URBAN POLLUTION

Jul 02 2025ENVIRONMENT

Urban Mess: How City Surfaces Affect Water Quality

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...

reading time less than a minute
Feb 17 2025ENVIRONMENT

Los Angeles' Air: A Seasonal Breakdown of Pollution Sources

Los Angeles is a bustling city, but it's also a place where air quality can be a big problem. In 2023-2024, scientists took a close look at the tiny particles in the air, known as PM2. 5, to figure out where they come from and how they form. These particles are so small that they can get into your lungs and cause health issues. The team used fancy equipment to mea...

reading time about 3 minutes
Dec 13 2024ENVIRONMENT

Plastic Pollution's Secret Impact on Daphnia and Their Microbiomes

Microplastics, tiny plastic bits under five millimetres, are causing big trouble in our waterways. These little pieces are gathering in urban freshwater ponds, affecting creatures like Daphnia, which are vital for these ecosystems. Scientists looked at how microplastics affect Daphnia's health and the tiny communities of microbes that live on them, through both real-...

reading time about 1 minute