The Pros and Cons of Dams
Dams are some of the most impressive and well-noticed aspects of modern infrastructure. Throughout history, dams have played an important role in the growth and expansion of civilization. Many ancient city planners relied on dams to funnel water through their cities even if it was far away, while military leaders used dams to alter the […]
Dams and Reservoirs
Dams have been used to provide a store of water for agriculture, industrial uses, household uses for thousands of years. Hydroelectric dams, additionally, act as an alternative to non-renewable energy resources that constitutes the majority of the world’s energy [1]. In the 20th century, over $2 trillion was spent on making dams around the world […]
Hydropower Industry
For decades, the western United States was ground zero for one of the greatest experiments humans had ever undertaken: replumbing the world’s rivers. As Marc Reisner cataloged so forcefully in the book Cadillac Desert, dam builders pursued these mega-projects with little regard for whether they were needed, or what effects they would have on people or the […]
Dams: The Human and Environmental Impacts
For over 40 years, Patagonia has been well known for contributing in the fight to protect wild places through supporting grassroots environmental organizations, highlighting issues that would otherwise not come to the public eye, taking a stand on growing consumption and putting systems in place for people to be able to use products longer. In […]
Part I: California Drought–Protecting Salmon
NOAA Fisheries, the California Department of Fish & Wildlife, water control agencies and private landowners come together to find ways to ration water for endangered salmon survival during the California drought. Visit the Inquiry Launch Module of the Physics TMA BlueTech Curriculum for curriculum connections.
Fishing Villages and Sustainability
We need a radically new approach to ocean conservation, says marine biologist and TED Fellow Alasdair Harris. In a visionary talk, he lays out a surprising solution to the problem of overfishing that could both revive marine life and rebuild local fisheries — all by taking less from the ocean. “When we design it right, […]
Salmon Cannon
Scientists from PNNL are testing a fish transportation system developed by Whooshh Innovations. The Whooshh system uses a flexible tube that works a bit like a vacuum, guiding fish over hydroelectric dams or other structures. Compared to methods used today, this system could save money while granting fish quicker, safer passage through dams and hatcheries. […]
The Urchin and the Otter | Big Pacific: Voracious
Video discussing the underwater kelp forests. These forests remove 40 million tons of carbon from the atmosphere every year, and sustain a diverse range of organisms. Needless to say, the kelp is important. Yet hordes of sea urchins live in these pacific forests and eat the kelp, and would do so to depletion if left […]