74 Items Tagged

Pollution

World War I impact craters, Verdun, 2005.

Plants, Heavy Metals, and the Lingering Scars of World War I

A closer look at the hardy residents of some of our most damaged landscapes.

Cal Flyn August 10, 2021

Many animals ensnared in trash don't have long to live, but this one appears to have adapted.

How Could a Crocodile Spend Years Cinched By a Tire?

One in Indonesia has been carrying a rubber ring since at least 2016. Here’s how the litter might be affecting the animal’s life.

Jessica Leigh Hester February 9, 2022

The pipes from the front

Kingston, Ontario

'Pollution'

This sculpture was made in 1973 for the city's 300th-anniversary celebrations and was largely considered an eyesore at the time.

The muddy shores of Lake Uru Uru in Bolivia are awash in bright sunset colors, a sign of the lake's dire straits.

In the Andes, Bright Colors Tell the Dark Story of a Dying Lake

Bolivia's Lake Uru Uru faces an uncertain future: a growing city, toxic runoff, and drought worsened by climate change.

Gemma Tarlach May 3, 2021

The Gowanus: kinda picturesque, but also terribly polluted since the 19th century.

Brooklyn's Putrid, Beloved Gowanus Canal Has Been a Horror for Centuries

A new $1.5 billion cleanup effort is underway, targeting its "black mayonnaise" of pollutants.

Jessica Leigh Hester January 14, 2021

Plastics appear in water and on shorelines all over the world. Microplastics—shards less than five millimeters long—are even turning up in the cases that some aquatic larvae make to protect themselves.

These Bugs Armor Themselves in Tiny Shards of Colorful Trash

Caddisfly larvae are adapting to polluted waterways, but their recycling strategy has its drawbacks.

Jessica Leigh Hester May 13, 2020

Mill, Butte, And Mountains

Boulder, Colorado

Valmont Butte

This now-abandoned outcrop is an important Native American spiritual site, overtaken by European settlers and mining pollution.

Memorial to the Victims of Air Pollution

Down this Cracovian street resides a plaque with a stark message about the city's air pollution.

At Marina Beach in Chennai, visitors waded into the foam.

How Frothy Waves of Sea Foam Coated the Coast of Chennai

Don't play in the bubbles.

Jessica Leigh Hester December 5, 2019

If you squint, you might just see the Kincaid Mounds shimmer.

The Glittery Legacy of Lead at a Historic Native American Site

A shiny mineral called galena, once prized by the Mississippian people, left its mark on the soil.

Sabrina Imbler November 7, 2019

A green sea turtle, tangled in a ghost net in 2014.

Ghost Nets Haunt the World's Oceans, Hunting Beyond the Grave

Who you gonna call?

Sabrina Imbler October 28, 2019

The San San River.

Biologists in Panama Eavesdrop on Manatees for Their Own Good

In the murky waters of Bocas del Toro, you can't see the manatees, but you can hear them.

Sabrina Imbler October 9, 2019

According to local legend, a person who falls into Ondiri Swamp will turn up days later in Lake Naivasha, a two-hour drive away.

The Return of Ondiri Swamp

Exploited for years, these vital wetlands near Nairobi are blooming anew thanks to a remarkable grassroots effort.

April Zhu August 14, 2019

Bright night skies—like this scene in Helsinki, Finland—can be exacerbated by snow.

'Snowglow' Sounds Charming, But It's a Menace to Night Skies

Fresh powder can worsen light pollution, according to new research from Germany.

Jessica Leigh Hester August 13, 2019

So many nurdles.

Texas's Gulf Coast Is Being Battered by 'Nurdle' Pollution

The tiny pellets used to make plastic products are washing up everywhere, posing a huge environmental threat.

Julissa Treviño July 18, 2019

The site today.

Maricopa, California

Lakeview Gusher

Remnants of the United States's largest accidental oil spill still mar a California valley.

The blue could almost be charming if it weren't just awful for snails.

There's a Bizarre New Form of Plastic Pollution Colonizing Madeira

Plasticrust is one of humanity and nature’s worst collabs.

Sabrina Imbler June 26, 2019

The nest as it was found.

Found: The First Bee's Nest Made Entirely of Plastic

Researchers in Argentina found the synthetic nest by chance.

Evan Nicole Brown June 6, 2019