Groundwater a significant source of pollution on Great Barrier Reef, study shows – the Guardian

The Great Barrier Reef, (by Steve Parish courtesy of Lock the Gate Alliance CC BY 2.0 DEED via Flickr).

Scientists say they have discovered large flows of pollution are reaching the Great Barrier Reef after soaking into underground water, a finding that could have implications for policymakers focused on cutting pollution from river catchments. The new research claims almost a third of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and two-thirds of dissolved inorganic phosphorus in the reef’s waters are coming from underground sources – an amount previously undocumented…

Global heating has likely made El Niños and La Niñas more ‘frequent and extreme’ – the Guardian

Between Two Storms (by Peter Kurdulija CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 via Flickr).

Scientists say greenhouse gases have already affected climate patterns in the Pacific that could lead to more severe weather, floods and heatwaves…Dr Wenju Cai, lead author of the study from Australia’s CSIRO science agency, said the models showed a “human fingerprint” from 1960 onwards. But some other scientists not involved in the study had reservations about the findings, raising concerns about the reliance on modelling….