The following are references in Environmental
Chemistry:
1. General References
o The on-line National
Library for the Environment is a very useful site with the following
resources: issue reports, environmental law, demography, and ecology.
o The EPA maintains Envirofacts, a one-stop access to data drawn from six
major EPA databases, as well as cross references to other sources of
information. Two other EPA portals to information are the Environmental Information Management System
and a search engine of abstracts to EPA
reports.
o The Extoxnet Infobase (Extension
Toxicology Network) which is a cooperative effort of scientists at the
University of California-Davis,
o The Agricultural Research Service of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture maintains TEKTRAN
(Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System). TEKTRAN provides access to
abstracts of USDA work that is very relevant to environmental science.
o CambridgeSoft maintains ChemFinder, a remarkably efficient Internet search
engine, which searches for information on specific compounds by name, formula,
CAS registry number, and molecular weight. Most of the hits are related to
toxic properties.
o The National Academy of Sciences once maintained a Web
site with most of the reports generated by the now defunct Office of Technology
Assessment. Access to the archives of the OTA is now provided by Princeton University.
o The Department of Energy maintains EnergyFiles,
an extensive collection of links to databases relating to energy. The project
is run by the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI).
o WorldAtom is the official Web site of the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Wien. The site offers an extensive array of
reports, data, and other resources.
o A joint effort of the United Nations' Environmental
Program (UNEP) and the World Health
Organization's Environmental Epidemiology Network (WHO-GEENET) is a page that
is a clearing house of Web sites related to the safe use of chemicals,
environmental epidemiology, and the persistence of chemicals in the
environment.
o Information on Population. The Centre for Population Biology maintains The Global Population Dynamics Database
[P. Inchausti and J. Halley, Science, 293,
655 (2001)]. Quoting from the abstract of the article: "The GPDD is an
important new source of information for ecologists, resource managers, and
environmental scientists interested in the dynamics of new populations."
The Population Division of the United Nations
maintains a Populations Database that includes access to its reports. The user
specifies the data to be accessed and displayed. A comparable UN site is the United Nations Population Information Network.
The Population Reference Bureau maintains a Data
Finder with data from more than 220 countries. This site has an focus on
issues related to family planning.
o The World Wildlife Fund Web site contains information
on more than 800 ecoregions. The site includes an informative map. The report Africa Environmental Report can be accessed
from a UN site.
o FishBase is a database with information on more than
26,000 species of fish. The database has an environmental emphasis. The U.S. Geologic Survey maintains the NAWQA
database on water quality that contains data on the effects of pollution on
aquatic organisms.
o Earthtrends is a Web environmental almanac that is
managed by the World Resources Institute in
o Contemporary geography is a cross-disciplinary field
that significantly overlaps environmental science. Gavin Richards has developed
GeoExplorer,
a Web site oriented to students at the secondary level. It is packed with
resources on physical geography. The Geo-Images Project at
the University of California-Berkeley is a large collection of images related
to geology and physical geography.
o The Circumpolar
Arctic Vegetation Map maintained at the
o The U. S. Geological Survey provides through its WWW
sites access to very useful data on water quality.
§
acid rain (available at the Branch of
Quality Systems)
§
effects of pollution on aquatic organisms
(also cited above)
§
USGS Circulars (i.e. reports)
o AQUASTAT is a
comparable Web site dedicated to water quality and assets that is maintained by
the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
o The Ecological Society of America maintains EcoEdNet, a
collection of essays. experiments, and exercises for the class room that covers
all aspects of ecology. You have to register at no charge to use the resources.
o NOAA maintains
an excellent Web site for the weather. This site is used as a source of
up-to-date information by government agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service.
2. Toxic Properties (including MSDS data sheets)
o The Office of Response and Restoration of NOAA
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) maintains an instructive ChemAids
page. ChemAids provides access to a database of
information on the chemical consequences of a disaster such as a derailment. It
also has an informative problem set.
o TOXNET
maintained by the National Laboratory of Medicine is the gateway to a
comprehensive system of databases on toxicology, hazardous chemicals, and
related areas. This should be your first stop in finding information on the
toxic properties of a substance. The full records are very comprehensive and
include information on physical and chemical properties as well as safe use and
disposal. The HSDB database is a good place to start if you require
quantitative data.
