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Green Screen offers news and stories about global ecological conditions and monitors the events, research and trends impacting Earth's environment.
Whitney Campbell
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- May 31, 2013
- 12:12 PM
- 62 views
Loud and Clear: Marine Mammals and Military Sonar
by Whitney Campbell in Green Screen
Good conservationists, like all good scientists, know that correlation doesn't mean causation. Typically, they also don't make announcements that certain incidents have not occurred. Luckily, a team of Spanish scientists recently have made exceptions to the rules by suggesting a cause for a happy non-event: since a moratorium on sonar was passed in 2004 for the Canary Islands, no mass strandings of whales or dolphins have happened there.... Read more »
Fernández, A., Arbelo, M., . (2013) Whales: No mass strandings since sonar ban. Nature, 317-317. DOI: 10.1038/497317d
Fernández, A., Edwards, J.F., Rodríguez, F.,Espinosa de los Monteros, A.,Herráez, P.,Castro, P., Jaber, J.R., Martín, V., Arbelo, M. (2005) "Gas and fat embolic syndrome" involving a mass stranding of beaked whales (family Ziphiidae) exposed to anthropogenic sonar signals. Veterinary pathology, 446-457. PMID: 16006604
- April 22, 2013
- 11:18 AM
- 106 views
A Moment in the Sun for Biomimicry
by Whitney Campbell in Green Screen
Already inspired by botany, solar panels imitate photosynthesizing plants with their conversion of the sun's light into usable energy. Through this process, flowers and shrubs seem effortlessly self-sustaining, but designers of solar panels must innovate ways to capture with a cell what plants can innately.... Read more »
Dang, X., Yi, H., Ham, M., Qi, J., Yun, D., Ladewski, R., Strano, M., Hammond, P., & Belcher, A. (2011) Virus-templated self-assembled single-walled carbon nanotubes for highly efficient electron collection in photovoltaic devices. Nature Nanotechnology, 377-384. DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2011.50
Barr, M., Rowehl, J., Lunt, R., Xu, J., Wang, A., Boyce, C., Im, S., Bulović, V., & Gleason, K. (2011) Direct monolithic integration of organic photovoltaic circuits on unmodified paper. Advanced Materials, 3500-3505. DOI: 10.1002/adma.201101263
Shockley, W., & Queisser, H. (1961) Detailed balance limit of efficiency of p-n junction solar cells. Journal of Applied Physics, 510. DOI: 10.1063/1.1736034
King, R., Law, D., Edmondson, K., Fetzer, C., Kinsey, G., Yoon, H., Sherif, R., & Karam, N. (2007) 40% efficient metamorphic GaInP∕GaInAs∕Ge multijunction solar cells. Applied Physics Letters, 183516. DOI: 10.1063/1.2734507
Krogstrup, P., Jørgensen, H., Heiss, M., Demichel, O., Holm, J., Aagesen, M., Nygard, J., & Fontcuberta i Morral, A. (2013) Single-nanowire solar cells beyond the Shockley–Queisser limit. Nature Photonics, 306-310. DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2013.32
- March 25, 2013
- 11:55 AM
- 166 views
Clean Coal Gets a Sponge
by Whitney Campbell in Green Screen
Over the course of hundreds of millions of years, the combustible, black rock we call coal was formed from the vast peat bogs of flooded forests. For centuries, people have burned lumps of coal for smoky fuel, such that opposition to its pollution had been voiced as early as the fourteenth century. Today, as anti-coal movements emphasize a role in climate change and miners cope with unemployment, a novel, microporous material may challenge objections to coal by cleaning up its carbon emissions.... Read more »
Lyndon R, Konstas K, Ladewig BP, Southon PD, Kepert PC, & Hill MR. (2013) Dynamic photo-switching in metal-organic frameworks as a route to low-energy carbon dioxide capture and release. Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English). PMID: 23401101
