Calculating the true cost of a ton of mountaintop coal
To meet current U.S. coal demand through surface mining, an area of the Central Appalachians the size of Washington, D.C., would need to be mined every 81 days.
Environment
Sep 11, 2013
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News tagged with biogeochemistry
Extreme weather events fuel climate change
When the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere rises, the Earth not only heats up, but extreme weather events, such as lengthy droughts, heat waves, heavy rain and violent storms, may become more frequent. Whether these ...
Earth Sciences
Aug 14, 2013
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Nonnative salmon alter nitrification in Great Lakes tributaries
Nonnative species can affect the biogeochemistry of an ecosystem. For instance, Pacific salmon have been introduced as a sport fishery in many streams and lakes beyond their native range, but their introduction may be altering ...
Ecology
Apr 5, 2013
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Hydraulic fracturing produces less wastewater per unit of gas, but more overall
(Phys.org)—Hydraulically fractured natural gas wells are producing less wastewater per unit of gas recovered than conventional wells would. But the scale of fracking operations in the Marcellus shale region is so vast that ...
Environment
Feb 1, 2013
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Analysis of fracking wastewater yields some surprises
Hydraulically fractured natural gas wells are producing less wastewater per unit of gas recovered than conventional wells would. But the scale of fracking operations in the Marcellus shale region is so vast that the wastewater ...
Environment
Jan 22, 2013
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Oxygen's ups and downs in the early atmosphere and ocean
Most researchers imagine the initial oxygenation of the ocean and atmosphere to have been something like a staircase, but with steps only going up. The first step, so the story goes, occurred around 2.4 billion years ago, ...
Earth Sciences
Oct 23, 2012
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Human impact felt on Black Sea long before industrial era
(Phys.org)—Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution geologist Liviu Giosan and an international team of collaborators including environmental engineers, modelers, paleogeographers, and paleobiologists have pieced together a ...
Earth Sciences
Sep 4, 2012
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Carbon release from collapsing coastal permafrost in Arctic Siberia
In this week's issue of Nature a study lead by Stockholm University, with collaborators from Russia, US, UK, Switzerland, Norway, Spain and Denmark, show that an ancient and large carbon pool held in a less-studied form of ...
Earth Sciences
Aug 30, 2012
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UNL discovery has implications for finding life on Earth, Mars
(Phys.org) -- Moqui marbles, unusual balls of rock that can be found rolling around the southwestern U.S. sandstone regions, were formed roughly 2 million years ago with the help of microorganisms. This discovery by a University ...
Earth Sciences
Aug 16, 2012
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Plant species living in urban backyards are closer related to each other and live shorter than species in the countrysid
Cities in both, the US and Europe harbour more plant species than rural areas. However, plant species of urban areas are closer related to each other and often share similar functions. Consequently, urban ecosystems should ...
Ecology
Apr 18, 2012
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Biogeochemistry
Biogeochemistry is the scientific discipline that involves the study of the chemical, physical, geological, and biological processes and reactions that govern the composition of the natural environment (including the biosphere, the hydrosphere, the pedosphere, the atmosphere, and the lithosphere). In particular, biogeochemistry is the study of the cycles of chemical elements, such as carbon and nitrogen, and their interactions with and incorporation into living things transported through earth scale biological systems in space through time. The field focuses on chemical cycles which are either driven by or have an impact on biological activity. Particular emphasis is placed on the study of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus cycles. Biogeochemistry is a systems science closely related to systems ecology.
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