Helping to Protect Wild Salmon
To expand the conversation on climate change, we are highlighting EPA climate change research with Science Matters articles. Below, we share an article about how EPA researchers and partners are working to help protect wild salmon from warming water.
Helping to Protect Wild Salmon read more…
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
#swimsafe: Let’s Chat about Healthy Waters
It’s Recreational Water Illness & Injury Prevention Week! So let’s chat about how we’re using science to keep our water ways healthy. We’re thrilled to be joining The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s twitter chat #swimsafe on Wednesday May 22 at 2pm EDT.
We’ll be joining CDC experts Michele Hlavsa and Michael Beach to talk about how to keep yourself and your family healthy and safe this summer swim season and beyond. Our own EPA expert Tim Wade, a health scientist with our Epidemiology Branch will be fielding your questions about our research.
Learn more about his research investigating human health effects of waterborne exposures and new water quality methods at: http://www.epa.gov/neear/ and http://www.ehjournal.net/content/9/1/66.
Be sure to hop onto twitter, follow @CDC_NCEZID and @EPAresearch and ask questions using #swimsafe . Not on twitter? No problem! Post your questions for Dr. Wade in the comments section below.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
Ebb and Flow: Feeling Like a Yo-yo
By Sean Sheldrake
My previous blog posts have featured how EPA diving scientists support cleanups in the nation’s waterways. In this post, I talk about how our divers study the connection between groundwater and our waterways to support EPA cleanups. (Hint: it’s not a one way street!) Understanding which way groundwater is flowing is critical to implementing a successful cleanup—and protecting our nation’s waterways and oceans.
Groundwater: coming or going?
We all know storm drains connect to our waterways, but how about groundwater? In a given stretch of a stream, lake, river, or the seafloor, groundwater may be feeding the waterway—or the opposite—that stream, lake, river, or ocean could be losing water into groundwater in that location. The direction of the flow can change by the hour, day, season, and conditions (such as drought)—a reality of the interconnectedness of water in the environment.
Gaining or losing? Mapping out the flow to get the cleanup right
Determining whether a river loses or gains water from the ground is a big deal when devising the best course of action to take during cleanup activities, as we need to follow the contaminated water to wherever it goes. With this information, we can decide on important details, such as where to install caps in a riverbed to stop the flow of contaminated discharge, or how many and how fast pumping wells should be employed to move contaminated groundwater to a treatment plant.
Seepage meter installed by an EPA scientific diver near a Superfund Site in Lake Washington. Photo: Rob Pedersen, USEPA.
Making such a determination is an ongoing process. For example, in an estuarine river (the part of a river that is near the sea), this may take a lot of monitoring locations over time to know we’re choosing the right kind of cleanup. A lot of factors also need to be considered, including the location, direction, and volume of local ship traffic. EPA divers often must check various locations in the sediment near an active cleanup to determine where groundwater is discharging into the river—and vice versa.
Low-tech goes underwater
At some sites near marine environments, we use conductivity mapping to determine where groundwater discharge is occurring. Because salt water conducts electricity better than fresh water, we tow an array of electrical cables that measure electrical fields to produce a map of where fresh ground water is discharging into salt water. In other sites, we can use a more low-tech approach.
The photo above shows one such technique. Here, we use a five-gallon bucket, cut in half, stuck into the lake bottom. We then outfitted it with a sampling bag filled half way with water. We use this simple device to determine the direction of the water flow by noting what happens to the sampling bag. If it begins to empty we know the direction of water is OUT of the lake (and bag) and into the ground, and if it fills up, we know the water is flowing in the other direction: from the ground into the river. We can also seal the bag and bring it to our lab for analysis, getting and even better understanding of the rate of contaminant discharge into a lake or stream. Over time, divers come back to visit the site to map the wonderful complexity of water’s connections. The map allows us to understand the movement of historical pollution and to determine how to best conduct a clean up.
Read more about the latest in EPA scientific diving at facebook.com/EPADivers.
About the author: Sean Sheldrake is part of the Seattle EPA Dive unit and is also a project manager working on the Portland Harbor cleanup in Oregon. Sean Sheldrake serves on the EPA diving safety board, responsible for setting EPA diving policy requirements.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
Jacquel Caron Rivers and Arne Joi Saguni Nipales win the Patrick H. Hurd Sustainability Award, and will showcase their winning project at the National Sustainable Design Expo in 2014.
