Water


Mapping The Formation of an Underwater Volcano

On Oct. 9, an underwater volcano started to emerge in waters off El Hierro Island in the Canaries, Spain. Researchers of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO, Ministry of Science and Innovation) only needed 15 days to map its formation in high resolution. The volcanic cone has reached a height of 100 m and the lava tongue flows down its side, even though its activity has slowed down in the past few days.

Next-Generation Charging Technology for Environmentally Friendly Vehicles

Plug-in electric vehicles represent a new direction for environmentally friendly transportation. Unfortunately, plug-in electric cars are currently grid-tie power electronics that can require large quantities of energy -- and time -- to charge. As plug-in cars become more and more widely used, large amounts of power will be required to quickly charge these vehicles.

Highly Efficient Oxygen Catalyst Found

A team of researchers at MIT has found one of the most effective catalysts ever discovered for splitting oxygen atoms from water molecules — a key reaction for advanced energy-storage systems, including electrolyzers, to produce hydrogen fuel and rechargeable batteries. This new catalyst liberates oxygen at more than 10 times the rate of the best previously known catalyst of its type.

EPA Develops New Planning Approach to Improve Water Quality in U.S. Cities

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced a commitment to using an integrated planning process to help local governments dealing with difficult financial conditions identify opportunities to achieve clean water by controlling and managing releases of wastewater and stormwater runoff more efficiently and cost effectively.

Airline Quality Rating Holiday Travel Forecast

Travelers on U.S. airlines have reason to be concerned this holiday travel season. Fewer seats and traditionally high passenger volumes are a reality for holiday travel. Ticket prices and overall costs also will be higher. While overall airline performance quality has improved each year since 2007, the travel experience has become more stressful and uncertain, especially around the end-of-the-year holidays.

Curtailing Open Grocery Refrigerators' Energy Loss

Open refrigerated display cases holding eggs, cheese, drinks and more are a favorite of supermarket chains. Despite the easy access they offer customers, the inefficient energy-guzzlers cost retailers a huge amount of money.

Researchers Say Governments Must Plan for Migration in Response to Climate Change

Governments around the world must be prepared for mass migrations caused by rising global temperatures or face the possibility of calamitous results, say University of Florida scientists on a research team reporting in the Oct. 28 edition of Science.

Boaters Risk of Illness on Waterways

Chicago area residents have wondered for years about the health risks of using the Chicago River for recreation. According to a University of Illinois at Chicago study, canoeing, kayaking, rowing, boating and fishing on the Chicago River pose the same risk of gastrointestinal illness as performing these same activities on other local waters -- a risk that turns out to be higher than that intended for swimmers at Lake Michigan beaches.



Seaweed Records Show Impact of Ocean Warming

As the planet continues to warm, it appears that seaweeds may be in especially hot water. New findings reported online on Oct. 27 in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, based on herbarium records collected in Australia since the 1940s suggest that up to 25 percent of temperate seaweed species living there could be headed to extinction.

Prehistoric Greenhouse Data From Ocean Floor Could Predict Earth's Future

New research from the University of Missouri indicates that Atlantic Ocean temperatures during the greenhouse climate of the Late Cretaceous Epoch were influenced by circulation in the deep ocean. These changes in circulation patterns 70 million years ago could help scientists understand the consequences of modern increases in greenhouse gases.

UT Dallas Researchers Use Hydrogen to Create Environmentally Friendly Fuel

Imagine your car running on an abundant, environmentally friendly fuel generated from the surrounding atmosphere. Sounds like science fiction, but UT Dallas researchers recently published a paper in the journal Nature Materials detailing a breakthrough in understanding how such a fuel – in this case, hydrogen – can be stored in metals.

Recycling Thermal Cash Register Receipts Contaminates Paper Products With BPA

A substance that may have harmful health effects -- occurs in 94 percent of thermal cash register receipts, scientists are reporting.

New Hampshire School Bus Company Pays Penalty for Violating Oil Pollution Prevention Regulations

A New Hampshire school bus company has agreed to pay a $25,000 penalty to resolve Clean Water Act violations for having failed to fully implement Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure plans (commonly called “SPCC” plans) at two of its facilities located in Auburn and Weare, N.H.

New Tool Clears The Air On Cloud Simulations

Climate models have a hard time representing clouds accurately because they lack the spatial resolution necessary to accurately simulate the billowy air masses.

Grocery Chain Goes Beyond Organic Food to Achieve Sustainability, Energy Savings

Knowing that natural and organic grocery consumers expect the stores they patronize to maintain sustainable operations, Market of Choice continues growing a green operation that's second to none in the supermarket industry.

Tapping Radiant Solar Energy Cost Effectively Remains a Challenge

Solar energy is sufficient in scale to meet all of mankind’s energy needs —- if it can be harnessed and stored in a cost-effective way.

U.S. Virgin Islands Company Sentenced for Illegal Trade of Protected Coral

A U.S. Virgin Islands company was sentenced in federal court in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I., for knowingly trading in falsely labeled, protected black coral that was shipped into the United States in violation of the Endangered Species Act and the Lacey Act.

EPA Awards Grants to Protect Children's Health

The funding was awarded through EPA’s Office of Children’s Health Protection to reduce environmental exposures in homes, schools and childcare centers in underserved communities.

Experts Recommend Rainwater Collection Sytems for Cities

Plain, sloping roofs can collect up to 50 percent more rainwater than flat roofs with gravel.

Visions of a Car-free Future

City centers could become virtually car-free within the next 20 years under new plans proposed by University of Leeds transport researchers.