Oil Spill Threatens Bird Sanctuary Off Staten Island

Oil from a barge spilled into the waters off Staten Island has spread, and continues to spread, to a bird sanctuary on an island in Newark Bay. The oil was in transfer when the workers noticed the water becoming increasingly darker. In response to this, workers placed a boom on the surface of the water to contain the oil, added absorbent materials and notified the authorities. 112,000 gallons was the total amount of oil being transfered. It is still unknown how much oil as spilled into the water or what caused the leak. However, Petty Officer Swanson said that the oil had also reached the Shooters Island Bird Sanctuary and the Richmond Terrace wetlands, both of which are controlled by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and are within several hundred yards of where the leak took place. Shooters Island is closed to the public and only visited by scientists and government employees. It is a breeding ground for several species of wading birds such as the glossy ibis, black-crowned night heron, and species like the snowy egret and great egret. The Miller Environmental Group, a Long Island company, plus workers from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and the NJ Department of Environmental Protection all joined the cleanup efforts. 

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/15/oil-spill-threatens-bird-sanctuary-off-staten-island/?ref=earth

Water Piped to Denver Could Ease Stress on River

The Colorado River, which keeps at lease seven states and its citizens hydrated, has struggled to do so. And in response, the federal government has come up with many ways to enhance the flow such as decreasing demand through conservation and increasing supply through reuse or desalination projects. However, the most recent calls for building a pipeline from the Missouri River to Denver (about 600 miles to the west). Water would be taken out as needed along the route in Kansas, and the rest would be stored in reservoirs in the Denver area. The fact that such a plan has made it into the plan shows how bad the situation as gotten. The pipeline would provide the Colorado River basin with 600,000 acre-feet of water annually, which could serve roughly a million single-family homes. However this plan will face political opposition due to its high loss of water from the rivers (which require flows large enough to sustain large vessel navigation). 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/10/science/earth/federal-plans-for-colorado-river-include-pipeline.html?ref=earth

Invasive Grass Fuels Increased Fire Activity in the West

It has been proven that certain invasive grass species may be the cause for bigger and more frequent fires in certain areas of the western United States. This species is called cheatgrass, accidentally brought over in the 1800's. It is the main cause for bigger fires and accounts for 39 of the greatest 50 fires. This, researchers say, is too high for the overall area the grass occupies. From 2000 to 2009 the cheatgrass burned twice as much as any other vegetation. Cheatgrass is creating a novel grass-fire cycle that makes future fires more likely to occur because of the ability of cheatgrass to rapidly spread and fill in the ground between other plant species. And  such fires caused by cheatgrass make for a difficult management challenge. The fires can threaten agricultural lands and, since more people are building homes in the west, residential areas as well as habitat for threatened native wildlife, such as the greater sage grouse. 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121205132357.htm

Effort to Curb Coolant Falters, Sometimes at Home

Some homes use air conditioning that rely on gases that damage the environment around them. The Environmental Protection Agency has tried to reduce the use of that gas, HCFC-22, because itgas depletes the ozone layer and contributes to global warming. In order to do so, the agency has set quotas, banned the sale of new air-conditioning units containing the compound, and has promoted recycling of the gas from old machines so it will not be released into the air. The Montreal Protocol is an international treaty that responsible for keeping the gas out of air conditioning systems. Leaks of this gas most often occur in the workplace that deal with discarding equipment that have previously contained the gas because there are no regulations regarding it's recycling. The concentration of HCFC-22 in the atmosphere is 218 parts per trillion, more than double the amount two decades ago, and it gets there in a number of ways. Low-quality or old equipment leaks, and detecting the colorless and odorless gas without pressure-testing devices is difficult. Sometimes the release is intentional, because it costs less. This is leading to a higher concentration of the gas in our environment  and no one is attempting to take steps to fixing the problem. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/23/science/earth/air-conditioner-repairs-undermine-coolant-restrictions.html?pagewanted=2&ref=earth

The Problem Is Clear: The Water Is Filthy

Living in an impoverished agricultural community of numerous roads and lush citrus orchards in California have learned a harsh life lesson, “don’t drink the water” because it is contaminated with harmful levels of nitrate. In the small town of Seville, the population has been plagued by contaminated drinking water for decades. Chemical fertilizers, animal wastes, and pesticides have infiltrated aquifers, seeping into the groundwater and eventually into the tap. The residents must pay double the amount normally paid for water simply because the water they have is no good for the normal and everyday uses we are used to such as drinking, showering and brushing teeth.  Even at the schools children cannot drink the drinking water because it is “foggyish” and undrinkable. The schools must pay extra money for water rather than other things such as laptops for the students to use for learning. Many people believe that clean water should be a right and in order to grant this right is for the government to grant $1.3 million to construct a treatment plant. However, the treatment plant caused the price of water to skyrocket, which made no one want to buy the water, making it useless.  It seems the only solutions are regional fixes, not federal. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/us/tainted-water-in-california-farmworker-communities.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&ref=earth

