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Environment

Antarctica remains the wild card for sea-level rise estimates through 2100

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A massive collaborative research project covered in the journal Nature this week offers projections to the year 2100 of future sea-level rise from all sources of land ice, offering the most complete projections created to date.

“This work synthesizes improvements over the last decade in climate models, ice sheet and glacier models, and estimates of future greenhouse gas emissions,” said Stephen Price, one of the Los Alamos scientists on the project.

“More than 85 researchers from various disciplines, including our team at Los Alamos National Laboratory, produced sea-level rise projections based on the most recent computer models developed within the scientific community and updated scenarios of future greenhouse gas emissions,” said Price. [Read more…] about Antarctica remains the wild card for sea-level rise estimates through 2100

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  • Melting ice sheets over the past 300 years raised sea levels 18 metres
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    Melting ice sheets over the past 300 years raised sea levels 18 metresIt is well known that climate-induced sea level rise is a major threat. New research has found that previous ice loss events could have caused sea-level rise at rates of around 3.6 metres per century, offering vital clues as to what lies ahead should climate change continue unabated. A team…
    Tags: ice, rise, sheet, sea-level, climate, environment

Social media and science show how ship’s plastic cargo dispersed from Florida to Norway

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A ship’s container lost overboard in the North Atlantic has resulted in printer cartridges washing up everywhere from the coast of Florida to northern Norway, a new study has shown.

It has also resulted in the items weathering to form microplastics that are contaminated with a range of metals such as titanium, iron and copper.

The spillage is thought to have happened around 1,500 km east of New York, in January 2014, with the first beached cartridges reported along the coastline of the Azores in September the same year. [Read more…] about Social media and science show how ship’s plastic cargo dispersed from Florida to Norway

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  • It’s snowing plastic: Small particles of plastic are coming down with the snow
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    It’s snowing plastic: Small particles of plastic are coming down with the snowThe snow may be melting, but it is leaving pollution behind in the form of micro- and nano-plastics according to a McGill study that was recently published in Environmental Pollution. The pollution is largely due to the relatively soluble plastics found in antifreeze products (polyethylene glycols) that can become airborne…
    Tags: plastics, environment, pollution, plastic, author, quantities, sciences, health, metals, researchers

Researchers find how tiny plastics slip through the environment

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Washington State University researchers have shown the fundamental mechanisms that allow tiny pieces of plastic bags and foam packaging at the nanoscale to move through the environment.

The researchers found that a silica surface such as sand has little effect on slowing down the movement of the plastics, but that natural organic matter resulting from decomposition of plant and animal remains can either temporarily or permanently trap the nanoscale plastic particles, depending on the type of plastics.

The work, published in the journal Water Research, could help researchers develop better ways to filter out and clean up pervasive plastics from the environment.

The researchers include Indranil Chowdhury, assistant professor in WSU’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, along with Mehnaz Shams and Iftaykhairul Alam, recent graduates of the civil engineering program. [Read more…] about Researchers find how tiny plastics slip through the environment

Related Posts

  • It’s snowing plastic: Small particles of plastic are coming down with the snow
    45
    It’s snowing plastic: Small particles of plastic are coming down with the snowThe snow may be melting, but it is leaving pollution behind in the form of micro- and nano-plastics according to a McGill study that was recently published in Environmental Pollution. The pollution is largely due to the relatively soluble plastics found in antifreeze products (polyethylene glycols) that can become airborne…
    Tags: plastics, environment, plastic, particles, matter, organic, researchers, polyethylene, water, news
  • Plastic waste disintegrates into nanoparticles, study finds
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    Plastic waste disintegrates into nanoparticles, study findsThere is a considerable risk that plastic waste in the environment releases nano-sized particles known as nanoplastics, according to a new study from Lund University. The researchers studied what happened when takeaway coffee cup lids, for example, were subjected to mechanical breakdown, in an effort to mimic the degradation that…
    Tags: plastic, particles, news, environment
  • New global rules curb unrestricted plastic waste exports
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    New global rules curb unrestricted plastic waste exportsGovernments at the 14th Conference of the Parties (COP14) of the Basel Convention acted to restrict rampant plastic waste exports by requiring countries to obtain prior informed consent before exporting contaminated or mixed plastic waste. A deluge of plastic waste exports from developed countries has polluted developing countries in Southeast…
    Tags: plastic, plastics, environment
  • US Department of Energy to invest $25 million in polymer upcyling, plastic waste reuse research
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    US Department of Energy to invest $25 million in polymer upcyling, plastic waste reuse researchThe US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced plans to invest $25 million in fundamental science to lay the groundwork for technology that finds reuses for plastic waste, makes strides toward addressing the global plastic waste crisis, and reduces the climate impacts of plastic production. DOE's research investment will focus…
    Tags: plastic, plastics, news, environment
  • Self-watering soil could transform farming
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    Self-watering soil could transform farmingA new type of soil created by engineers at The University of Texas at Austin can pull water from the air and distribute it to plants, potentially expanding the map of farmable land around the globe to previously inhospitable places and reducing water use in agriculture at a time of…
    Tags: water, news, environment

