CAS Researchers Working to Predict Future Climate Change
Findings could have implications for carbon cycling Harvard Forest in Petersham, Mass., is a more than 3,700-acre ecological research area where scientists have been carrying out experiments since 1907. Photo courtesy of Mark Friedl and Minkyu Moon. Forests’ role in absorbing carbon from fossil fuel emissions is important Researchers study spring’s timing to understand how […]
Winds of Change
CAS scientists look to coral reefs for how Pacific gusts influence global climate Diane Thompson extracting a core from a live Porites coral colony at Kiritimati in 2012. Photo by Elizabeth Wiggins. Winds in the tropical Pacific are poorly characterized, yet affect climate worldwide Scientists use the chemical fingerprint of winds captured in coral to re-create wind […]
BU Trustees Approve Aggressive Climate Action Plan
Effort prepares University for global temperature rise The BU Climate Action Plan adopted by the BU Board of Trustees recommends new building efficiencies, changes to renewable energy sources, and ways to make climate change a bigger part of the University’s curriculum and research. Illustration by Rubén D. Cerón Guevara (MET’19) and BU Metropolitan College Professor […]
CAS Scientists Develop ACES to Monitor Greenhouse-Gas Emissions
Tool will give cities data needed to reduce concentrations of carbon dioxide Lucy Hutyra and Conor Gately have developed a new tool called ACES, which provides fine-resolution data on CO2 emissions. A key to climate change regulation, says Hutyra, is monitoring emissions “in a robust, transparent, and reproducible way.” Photo by Cydney Scott. In June […]
NSF Awards $3 Million for Research Traineeship Grant
Will prepare a new generation of interdisciplinary scientists to tackle urban environmental problems Boston University faculty Lucy Hutyra (from left), Pamela Templer, and Jonathan Levy are leading an NSF Research Traineeship program aimed at providing graduate students the technical, policy, and communications skills needed to help cities address multidimensional environmental and public health issues. Photo […]
Yes, Harvey Could Happen Here
CAS climate expert Anthony Janetos on the causes, effects of extreme weather Harvey made landfall for a second time, striking southwest Louisiana early Wednesday. Moss Bluff, La., residents (above) rescue those stranded and retrieve items from flooded homes on Tuesday, August 29. Photo by Rick Hickman/American Press via AP. In the last week, Tropical Storm […]
The High Cost of Summer Energy Price Spikes
Cranking up the AC during peak electric hours will raise your electricity bill Forecast for the future: hotter summers, more peak power consumption, and higher electricity bills. Photo by Dan Logan/iStock. On one of the hottest days on record in recent Massachusetts history—August 2, 2006—the mercury hit 37 degrees Celsius (about 99 degrees Fahrenheit), with […]
CAS Prof Investigates “the Mother of All Gas Leaks”
Many sickened, thousands made homeless in California New footage released by the Environmental Defense Fund offers the first bird’s-eye, infrared view of the natural gas leak at the Aliso Canyon storage facility owned by Southern California Gas Company. Video courtesy of the Environmental Defense Fund. Of all the thousands of natural gas leaks he’s tracked, […]
Earth House Doubles as Environmental Classroom
New student residence teaches more sustainable everyday living At Earth House, BU’s residential program in sustainability, both the house and its director, Nathan Phillips, serve as instructors. Photo by Jackie Ricciardi. Vivien Chen takes a five-minute timer with her to the shower. So does Mark Holaday, and they both use watt-counters when turning on lights […]
A New Map for Greenhouse Gas
Novel tool can help cities meet climate change goals By: Barbara Moran Lucy Hutyra, Conor Gately, and Ian Sue Wing, from the GRS department of earth and environment, developed a new way to measure CO2 emissions from cars. The new system, called DARTE, could help cities combat climate change. Photo by Michael D. Spencer. The […]