Air Pollution

Everyone knows that methanesulfonic acid is an atmospheric aerosol particle formed from the oxidation of dimethylsulfide which has been produced by phytoplankton. But what about the difficult stuff? When it comes to air pollution, you don't want to get left out in the cold. Here are some resources that provide lots of data, a glossary and relevant information from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).


Web:

http://www.coheadquarters.com/CO1.htm
http://www.epa.gov/docs/oar/
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/
http://www.shsu.edu/~chemistry/Glossary/glos.html
http://www.skepticism.net/faq/environment/clean_air/


Biosphere

The "biosphere" refers to the part of our world in which life can exist: from the surface of the Earth -- that is, the oceans and the land -- up about 10 km (6 miles) into the atmosphere. Obviously, this is an important area of the universe that we should understand. After all, all our stuff is here.


Web:

http://atlas.aos.wisc.edu/
http://ice.ucdavis.edu/mab/
http://www.unesco.org/mab/wnbr.htm

Listserv Mailing List:

List Name: biosph-l
Subscribe To: listserv@listserv.aol.com


Chemicals in the Environment

There are many chemicals in our environment that can be harmful to human beings, and it is important to be able to separate the truth from the myths. When you need real information, read carefully and ask yourself, "Is what I am reading credible? Should I believe it?" When you need to do research, start with these Web sites where you will find factual, scientific information about many different toxic chemicals.


Web:

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html
http://www.nsc.org/library/chemical/chemical.htm


Climate Protection Division

Would you like to help make the environment healthier? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Climate Protection Division sponsors voluntary programs for both individuals and companies. These programs are dedicated to conserving energy, reducing air pollution and solid waste, and minimizing the emission of the greenhouse gases (such as carbon dioxide) that may be contributing to global climate change.


Web:

http://www.epa.gov/cpd.html


Coastal Management

People think that the coast is all fun and sun with the ocean crashing against the beach and the sun setting across the water. Well, it's that very water that makes the coast so tricky to manage. And then there's that rumor that has been going around about California falling off into the ocean. It's enough to give anyone a headache. Fortunately, there are resources on the Net that deal with topics related to coastal management and resources, so there is a place to turn when it's time to come up with some revolutionary ideas in the coastal management field.


Web:

http://www.coastalmanagement.com/
http://www.netcoast.nl/


Coral Reefs

Coral reefs are limestone formations found in shallow tropical oceans where the water is over 22 degrees centigrade (72 degrees Fahrenheit). Reefs are produced by sea animals that secrete calcium carbonate (limestone), which, over thousands of years, builds up into massive formations. Coral reefs are part of the undersea ecosystem and provide important ecological support for coral as well as other animal and plant life. There are several types of reefs: fringing reefs which are platforms running contiguous with the shore, barrier reefs which are separated from the shore by an expanse of deep lagoon, and atolls which surround a lagoon. Although coral reefs cover less than 0.2 percent of the Earth's ocean-covered area, they create a living environment for a great many of the ocean's species. At these Web sites, you can read about all the things that coral reefs do for humans, and why we should save them from contamination and physical destruction.


Web:

http://coralreef.gov/
http://www.coralreef.noaa.gov/
http://www.coralreefalliance.org/
http://www.epa.gov/owow/oceans/coral/
http://www.mojones.com/coral_reef/
http://www.reefrelief.org/

Majordomo Mailing List:

List Name: coral-list
Subscribe To: majordomo@coral.aoml.noaa.gov


Ecological Economics

What does economics have to do with the environment? A lot. Environmental factors are often influenced, at least indirectly, by monetary decisions. Thus, it is important to rethink our approach to finance, resources and money in terms of environmental concerns, if we are going to be able to make wise political and economic decisions.


Web:

http://csf.colorado.edu/ecol-econ/
http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/ecology.htm

Listproc Mailing List:

List Name: ecol-econ
Subscribe To: listproc@csf.colorado.edu


Endangered Rivers

Rivers don't grow on trees, so it's a nice idea to take care of the ones we have. Here are some Web sites that will keep you informed about endangered and threatened rivers that are suffering from the effects of mining, toxic dumping, waste dumping, pollution and other human threats.