Fish in Mom's Diet May Alter Kids' Behavior

For pregnant women, diets rich in fish can offer their babies protection against  developing behaviors associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, a new study finds. Yet for most Americans, fish consumption is the leading source of exposure to mercury , which has been linked to a host of health problems, including delays in neural development. However it depends on what kind of fish you eat that determines how much mercury you will consume. After checking different hair samples from different woman it was determined that the higher the level of mercury present, the more diseases the child has/showing signs of. The fish that were proved to have the most amount of mercury present in them are tuna, swordfish, and shark while salmon and cod tend to pick up less toxic metal from the environment. Woman with more than 1 microgram of mercury present were in danger of giving the disease to their children no matter how much fish they actually ate. So basically, if one was to eat only one fish with high levels of mercury, their children would be in as much danger as another mother who ate multiple fish dishes. It all depends on the level of mercury present in the fish. In this study it is revealed that boys are more sensitive to mercury posioning than girls are.


http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/345639/description/Fish_in_moms_diet_may_alter_kids_behavior

Opposition as Aquarium Seeks Import of Whales

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/10/science/earth/strong-opposition-to-aquariums-plan-to-import-beluga-whales.html?ref=earth A proposal to import 18 Beluga whales for popular interactive park attractions in the United States is drawing fierce opposition from animal rights advocates and others who object to their removal from the wild. The museums claim that they would like to take the whales in captivity for captive breeding, research and education. But, if this proposal is granted, it would remove these intelligent and social marine mammals from their native waters and their families, which has been highly controversial and argued over. However, to complicate things, the Federals government's decision will be based not on bioethics but on the language of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which recognizes a benefit in winning the hearts and minds of paying customers who become attached to animals like the Beluga Whale. Such an organization aims to please everyone who is on their bandwagon. Currently, there are 31 Beluga whales on display in the United States; some are too young to breed and others are nearing the end of their 35 year life span. Most attractions offer customers the ability to swim with the mammals, which raises controversy because some claim that such an activity makes the environment highly uncomfortable for the mammals and unnatural. Hal Whitehead, a marine mammal expert, claims that any type of captivity, even if it is high end, does not mimic the whale’s usually long migrations and their variety of changing habitats. So naturally, the whales are being deprived of their natural habitat and "normal" way of life. However, on the other hand, captive breeding does provide the Beluga whales with the numbers they need and it does create the diversity they need to thrive. With the agency covering this conflict, in receiving over 4,000 comments, a majority of them are negative and are asking that more environmental agencies speak out on this topic. Although the aquariums are claiming that they need multiple whales for research in order to find out how they can thrive when their arctic habitat is being destroyed due to climate change, many environment experts believe that they are collecting whales solely for the entertainment for their customers. Right now it is a case of he said she said.

Even After Rains, Facing Long-Term Water Needs

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/07/us/time-for-west-texas-to-face-long-term-water-needs.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0&ref=earth San Angelo, Texas faced a severe drought recently that produced brown lawns, dying bushes and fear. One cause of such fear and dying shrubbery, besides the drought, is the ban on the use of outdoor sprinklers. However, after dealing with such a change in events, it was agreed upon to lift the ban. But it is believed that this will not end the drought; more is too come. People claim that Texans now need to learn how to value water better by building new water-supply projects and easing up on lawns. If they did not receive that large rain storm, it was predicted that they would have run out of water and would have to begin trucking their water. But although the rainstorm helped, the drought is not over yet. 66 percent of the state still remains in drought. But this drought has made Texas officials make tough decisions regarding what to do with the water for swimming pools, carwashes, etc. (purposes that are not necessities). But to solve this problem, the city decided to build a $120 million pipeline project that will be able to carry two thirds of the city’s basic wintertime needs with deliveries increasing over time. This will allow a solid water supply to constantly be provided even in times of drought. But the lesson in this Texas City is that water is not something that should be underestimated or taken for granted because it is very likely that one day the drought may get the best of them.

Paper or Plastic? Some Communities Say Neither

More than two dozen cities in California have implemented a tax on paper bags, and have eliminated plastic bags all together in order to encourage shoppers to carry around reusable bags and decrease the amount of paper and plastic waste. This fee ranges from 5 cents to 10 cents, although the legislators are pushing for a mandatory fee of 10 cents. (The higher the price, the less people will buy the bags) However, although this plan seems only beneficial, those behind the counter are actually getting insulted by the fee. They claim that it is insulting to their customers to pay for all their products, and then have to pay for a bag as well. One diamond retailer says “I won’t ask 10 cents for a bag when somebody spends $10,000. That’s petty”. But in order to prevent such outburst as this one, the government has implemented a fee of $500 dollars for those retailers who do not follow this rule. The whole premise behind this rule is to get people thinking about the wastefulness of single-use products, such as shopping bags. Although plastic companies have tried to fight this rule, saying that reusable bags end up in the same place as plastic bags given some time, their lawsuit was rejected. However, consumers are becoming frustrated because they believe that receiving a plastic bag is a right as a customer and should not be taken away from them. But on the other hand, some enjoy using reusable bags because they can personalize them and become the “next big thing” by carrying around bags with brand names on them. But in the end, a ban on bags will in fact help the environment by eliminating waste and encouraging more green activities. Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/29/business/energy-environment/communities-curb-use-of-paper-and-plastic-shopping-bags.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0&ref=earth

