Water & Oceans

"Pacific walrus that can’t find sea ice for resting in Arctic waters are coming ashore in record numbers on a beach in north-west Alaska."

"A stunning Quebec Superior Court injunction that temporarily halted exploratory work on a major cross-Canada oilsands pipeline project is raising fresh questions about whether the Canadian government muzzled a top scientist while reviewing the industry proposal."

"Although not the primary source of Great Lakes algae, climate change is exacerbating the problem and making it harder to reduce phosphorus and other nutrients that help algae grow, experts say."

"The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) doesn’t do enough to stop hundreds of hazardous chemicals from getting into waterways via sewage plants, a watchdog report found."

"Deborah Swackhamer, a professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Minnesota, decided last year to investigate the chemistry of the nearby Zumbro River. She and her colleagues were not surprised to find traces of pesticides in the water."

"With a record U.S. harvest just coming in, the river transportation system that is at the heart of the nation's farm economy is overstrained by rising demand for shipping capacity, a low barge inventory, and a dilapidated lock system."

"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposal to eliminate mercury pollution from dental offices nationwide."

"Pollution investigators have found toxic compounds in groundwater below the Delaware Air National Guard base matching those that prompted shutdowns this summer of the city of New Castle's entire three-well public supply network and two Artesian Water Co. wells."

"Nine years after levee failures flooded New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina and two years after Hurricane Sandy devastated the East Coast, the nation has failed to determine the flooding risks faced by communities across the United States, the American Society of Civil Engineers said in a new report."

"Procter & Gamble, the maker of Crest, has just pledged to eliminate microbeads from its toothpastes by March 2016."