https://e360.yale.edu/features/floating-wetlands-cities-pollution
"Five small islands roughly the size of backyard swimming pools float next to
the concrete riverbank of Bubbly Creek, a stretch of the Chicago River named
for the gas that once rose to the surface after stockyards dumped animal waste
and byproducts into the waterway. Clumps of short, native grasses and plants,
including sedges, swamp milkweed, and queen of the prairie, rise from a
gravel-like material spread across each artificial island’s surface. A few
rectangles cut from their middles hold bottomless baskets, structures that
will, project designers hope, provide an attachment surface for freshwater
mussels that once flourished in the river.
Three thousand square feet in total, these artificial wetlands are part of an
effort to clean up a portion of a river that has long served the interests of
industry. This floating wetland project is one of many proliferating around the
world as cities increasingly look to green infrastructure to address toxic
legacies. In the United States, researchers are conducting experiments in
Boston and Baltimore as well as in Chicago, each team sharing best practices
with the other to maximize the ecological benefits of their systems. The
Canadian government and local municipalities are allotting more funding for
innovative projects. Floating wetlands are also multiplying in the United
Kingdom, and studies to quantify additional benefits continue in Australia and
Brazil."
Via
Future Crunch issue 193:
https://futurecrunch.com/
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
