Global warming predicted to hasten carbon release from peat bogs
Billions of tons of carbon sequestered in the world's peat bogs could be released into the atmosphere in the coming decades as a result of global warming, according to a new analysis of the interplay between peat bogs, water tables, and climate change. view more (2008-11-07)
Cosmic bogs @ the London Catastrophes conference
You may think that peat bogs are among the least interesting places on Earth and you could be right. But according to speakers at Brunel University`s `Environmental Catastrophes` conference, that doesn`t stop them being excellent recorders of catastrophic environmental events like volcanic eruptions and cosmic influx. According to Dr Lars... view more... (2002-08-17)
How green does your garden grow?
Scientists at the University of Plymouth have been developing methods to `close the loop` on waste and pollution, by finding waste products that can be used to improve soil / plant-growth conditions. At the Society for Experimental Biology conference in Swansea Dr Stuart Lane presented ways in which garden and industrial waste could be recycled to... view more... (2002-04-11)
Heavy metals in the Peak District -- evidence from bugs in blanket bogs
Bacteria that consume heavy metals have been found in some of the most contaminated parts of the Peak District in the Southern Pennines and may be changing the pollutants into more toxic forms that could leak out into reservoirs. view more (2008-04-02)
Northern bogs may have helped kick-start past global warming
Methane gas released by peat bogs in the northern-most third of the globe probably helped fuel the last major round of global warming, which drew the ice age to a close between 11,000 and 12,000 years ago, UCLA and Russian Academy of Sciences scientists have concluded. view more (2006-10-13)
Greenhouse gas from English streams
English chalk streams are less healthy than we thought and are potentially even contributing to global warming, said Dr Mark Trimmer at a Science Media Centre press briefing today. view more (2007-12-11)
Methane from microbes: a fuel for the future
Microbes could provide a clean, renewable energy source and use up carbon dioxide in the process, suggested Dr James Chong at a Science Media Centre press briefing today. view more (2007-12-11)
Study of guanacos launched in Chile
The Wildlife Conservation Society has launched a study in Chile's Karukinka reserve on Tierra del Fuego to help protect the guanaco - a wild cousin of the llama that once roamed in vast herds from the Andean Plateau to the steppes of Patagonia. view more (2008-06-11)
For peat's sake: Alternative growing media
Peat, or semi-decayed vegetation matter, has been used by commercial growers and amateur gardeners since the middle of the 20th century. view more (2009-09-08)
Methane found in desert soils bolsters theories that life could exist on Mars
Evidence of methane-producing organisms can be found in inhospitable soil environments much like those found on the surface of Mars. view more (2005-11-01)
Extending the life of fresh cranberries
Cranberries are tart, tiny fruits packed with powerful antioxidants. The small, red berries offer a wide variety of health benefits. Not only are cranberries a healthy, low-calorie snack, but they can also play a significant role in preventing urinary tract infections, reducing the risk of gum disease and much more. view more (2008-09-30)
Composted dairy manure in foliage plant production
Peat has been a major component of substrates used in container plant production since the 1960s. view more (2009-09-09)
Alternatives to pine bark and peatmoss identified for commercial, home gardens
Pine bark and peatmoss are the two most common substrates used for horticultural crop production in the southeastern United States, but both media can present challenges to growers. Reduced forestry production and increased use of pine bark as fuel and landscape mulch has made the medium less available, while the price of peatmoss is rising due to... view more... (2009-03-26)
Massive greenhouse gases may be released as destruction, drying of world wetlands worsens: UN
Leading world scientists convene in Brazil July 21-25 amid growing concern that evaporation and ongoing destruction of world wetlands, which hold a volume of carbon similar to that in the atmosphere today, could cause them to exhale billows of greenhouse gases. view more (2008-07-21)
'Hellish' hot springs yield greenhouse gas-eating bug
A new species of bacteria discovered living in one of the most extreme environments on Earth could yield a tool in the fight against global warming. view more (2007-12-07)
Paired microbes eliminate methane using sulfur pathway
Anaerobic microbes in the Earth's oceans consume 90 percent of the methane produced by methane hydrates - methane trapped in ice - preventing large amounts of methane from reaching the atmosphere. view more (2008-01-17)
Upland birds in peril from climate change
New evidence suggests that rarely studied upland birds may be as vulnerable as songbirds to climate change. view more (2005-02-01)
London's earliest timber structure found during Belmarsh prison dig
London's oldest timber structure has been unearthed by archaeologists from Archaeology South-East (part of the Institute of Archaeology at UCL). It was found during the excavation of a prehistoric peat bog adjacent to Belmarsh Prison in Plumstead, Greenwich, in advance of the construction of a new prison building. view more (2009-08-12)
For carnivorous plants, slow but steady wins the race
Like the man-eating plant in Little Shop of Horrors, carnivorous plants rely on animal prey for sustenance. Fortunately for humans, carnivorous plants found in nature are not dependent on a diet of human blood but rather are satisfied with the occasional fly or other insect. view more (2009-09-15)
Atmospheric Mercury Has Declined -- But Why?
The amount of gaseous mercury in the atmosphere has dropped sharply from its peak in the 1980s and has remained relatively constant since the mid 1990s. This welcome decline may result from control measures undertaken in western Europe and North America, but scientists who have just concluded a study of atmospheric mercury say they cannot... view more... (2003-06-10)
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