Earth & Environmental Sciences
Dr Mark D. Ohman – New Perspectives on Marine Ecology: Technology Informs Oceanic Carbon Models
The world’s oceans are responsible for absorbing large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping to mitigate its warming effect on the planet. However, the way in which marine ecosystems respond to temperature changes can impact the ocean’s ability to...
Dr Merari Feliciano-Rivera – Towards Sustainable Yam Production in Puerto Rico
Yams provide a staple food source in Puerto Rico, supplying an essential source of nutrients and fibre. However, pests and disease have been severely diminishing local yields. To tackle this problem, Dr Merari Feliciano-Rivera and her team at the University of...
Acequia Project – Empowering High Desert Communities Built for Change
The acequia communities of the southwestern United States build on traditional practices and knowledge to sustain community-managed irrigation systems. Interdisciplinary researchers from New Mexico State University, the University of New Mexico, Sandia National...
Dr Jill Slinger – Promoting Inclusion in Environmental Policy Development
Responding to global environmental change requires ongoing effort, and long-term success depends heavily upon the input of local communities. Moreover, if diverse viewpoints are included in policy development, then shared solutions and common goals are achieved. Dr...
Dr Paul Montagna – Nature’s Vital Signs: Using Bioindicators to Understand Ecosystem Health
The 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill was an environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico that may take decades to recover. In the immediate wake of the crisis, scientists began to study the developing effects of the spill. Dr Paul Montagna at Texas A&M, Corpus...
Dr Laurent Ahiablame – Balancing Agriculture & Urban Development with Water Management
Our vital water resources are under heavy pressure as the world’s population continues to expand rapidly. Coupled with challenges associated with climate change, the water management discussion has never been more relevant. Dr Laurent Ahiablame, from the...
Dr Amélie Gaudin – Resilient Cropping Systems for a Sustainable Future
Dr Amélie Gaudin at the University of California, Davis explores ways to develop more efficient and resilient cropping systems. Here we take a closer look at just a few of Dr Gaudin’s research projects, which aim to build multifunctional agricultural systems where...
Dr Nathalie Dubois – Lake Sediments Unlock the Past
People don’t often think about mud, but this valuable sediment can record history, especially when deposited in lakes. The study of such lake sediment is known as palaeolimnology – analysing the physical, chemical and biological information preserved in sediments to...
Dr Mark Hixon – Combatting the Lionfish Invasion
Lionfish are predators that typically inhabit Pacific and Indian Ocean coral reefs. In areas where they have been introduced, they have become troublesome invaders. Populations have spread and grown in some regions to the extent that they are wreaking havoc on local...
Professor KC Olson – Protecting the Plains: A Comprehensive Approach to Invasive Plant Control
Around the world, invasive species provide a major threat to global biodiversity. The Great Plains of the United States are among the most threatened ecosystems, where a noxious invasive weed is overpowering the native tallgrass prairies. Professor KC Olson and his...
Professor Friedemann Freund – Changing the Landscape of Geology: Forecasting Earthquakes
Imagine a world where we knew about earthquakes before they strike – days before a potentially lethal event. A world with an early warning system that would give us time to evacuate vulnerable buildings, to activate civil defence organisations, to minimise the loss of...
Professor Thomas Wilke – A Novel Tool to Better Understand the Diversity of Life
Completing the inventory of the Earth’s biodiversity is a huge challenge. Supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG), Professor Thomas Wilke and his research group at Justus Liebig University Giessen in Germany are addressing this challenge head on. The team is...
Dr Christian Brandes – Can Climate Change Cause Earthquakes?
Earthquakes arise deep within the Earth, usually as heat from the mantle and the pull at subduction zones move tectonic plates around on the planet’s surface, causing them to interact. Dr Christian Brandes and his colleagues at Leibniz Universität in Hannover, Germany...
Professor Ingo Kowarik – Tackling the Urban Biodiversity Crisis
The planet’s human population is becoming increasingly urbanised. This has led to reduced biodiversity in cities, which has brought all sorts of problems with it – from limited species variety to declining bee populations and decreasing opportunities for urban people...
Professor Qi Hu – Investigating the Role of Land Use in Climate Change
Land-use changes can have a significant effect on regional climates. Professor Qi Hu from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln uses climate models to study the interactions between land-use change, regional climate and large-scale atmospheric circulation. As our...
Dr Johanne Brunet – Buzzing & Blooming: Bee-Flower Interactions in Crop Production
Pollination by flying insects is often the forgotten key to high agricultural productivity. Dr Johanne Brunet, research ecologist at the USDA-Agricultural Service, is investigating insect-flower interactions, and their implications for crop production. Bees as...
