News


Self-Charging Battery Both Generates and Stores Energy

Renewable energy technologies generally consist of two distinct processes: energy generation (using sources such as coal, solar, wind, etc.) and energy storage (such as batteries).

Report Card Shows Australia's Oceans Are Changing

The report card provides information about the current and predicted-future state of Australia's marine climate and its impact on our marine biodiversity. The report card also outlines actions that are underway to help our marine ecosystems adapt to climate change.

Mineral Can Reduce Pollution From Diesel Engines by Almost Half

Engineers at a company co-founded by a University of Texas at Dallas professor have identified a material that can reduce the pollution produced by vehicles that run on diesel fuel.

Researchers Improve Soil Carbon Cycling Models

A new carbon cycling model developed at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory better accounts for the carbon dioxide-releasing activity of microbes in the ground, improving scientists' understanding of the role soil will play in future climate change.

Studies Shed Light on Why Species Stay or Go in Response to Climate Change

Two new studies by scientists at UC Berkeley provide a clearer picture of why some species move in response to climate change, and where they go.

Greenland Melting Breaks Record Four Weeks Before Season's End

Melting over the Greenland ice sheet shattered the seasonal record on August 8 – a full four weeks before the close of the melting season, reports Marco Tedesco, assistant professor of Earth and atmospheric sciences at The City College of New York.

Climate and Drought Lessons From Ancient Egypt

Ancient pollen and charcoal preserved in deeply buried sediments in Egypt's Nile Delta document the region's ancient droughts and fires, including a huge drought 4,200 years ago associated with the demise of Egypt's Old Kingdom, the era known as the pyramid-building time.

Warming Causes More Extreme Shifts of the Southern Hemisphere's Largest Rain Band

The changes will result from the South Pacific rain band responding to greenhouse warming. The South Pacific rain band is largest and most persistent of the Southern Hemisphere spanning the Pacific from south of the Equator, south-eastward to French Polynesia.



Dallas Mayor Declares West Nile Emergency

The mayor of Dallas, Texas, Mike Rawlings, signed a proclamation Aug. 15 declaring a local state of disaster to be in effect for seven days as officials in the city and Dallas County respond to a widespread outbreak of West Nile Virus.

U.S. EPA Honors Environmental Heroes for 2012 in Pacific Southwest

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Pacific Southwest Region today announced the 12 winners for the 2012 annual environmental awards to acknowledge significant contributions to protecting the environment.

Manufacturers with Integrated Solutions Gaining in Industrial Water Treatment Chemicals Market

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, North American Industrial Water and Wastewater Treatment Chemicals Markets, finds that the market earned revenues of $2.03 billion in 2011 and estimates this to reach $2.79 billion in 2018.

Protected Areas Allow Wildlife to Spread in Response to Climate Change

A new study led by scientists at the University of York has shown how birds, butterflies, other insects and spiders have colonised nature reserves and areas protected for wildlife, as they move north in response to climate change and other environmental changes.

Saint Joseph's University Contributes to Safe Water Efforts

The World Health Organization estimates that 1.1 billion people worldwide lack access to a safe and adequate water supply. To help address this public health crisis, a team of students, faculty and fellows associated with Saint Joseph’s University’s Institute of Catholic Bioethics developed an inexpensive and sustainable slow-sand water filter for use by less-developed nations.

Raleigh Police See Fuel Savings From Energy Xtreme Mobile Power Idle Reduction Systems

Earlier this year the Raleigh Police Department installed mobile power idle reduction systems in 29 police vehicles. The project was funded by an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant, and aligns with Raleigh's commitment to environmental protection outlined in the City's Comprehensive Plan.

Fresh Water Breathes Fresh Life Into Hurricanes

An analysis of a decade's worth of tropical cyclones shows that when hurricanes blow over ocean regions swamped by fresh water, the conditions can unexpectedly intensify the storm.

New Energy Source: Major Advance Made in Generating Electricity from Wastewater

Engineers at Oregon State University have made a breakthrough in the performance of microbial fuel cells that can produce electricity directly from wastewater, opening the door to a future in which waste treatment plants not only will power themselves, but will sell excess electricity.

New System Could Predict Solar Flares, Give Advance Warning

Researchers may have discovered a new method to predict solar flares more than a day before they occur, providing advance warning to help protect satellites, power grids and astronauts from potentially dangerous radiation.

Icicle Seafoods Settles Clean Air Violations for Leaks of Ozone-Depleting Refrigerant

Seattle-based Icicle Seafoods Inc. has agreed to resolve violations of the federal Clean Air Act resulting from leaks of an ozone-depleting refrigerant aboard its seafood vessels and in processing facilities, according to a consent decree lodged by the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Snail Believed Extinct Found by Student in the Cahaba River

A freshwater snail declared extinct in 2000 was recently rediscovered in the Cahaba River by a University of Alabama graduate student.

NOAA Raises Hurricane Season Prediction Despite Expected El Niño

This year's Atlantic hurricane season got off to a busy start, with 6 named storms to date, and may have a busy second half, according to the updated hurricane season outlook issued Aug. 9, 2012 by NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service.