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Wetlands capture more carbon than earlier thought
New study shows that wetlands in temperate regions are more valuable as carbon sinks than current policies imply; the study found that the stagnant wetland had an average carbon storage rate per year that is almost twice as high as the carbon storage rate of the flow-through wetland
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New concrete corrosion sensors developed
Scientists have made a major breakthrough in developing sensors which dramatically improve the ability to spot early warning signs of corrosion in concrete
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Nuclear plant safety questions amid U.S. House primary
The Davis-Besse nuclear reactor is quickly becoming a key issue in the upcoming 6 March primaries in one Ohio Congressional district that has two senior Democratic representatives facing off against one another as a result of the 2010 census and new district maps
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Hackers attack U.S. railways
Last month hackers took control of passenger rail lines in the Northwest, disrupting signals twice and creating delays
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New material removes radioactive gas from spent nuclear fuel
Worldwide efforts to produce clean, safe nuclear energy and reduce radioactive waste are aided by researchers who showed that metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) can be used to capture and remove volatile radioactive gas from spent nuclear fuel
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Restored wetlands rarely equal condition of original wetlands
Wetlands provide many societal benefits such as biodiversity conservation, fish production, water purification, erosion control, carbon storage; along the coast, they also serve as natural barrier which moderate and slow down hurricanes as the hit land; a new analysis of restoration projects shows that restored wetlands seldom reach the quality of a natural wetland
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Helping utilities predict service life of pipeline infrastructure
Scientists develop regression models to help utility companies predict the service life of wastewater pipeline infrastructure and take an active approach to pipeline replacements and maintenance
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U.K. opens first marine energy park
Energy from the waves or tides has the potential to generate up to 27 GW of power in the United Kingdom alone by 2050, equivalent to the power generated from eight coal-fired power stations
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Critical flaws in SCADA give hackers edge
In an effort to improve critical cybersecurity flaws in industrial control systems, last week researchers released exploit modules that take advantage of security gaps in six major control systems, but in doing so, have made it easy for hackers to infiltrate these systems as none of them have been patched or taken offline
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Infrastructure security market to see robust growth
A combination of ageing infrastructure, smart grid adoption, rising compliance and regulations, and utilities becoming a target for criminal exploitation has created a robust growth in the utility infrastructure security market
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Booz Allen calls for greater critical infrastructure investment
In advance of President Obama’s State of the Union Address, defense contractor Booz Allen is urging the president to focus on critical infrastructure investment
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GAO: critical infrastructure operators need more coherent regulations
A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that the bulk of U.S. critical infrastructure is inadequately protected as operators lack a coherent set of guidelines
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Mysterious flotsam in Gulf came from Deepwater Horizon rig
Scientists track debris from damaged oil rigs, helping forecast coastal impacts in the future
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Slowing down sea-level rise vs. reducing surface temperature change rate
Scientists say that reducing the amount of solar radiation hitting Earth (for example, by satellites that block the sun, making the Earth’s surface more reflective, or emulating the effects of volcanoes by placing aerosol particles in the upper atmosphere) would be a cheaper way to halt or reverse climate change than reducing carbon dioxide emissions
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Water pumps and terrorism-related information sharing systems
With thousands of local law enforcement agencies, critical infrastructure operators, and concerned citizens reporting suspicious incidents, Homeland Security officials are inundated with data; effectively sorting through that information is a problem, as was illustrated last November by a report that a water pump at an Illinois water utility was broken by Russian hackers; the preliminary report caused panic about U.S. infrastructure vulnerability, but ultimately proved incorrect; it took more than a week for federal investigators to reach its conclusion, showing DHS ongoing problems with streamlining information sharing processes with its Fusion Centers
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More headlines
The long view
Falling Space Debris: How High Is the Risk I'll Get Hit?
An International Space Station battery fell back to Earth and, luckily, splashed down harmlessly in the Atlantic. Should we have worried? Space debris reenters our atmosphere every week.
Using Drone Swarms to Fight Forest Fires
Forest fires are becoming increasingly catastrophic across the world, accelerated by climate change. Researchers are using multiple swarms of drones to tackle natural disasters like forest fires.
Strengthening the Grid’s ‘Backbone’ with Hydropower
Argonne-led studies investigate how hydropower could help add more clean energy to the grid, how it generates value as grids add more renewable energy, and how liner technology can improve hydropower efficiency.
LNG Exports Have Had No Impact on Domestic Energy Costs: Analysis
U.S. liquified natural gas (LNG) exports have not had any sustained and significant direct impact on U.S. natural gas prices and have, in fact, spurred production and productivity gains, which contribute to downward pressure on domestic prices.