Florida State University
Florida State University is a university that is part of the pulse of the water sector. Here we bring together everything it publishes on Smart Water Magazine: its news, its blogs and the events it takes part in.
Researcher helps discover how microplastics move for better storm water management
Microplastic pollution is a significant environmental problem that harms animals and people and affects ecosystems worldwide. These tiny pieces of plastic, smaller than five millimeters, are pushed by wind and water to move around the globe. Nasrin Alamdari, an assistant professor in the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is on […]
Long-term river chemistry study reveals how the Arctic is changing
A Florida State University scientist has helped uncover through a multidecadal study how changing water chemistry in Arctic rivers could impact the entire planet. The new research was published in Nature Geoscience by FSU Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Science. Professor Robert Spencer and a multinational team delves into how rivers in the Arctic are responding to the warming climate, […]
Researchers find decaying biomass in Arctic rivers fuels more carbon export than once thought
The cycling of carbon through the environment is an essential part of life on the planet. Understanding the various sources and reservoirs of carbon is a major focus of Earth science research. Plants and animals use the element for cellular growth. It can be stored in rocks and minerals or in the ocean. Carbon in […]
Researcher combines climate change and land use data to predict watershed impact
When rain falls, it picks up pollution from streets, farms and other manmade features as it winds toward the ocean. In the Broad Run watershed of Loudon County, Virginia, runoff travels through an increasingly urbanized landscape before reaching the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. In 2000, fewer than 170,000 people lived in the county. […]
Researchers find Greenland glacial meltwaters rich in mercury
New research shows that concentrations of the toxic element mercury in rivers and fjords connected to the Greenland Ice Sheet are comparable to rivers in industrial China, an unexpected finding that is raising questions about the effects of glacial melting in an area that is a major exporter of seafood. “There are surprisingly high levels […]
Ice loss and atmospheric water vapor biggest drivers of variation among climate models
A Florida State University researcher is part of a team that has found varying projections on global warming trends put forth by climate change scientists can be explained by differing models’ predictions regarding ice loss and atmospheric water vapor. The work will help climate scientists reconcile various models to improve their accuracy, said Florida State […]
New climate model helps researchers better predict water needs
New research from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering combines climate and land use projections to predict water availability, information that is crucial for the preparations of resource managers and land-use planners. “This research presented a new method that can be used to generate future climate data for the existing hydrological models,” said Gang Chen, a […]
Microwave treatment is an inexpensive way to clean heavy metals from treated sewage
A team of Florida State University researchers studying new methods to remove toxic heavy metals from biosolids — the solid waste left over after sewage treatment — found the key is a brief spin through a microwave. The method removed three times the amount of lead from biosolids compared to conventional means and could reduce […]
Researcher documents cascading effects of parasites on underwater ecosystems
Research by an evolutionary biologist from Florida State University has shown parasites have important and far-reaching effects on predatory fish and the ecosystems they inhabit. These findings, published this week in the journal Ecology, provide important evidence for the little-studied role of parasites in trophic cascades, which are powerful, indirect interactions that can affect entire ecosystems. “A […]