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UrduResearchers from NUS Engineering have developed a new aerogel that autonomously absorbs water from the atmosphere and then releases it effortlessly without any external power source. This invention is a promising solution for sustainable, freshwater production.
Tag: water
Cooperation across boundaries and sectors could boost sustainable development in South Asia
A new analysis of food, energy, water, and climate change in the Indus Basin shows how a cross-boundary and multi-sectoral perspective could lead to economic benefits and lower costs for all countries involved.
Best Region For Life on Mars Was Far Below Surface
The most habitable region for life on Mars would have been up to several miles below its surface, likely due to subsurface melting of thick ice sheets fueled by geothermal heat, a Rutgers-led study concludes. The study, published in the journal Science Advances, may help resolve what’s known as the faint young sun paradox – a lingering key question in Mars science.
Rutgers Expert Available to Discuss Science and Benefits of Handwashing in COVID-19 Era
New Brunswick, N.J. (Nov. 23, 2020) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick Professor Donald W. Schaffner, a food microbiologist who has also studied handwashing for more than 20 years, is available for interviews on the science and benefits of handwashing during the COVID-19 pandemic and overall.…
NSF Grant Funds Research to Help Better Manage Water Resources
A collaborative research project with scientists from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), and Syracuse University will identify options for more effectively managing water resources in semi-arid areas impacted by climate change. The project is funded with a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for nearly $550,000.
Waste not, want not: recycled water proves fruitful for greenhouse tomatoes
In the driest state in the driest continent in the world, South Australian farmers are acutely aware of the impact of water shortages and drought. So, when it comes to irrigation, knowing which method works best is vital for sustainable crop development.
How Did Red Algae Survive in Extreme Environments?
Red algae have persisted in hot springs and surrounding rocks for about 1 billion years. Now, a Rutgers-led team will investigate why these single-celled extremists have thrived in harsh environments – research that could benefit environmental cleanups and the production of biofuels and other products.
Rutgers Expert Available to Discuss Habitats, Living on Moon’s Surface
New Brunswick, N.J. (Oct. 27, 2020) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick Professor Haym Benaroya is available for interviews on placing habitats for long-term living on the moon’s surface in light of new evidence of water on Earth’s satellite. Benaroya, a Distinguished Professor in the…
Rutgers Expert Available to Discuss Risk Perception in COVID-19 Era
New Brunswick, N.J. (Oct. 26, 2020) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick Professor William Hallman is available for interviews on the science of risk perception and its practical implications in the COVID-19 era – a time of fear and anxiety among millions of…
New climate model helps researchers better predict water needs
New research from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering combines climate and land use projections to predict water availability, information that is crucial for the preparations of resource managers and land-use planners.
Lectureship speakers for ASA-CSSA-SSSA meeting announced
Theme of the all-virtual meeting is Translating Visionary Science to Practice
How a toxic chromium species could form in drinking water
Researchers reporting in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology have investigated how hexavalent chromium, known as Cr(VI), can form in drinking water when corroded cast iron pipes interact with residual disinfectant.
UCI is No. 1 in Sierra magazine’s 2020 ‘Cool Schools’ ranking of sustainability leaders
Irvine, Calif., Sept. 28, 2020 — The green streak continues! Sierra magazine has named the University of California, Irvine No. 1 overall in its annual “Cool Schools” ranking of sustainability leaders among U.S. and Canadian universities and colleges, marking the fourth time in the last seven years that UCI has topped the widely acclaimed list.
Brian O’Neill Named New Director for the Joint Global Change Research Institute
O’Neill to lead organization that advances scientific understanding of the ways in which human, energy and environmental systems interact, and has provided input to the White House, Congress, United Nations and other national and international governing and advising bodies.
How to Get a Handle on Carbon Dioxide Uptake by Plants
How much carbon dioxide, a pivotal greenhouse gas behind global warming, is absorbed by plants on land? It’s a deceptively complicated question, so a Rutgers-led group of scientists recommends combining two cutting-edge tools to help answer the crucial climate change-related question.
