Water


Engineers Make Power from Human Respiration

A team from the University of Wisconsin believes they created a material that could be used to capture energy from respiration.

EPA Announces Cleanup Plan for Quanta Resources Superfund Site in Edgewater, N.J.

Soil and ground water underneath the site and adjacent properties are contaminated with arsenic, lead, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds resulting from over 100 years of past industrial activities in the area. Exposure to these pollutants can have serious health effects, and in some cases, increase the risk of cancer.

Arctic Sea Ice Continues Decline, Hits 2nd Lowest Level

Last month the extent of sea ice covering the Arctic Ocean declined to the second-lowest extent on record. Satellite data from NASA and the NASA-supported National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado in Boulder showed that the summertime sea ice cover narrowly avoided a new record low.

Converting Methane into Valuable Chemicals, Plastics, Fuels (With Video)

Siluria is the first and only company to develop an economically advantageous, methane-based alternative for producing fuels and chemicals normally derived from oil.

The Green Look for EV Charging Stations in Germany

The network of electric-vehicle (EV) charging stations in Germany is still relatively sparse, but their number is growing rapidly. The majority of roadside charging points take the form of steel-clad pillars. A group of researchers has set out to develop an alternative design based on environmentally compatible materials.

Biofuel Mandates Unlikely to be Met by 2022

It is unlikely the United States will meet some specific biofuel mandates under the current Renewable Fuel Standard by 2022 unless innovative technologies are developed or policies change.

Student-Built Electric Car Sets Land Speed Record at Salt Flats

An electric car designed and built by Brigham Young University (BYU) engineering students set a world land speed record for its weight class, averaging 155.8 mph over its two required qualifying runs, one of which was clocked at 175 mph.

altar

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint at the Altar

Environmental responsibility doesn’t stop at the recycling bin. Now a day, even the wedding industry has more consumers opting for eco-friendly ceremonies down the aisle.



Sierra Nevada Water Researchers Awarded $2 Million Grant

Researchers with the Sierra Nevada Research Institute (SNRI) at the University of California, Merced, have received a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to expand on a prototype system that uses a network of wireless sensors to track snowpack depth, water storage in soil, stream flow, and water use by vegetation in the Sierra — information that is key to efficient usage of such a scarce resource.

Health of Coral Reefs Linked to Human and Environmental Activity

Changing human activities coupled with a dynamic environment over the past few centuries have caused fluctuating periods of decline and recovery of corals reefs in the Hawaiian Islands, according to a study sponsored in part by the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at Stony Brook University.

NASA Awards Historic Green Aviation Prize

NASA has awarded the largest prize in aviation history, created to inspire the development of more fuel-efficient aircraft and spark the start of a new electric airplane industry.

Dry Cleaning Chemicals Found in Water Next to Middle School in New York

EPA finalizes plan to clean up old dry cleaner site in Hempstead, N.Y. Chemicals used in dry cleaning found in water next to Woodmere Middle School.

Raw Sewage Home to Millions of Undescribed Viruses

Biologists have described only a few thousand different viruses so far, but a new study reveals a vast world of unseen viral diversity that exists right under our noses. A paper published in the online journal mBio explores ordinary raw sewage and finds that it is home to thousands of novel, undiscovered viruses, some of which could relate to human health.

University of Maryland's WaterShed Wins 2011 Solar Decathlon (With Video)

The school from College Park, Maryland competed against 18 other collegiate teams to build an aesthetically pleasing, architecturally innovative and well-engineered energy efficient living space that generates its energy from solar power

Study Reveals How Gas, Temperature Controlled Bacterial Response to Deepwater Horizon Spill

In a new study, UC Santa Barbara scientists explain how they used DNA to identify microbes present in the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and how they identified the microbes responsible for consuming the large amount of natural gas present immediately after the spill.

Dolphins and Sea Lions Report for Active Military Duty

As the nation heightens security measures across land, air and sea; any proposed tactic in the effort to ward off hostiles is being employed – including an elite team of 75 bottlenose dolphins and 35 California sea lions trained to defend the nation.

Physicists Examine Their Own Carbon Footprint

In October's issue of Physics World, Phil Marshall, an astrophysicist at the University of Oxford, calls on physicists to pull their weight when it comes to climate change, drawing on his own research showing that astronomers average 23,000 air miles per year flying to observatories, conferences and meetings, and use 130 KWh more energy per day than the average U.S. citizen.

Artificial Leaf Makes Fuel from Sunlight

Researchers led by MIT professor Daniel Nocera have produced something they’re calling an “artificial leaf”: Like living leaves, the device can turn the energy of sunlight directly into a chemical fuel that can be stored and used later as an energy source.

New Method Makes Using Solar Thermal Energy Simple, Cheap, Effective

Using solar thermal energy to power an air conditioning unit can be difficult and expensive. But a team of researchers have added a game-changing advance to the process that could make it much simpler, less costly and more effective.

CBP, EPA, PHMSA Join Forces to Advance Information Sharing to Protect Americans' Health

Agreements with Customs and Border Protection will protect Americans’ Health