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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Ocean circulation, ice melt and increasing tourism could all be contributing to Arctic microplastics
Science Daily
Scientists measured microplastic concentrations in the highly productive Barents Sea and suggest that ocean circulation, ice melt, tourism, inadequate waste management, shipping and fishing are all likely contributors. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: Water level at Amazon port in Brazil hits lowest point in 121 years amid drought
The Guardian
The water level at a major river port in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest has hit its lowest point in at least 121 years, as a historic drought upends the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and damages the jungle ecosystem. Click here to continue reading
Solar design would harness 40% of the sun’s heat to produce clean hydrogen fuel
Science Daily
Engineers have designed a system that can efficiently produce ‘solar thermochemical hydrogen.’ It harnesses the sun’s heat to split water and generate hydrogen — a clean fuel that emits no greenhouse gas emissions. Click here to continue reading
New river channel breathes life into Inglewood Bird Sanctuary
CBC News
A new channel carrying river water to the lagoon in the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary is expected to revitalize a key wildlife habitat. The southeast park was heavily damaged by the 2013 flood on the Bow River. Since then, there have been cleanups and a rebuilding of the park infrastructure. A study was done to come up with ways to revitalize the area and enhance things like flood and erosion control. The plan included constructing a new channel that carries water from the Bow to the sanctuary’s lagoon. Click here to continue reading
Climate change coping mechanism discovered in humble algae
Science Daily
One of the building blocks of ocean life can adapt to cope with the effects of climate change, according to new research. The discovery holds promises for biotechnology developments that could counter the negative effects of changing environmental conditions, such as ocean warming and even the reduction in the productivity of crops. Click here to continue reading
Canada invests in Thunder Bay projects to clean up and protect the Great Lakes
Water Canada
These local projects will help to advance Canada’s commitments under the Canada–United States Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and the Canada–Ontario Agreement on Great Lakes Water Quality and Ecosystem Health. Click here to continue reading
A ‘whalecam’, seals v sharks and fish that play dead: it’s Planet Earth III
The Guardian
A detachable “whalecam”, remote underwater cameras operated from a director’s bedroom and a “drone ballet” are among the innovations that will be featured for the first time on David Attenborough’s Planet Earth III. Click here to continue reading
More than 50 Indigenous fish harvesters in the Maritimes charged or on trial
Sylvan Lake News
Three years after a First Nation started a self-regulated lobster fishery that sparked protests and violence in Nova Scotia, federal prosecutors are pressing ahead with charges against dozens of Indigenous fishers, some of whom are planning constitutional challenges. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: Water metering should be compulsory in England, advisers likely to say
The Guardian
Water metering should be made compulsory for all households in England, the government is likely to be told this week, as water supplies come under pressure from increased demand and more frequent droughts and floods. Click here to continue reading
Above-average snowpack needed to bring water levels in southern Alberta back to normal
CTV News
While most crops are out of the ground, irrigation districts are reflecting on the possibility of another summer with drought-like conditions. Canada’s largest irrigation district – the SMRID — imposed a 15-inch per-acre allocation as a result of a low snow pack and precipitation this spring. Click here to continue reading