Using microbes to remove microplastics from the environment

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Today at the Microbiology Society’s Annual Conference, Yang Liu, researcher at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, will discuss a new technique to trap and recover microplastics.

The method uses bacterial biofilms, a sticky substance created by micro-organisms, to trap microplastic particles. The biofilm is then processed and dispersed, releasing the microplastic particles for processing and recycling.

Liu and colleagues used the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa to capture microplastics in a bioreactor. This species of bacteria is found in all environments and has previously been shown to colonise microplastics in the environment. [Read more…] about Using microbes to remove microplastics from the environment

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  • Study reveals the workings of nature's own earthquake blocker
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    Study reveals the workings of nature's own earthquake blockerA new study finds a naturally occurring "earthquake gate" that decides which earthquakes are allowed to grow into magnitude 8 or greater. Sometimes, the "gate" stops earthquakes in the magnitude 7 range, while ones that pass through the gate grow to magnitude 8 or greater, releasing over 32 times as…
    Tags: news, environment
  • Self-watering soil could transform farming
    34
    Self-watering soil could transform farmingA new type of soil created by engineers at The University of Texas at Austin can pull water from the air and distribute it to plants, potentially expanding the map of farmable land around the globe to previously inhospitable places and reducing water use in agriculture at a time of…
    Tags: news, environment
  • Plants play leading role in cycling toxic mercury through the environment
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    Plants play leading role in cycling toxic mercury through the environmentResearchers studying mercury gas in the atmosphere with the aim of reducing the pollutant worldwide have determined a vast amount of the toxic element is absorbed by plants, leading it to deposit into soils. Hundreds of tons of mercury each year are emitted into the atmosphere as a gas by…
    Tags: news, environment
  • Plastic waste disintegrates into nanoparticles, study finds
    31
    Plastic waste disintegrates into nanoparticles, study findsThere is a considerable risk that plastic waste in the environment releases nano-sized particles known as nanoplastics, according to a new study from Lund University. The researchers studied what happened when takeaway coffee cup lids, for example, were subjected to mechanical breakdown, in an effort to mimic the degradation that…
    Tags: news, environment
  • Researchers use AI to empower environmental regulators
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    Researchers use AI to empower environmental regulatorsLike superheroes capable of seeing through obstacles, environmental regulators may soon wield the power of all-seeing eyes that can identify violators anywhere at any time, according to a new Stanford University-led study. (See video below.) The paper, published the week of April 19 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences…
    Tags: news, environment

Low-income blocks in 92% of US urban communities have less tree cover and are hotter

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A new analysis of thousands of US communities finds that, on average, low-income urban blocks have less tree cover and are hotter than high-income blocks.

Robert McDonald of The Nature Conservancy in Arlington, Virginia, and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.

Mounting research links urban tree cover with human health benefits, including reduced air pollution, better cardiovascular function, and improved mental health. Tree cover can also cool urban areas, mitigating the effects of heat waves. [Read more…] about Low-income blocks in 92% of US urban communities have less tree cover and are hotter

Implications are global in new study predicting human exodus in Bangladesh

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Rising sea levels and more powerful cyclonic storms, phenomena driven by the warming of oceans due to climate change, puts at immediate or potential risk an estimated 680 million people living in low-lying coastal zones (a number projected to reach more than one billion by 2050). In nations like Bangladesh these populations are already moving to escape sea-level rise.