Baxter PJ, Kapila M, & Mfonfu D. (1989) Lake Nyos disaster, Cameroon, 1986: the medical effects of large scale emission of carbon dioxide?. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 1437-1441. PMID: 2502283
Ahern MM, Hendryx M, Conley J, Fedorko E, Ducatman A, & Zullig KJ. (2011) The association between mountaintop mining and birth defects among live births in central Appalachia, 1996-2003. Environmental research, 838-46. PMID: 21689813
Hendryx M, Wolfe L, Luo J, & Webb B. (2012) Self-reported cancer rates in two rural areas of West Virginia with and without mountaintop coal mining. Journal of community health, 320-327. PMID: 21786205
- February 21, 2013
- 11:45 AM
- 216 views
Species Invaders: Assessing Pest Tech
by Whitney Campbell in Green Screen
Lately in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, Minnesota legislators have been heatedly debating the best plan for preventing bighead and silver carp from overrunning the state's reserves. Although there are now no populations of these or any other Asian carp species in Minnesota's waters and branch of the Mississippi River, a handful of the fish have been caught recently, with countless schools of non-indigenous carp teeming downstream in Iowa.... Read more »
Laws, E. . (1990) Use of silver carp to control algal biomass in aquaculture ponds. The Progressive Fish-Culturist, 1-8. DOI: 10.1577/1548-8640(1990)0522.3.CO;2
Hobbs, R., Hallett, L., Ehrlich, P., & Mooney, H. (2011) Intervention ecology: Applying ecological science in the twenty-first century. BioScience, 442-450. DOI: 10.1525/bio.2011.61.6.6
- November 16, 2012
- 01:02 PM
- 245 views
The Disposable Dilemma
by Whitney Campbell in Green Screen
Expendable objects were not innovated recently. Although washi are now linked to origami, for instance, people have been using the small sheets as disposable facial tissues since at least the seventeenth century, when the litter of Hasekura Tsunenaga's retinue reportedly surprised French courtiers. Similarly, around 200,000 to 400,000 years earlier, hominins near present-day Tel Aviv temporarily used flint flakes to carve meat, later startling archeologists with the "short-lived usage" of their discarded "meat-cutting blades," perhaps "the world's oldest known disposable knives."... Read more »
Liu, Q., Shi, S., Du, L., Wang, Y., Cao, J., Xu, C., Fan, F., Giesy, J., . (2012) Environmental and health challenges of the global growth of electronic waste,. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2460-2462. DOI: 10.1007/s11356-012-0923-z
Lubick, N. (2012) Shifting mountains of electronic waste. Environmental Health Perspectives. DOI: 10.1289/ehp.120-a148
Wang, F., Huisman, J., Meskers, C., Schluep, M., Stevels, A., . (2012) The Best-of-2-Worlds philosophy: Developing local dismantling and global infrastructure network for sustainable e-waste treatment in emerging economies. Waste Management, 2134-2146. DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2012.03.029
- September 17, 2012
- 01:41 PM
- 390 views
Leafy Green Power
by Whitney Campbell in Green Screen
Ever since his debut in the comic strip Thimble Theatre in 1929, Popeye has loudly touted his penchant for spinach and lauded its ability to impart strength. Although the sailor man backed Instant Quaker Oatmeal briefly in the 1980s — singing the jingle "I'm Popeye the Quaker Man!" — his devotion to spinach has been as steadfast as his love for Olive Oyl.... Read more »
Hernández, A., Schiffer, T. A., Ivarsson, N., Cheng A. J., Bruton, J. D., Lundberg, J. O., Weitzberg, E., . (2012) Dietary nitrate increases tetanic [Ca2 ]i and contractile force in mouse fast-twitch muscle. The Journal of Physiology, 3575-3583. PMID: 22687611
Leblanc, G., Chen, G., Gizzie, E. A., Jennings, G. K. . (2012) Enhanced photocurrents of Photosystem I films on p-doped silicon. Advanced Materials. PMID: 22945835
- July 26, 2012
- 01:36 PM
- 380 views
Coral Reef Relief?