Today, EPA recognized the winners of this year’s EPA Patrick H. Hurd Sustainability award at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Arizona. Named in honor of EPA employee Patrick H. Hurd who helped establish the award, it recognizes students who demonstrate a commitment to environmental sustainability and stewardship.
Jacquel Caron Rivers and Arne Joi Saguni Nipales, both seniors at Baboquivari High School, Sells, Arizona were named the recipients of the award. Their project, “Total Solar Strategy for the Tohono O’Odham Nation,” uses solar oven technology for storing energy and heating the traditional adobe constructed homes used on the reservation. Rivers and Nipales were picked out of 1,611 student scientists and engineers competing in the fair this week.
“The student finalists of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair are finding innovative approaches to the world’s complex problems,” said Lek Kadeli, principal deputy assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Research and Development. “EPA is proud to recognize a project that is addressing environmental challenges in a more sustainable way.”
The EPA Patrick H. Hurd award funds the winning students (and a chaperone) to participate in and display their project at EPA’s 2014 National Sustainable Design Expo. The Expo features EPA’s P3: People, Prosperity, and the Planet (P3) Student Design Competition for Sustainability. Held each spring in Washington, DC, the National Sustainable Design Expo brings together P3 students, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and businesses that are working to create a sustainable future.
The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) is the world’s largest pre-college science competition, hosting more than 1,500 high school students from over 70 countries, regions, and territories. Students advance to it from several levels of local and school-sponsored, regional, and state fairs showcasing their independent research. The Society for Science & the Public, a non-profit organization dedicated to public engagement in scientific research and education, founded and runs the fair.
- More information about EPA’s participation in the Intel ISEF: http://www.epa.gov/ord/scievents/isef/
- More information about the Intel ISEF: http://www.societyforscience.org/ISEF/
- More information about EPA’s People, Prosperity and the Planet Student Design Competition for Sustainability:http://www.epa.gov/ncer/p3/
Forget about the blue ribbon and $20 gift certificate for the homemade volcano. These kids were bringing some serious science: biochemistry, electrical and mechanical engineering, environmental management, nuclear and particle physics, cellular and molecular biology, and medicine and health sciences—just to name a few.
–Patrick Hurd wrote in his 2009 blog entry about attending the ISEF, Science is Cool
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
#Biketowork: Who’s in?
My morning commute
This evening I’ll be inflating my tires, stashing a spare tube or two in my saddle bag, and laying out my EPA cycling jersey by the dresser in preparation for my favorite commute of the year. After waiting patiently and not-so-patiently for 364 long days, Bike to Work Day is finally upon us!
Whether you are using the organized event to join a commuter convoy and give riding to work a try for the first time, or if you are already a champion—like EPA scientist Mostafa (Safa) Shirazi who has ridden some 132,000 miles getting to work and back over the last 45 years(!)—Bike to Work Day is a great excuse to join in on the fun.
I’ll be rolling out for my own commute from suburban Maryland to EPA’s headquarters in downtown Washington, DC around 6:30 a.m. Like I did last year, I’ll stop periodically to “Tweet” highlights from my ride, and invite you to follow via @EPALive.
For those following or adding their own “Tweets” to the mix, I’ll be using #Biketowork.
The weather report for the morning is perfect, so if you have ever been tempted to join the rolling party that is Bike to Work Day, this should be the year.
In just a few more hours the ride will be on! Who’s in?
About the Author: EPA science writer-editor Aaron Ferster is the editor of It All Starts with Science. While he has a long way to go before matching the number of miles ridden by his colleague Safa Shirazi, he’s looking forward to the chase.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
By Lahne Mattas-Curry
Bayou country, located along the Gulf of Mexico, specifically Louisiana, has historically shaped the culture and the economy of the region. The Bayou—otherwise known as wetlands, swamps, or bogs—is an economic resource supporting commercial and sport fishing, hunting, recreation and agriculture.
Remember the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company? The shrimping business the fictional Forrest Gump started (and since inspired a real restaurant chain). Without clean and healthy wetlands, there’s no shrimping business, not in the movies and not in real life.
