Articles By Audrey Carson

Researchers use a RiverSurveyor to collect data at a former Navy bombing practice site. (Credit: David Walsh)

Lakes

Study aids unexploded ordnance cleanup at WWII bombing practice site

A model of a manmade inlet will help with the cleanup of unexploded ordnance at Tisbury Great Pond, a former Navy bombing practice site.

  • Posted December 30, 2014

Rivers

ORSANCO Organic Detection System watches over the Ohio River

On October of 2006, a train derailment sent 23 tank cars full of ethanol off the tracks. Three of them spilled their contents into the Beaver River, a tributary of the Ohio River that enters at mile 25. What could have been an environmental disaster was avoided by the...

  • Posted August 3, 2012

Earth

Colorado researchers believe debris increases snowmelt

A skiing enthusiast, Danielle Perrot has understandable concern for the condition of her recreational surface. If the snow is too dirty, it sticks to the skis. If it melts too early, the ski season ends prematurely. If the mountain pine beetle infestation spreads, trees fall on the slopes, hopefully...

  • Posted July 27, 2012

Oceans

Red snapper limits increase after population rebound

NOAA has increased red snapper catch limits in the Gulf of Mexico from 7.53 million pounds in 2011 to 8.08 million pounds this year.

  • Posted May 30, 2012

Wetlands

Washington estuary to be restored after dike removed

The Nature Conservancy in Washington is restoring an estuary by simply removing a farm dike that has been at the mouth of the Stillaguamish River for nearly 60 years.

  • Posted May 29, 2012

Rivers

River to be used for 2012 Olympics meets cleanliness standards

The European Environment Agency has declared that the Serpentine River, to be used for the triathlon and marathon swimming events at this year’s Olympic Games in London, is in “good and sufficient” condition for bathing water standards.

  • Posted May 29, 2012

Earth

Great Britain butterfly thriving in climate change

Though climate change is detrimental to many species, Great Britain’s brown argus butterfly, once a declining species, is thriving.

  • Posted May 25, 2012

Earth

Threatened seagrasses store more carbon than terrestrial forests

Recent research shows that coastal seagrasses can store more carbon in their soils than temperate and tropical forests.

  • Posted May 24, 2012

Technology

Researchers receive NSF funding for cloud computing technology

A research team at the University of Miami has developed a cloud computing technology to predict storm strength and surge from tropical storms and hurricanes.

  • Posted May 23, 2012

Lakes

El Paso Water Utilities urge residents to conserve

El Paso Water Utilities have asked El Paso residents to severely cut down on water use for the next two weeks to avoid mandatory restrictions brought on by unwavering drought conditions.

  • Posted May 22, 2012

Technology

Energy Information Administration releases nuclear energy trends

The U.S. Energy Information Administration recently released and infographic depicting the growth of nuclear power over the past 56 years.

  • Posted May 21, 2012

Rivers

Mighty Mississippi kept oil from Gulf Coast shores

A recent study revealed that oil from the Deepwater Horizon explosion did not reach as much of the Gulf Coast as feared due to the force of the Mississippi River.

  • Posted May 11, 2012

Rivers

Dry rivers are not dead rivers

Typically ecologists and wildlife mourn a river that has run dry. However, in places like Australia, many rivers experience a natural dry period annually. A recent article in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment argued the human and ecological value of a dry riverbed. Farmers often use...

  • Posted May 7, 2012

Technology

Flexible, leaflike solar cells are more durable and efficient

After analyzing the structure of leaves, researchers at Princeton University created solar cells containing the same wrinkles and folds

  • Posted May 1, 2012

Oceans

Warm ocean currents are main cause of Antarctica melting

A new study based on measurements from NASA’s Ice Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) shows that warm ocean currents flowing under nearly half the ice shelves in Antarctica are the main cause of ice loss on the continent.

  • Posted April 30, 2012

Technology

‘Super sand’ could provide clean drinking water

Coarse sand coated with graphite could be a cheap solution to filtering drinking water in poor countries.

  • Posted April 30, 2012

Oceans

Ocean plastic debris estimates are likely far off, research shows

Estimates of the amount of plastic in the oceans are probably far off, as recent studies by a University of Washington researcher show much of the plastic is beneath the surface, where many don’t look.

  • Posted April 26, 2012

Rivers

Cause of massive fish kills near Dayton, Ohio unknown

Over 11,000 fish and other aquatic species in the Dayton, Ohio area have died since April 17, according to Ohio wildlife officials.

  • Posted April 26, 2012

Earth

Fracking should adopt 600 meter depth minimum, researchers say

According to research recently published in Marine and Petroleum Geology, hydraulic fracturing should occur at least 600 meters from water supplies to prevent contaminating the water.

  • Posted April 26, 2012

Lakes

Alternative Asian carp control solutions considered

With the recent spread of Asian carp raising concerns, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has developed alternative ideas to prevent the spread of the invasive fish between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watersheds.

  • Posted April 25, 2012