by Whitney Campbell in Green Screen
When it is this hot outside, there really is no place I'd rather be than at the beach, and I'm not alone. During the sweltering days of summer, heaps of people beat the heat by heading to the nearest sandy coast. Some may even take the plunge to scuba dive and snorkel in the shallows of coral reefs, endlessly surprising with their whimsical forms and colorful marine life. But how do coral reefs themselves handle hotness? With rising temperatures consistently being reported for oceans everywhere,1 how will our coral fare in warmer waters?... Read more »
Roemmich, D., Gould, W.J. . (2012) 135 years of global ocean warming between the Challenger expedition and the Argo Programme. Nature Climate Change, 425-428. DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1461
Toth, L. T., Aronson, R. B., Vollmer S. V., Hobbs, J. W., Urrego, D. H., . (2012) ENSO drove 2500-year collapse of eastern Pacific coral reefs. Science, 81-84. PMID: 22767927
Selig, E. R., Casey, K. S., . (2012) Temperature-driven coral decline: the role of marine protected areas. Global Change Biology, 1561-1570. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02658.x
- June 25, 2012
- 12:14 PM
- 374 views
S.O.S. Save Our Seagrass
by Whitney Campbell in Green Screen
As this year's United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development concluded in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, yesterday, it seemed that many participants and attendees were frustrated by the meeting's final agreement.1,2 Often referred to as the Rio 20 Earth Summit, these talks among nearly 100 world leaders appear to have resulted in a weak consensus and the backing of a declaration that lacks structures for implementation and neglects many urgent environmental concerns.... Read more »
Fourqurean, J. W., Duarte, C. M., Kennedy, H., Marbà, N., Holmer, M., Mateo, M. A., Apostolaki, E. T., Kendrick, G. A., Krause-Jensen, D., McGlathery, K. J. . (2012) Seagrass ecosystems as a globally significant carbon stock. Nature Geoscience,. DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1477
Lewis, S. L., Lopez-Gonzalez, G., Sonké, B., Affum-Baffoe, K., Baker, T. R., Ojo, L. O., Phillips, O. L., Reitsma, J. M., White, L., Comiskey, J. A., Djuikouo K, M. N., Ewango, C. E. N., Feldpausch, T. R., Hamilton, A. C., Gloor, M., Hart, T., Hladik, A. (2009) Increasing carbon storage in intact African tropical forests. . Nature, 1003-1006. DOI: 10.1088/1755-1307/6/8/082009
- May 8, 2012
- 11:44 AM
- 478 views
Buzz Kill? Bee Populations and Pesticides
by Whitney Campbell in Green Screen
A swarm of studies have recently been released concerning Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), and considering the serious implications of their findings, it's all of our beeswax. These experiments, including two published in Science1,2 and one forthcoming from the Bulletin of Insectology,3 demonstrate the threat to hive survival stemming from a class of insecticides called neonicotinoids. Individually, I think each study is convincing, but when taken together, the consensus provides overwhelming support as to the harms of neonicotinoids and their possible role in the rash of mysterious bee deaths that gave rise to the term CCD in late 2006.... Read more »
Henry, M., Béguin, M., Requier, F., Rollin, O., Odoux, J.F., Aupinel, P., Aptel, J., Tchamitchian, S., . (2012) A common pesticide decreases foraging success and survival in honey bees. Science, 348-350. PMID: 22461498
Whitehorn, P.R., O'Connor, S., Wackers F.L., . (2012) Neonicotinoid pesticide reduces bumble bee colony growth and queen production. Science, 351-2. PMID: 22461500
- March 26, 2012
- 11:43 AM
- 519 views
Bioplastics in Bloom
by Whitney Campbell in Green Screen
When imagining the world without a dependence on petroleum, I tend to think of objects like solar panels, electric cars, and wind turbines — the things that could potentially replace the parts of the current oil-energy infrastructure. But what about the other items made from petroleum that could be replaced by alternative materials? What about bicycle tires, nail polishes, compact discs, surf boards, lipsticks, tool boxes, and shower curtains?... Read more »
Torres Galvis, H., Bitter, J., Khare, C., Ruitenbeek, M., Dugulan, A., . (2012) Supported iron nanoparticles as catalysts for sustainable production of lower olefins. Science, 835-838. DOI: 10.1126/science.1215614
- December 8, 2011
- 03:40 PM
- 521 views
Turning Over a New Leaf
by Whitney Campbell in Green Screen
Autumn's leaves have mostly fallen here in Brooklyn, but nearby at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Daniel Nocera and his colleagues are making foliage they hope will have a long future. Instead of a natural leaf's tissues, chloroplasts, and vascular structures, these artificial leaves are each made from a thin sheet of semiconducting silicon with different materials bound to either side: a nickel-molybdenum-zinc alloy on one surface and a cobalt-based catalyst on the other. ... Read more »
Reece, S.Y., Hamel J.A., Sung, K., Jarvi , T.D., Esswein, A.J., Pijpers, J.J. . (2011) Wireless solar water splitting using silicon-based semiconductors and earth-abundant catalysts. Science, 645-648. PMID: 21960528
