Bubbling brooks and streams are a scenic and much loved feature of forest ecosystems, but long-term data at Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest suggests that more productive forests might carry considerably less water.
There is always something to explore in nature during the winter. Discover resident birds, identify cold-weather insects, learn about plant adaptations, and enjoy the sunshine and scenery.
Cary scientists David Strayer and Emma Rosi-Marshall delivered expert testimony at a May 5, 2013 congressional briefing that highlighted problems with aquatic invasive species and “natural infrastructure” solutions. The briefing took place on Capitol Hill as the U.S. Senate debated the Water Resources Development Act.
Aquatic ecologist Dr. Stuart E.G. Findlay was recently honored with an Environmental Quality Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for his work on the Hudson River.
As part of her ongoing work to assess how human activity affects freshwater resources, aquatic ecologist Emma Rosi-Marshall spent this past summer studying nutrient cycling in large western rivers.
Richard S. Ostfeld, a disease ecologist specializing in Lyme disease and West Nile Virus, said while "large advances have been made even with rather paltry funding," there needs to be "rapid improvements," such as better diagnostics for early-stage Lyme.
Projects that improve water quality by planting vacant lots, parking strips, and other urban spaces with trees and community gardens also bring people out of doors and teach local kids about their environment.
Health officials and researchers are scratching their heads, wondering whether there will be a repeat this summer of last year's spike in the West Nile virus, a potentially fatal illness that mosquitoes transmit.
One of the first signs of spring in the Northeast is the unmistakable calling of the spring peeper. The peeper is a small frog, weighing only a few grams, but its mating call is louder than many songbirds weighing 10 times as much.
