Global Study Shows Large Lakes Are Warming

December 8, 2010–NASA researchers have found the 104 selected lakes are warming by an average of 0.81 degrees Fahrenheit each decade (with some lakes increasing by up to 1.8 degrees F), and the temperature increase tends to be larger as you work toward the North Pole.

Private Landowners Increase Protected Wetland Acreage

November 24, 2010–Land owners signed up to protect 272,762 acres, which in one year adds about 12% of the total acreage covered during the 15-year history of the voluntary Wetlands Reserve Program. Funding for the 1,414 contracts totaled $592,562,106.

Pavement Sealcoat Contaminates Lakes and Streams

November 10, 2010–A soon-to-be-published study has found elevated levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, probable human carcinogens toxic to fish and other aquatic life, in waterways are originating from coal tar-based pavement sealcoats.

Got TMDLs? Sneak Peek of New Pollutant Loading Tool Could Raise Ruckus

November 3, 2010–EPA in-house tool may be released to public within months. It will give reporters themselves the ability to estimate the cumulative impacts of pollution on water bodies.

25,000 Abandoned Mines Are Just the Beginning

October 27, 2010–The BLM is documenting where the mines are, and ramping up efforts to mitigate threats from them, such as water contamination, traps for people and animals, and deteriorating old explosives lurking in some dark corners.

Peak Water: A New Way To Look at Long-Term Water Issues

October 27, 2010–Viewing local, regional, national, and global water issues through the lens of "peak water," a concept explained in a Pacific Institute paper, can yield some interesting angles on water-related stories and long-term water issues.

Study: Fish Are Getting Whipsawed by People, Climate Change

October 27, 2010–Arizona State University researchers find a major shift in top fish predators in 36 North American waterways, resulting in reduced availability of fish caught for food or sport, and long-term changes in riparian ecology that affect both people and the rest of the environment, sometimes in unpredictable ways.

NOAA Tool Provides Historical Hurricane Insights

October 13, 2010–More than 150 years of historical hurricane information, including accompanying population data, for coastal US locations impacted by these storms may be a helpful tool for preparing for and covering this issue locally.

Nonfederal Rangeland Often in Poor Shape

October 13, 2010–USDA and USGS researchers found about one of every five acres of rangelands in 17 western states, as well as portions of Louisiana and Florida, has some degree of degradation of at least one factor (soil and site stability, hydrologic integrity, and biotic integrity).

Improved Tsunami Warning System Still Needs Work

September 29, 2010–A National Research Council report says one of the most significant problems is a continuing lack of communication between federal tsunami warning system officials; local officials and emergency managers; the media; and the public.