• In Pennsylvania, the U.S. mecca of fracking, more scientific research is urged

    Hydraulic fracturing or fracking is a controversial method to extract natural gas or petroleum from subterranean shale by using pressurized water to blast it open; proponents of fracking have noted its potential for helping the United States achieve energy independence while also stimulating the economy and creating jobs; these proponents have met stiff resistance from environmental groups that claim fracking can result in air and water pollution and have adverse human health effects

  • “Groundwater inundation” doubles previous predictions of flooding with future sea level rise

    Scientists published a study today showing that besides marine inundation (flooding), low-lying coastal areas may also be vulnerable to “groundwater inundation,” a factor largely unrecognized in earlier predictions on the effects of sea level rise (SLR)

  • Stunt kites raise wind power to another level

    Researchers are sending stunt kites into the skies to harness the wind and convert the kinetic energy generated into electricity; the kites fly at a height of 300 to 500 meters, positioned to be caught by strong winds; cables, about 700 meters in length, tether the kites to vehicles and pull them around a circuit on rails; a generator then converts the kinetic energy of the vehicles into electricity

  • New tool for incorporating water impacts into policy decisions

    Just-released paper offers policy makers innovative framework for linking human well-being and water quality; a new tool helps in assessing and valuing the many services clean water provides — from recreation and beauty to navigation and hydropower — and incorporating them into policy decisions

  • The world’s first circuit breaker for high voltage direct current (HVDC) will enable future DC grid

    A Swiss company solves a 100-year-old electrical engineering puzzle by developing the world’s first circuit breaker for high voltage direct current (HVDC); it combines very fast mechanics with power electronics, and will be capable of “interrupting” power flows equivalent to the output of a large power station within 5 milliseconds – this is thirty times faster than the blink of a human eye; the solution will help shape the grid of the future

  • Cleanup of most contaminated U.S. groundwater sites unlikely for many decades

    At least 126,000 sites across the United States have contaminated groundwater that requires remediation, and about 10 percent of these sites are considered “complex,” meaning restoration is unlikely to be achieved in the next 50 to 100 years due to technological limitations; the estimated cost of complete cleanup at these sites ranges from $110 billion to $127 billion, but the figures for both the number of sites and costs are likely underestimates

  • Scholarship program invites students to share their enthusiasm for math

    Raytheon Company is calling for submissions to its 2012-13 MathMovesU Middle School Grant and Scholarship Program. To participate, sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students nationwide are invited to illustrate the importance of math in the mission to Mars and in space exploration

  • Sandy’s damage in New York State could reach $33 billion

    Governor Andrew Cuomo said yesterday that the damage in New York state from Superstorm Sandy could reach $33 billion; a firm specializing in damage estimate had earlier estimated that Sandy might have caused between $30 billion and $50 billion in economic losses from the Carolinas to Maine; these estimates include property damage, lost business, and extra living expenses; Cuomo’s estimate, which are based on studies by experts in his administration, are likely push these figures higher

  • Cooler pavement materials could increase energy consumption in surrounding buildings

    A push to replace old, heat-trapping paving materials with new, cooler materials could actually lead to higher electricity bills for surrounding buildings; the new paving materials are designed to lower the overall temperature of the areas where they are used

  • Future warming likely to be on high side of climate projections: analysis

    Climate model projections showing a greater rise in global temperature are likely to prove more accurate than those showing a lesser rise, according to a new analysis by scientists at the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR); NCAR says that the findings could provide a breakthrough in the longstanding quest to narrow the range of global warming expected in coming decades and beyond

  • Intensive farming with a climate-friendly touch

    In the world of agriculture, climate protection and intensive farming are generally assumed to be a contradiction in terms; scientists have come up with a new land development concept that could change this view; the new model is tailored to medium-sized farms in South America and sees farmers transitioning from large-scale monoculture to more diverse crop mixtures spread over smaller plots interspersed with wooded areas — a switch that can bring significant financial benefits

  • Nor'easter batters NYC, New Jersey

    A nor’easter battered New York and New Jersey on Wednesday with rain and wet snow, plunging homes back into darkness, stopping commuter trains, and inflicting yet more misery on thousands of people still trying to recover from Superstorm Sandy; ordinarily, the nor’easter would not pose major problems, but this was not the case yesterday, as the storm hit an area where electrical systems were still fragile and many of Sandy’s victims still busy cleaning their homes and coping with deepening cold

  • MIT researchers develop method to help communities plan for climate risk

    As the devastation left by Sandy continues to reverberate, decision-makers at every level are asking: How can we be better prepared? MIT researchers developed a tool to assess regional risks of climate change and potential impacts on local infrastructure and planning; the tool helps policymakers, city planners, and others see the possible local effects of climate change, such as long-term temperature and precipitation changes, allowing local planners to evaluate risks, and how these risks could shape crops, roads, and energy infrastructure

  • Building material of millennium: Autoclave Aerated Concrete

    Although widespread rebuilding in the hard-hit New York metro region from Hurricane Sandy has not yet begun, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) scientists say when the hammers start swinging, it is time to look at autoclaved aerated concrete; the material, best known as AAC, has been heralded as the building material of the new millennium

  • Nanostructured material stronger than a speeding bullet

    Providing protection against impacts from bullets and other high-speed projectiles is more than just a matter of brute strength; while traditional shields have been made of bulky materials such as steel, newer body armor made of lightweight material such as Kevlar has shown that thickness and weight are not necessary for absorbing the energy of impacts; new tests of nanostructured material could lead to better armor against everything from gunfire to micrometeorites