Cities – envirobites

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.

Cities Climate

Choosing Green Energy

October 19, 2018October 30, 2018 Kristen Brown 0 Comments energy, green, solar, Solar Energy

We use electricity daily, so many of us want to use cleaner versions. But how should we do that? Is it better to install rooftop solar panels or invest in other clean energy sources? The decision will depend on your situation, but this article provides some information to help you make the best decision for you.

A screenshot of photos submitted to the california herp atlas. The screenshot includes nine photos of snakes

Cities Environmental Science Remediation

This website helps ordinary people collect data to save snakes

October 5, 2018October 11, 2018 Abigail Lewis 0 Comments citizen science, Conservation, Ecology, snakes

With a limited amount of time and money available for conservation efforts, it’s critical to know which species are the most vulnerable. Unfortunately, that assessment requires a virtually impossible amount of data. Citizen scientists from North and South Carolina have filled this critical gap by collecting 7,684 snake observations from every county in the two states over the course of eight years. Here’s what they found.

Cities Climate Environmental Science Human Exposure and Public Health

Why coastal flood maps are wrong: the tale of compound hazards

August 8, 2018August 9, 2018 Mary Grace Lemon 0 Comments Climate Change, environmental policy, extreme weather, flooding, hurricanes, hydrology, sea level rise, urban hydrology, water management

Coastal flooding is expected to increase in frequency due to future sea level rise and more extreme weather, but most coastal flood hazards maps do not portray the increase risk. We dive deeper into how these maps are made and uncover why the current flood hazard maps may be misleading.

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