Ecosystems


Alaska Coal Mine Agrees to Fine for Discharges into Local Waterways

Usibelli Coal Mine Inc., owner of an open-pit coal mine near Healy in Alaska’s central interior, has signed a consent agreement and final order that resolves water permit violations and numerous unpermitted discharges.

birds eggs mercury

Data From Eggs May Show Link Between Mercury Cycling and Ice Cover

Examination of murre eggs from the northernmost nesting areas where sea ice exists all year long revealed lower amounts of mercury isotopes than in eggs collected from sites in southern Alaska where there is no ice cover.

Montrealers are Feeding Fish Prozac

Approximately one in four Montrealers take some kind of anti-depressant, and according to new research, the drugs are passing into the waterways and affecting fish.

Washington Bills Would Streamline, Reform State Water Management

Twenty-nine legislators supported bills in the House and Senate that would remove some authority from the Department of Ecology and set up a new water commission.

Defense Department Seeks Technology Demonstration Proposals

The agency has funding available to support demonstration; pre-proposals are due by March 8.

Georgia Cypress. By Craig Tanner

Law Center Identifies Top 10 Endangered Places in the Southeast

Five areas are threatened by impacts related to energy production, from offshore drilling in Alabama to mountaintop removal coal mining in Tennessee to 'fracking' in Virginia.

Watershed Academy Webcast Targets Algal Blooms

The free webcast on "Nitrogen and Phosphorus Pollution and Harmful Algal Blooms in Lakes” is scheduled for Jan. 26.

LEAF GUI

Software Quantifies Leaf Vein Networks

Increased monitoring ability will enable better monitoring of plants' response to different environments.



EPA Halts Mining Waste Disposal in Appalachian Waters at Proposed Mine

EPA will use its authority under the Clean Water Act to halt the proposed disposal of mining waste in streams at the Mingo-Logan Coal Company’s Spruce No. 1 coal mine.

Natural Dissolved Organic Matter Plays Dual Role in Mercury Cycling

Compounds from the decay of organic matter in aquatic settings affect mercury cycling, according to a paper in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Alliance Continues Work on Water Framework

Clean Water America Alliance meets with other stakeholders today for dialogue on greater sustainability and stronger science.

Without Intervention, Mariana Crow Would Go Extinct in 75 Years

Researchers from the University of Washington say the Mariana crow, a forest crow living on Rota Island in the western Pacific Ocean, will go extinct in 75 years, almost twice as soon as previously believed.

Oil Spill Commission's Final Report: Systematic Failures in Risk Management

The European Union's energy commissioner, meanwhile, is watching the U.S. actions and will propose his own legislation soon.

Update of Draft National Wetland Plant List Available for Review and Comment

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is soliciting public comments on the updated draft National Wetland Plant List developed as part of an ongoing interagency effort to identify and assign wetland plant ratings to species found in the United States and its territories.

Natural Dust in Atmosphere Has Doubled Since Start of 20th Century

The amount of dust in the Earth’s atmosphere has doubled since the beginning of the 20th century and the dramatic increase is influencing climate and ecology around the world.

Fishing Boat

Community Co-management Could Help Sustain Fisheries Worldwide

New evidence suggests that the bulk of the world’s fisheries – including small-scale, often non-industrialized fisheries on which millions of people depend for food – could be sustained using community-based co-management.

Growing Hypoxic Zones Reduce Habitat for Billfish and Tuna

Billfish and tuna, important commercial and recreational fish species, may be more vulnerable to fishing pressure because of shrinking habitat according to a new study.

NOAA Launches Website Archive of Deepwater Horizon Response

Virtual library includes closure maps, wildlife reports, and mission logs by crew members.

USGS Develops New Method to Measure Potential for Carbon Sequestration

A new methodology to assess the potential to store carbon in U.S. wetlands, forests, and rangelands ecosystems – and thus to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere — will help find ways to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Bubblegum Coral

U.S. Scientists Partner with Indonesian Scientists to Explore Sulawesi Sea

New submarine volcanoes, a large hydrothermal field with a thriving exotic animal ecosystem, and areas rich with deep-sea ocean animals are among the discoveries they reported.