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In the Americas, primate species likely to harbor Zika – and potentially transmit the virus – are common, abundant, and often live near people.

Each year, about 400 million tons of various plastics are produced, containing about 340 million tons of carbon that is mostly derived from fossil fuels, especially petroleum. This production of plastics also accounts for 4.5% of the global emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, or 450 million tons of carbon per year—more than the carbon they contain. 

Discover the ice age origins of iconic Hudson River School paintings, and gain a new appreciation for the people who framed this picturesque region along with its glacial underpinnings.

Each year, a small amount of carbon is deposited on the ocean floor in the form of dead organisms and their carbonate shells.  This deposition constitutes a long-term “sink” for carbon in its global cycle. Oceans have existed on Earth for about 3.8 billion years, but the average age of the oceanic crust today is only about 65 million years.  Where has the rest of the oceanic crust and its carbon content gone?

Wood pellets replace the fossil emissions from coal, but it takes 40 to 100 years of forest regrowth to balance the carbon dioxide emissions from burning these pellets—longer than the time for commitment to carbon neutrality by the nations using them.

A recent paper by John Wilkinson and a worldwide team of authors is the first to document the occurrence of pharmaceuticals in rivers worldwide—sampling from 1052 locations along 258 rivers crossing 104 countries and analyzing the waters for 61 pharmaceutical chemicals.

Sewage treatment plants were never designed to handle drugs and personal care products, so they pass through the various treatment procedures and are released to natural waterways. 

A report summarizing current science on the environmental and health impacts of road salt, and best management practices for preventing overuse while maintaining public safety.

For the past couple of decades, late summer brings a bloom of algae in the Gulf of Mexico, just off the mouth of the Mississippi River.  Last year, the bloom covered 17000 km2 –somewhat larger than the State of Connecticut.

A 50-megawatt electric power plant burning wood pellets would emit 43,730 tons of carbon as carbon dioxide each year, whereas the same plant burning coal would emit 39,200 tons/year. The difference stems from the lower energy content of wood, so you need to burn more of it.

Scientists in Kansas and Iowa are working on a greener path forward. In the meantime, experts offer tips for public agencies and homeowners to use salt smarter.

Landscape architect Margie Ruddick showcases design strategies that integrate biodiversity and ecological purpose. 

Until now, people in the Northeastern U.S. have been insulated from the effects of the fire crisis unfolding across much of North America. This has made it challenging to convey to them the gravity of the unfolding fire crisis to East Coast audiences. But there is nothing like experience to make something more relatable.

For all the well-documented sources of environmental pollution—think chemical manufacturers, energy plants, mining operations, and agricultural processes—there’s another major source of contamination that continues to get short shrift by those charged with protecting the nation’s waterways and the public’s health: Pharmaceuticals and personal care products.

Average temperatures have been rising in the United States and so, too, has the number of days humans are at risk of being bitten by a mosquito.

It’s time for the Supreme Court to stop issuing broad rulings that affect scientific questions.  In its recent decision on Sackett v the Environmental Protection Agency, the Court used the grievance of an individual landowner who felt wronged by the EPA to issue a ruling that effectively eliminated Federal wetland protection for half of the remaining freshwater wetlands in the United States

Just how much water does a lawn use?   Noortje Grijseels and her collaborators have examined water use in six suburban areas across the United States, reporting rates of 0.9 mm/day (=0.035 inches/day) in the eastern U.S. and 2.9 mm/day (=0.114 inches/day) in arid cities of the West. 

Trees planted along city streets can benefit community health and local ecosystems in many ways. A study published in Ecosphere in February confirms that, in Baltimore, tree-lined streets added significantly to the city’s biodiversity and biomass. Unfortunately, the study also finds that street trees and their benefits are largely concentrated in wealthier neighborhoods, and suggests that city-managed programs investing in street trees may be reinforcing those inequalities.