Dr Ermita Hernandez – Revitalising Puerto Rico Towards Sustainable Vegetable Production
Currently, farming practices in Puerto Rico are largely unsustainable and little information exists to direct growers towards better practice. To address this issue, Dr Ermita Hernandez and her team at the University of Puerto Rico investigate sustainable management...
Dr Marcellus Caldas | Dr Melinda Daniels – An Interdisciplinary Approach to Water Management
According to the WHO, half of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed areas by 2025. Therefore, managing our water resources is vital, especially in a changing climate. On that front, an interdisciplinary team from Kansas State University, led by Dr...
Dr Peter Krzystek – The Future of Forest Mapping
Having good knowledge of forest structures forms the basis for planning and management, and assessing the overall health of a woodland ecosystem. Over the past 15 years, automated remote sensing techniques for monitoring forests have become more widespread, allowing...
Dr Wei-Chau Xie – Shaking Up the Physics of Vibration
Nuclear power plants may be some of the most secure structures in our society, but when subjected to earthquakes, they have the potential to cause major disasters. Dr Wei-Chau Xie of the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, is now developing algorithms for...
The Role of Policies in Managing Scarce Water Resources
Water scarcity and perverse policies may have severe effects on the environment, affecting society both directly and indirectly. A team from the Agrifood Research and Technology Center (CITA), the University of Zaragoza, the International Institute for Applied Systems...
Greener Pastures: Transforming Land Management Practices in the Cattle Industry
In the face of global climate change and challenges to sustainable use of renewable resources, farmers and ranchers are continually seeking best management practices that are economically viable and environmentally friendly. To meet this need, researchers at Auburn...
Professor Lan Xu – Turf Wars: The Impact of Invasive Grasses on Prairie Ecology
Grasslands are global biodiversity hotspots, but are severely threatened by agricultural expansion. In particular, invasive grass species can wreak havoc on wild grassland ecosystems. Professor Lan Xu of the Department of Natural Resource Management at South Dakota...
Professor Gerald Reeck – The Molecular World of Aphid Feeding
Professor Gerald Reeck and his team at Kansas State University are investigating the molecular basis of aphid herbivory, including suppression of plant defences, using powerful methods of molecular genetics. This research is important for developing new aphid-pest...
Professor Bernd Schierwater – Mother of Animals: Introducing the Placozoa
Who are we? Why are we here? And where did we, as humans, come from? Each of these questions is fundamental to understanding our presence here on Earth, and have over time led to a split in opinion amongst scientists. One such example of this comes from theorising...
Dr Lynda Deeks | Dr Chantelle Jay | Dr Laura Vickers – Working Together to Achieve a Better Future for the Horticultural Industry
The production of fresh fruit and vegetables, and ornamental plants, is often taken for granted. While producing horticultural crops and plants offers many societal benefits, it can also have negative impacts on the environment and even on crop production itself....
CSU – How Can Agriculture in the Colorado River Basin Best Address Pressures on Its Water?
Dr Rajan Ghimire – Sustainably Feeding Current and Future Generations
Sustainable food production in an ever-changing climate is high on the global agenda. Dr Rajan Ghimire from New Mexico State University is part of a community of scientists who aim to improve agricultural practices for greater crop resilience and long-term...
Dr Te-Ming Paul Tseng – From Foes to Friends: Exploiting the Agricultural Potential of Weeds
Dr Te-Ming Paul Tseng and his research group at Mississippi State University are investigating the biology and ecology of agricultural weeds to limit their damage to crops. The team also hopes to improve crop productivity by incorporating competitive traits from weeds...
Dr Grace Chang | Dr Craig Jones – Towards Low-Cost, Low-Impact Marine Renewable Energy
As we move towards a sustainable future, there is a growing interest in marine renewable energy technologies such as marine hydrokinetic devices and offshore wind turbines. However, the viability of these technologies and the potential environmental effects associated...
Dr Justyna Widera-Kalinowska – Collaborating for a Cleaner Future
The greatest challenges facing humanity over the next decades involve finding renewable sources of energy and finding ways to restore natural resources such as clean water that have been polluted by industrialisation. Dr Justyna Widera-Kalinowska of Adelphi University...
Ocean Tracks – A Journey Through the Ocean: A Modern Approach to Science Education
Research in the sciences is currently undergoing a massive transformation, as technological advancements shift big data into the forefront of investigative tools, and early education is looking for solutions to keep up. The Ocean Tracks program offers a structured...