Sources for Pollution-Related Articles

Many articles (news stories, features, reports, scientific papers, reviews) relating to environmental issues can be found on the web. The following links are good starting points to find such articles. All of these links contain search engines that can be used with certain keywords (e.g., "smog") to investigate topics of interest to you.

Note that the university has digital access to the restricted areas of many journals that otherwise require a subscription fee. To access such journals, you need to be logged onto the university network, either by using the network on campus or through VPN. Please see the Information Services web page for access details (and direct any technical questions to their support team).

Library Resources

You should definitely explore the University Library, which contains many interesting links and tools. Of particular interest is the Sustainability Subject Guide, especially the section on books and articles. Many of the resources below can be accessed through the UR library portal.

Scholarly Journals

• Environmental Science and Technology is one of the premier journals for research in environmental science. If you are logged on to the internet through UR's network, then you should have complete access to all the on-line articles.
• Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry is the official publication of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC). Free access is given to the table of contents and abstracts. The UR science library subscribes to the print edition of this journal.
• Science is the publication of the prestigious American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Many articles are published related to environmental chemistry, particularly issues related to atmospheric pollution (eg, ozone depletion, climate change, smog, acid rain). The journal publishes articles on original research, science news, public policy, and other topics. You should have online access to the full articles if you are logged on to the UR network.
• Nature is one of the premier scientific publications in the world. Free registration is sufficient to access a brief summary of articles; the science library subscribes to the print edition of the journal.
• Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) of the US often publishes environmental research articles in the natural and social sciences. If you are on the UR network (either on campus or through VPN) you should have full access. The national academies of other countries may also publish interesting environmental research.
• Environmental Health Perspectives is the publication of National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), a division of NIH that studies the health effects of environmental pollutants. The focus of most of the research is toxicology, although a number of articles also deal with environmental behavior of pollutants (ie, environmental chemistry). You can browse the abstracts for free; online access to the full articles in EHP (and the Supplment) is possible thru UR; ask me via email for the username/password.
• Global Biogeochemical Cycles, published by the American Geophysical Union, features research on regional to global biogeochemical interactions, as well as more local studies that demonstrate fundamental implications for biogeochemical processing at regional or global scales. Other AGU publications cover many aspects of earth science, including atmospheric, aquatic and soil chemistry, and climatology.
• Energy & Environmental Science, published by the Royal Society of Chemistry, is a journal linking all aspects of the chemical, physical and biotechnological sciences relating to energy conversion and storage, alternative fuel technologies and environmental science.
• Chemical and Engineering News is a publication of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the worlds largest scientific organization. C&EN presents a summary of research published in other journals, as well as chemistry-related news items on policy and industry. A subscription is needed to view anything beyond the table of contents for any issue. However, there is a search engine that can be used to find articles (which can then be read in the Science Library).
• Scientific American often publishes articles related to the environment. These are generally lavishly illustrated overview articles written for the educated layperson. If you are logged on to the UR network you should have online access to the full articles.

Interested in the ties between environmental science and public policy or economics? Try the following journals.

• Issues in Science and Technology (quarterly) is a print journal published by the National Academy of Sciences (among others) that addresses the link between science and public policy. Many of the articles, editorials, and reviews have an environmental theme. IST allows complete and free access to articles published since Fall 1996.
• Reources (quarterly) is an electronic journal published by Resources for the Future, a nonpartisan, nonprofit Washington-based think tank.Their articles usually focus on the economics aspects of various environmental issues.
• CQ Researcher. On-line version of the journal published by Congressional Quaterly. Publishes many reports annually on current topics, many of which relate to the environment. Also has searchable archives of previous reports, which a good index for browsing.

Periodicals

The on-line editions of these print magazines are surprisingly complete. In most cases there is no charge to view current articles. Archived articles can be searched but usually cannot be viewed on-line without paying a fee (but the print version may be available in the library).

• Time Magazine
• Newsweek
• US News and World Report

Newspapers

Most major print newspapers are on-line, and are searchable. Access to current and recent stories is free, but some papers charge a fee for access to archived stories (e.g., stories older than two weeks). Environmental stories are most often in sections relating to science and/or health; however, they may also appear in sections dealing with politics, business, technology, or the front page.

• LA Times. Many of the articles on environmental issues are in the Science section. The LAT charges for access to articles more than two weeks old; however, selected archived articles are still available on-site for free viewing.
• NY Times. Although NYT has a digital subscription program, some articles are accessible for free (and most others can be accessed through the UR library). Articles relating to environmental issues are often in the Science/Health section. The NYT charges for access to archived articles. However, like the LAT, the NYT allows access to selected archived articles; check the free search engine, which also searches articles available from other news sources (like AP and Reuters).
• USA Today. Environmental issues are mostly covered in the Health and Science section. Global warming and some other issues related to air pollution are frequently covered in the Weather section. USAT give free access to articles archived on their site.
• Washington Post. Especially check out the Health section, although the Politics section is often worth checking out.
• Richmond Times-Dispatch. Not really in the same league as the other four dailies, but the news is local.

Internet Resources

Unlike the previous links, the following do not correspond to any one printed publication, although they often report on the scientific research news. All are searchable and offer free access to archived material.

• ScienceDaily, billed as "your source for the latest research news." There is an Earth and Climate News section with a well-organized set of links to news relating to imporant environmental issues and environmental policy and many other topics relating to chemical pollution. This is an excellent resource.
• Environmental News Network. An excellent site for news items and significant scientific research relating to environmental issues. Every news article is accompanied by useful links to related sites and stories.
• BBC News gives a nice overview of current events worldwide. Environmental stories often appear in the Science & Environment section. Like ENN, every article contains links to related sites and stories (a nice touch).