The US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulations aimed at reducing the harmful effects of hazardous air pollutant (HAP) emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants, known as the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), have been a significant success story. A study conducted by Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) reveals
Earth
The European Union’s climate monitoring unit has reported that global oceans were warmer in May 2023 than any other May in records dating back to the 19th century. The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) reported that sea temperatures were a quarter of a degree Celsius higher than ice-free oceans in May when compared to the
In a recent study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, geophysicist D. Sarah Stamps and her team at the Geodesy and Tectonophysics Lab explored the processes behind the East African Rift System using 3D thermomechanical modeling. Stamps compared the different deformation styles of a rifting continent with playing with Silly Putty, stating
According to a new scientific study conducted by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), extractive and industrial development projects pose a severe threat to the fundamental rights of Indigenous Peoples. The study, which quantifies the negative impacts of these activities on the lifeways, lands, and rights of
The Denali Fault System is a 1,200-mile-long fault that runs in an upward arc from southwestern Alaska and the Bering Sea into western Canada’s Yukon Territory and British Columbia. The active strike-slip fault system, which runs through Denali National Park and Preserve, is responsible for the formation of the Alaska Range. In 2002, the Denali
Coal ash is known to cause air pollution, which is harmful to both the environment and human health. However, the ash left over from burning coal can also be hazardous. Duke Energy had long stored a liquified form of coal ash in 36 large ponds across the Carolinas. However, in 2014, a spill at its
Researchers at Rice University have discovered a natural cycle that repeats every 150 days in the north-south oscillation of atmospheric pressure patterns that drive the movement of the Southern Hemisphere’s prevailing westerly winds and the Antarctic jet stream. The cycle, known as an “internally generated periodicity,” was found to influence the variability of the hemisphere-scale
According to a new study published in Nature Communications, the Arctic Ocean’s ice cap will disappear in summer as soon as the 2030s, a decade earlier than previously thought. The report concludes that even capping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius in line with the Paris climate treaty will not prevent the north pole’s vast
A recent study by Stanford University has found a way to more accurately measure groundwater levels in the agriculturally rich Central Valley, which is vital for farmers who rely on groundwater to irrigate crops in dry years. The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, analyzed satellite-based measures of surface changes over time to monitor groundwater
A recent study conducted by researchers at the Australian Catholic University, Columbia University and the University of Massachusetts has found that collective property rights in Indigenous territories in the Brazilian Amazon lead to higher rates of reforestation. The study compared secondary forest growth on land inside Indigenous territories to growth on land outside, and found
Biochar, a black powder produced by heating cocoa bean shells to 600 degrees Celsius in an oxygen-free environment, has the potential to address climate change by locking in greenhouse gases. The biochar industry is still in its infancy, but it provides a unique solution to remove carbon from the Earth’s atmosphere. The process captures CO2
A new study from Colorado State University indicates that the understanding of how and why mountains are formed may not be as thorough as previously thought. The study, led by Sean Gallen, a geosciences assistant professor at the university, utilized new data sets and techniques to reconstruct the long-term history of mountain building in southern
Cutting boards are an essential tool found in most homes and restaurant kitchens. However, according to a small-scale study conducted by researchers from Environmental Science & Technology, they are also an overlooked source of micrometer-sized particles. The study claims that chopping up carrots on wood and plastic boards could produce tens of millions of microparticles
A recent study conducted by the University of Maryland (UMD), Northern Arizona University, the University of Arizona, Conservation International, and more has uncovered that protected forests across the globe store an additional 9.65 billion metric tons of carbon in their aboveground biomass in comparison to similar unprotected areas. The study highlights the significance of protected
Plants derive their carbon from the atmosphere and use it to synthesize organic compounds through photosynthesis and water. Terrestrial ecosystems have been absorbing about 32% of CO2 emissions produced by human activities for the past 60 years. However, the question of whether terrestrial vegetation can continue to function as a carbon sink in a changing
