For those who live and play on the shores of Lake Erie, the spring rains that will begin falling here soon are less a blessing than a portent. They could threaten the very future of the lake itself. Lake Erie is sick. A thick and growing coat of toxic algae appears each summer, so vast [...]
Based on a newly conducted study, an independent scientific panel reported today that existing Mississippi River freshwater diversions have not slowed the ongoing loss of Louisiana’s wetlands. Restoration of Louisiana wetlands may only be possible through significant inputs of sediment. In the report, “Mississippi River Freshwater Diversions in Southern Louisiana: Effects on Wetland Vegetation, Soils, [...]
Scientists at the Caribbean Coral Reef Institute at the University of Puerto Rico identified locations and size of reef fish spawning aggregations by the sounds they make. The success of many commercially valuable species in the Caribbean requires annual spawning aggregations of reef fishes; aggregation behavior creates extreme vulnerability to overfishing. The scientists developed a [...]
Scientists are developing proposals for dealing with the worsening problem of harmful algae in Lake Erie. Experts from the U.S. and Canada met Monday and Tuesday in Windsor, Ontario, to discuss findings from research into blue-green algae blooms on the lake. They are toxic and have caused animal deaths. The scientists are examining sources of [...]
Don Scavia, a researcher whose work is funded in part by the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, presented results from his Lake Erie hypoxia ecological forecasting project. His presentation focused on phosphorus loading, climate influence on those loads, subsequent impacts on dissolved oxygen and harmful algal blooms, and best management practices to control nutrient runoff. Despite [...]
NOAA-funded research in the Caribbean is using the underwater sounds of reef fish, such as groupers, to identify areas where they gather to spawn — a behavior that makes the fish easier to catch and susceptible to overfishing. The research may lead to more precise measures to protect spawning locations and thereby allow a depleted [...]
The leading world venue for showcasing the latest research on oceans, coasts and lakes is the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography Aquatic Sciences Meeting. The research programs sponsored by the NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) offer management solutions for harmful algae, hypoxia and regional ecosystem-scale research. At the 2013 [...]
The U.S. benefits from a wealth of resources and activities that depend on healthy coastal habitats. However, these habitats are being degraded by extensive hardening of shorelines due to climate-driven sea level rise, increasing shoreline development, land use changes in coastal watersheds, pollution, and invasions of non-native species. In the Mid-Atlantic region alone, coastal development [...]