Water News
Alberta Water News is a free, subscription-based service that provides the latest information on water news across Alberta and upcoming events.
The news is distributed weekly on Mondays via a collated email and Monday to Friday via WaterPortal social media (X was Twitter). Please note that news will not be distributed on Holiday Mondays and will be released the following Tuesday.
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Marine heatwave off north-east Australia sets off alarm over health of Great Barrier Reef
The Guardian
A marine heatwave has broken out along more than 2,000km of the Queensland coast, raising concerns for the health of corals on the Great Barrier Reef and other ocean life. Satellite data managed by the US National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration (NOAA) shows the heatwave started to emerge at the end of June. Click here to continue reading
Prairie farmers already struggling with drought now dealing with damaging grasshoppers
CBC News
Producers in some parts of southern Saskatchewan are already struggling with drought this summer. Now grasshoppers can once again be added to the list of woes. The situation is so severe south of Saskatoon that the RM of Dundurn has declared an agricultural disaster. Click here to continue reading
Summer village on Lac St. Anne plots attack plan on pervasive blue-green algae
Global News
A summer village on Lac St. Anne, 50 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, is looking for a way it can attack the lake’s blue-green algae problem. Kim Hanlan, chief administrative officer of the summer village of Yellowstone, said the blue-green algae is affecting people’s enjoyment of the lake. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: Indigenous art unites Australians in a common cause: abuse of the ocean
The Guardian
Megan Cope calls it the “first mining boom”, one that drove Australia’s oyster reefs to near extinction. First, British colonists raided the enormous piles of shells and animal bones Indigenous people had gathered after feasting and ceremony, mixing these middens with water into a lime slurry for building the new colony. Click here to continue reading
Experts say ‘cocaine sharks’ may be feasting on drugs dumped off Florida
The Guardian
Move over, Cocaine Bear. Here come cocaine sharks. In what could be the plotline for the next cheesy marine-themed disaster movie, scientists think crazed and hungry sharks could be feasting on bales of hallucinatory drugs dumped off the Florida coast. Click here to continue reading
Long-term changes in waves and storm surges have not impacted global coastlines
Science Daily
Changes in ocean wave and storm conditions have not caused long-term impacts on sandy coastlines in the past 30 years, a new study has found. Published today in Scientific Reports, the study draws on data from 30 years of global satellite and model studies to investigate whether changes in ocean wave conditions will have an impact on the stability of coastal environments. Click here to continue reading
Alberta Health Services encourages people to enjoy water activities safely
Red Deer Advocate
As weather continues to stay warm, Alberta Health Services is encouraging people around the province to stay safe when participating in recreational water activities. Click here to continue reading
‘A tough couple months’: Flood forces 750 Halifax residents from their homes
CBC News
As flooding forces hundreds of people in the Halifax-area from their homes, some are taking refuge at a comfort centre in Dartmouth, N.S. “I was standing in the middle of my driveway, up to my knees in water. Our basement is fully flooded. Our neighbours are flooded out,” said Melanie McWhirter, who lives on Hammonds Plains Road in Bedford. Click here to continue reading
Coast guard floats new solution to widespread B.C. problem of abandoned boats
CBC News
The Canadian government’s inventory of wrecked, abandoned or hazardous boats includes a U.S. warship, a former floating McDonald’s known as the McBarge, a human-smuggling ship and an old B.C. Ferries vessel rotting on the Fraser River. But the most problematic aren’t the well-known vessels with colourful histories — it’s the fleet of mystery craft that have dogged the Canadian Coast Guard and Transport Canada for years. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: Mexico steps up rain-making project amid intense heatwave and drought
The Guardian
Amid a historic heatwave and months of drought, Mexico’s government has launched the latest phase of a cloud seeding project it hopes will increase rainfall. The project, which began in July, involves planes flying into clouds to release silver iodide particles which then, in theory, will attract additional water droplets and increase rain or snowfall. Click here to continue reading