PSU Sanitizes Hospital Sewage
Contaminants from pharmaceuticals, antibiotics, and steroids are becoming increasingly common in surface and drinking water sources, having an effect on human and aquatic health. To reduce this pollution, researchers at Penn State University have developed a filtration system that removes contaminants from hospital wastewater. One researcher on the team, Bill Burgos of Penn State, said that...
Read MoreSERC Phone App
Smithsonian marine biologists have launched Invader ID, an online citizen science project calling on people to help identify invasive species. The project started on the San Francisco Bay, where the majority of species identified by researchers are invasive. Up to this point, the team has used plastic tiles hanging from docks to see what organisms are there. Researchers pull the tiles up three...
Read MoreLost Mitten Crabs
Scientists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) are stumped by missing crabs. Back in 2006, a crabber caught a Chinese mitten crab, and shortly after scientist confirmed its identity, reports from all over, including as far north as the Hudson River, found hundreds of the crabs. SERC even set up a hotline to report the sightings as scientists braced for an invasion. They...
Read MoreSERC Open House
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) is hosting a free open-house for families on Saturday, May 19th. The event will focus on Chesapeake Bay stewardship, and hands-on activities in the water and on land. Some of the activities include a boat cruise, hay ride, archaeological dig, visits from animals like goats and birds of prey, phytoplankton views through a microscope, face painting,...
Read MoreBay Optimism Lecture Series
The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) hosts monthly lectures on Bay Optimism on the third Tuesday of every month, March through October. This month’s lecture features Amy Jacobs from The Nature Conservancy (TNC). On May 15th, Jacobs will give the lecture, “Clean Water, Healthy Habitats: Accelerating Wetland Restoration in the Bay,” and will be discussing how TNC...
Read MoreWelcoming Back Underwater Grasses
A landmark paper authored by a power-house of Bay scientists has rocked the Chesapeake Bay for the past two months. The paper looks at the long-term effects of nutrient reductions in the Chesapeake Bay watershed on underwater grasses, or submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV). It was published in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) and written by Jonathan Lefcheck,...
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