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…
Pollution
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….
Mauritius Oil Spill Spotted From Space – Island Has Declared a “State of Environmental Emergency”
The island of Mauritius has declared a ‘state of environmental emergency’ after a grounded vessel began leaking tonnes of oil into the Indian Ocean. Satellite…
New COVID-19 Study Shows Disposed PPE Can Be Turned Into Biofuel
Plastic from used personal protective equipment (PPE) can, and should, be transformed into renewable liquid fuels — according to a new study, published in the…
Tracking Humanity’s Latest Plastics and Chemical Toxins in Stranded Whales and Dolphins
As humanity develops new types of plastics and chemicals, researchers are constantly trying to keep up with understanding how these contaminants affect the environment and…
Plastic Flow Into Ocean Expected to Triple by 2040, But Action Could Stem Tide More Than 80%
Research lays out viable pathway to “break the plastic wave.” A new analysis by The Pew Charitable Trusts and SYSTEMIQ finds that without immediate and…
New Technique to Capture CO2 More Efficiently Could Reduce Power Plant Greenhouse Gases
Tetraamine-modified MOFs remove 90% of CO2 more efficiently and cheaply. big advance in carbon capture technology could provide an efficient and inexpensive way for natural…
Solid Acid Nano-Sponges Transform CO2 Into Fuel and Plastic Waste Into Useful Chemicals
Solid acids are amongst the most essential heterogeneous catalysts, which have the potential to replace environmentally harmful liquid acids, in some of the most important…
COVID-19: A Rare Opportunity for Science?
Researchers at Stanford and other institutions hypothesize outcomes of the pandemic’s unprecedented socioeconomic disruption and outline research priorities for advancing our understanding of humans’ impact…
New Material Can Generate Hydrogen From Fresh, Salt, or Polluted Water by Exposure to Sunlight
Researchers developed a new 2D material to produce hydrogen, which is the basis of alternative energy; the material efficiently generates hydrogen molecules from fresh, salt,…
Washing Away Stubborn Biofilms Using Fungal Cleaning Products
Researchers from the University of Tsukuba demonstrate that a biosurfactant from yeast can dissolve stubborn biofilms and enhance the efficacy of chemical cleaning products. Lurking…
Air Cleared So Much During COVID-19 Shutdown, It Actually Increased Solar Power Output
As the air cleared after lockdowns, solar installations in Delhi produced 8 percent more power, study shows. As the Covid-19 shutdowns and stay-at-home orders brought…
Geoengineering Is a Solution to Fight Climate Change – But Not by Itself
The technology’s regional impacts depend on how much greenhouse gas emissions are reduced. Could we create massive sulfuric acid clouds that limit global warming and…
Devices Can Reduce Fibers Produced From Washing Machines by Up to 80%
Using fiber-catching devices as part of the laundry process can dramatically reduce the amount of microscopic particles potentially entering the marine environment, according to new…
Omega-3 From Eating Fish May Protect Our Brains From Toxic Effects of Air Pollution
Older women who eat more than one to two servings a week of baked or broiled fish or shellfish may consume enough omega-3 fatty acids…
Global Methane Emissions Soar to Record High, Even As Pandemic Has Reduced Carbon Emissions
The pandemic has tugged carbon emissions down, temporarily. But levels of the powerful heat-trapping gas methane continue to climb, dragging the world further away from…
Laser-Etched Metal Purifies Contaminated Water Using Sunlight With Greater Than 100% Efficiency
By etching metal with ultrashort laser bursts, Rochester researchers demonstrate a way to purify water without wasting energy. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, people in developed…