This pair of Landsat images shows the rapid loss of the fabled glaciers and snowfields crowning Mt. Kilimanjaro between 1993 and 2000. With the snow and ice nearly gone, the volcano's crater is visible on the later image. The snowfields were first measured in 1912, and by 2009, 86% of that original extent was gone. Melting has become much more rapid in the last decade. While multiple factors...
As global food demand increases, farmers are increasingly relying on single, managed bee species (often honey bees) to pollinate their crops. However, honey bees are not the best pollinators for all crops, and honey bee colonies have recently been experiencing health problems, notably colony collapse disorder. Recent research has shown that promoting a diversity of wild insect pollinators – suc...
As invasive plant species spread across landscapes, costs of their economic and environmental impacts have sparked interest in regulating their sale and transport. Laws now prohibit the sale and movement of some species. State and local governments are drafting regulations that will affect horticulture, plant nurseries, and options for landscape design. Awareness of invasive plant species is...
Students use their ecological knowledge of soil processes, energy, water systems, and human interactions to compare the environmental impact of food production. Each group of 3-4 students develop life cycle analyses (LCA) for a single crop grown under different scenarios. As individuals, students are responsible for developing two LCA for that crop, and then together in their groups, they compile...
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