Environmental Science – Page 2

Two kids exploring outside. It looks like it is autumn

Understanding trends about how connected to nature different age groups typically feel is critical because it could potentially help target conservation efforts in the future. If certain groups are losing connection to nature, how can educators or policymakers intervene to counteract that? If there is an age where connection to nature tends to increase, how can conservationists reinforce that trend? A recent study surveyed over two thousand people in the United Kingdom and found that teenagers tended to show lower levels of connection to nature than both children and adults.

Case Studies Environmental Science

Duck broods are more resilient than expected in the face of oil and natural gas extraction

September 30, 2019September 29, 2019 Sarah Shainker 0 Comments Conservation, development, ducks, fossil fuels, Oil, waterfowl, wetlands, wildlife

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.

Environmental Science Human Exposure and Public Health Toxicology

Forever Chemicals: What’s going on

September 27, 2019September 27, 2019 Niranjana Krishnan 0 Comments Chemicals, epidemiology, health impacts, literature review, PFAS

PFAS 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.

Case Studies Ecosystems Environmental Science

Salty about coastal walls

September 25, 2019September 25, 2019 Mary Grace Lemon 0 Comments coastal zone, sea level rise

Artificial 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?

Ecosystems Environmental Science

If you let a beaver build, mammals will come

September 25, 2019 Anita Masse 0 Comments beaver; wetlands; mammals

If 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.

Environmental Science

Old is Better than Young: The Carbon Sequestration Potential of Letting Forests Mature

September 24, 2019September 25, 2019 Andrew Barton 0 Comments carbon, forest managment

“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!

Environmental Science

Brow Wow Wow Yippe Yo Yippe Yay: Dogs Use Specialized Eye Muscles to Communicate with Humans

September 23, 2019November 3, 2019 Laine Farber 0 Comments

A 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.

Environmental Science

Shining a Light on Water Disinfection: LEDs aren’t just a Television Upgrade

September 20, 2019September 19, 2019 Mary Davis 0 Comments Clean Water, Energy Efficiency, Green Technology, LEDs

LED 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.

Climate Ecosystems Environmental Science

Hot tree summer: Measuring the effects of the 2017 heat wave on Europe’s forests

September 18, 2019September 18, 2019 Jeannie Wilkening 0 Comments drought, extreme heat, heat wave, plants, satellite data, water

Plants 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.

Ecosystems Environmental Science

Friend or foe? Invasive earthworms can benefit agriculture but harm forests

September 17, 2019September 17, 2019 Kara Cromwell 0 Comments agriculture, carbon, Conservation, Ecology, environmental science, forest ecology, forests, invasive species, invertebrates, nutrient cycles

Earthworms 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.