Testing the Waters: Investigating Questions About the West Virginia Chemical Spill

Amanda LewanDisasters, Water

Originally Published by NYT – Last week, the spill of an industrial chemical into a West Virginia river contaminated the water supply for 300,000 people, setting off renewed debate over regulating the chemical industry.
Below, we offer some ideas for teaching about this industrial accident, either by focusing on West Virginia alone, or widening the lens to include other industrial spills, inquiries into the water supply or regulation in general.

Vast freshwater reserves found beneath the oceans

EarthzineEarth Observation, Water

freshwater photo Published by ScienceDaily – Scientists have discovered huge reserves of freshwater beneath the oceans kilometers out to sea, providing new opportunities to stave off a looming global water crisis. A new study reveals that an estimated half a million cubic kilometers of low-salinity water are buried beneath the seabed on continental shelves around the world.

Mapping the Great Barrier Reef

EarthzineIn-Depth, Original, Quick Looks, Sections, Water

etso showcaseEOMAP and its partners have created a comprehensive digital map of the Great Barrier Reef. This is the first complete, high-resolution digital map to be made of the reef, and project participants hope that it will help to further research and preservation.

The Icy Origins of the Finger Lakes

Amanda LewanWater

Originally Published by NASA Earth Observation- Huge sheets of ice carved out the U-shaped valleys that hold New York’s Finger Lakes. When they retreated north about 10,000 years ago, glaciers left deposits of gravel that dammed streams and caused the depressions to become lakes.

Mapping the world’s largest coral reef

EarthzineWater

Originally Published by ESA – Scientists have used satellite observations to create a set of high-resolution 3D maps of the entire Great Barrier Reef – a critical step towards identifying, managing and protecting what lies beneath the waters.

English seas get new marine zones

Amanda LewanWater

Originally Published by BBC News- The government says it will create 27 new Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) to protect wildlife in the seas around the English coast.

Plastic Debris in Ocean Has Spawned a 'Plastisphere' of Organisms

EarthzineWater

Originally Published by Yale Environment – The plastic debris that litters the world’s oceans has developed its own unique and diverse microbial ecosystem, researchers report. The microscopic community, which scientists dubbed the “plastisphere,” includes more than 1,000 species of algae, bacteria, microscopic plants, symbiotic microbes, and possibly even pathogens, the researchers say in Environmental Science & Technology.