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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Compare and Contrast: Saved by seaweed: nuns and Native women heal polluted New York waters using kelp
The Guardian
The sisters are a part of a unique collaboration: situated on the edge of a bay, they have helped a group of women from the Shinnecock, a local Indigenous tribe, start a kelp farm in the hopes of cleaning up the pollution in their shared backyard. Click here to continue reading
Don’t wait, desalinate: A new approach to water purification
Science Daily
A water purification system separates out salt and other unnecessary particles with an electrified version of dialysis. Successfully applied to wastewater with planned expansion into rivers and seas, the method saves money and saps 90% less energy than its counterparts. Click here to continue reading
Fast transition could indicate a strong El Nino
The Western Producer
It could evolve into a strong and persistent El Niño weather pattern or it might be moderate and short lived — It’s too early to tell. However, some forecasters think it could become a powerful El Niño. In the simplest terms, El Niño is when “surface waters in the eastern tropical Pacific… become warmer than average,” says the Environment Canada website. Click here to continue reading
Woodlands County assessing flood damage as all evacuation orders end
CTV News
All Woodland County evacuation orders caused by flooding are over as of Tuesday. Parts of the county northwest of Edmonton were evacuated last week after days of rain, and the damage from it is now being assessed. Click here to continue reading
Study of deep-sea corals reveals ocean currents have not fueled rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide
Science Daily
Pioneering analysis of deep-sea corals has overturned the idea that ocean currents contributed to increasing global levels of carbon dioxide in the air over the past 11,000 years. The study, led by the University of Bristol in the UK and Nanjing University in China, examined historic deep-sea corals to shed intriguing new light on the history of ocean chemistry. Click here to continue reading
Nose Creek Watershed Partnership wins Alberta Emerald Award for Environmental Leadership Governance
Water Canada
The Nose Creek Watershed Partnership, comprised of the City of Airdrie, City of Calgary, Rocky View County, Town of Crossfield, Calgary Airport Authority and the Bow River Basin Council, has been honoured with an Alberta Emerald Award in the Government category. This award showcases organizations that demonstrate exemplary commitment to addressing environmental and climate change issues and highlights the efforts undertaken by the Partnership to support healthy and resilient watersheds. Click here to continue reading
Emulating how krill swim to build a robotic platform for ocean navigation
Science Daily
Picture a network of interconnected, autonomous robots working together in a coordinated dance to navigate the pitch-black surroundings of the ocean while carrying out scientific surveys or search-and-rescue missions. Click here to continue reading
Orca calf spotted near Tofino, B.C., an apparent new addition to an endangered pod
CTV News
A baby orca has apparently been born to an endangered killer whale population in the Pacific Northwest, scientists reported. The Center for Whale Research announced the baby orca Friday on Facebook, saying the organization received photos showing what appears to be a new calf in L pod, part of the population known as the southern resident orcas, near Tofino, British Columbia. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: Call for Thames Water inquiry after children fell ill after swimming in river
The Guardian
Thames Water customers have called for an urgent inquiry into the company’s finances after children became seriously unwell from swimming in the river and homes were left without water during a drought. Campaigners have expressed astonishment that the company may be bailed out by the taxpayer after it failed to invest appropriately in infrastructure to stop sewage spills and leaks. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: ‘It gets worse every day’: why are sea lions and dolphins dying along California’s coast?
The Guardian
The culprit is an algae named pseudo-nitzschia, which produces an amino acid that can act as a neurotoxin. A similar outbreak last year sickened dozens of sea lions and other marine life, but many think this year’s outbreak is even worse. Sam Dover, a co-founder of CIMWI and its director of veterinary medicine, notes that “in 35 years of doing this work, the current crisis is just unprecedented”. Click here to continue reading