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AGRICULTURAL RUNOFF
In 1994, Illinois EPA listed 50.75 miles of Silver Creek as impaired by farm pollution. 28 years later, Illinois removed the creek from its impaired list in 2022Upper Silver Creek in Illinois has been removed from an impaired waters list. Best management practices were installed to reduce pollution ...
In 1989, a 185-page California climate report warned that a warming would slash the state's spring runoff by a full third. 30 years later, its warnings proved right, with mountain snow cover falling by half as droughts, floods and fires worsenedCalifornia received climate change warnings thirty years ago. These projections accurately predicted droughts, floods, and heat waves. The ...
In the early 1930s, New York State bought 340,000 acres of abandoned farmland for trees. 26 years later, the new forests had significantly reduced runoff, with their effect stable through 1967New York's reforestation program transformed abandoned farmland into dense woodlands. This initiative significantly reduced streamflow and ...
In a multi-decade study, engineers used 12-inch coconut-fiber blankets to secure riverbanks. Years later, deep-rooted plants turned them into living barriers that resist erosion and floodsHow a 12-inch coconut fiber roll can hold a failing streambank together is easier to understand than it looks. The simple coir log slows ru...
- Ladakh taps Indus water for agriculture
Ladakh's administration has made significant strides in environmental management by effectively channeling millions of litres of glacier ru...
18-year-old Colorado student Natalie Muro invents wave-powered device that fights toxic algal blooms using invasive weedA brilliant eighteen-year-old student developed a groundbreaking floating device designed to tackle toxic algal blooms. Utilizing wind-driv...
In 1998, over 1,000 truckloads of orange peels were dumped in a barren Costa Rica pasture, 15 years later it turned into a dense forestIn a groundbreaking initiative in Costa Rica, researchers turned orange waste into a remarkable tool for land restoration. This organic byp...
Deep under a US military base, a blind 'demon' creature just surfaced for the first timeBiologists found a pale aquatic creature, the demon cavefish, after three decades. This species remained undetected in Bobcat Cave, beneath...
India’s cheap-urea model faces an expensive reckoningIndia faces rising fertilizer costs, prompting a review of its subsidy system. Global supply chain issues and war have doubled procurement ...
In 2011, USGS researchers began studying Lake Erie's fish and seasonal hypoxia across a multi-year project. 15 years later, the findings showed fish crowding areas near 2–3 mg/L oxygen, revealing an unexpected shift at the edges of low-oxygen zonesLake Erie’s seasonal hypoxia is changing where fish gather. For years, scientists watched oxygen levels fall and fish move around the lake....
In 2000, the American West entered a megadrought that became its driest stretch in roughly 1,200 years. Years later, it left major lakes and reservoirs majorly depleted, with some losing enough water to expose miles of lakebedSeveral major North American lakes are experiencing significant water level declines. Drought, warming temperatures, and increased water de...
How a Self-Taught Widow invented modern water storage: Harriet Williams Strong's 1890s irrigation breakthroughs saved a drought-hit California ranch and transformed dry-land farming foreverIn 1883, Harriet Williams Russell Strong was widowed, penniless, and left with four daughters on a failing California ranch. She had zero e...
In 1996, an Indonesian farmer began planting banyan trees across barren hills, and 11,000 trees later, springs returned across 250 hectaresA farmer named Sadiman planted thousands of trees on barren land in Indonesia. His extensive planting of banyan and ficus trees revitalized...
In 1942, America completed Friant Dam and diverted most of the San Joaquin River into farms; a salmon run once numbering nearly 50,000 adults collapsedFriant Dam construction in California significantly altered the San Joaquin River's flow. This action disconnected salmon from their spawni...
Canada's birds have been shrinking since the 1970s as insect populations collapsed by more than 60%, scientists foundA groundbreaking study reveals a stark 60% decline in insects at Canada's Long Point Bird Observatory since the 1970s, directly impacting t...
Chile in the 1970s planted millions of Monterey pine and eucalyptus trees for timber, but scientists now say many native forests have been replaced, while streams and wildlife have declinedChile's biodiversity hotspot has witnessed a dramatic native forest decline since 1960, replaced by fast-growing pine plantations. Driven b...
Rice feeds more than half the world, but scientists say current farming is crossing Earth’s safe limits for climate, water, and nutrients, and that makes every bowl part of a bigger planetary balancing actRice cultivation, a global staple, is pushing Earth's natural systems beyond safe limits, particularly concerning climate change, water use...
What’s behind the giant brown ribbon stretching thousands of miles across the Atlantic ocean?A giant brown ribbon stretching thousands of miles across the Atlantic is revealing how closely Earth's oceans, climate, and ecosystems are...
Tata's iPhone parts factory faces India health probe after farmer contamination complaintsA health probe is underway into liquid discharge from Tata's iPhone parts factory in Hosur. Farmers report skin issues and contaminated far...
Restoring India’s land, securing India’s future through science and collective actionScientific innovations and integrated farming systems are combating land degradation and enhancing climate resilience, benefiting millions ...