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UrduHistorically, Lake Okeechobee was thought to be impaired only by phosphorus, focusing efforts on reducing agricultural runoff. However, new comprehensive sampling across the Lake Okeechobee Waterway and its connected estuaries shows that toxic algal blooms also are driven by rising nitrogen levels from human waste and urban runoff. Increased nitrogen, worsened by extreme rainfall, significantly fuels bloom severity. Findings underscore the need for integrated nutrient management and improved wastewater treatment to protect the lake and its estuaries.
Tag: URBANIZATION
Unveiling East Asia’s urban landscape: a massive mapping project illuminates 280 million buildings
A pioneering study has completed a detailed mapping of 280 million buildings in East Asia, a region grappling with urbanization challenges. This mapping, the most extensive to date, utilizes very high-resolution (VHR) imagery to create a precise and comprehensive dataset.
Teens benefit from “forest bathing” – even in cities
Youth mental health in urban environments is significantly better when more nature is incorporated into city design.
U.S. Drug Overdose Deaths More Than Quadrupled from 1999 to 2020
Regardless of race, age, geography or urbanization, drug overdose deaths in the U.S. more than quadrupled from 1999 to 2020, causing 1,013,852 deaths. The rates increased 4.4 times from 6.9 per 100,000 in 1999 to 30 per 100,000 in 2020.
Synthesizing 200 Years of Research on the Urban Impact on Regional Climate and Extreme Weather
Urbanization has noticeable effects on processes at and near the Earth’s surface, affecting weather and climate. An international team of scientists reviewed more than 500 sources from the scientific literature produced over nearly 200 years on effects of urbanization on extreme weather and regional climate to better synthesize this knowledge and direct future research.
Less Rain in Town, More Rain on the Farm: the Effects of Urbanization and Irrigation on Mid-Atlantic Summer Precipitation
Researchers investigated how large-scale urbanization and irrigation in the United States affect the three dominant types of summer precipitation in the mid-Atlantic region. They found that urbanization suppresses all three types of precipitation. Irrigation enhances non-convective and isolated deep convection precipitation, and its effects on mesoscale convective systems (MCS) depends on whether an MCS formed locally or remotely.
Walkable Neighborhoods Help Adults Socialize, Increase Community
Adults who live in walkable neighborhoods are more likely to socialize and have a stronger sense of community, report researchers at the UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science.
Most plastic eaten by city vultures comes straight from food outlets
Since the 1950s, humanity has produced an estimated 8.3bn tons of plastic, adding a further 380m tons to this amount each year. Only 9% of this gets recycled.
Measuring 6,000 African cities: Double the population means triple the energy costs
Using a new dataset, Rafael Prieto-Curiel of the Complexity Science Hub and colleagues analyzed the coordinates and surface of 183 million buildings in nearly 6,000 cities across all 52 countries in Africa.
FAU Harbor Branch Lands U.S. EPA Grant for ‘Hands-on’ Indian River Lagoon Field Trip
The project will host 125 field trips, which will educate as many as 3,125 socially disadvantaged middle and high school students about Florida’s natural resources and the importance of conserving them.
Diverse landscapes at the heart of bee conservation
New research from the University of Georgia revealed that mixed land use – such as developments interspersed with forest patches – improves bee diversity and is leading to new solutions for bee conservation. The researchers hypothesized that development would negatively affect bee diversity, but the results of the study were surprising. They found that small amounts of development actually had a positive impact on the number of bee species present in a given area.
Higher socioeconomic status linked to increased air pollution exposure in China
For the first time, a University of Washington led team has uncovered that people living in China who have a higher socioeconomic status are actually more exposed to outdoor air pollution, also known as ambient air pollution. This finding runs contrary to existing studies conducted throughout North America, which have shown that higher pollution levels tend to be experienced among people with lower socioeconomic status.
Evolution in Chicago’s clover: DePaul University researchers help chart global human impact on nature
Jalene LaMontagne, associate professor of ecology, and Windsor Aguirre, associate professor of evolutionary biology, are among hundreds of researchers who collected clover in 160 cities all over the world. The research, published this week in the journal “Science,” offers insight into how urbanization is transforming the genetic properties of plants and animals around us.
