Trouble by the water: Minnesota's vanishing natural lakeshores→

MPR:

Are Minnesotans loving their lakes to death? Nearly half of wild shorelines that protect lakes from pollution are now gone. It’s possible to repair the damage, but is the will there to do it?

Join MPR News correspondent Kirsti Marohn as she explores these questions and takes us for a lake tour to see how suburban-style development is changing Minnesota’s lakeshores.

Funding for this series is provided in part by the Four Cedars Environmental Fund of the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation.

Small Ponds Help Minnow→

PHYS.ORG, by Greg Stanley, Star Tribune

Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The Topeka shiner, a rare and endangered fish, is only found in the few remaining prairies of Minnesota and a handful of other states in the Midwest. A decade ago it looked well on the way to extinction. But a group of scientists in a branch of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service along with nonprofit conservationists at the Nature Conservancy may have unlocked the secret to bringing it back, as well as a host of other prairie life. And it all depends on small unnamed ponds called oxbows.

Oxbow ponds get their name from a horseshoe shape resembling the old yokes used on teams of oxen. They form from the bend of streams and rivers that cut through grasslands. Over time some of those bends naturally separated from the larger stream, leaving behind small pools. Once a year, or every few years, the stream reconnects to these orphaned pools when the water is high enough, briefly allowing fish to move from one to the other.

The isolation and shallow water of an oxbow pond provides a nice little sanctuary and breeding ground for a slew of small fish, like Topeka shiners, protected from fast currents and predators, said Nick Utrup, the Fish and Wildlife Service's lead biologist for the Topeka shiner recovery.

Solar on Lakes→

MinnPost:

“Scientists have crunched the numbers and found that if humans deployed floatovoltaics in a fraction of lakes and reservoirs around the world — covering just 10 percent of the surface area of each — the systems could collectively generate four times the amount of power the United Kingdom uses in a year. The effectiveness of so-called FPVs would vary from country to country, but their research found that some could theoretically supply all their electricity this way, including Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Papua New Guinea.” 

“The countries around the world that we saw gain the most from these FPVs were these low-latitude, tropical countries that did not have a high energy demand in the first place,” said Iestyn Woolway, an Earth system scientist at Bangor University and lead author of a new paper describing the findings in the journal Nature Water. “It meant that if only a small percentage of their lakes — this 10 percent — was covered by FPVs, it could be enough to fuel the energy demand of the entire country.”

Walleye and Climate Change→

PHYS,ORG

“According to a new study published Feb. 26 in the journal Limnology and Oceanography Letters, part of the problem is that walleye are creatures of habit, and the seasons—especially winter—are changing so fast that this iconic species of freshwater fish can’t keep up.

The timing of walleye spawning—when the fish mate and lay their eggs—has historically been tied to the thawing of frozen lakes each spring, says the study’s lead author, Martha Barta, a research technician at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Now, due to our changing climate, walleye have been “unable to keep up with increasingly early and more variable ice-off dates,” Barta says.”

Mercury in Tuna→

BBC:

“Mercury levels in tuna had remained constant between 1971 and 2022, the scientists found, apart from an increase in the north-western Pacific, in the late 1990s, linked to growing mercury emissions in Asia, sparked by rising coal consumption for energy. The constant levels may be caused by emissions many decades or centuries ago, the researchers said.”You have this huge amount of legacy mercury that is in the deeper subsurface ocean,” Ms Médieu said. “This mixes with the surface ocean, where the tuna swim when they feed. “That’s why you have a continuous supply of this historic mercury that was emitted decades or centuries ago.”

Co-author Anne Lorrain, also from from the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development, told BBC News: “Our study suggests that we will need massive mercury emissions reductions to see a decrease in tuna mercury levels. “Even with massive reduction in mercury emissions, our results show that we will have to be patient before seeing a change in tuna mercury levels.”

Can Chronic Wasting Disease Jump from Deer to Humans→

Star Tribune:

BRIAN PETERSON, STAR TRIBUNE

“Animal disease scientists are alarmed about the rapid spread of CWD in deer. Recent research shows that the barrier to a spillover into humans is less formidable than previously believed and that the prions causing the disease may be evolving to become more able to infect humans.

A response to the threat is ramping up. In 2023, a coalition of researchers began “working on a major initiative, bringing together 68 different global experts on various aspects of CWD to really look at what are the challenges ahead should we see a spillover into humans and food production,” said Michael Osterholm, an expert in infectious disease at the University of Minnesota and a leading authority on CWD.

”The bottom-line message is we are quite unprepared,” Osterholm said. “If we saw a spillover right now, we would be in free fall. There are no contingency plans for what to do or how to follow up.””

Derek Lynch: Our Relationship with the Environment→

The Conservation:

NASA

“Has Nature, framed as being separate to humanity, lost its relevance? Does humanity’s exceptionalist mindset, as famed biologist E.O. Wilson suggests, leave us “contemptuous towards lower forms of life”? Globally, we have entered the Anthropocene, with humans the dominant force driving change in all ecosystems. Through our overwhelming influence on the atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere, no ecosystem anywhere is sheltered from our influence.

