News

Apr 15, 2020

Promoting Green Infrastructure Through Schools

A WRRI–North Carolina Sea Grant-supported student investigates perceptions of green infrastructure at schools.  By Maya Hoon There is value in establishing a connection between nature and children. As children learn and grow, they will take the lessons of their childhood into adulthood, applying the values they absorbed to their higher education, careers and personal lives.…

Mar 2, 2020

Reconstructing the Past to Understand Impacts on Water Quality

A WRRI–North Carolina Sea Grant-supported researcher studies decades of satellite data to see the where and how CAFOs may be impacting water quality. By Maya Hoon UPDATED: Home to many swine industries, North Carolina has been a booming hub for concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) since the 1980s. However, as hog farms continue to increase,…

Feb 10, 2020

NC Sea Grant – WRRI Fellow Studies Lead Contamination In Vulnerable NC Communities

Lead threatens water security in low-income and African American communities By Maya Hoon As household plumbing and water pipes age, lead, a potent neurotoxin, may contaminate drinking water from corrosion. With this issue raising concern within North Carolina, researchers seek to produce information on where contaminated drinking waters are more likely to occur. Among these…

Dec 9, 2019

Mercury Hotspots in the St. Lawrence River

New Water Management Policies Influence Toxic Mercury Production in St. Lawrence River Wetlands  By Maya Hoon Mercury pollution is an emerging threat for St. Lawrence River ecosystems reaching from the Great Lakes region, of the U.S. and Canada, to the Gulf of St. Lawrence in the Québec province of Canada. As this mercury is transformed…

Nov 12, 2019

Mercury on the Rise

Sea Level Rise May Lead to Toxic Mercury in Coastal Freshwater Wetlands By Maya Hoon As sea levels continue to rise with each passing year, researchers focus their attention on how coastal wetlands may be impacted by the change. While there is an abundance of research on the impacts of sea level rise on various…

Nov 8, 2019

WRRI, NC Sea Grant Request Proposals for Community Collaborations

By Katie Mosher The Water Resources Research Institute is accepting proposals now through Jan. 20, 2020 for the Community Collaborative Research Grant program (CCRG). Funding is open for projects across the state. The program has resulted in significant returns on investment by bringing communities and university researchers together to study high-priority environmental and economic issues in…

Sep 19, 2019

NC Research Explores Implications of Antibiotic Pollution

Austin Gray (above) received a joint North Carolina Sea Grant and Water Resources Research Institute Graduate Student Research Fellowship to study antibiotic pollution, as well as a subsequent North Carolina Sea Grant minigrant for related research. He has studied in Anne Hershey’s lab at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he is completing…

Sep 12, 2019

Wetland Chemical Composition Changes Hourly

By Katelyn Vause Nitrate levels in wetlands fluctuate throughout the day, according to a new study from WRRI-supported researchers at NC State University. The findings have implications for how to measure and account for nitrate, which can originate from fertilizers and sometimes act as a pollutant. Michael Burchell, a professor in NC State’s Department of…

Aug 19, 2019

WRRI-Funded Researcher Hunts Contamination Through Seeps

As North Carolina’s population grows and communities expand, questions of how to provide clean water and to carry off wastewater continuously challenge town and city planners. Septic systems are a common solution for builders constructing homes and businesses in areas where municipal water infrastructure has not yet been built out. However, as impermeable surfaces —…

Aug 6, 2019

Algal Blooms Information Session Aug. 24 in Edenton

Scientists and community leaders will come together on Aug. 24 to discuss harmful algal blooms in northeastern North Carolina. State officials have issued multiple warnings this summer for residents and visitors to avoid contact with algae on waters in the region. The meeting, at the College of the Albemarle location in Edenton, will start at…