Tag Archives: gas

New Study Shows No Evidence of Groundwater Contamination From Hydraulic Fracturing

By Guest PostFebruary 21, 2012Environmentaaas, appalachia, aquifer, austin, barnett shale, british columbia, casing failure, charles chip groat, drilling operation, energy institute, fracturing fluid, gas, geologic units, groundwater contamination, haynesville shale, hydraulic fracturing, marcellus shale, natural gas, new york, north texas, northeast texas, oil, Pennsylvania, shale formation, surface spill, university of texas, vancouver, western louisiana

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Hydraulic fracturing of shale formations to extract natural gas has no direct connection to reports of groundwater contamination, based on evidence reviewed in a study released Thursday by the Energy Institute at The University of Texas at Austin.

The study, released at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Vancouver, British Columbia, found that many problems ascribed to hydraulic fracturing are related to processes common to all oil and gas drilling operations, such as casing failures or poor cement jobs. (more…)

Acid Rain Study Show Substantial Decreases, But More Progress is Needed

By Guest PostJanuary 21, 2012Environmentacid rain, acid sensitive, acidic compounds, acidification, adirondack mountains, air quality, american science, aquatic ecosystems, atmosphere, clean air act amendments, climate change, coal, coastal ecosystems, doug burns, emission reductions, emissions, environmental damage, fine particles, forest fires, fossil fuel, gas, human health, hydrologist, john p holdren, lakes, multiple pollutants, new york, nitrogen oxides, oil, oxidants, ozone concentration, population, power plants, streams, sulfur dioxide, U.S. Geological Survey, visibility, water quality

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Measurable improvements in air quality and visibility, human health, and water quality in many acid-sensitive lakes and streams, have been achieved through emissions reductions from electric generating power plants and resulting decreases in acid rain. These are some of the key findings in a report to Congress by the National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program, a cooperative federal program.

The report shows that since the establishment of the Acid Rain Program, under Title IV of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, there have been substantial reductions in sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NO_x) emissions from power plants that use fossil fuels like coal, gas and oil, which are known to be the primary causes of acid rain. As of 2009, emissions of SO₂ and NO_x declined by about two-thirds relative to levels in the 1990s. These emissions levels declined even further in 2010, according to recent data compiled by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (more…)

Gaseous Ring Around Young Star Raises Questions

By Guest PostJanuary 21, 2012Scienceastronomers, carbon monoxide, centaurus, charles cowley, co ring, diversity, european southern observatory, gas, Germany, light years, magnetic fields, magnetic herbig ae, moon, mysterious ring, nicole casal moore, planet forming disk, planetary rings, planetary systems, saturn, shepherding planets, solar system, southern constellation, star hd 101412, swetlana hubrig, v1052 cen, very large telescope, young star

ANN ARBOR, Mich.— Astronomers have detected a mysterious ring of carbon monoxide gas around the young star V1052 Cen, which is about 700 light years away in the southern constellation Centaurus.

The ring is part of the star’s planet-forming disk, and it’s as far from V1052 Cen as Earth is from the sun. Discovered with the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope, its edges are uniquely crisp. (more…)

‘Mountain Pine Beetle Activity May Impact Snow Accumulation And Melt’

By Guest PostJune 10, 2011Environmentalbedo, atmosphere, british columbia, bryant kealey, colorado, colorado river, ecohydrology, eric small, evan pugh, gas, grand lake, gray phase, hydrologic models, jon hammond, leslie baehr, lodgepole pine trees, meltwater, mountain pine beetles, pyranometers, river basins, rocky mountain national park, salt lake city, ski resort, snow surface albedo, snowmelt, southern wyoming, tevis blom, transmission of sunlight, university of colorado boulder

A new University of Colorado Boulder study indicates the infestation of trees by mountain pine beetles in the high country across the West could potentially trigger earlier snowmelt and increase water yields from snowpack that accumulates beneath affected trees.

