Environment ecology news gotscience.org

CO2 underground could combat climate change

January 13, 2020January 8, 2020 Science Connectedcarbon capture, carbon emissions, CCS, climate change, offshore drilling

By Mackenzie Myers, @kenzwrites Despite the scariness of already-manifesting climate change, lawmakers and researchers worldwide have identified strategies to help us fight it. Expanding renewable energy, replacing coal with natural gas, and making machines more energy-efficient are just a few tricks humankind has up its sleeves. At the center of all this, of course, is a reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. According to a new study, one key to accomplishing that goal may lie far beneath the surface of the earth and yet be more accessible than you might…

Citizen Science Environment SciStarter Blog

Regular People Are Changing How We Monitor Air Quality

January 10, 2020January 8, 2020 Science Connectedair pollution, air quality, citizen science, scistarter

Low cost, high impact: How access to sensors is changing everything in air quality research. Air quality: It’s about us The ways we hear about air pollution can make us think it’s not about us. Large industrial stacks, smoky skies, and cities far away — filled with people we’ve never met, in places we don’t expect to be. Articles on the front pages of major news outlets describe air pollution in India, China, and Bangladesh, and they don’t always make the connection with people like me who live in the…

asthma, pollution, air quality, environment

Environment Genetics Health

Asthma, Genetics, and the Environment

January 8, 2020January 8, 2020 Science Connectedasthma, disease research, genetics, pets, respiratory health

By Emily Folk @EmilySFolk The relationship between asthma and genetics has evaded scientists for years. Researchers are still unraveling clues today, although they’ve made many advancements in making the connection. Environmental influences have become more significant in their impact, posing new challenges in treating the disease. As scientists explore ways to enhance asthma treatment, they also work to uncover its causes, hoping for more information on its relatively vague origin. How does asthma work? Asthma is an inflammatory lung disease characterized by shortness of breath, chest tightening, coughing, and wheezing.…

Figure Five: Forum participants choosing where to allocate resources. Image Credit: Museum of Science, Boston

Citizen Science Climate Environment SciStarter Blog

Boston is Wicked Hot: Here’s What They’re Doing About It

November 15, 2019November 13, 2019 Science ConnectedBoston, resilience, urban heat, urban heat islands, Wicked Hot Boston

Want to learn more about this initiative? Check out the Wicked Hot Boston series, Parts One and Two. Want to address climate hazards in your community? Head over to SciStarter.org/NOAA to find a citizen science project. Wicked Hot Boston It’s true: the world is getting hotter, and Boston is becoming WICKED hot. This past summer, the Museum of Science, Boston (MOS) team and local citizen scientists began to measure extreme temperatures. They used sensors provided by CAPA Strategies to make an ambient air temperature map of Boston, Cambridge, and Brookline,…

Environment

Anthropocene mass extinction: are we there yet?

November 4, 2019November 1, 2019 Science Connectedbiodiversity, biodiversity loss, climate change, ecological crisis, mass extinction

By Jacqueline Mattos (@mattosjacq) In the last few decades, scientific observations have highlighted that we are now facing a mass extinction, caused in major part by human activity: habitat fragmentation, invasive species, spread of pathogens and diseases, climate changes leading to global warming, and, of course, direct killing of endangered species. However, this is still a debated topic among scientists. Some say that we are not in a mass extinction event, and that if we were, conservation biology and all the efforts we have been putting into conserving animal species…

Biota Project Climate Environment

Community Perspectives Strengthen Hurricane Preparedness

October 30, 2019October 29, 2019 Science Connectedcommunities, hurricane, preparedness, resilience, tropical cyclone, visualizations, weather

By Helen Cheng (@ms_helenc / @thebiotaproject) For those who live along the United States East Coast, October is the height of the hurricane season. According to the National Hurricane Center, the Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. The peak of the season is mid-August to late October, as shown in the graph below, with the number of storms increasing during this time of year. However, deadly hurricanes can occur anytime in the hurricane season. Understanding communities’ past experiences of hurricanes and how they perceive forecasts for…

Environment Oceanography Paleontology

The Forgotten Mass Extinction

October 14, 2019October 11, 2019 Science Connectedbiodiversity, biology, crisis, ecosystem, mass extinction, Permian

By Jacqueline Mattos (@mattosjacq) Yes, we are in a mass extinction event Recent research has spotted a new major mass extinction, termed the “end-Guadalupian (259.8 Ma),” according to a scientific paper in the journal Historical Biology. Previously, scientists knew of only five mass extinctions in the history of Earth: the end-Ordovician (443.8 Ma), the Late Devonian (372.2 Ma), the end-Permian (251.9 Ma), the end-Triassic (201.4 Ma), and the end-Cretaceous (66 Ma). Our current biodiversity crisis has been called the sixth mass extinction, but with these new findings it will probably…

A red crane sits idle at the SWRP mine next to Boulder Ridge. A chain link fence separates the two properties.

Citizen Science Environment Health SciStarter Blog

Researchers, regulators, and residents collaborate to test air quality sensors

October 7, 2019October 4, 2019 Science Connectedair quality, ASU, School for the Future of Innovation in Society

This article was originally published by SciStarter on February 4, 2019. By Margaret Hinrichs In early 2018, Scistarter and Arizona State University began the process of collaborating with a local community, Boulder Ridge, to measure the quality of its air. Boulder Ridge is a 55 and older retirement community in Phoenix. Over the past three years, Boulder Ridge residents began to notice increased blasting, crushing, and trucking out of rock and dirt from an open stone mine next door operated by Southwest Rock Products, LLC. On days when there were no…

Biota Project Environment Health

Air Pollution: Breathing in Biofuels

September 9, 2019September 5, 2019 Science Connectedair pollution, biofuel, breathing, fire, lungs, smoke

By Jessica Monterrosa Think of the last time you were at a bonfire. Maybe you were at the beach, or a camping site. At sunset, everyone huddles around a fire pit. You lean toward the fire to get cozy and cook your hot dogs and s’mores. You wait in anticipation for your perfectly roasted marshmallow, enduring itchy eyes and a sore throat while breathing in the thick smoke. Even though you only spend a few hours next to the fire, you know that your car, your room, and even your…

Environment Science Debate Series Science Policy

Plastic Waste Necessitates Policies for Producers

September 5, 2019September 5, 2019 Science Connectedenvironment, microplastics, ocean, plastic pollution, plastic recycling, plastic waste, science debate

By Neha Jain (@lifesciexplore) This article is part of a series about key science policy issues. Please use these articles to become an informed voter, ask political candidates about the issues, and put every candidate on record about science. Countries around the world, both developed and developing, have been grappling with growing piles of plastic waste from overuse of packaging materials, such as those for food and beverages, and single-use plastic tableware. In 2015, 42 percent of all plastic produced was used for packaging, much of which is used only…