Water


Plastic Particles More Prevalent Than Previously Thought

For decades, oceanographers have collected water samples from the surface of the ocean in order to record how much plastic debris currently litters the waters. But a new study asserts that surface collection alone is insufficient because high winds have a tremendous impact on the buoyancy of the plastic debris.

Warming Turns Tundra to Forest

In just a few decades shrubs in the Arctic tundra have turned into trees as a result of the warming Arctic climate, creating patches of forest which, if replicated across the tundra, would significantly accelerate global warming.

Study: Nuclear and Coal-Fired Electrical Plants Vulnerable to Climate Change

A study by European and University of Washington scientists published today in Nature Climate Change projects that in the next 50 years warmer water and lower flows will lead to more such power disruptions.

Plants Previously Thought to Be Stable Found to Be Responding to Climate Change

Many wild plant species thought to be "stable" in the face of climate change are actually responding to global warming, say researchers at UC Santa Barbara's National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS).

Algae and Mosses Take Up Huge Amounts of Carbon Dioxide and Nitrogen

In cities, the presence of algae, lichens, and mosses is not considered desirable and they are often removed from roofs and walls. It is, however, totally unfair to consider these cryptogamic covers, as the flat growths are referred to in scientific terms, just a nuisance.

Maine Garbage Study Shows 60 Percent of Trash Could Be Diverted

Since municipalities pay for trash disposal, usually by the ton, researchers say big savings could result from reducing volume of trash, along with the cost of hauling it and paying tipping fees for disposal, in addition to improving the environment.

EPA Provides $970,000 to Clean Up and Revitalize Contaminated Properties in New York

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is providing a total of $970,000 to New York City and Ogdensburg, New York to clean up abandoned and contaminated sites.

New Small Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Reaches Record Efficiency

Individual homes and entire neighborhoods could be powered with a new, small-scale solid oxide fuel cell system that achieves up to 57 percent efficiency, significantly higher than the 30 to 50 percent efficiencies previously reported for other solid oxide fuel cell systems of its size.



Highway Through Amazon Worsens Effects of Climate Change

Paving a highway across South America is providing lessons on the impact of road construction elsewhere.

Why Wildfire is Important to the Ecosystem

Researchers studying Lake Tahoe have found that not only could a major disturbance like a fire affect Lake Tahoe, but so too could a lack of disturbance -- the absence of a fire.

PBS NewsHour Reporting Friday on Rising Sea Levels in Coastal Louisiana

On Friday, PBS NewsHour reporter Hari Sreenivasan will report on how rising sea levels in coastal Louisiana are threatening Native Americans' tribal lands.

Salt Lake and Ogden Receive $1.3 Million to Revitalize Contaminated Properties

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator Jim Martin presented the Mayors of Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County and Ogden City with $1.3 million in grant awards to advance the assessment, cleanup and redevelopment of properties.

Children Exposed to Pollutant Found in Tobacco Show Signs of Chromosomal Damage

According to a new study, children exposed to high levels of the common air pollutant naphthalene are at increased risk for chromosomal aberrations (CAs), which have been previously associated with cancer. These include chromosomal translocations, a potentially more harmful and long-lasting subtype of CAs.

PCB Exposure Linked to Increased Abdominal Fat

There is a correlation between high levels of the environmental toxin PCB and the distribution of body fat to the abdomen, according to a new study published May 29 in the scientific journal Obesity.

EPA Awards Brownfields Grant to Mt. Shasta to Clean Up Toxic Lumber Mill

Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced approximately $3.8 million in new pilot grants to nine recipients across the country for cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated properties. One of the grants will go to the City of Mt. Shasta, Calif.

Researchers Studying Impacts of Pharmaceutical Chemicals and Products on Environment

Researchers at the University of York headed a major international review aimed at enhancing efforts to better understand the impacts of chemicals used in pharmaceuticals or in personal care products, such as cosmetics, soaps, perfumes, deodorants and toothpastes (PPCPs), on the natural environment.

EPA and Department of Veterans Affairs to Connect Veterans With Jobs in Water Sectors

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program announced that they will connect veterans with disabilities to career opportunities in the water and wastewater sectors

Two Houston Companies Will Pay $1 Million for Natural Gas Pipeline Spills

Mid-America Pipeline Company, LLC (MAPCO), and Enterprise Products Operating LLC (Enterprise), of Houston, Texas, have agreed to pay a civil penalty of more than $1 million to the United States to settle violations of the federal Clean Water Act related to three natural gasoline pipeline spills in Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska.

EPA to Dispose of PCB Waste From Leaking Guam Power Authority Transformers

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will be conducting work to remove polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) oils from old leaking electrical transformers stored at the Guam Power Authority’s Apra Heights and Talofofo Substation facilities.

Land and Sea Species Differ in Climate Change Response

Marine and terrestrial species will likely differ in their responses to climate warming, new research by Simon Fraser University and Australia's University of Tasmania has found.