A good place to
start in a search of the massive government databases is NIH's SIS. Links are provided to the Specialized
Information System. In starting to use the system, search by chemical name and
CAS Registry Number.
o ECOTOX is an
extensive database prepared by the Environmental Protection Agency and contains
quantitative data on the impact of toxic substances on aquatic and terrestrial
organisms. Searching for data is expedited if you have the CAS number for the
toxic substance. DSSTox,
a new site from the EPA, is an attempt to provide access to a wide range of
databases with a standard format. TOXNET is
a resource of the National Library of Medicine. It provides a searchable access
to a range of databases. If you know the CAS number, provide it.
A related EPAS
resource is the IRIS Tracer
that allows one to follow EPA assessments of hazardous substances.
Tox Town is an
interactive Website devoted to toxic substances and is maintained by the
National Library of Medicine. It is oriented to the general public and a
Macromedia Flash player must be installed in order to view its entertaining
graphics.
MAPPING OF
CONCENTRATIONS OF TOXIC SUBSTANCES
Emissions of substances are tracked by two government agencies. EPA's Toxic Release Inventory (TRI)
provides information on toxic substances. The European Union's European Polutant
Emission Register (EPER) covers both toxic materials and greenhouse gases. TOXMAP, a site of
the National Library of Medicine, provides a cartographical presentation of
emissions of more than 650 hazardous chemicals into the environment. The Web
site uses data from the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory. Geodata is
another
o The Chemical
Reactivity Worksheet, a source of information on the reactivity of substances,
can be downloaded from NOAA. The Web site has other information on chemical
combinations that can lead to serious accidents.
o The Instant
Chemical Hazards and Safety database is another source of data on toxic
chemicals. The database is small now but is growing. The information on the
compounds in the database is extensive. The inclusion of LD50's and other
quantitative measures of toxicity is noteworthy.
o Another good place to turn for quantitative data, e.g.
LD50's, on toxic substances is the SIRI
(Safety Information Resources, Inc.) database.
o A very comprehensive database on pesticides is
provided by a Jinno Laboratory The database includes
spectra, structures, chemical and physical properties, and toxicological data.
o Chemical Backgrounds
is a Web site that provides informative essays on more than 100 chemicals that
have an effect on the health. Each essay addresses the properties and
pharmacology of the substance.
o MSDS Solutions is a
comprehensive Web database of MSDS data sheets. You have to registrer
to use the database but there is not fee for the registration.
o The Carcinogenic
Potency Database is maintained by pioneer Bruce Ames at the
o The Strategic Environmental Research and Development
Program (SERDP) and the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program
(ESTCP) of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) provide a number of
comprehensive databases. The ASETSDefense
(Advanced Surface Science Technologies for Sustainable Defense) database
provides information on coatings and surface-treatment technologies. For example, problems associated with
chromium[VI] and green alternatives are covered in considerable detail. The SERDP/ESTCP Online Library provides
access to reports that deal with materials used by the DOD. The scope of the library is
comprehensive. For example, the
reports address ecological effects, remediation, detection, and persistence.
o The EPA GHG site (Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Large
Facilities) provides quantitative data on emissions of greenhouse gases by all
major sources in the US.
3. Degradation of Molecules
in the Environment
o The Biocatalysis/Biodegradation
Database at the
o
o The Environmental Science Center of Syracuse Research
Corporation has generously made available the Environmental Fate Data Bases (EFDB). These databases include DATALOG, a biobliographic file; BIOLOG, sources of microbial toxicity
and biodegradation; CHEMFATE, rate data for degradation of compounds in the
environment plus physical properties; and BIODEG, experimental data from
biodegradation studies. The Web site alsdo includes
TSCATS, a database on toxic properties; KOW, a database of octanol-water
partition coefficients; and a database on compounds involved in global warming
and stratospheric ozone.
o PBT
Profiler is an online tool for predicting the persistence, bioaccumulation
potential, and toxicity of PBT chemicals such as dioxins.
o The Center for Environmental Kinetics Analysis at
4. GIS: Data Acquired from
Remote Sensing
With the support and encouragement of Vice President Al Gore, data acquired by
satellites are now available on the WWW. This section provides links to GIS
databases that are relevant to environmental science.
o Mapping
§
The National Atlas of the United States of America
is a comprehensive effort of the U.S. Geological Survey to provide Web
access to a diverse array of geographical information. The USGS is in the early
stages of developing its online National Map program
which when completed will surpass in quality and content its series of
topographic maps. The USGS
National Map Viewer is a useful tool towards that end.
