Lake Victoria beset by environmental problems

Kisumu, Kenya - Lake Victoria, the largest freshwater lake in Africa, is shrinking, dropping some six feet in the last four years. Over 30 million people in three East African nations depend on the lake’s water for their livelihoods and biologists fear that if the overdraw from the lake doesn’t decrease, Victoria could surfer from serious ecological problems. Read more

Popularity: 5%

North Pole May Be Ice Free for First Time This Summer

The Arctic could be ice-free this summer for the first time in known history, National Geographic reports. The freeing of Arctic ice wasn’t predicted to happen until at least 2013, but last year’s summer conditions have expediated the process. If the ice-melts, new passages for shipping will temporarily open, but the ecological costs could be castrophic. Read more

Popularity: 7%

Water confirmed on Mars

TUSCON, Arizona - Scientists relishing confirmation of water ice near the surface beside NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander anticipate even bigger discoveries from the robotic mission in the weeks ahead. Read more

Popularity: 12%

Mississippi Surges Over Nearly a Dozen Levees

Flooding along the Mississippi Rivers continues to wreck havoc across the Midwest this week. With nearly a dozen levees overflowing near St. Louis, Missouri was being hit hard on Thursday, the New York Times reports.

Damage to farmland has been severe in the state, with an estimated 2-5 million acres of crops damaged, pushing corn to $8 dollars a barrel late last week.

Read more here.

Source : New York Times

Popularity: 10%

Editorial: Oil crisis, meet water crisis

DALLAS, Texas - In an op-ed, The Dallas Morning News’ staff warns that ignoring the looming water crisis in America, will leave Texas dry: Read more

Popularity: 15%

Spain: Drought leading to illegal wells and blackmarket deals

FORTUNA, Spain - Southeast Spain is running out of water. After years of commercial expansion, both in agriculture and in tourism, this extreme end of the Iberian Peninsula is drying up. And the desertification is threatening the livelihoods of over 135 million people, bringing about the creation of a black market for water. Read more

Popularity: 4%

Phoenix lander samples a little Martian dirt

WASHINGTON - The Phoenix lander has begun taking samples of its icy Martian surroundings in its search for extraterrestrial water, NASA reported early Monday. Read more

Popularity: 6%

Is water becoming ‘the new oil’?

Global demands for freshwater have nearly doubled since World War II, the Christian Science Monitor reports. China, India, and other parts of Asia, are experiencing unprecedented growth, limited by the availability of fresh, potable, water. Read more

Popularity: 12%

Glacial melt releasing DDT back into water cycle

Despite a worldwide ban on DDT use, levels of the pesticide have remained constant since the 1970’s in Adélie penguins of the Western Antarctic Peninsula. The culprit: glacial runoff. Read more

Popularity: 8%

Water: tapping a strained supply

As the US population continues to rise, a water crisis looms. Overuse, pollution, and infrastructure neglect all pose series risks to the nation’s water supplies. A nation where very few individuals are informed about water issues — or even understand where the water from the tap comes from — may soon face one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century: water resource management. Read more

Popularity: 7%

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