Environmental news from freshare.net

Dangerous Strains of E. coli May Linger Longer in Water

2013-06-14T15:30:00-06:00

A toxin dangerous to humans may help E. coli fend off aquatic predators, enabling strains of E. coli that produce the toxin to survive longer in lake water than benign counterparts, according to the results of a new study. “The take-home lesson is that E. coli that produce Shiga toxin persisted longer in recreational water than E. coli…

May Weather Full of Extremes

2013-06-13T16:49:01-06:00

May’s weather was one for the record books. “There is great disparity between what we saw last year vs. this year,” said Pat Guinan, state climatologist with the University of Missouri Extension Commercial Agriculture Program. The temperatures in March through May made it the coolest spring since 1984,…

April and May Set Weather Records

2013-05-23T15:00:00-06:00

Lots of rain, low temperatures and even snow set weather records in April and May in Missouri. “You can’t get much more of a difference, last spring versus this spring,” said Pat Guinan, climatologist for the University of Missouri Extension Commercial Agriculture Program. “April was 2-3 degrees below normal in Missouri, making it the coolest since 1997.” …

Insecticides Lead Aquatic Insects to Starvation

2013-05-17T15:38:01-06:00

Neonicotinoids are a class of insecticides that are chemically related to nicotine. These insecticides affect the nerve synapses of insects, and neonicotinoids are popular for their solubility in water. Plants absorb the chemical, which is often applied to the soil to reduce its chances of drifting through the air. However, the solubility that makes neonicotinoids prized for controlling…

Groundwater Unaffected by Shale Gas Production in Arkansas

2013-05-16T20:06:00-06:00

A new study by scientists at Duke University and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) finds no evidence of groundwater contamination from shale gas production in Arkansas. “Our results show no discernible impairment of groundwater quality in areas associated with natural gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing in this region,” said Avner Vengosh, professor of geochemistry and water quality at…

Decades-Old Nitrate Found to Affect Stream Water Quality

2013-05-09T18:38:00-06:00

USGS hydrologic researchers have found that the movement of nitrate through groundwater to streams can take decades to occur. This long lag time means that changes in the use of nitrogen-based fertilizer (the typical source of nitrate) — whether the change is initiation, adjustment, or cessation — may take decades to be fully observed in streams. Water quality…

It’s May. It’s Arkansas. It’s Snowing.

2013-05-03T18:58:00-06:00

Hello snow. Goodbye zucchinis. Friday’s snowfall in northwest Arkansas was a record setter. Never before had snow been recorded in May in Arkansas, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures dropped steeply with the snow and a freeze watch was posted…

Amphibians Living Close to Farm Fields Are More Resistant to Common Insecticides

2013-05-03T16:20:00-06:00

Amphibian populations living close to agricultural fields have become more resistant to a common insecticide and are actually resistant to multiple common insecticides, according to two recent studies conducted at the University of Pittsburgh. Pitt researchers demonstrated that tadpoles from populations close to farm fields are more resistant to chlorpyrifos—one of the most commonly applied insecticides in the…

Exposure to Fine Traffic Pollution Particles Increases Heart Disease Risk

2013-04-18T20:49:00-06:00

Over the years, a number of studies described various associations between road traffic and heart disease. Last year, one such study even demonstrated a link between traffic noise and the probability of suffering a heart attack. The latest study shows that long-term exposure to the type of fine particulate matter produced by traffic is directly linked to atherosclerosis,…

Damaged Section of Pipeline Removed in Mayflower

2013-04-18T19:42:00-06:00

The damaged section of a pipeline that ruptured just over two weeks ago in Mayflower has been removed. Oil that spilled from the pipeline eventually made its way to a cove south of the main body of Lake Conway, but no oil has been found in the main body of the lake. The pipe will be…

Lake Conway’s Fish Deemed Safe for Consumption

2013-04-11T16:37:00-06:00

The bream are biting at Craig D. Campbell Lake Conway Reservoir. So are the crappie. And so are the bass and the catfish. These fish are safe to eat, according to the Mayflower Incident Unified Command, a coalition of public and private organizations leading the work on the oil spill at Mayflower. …

Look Out Illinois!