... is it now the time to go beyond “nature” as a concept external to humanity? Instead, we could promote a deeper understanding of biodiversity and community as the shared long history and future fate both of humanity and non-human life. Such revised paradigms are closer to Indigenous viewpoints of community, in which land management is conducted in partnership with our relatives within all ecosystems.

Have we reached the end of nature in its traditional meaning as distinct from us? Reframing our relationship with nature is an important step to deepen our commitment to addressing these human-made environmental crises.”

Barbara Heitkamp: Minnesota's Vanishing Shorelines→

knickpoints:

“The most noticeable projects for the boat tour participants were the scattered pops of color along the shoreline where several residents have worked with the SWCD and LID to install native plant shoreline buffers. These buffers provide multiple benefits to both the homeowner and the lake, with one of the largest benefits being that buffers help slow and infiltrate stormwater runoff that carries pollutants into the lakes – much more effectively than traditional turf grass. Plus, the long roots of the native plants hold the shoreline in place, preventing shore erosion while also providing habitat for pollinators and other wildlife.

Still, as I sat there in the boat, the number of properties with shoreline buffers were greatly outnumbered by those with no buffers, riprapped shores, extensive gravel beaches, or lawn down to the shore. It made me think of a recent paper that was published by the Minnesota Natural Shoreline Partnership that speaks to Minnesota’s “Vanishing Shorelines.” In effect, how we live along our shorelines has a direct impact to the health and vitality of the lake and its ecosystems. While individual shoreline property owners may not think their actions can influence water quality and aquatic life, the cumulative impact of a majority of neighbors developing these shorelines and removing vegetation and/or rocking the shore has an extensive impact.”

Associated Press: The Anthropocene Began in 1950s→

NPR:

“Called the Anthropocene — and derived from the Greek terms for “human” and “new” — this epoch started sometime between 1950 and 1954, according to the scientists. While there is evidence worldwide that captures the impact of burning fossil fuels, detonating nuclear weapons and dumping fertilizers and plastics on land and in waterways, the scientists are proposing a small but deep lake outside of Toronto, Canada — Crawford Lake — to place a historic marker.

”It’s quite clear that the scale of change has intensified unbelievably and that has to be human impact,” said University of Leicester geologist Colin Waters, who chaired the Anthropocene Working Group.

This puts the power of humans in a somewhat similar class with the meteorite that crashed into Earth 66 million years ago, killing off dinosaurs and starting the Cenozoic Era, or what is conversationally known as the age of mammals. But not quite. While that meteorite started a whole new era, the working group is proposing that humans only started a new epoch, which is a much smaller geologic time period.”

Sarah Kaplan et al.: Hidden Beneath the Surface →

Washington Post:

“This summer, researchers will determine whether Crawford Lake should be named the official starting point for this geologic chapter, with pollution-laden sediments from the 1950s marking the transition from the dependable environment of the past to the uncertain new reality humans have created.

In just seven decades, the scientists say, humans have brought about greater changes than they did in more than seven millennia. Never in Earth’s history has the world changed this much, this fast. Never has a single species had the capacity to wreak so much damage — or the chance to prevent so much harm.”

Bob Berwyn: Large Lakes in Peril →

Ars Technica:

“Water storage in many of the world’s biggest lakes has declined sharply in the last 30 years, according to a new study, with a cumulative drop of about 21.5 gigatons per year, an amount equal to the annual water consumption of the United States.

The loss of water in natural lakes can “largely be attributed to climate warming,” a team of scientists said as they published research today in Science that analyzed satellite data from 1,980 lakes and reservoirs between 1992 and 2020. When they combined the satellite images with climate data and hydrological models, they found “significant storage declines” in more than half of the bodies of water.

The combination of information from different sources also enabled the scientists to determine if the declines are related to climate factors, like increased evaporation and reduced river flows, or other impacts, including water diversions for agriculture or cities. A quarter of the world’s population lives in basins where lakes are drying up, they warned.”

Adriana Craciun: Vagrant, Invasive or Pioneer?→

The Conversation:

“When migratory birds like this sea eagle appear outside their typical range, ornithologists call them “vagrants.” The scientific language of belonging draws on a shared cultural vocabulary for both human and nonhuman beings. Terms like vagrant, native, invasive, migrant and colonist all emerge from centuries of political discourses describing which persons belong where.”

University of Bristol: Underwater Sounds of Ponds→

PHYS.ORG:

Old Sneed Park; credit: Dr Jack Greenhalgh

““Ponds are packed full of bizarre and mysterious sounds made by scratching aquatic insects, booming fish, and popping plants. It’s like an underwater disco,” explained lead author Dr. Jack Greenhalgh from Bristol’s School of Biological Sciences.

To better understand these mysterious soundscapes, the team collected 840 hours of underwater sound recordings from five ponds in the southwest of England using an underwater microphone (a hydrophone). In findings published in the journal Freshwater Biology, analysis of the audio files revealed clear daily acoustic activity cycles in each pond.

