Cities – envirobites

Colorful boats on a canal in Xochimilco wetlands.

Preserving Culturally-Important Xochimilco Wetlands Requires Policy and Personal Change

February 15, 2019February 15, 2019 Ashley Riane Booth 0 Comments cities, Conservation, ecology and society, environmental policy, hydrology, mexico, nonpoint source pollution, policy, Pollution, Sustainability, urban development, urban ecology, urban water management, wetlands

Created by the Aztecs in 500 CE for agriculture, Xochimilco is an area of culturally important wetlands in southern Mexico City. Despite its cultural and economic importance, this area is experiencing wetland degradation and loss due to urban development and water quality issues. Even with a high level of local concern about wetland degradation, little effort will be made toward conservation without a change in public policies regarding local infrastructure and development.

Case Studies Cities Climate

Are your car’s windshield wipers helping your town’s stormwater management?

January 23, 2019January 27, 2019 Laura Schifman 0 Comments cars, cities, hydrology, precipitation, rain, stormwater, Weather

You decide to go out and run some errands on your day off, even though there is a chance of rain in the forecast. You are just starting your 30-minute walk back to your house and get caught in a torrential downpour. You are now forced to call a ride-share because you know the stream next to the path on your way back will likely flood and you would have to take the long way home. Once in the car, you are happy you do not have to walk in the rain. Little do you know, the car you are in may actually help improve rainfall maps and with that urban stormwater management. How? The car’s windshield wipers are turned on!

Case Studies Cities Science through time

Is there space for nature in man-made jungle?

January 11, 2019January 12, 2019 Anna Filyushkina 0 Comments biobiodiversity, industrial, nature, urban

We humans are responsible for not just shaping existing environments, but for creating new ones as well. Urban and industrial areas can sometimes be seen as “unnatural” but new research has shown that a ton of new species want to be neighbors. On top of that- they’re thriving. Read on to learn more!

Case Studies Cities Climate Environmental Science

Is climate change increasing the number of hurricanes we get and will we continue seeing more hurricane damage?

December 13, 2018December 12, 2018 Laura Schifman 0 Comments coastal environment, GEO577, hurricanes, NewYorkCity, tsunami, typhoon, Typhoon Haiyan

Recent climate change science has shown that since 500 AD the current levels of storm activity are the most active. The increased activity combined with rising sea levels has the potential to cause more damage than ever before. Although Typhoon Haiyan, the strongest ever recorded storm, stronger than Sandy and Katrina combined, occurred in the Pacific, the Atlantic can see events similar in the future.

Colombian President Santos Signs a Peace Accord With FARC Leader Jiménez. Pictured: a crowd watches a large screen that shows hands signing a document

Cities Climate Environmental Science Remediation

The Ecological Price of Peace in Colombia

December 3, 2018December 9, 2018 Abigail Lewis 0 Comments Climate Change, Conflict, Conservation, policy

Half a century of conflict in Columbia is finally coming to an end. But decreased political tension may lead to more pressure on natural resources. How can Columbia adapt to changing political and planetary climates without sacrificing critical ecosystem services?

Cities Environmental Science Human Exposure and Public Health Toxicology

Air Pollution Can Affect Your Mind and How You Think

November 12, 2018November 13, 2018 Munim Deen 0 Comments aging, air quality, cognition, human health, Pollution

Pollution has long been known to negatively affect humans physically. Recent research has shown that exposure to pollution can also lower the brain’s thinking and problem-solving abilities.

Cities Climate Environmental Science Human Exposure and Public Health

And the winner is: rare and fast growing California species!

November 5, 2018November 9, 2018 Luiza Aparecido 0 Comments drought, Ecology, wildfires

In the competition of survival under a severe drought scenario, what to expect from the local plant and animal community? Prugh et al (2018) seeked to answer this question. “And the winner is: rare and fast growing California species!”.

Cities Climate Environmental Science

Green spaces that are more than just green

October 29, 2018November 9, 2018 Pernilla Borgstrom 0 Comments drought, green space, lawns, urban ecology

Many urban ecologists are looking to shift the perception of what the “green” in green space should actually signify. New avenues within lawn research and development can help communities embrace wildness over uniformity in urban ecosystems, and push for the creation of urban green spaces that are more resilient to climate change.

Case Studies Cities Environmental Science Remediation

City phosphorus, country phosphorus: can we mitigate P in different environments?

October 23, 2018October 28, 2018 Laura Mast 0 Comments agricultural pollution, agriculture, dead zone, eutrophication, nonpoint source pollution, nutrient pollution, phosphorus, urban water management, wastewater treatment

Phosphorus is essential for life, but there is such thing as too much of a good thing. In excess, phosphorus can cause algal blooms, creating dead zones in bodies of water. How do we prevent phosphorus from entering water systems? Katrina Macintosh and her team did a comprehensive review to track phosphorus from diffuse sources to find out.

Case Studies Cities Human Exposure and Public Health Toxicology

Assessing the impact of pollutants on kidney health

October 22, 2018October 26, 2018 Kristina Blank 0 Comments environmental health, epidemiology, histology, kidney health, literature review, pathology, PFASs, pollutants, toxicology

Do PFASs affect human health? What even are PFASs? Researchers at Duke University conducted a comprehensive review of the published literature to summarize what we know about how a class of pollutants called PFASs may impact human kidney health.

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