2013-04-11T16:28:00-06:00

Tornado Alley will probably see slightly fewer tornadoes this storm season, while areas to its east will see a more than average, says a climate expert at the University of Missouri. Tony Lupo, professor and chair of atmospheric science at the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, said that…

Streams Stressed by Pharmaceutical Pollution

2013-04-05T16:46:00-06:00

Pharmaceuticals commonly found in the environment are disrupting streams, with unknown impacts on aquatic life and water quality. A new Ecological Applications paper highlights the ecological cost of pharmaceutical waste and the need for more research into environmental impacts. Lead author Dr. Emma Rosi-Marshall, a scientist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, comments: “Pharmaceutical pollution is now…

AGFC Crews Rush to Help Stop Flow of Oil Near Lake Conway

2013-04-04T21:39:00-06:00

If not for the quick work of Arkansas Game and Fish Commission staff, other state and local agencies, along with various hazardous material cleanup crews, the oil spill at Mayflower may have been much worse. Last week, a 20-inch pipeline carrying heavy Canadian crude oil burst spilling thousands of gallons of oil into a residential storm drain that leads to…

Proximity to Coal-Tar-Sealed Pavement Raises Risk of Cancer

2013-03-29T18:00:00-06:00

People living near asphalt pavement sealed with coal tar have an elevated risk of cancer, according to a study in the journal Environmental Science and Technology. Much of this calculated excess risk results from exposures in children, age six or younger, to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from the sealant. “The increased cancer risk associated with coal-tar-sealed asphalt (CSA)…

Excess Fuel, Rising Spring Temps Raise Wildfire Danger Throughout Arkansas

2013-03-28T18:33:00-06:00

Rain and snow statewide have helped drop the wildfire danger from moderate to low for most of Arkansas on Friday, but continued drought, plus deadfall from December’s ice and snow storms mean wildfire risks haven’t dropped from the radar. Howard, Little River, Montgomery, Pike, Polk, Scott, Sevier and Yell counties were all under moderate wildfire danger. On Thursday,…

Exploring Long-term Water Quality Trends in Pristine Streams

2013-03-22T16:57:02-06:00

Urban sprawl and developed land make studying undisturbed streams a rare opportunity. But a group of researchers, led by Alba Argerich of Oregon State University, accomplished the feat. Argerich and her team compared water quality trends in forested streams across the country that were largely undisturbed by land use or land cover changes. The study draws…

Hog Farm Threatens the Buffalo

2013-03-14T17:07:00-06:00

In the 1960s and early 1970s, Dr. Neil Compton and a host of others fought the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about that organization’s plan to dam the Buffalo River. Dr. Compton and his team won that fight. But a new threat looms for the Buffalo River. C&H Hog Farms won approval from the Arkansas Department of Environmental…

Aging Sewers Impact Urban Watersheds

2013-03-14T15:52:02-06:00

Aging sewer systems are spilling a considerable amount of nitrogen into urban watersheds, diminishing both the quality of water and the ecosystems’ habitats. A University of Pittsburgh research team analyzed water samples from the Nine Mile Run watershed, a water system that includes the city of Pittsburgh. From their analysis, they estimated that 10 to 20 tons of…

Scientists May Have Overestimated Wind Farm Capacities for Power Generation

2013-02-28T17:51:00-06:00

People think of wind as an energy source with few limits, offering an unending power source with distinct capacity advantages over sources that deplete, such as fossil fuel. But research in atmospheric modeling by UNC Charlotte’s Amanda S. Adams and Harvard University’s David W. Keith suggests that the power capacity of large-scale wind farms may have been significantly overestimated. …

Sewage Lagoons Remove Most - But Not All - Pharmaceuticals

2013-02-22T19:08:00-06:00

2012 marked the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, which established regulations for the discharge of pollutants to waterways and supported the building of sewage treatment plants. Despite these advances, sewage remains a major source of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and naturally occurring hormones found in the environment. Many rural communities in the United States…

Committee Searching for Nutrient Reduction Strategies

2013-02-15T20:10:01-06:00

Nutrient loads can cause problems with water quality. That’s why the Missouri Nutrient Reduction Strategy Committee is working to decrease the amount of nutrients that end up in the Mississippi River. The committee, which is made up of 31 organizations and individuals, formed in 2011 when the Environmental Protection Agency made grants to states in the Mississippi River…

Another Dry Summer?

2013-02-15T19:33:00-06:00

The culprit for the dry weather that has parched much of the Midwest may be fading, a University of Missouri atmospheric scientist said. But don’t expect much relief, yet. The dry soil will have an impact on this summer’s temperatures. Tony Lupo, department chair of Soil, Environmental and Atmospheric Sciences…

A Taste of the Water Debate

2013-02-07T17:53:00-06:00

It is safer. It is more pure and tastes better. These are a few of the common perceptions about bottled water. The fact that it is more expensive is the major divider between municipal water and most bottled water. “There is not much assurance the bottled water is better,” said Hailin Zhang, Regent’s professor of plant and soil…

The Storm That Never Was: Why Weather Predictions Go Wrong

2013-02-01T17:49:01-06:00

Have you ever awoken to a sunny forecast only to get soaked on your way to the office? On days like that it’s easy to blame the weatherman. But BYU mechanical engineering professor Julie Crockett doesn’t get mad at meteorologists. She understands it’s not the weatherman’s fault his forecast can…