Residues of pharmaceuticals are increasingly detected in surface waters throughout the world.In four streams in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, we detected analgesics, stimulants, antihistamines, andantibiotics using passive organic samplers. We exposed biofilm communities in these streams to the com-mon drugs caffeine, cimetidine, ciprofloxacin, and diphenhydramine.

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Given the importance of aerosol particles to radiative transfer via aerosol-radiation interactions, a methodology for tracking and diagnosing causes of temporal changes in regional-scale aerosol populations is illustrated. The aerosol optical properties tracked include estimates of total columnar burden (aerosol optical depth, AOD), dominant size mode (Ångström exponent, AE), and relative magnitude of radiation scattering versus absorption (single scattering albedo, SSA), along with metrics of the structure of the spatial feld of these properties.

As a result of global increases in both temperature and specific humidity, heat stress is projected to intensify throughout the 21st century. Some of the regions most susceptible to dangerous heat and humidity combinations are also among the most densely populated. Consequently, there is the potential for widespread exposure to wet bulb temperatures that approach and in some cases exceed postulated theoretical limits of human tolerance by mid- to late-century.

The combined effects of rising heat and humidity will affect India's northeast the most in the world close to the end of the century, warns this new study published in Environmental Research Letters.

Increases in the severity and frequency of large fires necessitate improved understanding of the influence of smoke on air quality and public health. The objective of this study is to estimate the effect of smoke from fires across the continental U.S. on regional air quality over an extended period of time.

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