Coal-Tar-Sealant Runoff Causes Toxicity and DNA Damage
Runoff from pavement with coal-tar-based sealant is toxic to aquatic life, damages DNA, and impairs DNA repair, according to two studies by the U.S. G.S published in the journals Environmental Science and Technology and Science of the Total Environment.
Natural Filters: Mussels Deployed To Clean Up Polluted Waterways
A stream with a healthy population of mussels indicates a pretty pristine habitat and good water quality. Everywhere, however, numbers of mussels are in peril. Everywhere the causes of decline are the same: alteration and damming of streams and rivers, and human-induced runoff of silt and nutrients.
Why Dangerous Sinkholes Keep Appearing Along the Dead Sea
For millennia, the salty, mineral-rich waters of the Dead Sea have drawn visitors and health pilgrims to its shores. But in recent years, gaping chasms have been opening up without warning along its banks, posing a threat to such visitors and tourism in general.
Northern Coastal Marshes More Vulnerable to Nutrient Pollution
Salt marshes at higher latitudes, such as those in densely populated coastal regions of New England and northern Europe, are more vulnerable to the effects of nutrient pollution, a new Duke University study finds.
A Silent Victory For Marine Mammals
A federal judge stands up to the noisy navy for the sake of marine mammals.
Expanding Focus, Boundaries of Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale Marine Sanctuary
NOAA has announced its proposed rule for expanding the size and the focus of Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary to include multiple marine species. Members of the public are invited to submit comments to the agency on the proposed rule and draft environmental impact statement now through June 19.
Saltwater Intrusion: The Parts You Can’t See
As saltwater moves increasingly farther into coastal plain, there will be changes to the landscape that we can see, like dead-standing trees, and many that we cannot. The quality of the water, the nutrients in the soil and the exchange of greenhouse gasses will all be affected.
What Causes Cetaceans to Strand Along the Coast?
There are many reason why marine mammals beach themselves, and the Marine Mammal Center recommends these steps if you come across a beached seal, whale or dolphin.
Successful Conservation Efforts along Florida, Pacific Coasts Recognized in Revised ESA Listing of Green Sea Turtle
NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to reclassify the green sea turtle under the Endangered Species Act, and list turtles originating from two breeding populations currently considered endangered as threatened due to improvements in their populations.