Typically, a nocturnal chorus is made by aquatic insects that compete to attract mates by producing strange scratching sounds as they rub their genitals against their abdomens. During the daytime, however, aquatic plants dominate the underwater orchestra with rhythmic whining and ticking sounds produced as tiny oxygen bubbles are released by plants respiring in the hot sun.”

Doug Johnson: Fish Get Smaller with Harvest→

Ars Technica:

Anton Petrus

“Generation over generation, catch after catch, fishing changes fish evolution. This phenomenon, called fisheries-induced evolution, is well documented, though it impacts the myriad species of fish differently. For the North Sea cod, it has meant that early bloomers thrive, while fish that are slower to mature get taken out of the gene pool. This has meant that the fish population is evolving toward smaller sizes. A recent paper models what it would take to reverse this effect through conservation, and what it would mean economically to do so.

“In general, fishing is one of the main drivers of change in marine ecosystems,” Hanna Schenk, a postdoctoral researcher at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig and one of the paper’s authors, told Ars.

Fishing increases mortality rates among fish—particularly large fish, which are caught in higher numbers because they are more likely to stay within fishers’ nets. In turn, this puts selective pressure on a species: fish that mature quicker (but remain smaller) gain an advantage. These smaller, early bloomers then pass on their genes more often, which impacts the whole population over time. “There is a trade-off between those two [factors], and once a cod matures, it grows less. So, when that happens earlier, it usually doesn’t reach such a large size as if it wasn’t spawning,” she said.”

The science paper is here

Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres: Shallow Lakes→

Phys.org

“In a data analysis of 902 shallow lakes, the research team found no evidence for the existence of two alternative stable states. The authors are critical of lake management measures based on this theory. They recommend that greater emphasis be placed on the reduction of nutrient inputs in the future to ensure the ecological equilibrium of shallow lakes...

But what do these results mean in practice? How can we maintain the ecological equilibrium of shallow lakes? “Biomanipulative measures such as adding piscivorous fish cannot stabilize the shallow lake ecosystem in the long term, because there is no alternative stable state,” says Graeber. “There is only one way to maintain the equilibrium of shallow lakes in a continuous stable state, and there’s no alternative: Nutrient inputs have to be consistently reduced.”

”

Water Blogged: Science's Role in Society→

UW-Madison: Center for Limnology

“Yes, science can tell us about the current state of our lakes and explain how they got that way and offer suggestions for how we head in a different direction. But that’s where science stops. It rarely gets the final say. It’s up to society to take it from there. Policymakers, resource managers, business leaders and (perhaps the biggest agent of change) concerned citizens, are the actors that then get involved.

When it comes to informed decision making, science provides the info. Society makes the decision.”

Nicholson and Haywood: There Isn’t Another Planet for Us→

Aeon Essay:

“Given all our technological advances, it’s tempting to believe we are approaching an age of interplanetary colonisation. But can we really leave Earth and all our worries behind? No. All these stories are missing what makes a planet habitable to us. What Earth-like means in astronomy textbooks and what it means to someone considering their survival prospects on a distant world are two vastly different things. We don’t just need a planet roughly the same size and temperature as Earth; we need a planet that spent billions of years evolving with us. We depend completely on the billions of other living organisms that make up Earth’s biosphere. Without them, we cannot survive. Astronomical observations and Earth’s geological record are clear: the only planet that can support us is the one we evolved with. There is no plan B. There is no planet B. Our future is here, and it doesn’t have to mean we’re doomed.”

Michael Thomas: Hopeful Climate Stories of 2022→

Distilled:

“For many climate advocates, 2022 was a year that brought hope. After decades of failed efforts, the United States finally passed a climate bill. And not just any climate bill. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) may be the biggest climate bill in history.

But the federal climate bill wasn’t the only sign of climate progress in 2022. Leaders around the world took significant action this year. Meanwhile, investment in key climate solutions like electric vehicles, offshore wind, and heat pumps grew faster than ever before.”

The Guardian: High Carp Prices Affect Poles→

Reuters in Warsaw:

Wojtek Jargiło/EPA

“For most Poles, no Christmas would be complete without carp for dinner. But with prices rising and shopping budgets already stretched by surging inflation, consumers are having to fork out more for their favourite festive fish.

Polish people hold their main celebration on Christmas Eve, with carp the centrepiece of a 12-dish feast that is traditionally meat-free.

While the bottom-feeding lake dweller is considered inedible in parts of the world, in Poland and some other central European countries carp is served cold in jelly as well as fried or baked and has long been seen as a relatively cheap way of feeding a large group of people.”

Alexander H. Tullo: 3M to Phase Out PFAS Production→

c&en:

“3M says it will end the manufacture of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and discontinue their use in its products by the end of 2025.

The move means that the conglomerate will cease producing all fluoropolymers, fluorinated fluids, and PFAS-based additives. Such products include polymers sold under the Dyneon name like polytetrafluoroethylene, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), and fluoroelastomers.

Overall, 3M generates about $1.3 billion in sales and earns about $200 million annually from the sale of PFAS products. However, the business represents a relatively small part of its annual sales, which were $35.4 billion in 2021. With the exit, the company expects to accrue financial charges of $2.3 billion.”

Health Risks