Zach's blog on environmental engineering

In today’s article, I’ll talk about a research paper I discovered that opened my eyes to how much the smallest parts of our environment influence the entire climate system. The study “Scientists warn climate models are missing a key ocean player” shows that tiny calcifying plankton, microscopic organisms that make hard shells, play a major role in how carbon is pulled out of the atmosphere and stored in the deep ocean. If climate models don’t represent these organisms correctly, predictions about future carbon and climate behavior could be off. This insight matters for environmental engineering and climate planning because better models lead to better decisions.

In today’s article, I’ll talk about a research paper I discovered that pushes the boundaries of how we predict biodiversity change under climate stress. The study “EcoCast: A Spatio-Temporal Model for Continual Biodiversity and Climate Risk Forecasting” (published December 1, 2025) presents a new way to blend satellite data, climate information, and species observations to anticipate where species are most at risk. The research tackles a real challenge for environmental engineering and conservation work: making actionable forecasts in a world where ecosystems are shifting faster than ever.

In today’s article, I want to highlight a new research study that caught my attention and ties closely to how our planet’s climate systems are shifting. I’ve been reading about the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which is a massive ocean current that helps distribute heat around the world. Scientists have long warned that this current could weaken due to melting ice and changes in salinity, and a new study titled “A weakening AMOC is the hidden force behind Greenland’s cold anomaly and a warning about future climate shifts” (published December 7 2025) provides strong evidence that this process is already underway. Understanding this is important not only for climate science but also for environmental engineering, because changes in ocean circulation can affect everything from coastal systems to global weather stability.

In today’s article, I’ll talk about a research paper I discovered to learn more about phytoremediation of heavy‑metal polluted land, which ties into environmental engineering systems for cleaning up sites and restoring ecosystems. Reading the article “Phytoremediation: A Promising Approach for Revegetation of Heavy Metal‑Polluted Land” by An Yan, Yamin Wang et al. (2020) helps me prepare for thinking broadly about remediation techniques beyond just process engineering. The paper discusses how plants can be used to clean land contaminated with heavy metals and the mechanisms and challenges involved. Here is the research article: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals

Today I plan to talk about La Niña and how the switch from El Niño to La Niña this upcoming winter is going to affect the US. The weather phases, El Niño and La Niña, are warm and cool phases of climate across the tropical Pacific Ocean that can affect weather worldwide. During La Niña, the Northern part of the US experiences wetter and colder climates, while the Southern part of the US experiences warmer and dryer winter months. Below is a picture of the temperature outlook for this upcoming 2025-2026 winter. 

In today’s article, I’ll talk about a research paper I discovered to learn more about planetary-boundary frameworks and land-use risk, which ties into environmental engineering’s broader context. Reading the article “Earth’s Safe Zones Are Vanishing Fast” (06 Sep 2025) helps me prepare for thinking about large-scale system boundaries, sustainability, and how engineering solutions fit in. The paper discusses how human demands on land have pushed much of Earth outside its safe biosphere zone.

In today’s article, I’ll talk about a research paper I discovered to learn more about rooftop green infrastructure, which fits nicely with my environmental-engineering interests. Reading the article “Annual greenhouse gas fluxes from a thin-layer rooftop lawn” (published 07 Aug 2025) helps me prepare for my internship and future projects connecting engineering and sustainable systems. The paper discusses greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes from a shallow rooftop lawn system.

In today's post I will be talking about my trip to the Philippines for my internship with Comfac Corporation. I spent six weeks in the Philippines for an internship with Comfac Corp. and to write a research paper about Comfac's plant, Cornersteel Systems, and their new project of creating a photobioreactor to minimize carbon emissions. During my trip I met and discussed Cornersteel's project with local university professors and PhD students while experiencing the full extent of the Philippines through visiting underprivileged communities and the wildlife in the island's diverse ecosystem. Below, I'll summarize my vacation to the Philippines, including both the employment and the exploring aspects.

In today's article, I'll talk about a research paper I discovered to learn more about photobioreactors, which is required for my internship. Reading the article The design and performance of a low-cost, automated, large-scale photobioreactor for microalgae production will help me prepare for my internship at Comfac Systems Corp., who is developing a photobioreactor for their factory. The paper discusses the use of Tetraselmis chuii as the algae for the photobioreactor.

This month I will be reviewing the LA fires, devastating wildfires that have killed 25 people, displaced 100,000, and caused tens of billions of dollars in damages. Looking at the BU article How and Why the LA Wildfires Grew So Fast—and Lessons for the Future, I will be briefly covering the LA fires summarizing the main details about the event.

In this post I will be talking about my latest activity with the Fair Haven Green Team, Love Where You Live Day. The team and I set this up to celebrate the town and support local businesses. People from around the town came to the event, which had live music and many local businesses that were there to promote their work. While many local residents were walking around, I got many to sign a pledge to help better the environment to help Fair Haven. Activities like biking more or using recyclable water bottles are what people would pledge to do, and with enough signatures, Fair Haven gains points from the state, which can be awarded for grants. 

In this post I will reviewing another method of carbon capture other than an algae bioreactor. A Monoethanolamine (MEA) solvent is another project which focuses on the capture of carbon emissions. It intends to capture the CO2 from diesel ovens and the flue gas exhausted by the power plant in order absorb pure CO2 and store it.