§
US data in GIS ArcView format which
include topographical maps can be accessed through the Seamless site.
The topos are at the 1:100,000. The data also
includes satellite photographs, ground cover, and host of other GIS
information.
§
Those seeking topos in a 7.5' GIS format for California can obtain the
data from the Casil
site at the University of California-Davis. If you know the USGS ID number for the
map, you can go directly to the Casil site where DRG data are stored. The Casil site
is particularly useful if you are working in an area covered by more than one topo map as it provides untrimmed, i.e. untrimmed, topo maps.
§
Data for
§
Data for
§
GIS topographical
data for most states can be obtained from the Libre site.
§
MSR Maps (Microsoft Research Maps) is a
collaborative project of Microsoft Corp. and the USGS. Its library of topo maps and aerial photographs covers the entire country.
§
The Map Machine
of the National Geographic Society provides for much of the world satellite
pictures and highway maps that can be enhanced with geophysical and
demographical information such as the location earthquake faults.
§
This Cornell University site allows you to
make a digital map with the details that you select. Some of the site's own
maps are interactive.
§
The
§
A site maintained
by the library at the University
of Arkansas is a Web guite to GIS resources
covering a broad range of disciplines.
§
Check out Google Earth. You will be able to download
freeware from the site that allows one access to detailed aearial
pictures covering the entire globe. Amazon is
in the process of releasing a service that provides street maps for the entire
country that will be accompanied by photographs.
§
The Crystal Lake website
provides topo maps that cover, section by section,
the entire
§
The US NOAA
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) maintains a number of sites
that provide information on the weather.
§
home page for NOAA
§
National Weather Service, weather patterns
and forecasts
§
Department of
Commerce weather page
§
OSEI (Operational Significant
Event Imagery Team)
§
GOES (Geostationary Operational
Environmental Satellite Project)
§
For extreme
weather conditions, consult a special Web site from the National
Climatic Data Center.
§
Wildfires have
become a major problem. the GEOMAC USGS
site tracks the status of major fires such the the
Williams Fires in the
§
NASA maintains this IMS (Information
Management System) as access to a master catalogue to DAAC's (Distributed
Active Archive Centers) of EOS (Earth Observing System) data. There is a fee if
you wish to order a particular dataset.
The following
agencies participate in the EOS program:
§
EROS Data Center, land features
(Landsat images) and processes
§
Goddard Space Flight Center, upper
atmosphere, atmospheric dynamics, and global biosphere
§
Related is the PM_ESIP (Passive Microwave Earth Science
Information Project) that assembles global maps of surface temperature,
wind speed, and precipitation from microwave data.
§
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Ocean
Circulation and Air-Sea Interaction
§
Alaska SAR Facility, sea ice and polar
processes
§
NWIS, data on hydrology from the USGS
§
Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center,
human interactions in global change
§
Global Hydrology Resource Center, global
hydrology
§
Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
biogeochemical dynamics
§
National Snow and Ice Data Center,
polar processes, cryosphere, and climate
§
Langley Research Center, radiation
budget, clouds, aerosols, and tropospheric chemistry
§
Directory of Earth Science Data Sets
§
The National Oceanographic Data Center is a
clearing house for data relating to the ocean.
§
The Naval
Research Laboratory maintains a Web site for its NLOM (Layered Ocean
Model) project which provides 30-day forecasts of ocean behavior.
§
The Space Science and Engineering Center
at the University of Wisconsin-Madison maintains a large collection satellite
images that provides a wealth of information on meteorology and geology.
§
The National Earthquake Information
Center of the US Geological Survey provides up-to-date information about
earthquakes throughout the globe. A mirror
site is also available. Consult
another USGS site for maps
of faults. Another USGS site provides current geologic survey maps"
§
Data on
earthquakes in
§
WorldWatcher
was developed by researchers of the Supportive Scientific Visualization
Environments for Education (SSciVEE) project at
§
The Flood Observatory at
§
The Web site of
the National Snow and Ice Data Center in
Boulder, Colorado provides more than 400 data sets tied to ice and snow but
other aspects of hydrology as well.