Ocean Algae Get “Coup de Grace” from Viruses
Scientists have long believed that ocean viruses always quickly kill algae, but Rutgers-led research shows they live in harmony with algae and viruses provide a “coup de grace” only when blooms of algae are already stressed and dying. The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, will likely change how scientists view viral infections of algae, also known as phytoplankton – especially the impact of viruses on ecosystem processes like algal bloom formation (and decline) and the cycling of carbon and other chemicals on Earth.
How are wetland plants and soils different from drier soils?
Wetlands are characterized by saturation levels, hydric soils, and hydrophytic plants
China’s ecological restoration projects deplete terrestrial water stores
Irvine, Calif., Sept. 10, 2020 – Through concerted, policy-driven efforts, China has converted large swaths of desert into grassland over the past few decades, but this success has come at a cost. In a study published recently in Nature Sustainability, scientists at the University of California, Irvine report that the Asian nation’s environmental reclamation programs have substantially diminished terrestrially stored water.
New Device Can Measure Toxic Lead Within Minutes
Rutgers researchers have created a miniature device for measuring trace levels of toxic lead in sediments at the bottom of harbors, rivers and other waterways within minutes – far faster than currently available laboratory-based tests, which take days. The affordable lab-on-a-chip device could also allow municipalities, water companies, universities, K-12 schools, daycares and homeowners to easily and swiftly test their water supplies. The research is published in the IEEE Sensors Journal.
Argonne scientists create water filtration membranes that can clean themselves
Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory have designed a new, low-cost means to address membrane fouling through the application of a light-activated coating that can make the membrane self-cleaning.
Bacteria Can Defuse Dangerous Chemical In Passaic River
Bacteria that can help defuse highly toxic dioxin in sediments in the Passaic River – a Superfund hazardous waste site – could eventually aid cleanup efforts at other dioxin-contaminated sites around the world, according to Rutgers scientists. Their research, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, needs further work to realize the full potential of the beneficial bottom-dwelling microbes.
Water, conservation and policy experts warn new federal rule could harm U.S. waters
A group of aquatic scientists and policy experts warns that the Navigable Waters Protection Rule recently adopted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could profoundly degrade the nation’s water quality.
How clean water technologies could get a boost from X-ray synchrotrons
In a new perspective, SLAC and University of Paderborn scientists argue that research at synchrotrons could help improve water-purifying materials in ways that might not otherwise be possible.
How much fluorine is too much fluorine?
Research investigates how fluorine levels affect beneficial soil microbes
Quenching the need for water quality data in West Virginia
A new portal is increasing access to surface and groundwater water quality data from shale gas regions around the state to inform stakeholders about trends in water quality.
Water-Saving Alternative Forage Crops for Texas Livestock
With increasing drought conditions in the Texas High Plains, researchers test sorghum and pearl millet as alternatives to corn
Rutgers Expert Can Discuss Dry, Warm June in N.J., Potential Drought
New Brunswick, N.J. (July 8, 2020) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick climatologist David A. Robinson is available for interviews on the dry, unusually warm June in New Jersey, the dry and very warm first six months of 2020 and the potential for drought…
Purifying water with the help of wood, bacteria and the sun
Researchers reporting in Nano Letters have developed a wood-based steam generator that, with the help of bacterial-produced nanomaterials, harnesses solar energy to purify water.
How to Tackle Climate Change, Food Security and Land Degradation
How can some of world’s biggest problems – climate change, food security and land degradation – be tackled simultaneously? Some lesser-known options, such as integrated water management and increasing the organic content of soil, have fewer trade-offs than many well-known options, such as planting trees, according to a Rutgers-led study in the journal Global Change Biology.
How are oysters farmed – and what’s the effect on subaqueous soils?
Oyster aquaculture poses minor changes to soils and bottom-dwelling communities
Rutgers Expert Can Discuss Benefits of Backyard Composting
New Brunswick, N.J. (June 29, 2020) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick Professor Michele Bakacs can discuss the benefits of composting for soil health and reducing waste going to landfills, how to get started with composting in your backyard, the correct ingredients for success…
Carbon Cycling in Wet Soils
Testing microbial activity in soil columns helps researchers understand how carbon is stored in soils that are periodically waterlogged.
