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water pollution

A satellite image of a bright green algae bloom in the dark blue waters of Lake Erie
Posted inResearch Spotlights

Cyanobacteria Blooms Exceed WHO Thresholds in Midwest Lakes

by Rebecca Dzombak 16 November 20216 June 2022

A study of 369 lakes across the Midwest finds that many of them, especially those close to agriculture, have high concentrations of harmful algal bloom-causing cyanobacteria.

A stream in autumn with trees and vegetation along both banks, with an old barn and agricultural fields in the background.
Posted inNews

Scientists Call for Policies to Buffer Agricultural Runoff

by Jady Carmichael 22 October 202129 March 2023

By reviewing 44 studies, researchers make a scientific case for regulating agricultural pollution of streams and rivers by implementing conservation practices, including riparian buffer zones.

Water samples collected from Gwynns Falls stream in Baltimore
Posted inNews

Leaky Pipes Are Dosing Baltimore’s Waterways with Drugs

Richard Sima, freelance science writer by Richard J. Sima 22 October 202129 March 2023

Poor infrastructure is responsible for tens of thousands of pharmaceutical doses that flow through Baltimore’s streams each year.

This junction in Colorado’s Snake River is tinged with orange due to acid rock drainage.
Posted inNews

New Contamination Concern for Colorado Streams

by Nancy Averett 14 October 202129 March 2023

Abandoned hardrock mines and climate change cause metals and other elements to leach into streams. They also put rare earth elements into the water, a new study finds.

A young man pulls water from a well in an agricultural area in India.
Posted inNews

Researchers Trace Threats to Groundwater in India

by T. V. Padma 8 October 20219 May 2022

A handful of new studies analyze the depletion and contamination of groundwater, as well as the effects of climate change—and how communities are responding.

Floodwaters fill the streets of Port Arthur, Texas, after Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
Posted inNews

When Rivers Are Contaminated, Floods Are Only the First Problem

by J. Besl 10 September 202129 March 2023

As floods increase in frequency and intensity, chemicals buried in river sediments become “ticking time bombs” waiting to activate.

An aerial view of green algae mats near the western shore of Lake Erie
Posted inNews

Lake Erie Sediments: All Dredged Up with Nowhere to Grow

by J. Besl 31 August 202129 March 2023

Agriculture is a key contributor to the algae mats that plague Lake Erie. With so many fertilizers entering the lake, could sediment from the lake floor be used to grow crops instead?

Dam failure in Iowa
Posted inNews

Below Aging U.S. Dams, a Potential Toxic Calamity

by J. Dinneen and A. Kennedy 11 June 20216 January 2023

Documents suggest that in more than 80 U.S. locations, the failure of an aging dam could flood a major toxic waste site.

The steps of Har Ki Pauri lead down to the banks of the Ganges in Haridwar, India.
Posted inNews

Pharmaceuticals Pollute the Ganges

by T. V. Padma 4 February 20212 June 2025

Scientists report a cocktail of antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and personal care products found near two pilgrimage cities along the river.

A group of snailfish, animals that live in deep-sea ecosystems, feeding on a dead fish
Posted inNews

Sinking Fish May Fast-Track Mercury Pollution to the Deep Sea

by Carolyn Wilke 22 December 202018 March 2022

Isotopic analysis indicates that mercury found in deep-sea organisms may have an origin in carrion from near the surface.

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