Why People Can Use Biochar to Prevent Algae Blooms
07/27/25
“How can people use indigenous biochar technology to prevent algae blooms in water?”
Nutrient runoff into water bodies can spawn algae blooms. Interventions that help soils retain nutrients and moisture create less nutrient runoff. Biochar, a charcoal substance first discovered by Indigenous Amazonians, helps soils retain nutrients and moisture. Therefore, people can apply biochar to surfaces to prevent algae blooms. This is Why People Can Use Biochar to Prevent Algae Blooms.
Why Keeping A Geothermal Heat Pump Activated During Summer Can Be Environmentally Beneficial In Places With Long Winters
07/26/25
“Why can keeping a geothermal heat pump activated during summer be environmentally beneficial in places with long winters?”
Keeping an AC unit activated all summer long is typically very bad for the environment. But this might not be the case for geothermal heat pump systems. Geothermal heat pumps work by siphoning heat out of buildings in the Summer and storing it in the Earth to reuse it in the winter. In places with longer and harsher winters than summers, a thermal imbalance in the Earth can develop over time. But if the heat pump is kept on all summer and the local energy grid is clean, then this will shrink the thermal imbalance and reduce the need for external heating in the winter. This is Why Keeping A Geothermal Heat Pump Activated During Summer Can Be Environmentally Beneficial In Places With Long Winter.
“Why might we need to move water out of a construction site?”
Construction sites have to withstand all sorts of elements. If a construction site becomes inundated with too much water, then it can develop mold, develop structural issues, and face metal corrosion. Operators will need to remove water from the construction site, a process often called Construction Dewatering. Construction dewatering plans are essential to producing a feasible development project.
“How can we re-level the landscape to improve drainage and aesthetics?”
Landscapes vary in shape and size. Sometimes, their topography might make them more susceptible to creating flooding issues. One way to solve this is to re-level them through Landscape Grading. Landscape grading involves contouring the area to improve drainage and aesthetics. Landscape grading is another tool in the toolshed for landscape professionals all over the world.
How Southeast Utah’s Most Famous Monument Stays Up
07/23/25
“How does Southeast Utah’s most famous monument stay up?”
Southeast Utah has many beautiful sights to see. But one of the most breathtaking is the (perhaps not culturally respectfully named) “Mexican Hat” monument. This inverted sombrero-looking rock formation seems to defy gravity. How did this end up this way? Well, it’s actually pretty simple. The bottom support layer (made of shale and siltstone) erodes faster than the top layer (made of orange-red sandstone). While these were likely of more equal sizes in the past, over time, the bottom layer eroded more than the top layer, leading to the differences we see today. This is How Southeast Utah’s Most Famous Monument Stays Up.
“What happens to soil when its particles are pressed together?”
Soil is one of the foundations of terrestrial life on Earth. Soil’s porosity allows for water infiltration and drainage. But when soil particles are crushed together, they lose much of their porosity, leading to worse drainage, which can stifle plant growth and increase stormwater runoff/soil erosion. This Soil Compaction is a major problem for agricultural and stormwater management and requires amelioration to minimize damage.
“How do we classify the amount of stormfall runoff that we want to capture and clean?”
Stormwater runoff is infamous for carrying pollution to water bodies. Infrastructure operators will need to size the volume of stormwater they plan to hold and treat before releasing to the environment. But how can they do this? Well, we know that we will need to treat most storm events (let’s say 90 percent), but not all storm events, otherwise it would be too expensive. And we also know that we will need to treat a certain area that we’re designing for, and that a certain amount of runoff may get absorbed. Well, what if we were to combine these factors into a single variable? Well, this is the idea behind Water Quality Volume. Water quality volume is given by the equation WQV = R_V*P*A, where R_V is the volumetric runoff coefficient (the percentage of runoff that is generated by a single rain drop), P the 90th percentile rainfall depth, and A the area that’s drained.
Topsoil is the uppermost, highly biologically productive part of soil. Activities such as heavy wind, rainstorms, and construction can displace topsoil through Soil Erosion. Soil erosion is an important factor to look out for in stormwater pollution prevention plans.
“What are the sources of construction stormwater pollution?”
Construction projects uproot and compact soil, alter drainage patterns, and produce waste/hazardous materials. Construction managers need to watch out for these Construction Stormwater Pollution Sources in their stormwater pollution prevention plans.
Isaac's Science Blog 