This month is American Wetlands Month and EPA is acknowledging the extensive benefits—or “ecosystem services”—that wetlands provide. From trapping floodwaters and recharging groundwater supplies to removing pollution and providing fish and wildlife habitat, wetlands improve water quality in nearby rivers, streams and lakes and even serve as a natural filter for our drinking water. They are the “kidneys” of our hydrologic cycle.
In Bayou Country, wetlands provide nearly all of the commercial catch and half the recreational harvest of fish and shellfish. They are extremely valuable to the region’s economy. Wetlands in the region provide the habitat for birds, alligators and crocodiles, muskrat, beaver, mink and a whole bunch of other important critters.
EPA researchers all over the country are looking at different ways to keep our wetlands clean and healthy. From nutrient pollution research and water quality research to buffers around rivers and stream habitat (“riparian zones”) and other green infrastructure efforts, scientists are ensuring that our wetlands can continue to do their work – providing a habitat, filtering out pollution, and supporting our economy.
This month, wherever you sit down to enjoy all the shrimp and seafood you can eat, remember that without healthy and clean wetlands, none of that would be possible.
For more information on how EPA scientists monitor and assess our wetlands, read here.
About the Author: Lahne Mattas-Curry loves clean water, healthy beaches and great seafood. A regular contributor to EPA’s It All Starts with Science blog, she helps communicate the great science in the Agency’s Safe and Sustainable Water Resources Program.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
Greener Cleanups at Hazardous Waste Sites
To continue the Agency’s efforts to expand the conversation on climate change, we are highlighting EPA climate change research with Science Matters articles. Below, we share how EPA is leading efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions during cleanup operations at hazardous waste sites.
Greener Cleanups at Hazardous Waste Sites
Rooftop solar panels power groundwater treatment at a cleanup site.
Superfund is the federal program responsible for cleaning the nation’s worst hazardous waste sites, from leaking landfills to contaminated soils at old factories. Superfund sites require a lot of energy to fuel pumps, heavy machinery, heating units, and other cleaning systems. This equipment can emit massive amounts of greenhouse gases (GHG’s) and other pollutants. Switching to alternative energy sources for even a portion of these fuel needs can dramatically increase a cleanup site’s net environmental benefits.
Thanks to EPA’s Smart Energy Resources Guide (SERG), Superfund site managers now have the tools for “greener” clean up operations. The guide covers techniques to reduce cleanup emissions in a process called green remediation, and can be used by any site remediation and redevelopment manager. It contains information on innovative approaches and new technologies for renewable energy and cleaner diesel-powered remediation systems.
“At the time SERG was released, no other resource like this existed for application to Superfund,” says EPA Superfund and Technology Liaison Michael Gill, who helped develop SERG as part of a Regional Applied Research Effort grant to EPA’s Southwest Regional office. Jennifer Wang, a student from the University of California at Berkeley was commissioned to research and write SERG, with oversight from Gill and EPA colleague Penny McDaniel.
The guide presents site managers with an overview of successful renewable energy technologies: solar, wind, landfill gas, anaerobic digestion, and gasification. These technologies convert sun, wind, or waste materials into clean energy onsite. The energy can then be used to fuel cleanup activities, routed to the electrical grid, and be a part of a site’s redevelopment.
With the information presented in the Smart Energy Resources Guide, managers can select the best practices for their site’s greener cleanup efforts. Examples of the impacts highlighted include:
- The Frontier Fertilizer Superfund site near Davis, CA now treats contaminated groundwater with solar power generated onsite, preventing nearly 120,000 pounds of CO2 emissions each year.
- Construction vehicles used to build a soil cap to contain acidic mine tailings at the Elizabeth Mine Superfund site in South Stratford, VT run on biodiesel fuel.
- The Camp Pendleton Superfund Site in southern CA also used biodiesel fuels in clean up operations, cutting emission of particulate matter, carbon dioxide and other pollutants.
- Microturbines that powered the groundwater containment and treatment system around the Operating Industries Landfill in Monterey, CA when it was in operation were powered by gases collected from the landfill itself. Instead of escaping into the atmosphere where they could contribute to climate change, the gases were a source of energy used to generate approximetly 70% of the site’s energy needs, a savings of some $400,000 per year.