Bird communities threatened by urbanization
Urbanization is one of the most drastic forms of land-use change, and its negative consequences on biodiversity have been studied extensively in temperate countries such as Germany.
Urban lights keep insects awake at night
A new study shows how an increase in nighttime lighting (light pollution) and heat from urban areas disturbs the hibernation periods of insects.
Archaeology: Roman road discovered in the Venice lagoon
The discovery of a Roman road submerged in the Venice Lagoon is reported in Scientific Reports this week. The findings suggest that extensive settlements may have been present in the Venice Lagoon centuries before the founding of Venice began in…
Living near woodlands is good for children and young people’s mental health
Analysis of children and young people’s proximity to woodlands has shown links with better cognitive development and a lower risk of emotional and behavioural problems, in research led by UCL and Imperial College London scientists that could influence planning decisions…
New optimisation method for computational design of industrial applications
The study has been selected as an outstanding publication by the prestigious scientific journal Physics of Fluids
NGA funds RIT researchers to explore the limits of spectral remote sensing imaging systems
Principal investigator Professor John Kerekes receives up to $1 million for fundamental research
World’s first 3D-printed steel footbridge unveiled by robot in Amsterdam
The bridge, which is over four years in the making and is led by Dutch company MX3D, will be a ‘living laboratory’ in Amsterdam’s city centre. Using its vast network of installed sensors, Imperial College London researchers will measure, monitor…
US-wide, non-white neighborhoods are hotter than white ones
Wealthier, whiter urban and small-town residents benefit more from cooling infrastructure and trees
Just 25 mega-cities produce 52% of the world’s urban greenhouse gas emissions
New research published by the open access publisher Frontiers inventories greenhouse gas emissions of 167 globally distributed cities. The study shows that just 25 mega-cities produce 52% of the greenhouse gas emissions from the studied cities.
Shape-memory alloys might help airplanes land without a peep
S-shaped, shape-memory alloy filler in wings can reduce aircraft noise
How air pollution changed during COVID-19 in Park City, Utah
As luck would have it, the air quality sensors that University of Utah researcher Daniel Mendoza and his colleagues installed in Park City, Utah in September 2019, hoping to observe how pollution rose and fell through the ski season and…
New characterisation strategy proves promising in high-purity metal separation
Metals with similar chemical properties are usually extracted together, which limits the opportunities to separate high-purity metals. To increase those opportunities, it’s important to understand how different metal species act during the solvent extraction process. Researchers from the Institute of…
Vertical greenery can act as a stress buffer, NTU Singapore study finds
Vertical greenery ‘planted’ on the exterior of buildings may help to buffer people against stress, a Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) study has found. The benefits of nature on mental health and for wellbeing have long been recognised, and…
University of Guam: Less than 10% of transplanted cycads survive long-term in foreign soil
Long-term monitoring needed to accurately measure transplantation success
Forget cash! Credit is key to the survival of busking
Electronic and digital payments are the key for buskers and street performers to survive in a post-COVID world, new RMIT research reveals
Mapping methane sources in Paris
A potent greenhouse gas, methane is released by many sources, both human and natural. Large cities emit significant amounts of methane, but in many cases the exact emission sources are unknown. Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology…
Mining precious rare-earth elements from coal fly ash with a reusable ionic liquid
Rare-earth elements are in many everyday products, such as smart phones, LED lights and batteries. However, only a few locations have large enough deposits worth mining, resulting in global supply chain tensions. So, there’s a push toward recycling them from…
Urbanization drives antibiotic resistance on microplastics in Chinese river
Researchers reporting in Environmental Science & Technology have analyzed antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) on five types of microplastics at different locations along the Beilun River in China, finding much higher abundances in urban than rural regions.
How should governments offer subsidies for clean-energy heating?