Kanan, M. . (2008) In Situ formation of an oxygen-evolving catalyst in neutral water containing phosphate and Co2 . . Science, 1072-1075. DOI: 10.1126/science.1162018
Dincă M., Surendranath Y. . (2010) Nickel-borate oxygen-evolving catalyst that functions under benign conditions. PNAS, 10337-10341. PMID: 20457931
- November 14, 2011
- 01:42 PM
- 492 views
Climate Change Heats Up
by Whitney Campbell in Green Screen
Every couple of years since 1988, the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) of the United Nations (UN) has released an assessment on the status of global warming. I remember first reading about the IPCC in 2007 — the year the organization co-won the Nobel Peace Prize with former US Vice President Al Gore — so my attention was piqued when I heard hundreds of scientists would be meeting to discuss their upcoming report on global warming in Kampala, Uganda, next week. Their 2007 report had stated that the "[w]arming of the climate system is unequivocal" ... Read more »
Sheridan, J. . (2011) Shrinking body size as an ecological response to climate change. Nature Climate Change, 401-406. DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1259
Barnett, J. . (2007) Climate change, human security and violent conflict. Political Geography, 639-655. DOI: 10.1016/j.polgeo.2007.03.003
- August 26, 2011
- 12:03 PM
- 911 views
The Comeback Cove
by Whitney Campbell in Green Screen
Great news for conservation is always exciting, so when I read about a remarkable wildlife rebound in this month's issue of PLoS ONE, I couldn't resist sharing it here. ... Read more »
Aburto-Oropeza, O., Erisman, B., Galland, G., Mascareñas-Osorio, I., Sala, E., . (2011) Large recovery of fish biomass in a no-take marine reserve. PLoS ONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0023601
Sergio, F., Newton, I., Marchesi, L., , & Pedrini, P. (2006) Ecologically justified charisma: Preservation of top predators delivers biodiversity conservation. Journal of Applied Ecology, 1049-1055. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2006.01218.x
Roberts, C.M., Bohnsack, J.A., Gell, F., Hawkins, J.P., . (2001) Effects of marine reserves on adjacent fisheries. Science, 1920-1923. DOI: 10.1126/science.294.5548.1920
- July 18, 2011
- 03:35 AM
- 803 views
Microalgae: The Next Big Thing In Green Power?
by Whitney Campbell in Green Screen
When German botanist Friderico T. Kützing first described the microalga Botryococcus braunii in the 1849 book Species Algarum, I doubt he expected that 150 years later scientists would still be exploring its potential. It's equally probable he didn't anticipate the alga's significance for renewable energy either, which I was rather surprised to learn about myself.... Read more »
Niehaus, T.D., Okada, S., Devarenne, T.P., Watt, D.S., Sviripa, V., . (2011) Identification of unique mechanisms for triterpene biosynthesis in Botryococcus braunii. PNAS. PMID: 21746901
Schenk, P., Thomas-Hall, S., Stephens, E., Marx, U., Mussgnug, J., Posten, C., & Kruse, O., . (2008) Second generation biofuels: High-efficiency microalgae for biodiesel production. BioEnergy Research, 20-43. DOI: 10.1007/s12155-008-9008-8
- June 30, 2011
- 03:30 PM
- 564 views
The Fracking Fracas
by Whitney Campbell in Green Screen
An emerging technique for extracting natural gas from shale is revealing some ideological fissures among US policymakers, while what is known about its environmental impact is shaky at best. ... Read more »
Osborn, S.G., Vengosh, A., Warner, N.R., . (2011) Methane contamination of drinking water accompanying gas-well drilling and hydraulic fracturing. PNAS, 8172-8176. PMID: 21555547
- November 30, 1999
- 12:00 AM
- 549 views
The Comeback Cove
by Whitney Campbell in Green Screen
Great news for conservation is always exciting, so when I read about a remarkable wildlife rebound in this month's issue of PLoS ONE, I couldn't resist sharing it here. ... Read more »
Aburto-Oropeza, O., Erisman, B., Galland, G., Mascareñas-Osorio, I., Sala, E., . (2011) Large recovery of fish biomass in a no-take marine reserve. PLoS ONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0023601
Sergio, F., Newton, I., Marchesi, L., , & Pedrini, P. (2006) Ecologically justified charisma: Preservation of top predators delivers biodiversity conservation. Journal of Applied Ecology, 1049-1055. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2006.01218.x
Roberts, C.M., Bohnsack, J.A., Gell, F., Hawkins, J.P., . (2001) Effects of marine reserves on adjacent fisheries. Science, 1920-1923. DOI: 10.1126/science.294.5548.1920
- November 30, 1999
- 12:00 AM
- 321 views
Bioplastics in Bloom
by Whitney Campbell in Green Screen
When imagining the world without a dependence on petroleum, I tend to think of objects like solar panels, electric cars, and wind turbines — the things that could potentially replace the parts of the current oil-energy infrastructure. But what about the other items made from petroleum that could be replaced by alternative materials? What about bicycle tires, nail polishes, compact discs, surf boards, lipsticks, tool boxes, and shower curtains?... Read more »
Torres Galvis, H., Bitter, J., Khare, C., Ruitenbeek, M., Dugulan, A., . (2012) Supported iron nanoparticles as catalysts for sustainable production of lower olefins. Science, 835-838. DOI: 10.1126/science.1215614
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