The effects, intentional or unintentional, beneficial or harmful, direct or indirect, which human activities have upon the environment and living things.
Explains biological soil crusts, organism-produced soil formations commonly found in semiarid and arid environments, with special reference to their biological composition, physical characteristics, and ecological significance.
Fact sheet on the need to protect biological soil crusts in the desert. These crusts are most of the soil surface in deserts not covered by green plants and are inhabited by cyanobacterium (blue-green algae) and other organisms useful to the ecosystem.
Boston Harbor/Massachusetts Bay Studies research project conducted as part of Boston Harbor cleanup to predict the fate of contaminants and sediments introduced to Massachusetts' coastal waters from sources that include Boston sewage outfall.
Pavement sealant contains chemicals that are known carcinogens, which get into nearby homes, lakes, and the air. Sealants based on coal tar release more dangerous chemicals than those based on asphalt.
Proposed removal of dams will change the characteristics of stream flow and will affect fish that swim upstream to spawn. A mathematical model of the river flow tells us where the likely problems will be located and how the flow will change.
With the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, USGS is drilling a deep geologic test well to learn about the regional Floridan aquifer, which provides groundwater to the Hilton Head area.