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Federal Agencies Join Efforts to Reduce Radon Exposure / Radon exposure is the leading cause of non-smoking lung cancer

By Guest PostJanuary 5, 2011Environmentamericans, gina mccarthy, health hazard, non smoking lung cancer, radioactive gas, radon, radon exposure

WASHINGTON – January is National Radon Action Month and the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and eight other federal agencies are announcing a new effort to strengthen the fight against radon exposure. Radon exposure is the leading cause of non-smoking lung cancer. Senior leaders from the federal agencies are pledging to work together to create a national risk reduction plan for radon that will help save lives and create safer, healthier homes for all Americans.

“Radon is a serious public health threat that leads to more than 21,000 deaths each year,” said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. “This new federal partnership will help Americans reduce their risk of radon exposure.” (more…)

USGS Undertakes Additional Studies of Reef Damage in Gulf of Mexico to Assess Cause

By Guest PostJanuary 4, 2011Environmentchemosynthetic tubeworm, coral tissues, deep sea reefs, deepwater horizon site, gulf of mexico, samples of coral

Gainesville, Fla.— A team of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and academic scientists are analyzing samples of coral and surrounding sediments from an area damaged near the Deepwater Horizon site in the Gulf of Mexico. (more…)

Broken Glass Yields Clues to Climate Change

By Guest PostDecember 31, 2010Environmentatmosphere, brittle objects, carbon dioxide, clay particles, climate, climate models, clouds, drinking glass, dust, dust particles, future climate, human hair, jasper kok, marine ecosystems, microscopic particles, northern africa, precipitation, sarah ruth, solar energy, Space, temperature, to model, united states, weather forecasting

*Ordinary drinking glasses and atmospheric dust particles break apart in similar patterns*

Clues to future climate may be found in the way an ordinary drinking glass shatters.

Results of a study published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences find that microscopic particles of dust can break apart in patterns that are similar to the fragment patterns of broken glass and other brittle objects. (more…)

Ocean Acidification Changes Nitrogen Cycling in World Seas

By Guest PostDecember 22, 20101 commentEnvironmentacidity, ammonia oxidizers, blue whales, carbon dioxide, cheryl emiliane chow, cycle, david garrison, marine ecosystems, michael beman, microbes, nitrification, nitrogen, nitrous oxide, nutrients, ocean acidification, oceanic nitrification, oceans, organisms, proteins, sea water

*New results indicate potential to reduce certain greenhouse gas emissions from oceans to atmosphere*

Increasing acidity in the sea’s waters may fundamentally change how nitrogen is cycled in them, say marine scientists who published their findings in this week’s issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Nitrogen is one of the most important nutrients in the oceans. All organisms, from tiny microbes to blue whales, use nitrogen to make proteins and other important compounds. (more…)

Recycling Waste Heat into Energy: Researchers Take a Step Toward More Efficient Conversion

By Guest PostDecember 22, 2010Environmentcatalytic converter, energy conversion, recycling waste heat, thermoelectric materials

ANN ARBOR, Mich.— The right material wrapped around your car’s exhaust system could one day scavenge heat that would otherwise be wasted, turning it into energy to warm the cabin or recharge the battery. (more…)

Global Rivers Emit Three Times IPCC Estimates of Greenhouse Gas Nitrous Oxide

By Guest PostDecember 21, 20103 commentsEnvironmentagriculture, atmosphere, atmospheric ozone layer, chelsea crenshaw, denitrification, dinitrogen, global, greenhouse gas, henry gholz, human activities, inert gas, ipcc, jake beaulieu, microbes, microbial process, nitrogen, nitrous oxide, oxide emissions, ozone, river networks, stratospheric, waterways

*Waterways receiving nitrogen from human activities are significant source*

What goes in must come out, a truism that now may be applied to global river networks.

Human-caused nitrogen loading to river networks is a potentially important source of nitrous oxide emission to the atmosphere. Nitrous oxide is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change and stratospheric ozone destruction. (more…)

Study Shows Wind Turbines on Farmlands May Benefit Crops

By Guest PostDecember 19, 20101 commentEnvironmentfarmlands, microclimate, wind turbines, wind turbulence

Wind turbines in Midwestern farm fields may be doing more than churning out electricity. The giant turbine blades that generate renewable energy might also help corn and soybean crops stay cooler and drier, help them fend off fungal infestations and improve their ability to extract growth-enhancing carbon dioxide from the air and soil. (more…)

Ancient Forest Emerges Mummified From the Arctic

By Guest PostDecember 17, 2010Environmentarctic biodiversity, common trees, cooling climate, global cooling, mummified forest, mummified plants

SAN FRANCISCO — The northernmost mummified forest ever found in Canada is revealing how plants struggled to endure a long-ago global cooling. (more…)

Category Archives: Environment