Saline systems, consisting of salt flats, ponds, and marshes, provide vital water resources to northern Chile’s Atacama Desert, one of the driest regions in the world. Mining is extensive in the Atacama, which contains 30% of the world’s lithium reserves and...

West Maui is at risk of losing ecosystem services provided by coral reefs due to land-based sources of pollution (LBSP). In 2011, The US Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) identified Wahikuli, Honokōwai, Kahana, Honokahua, and Honolua as priority watersheds in...

Invasive grass species, specifically B. tectorum (cheatgrass), B. japonicus (japanese brome), and Melilotus (sweet clover), have expanded out of the Great Basin and into the western Great Plains of the United States. Increased development and land use in western South Dakota have provided a gateway...

The urban heat island (UHI) effect occurs when non-vegetated surfaces trap heat during daylight hours, increasing the overall temperature of urbanized cities relative to adjacent rural areas. Excessive heat can increase the likelihood of heat stroke or dehydration, especially in vulnerable populations without access to...

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) will be supervising a harbor deepening project in Port Everglades, Florida. The project raises concerns about potential impacts on the nearby...

Winter cover crops increase the sustainability of agricultural lands and the health of surrounding watersheds through erosion control and nutrient retention. The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) incentivizes the planting of winter cover crops in the Chesapeake Bay area via a cost-sharing program that offers...

Native plant species in the Colorado River Basin are currently threatened by non-native species that are changing resource competition dynamics. Monitoring native species is essential for understanding changes in plant health throughout the year as well as how species’ distributions...

The California grunion (Leuresthes tenuis) is a species of fish endemic to the California coastline that plays an important role in the marine food chain as a consumer of zooplankton and a food source for larger marine creatures. Grunion spawning events, commonly referred to as...

Human-wildlife conflict is increasingly more common due to human population growth, habitat fragmentation, and changing climatic conditions. This conflict is particularly evident in the Kavango-Zambezi area, where over three million people share the landscape with an abundant megafauna population. As...

In the Kavango-Zambezi area of southern Africa, three million people live within areas frequently traveled by free-ranging elephants. As the region continues to develop rapidly, urban and agricultural settlements further encroach upon the land that these elephants use. As elephants come...