Cities are full of hard surfaces like roads and buildings. These surfaces can mess up water quality. A recent study looked at how organic stuff in water changes in cities. It focused on places like Xi'an, China. The study collected samples from different city areas. It found three main types of organic matter. One comes from soil and plants. Another comes from the a...

Hawaii's Big Island has two unique beaches: Papakolea and Richardson Ocean Park. They are quite different. Papakolea is exposed to the open ocean and has fine sand. Richardson is sheltered and has coarse sand. This makes them perfect for studying how microbes live in different coastal environments. Microbes are tiny organisms that play a big role in our planet's...

New Zealand's beaches are under threat from a tiny but significant problem: microplastics. These minuscule plastic particles have been found in beach sediments across the country, with a recent study focusing on three regions: Northland, Waikato, and Canterbury. The study aimed to understand the extent of microplastic pollution in these areas, using a method to separ...

Beilianchi Lake in China is facing a silent threat from pollution. This lake is a victim of both nature and human activity. The lake's sediments have been studied to understand the impact of these factors on the levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These are nasty chemicals that can harm both the environment and health. The study found that PAH leve...