As Water Scarcity Increases, Desalination Plants Are on the Rise

After decades of slow progress, desalination is increasingly being used to provide drinking water around the globe. Costs for processing salt water for drinking water have dropped, but it remains an expensive option and one that creates environmental problems that must be addressed.

Scientists start the clock on human impact

Though it’s clear we’re currently living in it, scientists have long debated when the Anthropocene, the epoch of human dominance over the planet, first began. The Anthropocene Working Group (AWG), a panel of scientists, recently voted to official recognize the epoch and suggested starting it in the middle of the 20th century

Strong winds are supersizing the ocean’s biggest waves

Strong winds are driving the ocean’s biggest waves to dizzying new heights. The University of Melbourne researchers behind the work, published April 25 in the journal Science, say the supersized waves could compound the effects of rising sea levels, leading to more frequent flooding and accelerated coastal erosion.