Tag: Environment

Biology, Environment, Natural World

Threatened mangrove forests can regenerate carbon stocks to defer climate change

Joyce Chen ’23 Shrimp is currently in high demand and is the most-consumed seafood in the United States. However, farming shrimp comes with a large sacrifice. Shrimp are found in shrimp ponds, which are converted from mangrove forests; these forests are known for sequestering, or storing, carbon, thereby delaying global warming. With the expansion of shrimp aquaculture, mangrove forests have depleted significantly, losing up to … Continue reading Threatened mangrove forests can regenerate carbon stocks to defer climate change

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Ecology, Environment

Environment Dependent Dietary Adjustment by Invasive Aquatic Species

Fatin Chowdhury ‘20 Recently, researchers at three Brazilian universities examined patterns of feeding behavior displayed by the Knodus moenkhausii fish invasive to Brazil. The researchers described a two-fold hypothesis. Firstly, the species is expected to be non-specialist and opportunistic, feeding on whatever food source is most readily accessible. Secondly, resource abundance affects the nature of the trophic niche it resides in. Accordingly, flexibility in diet … Continue reading Environment Dependent Dietary Adjustment by Invasive Aquatic Species

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Environment

Consumption of Microplastics in the U.S.

Ellie Teng ‘21   Microplastics, formed from the degradation of larger plastics, are found in nearly all aspects of our lives. Microplastics are classified as being 5mm or less in size according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.While plastics can be widely used, they are not always properly and safely disposed of, and it is estimated that Americans inadvertently consume over 70,000 particles per … Continue reading Consumption of Microplastics in the U.S.

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Environment

Formation of amino acids by abiotic means in the oceanic lithosphere

By Allan Mai ‘20 Experimental studies and thermodynamic calculations have shown that abiotic synthesis of amino acids and hydrocarbons – specifically during the hydrothermal alteration of mantle rocks – is theoretically possible. However, this phenomenon has only recently been demonstrated in a terrestrial setting. Benedicte Menez and his team at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris used high resolution imaging techniques to obtain … Continue reading Formation of amino acids by abiotic means in the oceanic lithosphere

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2018-19

Tree Diversity and Climate Change

By Raymond Cheung ‘22 Since trees can absorb greenhouse gases through photosynthesis, reforestation efforts are becoming a more crucial way to combat climate change. However, new research suggests that the number of tree species planted is as essential as the quantity. A recent study conducted by Yuanyuan Huang and more than sixty scientists from China, Switzerland, and Germany analyzed over 150,000 trees planted in the … Continue reading Tree Diversity and Climate Change

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2017-18

Air Pollution: A Potential Contributor To Diabetes

Rachel Kogan ’19 Despite efforts to diminish industrial contamination, air pollution remains a prominent issue throughout most of the world. This form of pollution has long been associated with the rise of respiratory tract illnesses such as asthma and lung cancer. However, a recent study, conducted by a team of researchers lead by Al-Aly Ziyad of the Department of Medicine at Washington University in St. … Continue reading Air Pollution: A Potential Contributor To Diabetes

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2017-18

Investigating Genetic Variation and Selection in Starfish Species Piaster ochraceus

Stephanie Budhan ’21 Extreme environmental disturbances, such as a natural disaster or epidemics, dramatically impact animal population survival. These events have the potential to eliminate entire species, and affect the gene pool or the frequency of certain genes within the population. However, scientists observing these natural disasters and their subsequent effects can be difficult due to their sporadic occurrence. A study conducted by Dr. Lauren … Continue reading Investigating Genetic Variation and Selection in Starfish Species Piaster ochraceus

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2017-18

Electric Fields Can Recover Fresh Water from Fog

By Caleb Sooknanan ‘20 Over 1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water worldwide, and for many coastal regions with little or no rain and expensive water transportation measures, water only appears in dense fog layers. Fog collection or fog harvesting techniques have become useful for extracting water from these regions, with some systems mimicking natural collection mechanisms within animals and plants. Most fog … Continue reading Electric Fields Can Recover Fresh Water from Fog

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2017-18

As Plastic Spreads, Diseased Coral Reefs Follow

Gene Yang ‘19 275 million people rely on coral reefs for food, coastal protection, and income from tourism. However, as plastic waste continues to spread throughout the ocean, it transmits disease to these same coral reefs. In the first large-scale study to evaluate this impact of plastic on corals, Dr. Joleah Lamb’s team from Cornell University along with other research teams and institutions surveyed 124,884 … Continue reading As Plastic Spreads, Diseased Coral Reefs Follow

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2017-18

What Masculinity Has to do With the Environment

By Marcia-Ruth Ndege ‘21 Trends throughout the years have underlined the fact that women tend to be more eco-friendly than their male counterparts. This trend has long been attributed to personality differences between the two sexes. Through a series of various psychological experiments, Dr. Aaron Brough and his team explore the role of masculinity in the commitment to make eco-friendly decisions. Brough and his team … Continue reading What Masculinity Has to do With the Environment

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2017-18

Weight of Rising Sea Levels Causes Ocean Floor to Sink

By Marcia-Ruth Ndege ’21 Over the past few decades, global climate change has become a widely debated issue. Its believability, however, is no longer relevant as we are living through its effects across the globe; whether it be through melting glaciers in the Arctic, droughts and wildfires in California, or decreased rainfall in Ethiopia, the effects of climate change are prominent and devastating. A new … Continue reading Weight of Rising Sea Levels Causes Ocean Floor to Sink

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Figure 1. Warming in places like Mount Kenya is steeper than current climate models predict.
2016-17, Environment

High-Elevation Warming is Steeper than Previously Expected

By Megan Tan ’19 The Earth is warming at about two degrees annually at sea level. Though it is estimated that high-elevation warming occurs more steeply, it is difficult to measure due to environmental factors such as radiation and humidity which have made it challenging to accurately quantify past temperature changes. Shannon E. Loomis, a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary … Continue reading High-Elevation Warming is Steeper than Previously Expected

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