In a new study, “Modeling human migration under environmental change: a case study of the effect of sea level rise in Bangladesh,” researchers led by Maurizio Porfiri, an engineer at the Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP) at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, apply data science to predict how the cascading effects of the migration in Bangladesh will ultimately affect 1.3 million people across the country by 2050. The work has implications for coastal populations worldwide.

The new study, co-authors of which include first author Pietro De Lellis, an engineer at the University of Naples Federico II, Italy, and Manuel Ruiz Marin, a mathematician at the Technical University of Cartagena, Spain, presents a mathematical model of human migration that considers not just economic factors but also human behavior – whether people are unwilling or unable to leave and if they later return home. [Read more…] about Implications are global in new study predicting human exodus in Bangladesh

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  • Fossil trees on Peru's Central Andean Plateau tell a tale of dramatic environmental change
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    Fossil trees on Peru's Central Andean Plateau tell a tale of dramatic environmental changeOn an expedition to the Central Andean Plateau, researchers from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and colleagues were astounded to find a huge fossil-tree buried in the cold, grassy plain. The plant fossil record from this high-altitude site in southern Peru contains dramatic reminders that the environment in the…
    Tags: science, sea, region, de, rise, will, data, ultimately, environment, environmental

Persuading consumers to go green

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Shopping habits and escalating consumption of many consumers are inflicting a heavy environmental toll, and while the majority of customers seem hesitant to act “green” on their own, companies are increasingly expected to implement effective eco-friendly tactics.

But efforts to increase towel reuse at hotels, paperless adoption in the banking industry or “ugly” food consumption at grocery stores have been challenging.

As a result, millions of tons of cosmetically imperfect produce are wasted every year in the United States while about one billion trees worth of paper are thrown away. Electricity consumption is impacted when those plain nonverbal stickers used in hotel bathrooms fail to significantly alter towel usage habits. [Read more…] about Persuading consumers to go green

Ozone pollution in Germany falls thanks to lower nitrogen oxide emissions

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Summer is the ozone season: The harmful gas forms at ground level on hot, sunny days. In recent years, however, the rise in ozone levels over the summer months has not been as pronounced in Germany as it was previously.

According to a new study, this is primarily due to a reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions. This trend can be observed across Germany’s southwestern regions in particular, while Berlin lags behind.

Nitrogen oxides (NOx) are among the precursors of ground-level ozone, which can irritate the eyes, nose and throat and aggravate respiratory conditions. The emissions are primarily produced during combustion processes in engines and industrial facilities. [Read more…] about Ozone pollution in Germany falls thanks to lower nitrogen oxide emissions

Groundwater wells worldwide run risk of running dry

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As many as 20% of groundwater wells worldwide are at risk of running dry if groundwater reserves continue to decline according to a new study, which evaluated data from nearly 39 million wells from across the globe.

The findings reveal critical vulnerabilities to even modest reductions in groundwater levels, suggesting an impending threat to drinking water and agricultural irrigation for billions of people.

Groundwater is the primary water source for almost half of the planet’s population; yet, increasing demand and a general lack of adequate governance or management has resulted in the continued depletion of many major aquifers worldwide. [Read more…] about Groundwater wells worldwide run risk of running dry

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  • Self-watering soil could transform farming
    37
    Self-watering soil could transform farmingA new type of soil created by engineers at The University of Texas at Austin can pull water from the air and distribute it to plants, potentially expanding the map of farmable land around the globe to previously inhospitable places and reducing water use in agriculture at a time of…
    Tags: water, news, environment

Understanding our restoring force

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An expansive project led by Michigan State University’s Lars Brudvig is examining the benefits, and limits, of environmental restoration on developed land after humans are done with it.

Experts estimate there are up to 17 million square miles of land worldwide that have been altered by humans – through cultivation say – and then abandoned. That’s more than four times the size of the continental United States.

Once humans change a landscape, their impacts linger long after they’ve moved on. However, humans can heal some of that damage by working to restore the land to its natural state. [Read more…] about Understanding our restoring force

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  • Fossil trees on Peru's Central Andean Plateau tell a tale of dramatic environmental change
    48
    Fossil trees on Peru's Central Andean Plateau tell a tale of dramatic environmental changeOn an expedition to the Central Andean Plateau, researchers from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and colleagues were astounded to find a huge fossil-tree buried in the cold, grassy plain. The plant fossil record from this high-altitude site in southern Peru contains dramatic reminders that the environment in the…
    Tags: trees, researchers, history, project, environment, site