Futurity.org » environmental engineering

Restored wetlands may never recover

Robert Sanders-UC Berkeley — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:30:28 +0000

UC BERKELEY (US) — Even after a century of restoration efforts, some wetlands are never able to return to their original natural state.

“Once you degrade a wetland, it doesn’t recover its normal assemblage of plants or its rich stores of organic soil carbon, which both affect natural cycles of water and nutrients, for many years,” says David Moreno-Mateos, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley. “Even after 100 years, the restored wetland is still different from what was there before, and it may never recover.”

Greener commutes with eco-routes

Charlotte Hsu-Buffalo — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 14:26:01 +0000

U. BUFFALO (US) — The path of least emissions may not always be the fastest way to drive somewhere, but it’s possible for drivers to cut emissions without significantly slowing travel time, researchers say.

In detailed, computer simulations of traffic in upstate New York’s Buffalo Niagara region, University at Buffalo researchers Adel Sadek and Liya Guo found that green routing could reduce overall emissions of carbon monoxide by 27 percent for area drivers, while increasing the length of trips by an average of just 11 percent.

No real warming from urban ‘heat island’

Louis Bergeron-Stanford — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:02:02 +0000

STANFORD (US) — The urban ‘heat island’ effect contributes less than 5 percent to overall global warming, far less than greenhouse gas or black carbon, new research shows.

The study also finds that if all the roofs in urban areas were painted white, warming would increase, not decrease, as previously believed.

Vehicles pump out more ammonia in winter

Mike Williams-Rice — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:43:50 +0000

RICE U. (US) — The seasons play a role in the amount of ammonia produced by cars and trucks, with output greatest during the winter months, according to a new study.

The findings are not cause for immediate concern, says Robert Griffin, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rice University. “There may not be a health risk from ammonia itself, but the fact that ammonia is a precursor to particles is a big deal. They can get into your lungs and do some damage.”

Climate dimming clarity of Lake Tahoe

Pat Bailey-UC Davis — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 17:01:14 +0000

UC DAVIS (US) — The water clarity of Lake Tahoe in 2010 dropped to the second-lowest level ever recorded. Researchers suspect the combined effect of changes in climate and algae are to blame.

A new study indicates water clarity dropped from 68.1 feet in 2009 to 64.4 feet in 2010, a 3.7-foot decline.

Climate change consequences poles apart

A'ndrea Elyse Messer-Penn State — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 18:03:14 +0000

PENN STATE (US) — Climate change induced warming affects ice and frozen ground at both the North and South poles, but the ramifications differ because of geography and geology.

“The polar regions, particularly the Arctic, are warming faster than the rest of the world,” says Michael Gooseff, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Penn State. “As a consequence, polar ecosystems respond directly to changes in the earth systems at the poles.”

Ethanol leftovers: From fungus to feed

Mike Krapfl-Iowa State — Mon, 23 May 2011 18:02:47 +0000

IOWA STATE (US) — Fungus grown from ethanol leftovers is being used to make animal feed. Researchers believe it may be possible to develop the process further to be used as a low-cost nutritional supplement for people.

The production technology, called MycoMeal, has the potential to save U.S. ethanol producers up to $800 million a year in energy costs and could produce ethanol co-products worth another $800 million or more per year, depending on how it is used and marketed.

As fish farms flourish, so does waste

Louis Bergeron-Stanford — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 15:02:33 +0000

STANFORD (US) — Aquaculture is one of the fastest-growing segments of livestock farming in the U.S. but the problem of controlling fish effluent may be growing even faster.

Simple ocean dilution may not be the answer.

Casino patrons take a health gamble

Andrew Myers-Stanford — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 20:49:28 +0000

STANFORD (US) — Less than two hours of exposure to secondhand smoke in a casino puts patrons and workers at acute risk of developing heart disease, pulmonary disease, and cancer.

In the United States, 88 percent of commercial casinos and nearly 100 percent of tribal casinos allow smoking.

Christmas trash gets a second chance

Peter Dunn-Warwick — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 16:39:00 +0000

U. WARWICK (UK) — Most plastic packaging on gifts is almost impossible to recycle. A new technique could process 100 percent of household plastics instead of the tiny fraction currently recycled.

Sorting household plastic and putting it into the recycling bin doesn’t guarantee it won’t end up in a landfill. Typically only 12 percent of such waste is truly recycled. Such materials are often simply too time consuming to separate, and often objects are made of more than one plastic, making the job even more challenging.