Environmental Change Initiative

On April 29 (Saturday), the University of Notre Dame will host a screening of “BURNED: Protecting the Protectors” — a short documentary exploring the link between perfluorinated substances, known as “forever chemicals,” and decades of cancer in the firefighting community. The screening will take place at the DeBartolo Performing Art...

Researchers at the University of Notre Dame are adding to their list of consumer products that contain PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), a toxic class of fluorine compounds known as “forever chemicals.” In a new study published in Environmental Science and Technology Letters, fluorinated high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic containers — used...

In the Midwest, climate change has battered states with flooding, drought and erosion. Extreme weather events have made for unpredictable crop yields. On top of production challenges, the region faces declining water quality, risks of algae blooms and invasive species. Tank’s research focuses on understanding the impact of agriculture on...

In September, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory announced it would lead a multi-institutional team to advance urban climate science with the establishment of an Urban Integrated Field Laboratory in Chicago. The DOE will fund the project with $25 million over five years. The Community Research on Climate...

Hurricane Ian’s ravaging of Florida’s southwest coast left more than 125 people dead, thousands of homes destroyed and a monumental path to recovery for the storm’s survivors.  Reported losses to private insurers are expected to reach up to $67 billion — and experts say damages to the market could make...

At the University of Notre Dame, climate change researchers and their students are bringing real-world solutions to communities worldwide, providing perspective on policy issues and encouraging shifts in human behavior to face that uncertainty with resilience.

In a study published in Environmental Science and Technology Letters, scientists at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana University, the University of Toronto and the Green Science Policy Institute analyzed a variety of children’s textiles. Fluorine was detected in 65 percent of samples tested.

A team of civil and environmental engineers at the University of Notre Dame is racing against time to create a new framework for community recovery from natural disasters, educate homeowners on risks and encourage incentives for climate-resilient homes before the next extreme event hits.

Scientists at the University of Notre Dame studying the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in consumer products and textiles have expanded their search for potential sources of PFAS exposure — developing an effective method of testing for PFAS in drinking water and adding face masks to a growing...

New research shows large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) in Ethiopia's Omo River region could threaten water resources downstream to the local farmers and Indigenous populations living along the Omo — just one example of how a decades-long “global land rush” could intensify water scarcity around the world.

Researchers at the University of Notre Dame will lead a five-year study to improve the fundamental understanding, detection and predictability of marine sea fog.

Many cosmetics sold in the United States and Canada likely contain high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a potentially toxic class of chemicals linked to a number of serious health conditions, according to new research from the University of Notre Dame.

According to research published in The Lancet Planetary Health, scientists at Notre Dame found that particulate matter concentrations in China dropped by an unprecedented 29.7 percent, and by 17.1 percent in parts of Europe, during lockdowns that took place between Feb. 1 and March 31 in China and Feb. 21 to...

Harsh conditions in early life are a fundamental cause of adult stress, and according to new research from the University of Notre Dame on wild baboons, this effect is not explained by a lack of social support in adulthood.

Graham Peaslee’s team tested more than 30 samples of used and unused PPE from six specialty textile manufacturers in the United States and found them to be treated extensively with PFAS or constructed with fluoropolymers, a type of PFAS used to make textiles oil and water resistant.

Alex Perkins and Kyle Bibby are looking at short-term forecasts of potential infection and are monitoring spread of the coronavirus in wastewater.

Their responses underscore the reality of a world in concurrent crises, an undeniable need for action now and hope for the future.

Climate scientists at Notre Dame say despite the challenge to collecting data, the current crisis is already spurring new proposals for research and revealing interesting parallels to the climate crisis that could provide valuable lessons for the future.

New research from the University of Notre Dame is shedding light on the unexpected effects climate change could have on regional instability and violent conflict.

Tank, who also currently serves as the current president of the Society for Freshwater Science, is being recognized for her research that sits at the intersection of freshwater systems and agriculture in the Midwest.

Industries such as agriculture, transportation, and recreation all benefit from the health and stability of Indiana’s freshwaters. Now a new report released by the Indiana Climate Change Impacts Assessment (IN CCIA) suggests that with warmer temperatures and increases in precipitation, effective management and conservation of the state’s freshwater ecosystems will...

The Urban Adaptation Assessment is an open-source, free measurement and analysis tool that explores a city’s ability to adapt and readiness for adaptation to climate change.

Notre Dame researchers have created an integrated framework to identify which neighborhoods would benefit most from green roofs – and provide city officials with a strategic approach to ensure the best return on their investment to beat the heat.

As residents in Indiana continue to clean up from areas of extreme flooding, a new report focusing on how climate change is expected to affect the state shows Hoosiers should expect to see a significant increase in temperatures and precipitation.

Researchers warn climate change can not only influence the geographic distribution of a species in response to changing conditions — it could also affect the evolutionary trajectories of interbreeding species.

Understanding that divergence, researchers say, is a starting point to determining whether there are non-biting genes in other species that could be manipulated in order to reduce transmission of vector-borne diseases.

Pfrender, associate professor of evolutionary and ecological genomics in the Department of Biological Sciences and the director of the Genomics and Bioinformatics Core Facility, has studied the genomics of Daphnia for more than two decades.

Researchers at the University of Notre Dame are at the forefront of a five-year study to measure oceanic and atmospheric conditions and flow patterns of monsoons across the Indian Ocean, in particular Bay of Bengal, to help improve predictive models. Current models can predict monsoon weather seven to 10 days out....

According to a new study, researchers have improved their method of tracking species by using the biological material those organisms leave behind known as environmental DNA (eDNA).

Notre Dame has announced a collaboration with Mayo Clinic, the Belize Ministry of Health and the Belize Vector and Ecology Center aimed at strengthening the country’s ability to respond to Zika virus and other arboviruses.