From the NILU annual report: New technology and new portable sensors makes it possible to monitor air quality in new ways and to a far greater extent than before. It also makes it easier to invite the general public to contribute to the research.
Methane gas released from the Arctic seabed during the summer months leads to an increased methane concentration in the ocean. Surprisingly, very little of the methane gas rising up through the sea appears to reach the atmosphere in the summer, Norwegian scientists conclude in a new study.
As part of a consortium of universities and research institutions, lead by Trinomics from The Netherlands, NILU – Norwegian Institute for Air Research has won a €6,7 million EU funded project to actively engage European citizens in 6 countries to research their personal impact on air quality and CO2 emissions, using specially made apps and games for smart phones.
Chernobyl, April 26 1986: At 01.24 AM a steam explosion destroys the 2000 tonne graphite cover of NO. 4, the newest reactor at the Chernobyl power plant. The explosion ejects parts of the reactor 1000 meters into the air. The atmospheric oxygen then ignites the graphite and three seconds later, a thermal explosion ejects radioactive fuel.
The Chernobyl disaster was a catastrophic nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the town of Pripyat, Ukraine. Soon after, the Norwegian network for monitoring radioactivity was established, where NILU played a preliminary role.
How do we dispose our wastes in the context of protecting the environment? This issue has now become a part of educational programme at university level in Latvia, with the support from NILU scientists.
The new tool is called NEAT, which stands for Nested Environmental status Assessment Tool.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main greenhouse gas driving climate change. Asia contains four of the world’s ten largest national emitters of CO2, and China is currently number one.
Contrary to previous belief, new research from NILU and NINA has shown that microplastics are not a significant source of environmental pollutants in fulmars. Seabirds ingest most of these pollutants through food, the researchers concluded.
KJELLER/SAN FRANCISCO, December 16th — Climate change is rapidly warming lakes around the world, threatening freshwater supplies, ecosystems and fish, according to a new study spanning six continents.
From 2010 onwards, the climate debate occupies more and more space in our everyday life. Flood disasters and heat waves seem to constantly fill our TV screens, and countless readers discuss in the online newspapers’ comment feeds whether global warming is a fact or not.
During the first decade of the 21st century, focus on climate change research turned towards aerosols – tiny, solid particles or liquid droplets suspended in air or gas, that can remain suspended over long distances.
In the 90s, climate research became more and more international due to the rise of the internet. Climate researchers could exchange information all around the world in the blink of an eye, and data could be stored and shared through joint databases.
In the mid-80s, we wore big shoulder pads, parachute pants and had enormous hair – thanks to hairspray. Most spray containers at that time contained chlorofluorocarbons, AKA CFCs, substances that were used in many products and industries all over the world.
Pollutants from British industrial pipes were raining down over Norway in the 70s and 80s and resulted in lakes filled with dead fish, fierce political debates and passionate nature conservatists. But how was this all linked together?
At Chittagong in Bangladesh, obsolete ships from around the world are run ashore on tidal beaches and scrapped on site.A study from NILU show that airborne concentrations of “old” environmental pollutants such as PCBs are higher there compared to other sites in Asia and Europe.
Ozone, methane and aerosols (tiny pollutant particles) remain in the atmosphere for a shorter time than CO2, but can affect both the climate and air quality. Yet environmental policies tend to separate the two issues, with measures that fight air pollution not always bringing climate benefits and vice-versa.
From time to time, beautiful clouds show up in the sky. They are called nacreous clouds (from nacre, mother of pearl), due to their beautiful iridescent colour, and are located high up in the atmosphere. But did you know that these pearly clouds often further the depletion of the ozone layer?
The human body contains many contaminants. A new research project shows that data models can replicate measurements of PCB concentrations in individuals, and thus help scientists understand what happens with these contaminants in our bodies.
Developing and using socially responsible ICT-based crowdsourcing tools, NILU and partners want to engage citizens all over Norway in environmental research and decision-making processes on issues regarding water drainage, wood burning and urban planning.
For the last decade, Norwegian scientists have had their eyes on the chemicals that make our hair shiny and our skin soft. Siloxanes have greased our daily life for many years, while slowly seeping out into our environment. Now the politicians are going to decide whether we can continue to use them – or not.
NILU is proud to announce that Senior Scientist Dr. Andreas Stohl has been awarded an ERC Advanced Grant, the most prestigious research funding award given by the European Research Council (ERC), for the project COMTESSA – Camera Observation and Modelling of 4D Tracer Dispersion in the Atmosphere.
In the near future, smart technology will give each and every one of us the possibility to monitor air quality where we live, say scientists at NILU – Norwegian Institute for Air Research. However, the future is already here…
Brussels / Leipzig, 3. June 2015: The European Commission will fund the research infrastructure ACTRIS-2 with a total of 9.5 million euros until 2019. Thus, the existing network of ground-based long-term observatories for aerosols, clouds and trace gases can be further expanded.