards.
It wasn’t all rosy. Nixon subjected environmental regulations to rigorous cost-benefit analyses and vetoed the Clean Water Act. But his legacy stands as a reminder that environmental progress doesn’t have to follow party lines.
Photo courtesy of Iberia Airlines via Flickr.
There is life in dead trees
It’s that time of year again. Many of us are tidying our yards before winter sets in. But if you spot a dead or dying tree on your property, and it doesn’t pose a safety hazard, consider leaving it alone. [Read more…] about There is life in dead trees
Rising seas threaten coastal regions around the world
Recent scientific research from Climate Central suggests that global sea levels will rise by an average of three feet by the year 2100, and anywhere from 18 to 29 feet over the next several centuries. Low-lying countries and coastal communities face an unprecedented challenge, and we have climate change to thank. [Read more…] about Rising seas threaten coastal regions around the world
Old wine, new insights
Scientists are always looking for reliable records of past environmental conditions, so they can see if current observations are at all unusual. Good records are frequently obtained from lake sediments, which faithfully record yearly inputs of materials washed in from their watersheds. Increasingly, records taken from the ice packs on Greenland and Antarctica are used to show global changes in our atmosphere. [Read more…] about Old wine, new insights
A tale of Rachel Carson, malaria, and misinformation
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Fifty years ago Rachel Carson published Silent Spring, her landmark book exploring how pesticides compromise the health of humans and wildlife. It challenged us to envision a spring without birds and is credited for igniting the modern environmental movement. [Read more…] about A tale of Rachel Carson, malaria, and misinformation
Oxygen in our atmosphere: what is the source?