Web:

http://www.amrivers.org/
http://www.irn.org/


Environment Talk and General Discussion

Whether you just like to talk about saving the environment or you actually want to do something about saving the environment, these Usenet discussion groups are for you. Earth lovers all over the planet talk about various aspects of ecology and the environment. Discussion ranges widely, from helpful home tips to technical scientific topics.


Usenet:

Google Newsreader alt.desert.restoration
Google Newsreader alt.earth.crisis
Google Newsreader alt.org.sierra-club
Google Newsreader alt.save.the.earth
Google Newsreader alt.wastewater
Google Newsreader sci.environment
Google Newsreader talk.environment


Environmental Protection Agency

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the American federal government agency charged with protecting the public's health and the natural environment. The EPA Web site offers a massive amount of information about the environment: news, programs, publications, regulations, contracts and grants. There are also special resources for teachers and children.


Web:

http://www.epa.gov/


Environmental Resources

There are several places on the Net that are loaded with information designed to enhance cooperation among people interested in environmental activities. Would you like to save the world, but you don't have enough time? Let's start small. Hug a tree with one hand and, with the other, use your browser to connect to some of these environmental resources.


Web:

http://envirolink.netforchange.com/
http://spot.colorado.edu/~jobem/envrscs.htm
http://www.earthsystems.org/
http://www.igc.org/igc/gateway/enindex.html
http://www.rachel.org/home_eng.htm


Environmental Scorecard

If you are American, you may be interested to see how your congressional representatives rank on the National Environmental Scorecard. This ranking is created by the League of Conservation Voters to draw attention to voting patterns followed by individual congressmen and congresswomen. How did your elected officials do? One of my two senators -- both of whom are women -- scored high, with a 2001 ranking of 100%. Her previous annual scores were 86%, 89%, 88%, 100%, 92%, 100%, 100% and 88%. The other senator didn't do as well. Her 2001 ranking was only 75% (although that is a lot better than the Senate average of 46%). Her previous scores were 86%, 100%, 100%, 100%, 85%, 93%, 77% and 62%. (Maybe if she helped me pull all the weeds out of my backyard her score would go up.)


Web:

http://www.lcv.org/scorecard/


Environmental Search Engines

When you need to find data and information related to the environment, you can focus quickly using a search engine specifically geared toward environmental resources. Choose from many, many Web sites or archives, or perform a quick search on several databases at the same time.


Web:

http://www.eco-portal.com/
http://www.envirofind.com/


Environmental Web Directory

Here on Earth, we have more environment than you can shake a biodegradable stick at. But some days, it seems as if our large but limited supply of environment is being damaged faster than we can even understand. Is this true, or is the Earth capable of taking care of itself? Check the information on the Net and see what you think.


Web:

http://www.environmentaldirectory.net/
http://www.webdirectory.com/


Forest Conservation

Would you like to help protect forests? How about supporting biodiversity and indigenous cultures? If so, these sites are for you. Lots and lots of reference material relating to forest environments around the world. (However, to save disk space, information is restricted to only those forests in our local biosphere.)


Web:

http://www.fguardians.org/
http://www.forest.org/
http://www.forests.org/
http://www.newforestsproject.com/


Greenpeace

If the military is not your style, but you want a sense of adventure on the open seas, check out Greenpeace. Read up on ship movements, press releases, latest demonstrations and job opportunities, and see pictures and publications of this environmental activist group.


Web:

http://www.greenpeace.org/
http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/


Hazardous Waste

Every day, a lot of waste is created in the world. Most of this waste is burned, buried, recycled, or thrown away and left to decompose. However, a lot of waste must be handled differently because it is dangerous. For example, many radioactive materials and chemicals must be disposed of carefully to avoid contamination of waste sites and danger to nearby people. Unfortunately, hazardous waste is not always handled properly and, just as important, there is a huge legacy of dangerous material that has already been introduced into the environment and must now be cleaned up. These issues are important for us to understand on a global and national level -- to set policy, clean up polluted areas, and develop methods of dealing with hazardous waste -- and on a local level -- to ensure that people dispose of materials such as used oil and antifreeze in the proper manner.