The Smart Energy Resources Guide also details the costs, availability, applicability, estimated emissions reduction benefits, permitting, vendor information, funding resources, and success stories for each alternative energy technology. Efficiency strategies as simple as reducing engine idling are covered along with guidance for investing in advanced cleanup technologies for long-term environmental and economic savings.
A biodiesel-powered tractor
Cleanup sites adopt greener cleanup practices for a variety of reasons. Gill points out that, “some [cleanup] sites in remote areas are off the grid (e.g., mines). Renewable energy can be seen as a practical alternative to running power lines or using diesel generators for long term cleanups. In cases like these, SERG strategies are used almost out of necessity.”
The alternative energy resources found in SERG help advance energy conservation practices at Superfund sites and beyond, and have resulted in green remediation practices across the county. In addition, they have sparked the development RE-Powering America’s Lands, an EPA and Department of Energy joint venture focusing on renewable development. Any site manager can use the guide as a starting point to implement cleaner electricity and diesel practices for greener cleanups.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
By Dustin Renwick
People often invoke the Rubik’s cube as a metaphor for deep, multifaceted ideas. Although math supports the premise, the cube is still a toy with colored squares.
Human diseases, on the other hand, represent more intricate puzzles.
Take asthma, for example. May is asthma awareness month, and the disease affects an estimated seven million U.S. children.
“It’s a complex disease,” said Jane Gallagher, an EPA health research scientist. “We’re trying to understand the interplay between the genetic and environmental factors that we know are important to the underlying the pathology.”
To match the puzzle that is asthma, Gallagher worked with a diverse set of individuals from across the country that included experts from other organizations within EPA as well as academic researchers and post-docs – a team filled with “doers and problem solvers.”
Team members specialize in a range of aspects that contribute to childhood asthma, from genetics and behavior to indoor and outdoor air quality. With its collective expertise, the team examined relationships between environmental exposure, physiological markers, genetic susceptibility and asthma-related health outcomes.
Such a variety of knowledge meant the team could begin connecting the threads that run through the entire process of how asthma affects a child, a process called the “exposure-to-health-outcome paradigm.”
“We’re trying to integrate all those factors so the study is not so siloed or focused on only a few of the many factors that play a role in asthma,” Gallagher said.
Her team collected fingernail, blood, and urine samples to explore how genetic markers could relate to clinical indicators – for example, sensitivity to allergens or impaired lung function.
Peers in EPA’s Office of Research and Development voted Gallagher and her team one of a dozen Top Innovators during PeerOvation, an internal effort to recognize creative solutions and innovative ideas.
About the author: Dustin Renwick works as part of the innovation team in the EPA Office of Research and Development.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
To continue the Agency’s efforts to expand the conversation on climate change, we are highlighting EPA climate change research with Science Matters articles. This post features research exploring the health effects of climate change and older Americans.
Climate Change and Health: Lessons Learned from Older Americans
EPA researchers are exploring the links between climate change and health effects for older Americans.
Climate change is affecting a growing population of at-risk older Americans. Studies by EPA researchers and others find that seniors aged 65 and older are more vulnerable to hot temperatures and extreme weather events—effects which will become more frequent as the climate changes.
In a recent paper, “Climate Change and Older Americans: State of the Science” (Environ Health Perspect 121:15–22. 2013), EPA researchers reviewed the current “state of the science” about the links between climate change and health effects impacting older Americans.
The paper explores connections between what is expected to be an increase in the population of older Americans living in places relatively more affected by climate change. “Life expectancy has increased at the same time that we see a huge bubble of baby boomers headed into retirement. These demographic changes are happening even as the effects of climate change are becoming more widely recognized,” explains EPA economist and lead author Janet Gamble.
To assess the vulnerability of older Americans to climate change, the research team performed an extensive literature search. From more than 400 citations identified, they selected nearly 100 papers to review that most closely addressed key terms describing characteristics of the older life stage; their vulnerability to climate-related impacts, and their overall health and well-being.
Older adults comprise 13% of the U.S. population today, but are expected to account for approximately 20% by 2040. They are also a diverse group, with differences in age, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, degree of community or family support, general health or pre-existing medical conditions, and disability. These differences ultimately determine the extent of older adults’ vulnerability to the impacts of climate change.
