Environment

A subpolar gyre is a large-scale ocean current system located at high latitudes created by a persistent region of low atmospheric pressure. These gyres circulate water in a cyclonic direction – counter-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. This circular motion of water drives the upwelling of cold, nutrient-rich deep water to the surface, which plays an important role in regulating the climate in the higher latitudes as well as the nutrient cycles that sustain ocean ecosystems. Subpolar gyres influence the circulation of other ocean currents like the North Atlantic Current, the East Greenland Current, and the Labrador Current.

Permafrost is the frozen mix of soil, ice, and rocks that occupies nearly a quarter of the land in the northern hemisphere. It contains vast amounts of animal and plant remains along with bacteria and other microorganisms. All it has been frozen – stuck in time – for millennia.

At the end of September, the $7,500 federal tax credit for purchases of new electric cars and the $3,000 credit for used electric cars were discontinued, as a result of the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act that has undone multiple clean energy policies. Because of this, forecasts for EV sales over the next several years have been cut in half compared to what they were a year ago.

Deep-sea mining is the extraction of minerals from the seabed in the deep ocean. Most of the interest is in what are known as polymetallic nodules, which are potato-sized mineral deposits that have built up in layers over thousands of years. Found miles below the ocean’s surface, these nodules contain valuable metals used in batteries and electronics, but mining them could harm fragile and largely unexplored deep-sea ecosystems.

Discover Schenectady has begun a voluntary program aimed at promoting eco-friendly business practices. The opt-in model was implemented after the County Legislature declined to adopt a formal law.

The city of Albany wants to make sure your next eggshell ends up in a compost bin, not the landfill.

New York environmental advocates and others are tempering their expectations as to how Zeldin’s leadership of the Environmental Protection Agency might affect the regional environment.

President of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Adrian Benepe is proud that it is a treasure for the entire city and even prouder of its ties to its local community: “The neighborhood is deep into us, and we’re deep into the neighborhood.” Benepe tells us about Gordon Davis, a cove along the Hudson and a child’s rake.

As our planet’s road network continues to grow exponentially, the science of road ecology has become increasingly vital. Tomorrow, journalist Ben Goldfarb will be at Oblong Books in Rhinebeck to discuss his new book "Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet."

In the new book, "Pricing the Priceless: The Financial Transformation to Value the Planet, Solve the Climate Crisis, and Protect Our Most Precious Assets," environmental strategist, speaker, world traveler and author Paula DiPerna looks to de-mystify and unveil today’s most fascinating financial disruption: pricing the priceless to flip conventional ideas of how we value natural assets and why.