Scientists have found this year’s Gulf of Mexico dead zone, an area of low to no oxygen that can kill fish and marine life, is, at 16 767 square km (6 474 square miles), above average in size and larger than forecast by NOAA in June. The larger than expected forec
Over the past ten years in the United States, unconventional gas and oil drilling using hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has experienced a meteoric increase. Since well drilling requires an influx of water, materials and workers into yotherwise rural and remote
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers say that levels of radon in Pennsylvania homes – where 42 percent of readings surpass what the U.S. government considers safe – have been on the rise since 2004, around the time that the fracking in
High air pollution is currently (March 19, 2015) being measured across a number of regions in England and Wales. This is due to pollution brought in via winds from the continent and particulate matter from a combination of local sources, the Department for Environment,
More than 34 million gallons of raw sewage is pumped off the shores of Victoria, British Columbia, into the Strait of Juan de Fuca daily, polluting the ocean and its ecosystem in ways that are poorly understood by researchers.A report by The Tyee titled, "Victoria&
Plastic debris in the marine environment is well known and widely documented, but the quantity of plastic making its way into the world’s oceans and from where it originates has been a mystery until now.A new study published today in the journal Science, quantifie
Mercury concentrations in Hawaiian yellowfin tuna are increasing at a rate of 3.8 percent or more per year, according to a new University of Michigan-led study that suggests rising atmospheric levels of the toxic substance are to blame. Mercury is a toxic trace metal th
A bioluminescent algal bloom created by Noctiluca scintillans, commonly known as Sea Sparkle, is turning Hong Kong's seashores into a spectacular and disturbing sight this week. Scientists say the fluorescent blue glow is an indicator of a harmful algal bloom. Altho
Duke University researchers have found hazardous levels of mercury hundreds of miles downstream from Peruvian gold mines. Researchers have determined that the health risks taken on by artisanal, small-scale gold miners extend far beyond the miners themselves. Based…
After a six-year study of conditions across the globe, team of international researchers came upon shocking results that the world's ocean are laden with a minimum estimate of 5.25 trillion plastic particles weighing 268 940 tons. Larger plastic debris around
