Water


Gulf Coast Vulnerable to Extreme Erosion in Category 1 Hurricanes

Seventy percent of the Gulf of Mexico shoreline is vulnerable to extreme erosion during even the weakest hurricanes, according to a new report by the U.S. Geological Survey released just prior to the start of the 2012 hurricane season.

Research Pair Concerned Birth Control Chemicals are Contaminating Wastewater

A college professor and a ecotoxicologist have teamed up to write a paper suggesting that a public discourse on birth control chemicals be held before public officials decide whether to dedicate funds to cleaning such drugs from wastewater, or not.

EPA Awarding $69.3 Million in Grants to Clean and Redevelop Contaminated Properties

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is giving out $69.3 million grants for new investments to provide communities with funding necessary to clean and redevelop contaminated properties, boost local economies and create jobs while protecting public health.

Groundwater Depletion in Semiarid Regions of Texas and California Threatens Food Security

The nation's food supply may be vulnerable to rapid groundwater depletion from irrigated agriculture, according to a new study by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin and elsewhere.

High-Speed Method to Aid Search for Solar Energy Storage Catalysts

Finding an efficient way to store solar energy is a major goal for science and society. Writing this week in the journal Angewandte Chemie, a Wisconsin group of researchers describes a new high-throughput method to identify electrocatalysts for water oxidation.

Shareholders Ask Kraft Foods to Increase Recyling

Shareholders asked Kraft Foods at the annual meeting to take responsibility for post-consumer packaging, which will divert millions of tons of recyclables from landfills.

BP Agrees to Add Pollution Controls and Pay $8 Million to Clean Air Act

P North America has agreed to pay an $8 million Clean Air Act penalty and and invest more than $400 million to install state-of-the-art pollution controls and cut emissions from BP’s petroleum refinery in Whiting, Ind.



SLDC to Receive $400,000 for Assessing Hazardous Substances and Petroleum

The St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) has been selected to receive $400,000 in EPA brownfields funding to assess and conduct cleanup planning for hazardous substances and petroleum in the St. Louis metropolitan area.

Online Racing Game Shows How Plastics Contribute to Auto Fuel-Efficiency

Plastics Make it Possible has launched Plastics Speedway, an online car-racing game that highlights many of the ways plastics contribute to automobile fuel-efficiency, safety and design.

Light Pollution Transforming Insect Communities

Street lighting is transforming communities of insects and other invertebrates, according to research by the University of Exeter.

New Solar Cell May Lessen Solar Energy Technology Limitations

Northwestern University researchers have developed a new solar cell that, in principle, will minimize all of these solar energy technology limitations.

Cheese Processing Company Fined For Not Reporting Ammonia Release

Columbia River Processing has agreed to pay the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) $42,435 for failing to report an anhydrous ammonia release at its Boardman, Oregon cheese processing facility in June 2008.

Bark Beetle May Impact Air Quality and Climate

At national parks out West, lodgepole pine trees are dying because of bark beetle. And atmospheric haze, caused in part by tiny solid particles suspended in the air, is becoming a problem.

New Species Top 10 List Draws Attention to Diverse Biosphere

The International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University and a committee of scientists from around the world announced their picks for the top 10 new species described in 2011.

Republic Services to Open Recycling Center

Republic Services, a provider of recycling and waste collection, has opened a state-of-the-art regional recycling center in northwest Jacksonveille on Imeson Road. The facility will serve the residents and businesses throughout the area.

More Plant Species Responding to Global Warming Than Previously Thought

Far more wild plant species may be responding to global warming than previous large-scale estimates have suggested.

Officials Discuss Hudson River Cleanup Project

Several politicians and officials from the Environmental Protection Agency met up on the shore of the Hudson River to discuss the progress of the federal Superfund cleanup on the Hudson River and the efforts to restore properties along its shorelines.

Pollution Warming Atmosphere Through Thunderstorm Clouds

Pollution is warming the atmosphere through summer thunderstorm clouds, according to a computational study published May 10 in Geophysical Research Letters.

Oil Spill Workers Asked to Join Gulf Study

Deepwater Horizon cleanup workers and volunteers are invited to participate in the GuLF Study to help determine whether the oil spill contributed to physical and mental health problems.