23 Years of Water Quality Data from Crop-Livestock Systems
Researchers summarize runoff water quantity and quality data from native tallgrass prairie and crop-livestock systems in Oklahoma between 1977 and 1999
Steady Streams: Bringing Safe Water to California Communities
With a mix of research and outreach, the CSU is addressing one of California’s greatest challenges by securing access to safe drinking water for some of the state’s most vulnerable populations.
Solving the mysteries of water and air underground
The mysterious capillary fringe has huge effects on the soil, and new research tells us how it works.
Global glacier melt raises sea levels and depletes once-reliable water source
Irvine, Calif., June 1, 2020 – The melting of glaciers and ice caps in places as diverse as the Himalayas and Andes mountain ranges, the Svalbard island group and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago has the dual effect of raising global sea levels and depleting freshwater resources that serve millions of people around the world.
What’s being done to restore wetlands?
Restoration projects bring back the ecological and societal benefits of wetland ecosystems
Can newer irrigation techniques save water?
Using technology makes the best out of every drop
Soil pores hold the key to stability for desert soils
Study shows which desert soils better recover from disturbance
Microorganisms in parched regions extract needed water from colonized rocks
Irvine, Calif., May 4, 2020 – In Northern Chile’s Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth, microorganisms are able to eke out an existence by extracting water from the very rocks they colonize. Through work in the field and laboratory experiments, researchers at the University of California, Irvine, as well as Johns Hopkins University and UC Riverside, gained an in-depth understanding of the mechanisms by which some cyanobacteria survive in harsh surroundings.
Climate change’s toll on freshwater fish: A new database for science
Researchers, fisheries managers, conservationists, journalists and others can use FiCli to find scientific articles based on factors such as fish species, habitat type, location and type of climate change impact (such as a change in temperature or precipitation). Database: https://ficli.shinyapps.io/database/
Study describes cocktail of pharmaceuticals in waters in Bangladesh
An analysis revealed that water samples held a cocktail of pharmaceuticals and other compounds, including antibiotics, antifungals, anticonvulsants, anesthetics, antihypertensive drugs, pesticides, flame retardants and more. Not all chemicals were found at every test site.
Hubble Probes Alien Comet’s Chemical Makeup
Zooming through space, the first bonafide interstellar comet discovered passing through our solar system is yielding chemical clues to its origin. An abundance of carbon monoxide contained in comet Borisov suggests it was born around a cool red dwarf star.
Rutgers Experts Available to Discuss Environmental Protection During COVID-19 Crisis
New Brunswick, N.J. (April 15, 2020) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick professors Nicole Fahrenfeld and John Reinfelder are available for interviews on environmental protection issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fahrenfeld can discuss issues including microbial water quality, sewer issues (including what…
Rutgers Experts Can Discuss Emissions, Climate Change During COVID-19 Crisis
New Brunswick, N.J. (April 13, 2020) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick experts are available for interviews on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on greenhouse gas emissions, climate change and efforts to promote a greener economy and lifestyles. “During the 2007…
Soil Science Society publishes blogs about Deepwater Horizon’s Anniversary
Blogs look at the immediate and long-term impacts on the Gulf’s coastal soils
Rutgers Experts Available to Discuss Healthy Eating During COVID-19 Pandemic
New Brunswick, N.J. (March 27, 2020) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick experts are available for interviews on healthy eating during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Visualize breakfast, lunch, and dinner for at least five days. What will you serve? What do you need?” according…
Beef consumption hurting river quality
A new study shows irrigation of cattle feed crops is the greatest consumer of river water in the Western United States, implicating beef and dairy consumption as the leading driver of water shortages and fish imperilment in the region.
To help students think in 3D, a geologist turns to paper model making
“Geology is a 3D science, but everything we give to students is on a 2D piece of paper,” says University at Buffalo geologist Chris Lowry, creator of the Foldable Aquifer Project. “With the foldable aquifers, students don’t have to imagine what a 2D drawing looks like in 3D.”
Do soils need a low-salt diet?
New findings suggest soils exposed to salt release more greenhouse gas