http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Carbon footprints are a familiar way to assess how green your lifestyle is, but now you can also measure your nitrogen footprint using a new tool, the N-Calculator. http://phys.org/news287823167.html Space & Earth Wed, 15 May 2013 07:52:56 EST news287823167 A new study shows clean-air regulations have dramatically reduced acid rain in the United States, Europe, Japan and South Korea over the past 30 years, but the opposite is true in fast-growing East Asian megacities, possibly due to lax antipollution rules or lack of enforcement. http://phys.org/news284213914.html Space & Earth Wed, 03 Apr 2013 13:19:01 EST news284213914 A spin-off of the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), SENSIA Solutions, has developed the first infrared camera for detecting sulfur dioxide (SO2), a gas that is considered one of the greatest causes of the acid rain generated by the energy, metallurgy, food and paper manufacturing sectors. http://phys.org/news281609689.html Technology Mon, 04 Mar 2013 08:55:02 EST news281609689 Surfaces with photo-catalytic characteristics clean the air off nitrogen oxides and other health-endangering substances. Using a new test procedure, Fraunhofer researchers can find out how the coatings behave during a long-term test. They will introduce the test at the booth of the Fraunhofer Building Innovation Alliance in Booth 131 / 135 in Hall C2 at the Trade Fair BAU that will take place from Jan. 14 - 19, 2013, in Munich, Germany. http://phys.org/news275240365.html Technology Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:39:33 EST news275240365 Buildings and statues constructed of limestone can be protected from pollution by applying a thin, single layer of a water-resistant coating. http://phys.org/news273854619.html Chemistry Tue, 04 Dec 2012 14:44:09 EST news273854619 A green revolution is sweeping across the car and concrete jungle of Mexico City, an infamously smoggy capital that was once dubbed "Makesicko City" by novelist Carlos Fuentes. http://phys.org/news272213510.html Technology Thu, 15 Nov 2012 14:51:57 EST news272213510 Climate change and extreme weather events grab the headlines, but there is another, lesser known, global change underway on land, in the seas, and in the air: acidification. http://phys.org/news271416753.html Space & Earth Tue, 06 Nov 2012 09:32:40 EST news271416753 The largest volcanic eruption on Earth in the past millions of years took place in Indonesia 74,000 years ago and researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute can now link the colossal eruption with the global climate and the effects on early humans. The results are published in the scientific journal Climate of the Past. http://phys.org/news271337921.html Space & Earth Mon, 05 Nov 2012 11:39:33 EST news271337921 One of London's most iconic buildings, St Paul's Cathedral, is safer from pollution eroding its limestone façade than it has been since it was built 300 years ago, according to scientists – but it might turn green in the future. http://phys.org/news269250554.html Space & Earth Fri, 12 Oct 2012 08:49:22 EST news269250554 Reality has not been kind to the large Chinese statue in Harvard Yard, but maybe virtual reality will be. http://phys.org/news269077920.html Other Sciences Wed, 10 Oct 2012 08:52:12 EST news269077920 Global warming is well-known for its effect on the climate. But it also poses a threat to the world's ecosystems. University of Toronto researcher Benjamin Gilbert wants to know more about that process. http://phys.org/news267777400.html Biology Tue, 25 Sep 2012 07:36:52 EST news267777400 Levels of sulphur dioxide in ports of the EU have been reduced by 66% as a result of European policies aimed to improve the quality of the air we breathe. Sulphur dioxide is a serious air pollutant that causes acid rain and also generates fine dust. This dust is dangerous for human health, causing respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and reducing life expectancy in the EU by up to two years. European research has shown that this reduction is a direct result of the EU Directive 1999/32/EC which required low-sulphur fuels for ships at berth or at anchor in ports and which came into effect as of January 2010. The findings were made by scientists at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) who measured key air quality parameters in Mediterranean harbours before and after the entry into force of the low-sulphur requirements in January 2010. http://phys.org/news264851945.html Space & Earth Wed, 22 Aug 2012 10:59:12 EST news264851945 An international research team led by the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Helsinki has discovered a surprising new chemical compound in Earth's atmosphere that reacts with sulfur dioxide to form sulfuric acid, which is known to have significant impacts on climate and health. http://phys.org/news263647491.html Space & Earth Wed, 08 Aug 2012 13:00:10 EST news263647491 (Phys.org) -- It took some 10 million years for Earth to recover from the greatest mass extinction of all time, latest research has revealed. http://phys.org/news257320509.html Space & Earth Sun, 27 May 2012 13:00:06 EST news257320509 Several decades ago, precipitation in Delaware was among the most acidic in the country. Pollutants in the air reacted with rainwater to sprinkle sulfuric, nitric and carbonic acids onto the ground below, affecting crops and ecosystems statewide. http://phys.org/news255260613.html Space & Earth Thu, 03 May 2012 11:20:01 EST news255260613 Scientists are facing an uphill battle to warn the public about pressing issues due to dissenters in their ranks who intentionally sow uncertainty, says a US historian. http://phys.org/news252245982.html Other Sciences Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:19:52 EST news252245982 A painstakingly detailed investigation shows that mass extinctions need not be