The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/tag/ecology/)
The environment on Arrakis — the desert planet central to Frank Herbert’s epic science fiction series Dune — is not entirely fictional, according to Cornell scientists.
Something unusual happened this weekend, right here in New York: On Saturday, September 23rd, after a summer that will be remembered for its fiery red skies, creeping heatwaves and sudden deluges, the autumnal equinox drifted in without incident.
Ithaca’s skies were draped in seasonable gray; the temperature hovered at 54.8°F (12.6°C), well within the 30-year average. A light rain dappled the earth as students wistfully remembered sunny mornings past.
That’s not to say there wasn’t any fanfare; autumn’s liveries are the richest of any season. The red maples (Acer rubrum) in Baker Court swapped green guises for their true vermilion. Up on North Campus, something moved in the canopy of Palmer Woods. With black-and-white body and head of glorious yellow Technicolor, a Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens) foraged for bugs and berries among the leaves. Every fall, this little traveler rides the north-westerly winds from Canada to Mexico to wait out the snow. Watching all of this unfold like clockwork, you’d be forgiven for thinking that all is right with the world; that the system works.
Through Seniors Assisting Monarchs, Hannah Gurholt grad aims to increase Ithaca’s monarch butterfly population, while helping the community along the way.
Prof. Robert Howarth, ecology and evolutionary biology, has advanced climate understanding throughout his career, conducting groundbreaking research and speaking with world leaders.
On Oct. 5, 2021, Prof. Corrie Moreau, ecology and evolutionary biology, published a correspondence explaining why funding natural history museums are a better method of extinction prevention than de-extinction projects.
Ithaca makes it so easy for us to reuse. All over the city, you can find shops selling quality secondhand goods for cheap. Take advantage of it. Not only will you save money, but you’ll reduce waste, support local businesses and give a new home to an item that might otherwise be discarded.
The North Atlantic right whale population — with fewer than 400 individuals — is at risk of further decline as rising sea levels force them northward toward fishing grounds where they run the risk of potentially deadly ship strikes and entanglement.
Recognized by splotches of green spilling over the surface of water, harmful algal blooms have once again cropped up on Cayuga Lake — indicating worsening trends over the nearly seven years of the seasonal phenomenon.
Billions of cicadas are set to emerge from the depths of the soil by next week, hitting about 18 states around the country. This year, the cicada emergence will have three epicenters in the Washington D.C. area, Indiana and Tennessee.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article misrepresented a source. The year is 1686. King James II looks on anxiously from his plushy throne in England as his New York colonial subjects become increasingly unruly. To tighten his grip on the settlers and quell whispers of rebellion, he appoints Thomas Dongan, a Royalist military officer, to govern the New York territory and issue decrees known as Dongan Patents for the creation of trustee-run towns across the royal province. One of these towns was Long Island’s Town of Brookhaven.