Cities – envirobites

Did your chemistry teacher tell you that chemistry is all around you? It very literally is! You can find chemistry in many places, and the air around you is one of those places. Scientists use chemistry to figure out how to keep our air clean so we can stay healthy.

Many photos of snails. Snails range in color from yellow to pink and brown. Some have brown stripes

Cities Climate Environmental Science

For urban snails, yellow is the new pink

July 27, 2019July 26, 2019 Abigail Lewis 0 Comments citizen science, snails, urban heat island

Pavement, smog, and lack of shade can increase temperatures in cities by up to 6ºF above the surrounding rural and suburban areas. We know the higher temperatures directly impact many species of animals, but is it possible that they could also affect the course of evolution and change the physiology of future generations? To answer this question, researchers from the Netherlands used a popular citizen science platform to gather data about the appearance of snails throughout a wide range of habitats.

Case Studies Cities

Dumpster diving diet: city rats have higher protein diet distinct from other rural mammals

July 24, 2019July 24, 2019 Kevin Aviles Rodriguez 0 Comments Ecology, invasive species, stable isotopes

Rats have shared our cities for a long time. Because of this they can be used a model to learn more about how animals colonized cities and what features of cities can be advantageous for some species. A new study focuses their attention on whether 19th century city mice had an advantage over their rural neighbors. Read on to find out more!

NASA image acquired April 18 - October 23, 2012rrThis new image of the Earth at night is a composite assembled from data acquired by the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite over nine days in April 2012 and thirteen days in October 2012. It took 312 orbits and 2.5 terabytes of data to get a clear shot of every parcel of Earths land surface and islands.rrThe nighttime view of Earth in visible light was made possible by the day-night band of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite. VIIRS detects light in a range of wavelengths from green to near-infrared and uses filtering techniques to observe dim signals such as gas flares, auroras, wildfires, city lights, and reflected moonlight. In this case, auroras, fires, and other stray light have been removed to emphasize the city lights. Named for satellite meteorology pioneer Verner Suomi, NPP flies over any given point on Earths surface twice each day at roughly 1:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The spacecraft flies 824 kilometers (512 miles) above the surface in a polar orbit, circling the planet about 14 times a day. Suomi NPP sends its data once per orbit to a ground station in Svalbard, Norway, and continuously to local direct broadcast users distributed around the world. The mission is managed by NASA with operational support from NOAA and its Joint Polar Satellite System, which manages the satellite's ground system.rrNASA Earth Observatory image by Robert Simmon, using Suomi NPP VIIRS data provided courtesy of Chris Elvidge (NOAA National Geophysical Data Center). Suomi NPP is the result of a partnership between NASA, NOAA, and the Department of Defense. Caption by Mike Carlowicz.rrInstrument: Suomi NPP - VIIRS rrCredit: NASA Earth ObservatoryrrClick here to view all of the Earth at Night 2012 images rrClic

Cities

Shining a light on the global spread of cities

July 22, 2019July 29, 2019 Andrew Trlica 0 Comments cities, ecology and society, remote sensing, urban ecology

Researchers demonstrate a machine learning approach using the nighttime glow of urban areas to streamline satellite-based mapping the worldwide extent cities.

Cities Environmental Science

Mentally “exhausted” honey bees—petroleum exhaust makes bees learn slower and forget faster

June 27, 2019June 28, 2019 Kara Cromwell 0 Comments Air pollution, bees, Ecology, insects, pollinators

Scent pollution from exhaust fumes could disrupt the relationship between honey bees and the flowers they feed from and pollinate. The smell of flowers invites pollinators to come and feast on their nectar. But exhaust masks those smells, making it harder for bees to learn and remember the floral scents that cue them in to flowers.

Cities Climate Ecosystems Environmental Science Human Exposure and Public Health Science through time

Climate Change and Inequality: The Missing Link.

June 13, 2019June 13, 2019 Nick Iraola 0 Comments Climate Change, climate justice, Green New Deal, inequality

In the most recent IPCC report, scientists have concluded that global warming is likely to reach 1.5o C between 2030 and 2052, if it continues to increase at the current rate. To curb this warming, and the host of environmental plagues with it, we must completely halt our carbon emissions by 2050. That’s 30 years. But who is actually on the front-lines of climate change? And why do some people draw parallels between climate change and inequality? Is the key to all of this solving both at the same time?

Case Studies Cities Climate Human Exposure and Public Health

Science by Bicycle: A novel study of urban heat

May 29, 2019June 1, 2019 Andrew Trlica 0 Comments meteorology, urban climate, urban heat island, urban landscapes

A new study used a bicycle-mounted temperature sensor to measure heat extremes across urban Madison, WI — and investigate options for keeping cities cool.

Cities Climate Ecosystems

Mother of dragons in the city

May 15, 2019May 22, 2019 Kevin Aviles Rodriguez 0 Comments behaviour ecology, cities, Climate, Climate Change, Ecology, urban ecology

City habitats are often much warmer due to lower forest cover and an increased density of manmade surfaces which retain heat. Increased temperatures can greatly affect animals that develop as male or female depending on the incubation temperature of the eggs. Read on to find out how mothers of eastern water dragons deal with living in the warm cities of Australia.

Cities Environmental Science Human Exposure and Public Health

A Walk in the Park: Green Space in Childhood Good for Mental Health

April 30, 2019May 1, 2019 Munim Deen 0 Comments childhood health, green space, mental health, urban landscapes

Teaser: Parks and other green spaces have long been known to benefit general physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Recent research shows that having green space around one’s home in childhood is associated with lower risk of psychiatric disorders as an adult. This finding shows the importance of residential green space in promoting lifelong mental health.

Cities Ecosystems Environmental Science

Let’s Paint the Town Green!

April 17, 2019April 20, 2019 Laura Schifman 0 Comments biodiversity, birds, BSC4052, cities, fragmentation, green infrastructure, land management, urban greening

Many places around the world are searching for ways to balance a growing population while also caring for the environment. Developers, policymakers, and citizens everywhere are concerned with maintaining biodiversity while developing economies and building homes and businesses for humans. New research from the European Union aims to balance the use of ecosystem services and conservation efforts by introducing green infrastructure. This new way to look at land use can have important implications for the future of development and policy-making in the European Union, and throughout the world.

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