Web:

http://www.clu-in.org/
http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/hazwaste.htm
http://www.epa.gov/radiation/mixed-waste/
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/


National Wetlands Inventory

The Net is great. You can check on America's wetlands without having to put on waders and slosh about in the muck. There is lots of information here, courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. You will find hard data, suitable for researchers, as well as links to resources for children and teachers.


Web:

http://www.nwi.fws.gov/


National Wildlife Refuges

Throughout the United States, there are hundreds of land and water areas designated as wildlife refuges. These areas are administered by the National Wildlife Refuge System, part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (itself a part of the Department of the Interior). The National Wildlife Refuge System looks after the conservation, management and restoration of the natural resources in the refuges, such as the fish, the land animals and the plants. When you visit the Web site, you will find an amazing amount of interesting and useful information, including a lot for kids. For example, do you know what to do if you find a baby bird? Put it back in its nest right away. Most birds can't smell well, and the parents will not abandon a baby just because you have touched it.


Web:

http://refuges.fws.gov/


Ozone Depletion

Whether you are a serious researcher or just a student looking for information for your term paper entitled "Our Friend the Stratosphere", here are a couple of resources that contain enough information about ozone depletion to keep you satisfied for a long time. The ozone layer, by the way, refers to the area in the stratosphere (about 15-40 km straight up) in which ozone is formed by the action of ultraviolet radiation (coming from the sun) on oxygen. The ozone layer keeps a lot of this radiation from getting down to where we live. If the ozone layer is thinned -- by pollutants, for example -- a lot of bad things might happen. Don't say I didn't warn you.


Web:

http://www.epa.gov/docs/ozone
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/ozone-depletion/
http://www.nas.nasa.gov/About/Education/Ozone/
http://www.ucsusa.org/environment/ozone.science.html


Planetary Events

Every day, several important planetary events take place. Use these resources to find out about current earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes and other important environmental events. If you are the type of person who enjoys keeping track of geological, astronomical, meteorological, biological and environmental events, use the Net and you will always be in the know. The Earth may try to run, but it can't hide.


Web:

http://www.osei.noaa.gov/
http://www.phschool.com/science/planetdiary/


Population Control

Some people call it population. Some people call it overpopulation. I guess it depends on whether or not you are sitting on the side of the bread with the butter. Should you be concerned about overpopulation? Take a look at the information regarding population growth, fertility and mortality, and see what you think. In the meantime, as you make up your mind, you might consider that in the time it took you to read this paragraph, 105 people were born and 44 people died.


Web:

http://www.ecofuture.org/populat.html
http://www.overpopulation.org/
http://www.popinfo.org/issues/
http://www.populationinstitute.org/teampublish/71_234_6...


Rainforests

A rainforest is a type of forest found in certain tropical areas in South America and Asia, where there is a lot of rain. The rainforests of the world are large and contain many different species of plants and animals. Although rainforests seem remote to most of us, they are important for several reasons. First, the large number of trees and other plants help balance the global climate, by contributing to the rain and water systems, and by storing and absorbing carbon dioxide. The wide variety of plants also helps us in other ways: as an important source of new drugs and chemicals, new types of foods (fruits, vegetables and nuts), as well as various valuable woods (teak, mahogany, rosewood, balsa, sandalwood). Unfortunately, the late twentieth century saw a significant portion of the rainforest destroyed as people cleared large areas for logging and agriculture.


Web:

http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/
http://www.rainforestweb.org/


Waste Reduction Tips and Factsheets

Here is useful information showing how to reduce waste and conserve resources. The focus is on source reduction and re-use rather than just recycling. Unfortunately, they left out the most important tip: buy Harley Hahn books in bulk, and never, ever throw them away.


Web:

http://www.pnl.gov/esp/greenguide/appe.html
http://www.rco.on.ca/publication/factsheet.html

Usenet:

Google Newsreader sci.environment.waste