The world’s oceans are absorbing less carbon dioxide than they were previously as a result of rising anthropogenic CO2 emissions, according to recently completed research by oceanographers at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.
The oceans play a key role in regulating climate, absorbing more than a quarter of the carbon dioxide that humans put into the air. The researchers estimate...
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Growing corn to make ethanol can require substantial quantities of water—from 7 to 321 gallons per gallon of ethanol produced—depending on where it is grown and how much irrigation water is used. In addition, corn is a relatively resource-intensive crop, requiring higher rates of fertilizer and pesticide applications than many other crops; some experts believe...
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The U.S. Congressional Budget Office released its final analysis of the impact pending clean energy and carbon-emissions regulations are likely to have on the federal budget and deficit for more than a decade. The bottom line is that the planned energy and environmental programs would increase federal revenues by about $846 billion and...
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Near the mouth of the Mississippi River in the Gulf of Mexico, an area roughly the size of New Jersey is so pumped full of waterborne nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous that seasonal oxygen levels drop too low to support most life in bottom and near-bottom waters. The low oxygen, or hypoxic, area...
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A gene identified by a team of scientists from Canada, Spain and the United States may hold the secret to drought-proof agriculture, according to a new study published in Science Express and slated for the May 22 issue of Science magazine. The same gene – a critical hormone in stress protection called abscisic acid...
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The planet contains roughly 1.4 billion cubic kilometers of water, but only three percent is freshwater. And the vast majority of this three percent is trapped in glaciers or deep underground chambers, which leaves only a fraction for human consumption or use. The total usable freshwater supply for ecosystems and humans is a mere...
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Endocrine Disruptors May Cause Frog Abnormalities
In 1995, a group of middle school students from Minnesota discovered a disturbing phenomenon while exploring a local wetland: numerous frogs with misshapen, extra, or missing limbs. Suddenly, national attention focused on the issue of amphibian malformations. The political and public response that followed the discovery led to...
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