University of Waterloo researchers have developed an innovative double-skin building façade that contains microalgae and uses machine learning to generate energy.
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Study Finds that Better Ocean Connectivity Boosts Reef Fish Populations
In the study, connectivity particularly impacted herbivorous reef fish groups, which are most critical to coral reef resilience, providing evidence that decision-makers should incorporate connectivity into how they prioritise conservation areas.
Assessing the Real Climate Costs of Manufacturing
Producing materials such as steel, plastics and cement in the United States alone inflicts $79 billion a year in climate-related damage around the world, according to a new study by engineers and economists at the University of California, Davis.
Scientists Discover Molecules that Store Much of the Carbon in Space
A team led by researchers at MIT has discovered that a distant interstellar cloud contains an abundance of pyrene, a type of large, carbon-containing molecule known as a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH).
Study: Marshes Provide Cost-Effective Coastal Protection
Images of coastal houses being carried off into the sea due to eroding coastlines and powerful storm surges are becoming more commonplace as climate change brings a rising sea level coupled with more powerful storms. In the U.S. alone, coastal storms caused $165 billion in losses in 2022.
Now, a study from MIT shows that protecting and enhancing salt marshes in front of protective seawalls can significantly help protect some coastlines, at a cost that makes this approach reasonable to implement.
The new findings are being reported in the journal Communications Earth and Environment, in a paper by MIT graduate student Ernie I. H. Lee and professor of civil and environmental engineering Heidi Nepf. This study, Nepf says, shows that restoring coastal marshes “is not just something that would be nice to do, but it’s actually economically justifiable.” The researchers found that, among other things, the wave-attenuating effects of salt marsh mean that the seawall behind it can be built significantly lower, reducing construction cost while still providing as much protection from storms.
Read More: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Caption: Graduate student Ernie I. H. Lee uses drone imaging and machine learning to help map salt marsh species, plant height, and shoots per bed area. (Photo Credit: Courtesy of the researchers)
Chilling facts about forever chemicals: 1000
In this instalment, Alice and Sue brave the walk-in freezers at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) in Lancaster, where the temperatures get down to -18°C, to explore the story behind PFAS – per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – also known as “forever chemicals”. T
