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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF EROSION CONTROL
In 1992, engineers began protecting 55 km of Ottawa River shoreline with local rounded gravel. 19 years later, 80–90% of the banks were covered by indigenous vegetationOttawa River banks were protected using rounded granular material over fifteen years ago. This method halted erosion and created a riparian...
In a multi-decade study, engineers used 12-inch coconut-fiber blankets to secure riverbanks. Years later, deep-rooted plants turned them into living barriers that resist erosion and floodsHow a 12-inch coconut fiber roll can hold a failing streambank together is easier to understand than it looks. The simple coir log slows ru...
Meet Spain’s ‘firefighting donkeys’: How a woman turned 18 rescued animals into unlikely heroes by grazing away dry vegetation to help prevent dangerous wildfiresIn Andalusia, Spain, rescued donkeys are making a significant impact on wildfire prevention. By grazing on dry underbrush, these gentle cre...
Psychology says people who prefer window seats even when they don't look outside may value perceived control over their surroundingsChoosing a window seat may reflect something more subtle than simply enjoying the view. For some passengers, it can offer a small, familiar...
In the 1980s, the richest closed-canopy mangroves covered 77,643 sq km globally. 43 years later, they had grown to 88,772 sq km, helping turn decades of mangrove loss into a net global gainMangroves are far more than trees growing along tropical and subtropical shorelines. They form complex coastal ecosystems that provide habi...
ET Evoke: China has emerged as the greatest environmentalist of our times, says Economics Professor Michael GreenstoneGreenstone, Milton Friedman Distinguished Service Professor in Economics at the University of Chicago, says air pollution is shortening liv...
Rainfall experiments found solar panels cut soil erosion beneath their surfaces by 27–63%, while concentrated dripping created new erosion hotspots along panel edgesSolar panels significantly reduce soil erosion directly beneath them during rainfall events. However, concentrated runoff at panel edges ca...
In 1970s, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet W.S. Merwin & his wife Paula bought barren land in Hawaii and turned it into 19-acre forest with 3,000+ palmsW.S. Merwin, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, transformed a barren plot of land in Hawaii into a thriving palm sanctuary. Initially focused o...
US warns Siemens devices can be hacked amid fears Iran is breaching water plantsUS agencies issued a warning about hackers targeting Siemens devices. These devices are crucial for operating water and other critical infr...
In the 1990s, China began regreening one of Earth's most eroded landscapes; more than 100 million tons of soil stopped entering the Yellow River each yearChina's Loess Plateau has seen a revolutionary ecological overhaul, where farmers took the initiative to plant trees and construct terraces...
In 2006, engineers reused 250,000 cubic yards of dredged sand to restore Elders Point East in Jamaica Bay. 10 years later, the approach had restored 40 acres of wetlands and helped reverse marsh-island erosionA New York Harbor dredging project became an opportunity to restore Jamaica Bay’s declining marsh islands. Beginning in 2006, the U.S. Army...
Between 2001 and 2019, satellites watched 250,000 farming areas across the world, revealing how government payments, crop rules and conservation measures can slowly restore degraded cropland and strengthen food securityResearch conducted by the University of Bonn reveals that agri-environmental policies worldwide are beneficial for cropland quality. Analyz...
Crews spray green slurry across bare slopes, using wood fiber and binder to help protect soil from erosion while vegetation regrowsHydromulch, a green spray, helps stabilize hillsides after wildfires. This mixture of wood fiber and glue prevents soil erosion and mudslid...
This 16-year-old Canadian student built an autonomous AI-powered robot turtle that can detect tiny microplastics in waterThis 16-year-old built an autonomous AI-powered robot turtle that detects microplastics in water. The Canadian student created the turtle-i...
18-year-old Texas student Ananya Gulur Nagendra builts an ant-powered food waste digester; it achieved 83% efficiencyAnanya Gulur Nagendra has created an ant-inspired system for managing food waste, achieving an impressive eighty-three percent efficiency i...
'Big Pig Dig': In 1994, two hikers discovered a 34-million-year old site in South Dakota's Badlands with fossils of prehistoric rhinos, small horses and huge carnivorous pigsIn 1994, two hikers stumbled upon enormous bones in South Dakota's Badlands, igniting a wave of scientific exploration that lasted years. T...
In 1976, USACE made a landmark decision to block development that threatened Marco Island's mangrove wetlands. 6 years later, Deltona handed Florida 15,000 acres of habitat and received 160 acres of industrial land in returnIn 1976, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) refused to approve a major dredge-and-fill project proposed by the Deltona Corporation on...
Judiciary must ensure environmental laws are implemented in letter and spirit: Jairam RameshCongress leader Jairam Ramesh highlighted a Supreme Court judge's concerns. Justice Ujjal Bhuyan stressed the need for environmental law en...
In 1981, China began planting billions of trees to restore degraded land. Decades later, the 78-billion-tree effort produced a surprising outcome: it altered the water cycle, sending more rain to some regions while drying out othersChina’s decades-long reforestation campaign has dramatically expanded vegetation across the country, including through the Three-North Shel...
In 1990, U.S. conservationists repurposed thousands of discarded Christmas trees to slow coastal erosion. Thirty-six years later, the unusual experiment produced thriving wetlands, healthier wildlife habitats, and stronger natural defenses against stormsHow Recycled Christmas Trees Are Saving Louisiana’s Coastline: Louisiana has lost over 2,000 square miles of coastline since the 1930s. But...