sudden events. The deadliest mass extinction of all took a long time to kill 90 percent of Earth's marine life, and it killed in stages, according to a newly published report. http://phys.org/news247490252.html Space & Earth Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:17:45 EST news247490252 (PhysOrg.com) -- The number of sugar maples in Upper Great Lakes forests is likely to decline in coming decades, according to University of Michigan ecologists and their colleagues, due to a previously unrecognized threat from a familiar enemy: acid rain. http://phys.org/news245923652.html Biology Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:07:44 EST news245923652 A team from LATMOS/IPSL, working in collaboration with Belgian researchers from the Institut d'Aeronomie Spatiale de Belgique (IASB) and the Universite Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), have revealed the existence of a major source of formic acid from boreal and tropical forests. Formic acid is known to be the main cause of rainfall acidity in these regions. These results, obtained using infrared data from France's IASI instrument on board the MetOp meteorological satellite, are published online in the scientific journal Nature Geoscience dated 18 December 2011. http://phys.org/news243858562.html Space & Earth Fri, 23 Dec 2011 10:29:31 EST news243858562 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists recently discovered nitrogen that falls from the atmosphere in acid rain can influence large tracts of sugar maples in North America. http://phys.org/news242550522.html Biology Thu, 08 Dec 2011 08:00:01 EST news242550522 Emissions regulations do have an environmental impact, according to a long-term study of acidic rainfall by researchers at the University of Illinois. http://phys.org/news240681097.html Space & Earth Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:52:08 EST news240681097 Air pollution is changing our environment and undermining many benefits we rely on from wild lands, threatening water purity, food production, and climate stability, according to a team of scientists writing in the 14th edition of the Ecological Society of America's Issues in Ecology. In "Setting Limits: Using Air Pollution Thresholds to Protect and Restore U.S. Ecosystems," lead author Mark Fenn (USDA Forest Service) and nine colleagues review current pollution evaluation criteria. The authors propose science-based strategies to set new limits and put the brakes on acid rain, algal blooms, and accumulation of toxic mercury in plants and animals. http://phys.org/news240485314.html Space & Earth Mon, 14 Nov 2011 09:28:41 EST news240485314 Key gaps in information mean Canada has been unable to assess the impact of exploiting Alberta's oil sands, the nation's environment commissioner said Tuesday. http://phys.org/news237007862.html Space & Earth Wed, 05 Oct 2011 05:00:01 EST news237007862 Earth may be overdosing on acid - not the "turn on, tune in, drop out" kind, but the "kill fish, kill coral, kill crops" kind. And it's shaping up to be a very bad trip. http://phys.org/news236865130.html Space & Earth Mon, 03 Oct 2011 13:30:01 EST news236865130 The eruption of the Laki volcano in Iceland in 1783-84 set off a cascade of catastrophe, spewing sulfuric clouds into Europe and eventually around the world. Poisonous mists and a resulting famine from loss of crops and livestock killed thousands in Iceland, up to a quarter of the population. An estimated 23,000 people in Britain died from inhaling toxic fumes. Acid rain, heat, cold, drought and floods have been attributed to the eruption, which lasted from June until February. http://phys.org/news235836104.html Space & Earth Wed, 21 Sep 2011 15:05:23 EST news235836104 High in the sky, water in clouds can act as a temptress to lure airborne pollutants such as sulfur dioxide into reactive aqueous particulates. Although this behavior is not incorporated into today's climate-modeling scenarios, emerging research from the University of Oregon provides evidence that it should be. http://phys.org/news224162887.html Chemistry Mon, 09 May 2011 12:28:32 EST news224162887 (PhysOrg.com) -- The eruption of the Laki volcano in Iceland in 1783-84 set off a cascade of catastrophe, spewing sulfuric clouds into Europe and eventually around the world. Poisonous mists and a resulting famine from loss of crops and livestock killed thousands in Iceland, up to a quarter of the population. An estimated 23,000 people in Britain died from inhaling toxic fumes. Acid rain, heat, cold, drought and floods have been attributed to the eruption, which lasted from June until February. http://phys.org/news223295478.html Space & Earth Fri, 29 Apr 2011 11:31:45 EST news223295478 Team Sapsucker sped away in a minivan moments after midnight on Earth Day, ears perked and binoculars in hand, in a race to identify a US record number of bird species in a 24-hour period. http://phys.org/news222696284.html Biology Fri, 22 Apr 2011 13:05:03 EST news222696284 (PhysOrg.com) -- The eruption of the Laki volcano in Iceland in 1783-84 set off a cascade of catastrophe, spewing sulfuric clouds into Europe and eventually around the world. Poisonous mists and a resulting famine from loss of crops and livestock killed thousands in Iceland, up to a quarter of the population. An estimated 23,000 people in Britain died from inhaling toxic fumes. Acid rain, heat, cold, drought and floods have been attributed to the eruption, which lasted from June until February. http://phys.org/news221389613.html Space & Earth Thu, 07 Apr 2011 10:07:19 EST news221389613 Programs that allow facilities to buy and sell emission allowances have been popular and effective since they were introduced in the U.S. two decades ago. But critics worry the approach can create heavily polluted "hot spots" in low-income and minority communities. http://phys.org/news220675474.html Space & Earth Wed, 30 Mar 2011 03:45:14 EST news220675474