Intense heat has caused algal blooms to form in western Lake Erie much sooner than normal. Though toxin levels are not yet known, officials are issuing their standard advice to stay away from all scums floating on the lake surface…. Read More ›
Great Lakes
Study Says Continue Great Lakes Restoration Efforts
Environmental groups say the report underscores the need for the United States and Canada to keep supporting Great Lakes restoration efforts. A budget proposal released by President Donald Trump zeroed out funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, but members of Congress from the Great Lakes area say they’ll fight to retain it.
Massive Algae Bloom on Lake Erie
The kind of toxic algae that forms each summer on Lake Erie and other lakes around Ohio feeds on phosphorus, a key element of livestock manure and sewage. Much of the phosphorus that gets into the lake comes from the Maumee River, which flows through eastern Indiana and western Ohio, depositing its waters into the western part of Lake Erie near Toledo.
Manure and sewage wash from soil and into the rivers and streams that feed the Maumee. More rains mean more runoff.
Microfibers Out of the Wash, Into the Fish & Birds
The fibers “get enmeshed in their G-I [gastrointestinal] tracts,” where they can pose physical and physiological hazards, explained Laura Kammin, pollution prevention specialist with the Ilinois-Indiana Sea Grant who worked with Mason on the study that documented fibers in Lake Michigan waters.
Plastics in Great Lakes Research
What’s more concerning is that plastic has been found to act like a sort of sponge, concentrating toxic chemicals that are diluted in oceans and lakes. Such toxins include heavy metals and chemicals that have long been banned, such as DDT or PCBs, that can have severe environmental effects and are known to cause cancer and birth defects.
Body Scrubs Loaded With Micro Plastics Dirtying Great Lakes
Three of the five Great Lakes—Huron, Superior and Erie—are awash in plastic. But it’s not the work of a Christo-like landscape artist covering the waterfront. Rather, small plastic beads, known as micro plastic, are the offenders, according to survey results… Read More ›
479 Hypoxic Waterways Worldwide
By Ruth Reader Historic eutrophic and hypoxic zones, from the World Resources Institute’s interactive map Read more: http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/the-biggest-dead-zones-in-americas-waterways#ixzz2YqOYw4zq Follow us: @motherboard on Twitter | motherboardtv on Facebook The NOAA forecasted that this year’s Gulf of Mexico hypoxic “dead” zone will be… Read More ›
Pesky Plastics Problematic for the Great Lakes
From Great Lake Echo Toxic chemicals clinging to plastics could cause health problems for fish and other organisms in the Great Lakes. They were discovered in samples from the first-ever Great Lakes plastic survey in Lake Erie, Lake Huron and… Read More ›
Neptune 911! 