Mount Everest: Microplastics in the Death Zone
Scientists have identified the highest recorded microplastics ever found on Earth — at an altitude of more than 8,000metres, close to the summit of Mount…
Pollution
NASA Model Reveals How Much Pollution Levels Changed Due to COVID-19 Lockdowns
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, space- and ground-based observations have shown that Earth’s atmosphere has seen significant reductions in some air pollutants. However, scientists wanted…
Scientists Find Chemicals Proven Harmful to Human Health in Household Dust
Since the 1970s, chemicals called brominated flame retardants (BFRs) have been added to a host of consumer and household products, ranging from electronics and mattresses…
The United States May Have Set Itself Up for the Spread of a Pandemic Without Even Knowing It
Pollution and Pandemics: A Dangerous Mix Research from Chakrabarty lab finds that as one goes, so goes the other — to a point. The United…
The Burning Question of Bonfire Night Pollution
Bonfire Night celebrations contaminate our air with hugely elevated amounts of soot, scientists have found. Researchers from the University of Leeds were monitoring air quality to determine…
Brown Carbon “Tarballs” Detected in Himalayan Atmosphere – May Accelerate Melting of Glaciers
Some people refer to the Himalaya-Tibetan Plateau as the “third pole” because the region has the largest reserve of glacial snow and ice outside of…
Experts Warn: War on Plastic Is Distracting From More Urgent Threats to Environment
A team of leading environmental experts, spearheaded by the University of Nottingham, have warned that the current war on plastic is detracting from the bigger…
“Zombie Fires” in Peatlands, Which Release Devastating Amounts of Carbon, Could Be Dampened by New Findings
Imperial College London researchers have simulated for the first time how soil moisture content affects the ignition and spread of smoldering peat fires, which can…
Mythbusting: 5 Common Misperceptions on the Environmental Impacts of Single-Use Plastics
Stand in the soda pop aisle at the supermarket, surrounded by rows of brightly colored plastic bottles and metal cans, and it’s easy to conclude…
Significant Link Found Between Air Pollution and Neurological Disorders in U.S.
Air pollution was significantly associated with an increased risk of hospital admissions for several neurological disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and other dementias, in…
Warning: More Than 200 Million Americans Could Have Toxic PFAS in Their Drinking Water
A peer-reviewed study by scientists at the Environmental Working Group estimates that more than 200 million Americans could have the toxic fluorinated chemicals known as…
Swirling Fragments of Past Space Endeavors: Threatening Our Future in Space
Swirling fragments of past space endeavors are trapped in orbit around Earth, threatening our future in space. Over time, the number, mass, and area of…
China’s Success in Improving Air Quality by Cutting Polluting Emissions May Worsen Climate Change
China’s success in improving air quality by cutting polluting emissions may have a negative knock-on effect on climate change overall, a new study has found….
Air Pollution Looms As Major Worldwide Threat – Reduces Global Health Expectancy by Two Years
Pollution continues to loom as major worldwide threat, but problem areas have changed. he COVID-19 pandemic underscores more than any time in recent history how…
Devastating Forest Decline: Tree Rings Show Scale of Arctic Pollution Is Far Worse Than Previously Thought
The largest-ever study of tree rings from Norilsk in the Russian Arctic has shown that the direct and indirect effects of industrial pollution in the…
NOAA-NASA Satellite Captures Fires, Smoke, Sulfur Dioxide, and Ash Across America
On September 7, 2020, NOAA/NASA’s Suomi NPP satellite provided two different views of how fires are affecting the U.S. A true-color image of the United…
Global Pollution Estimates Reveal Surprises, As Well as Opportunity
Researchers’ hybrid dataset includes satellite images, modeling, and air samples. It is not unusual to come across headlines about pollution or global warming and find…
Fossil Fuels Replaced by Agriculture As Largest Human Source of Sulfur to the Environment
Historically, coal-fired power plants were the largest source of reactive sulfur, a component of acid rain, to the biosphere. A new study recently publishing Aug….