Urban Ecology

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[ Air Quality ] [ Animals ] [ General Ecology ] [ Health and Environment ]
[ Human Impact ] [ Plants ] [ Water ] [ Weather ] [ Doing Science ]

Air Quality

Carbon Dioxide Questions
Scientists wonder how rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere will affect the world’s climate. The air above Phoenix already has carbon dioxide levels 50 percent higher than the global average. Scientists are using the city as a natural “laboratory” to study the effects of this gas.

Fighting for Air
Residents in Phoenix’s Homedale neighborhood suspect that air pollution might be making them sick. They asked ASU researchers to help them find out for sure.

Follow the Flow
Studying air pollution isn’t easy - it just won’t stay put. Teams of ASU scientists follow the flow of air pollution in the Phoenix area. They measure pollutants all over the city. Then they use computer models to find out where it comes from and where it will go next.

Sneeze Maps
ASU scientists are mapping the types and amounts of pollen found throughout the Phoenix area. Their “sneeze maps” will help people with allergies figure out the best places to live and visit.

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Animals

The Good Life for Birds
Think birds prefer life in the wilderness to the big city? Think again. ASU scientists found that more birds live in Phoenix than the surrounding desert. They also found that city birds are kind of snobby. They prefer to live in high-income neighborhoods.

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General Ecology

What Is Urban Ecology?
Ecology is all about relationships. Ecologists study the relationships between all the living and nonliving things in an area, from the middle of Antarctica to the biggest cities.

Where Does All the Carbon Go?
Carbon in its many forms flows between the biosphere, the atmosphere, and the oceans. Scientists track this carbon cycle, but they still can’t account for 1 to 2 gigatons of carbon that gets released each year!

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Health and Environment

Fighting for Air
Residents in Phoenix’s Homedale neighborhood suspect that air pollution might be making them sick. They asked ASU researchers to help them find out for sure.

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Human Impact

Ecology and History
Long before the invention of cars, power plants, and pesticides, people were affecting their environments. In some cases, scientists say they caused the downfall of their own civilizations.

Fighting for Air
Residents in Phoenix’s Homedale neighborhood suspect that air pollution might be making them sick. They asked ASU researchers to help them find out for sure.

Making Changes
At one time, people thought that only gods or magic could change the weather. Now we know that people can - and do - change it in many ways.

Shrinking the Tire Pile
Americans throw away about 5 million old tires each year. What should we do with all that old rubber? One ASU researcher has an idea. Soon you may find your old tires right under your feet.

Where the People Are
When you think about the environment, you probably think about plants and animals, air and water. But in urban areas, people have the biggest influence on the environment. Social geographers study how people change the landscape.

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Plants

Lots to Like About Lichen
Nobody pays much attention to the blue-green crust that carpets rocks and tree trunks. But lichens are important, hardy, and even beautiful when you stop to look at them.

Planting Water-Wise
Laziness is a virtue. At least, it can be when it comes to caring for your yard. For desert plants, less work can be better when it comes to conserving water.

A Shady Situation
In Arizona, business owners plant trees around their parking lots to provide shade to their customers. But when these trees grow on the shores of an asphalt sea, they don’t always live up to their potential.

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Water

Planting Water-Wise
Laziness is a virtue. At least, it can be when it comes to caring for your yard. For desert plants, less work can be better when it comes to conserving water.

Stinky Water
Drinking water in the Phoenix area is perfectly safe. But sometimes it smells like mold and tastes like dirt - yuck! Scientists at ASU are figuring out how to make the water more pleasant to drink.

Waiting on the Rain
The sudden influx of water from Arizona’s summer monsoons has a huge effect on streams and soils. Scientists at ASU spring into action when these rare rainstorms hit. They have to take their measurements quickly, before the water drains away.

Where Does Our Water Come From?
Phoenix is a desert with a limited amount of water. Yet the population keeps growing and using more water every year. Where does this water come from?

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Weather

Making Changes
At one time, people thought that only gods or magic could change the weather. Now we know that people can - and do - change it in many ways.

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Doing Science

Fieldwork Foibles
When scientists go out into the environment they study, it’s called fieldwork. A good fieldworker needs to know more than science, however. She should be handy, creative, courageous, and have a good sense of humor.

Fighting for Air
Residents in Phoenix’s Homedale neighborhood suspect that air pollution might be making them sick. They asked ASU researchers to help them find out for sure.

How do Scientists Study the Environment?
How exactly do scientists figure out if a chemical is polluting the environment? They use a special tool. It's called the scientific method.

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