Climate Change, Metal and Waterways

High in the Rocky Mountains, just west of the Continental Divide, metal concentrations in the Upper Snake River have been climbing over the last 30 years. And strong evidence referring to climate change proves to be the cause of such changes in metal concentrations, particularly rising temperatures. Although rising metal concentrations are occurring, they do not pose a direct threat to water for drinking or agriculture. However, although they do not pose a threat to humans, these rising metal concentrations pose a concern for the whole alpine ecosystem. For example, at Deer Creek and the Upper Snake River the water is sometimes milky with aluminum precipitate that blankets the riverbed and smothers life underneath. This is referred to as white death. Rising stream temperatures and changing hydrology also make it very difficult for local flora and fauna to grow properly. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/26/climate-change-metal-and-waterways/?ref=earth

Forest Fire Research Questions the Wisdom of Prescribed Burns

In 2003, a forested mountainside was charred in a wildfire and Richard Hutto, a university ornithologist, recorded a black-backed woodpecker drumming on a tree of the nearly destroyed forest. But, was it really destroyed? Not according to Hutto who states that "this forest may have been burned, but that doesn't mean its dead. Theres a lot going on". This woodpecker signals life back to the forest and it also serves as a clue toward resolving debates over how much, or whether or not, to try to prevent large forest fires all together. Some scientists believe that the thinning of forests brings an ecological advantage to the planet but, some claim that this only diminishes ecological processes and biodiversity. So what do they do to prevent these fires? They thin the forests by cutting down a variety of trees, ranging in size, and use prescribed fire to burn the forest. Using this process, scientists hope to reconstruct forests suffering damages from large wildfires. Except, others claim that this process is only causing ecological damage. Research and history combined shows that the ecology of a forest depends on fires of varying degrees of severity, including those catastrophic fires we are trying to prevent. These blazes actually are responsible for stimulating biodiversity. This is where the woodpecker comes back into play. This type of bird almost lives exclusively in severely burned forests. It thrives on the fire-chaser beetle and the jewel beetle and relies on the charred trees to stay hidden from their predators while they peck away. Both species (the woodpecker and the beetle) lay eggs in the scorched trees whose defenses have been wiped out by fire, causing biodiversity. Tracking the presence of such a species can help indicate whether there are enough severe fires to stimulate their ecosystems, which are responsible for keeping their numbers up and healthy. Dr. William Baker, a fire and landscape ecologist at the University of Wyoming, contends the idea that land of limited fires that are being employed to control bigger fires were not as common in nature as it has been thought. So, he went about and employed an unorthodox method to reconstruct fire history. He examined thousands if handwritten records up until the nineteenth century. The surveyors who created these records used an ax to mark trees at precise locations and took note of the surrounding vegetation. In the end, he found that low-intensity fires that occurred naturally were not as widespread as other research holds and he concluded that big fires are inevitable, and that it is best for ecosystems to put up with such fires. Many others who have explored this famous question have arrived at a very similar conclusion; "disturbances are very important; they are huge" because of the biodiversity they cause.   

Plasma Gasification Raises Hopes of Clean Energy From Garbage

Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/11/science/plasma-gasification-raises-hopes-of-clean-energy-from-garbage.html?_r=1&ref=science David Robau, an environmental scientist for the Air Force, is touring the country promoting a system that may sound too good to be true. This system devours municipal, or local, garbage, recycles metals, blasts toxic contaminants and produces electricity and usable byproducts, all with drastic reductions in emissions. Being an environmental scientist for the Air Force, he began developing this plan in order to dispose of garbage with neither the harmful byproducts of conventional incineration nor the environmental impact of transporting and burying waste. This is now known as plasma arc gasification. This can break chemical bonds and destroy medical waste, asbestos and hydrocarbons, some of which could be hazardous. However, such a system will discourage recycling and the development of renewable products, and will in fact result in toxic substances like dioxins. However, Mr. Robau maintains that the process is earth-friendly. “This is not incineration,” he said. “This is gasification, so it’s a lot cleaner, a lot better for the environment.” This system has been tested and hard at work for a while now, and at the end, around 100 percent of all the metals on the base are being recycled. And due to the lack of dioxin, which is what people thought would come out of this system; this system would be a benefit over traditional incinerators and other types of gasifies, in which lower temperatures and incomplete burning result in toxic compounds.