Yale Environment 360
Yale Environment 360 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.
When told about flood risk, homebuyers shun vulnerable homes, study finds
When told about risks from flooding, prospective homebuyers were less likely to make offers on vulnerable properties, according to new research from the real estate brokerage company Redfin, which says that a growing awareness of climate risk could stunt home prices in flood-prone areas. “We now have definitive evidence that the risks posed by climate […]
Arctic lakes are vanishing a century earlier than predicted
Arctic lakes are drying out nearly a century earlier than projected, depriving the region of a critical source of fresh water, according to new research. Models had predicted that as warmer weather thaws the Arctic, melting ice would feed into lakes, causing them to expand. Eventually, as ice melted away, those lakes would drain and […]
U.S. drought- and flood-related crop insurance payouts have tripled since 1995
Insurance payouts for U.S. crops losses due to drought and flooding more than tripled from 1995 to 2020, according to a new analysis from the Environmental Working Group (EWG). “As extreme weather has become more frequent, the climate crisis has already increased insurance payments and premium subsidies,” the report said. “These costs are expected to go up […]
Flood risk for low-income housing in U.S. could triple by 2050
The number of affordable housing units in the United States at risk of flooding could triple over the next three decades due to climate change, to nearly 25,000 by 2050, according to a new study from the research group Climate Central. Low-income residents in New York, Massachusetts, and New Jersey are particularly vulnerable, with each […]
With multilayered approach, a filter to meet freshwater supply needs
In search of a better way to desalinate water, a Yale-led team of researchers has turned to swimsuit material for inspiration. Reverse osmosis, which uses membranes to remove unwanted salts, has been the gold standard for desalination and wastewater reuse. The challenge that scientists have run into, however, is that the material that best filters […]
New gold nanoparticle purifies water of difficult pollutants
Researchers have found a promising technology for clearing water of pollutants: a new nanoparticle that converts light to heat. Trace amounts of contaminants such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and perfluorooctanoic acid in sources of drinking water have posed significant health risks to humans in recent years. These micropollutants have eluded conventional treatment processes to remove them. […]
It takes two — a two-atom catalyst, that is — to make oxygen from water
The search for sustainable approaches to generating new fuels has brought scientists back to one of the most abundant materials on Earth — reddish iron oxide in the form of hematite, also known as rust. Researchers say rust has long been seen as a potentially attractive material for solar water splitting, a key process that […]
Will marshland keep up with rising seas? Study finds clues in the sediment
A new Yale-led study describes a novel methodology that tracks the inland movement of marshland by analyzing for microscopic fossils in the sediment, a process that might provide important insights into the future of these vulnerable coastal ecosystems.
How inland waters ‘breathe’ carbon – and what it means for global systems
A new Yale study reveals important insights into the factors that influence the release of greenhouse gases from rivers and streams, including a key relationship between storm events, ecology, and topography in moderating this release. The paper was co-authored by Peter Raymond, a professor of ecosystem ecology at F&ES.