Water


Sinclair Oil to Pay $3.8 Million Penalty and Install Pollution Controls at Wyoming Refineries

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have announced a settlement with two subsidiaries of Sinclair Oil Corporation to resolve alleged violations of air pollution limits established in a 2008 consent decree at refineries in Casper and Sinclair, Wyo.

Batteries Made From World's Thinnest Material Could Power Tomorrow's Electric Cars

Engineering researchers made a sheet of paper from the world’s thinnest material, graphene, and then zapped the paper with a laser or camera flash to blemish it with countless cracks, pores, and other imperfections. The result is a graphene anode material that can be charged or discharged 10 times faster than conventional graphite anodes used in today’s lithium (Li)-ion batteries.

Cloud Brightening to Control Global Warming?

Even though it sounds like science fiction, researchers are taking a second look at a controversial idea that uses futuristic ships to shoot salt water high into the sky over the oceans, creating clouds that reflect sunlight and thus counter global warming.

Report Card Shows Australia's Oceans Are Changing

The report card provides information about the current and predicted-future state of Australia's marine climate and its impact on our marine biodiversity. The report card also outlines actions that are underway to help our marine ecosystems adapt to climate change.

Studies Shed Light On Why Species Stay or Go in Response to Climate Change

Two new studies by scientists at UC Berkeley provide a clearer picture of why some species move in response to climate change, and where they go.

Bacteria in Tap Water Can be Traced to the Water Treatment Process

Most of the bacteria that remain in drinking water when it gets to the tap can be traced to filters used in the water treatment process, rather than to the aquifers or rivers where it originated, University of Michigan researchers discovered.

Using Virtual Reference Grounding for Electromagnetic Flowmeters

Electromagnetic flowmeters (EMFs) are the leading choice for recording the volume flow of electrically conductive liquids in a wide range of industries, including chemical, pharmaceutical, water/wastewater and food.

Massachusetts Butterflies Move North as Climate Warms

The authors of a Harvard study published August 19 in Nature Climate Change gathered their data from an unlikely source -- the trip accounts of the Massachusetts Butterfly Club.



Installed Wind Energy Grew Quickly in 2011

A new “Wind Technologies Market Report” from the U.S. Department of Energy shows how quickly the installation of wind energy equipment progressed in the United States during 2011.

Self-Charging Battery Both Generates and Stores Energy

Renewable energy technologies generally consist of two distinct processes: energy generation (using sources such as coal, solar, wind, etc.) and energy storage (such as batteries).

Italian Ship Owner Fined $1 Million for Concealing Discharges of Oily Wastewater into Sea

A shipping company headquartered in Italy and the chief engineer of one of its ships were sentenced today in federal court in Mobile, Ala., for deliberately falsifying records to conceal discharges of oily wastewater from the ship directly into the sea.

Report Card Shows Australia's Oceans Are Changing

The report card provides information about the current and predicted-future state of Australia's marine climate and its impact on our marine biodiversity. The report card also outlines actions that are underway to help our marine ecosystems adapt to climate change.

Mineral Can Reduce Pollution From Diesel Engines by Almost Half

Engineers at a company co-founded by a University of Texas at Dallas professor have identified a material that can reduce the pollution produced by vehicles that run on diesel fuel.

Researchers Improve Soil Carbon Cycling Models

A new carbon cycling model developed at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory better accounts for the carbon dioxide-releasing activity of microbes in the ground, improving scientists' understanding of the role soil will play in future climate change.

Studies Shed Light on Why Species Stay or Go in Response to Climate Change

Two new studies by scientists at UC Berkeley provide a clearer picture of why some species move in response to climate change, and where they go.

Greenland Melting Breaks Record Four Weeks Before Season's End

Melting over the Greenland ice sheet shattered the seasonal record on August 8 – a full four weeks before the close of the melting season, reports Marco Tedesco, assistant professor of Earth and atmospheric sciences at The City College of New York.

Climate and Drought Lessons From Ancient Egypt

Ancient pollen and charcoal preserved in deeply buried sediments in Egypt's Nile Delta document the region's ancient droughts and fires, including a huge drought 4,200 years ago associated with the demise of Egypt's Old Kingdom, the era known as the pyramid-building time.

Warming Causes More Extreme Shifts of the Southern Hemisphere's Largest Rain Band

The changes will result from the South Pacific rain band responding to greenhouse warming. The South Pacific rain band is largest and most persistent of the Southern Hemisphere spanning the Pacific from south of the Equator, south-eastward to French Polynesia.

U.S. EPA Honors Environmental Heroes for 2012 in Pacific Southwest

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Pacific Southwest Region today announced the 12 winners for the 2012 annual environmental awards to acknowledge significant contributions to protecting the environment.

Dallas Mayor Declares West Nile Emergency

The mayor of Dallas, Texas, Mike Rawlings, signed a proclamation Aug. 15 declaring a local state of disaster to be in effect for seven days as officials in the city and Dallas County respond to a widespread outbreak of West Nile Virus.