Scientific American and WBUR Co-Produce Three Part Series Exploring Nitrogen Pollution from Urine on Cape Cod
Cape Cod once again finds itself making headlines in the environmental science community, as Scientific American and WBUR publish the first two episodes in their three-part series on Scientific American’s “Science Quickly” Podcast, in which host Rachel Feltman, alongside leading science and tech journalists, dives into the rich world of scientific discovery in this bite-size science variety show.
The following descriptions are from the Science Quickly website:
Cape Cod’s famed ponds and bays are suffering from pollution with a curious origin: human urine. Household septic systems are flushing nitrogen into the water, resulting in toxic algal blooms.
In the first episode of a three-part series of “Science Quickly”, environmental reporter Barbara Moran is on Cape Cod to find out why the crystal-clear water there is turning “pea-soup green”—and how communities are scrambling to clean it up.
In the second episode, Ms. Moran looks at the controversial and costly pollution solutions being considered.
The final episode, which addresses pee-cycling, will air later this week.
For more information, read WBUR’s coverage of the efforts to improve Cape Cod’s water pollution, including a “pee-cycling” project being considered by one innovative town. And watch WBUR and Scientific American’s documentary short exploring how pollution and algae overgrowth threaten this Massachusetts vacation hub.
