Earth

Earth

Dirty Story: Farming has increased flow of soil onto reef

Agricultural practices that early European settlers brought to eastern Australia sped the pace at which soil washes out to sea and settles over the Great Barrier Reef.

Earth

9/11 ash, and more, found in river muck

Sediment cores pulled from the Hudson River near the World Trade Center site contain a thin layer of metal-rich ash and pulverized debris.

Agriculture

Bt Cotton: Yields up in India; pests low in Arizona

Two cotton-growing centers that could hardly differ more—small farms in India and industrial fields in Arizona—provide case studies that show the bright side of a widespread genetically engineered crop.

Earth

Dust devils produce magnetic fields

Scientists who chase dust devils report that the tiny twisters can produce a small magnetic field that changes magnitude between 3 and 30 times per second.

Earth

Enjoy the beach. . .while it’s still there

Up to a quarter of the structures within 500 feet of America's coastlines may be lost to erosion in the next 60 years, according to a report issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency last week.

Earth

Putting Whales to Work: Cetaceans provide cheap labor in the icy deep

Whales equipped with environmental sensors discover warm water beneath Arctic ice.

Earth

Kilauea: 20 years on, it’s still erupting

As of Jan. 3, Kilauea—Hawaii’s Energizer Bunny of volcanic activity—has been erupting continuously for two decades.

Earth

Electronic Jetsam

Oceanographers are developing and deploying a variety of seafaring probes—including drifters, gliders, and scientific torpedoes—that will enable them to explore and monitor the ocean remotely.

Earth

Why the Mercury Falls

Certain pollutants can foster the localized fallout of mercury, a toxic heavy metal, from the atmosphere.

Agriculture

Carnivorous fish nibble at farming gain

Fish farming may ease pressure on wild stocks overall, but for certain species, farms mean a net loss of fish.

Earth

Estrogens classified as carcinogens

The sex hormones known as steroidal estrogens, which are used in hormone-replacement therapies and birth control pills, have joined a government list of known human carcinogens.

Earth

Contraceptive ring could pose risks after its disposal

Discarded vaginal contraceptive rings could interfere with fishes' reproduction by releasing estrogen into streams.