Water


East-African Drought

Pattern of More-Frequent Droughts in Eastern Africa Likely to Continue

The increased frequency of drought observed in eastern Africa over the last 20 years is likely to continue as long as global temperatures continue to rise, according to new research published in Climate Dynamics.

WaterSense Draft Specification Released for Weather-based Irrigation Controllers

The revised specification is open for comment until March 21.

EPA Disapproves Part of Vt.'s 2002 Water Quality Plan

EPA has disapproved Vermont’s 2002 water quality plan that set phosphorus targets for discharges into Lake Champlain.

Energy-efficient Intelligent House Monitors Health

An energy-efficient house that can send alerts if its residents are ill has been developed by researchers at the University of Hertfordshire.

coca

Cocaine Production Quickens Destruction Of Colombia's Rainforests

A new study provides evidence that cultivating coca bushes, the source of cocaine, is speeding up destruction of rain forests in Colombia.

LSU Professor Evaluates Photocatalytic Pavements

Pureti was applied to asphalt and concrete paving near the LSU campus; Professor Hassan is monitoring air quality and groundwater runoff from the site.

Mercury in San Francisco Bay Fish a Legacy of California Mining

With the use of a mercury "fingerprinting" technique, researchers from the University of Michigan, the University of California, Davis, and the San Francisco Estuary Institute have identified the main sources of mercury in bay floor sediments and shown that small fish near the base of the food web acquire their mercury from those sediments.

Australia Coal-fired Plant to Test OriginOil Algae Oil Extraction System

MBD Energy, owner of three CO2-to-energy projects, will pilot the extraction unit.



Prarie Cordgrass

Scientists Develop Preliminary "Genetic Map" of Cellulosic Ethanol Crop

The first rough draft of a “genetic road map” of prairie cordgrass, a biomass crop, is giving scientists an inside look at the genes of one of the crops that may help produce the next generation of biofuels.

Turbine Spacing May Be Reason for Underperforming Wind Farms

A new spacing formula based on wind tunnel testing recommends turbines be spaced 15 rotor diameters apart, more than half the current standard.

Liz Kujawinski, left, and colleague Melissa Kido Soule work on oil dispersant study in WHOI Fourier-Transform Mass Spectrometry Facility. Photo by Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Woods Hole Dispersant Study Suggests Prolonged Deepwater Fate

The good news is that the dispersant stayed in the deep ocean after it was first applied; the bad news is that it stayed in the deep ocean and did not degrade.

Keerthi Venkataramanan

Bacteria Eats Glycerol and Makes New Products

A University of Alabama graduate student is using Clostidium pasteurianum bacteria to break down a biodiesel waste product and find uses for its byproducts: butanol, propanediol, and ethanol.

AWEA: U.S. Wind Energy Industry Now Cost-competitive with Natural Gas

America's wind industry built 5,115 megawatts of wind power last year, barely half of 2009's record pace, but entered 2011 with more than 5,600 megawatts currently under construction -- and with wind cost-competitive with natural gas for new electric generation, utilities are moving to lock in favorable rates.

Study Explores Potential Tungsten Contamination in Drinking Water

A Kansas State University scientist is digging deep to solidify information about potential tungsten contamination in the nation's groundwater and aquifers.

Personal Solar Panels Could Make Electricity More Accessible in the Developing World

The founders of June Energy developed the Emerald, a personal solar panel the size of a paperback, that can be used in developing countries.

Office of Naval Research, Marine Corps Have Reduced Petroleum, Energy Use in Afghanistan

To cut down on convoys trucking fuel to forward operating bases, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and elements within the Marine Corps have successfully demonstrated their goal to reduce petroleum and energy usage in remote locations in Afghanistan.

More than 24 million Americans have asthma.

NRDC: Lawmakers' Actions against Clean Air Will Put Children at Risk

The Natural Resources Defense Council and Health Care Without Harm say that efforts to block EPA's carbon dioxide pollution actions will result in adverse health consequences.

Railroad Administration Sets Meeting on Exempted Hazmat Transport

The Feb. 22 public meeting in Washington, D.C., is part of the Federal Railroad Administration’s review of its steadily increasing approvals for the movement of damaged packages or leaking tank cars that are not in compliance with hazardous materials regulations.

Pine tree study results may have application for air quality models

Pine Tree Study May Help Make Air Quality Models Closer to Reality

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Alla Zelenyuk said the results could have profound implications for policy governing particulate matter.

CarSharing Industry Forms Association to Drive Best Practices

Founding members are signatories to the Carsharing Industry Code of Ethics and Standards of Practices, which articulates the purpose, definition, and goals of carsharing.