Scientists Warn of Persistent 'Dead Zones' in Bay, Elsewhere By Kari LydersenFebruary 17, 2009; Washington Posthttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/16/AR2009021601150.html CHICAGO -- Healing low-oxygen aquatic "dead zones" in the Chesapeake Bay and hundreds of other spots worldwide will be trickier than previously imagined, leading scientists on the issue said Sunday. That's because the low oxygen levels that make it [...]

Falling crop diversity leads to dead zone By Jordan BlumFeb 12, 2009; 2theadvocate.comhttp://www.2theadvocate.com/news/39479202.html The dwindling amount of agricultural diversity along the Mississippi River basin is significantly contributing to the Gulf of Mexico’s “dead zone” off Louisiana’s coast, according to a new LSU-led report.The study started as an LSU doctoral dissertation and ended up as an [...]

Midwest Water Managers Travel to the Gulf of Mexico By LUMCON e-NewsletterJanuary 2009http://www.lumcon.edu/Information/news/default.asp?XMLFilename=200901090037.xml Midwest Water Managers Travel to the Gulf of Mexico Water quality managers from several midwestern states and regional offices of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency gathered in Cocodrie at LUMCON (Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium) for a first-hand look at what causes the [...]

State seeks more wetlands to fight pollution runoff By Philip BrasherFebruary 8, 2009; Des Moines Registerhttp://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009902080334 Adel, Ia. - State agriculture officials think they have the solution to the pollution problems caused by water that drains off the state's farms: Drain the water faster.Shallow ponds like the one created with federal money on a Dallas [...]

From state mines to gulf dead zone: the trail of Florida phosphate By Craig PittmanFebruary 2, 2009; St. Petersburg Timeshttp://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/water/article972491.ece For a good example of the law of unintended consequences, look no further than the nationwide push to promote ethanol. Ten years ago, federal officials became concerned that a common gasoline additive called MTBE, which [...]

GreenLands-BlueWaters: Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia By Webcast Presentation by US EPA Region 7 Water Division; Author and Presenter: Nancy RabalaisFebruary 3, 2009  http://accordent.powerstream.net/008/00136/greenlands-bluewaters/

Kentucky said to help feed Gulf area 'dead zone' By Andy MeadJanuary 22, 2009; Lexington Herald-Leaderhttp://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/667006.html Kentucky is a significant contributor to a large dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the keynote speaker at a weekend conference on water quality. Jon Devine, an attorney with the environmental organization Natural Resources Defense Council, [...]

Runoff Aids Some Egyptian Fisheries, Study Says By Andrew C. RevkinJanuary 19, 2009; The New York Timeshttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/world/africa/20nile.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=Nile&st=cse In many coastal regions, runoff from farms and sewers has caused widespread deaths of marine life. But fisheries off Egypt’s Mediterranean coast appear to be thriving from a similar nutrient-laden brew, scientists reported Monday. The fisheries had been [...]

U-M aquatic ecologist Scavia named new Graham Institute director By Media-Newswire.com01/12/2009http://media-newswire.com/release_1083701.htmlScavia, a professor of natural resources and environment and director of the Michigan Sea Grant Program, has studied the Great Lakes and other coastal ecosystems for more than three decades. He joined the U-M faculty in 2004 after serving as chief scientist for the U.S. [...]

Ethanol Is a Disaster, But What About Other Biofuels? By Jenna ScatenaJanuary 12, 2009; AlterNethttp://www.alternet.org/environment/118436/ethanol_is_a_disaster,_but_what_about_other_biofuels/?page=1 In the midst of corn ethanol's failing, researchers may have found a new hope for biofuel -- just in time.  A recent television ad features an animated corn stalk saying in a nasally, child-like voice: "Ethanol decreases carbon emission by [...]