Led by CU-Boulder geological sciences department doctoral student Evan Pugh, the study was undertaken near Grand Lake, Colo., adjacent to Rocky Mountain National Park, an area that has been devastated by mountain pine beetle attacks in recent years. Mountain pine beetles have killed more than 4 million acres of lodgepole pine trees in Colorado and southern Wyoming since 1996, the most severe outbreak on record. (more…)

Gulf Coast Monitor: Sensor Designed to Detect Oil Contaminants in Saltwater

By Guest PostMarch 15, 2011Environmentaromatic hydrocarbons, ccd detector, chemical compounds, deepwater horizon rig, ecosystem, gas, georgia tech research institute, gtri, gulf of mexico, interferometry, joel keelor, john devitt, kevin caravati, louisiana coast, Mississippi, oil, oil leaks, oil wells, optical waveguide, phase shift, polymer films, ray doyle, saltwater, semi volatile organic compounds, sensor, solar power, spills, tarballs, volatile organic compounds, water sample

With more than 20,000 abandoned and active gas and oil wells in the Gulf of Mexico, oil leaks and spills pose a continuous threat to the region’s ecosystem. Monitoring the health of the ecosystems helps ensure the sustainability of natural resources, and helps protect human health and the environment.

Researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) are developing an advanced-warning system to detect the presence of oil in saltwater. The sensor-based system offers the potential for remotely, autonomously and continuously monitoring bodies of water for oil. (more…)

WISE Sees an Explosion of Infrared Light

By Guest PostDecember 12, 20101 commentSciencecastor, constellation, dust, emitting light, eta geminorum, exploded star, gas, gas atoms, gemini, halo, ic 443 nebula, infrared light, infrared wavelengths, jet propulsion laboratory, massive stars, NASA, rainbow, shock waves, supernovae, wide field infrared survey explorer, wise, wise image

A circular rainbow appears like a halo around an exploded star in this new view of the IC 443 nebula from NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE.

When massive stars die, they explode in tremendous blasts, called supernovae, which send out shock waves. The shock waves sweep up and heat surrounding gas and dust, creating supernova remnants like the one pictured here. The supernova in IC 443 happened somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 years ago. (more…)

Fireworks Produce High Levels of Toxic Particles

By Guest PostDecember 8, 2010Environment1 micrometer, aluminum, amusement park, arrhythmia, audrey smargiassi, bacteria, cardiovascular diseases, chlorine, composition, concentration, contaminants, downtown, emitted gases, every summer, explosions, fireworks, gas, health problems, heart attacks, heart troubles, international fireworks competition, ischemia, la ronde, manganese, marc averette, miami, micrometers, particles, potassium, respiratory problems, smoke, spectacular, titanium, toxic particles

Fireworks. Downtown Miami on July 4, 2007. Image credit: Marc Averette. Source: Wikipedia

Fireworks can be spectacular. However, the gas and smoke produced by the colorful explosions carry extremely high levels of toxic particles, according to a study by Audrey Smargiassi, a professor at the Université de Montreal Department of Environmental and Occupational Health.

Smargiassi conducted one of the first studies examining the composition of the emitted gases and the concentration of the particles. In addition, her study is unique as she collected her data below the fireworks display where spectators usually stand. Previous studies usually collected data from nearby rooftops.

The study was conducted in 2007 during nine separate shows presented at La Ronde amusement park where 5.7 million spectators attend an international fireworks competition every summer. (more…)

‘Novel Ocean-Crust Mechanism Could Affect World’s Carbon Budget’

By Guest PostNovember 17, 2010Environment, Scienceadam soule, atmosphere, baja peninsula, bathymetry, carbon, climate, CO2, crust, daniel lizarralde, earth, gas, giora proskurowski, greenhouse gases, guaymas basin, gulf of california, hydrothermal vent, jeff s seewald, methane, molten magma, north guaymas, ocean, red sea, s adam soule, seafloor, tectonic plates, undersea ridges, volcanic rocks

The Earth is constantly manufacturing new crust, spewing molten magma up along undersea ridges at the boundaries of tectonic plates. The process is critical to the planet’s metabolism, including the cycle of underwater life and the delicate balance of carbon in the ocean and atmosphere.

Now, scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have observed ocean crust forming in an entirely unexpected way—one that may influence those cycles of life and carbon and, in turn, affect the much-discussed future of the world’s climate.

Working at the Guaymas basin in the Gulf of California, WHOI scientists confirmed what they suspected from brief glimpses of the area during previous missions: The inner Earth is injecting swaths of magma called sills as far as 50 kilometers away from the plate boundary, on each side of the ridge —nearly 10 times farther from such an active ocean ridge than had been observed before. (more…)