In addition, location matters. “Older adults are retiring in areas, such as Florida, that experience a higher rate of extreme weather events,” notes Gamble, adding that more that 50% of older adults reside in only nine states, with Florida, California, New York, Texas, and Pennsylvania accounting for the top five.
Regions with higher levels of older adults, such as the five states mentioned above, are likely to be particularly at risk to changing precipitation patterns, tropical storms, flooding, and the urban heat island effect, a term describing the warming of urban areas relative to their rural surroundings due to the prevalence of buildings, roads, and other dark, heat-absorbing surfaces.
The report finds that older adults living in poverty or on fixed incomes are likely to experience greater exposure to some climate-related impacts, especially the effects of heat waves or hurricanes. Poverty is a primary contributor to social vulnerability, as financial status affects their ability to respond quickly and effectively. Older adults living in poverty can be more vulnerable to property damage and loss due to lack of insurance, limited personal finances, and poor credit worthiness. In addition, older adults living in poverty may not have transportation to evacuate an area during an extreme weather event and may live in substandard housing, also increasing their risks.
The authors highlight a number of measures, called adaptations, that may address such vulnerability.
Such adaptations promote effective community responses to risks thought to be climate-related and may include: community support networks, subsidization of air conditioners, and community-based registries to help identify and reach those who require evacuation assistance. Similarly, planting trees or installing green roofs can reduce the urban heat island effect.
Identifying effective adaptation measures and outlining the best ways to implement them continue to be a challenge.
When asked about next steps, Gamble states, “I think there is more work to be done in assessing the vulnerability of at-risk populations. As a first step, we need to communicate the climate risks experienced by older adults to decision makers, public health and safety officials, and caregivers and advocates of aging populations. Also, in the near term, it may be possible to build on and adapt some of the response strategies developed for heat waves and hurricanes and apply them to the broader set of climate change impacts affecting older adults.”
By investigating the relationship between climate change stressors and vulnerability to at-risk life stages such as older Americans, EPA researchers are helping to inform communities and others so they can be better prepared to protect human health.
Learn More
Climate Change and Older Americans: State of the Science (Online abstract)
EPA Research: Climate Change and Health
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
Around the Water Cooler: Sewage Science
By Sarah Blau
As a pre-veterinary student and a dog owner, I probably pay more attention than most to what comes out the tail end of my pooch. And yes, I’m talking about poo. Though it sounds gross at first, excrement can actually tell us a lot about the health of the poo-producer.
As I dutifully scoop the offending pile into a biodegradable bag, a brief glance lets me know if my pup is dehydrated or has any GI upset I may need to address. And when we go for our annual checkup at the local vet’s office, microscope analysis of a fecal sample will find worms or other heath risks I need to know about to protect my little girl.
So, why am I going on and on about egesta (aka, poo)? Well, EPA scientist Christian Daughton is dabbling with the idea that knowledge of a community’s health can be gleaned from community waste—or, sewage—in much the same manner that bodily health knowledge can be gleaned from the waste of my pup!
This fascinating new research concept is referred to as “Sewage Chemical-Information Mining” (SCIM). It targets analysis of community sewage from waste-treatment plants for specific biological or chemical substances broadly associated with human health or disease. In this way, scientists might someday quickly screen for and locate community populations that are possibly exposed to health risks or susceptible to disease outbreaks. It could also be used to rank communities in terms of overall health.
Daughton published two papers last year describing the unique concept of SCIM and the results of his work to date. This research is intended as a catalyst for future work by federal agencies and others, presenting an innovative way to measure, monitor, and protect public health.
So, as off-putting as it seems, don’t pooh-pooh the importance of monitoring waste. This ground-breaking method of analyzing community sewage for chemicals that can reflect community health has the potential to turn into a whole new field of science!
And this is what I’ll be thinking about as I scoop up the steaming present my hound will undoubtedly “pooduce” for me this afternoon – how brilliant our world is that so much useful information can be found in a stinky pile of…
About the Author: Sarah Blau is a student services contractor working on the Science Communications Team in EPA’s Office of Research and Development. She doesn’t often discuss poo around the water cooler – she finds it turns people off – but she does dispose of her dog, Cheddar’s, excrement on a daily basis.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
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