Friday, December 03, 2004

[Arsenic] Bacterial sulfate reduction limits natural arsenic contamination in groundwater Kirk, M.F.; Holm, T.R.; Park, J.; Jin, Q.; Sanford, R.A.; Fouke, B.W.; Bethke, C.M. (2004) "Bacterial sulfate reduction limits natural arsenic contamination in groundwater." Geology 32(11), 953-956. Abstract: Natural arsenic contamination of groundwater, increasingly recognized as a threat to human health worldwide, is characterized by arsenic concentrations that vary sharply over short distances. Variation in arsenic levels in the Mahomet aquifer system, a regional glacial aquifer in central Illinois, appears to arise from variable rates of bacterial sulfate reduction in the subsurface, not differences in arsenic supply. Where sulfate-reducing bacteria are active, the sulfide produced reacts to precipitate arsenic, or coprecipitate it with iron, leaving little in solution. In the absence of sulfate reduction, methanogenesis is the dominant type of microbial metabolism, and arsenic accumulates to high levels. 9:23:52 AM Google It!    [Schools] A taste for science: Students use food to learn about pollution A cardinal rule in Amy Giroux's science class is "never eat or drink in the lab" ... unless you're studying groundwater contamination. The no-food-or-drink rule was set aside recently when Giroux's middle-schoolers at St. Mary's School in Spring Lake used breakfast cereal, maple syrup and powdered drink mixes to learn about groundwater contamination. The innovative lesson is part of an environmental science curriculum for fifth- through eighth-graders being field-tested by approximately 150 teachers throughout the state. [Source: Muskegon (MI) Chronicle] 9:17:37 AM Google It!    [Green building] The rise of the green building New buildings use design and technology to reduce environmental impact, cut costs and provide better places to work. [Source: The Economist] 9:15:17 AM Google It!    [Energy efficiency] Town may require energy efficiency Big new homes in posh Los Altos Hills could soon face a big new environmental requirement: Keep energy use below 25 percent of the maximum California allows for homes that size -- or generate 25 percent of their own power. The proposal -- which the Los Altos Hills City Council will consider today -- would put the town in the same league as Marin County, one of very few local entities with standards about home energy use that are stricter than the state's. [Source: San Jose Mercury News -- need a login/pw?] 9:07:29 AM Google It!    [Climate change] US Says No Plans to Sign New Climate Change Pacts Reuters - The United States, considered an environmental laggard by its critics, is unlikely to sign any new pacts on climate change at a key environmental meeting this month, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday. [Yahoo! News: Science] 9:04:03 AM Google It!

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