Ecosystems News

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Dr. Thomas Bernard and Team Develop Drinking Water Protecting Tools

We place high demands on the quality of our drinking water. If pathogens or toxic substances found their way into the piping system, many people could become infected or injured very quickly.

5 Jan 2016

California Drought May Cause Long-Term Changes in Ecosystems

California’s forests are home to the planet’s oldest, tallest and most-massive trees. New research from Carnegie’s Greg Asner and his team reveals that up to 58 million large trees in California experienced severe canopy water loss between 2011 and today due to the state’s historic drought. Their results are published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

29 Dec 2015

Ecosystems Rebound Rapidly When Dams Come Down and Rivers Resume Their Natural Flow

A songbird species that flourishes on the salmon-rich side of dams in the western United States struggles when it tries to nest on the side closed off from the fish and the nutrients they leave behind.

28 Dec 2015

Permanent Protected Areas and Wilderness Key to Effective Conservation of Marine Ecosystems

Permanent marine protected areas and wilderness—places where fish can grow old—are critical to the effective conservation of marine ecosystems according to a new study conducted by the Wildlife Conservation Society, James Cook University, and Lancaster University.

24 Dec 2015

Declining Sea Ice Increases Precipitation in Arctic Climate System

The melting of sea ice will significantly increase Arctic precipitation, creating a climate feedback comparable to doubling global carbon dioxide, a Dartmouth College-led study finds.

23 Dec 2015

Harmful Algal Blooms are Threat to Aquatic Ecosystems, Public Health

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) occur naturally, but their outbreaks are influenced by climate change and droughts, nutrient enrichment and manmade factors, such as contaminants from sewage and stormwater discharge, natural resource extraction or agricultural runoff, to name a few. When an outbreak occurs, it causes restrictions on fisheries, recreation and drinking water, and it can have significant economic consequences.

23 Dec 2015