Environment

Rising carbon dioxide levels in the world's oceans could deliver a disastrous blow to the ability of coral reefs to withstand climate change. A major new investigation by Australian scientists has revealed that acidification of the oceans from human CO2 emissions has the potential to worsen the impact of the bleaching and death of reef-building organisms expected to occur under global warming. The study, by a team led by Dr Ken Anthony of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and the University of Queensland, published in this week's Proceedings of the (US) National Academy of…

Even though the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has given final approval for use of a new pesticide, regulators in California and other states are taking a closer look at the substance's potential adverse health effects before allowing the chemical to be used, according to an article in Chemical&Engineering News.  In the article, C&EN Associate Editor Britt E. Erickson notes that EPA first considered approving the pesticide, methyl iodide, in 2006 as a replacement for methyl bromide.   Methyl iodide has several advantages over methyl bromide. It is more reactive…

Does your boss  feel like an environmentally aware entrepreneur?   If so, it might  be worth mentioning that business travel, conferences and meetings have an  effect on the environment.   Virtual participation is possible but computers, networks and the entire data infastructure consume massive amounts of power as well. What is needed is a way to quantify meetings in terms of energy use.   At a recent “Informatics Day at the Technopark Zurich" , a Microsoft booth allowed visitors were able to test how much CO2 they would save, if any, if they replaced…

Making a selection at a sushi bar used to simply be about deciding how adventurous you wanted to be, and making sure to steer clear of the deadly poisonous puffer fish (unless you really trusted your sushi chef).  But now a whole new list of selection criteria has come into play --  based less on which fish is most appetizing, and more on which fish is most sustainable. Beginning today, sushi lovers nationwide will have a way to make seafood choices that please the palate and safeguard the world’s ocean wildlife. Three leading ocean conservation organizations –Blue Ocean Institute…

The Amazon rainforest is a puzzle of ecology.   Despite concerns about climate change, rainforests are thriving, even in the face of drought.   In a new Science study conducted in the Yasuni forest dynamics plot of the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, the most diverse tropical forest site associated with the Center for Tropical Forest Science/Smithsonian Institution Global Earth Observatory network (CTFS/SIGEO), there are  600 species of birds and 170 of mammals and 1,100 species of trees in the 25 hectare plot―more than in all of the U.S. and Canada, combined. In…

University of Cincinnati scientists say that a recent scientific study of a now-closed uranium processing plant near Cincinnati has identified a second, potentially more significant source of radon exposure for former workers.   That source—six silos filled with uranium ore in the production area—resulted in relatively high levels of radon exposure to 12 percent of the workers. More than half (56 percent) of the workers were exposed to low levels of radon while working at the site.  "Our findings have scientific and political ramifications," explains Susan Pinney, PhD, corresponding…

The following makes perfect sense - to the government. Let companies that generate no carbon emissions now be treated like they do. Sell those 'emission rights' to companies that are heavier polluters in an auction format, highest bidder wins. Force companies to participate and bid each other up by imposing penalties if they exceed their allowed emissions. Net effect on actual pollution - none. Net effect to the government? Billions. Including a new work force to oversee it all. Then they can use the money in 'awareness' programs to promote energy efficiency. Seriously, are any of…

A rise in carbon emissions is not the only threat to the planet. Changes to the nitrogen cycle, caused in large part by the widespread use of fertilizers, are also damaging both water quality and aquatic life. These concerns are highlighted by Professor Grace Brush, from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, USA, in her historical review (1) of landscape changes around Chesapeake Bay, a large estuary on the Atlantic coast of the USA. Her findings are published online this week in Springer's journal Estuaries and Coasts. Professor Brush studied the organisms and materials preserved in…

Climate change will have different effects on lakes in warmer and colder regions of the globe, according to Japanese and German researchers following studies of very deep caldera lakes in Japan. Scientists from Hokkaido University, the Hokkaido Institute of Environmental Sciences, Kagoshima University and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) compared current measurements with measurements taken 70 years ago. This confirmed a rise in temperatures in the deep water layers of lakes in the south of Japan, while the deep water temperatures of lakes in the north remained the same…

With larger populations and greater demand for food, pesticide usage has increased over the last few decades.  Luckily, a new study has found that concentrations in ground water have not matched the increase. Samples taken from over 300 wells across the US show they have not retained a high concentration of pesticide contamination, according to  results of a decade-long study to assess the extent of the impact of contaminants on the nation's water supply. Over the years, frequent research has detected pesticides in ground water around the country, including in aquifers used for…