Environmental Science – Page 2

There are many factors to consider when making energy choices. Fortunately, one choice can have many benefits.

Computer models suggest how COVID-19 may disrupt warming oceans

June 9, 2020June 9, 2020 Christina M. Marvin 0 Comments Climate Change, COVID-19, Ocean

COVID-19 has disrupted much of life as we know it – and the environment is no different. While we may not know the full impact until many years later, scientists suspect that the sudden, drastic decrease in fossil fuel use, especially air travel, will appear as some disruption to our seemingly unstoppable climb in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. The primary way humans can slow global warming is to decrease our use of fossil fuels. What would such a world look like? Scientists hope to build models in order to learn and make better predictions from this unexpected experiment.

Images of forecasts arranged into a question mark. Blue background

Environmental Science Human Exposure and Public Health Science through time

Understanding forecast uncertainty

June 8, 2020June 8, 2020 Abigail Lewis 0 Comments forecast, uncertainty, visualization

Forecasts have been in the news a lot recently as people around the world are working to respond to the threat of coronavirus. To understand these forecasts (and all forecasts!) we need to wrap our minds around a notoriously difficult concept: forecast uncertainty. In this study, researchers from the University of Melbourne, Australia demonstrated how different visualizations of forecast uncertainty can affect how people respond to forest fire risks.

Ecosystems Environmental Science

Legacies of human impacts linger in longleaf pine

June 8, 2020June 8, 2020 Brianne Palmer 0 Comments longleaf pine, Restoration, Soil, soil microbes

Historically humans have tilled the land for agriculture. Now, in the longleaf pine forests in the Southeastern United States, many are working to restore the land. Restoration is used to bring back the pre-agriculture plant communities but how do these interventions change the soil microbes?

Case Studies Cities Environmental Science

Coyote crossroads: LA coyotes differ genetically from nearby forest coyotes

June 3, 2020June 3, 2020 Kevin Aviles Rodriguez 0 Comments conservation genetics, coyotes, population genetics, roads, urban ecology

Adducci II A, Jasperse J, Riley S, Brown J, Honeycutt R, Monzón J. 2020. Urban coyotes are genetically distinct from

Two plots in a burned pine forest; the plot on the left did not receive mulch and has few pine seedlings, and the plot on the right that did receive mulch has more, taller pine seedlings

Environmental Science

A Matter of Mulch: Restoring Post-Fire Pine Forests in the Western United States

June 1, 2020May 30, 2020 Jenna Zukswert 0 Comments erosion, forest managment, mulch, pine, Restoration, Soil, Wildfire

Following severe fires, forest soils can erode, depositing sediment into nearby waterways after it rains and threatening local water quality as a result. Mulch is often used to reduce soil erosion in forests following wildfire. Following the High Park Fire in Colorado, scientists tested several types of mulch to determine which was most effective. Thanks to this study, we now know that wood mulch is better than wheat-straw mulch at promoting the return of pine trees and excluding non-native species from taking over, while also stabilizing the soil, probably because wood mulch persists longer and holds more moisture.

Ecosystems Environmental Science Toxicology

Predator-free New Zealand? Conservation ethics

June 1, 2020June 1, 2020 Samantha Andres 0 Comments biodiversity, environmental ethics, environmental policy, toxicology

https://link-springer-com.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/content/pdf/10.1007/s10806-019-09815-x.pdf Biodiversity hotspots Without a doubt, New Zealand is a biodiversity hotspot. It consistsof two islands that have evolved independently

Climate Environmental Science

Uncool beans: The future of coffee under climate change

May 29, 2020May 29, 2020 Jeannie Wilkening 0 Comments agriculture, coffee, modeling, robusta, temperature increase

A lot of people would say that a hot cup of coffee is a morning necessity, but a hotter future under climate change could mean trouble is brewing. In this study, scientists examined how rising temperatures might impact the growth of one of the major types of coffee produced in the world.

Ecosystems Environmental Science

Freshwater ecosystems are singing, and scientists are listening

May 27, 2020May 26, 2020 Sarah Shainker 0 Comments acoustic ecology, freshwater, noise pollution, river, soundscape, streams

The act of listening is an often-forgotten aspect of natural observation. When scientists listen to ecosystems, what do they learn?

Case Studies Environmental Science

Humans, Livestock, and Wild Carnivores

May 25, 2020May 27, 2020 Riley Lovejoy 0 Comments Ecology, ecology and society, humans and wildlife, Livestock, predators

What comes to mind when you think of human and wildlife conflict? One major source of conflict is predation of livestock by wild carnivores. Livestock management strategies can help lessen conflict by reducing predation events, but those strategies must be based on sound ecological concepts to be most effective.