Air and Water
Does Glacier National Park need a new name?
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/EW-09-12-12-Glacier-National-Park.mp3|titles=EW 09-12-12 Glacier National Park]
Located in Montana, Glacier National Park owes its rugged topography to the carving action of massive sheets of ice. Its mountain ranges bear evidence of glaciers from the last ice age – with U-shaped valleys, knife-like ridges, and lake-impounding moraines. [Read more…] about Does Glacier National Park need a new name?
The benefits of organic farming
Cultivation turns over and loosens the soil, stimulating the microbes that decompose organic materials, and releasing nutrients. In fact, cultivation of soils in the Great Plains is thought to be responsible for the loss of about 1/3 of their organic matter, contributing to the rise in carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. [Read more…] about The benefits of organic farming
Australia’s climate change report card
Recently, a team of more than 80 marine scientists issued a climate change report card on the status of the marine ecosystems surrounding Australia. The effort, which details pressures faced by marine life, was funded by the Australian government and undertaken to inform decision making. The insights are sobering. [Read more…] about Australia’s climate change report card
The decline of ocean fisheries
Nowhere is the decline of fisheries more obvious than in Downeast Maine and the maritime provinces of Canada. Abandoned canneries are a reminder of better days gone by. Commercial harvests of cod, herring, and sardines are a distant memory, and fishermen resort to dragging the ocean bottom for scallops, and harvesting shoreline seaweeds. [Read more…] about The decline of ocean fisheries
New York's drinking water and the Catskill watershed
A two-thousand-square-mile group of watersheds north of New York City provides 8 million city residents with clean, delicious drinking water. Although this water is treated with chlorine, most of it is unfiltered. [Read more…] about New York's drinking water and the Catskill watershed
Breast milk and the environment
Rich in illness-fighting antibodies, brain nourishing fatty acids, and easy-to-digest proteins – breast milk has been called ‘white gold.’ [Read more…] about Breast milk and the environment
The ocean is turning into a giant ashtray
While we’ve made great strides in reducing roadside trash – largely through imposing and enforcing fines – when it comes to cigarette butts, we’re still litterbugs. [Read more…] about The ocean is turning into a giant ashtray
Outsourcing our CO2 emissions
Last month, the administration’s Energy Information Agency reported that carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels in the United States have fallen by almost 9 percent since 2005. [Read more…] about Outsourcing our CO2 emissions
Drought and tornados
According to the United States Drought Monitor, two-thirds of the nation is covered by a drought that stretches from coast to coast. Federal officials recently designated 23 Wisconsin counties as natural disaster areas. The drought is so bad that some people are even painting their lawns green, which raises a whole separate set of environmental questions. [Read more…] about Drought and tornados
Droughts and your grocery bill
In July, some 64% of the U.S. was experiencing intense drought. According to Weather Underground meteorologist Jeff Masters the extent of the drought is second only to the great Dust Bowl of 1934. And, as you might have guessed, our crops are suffering. [Read more…] about Droughts and your grocery bill
Turning the tide on ocean acidification
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/EW-08-14-12-Acid-Oceans.mp3|titles=EW 08-14-12 Acid Oceans]
Many of our modern habits result in emitting excess carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Transportation, utilities, and manufacturing all rely heavily on fossil fuels, such as oil, coal, and natural gas. [Read more…] about Turning the tide on ocean acidification
Bagging plastic grocery bags
Los Angeles, California recently became the largest U.S. city to ban single-use plastic grocery bags. Other cities that have embraced bag bans include Austin, Texas and Portland, Oregon. [Read more…] about Bagging plastic grocery bags
Are Fish Made of Maple Leaves?
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/EW-08-09-12-Fish-Leaves.mp3|titles=EW 08-09-12 Fish-Leaves]
Most of us learned about the aquatic food web in high school. Using a sealed aquarium, teachers explained that plants form the base of the web, with the organic carbon they create supporting aquatic life—from invertebrates to sport fish. [Read more…] about Are Fish Made of Maple Leaves?
We all know about rain forests. Now we are learning about fog forests
There’s a desert in north-central Chile that receives less than six inches of rain a year. Right in the middle of it is a lush mountain forest that is dense with trees, bromeliads, ferns, and mosses. [Read more…] about We all know about rain forests. Now we are learning about fog forests
We are all a little bit of stardust
