Ocean conditions likely to reduce Colorado River flows this winter — ‘A recipe for a perfect drought’

By Meg Sullivan October 01, 2010 The convergence in the coming year of three cyclical conditions affecting ocean temperatures and weather is likely to create unprecedented challenges for states that depend on water from the Colorado River, a new UCLA study suggests. “If I were concocting a recipe for a perfect drought, this would be […]

Review supports EPA science on mining damage to West Virginia streams

By Ken Ward Jr.September 30, 2010 CHARLESTON, W.Va. — An independent science advisory team has issued a draft report [pdf] that supports the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s conclusion that mountaintop removal is causing serious damage to Appalachian streams. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s independent Science Advisory Board earlier this week issued a draft of its […]

China water diversion mega-project poses risks

[Desdemona remembers when it was the Martians who were building desperate canal mega-projects to save their world…] Beijing (UPI) Sep 30, 2010 – China’s $62 billion South-North Water Transfer Project is forcing the relocation of 330,000 people and may not even deliver clean water. The system, designed to supply 45 trillion gallons of water for […]

Graph of the Day: Prevailing Patterns of Threat to Human Water Security and Biodiversity in 2010

Adjusted human water security threat is contrasted against incident biodiversity threat. Much of the developed world faces the challenge of reducing biodiversity threat and protecting biodiversity, while maintaining established water services. The developing world shows tandem threats to human water security and biodiversity, posing an arguably more significant challenge. Large, contiguous areas of low threat […]

World’s rivers in crisis, study says

By Alister Doyle, Environment CorrespondentWed Sep 29, 2010 3:50pm EDT OSLO (Reuters) – The world’s rivers are in crisis including in North America and Europe where governments have invested trillions of dollars to clean up freshwater supplies, a study showed Wednesday. “Threats to human water security and biological diversity are pandemic,” Charles Vorosmarty of the […]

South Africa water pollution crisis imminent, says group

SapaSeptember 29, 2010 By 2015, 80 percent of South Africa’s fresh water resources will be so badly polluted that no process of purification available in the country will be able to make it fit for consumption. If we do not find a completely new source of water altogether in about two years, most of Gauteng […]

Worst drought in recorded history to trigger shortage plan in Southwest US

By FELICITY BARRINGERSeptember 27, 2010 LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA, Nev. — A once-unthinkable day is looming on the Colorado River. Barring a sudden end to the Southwest’s 11-year drought, the distribution of the river’s dwindling bounty is likely to be reordered as early as next year because the flow of water cannot keep pace […]

Lake Mead: Then and Now

Two images from the Thematic Mapper on the Landsat 5 satellite show some of the stark changes on the eastern end of Lake Mead since 1985. 22 August 1985   11 August 2010 Caption by Michael CarlowiczSeptember 23, 2010 In August 2010, Lake Mead reached its lowest level since 1956. The largest reservoir in the […]

Uganda forest being stripped for fuel wood

By Jeremy Hance, www.mongabay.com September 27, 2010 A new study in the open access journal of Tropical Conservation Science finds that the Kasagala forest reserve in central Uganda is losing important tree species and suffering from low diversity of species. Researchers believe that forest degradation for charcoal and firewood has put heavy pressure on this […]

Australia faces worst plague of locusts since records began

Ideal breeding conditions for grasshoppers are expected to cost farmers billions  By Paul RodgersSunday, 26 September 2010 Australia’s Darling river is running with water again after a drought in the middle of the decade reduced it to a trickle. But the rains feeding the continent’s fourth-longest river are not the undiluted good news you might […]

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