environmental science research for everyone
The Bakken Formation, a unique geological feature in the midwestern US and Canada, is a mecca for oil reserves and duck habitat. Scientists aimed to better understand how increased oil production has impacted the establishment and survival of duck broods.
Read morePFAS chemicals, nicknamed “forever chemicals” can be found in many places and can persist for a long time. What does science tell us about its effects on humans? A university in Australia conducted a large review to answer this question.
Read moreArtificial barriers are one of humans favorite thing to build. We build them to keep ‘other’ people in or out. We build them to keep animals in or out. And of course we build them to keep the natural environment out or our AC in. Usually walls are just temporary solutions to a much deeper problem which is definitely true in the case of sea level rise. Coastal communities need walls to protect against flooding. But what happens when to the impounded ecosystem when mother nature crashes through the wall anyway?
Read moreIf you build it, they will come. It worked for Kevin Costner in the 1989 film Field of Dreams and it holds true for beavers too! The dams and lodges these resilient rodents build for homes create wetlands that attract a variety of animals including mammals; casual observations have now become scientifically proven to be true.
Read more“Globally, terrestrial ecosystems currently remove an amount of atmospheric carbon equal to one-third of what humans emit from burning fossil fuels…. Forests are responsible for the largest share of the removal.” (Moomaw et al. 2019). What if we could increase the amount of CO2 forests extract from the air? We can!
Read moreA new study explains why humans connect with domesticated dogs more than their wild wolf ancestors. The explanation is simple: a wolf’s brow game is weak.
Read moreLED TVs are all the rage, but LEDs can do so much more! Learn how these light emitting diodes (LEDs) can improve energy efficiency in water disinfection, and in your home. Researchers at Arizona State University are designing a system that will enable little LEDs to shine light on a much larger area, improving the ability to disinfect water in a more cost-effective and energy-efficient way, without the use of harsh chemicals.
Read moreUrban trees may — in some contexts — make residential greenhouse emissions worse.
Read morePlants are always just trying to live their best life, but sometimes high temperatures and a lack of water get in the way of that. In this study, scientists studied a heat wave that occurred in southern Europe in summer 2017 to see how different plants fared across the region.
Read moreEarthworms are welcome guests in the garden, but it’s a different story in the forest. By consuming and removing leaf litter too fast they set in motion complex cascades of ecological changes, with long-term negative effects on soil fertility and biodiversity.
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