Category: Environment

All-Female Sailing Voyage to Study Ocean Microplastics

4/22/2020 - By Kelly Vaughan. An estimated eight million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean each year. Scientists believe that by the year 2050, there will be more plastic particles in the ocean than fish by weight. Needless to say, the plastic problem is catastrophic to our environment and is one that won't go away… SEE MORE

How To Watch April’s Lyrid Meteor Shower From Home

4/21/2020 - By Katherine J. Wu. Even when our planet finds itself in trouble, Earthlings can count on the rest of the solar system to serve up solace. This month, that cosmic care package comes in the form of the Lyrid meteor shower—a dazzling display of debris left behind by a comet… SEE MORE

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/california/articles/2020-03-27/coronavirus-restrictions-rain-improve-la-area-air-quality

Photos of Clear-skied Los Angeles are Stunning: Is the Air Really Cleaner?

4/16/2020 - By Amy Graff. Gorgeous photos of clean-air views across Los Angeles have been popping up all over social media in recent weeks amid the coronavirus crisis. The city known for its gridlock traffic and choking smog that gives the air a brownish hue has been getting a lot of attention… SEE MORE

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article242004936.html

Collectible Seashells Piling Up During Tourism Ban

4/16/2020 - Banning tourists from the Outer Banks during the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in treasured seashells piling up on the beaches, a National Park Service video shows. Cape Lookout National Seashore posted the “postcard from the beach” video Monday on Facebook, and it reveals wind and waves have spread shells thick across the… SEE MORE

Astronomers Find Closest Black Hole to Earth, Hints of More

4/8/2020 - By Seth Bornstein. Meet your new but shy galactic neighbor: A black hole left over from the death of a fleeting young star. European astronomers have found the closest black hole to Earth yet, so near that the two stars dancing with it can be seen by the naked eye.… SEE MORE

https://apnews.com/98ff320c9b5693c314b0e4c0283dbf6e

Catch This Week’s Supermoon, Biggest and Brightest of Year

4/6/2020 - By Marcia Dunn. CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A supermoon rises in the sky this week, looking to be the biggest and brightest of the year. Not only will the moon be closer to Earth than usual, it will also be a full moon. Scientists call this cosmic combo a… SEE MORE

Hōlei Sea Arch formed by wave action and coastal erosion in Hawai'I Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii. Photo courtesy of NPS.gov

Scientists Quantify How Wave Power Drives Coastal Erosion

4/5/2020 - By Jennifer Chu. Over millions of years, Hawaiian volcanoes have formed a chain of volcanic islands stretching across the Northern Pacific, where ocean waves from every direction, stirred up by distant storms or carried in on tradewinds, have battered and shaped the islands’ coastlines to varying degrees. Now researchers at… SEE MORE

Arctic Sea Ice Reached Its Annual High on March 5th

3/26/2020 - Arctic sea ice extent—the area where ice concentration is at least 15 percent—reached its apparent annual maximum on March 5, 2020. On March 24, the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) reported that the 2019–2020 growth season had an unexceptional finish: 5.81 million square miles (15.05 million square kilometers). It was… SEE MORE

https://www.penbaypilot.com/article/40-ways-help-conserve-maine-s-birds/131767

40 Ways to Help Conserve Maine’s Birds

3/16/2020 - By MDIFW Bird Biologists / Pen Bay Pilot. Our beautiful state is turning 200 this year! But Maine wouldn’t be “Maine” without our fish, wildlife, and recreation opportunities. Celebrate with us by learning 200 ways you can help conserve Maine for generations to come. Here are 40 ways you can… SEE MORE