§
William Bowen provides
a collection of 500 computer-generated aerial images of terrestrial landscapes
in his geogdata site. The Jules
Map Server hosted by UNAVCO generates maps of the planets in the solar
system.
§
Biodiversity is
the focus of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO). The GEO
BON portal for the group provides a rich source of data on
biodiversity. Much of the data is
in GIS format.
4. Environmental Problems
o Several sites have developed visualization and mapping
tools for displaying data associated with pollution. Start with a cache of
graphics from the United Nations' Environmental Programme. The OMI site in the
o The EPA
maintains an excellent Web site dedicated to the stratospheric ozone problem. A
NASA site provides
additional data and focuses on the ozone hole. Data can also be found at a
companion NASA site, Ozone Hole Watch.
o The Stratospheric
Ozone and Human Health site is maintained by CIESIN
(Center for International Information Network) at
o The Oxygenated
Fuels Association presents its case for the use of oxygenated fuels such as
MTBE in controlling air pollution. Some useful chemical information can be
found in the Technical Library. The Web site emphasizes public policy issues.
o NASA's Global Change
Master Directory (GCMD) is a comprehensive set of links to satellite and
ground-based datasets relating to the atmosphere, the biosphere, and the
hydrosphere. This is the best site for information on changes in the global
environment.
o The Environmental
Estrogens Web page maintained by the Center for Bioenvironmental Research
at Tulane and
o Arsenic presents a serious environmental problem.
Richard Wilson at Harvard manages The Arsenic Website
Project, a source of information on arsenic.
o Environmine provides an informative page on Acid Mine
Drainage.
o Light pollution
might not have dire consequences for health but it can be devastating for the
practice of optical astronomy. This Web site has information on the problem
that includes maps.
o The report of the Heinz Foundation on The State of the Nations Ecosystems
is now available online.
o The Web page of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a gold mine of information on
changes in the climate. The report of the UN Millennium Project summarizes the
findings of several task forces. Reports of the panel are available. The IPCC Data distribution Centre has its
own site. A companion Web site also dedicated to data on the climate is
maintained by the International Research
Institute for Climate Prediction at
o Patterns of below-normal precipitation present a
related environmental problem. The Dought
Monitor maintained by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln provides a unified
set of links to government and private data related to precipitation.
o The US EPA has a site dedicated to Green Chemistry. The site
includes access to the software tool GCES, Green Chemistry Expert System.
o Serious accidents are an unfortunate fact of life in
science and technology. The Mary Kay
O'Connor Process Safety Center and the governmental Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
have Web sites with reports on accidents and their causes. The discussion of
some chemicals is sobering.
o Emissions of substances are tracked by two government
agencies. EPA's Toxic Release
Inventory (TRI) provides information on toxic substances. The European
Union's European Polutant
Emission Register (EPER) covers both toxic materials and greenhouse gases.
o Environmental Media Services hosts Realclimate, a
site devoted to global warming. The site was developed to counter
industrial-supported sites such as CO2science.
The opportunity to participate in modeling calculations and a discussion of the
theory underlying models for global warming are provided by the Climate Prediction site
o Acid rain is an environmental problem in the
northeast. The NPS and USFS are
collecting water samples to assess its affects on the biosphere. The Shenandoah Watershed Study has
yielded data and reports for Virginia.
5. Methods of Energy
Production
o NREL, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in
Golden,
o Los Alamos National Laboratory provides Fuel Cells, Green Power
a 33-page document in pdf format describing the
technology. HyWeb is
a site in German and English that emphasizes the use of hydrogen in fuel cells.
Fuel Cells 2000, a third site, is
provided in English and Spanish by the Online Fuel Cells Information Center.
The Hydride-Metal Related
Data Base is maintained by Sandia. DOE's EERE
also has its Web site dedicated to hydrogen and fuel cells.
o The Radiation
and Health Physics Page, maintained by students at the
o The Alsos
Digital Library for Nuclear Issues is an online bibliography to information
related to nuclear energy. Scientific
Digital Visions provides a dictionary of 1000 terms used in nuclear science
including measures of radiation damage.
o The Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network (EREN) site of the US Department of
Energy has links for information related to the mission of the project.
o The Danish Wind Industry Association sponsors the Windpower
Web site that is dedicated to all apsects of windpower.
last changed, 2 March 2012