New study from Finland shows heat pump benefits don’t necessarily go to those who benefit most
Finding pathways for sustainable development in Africa
A new project funded under the Belmont Forum’s joint Collaborative Research Action on Pathways to Sustainability will develop novel tools and capacities to understand and manage interlinkages between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and support sustainable development pathways for African…
Study: A quarter of adults don’t want children — and they’re still happy
Parenting is one of life’s greatest joys, right? Not for everyone. New research from Michigan State University psychologists examines characteristics and satisfaction of adults who don’t want children. As more people acknowledge they simply don’t want to have kids, Jennifer…
Biodiversity ‘Hotspots’ Imperiled along California’s Streams
A study of woodland ecosystems that provide habitat for rare and endangered species along streams and rivers throughout California reveals that some of these ecologically important areas are inadvertently benefitting from water that humans are diverting for their own needs. Though it seems a short-term boon to these ecosystems, the artificial supply creates an unintended dependence on its bounty, threatens the long-term survival of natural communities and spotlights the need for changes in the way water is managed across the state.
Barks in the night lead to the discovery of new species
The raucous calls of tree hyraxes — small, herbivorous mammals — reverberate through the night in the forests of West and Central Africa, but their sound differs depending on the location. Tree hyraxes living between the Volta and Niger rivers…
Trees, plants and soil could help cities cut their carbon footprints — when used smartly
Researchers call for international product standards for green infrastructure
Research uncovers broadband gaps in US to help close digital divide
High-speed internet access has gone from an amenity to a necessity for working and learning from home, and the COVID-19 pandemic has more clearly revealed the disadvantages for American households that lack a broadband connection. To tackle this problem, Michigan…
Pitt’s Aleksandar Stevanovic receives Fulbright Specialist Award
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 10, 2021) … The U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board announced that Aleksandar Stevanovic of the University of Pittsburgh received a Fulbright Specialist Program award. Dr. Stevanovic will complete a project at the…
More sustainable mortars and concrete with optimal thermal and mechanical efficiency
The University of the Basque Country-UPV/EHU is researching mortars and concrete manufactured from industrial by-products, within the circular economy approach
Māori connections to Antarctica may go as far back as 7th century, new study shows
Indigenous Māori people may have set eyes on Antarctic waters and perhaps the continent as early as the 7th century, new research published in the peer-reviewed Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand shows. Over the last 200 years,…
UN: More harmful algal bloom impacts emerge amid rising seafood demand, coastal development
UNESCO IOC delivers 1st global assessment report after 7 years’ work by 109 experts in 35 countries, creating a baseline to detect and gauge the changing distribution, frequency, and intensity of harmful — often poisonous — algal blooms
Most cities in São Paulo state have low potential capacity to adapt to climate change
Cities located in metropolitan areas of this Brazilian state score better according to an index that measures the existence of public policies designed to adjust critical sectors to the impacts of climate change
CO2 sensors in two urban areas registered big drop in emissions during COVID-19 pandemic
Scientists show they can reliably track changes in urban emissions by directly measuring CO2 in the air above cities
Cultural, belief system data can inform gray wolf recovery efforts in US
Humans regularly exert a powerful influence on the survival and persistence of species, yet social-science information is used only sporadically in conservation decisions. Researchers at Colorado State University and The Ohio State University have created an index depicting the mix…
CO2 emissions are rebounding, but clean energy revolutions are emerging
Climate change has worsened each year, but across the globe there are promising signs of real decarbonization, according to UC San Diego researchers
Acoustic solutions made from natural fibers can reduce buildings’ carbon footprints
Aalto University researchers discovered that wood-based pulp fibers are also well-suited for making acoustic materials
Air quality improved during India lockdown, study shows
Research by scientists from University of Southampton (UK) and the Central University of Jharkhand (India) and has shown the first COVID-19 lockdown in India led to an improvement in air quality and a reduction in land surface temperature in major…
UM research suggests social factors important for human-wildlife coexistence
MISSOULA – In bear country, it’s normal to find bruins munching down on temptations left out by humans – from a backyard apple tree to leftovers in the trash bin – but these encounters can cause trouble for humans and…
UTA investigates crowd logistics program to move crops, livestock from farm to market
Designing an Uber for agriculture