Past News
Iterative near-term ecological forecasting: Needs, opportunities, and challenges
March 1, 2018
Two foundational questions about sustainability are “How are ecosystems and the services they provide going to change in the future?” and “How do human decisions affect these trajectories?” Answering these questions requires an ability to forecast ecological processes. Unfortunately, most ecological forecasts focus on centennial-scale climate responses, therefore neither meeting the needs of near-term (daily to decadal) environmental decision-making nor allowing comparison of specific, quantitative predictions to new observational data, one of the strongest tests of scientific theory. Near-term forecasts provide the opportunity to iteratively cycle between performing analyses and updating predictions in light of new evidence.
Iterative near-term ecological forecasting: Needs, opportunities, and challenges
Seasonal trophic variation of yellow perch exceeds spatial variation in a large lake basin
February 28, 2018
Trophic structuring of complex food webs may vary at multiple spatial and temporal scales, both in terms of direct trophic connections and underlying energy pathways that support production. In large freshwater systems, the prey and primary producers that support individual higher-order consumers may vary across seasons and habitats due to differences in food availability, predator consumption patterns, seasonal succession of organisms at lower trophic levels, and heterogeneous nutrient inputs. We examined spatial and temporal variation in stomach contents, fatty acids, and stable isotopes of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) across seasons and across sites spanning approximately 200 km in Lake Erie's Central Basin (LECB).
Seasonal trophic variation of yellow perch exceeds spatial variation in a large lake basin
Daniel Kelly featured in Eater Article, " ‘Black Panther’ Challenges a Bogus Food Stereotype"
February 21, 2018
There’s some beautiful world building in Marvel Studios’ Black Panther in how director Ryan Coogler and his team crafted Wakanda, a fictional Central African country where the film’s hero rules. The movie painstakingly brings Wakandan culture to life, making it feel like it could exist by weaving together a variety of African traditions.
Daniel Kelly featured in Eater Article, " ‘Black Panther’ Challenges a Bogus Food Stereotype"
Defining tipping points for social-ecological systems scholarship – an interdisciplinary literature review
February 20, 2018
The term tipping point has experienced explosive popularity across multiple disciplines over the last decade. Research on social-ecological systems (SES) has contributed to the growth and diversity of the term's use.
Defining tipping points for social-ecological systems scholarship – an interdisciplinary literature review
Purdue University directs Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant administration
February 7, 2018
Purdue University will administer the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant College Program (IISG), previously managed by the University of Illinois, effective Feb. 1. New IISG director Tomas Höök, a fisheries biologist in Purdue’s Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, will lead the administration.
Purdue University directs Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant administration
Purdue's Useful to Useable Group wins IN Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence Showcasing Innovation in Sustainability
January 30, 2018
Organizations from across the state of Indiana submitted their top ideas for the 20th annual Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence. Three organizations have been selected and are being recognized by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) and Governor Eric J. Holcomb later this month.
Purdue's Useful to Useable Group wins IN Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence Showcasing Innovation in Sustainability
2017 Caldwell Prize awarded to Center for the Environment Faculty, Leigh Raymond
January 12, 2018
Leigh Raymond has received the Lynton Keith Caldwell Prize for his book, "Reclaiming the Atmospheric Commons: The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and a New Model of Emissions Trading."
2017 Caldwell Prize awarded to Center for the Environment Faculty, Leigh Raymond
Forest fungi boost invasive plants, choke out native species
December 6, 2017
Certain types of tree-associated fungi make a forest a welcoming environment for invasive plant species, crowding out natives, including high-value trees such as oaks.
Forest fungi boost invasive plants, choke out native species
Roshanak Nateghi's research featured in Newswise
December 5, 2017
A recent issue of Newswise magazine features Assistant Professor Roshanak Nateghi’s research on risk factors in the residential electricity sector.
Carbon’s economic damage costlier than thought based on current science
November 27, 2017
The data used to calculate the damage that an additional ton of carbon dioxide has on the global economy has long relied on outdated science. Recent updates modeled by the University of California, Davis and Purdue University raise the calculations of those costs significantly and change the outlook on climate change from a positive for agriculture to a negative.
Carbon’s economic damage costlier than thought based on current science