A group of international researchers reveal in a new study that the amount of nitrogen deposited on land and water in China has increased 60 percent from the 1980s to the 2000s. It’s no secret that China is faced with some of the world’s worst pollution. Until now, however, information on the magnitude, scope and [...]

Based on a massive data set unique to Houston, a newly published study from scientists at Rice University has found a direct correlation between out-of-hospital heart attacks and levels of air pollution and ozone. Researchers at Rice University in Houston have found a direct correlation between out-of-hospital cardiac arrests and levels of air pollution and [...]

Europe’s carbon-trading market and tougher emission targets make it appear somewhat more responsible than the rest of the world at climate-policy negotiations. But recently, the region has fallen behind North America in the effort demonstrate systems for capturing greenhouse-gas emissions from power plants and industry, even as its coal use increases. Europe has had trouble [...]

The dredging of a highly contaminated canal long the shore of Lake Michigan, in Indiana, has begun, triggering concerns that the dredging could release harmful chemicals. The US Army Corps of Engineers is removing large volumes of contaminated sediment, equivalent of about 160 million truckloads, from the Indiana Harbor and Canal to create a deeper [...]

Some of the world’s largest reserves of crude oil are held in the oil sands in Alberta, Canada, and production has been ongoing. A new study shows that contaminants from the development of the sands are stacking up in the environment. The scientists published their findings in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of [...]

Scientists report that there are alarmingly high methane emissions from oil and gas fields, undermining the environmental benefits of natural gas, which is transforming the current US energy system. The scientists, who hold joint appointments with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the University of Colorado in Boulder, reported their findings at a [...]

Scallops cough to expel feces and water from their central cavities. The friction between the mollusk’s two valves makes a sharp crack, followed by a drawn-out puffing sound as the valves close. Biologists think that these coughs could serve as an early warning system for worsening water quality. The scientists published their findings in the [...]

European researchers are going to monitor thousands of people by giving them smartphones, which will record the chemicals to which they are exposed to every day. Two projects announced this week that they had won €17.3 million ($22.4 million) from the European Commission to study the exposome, the effects of environmental exposures on health. The [...]

The state of Washington, the leading US producer of farmed shellfish, announced that it is launching a 42-step plan to reduce ocean acidification. The initiative made by a governor-appointed panel of scientists, policy-makers and shellfish industry representatives. It’s the first US-state-funded effort to tackle ocean acidification. The governor states that she will allocate $3.3 million [...]

Brazil experienced a biofuel boom in March 2007, topping out at second in world output behind the USA. The fermentation of sugars produced motor fuel that lowered carbon dioxide emissions, and Brazil became a model for how it was possible to stop relying on fossil fuels. Five years later, biofuels have been criticized and critics [...]

Most cities brew up a blend of gases that covers the urban area like a dome. The top of most buildings can sit outside or inside this metropolitan atmosphere, depending on the weather. Ecologists are sampling sites around Boston in order to compare levels of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, and water vapor. Roofs are [...]

A new study indicates that slowing down vessels near coastlines by 10 to 15 miles per hour can dramatically reduce air pollution from the ships. However, only a few US ports have initiated efforts to apply this. The scientists published their findings in the journal Environmental Science and Technology. A speed limit of 14 mph, [...]