Tag: nutrients
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Meat industry blamed for largest-ever ‘dead zone’ in Gulf of Mexico
The global meat industry, already implicated in driving global warming and deforestation, has now been blamed for fueling what is expected to be the worst “dead zone” on record in the Gulf of Mexico. Toxins from manure and fertiliser pouring into waterways are exacerbating huge, harmful algal blooms that create oxygen-deprived stretches of the gulf,…
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Septic systems are a major source of emerging contaminants in drinking water
Credit: Silent Spring Institute A new analysis shows that septic systems in the United States routinely discharge pharmaceuticals, consumer product chemicals, and other potentially hazardous chemicals into the environment. The study, published June 15 in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, is the most comprehensive assessment to date of septic systems as important sources of…
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2017 Summer Gulf ‘Dead Zone’ Could Be Bigger Than Connecticut
Summer is almost here, and you know what that means. Sun, sand and … a watery wasteland devoid of all life? Yep, this is the time each year when a team of federal and university scientists predicts the size of the so-called dead zone that will develop in the Gulf of Mexico later in the…
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What does the ocean have to do with human health?
Our ocean and coasts affect us all! Our ocean and coasts affect us all—even those of us who don’t live near the shoreline. Consider the economy. Through the fishing and boating industry, tourism and recreation, and ocean transport, one in six U.S. jobs is marine-related. Coastal and marine waters support over 28 million jobs. U.S.…
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Farm conservation leaders describe trials and solutions
Photo courtesy Soil Health Partnership KALONA, Iowa — Returns from conservation practices may be hard to quantify, and management challenges difficult to overcome, but Southeast Iowa farmers Steve Berger and Francis Thicke see viable solutions to preserve Iowa’s topsoil and reduce nutrient loss. Berger and Thicke spoke at an event hosted by the Sierra Club…
