Iowa dedicates 92% of its land to agriculture, leaving the state economically and culturally vulnerable to drought. Current climate trends show increasing temperatures and decreasing precipitation levels, which are environmental factors that put stress on vegetation and force farmers to...

Estuaries are vital ecosystems that serve important ecological functions. The Marine Life Protection Act aims to protect these ecosystems by establishing a network of marine protected areas (MPAs), in part by requiring regulatory agencies to monitor estuary extent and health...

North American beavers (Castor canadensis) are returning to Massachusetts after overhunting decimated their populations in the 1700s. Current regulations have allowed this species to recolonize, resulting in increasingly prevalent human-beaver conflicts. These ecosystem engineers can quickly change their environment through...

Landslides and flooding are reoccurring environmental hazards that lead to health risks and economic burdens in the urban areas of Cincinnati, Ohio and Covington, Kentucky. These communities share underlying natural and artificial conditions that make them vulnerable to these hazards...

The Charles River watershed intersects 35 municipalities within the Boston Metropolitan Area and has a population of 1.2 million, making it one of the most densely populated watersheds in New England. In recent years, the watershed has observed higher...

La Amistad International Peace Park in the Talamanca Mountains and Corcovado National Park on the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica are home to two isolated jaguar (Panthera onca) populations. As agricultural and urban land uses have expanded in Costa Rica...

The mesquite (Prosopis sp.) forests in Northwestern Peru have had a significant increase in tree mortality in the past fifty years. Within this time frame, 17% of the forest extent was lost and the forest saw an average annual declination...

The Patuxent Reservoirs Watershed, in Howard, Montgomery, and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland, is a significant source of water supply for the greater Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The Patuxent Reservoirs Watershed Protection Group Technical Advisory Committee (PRWPG TAC) monitors water...

Tidal wetlands provide vital resources for the state of Delaware, crucial not only for maintaining important ecosystem functions, but also for providing human populations with substantial services. Healthy wetland networks offer protection from severe weather, reduce flooding, improve water quality...

Heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the US, with heat-related hospitalizations increasing by 2-5% between 2001-2010. In Philadelphia alone, 137 heat-related deaths were recorded between 2010-2018, while a total of 18 daily temperature records have been set...