Saturday, January 24, 2009

EPA releases report on sea level rise



The US Environmental Protection Agency, in collaboration with other agencies, has released a report that discusses the impacts of sea level rise on the coast, coastal communities, and the habitats and species that depend on them. The report, Coastal Sensitivity to Sea-Level Rise: A Focus on the Mid-Atlantic Region, examines multiple opportunities for governments and coastal communities to plan for and adapt to rising sea levels. Sea-level rise can affect coastal communities and habitats in a variety of different ways, including submerging low-lying lands, eroding beaches, converting wetlands to open water, intensifying coastal flooding, and increasing the salinity of estuaries and freshwater aquifers. It is caused by a number of natural and human-induced factors and can vary by region. Some impacts of sea-level rise can already be observed along the U.S. coast.

The primary causes of global sea-level rise are the expansion of ocean water due to warming and the melting of glaciers and ice sheets. Locally, sea-level rise is also influenced by changes to the geology of coastal land, making coastal elevation mapping an important area of future study. The Mid-Atlantic region, the focus of this report, is one of the areas in the U.S. that will likely see the greatest impacts due to rising waters, coastal storms, and a high concentration of population along the coastline.

EPA led the development of the report with significant contributions from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Geological Survey.

The report is one of 21 climate change synthesis and assessment products commissioned by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP). CCSP was established in 2002 to provide the U.S. with science-based knowledge to manage the risks and opportunities of change in the climate and related environmental systems. The program is responsible for coordinating and integrating the research of 13 federal agencies on climate and global change.

The US Environmental Protection Agency, in collaboration with other agencies, has released a report that discusses the impacts of sea level rise on the coast, coastal communities, and the habitats and species that depend on them. The report, Coastal Sensitivity to Sea-Level Rise: A Focus on the Mid-Atlantic Region, examines multiple opportunities for governments and coastal communities to plan for and adapt to rising sea levels. Sea-level rise can affect coastal communities and habitats in a variety of different ways, including submerging low-lying lands, eroding beaches, converting wetlands to ...

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Friday, January 23, 2009

Is this to be our legacy?

I am 56 years old with a vivid memory of my Dad[1].

He is a WW2 vet with 4 years tenure from D–day plus 3 days and 4 years of Germany war experiences, Battle of the Buldge etc.

He never talks of his experience.

However:


One thought that stays in my mind dates back when I was 7–8 years old. We would go hiking and camping in the Adirondack Mts. Dad would stress as we cleaned up our campsite that it was to be left as clean or cleaner than found.

As the years pass, I think how sage is this advice, apropos to today’s histrionics.

The worldwide challenge of remediating the Earth’s increasing inventory of contaminated soils and eliminating toxicity in polluted soils is a daunting one.

Issues such as The PCB Mess in Bloomington, Indiana is but one example.

After about 30 years of manufacturing PCB—filled capacitors and processing defective ones at its Bloomington, Indiana, plant, Westinghouse Electric exited the Big 11 college town, population 74,000. It left behind eight Superfund sites. Westinghouse, however, hasn't finished with Bloomington–it plans to make the town the home of the world's first incinerator to burn municipal solid waste plus hazardous waste–contaminated soil and sewage sludge.

As of 2/5/2009 the contaminated soil remains.

In these extraordinary and challenging times, we must move beyond divisive rhetoric and work together toward a solution that protects our environmental resources and ensure responsible development.

Nature Conservancy scientists say the best course of action is to help nature help us. We can protect and restore habitats that limit and disperse floods, capture carbon emissions and prevent damaging soil erosion.

We must promote environmental stewardship, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and improve energy efficiency.

One solution we might explore is green remediation. Green remediation is a elatively new approach to environmental cleanup; beyond the traditional methods through the addition of best management practices(BMPs) and a series of new criteria for decision making.
EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) is working with private and public partners to promote the use of BMPs for green remediation at contaminated stes throughout the United States.

Rainwater running off construction sites and sand and gravel operations can carry sediments, oil and various other pollutants into nearby streams, ponds and rivers, according to the EPA. Erosion from a one—acre construction site could discharge as much as 20 tons to 150 tons of sediment in one year, if not properly managed. Sediments reduce the storage capacity of drains and waterways, causing flooding, and adversely affect water quality and fish habitat. Sediments and chemicals can also contribute to fish deaths, toxic algae blooms, contaminated shellfish beds and closed swimming beaches.

N—SPECT is a complex yet user–friendly geographic information system (GIS) extension that helps coastal managers and local decision makers predict potential water–quality impacts from nonpoint source pollution and erosion.

Undeveloped land absorbs rainfall like a sponge and slowly releases it. As we build our homes, schools, office buildings and highways, though, we drastically change this natural pattern. When rainfall hits paved or "impervious" surfaces, it carries waste, chemicals, nutrients and sediment to our waterways. Stormwater runoff also erodes streams and increases flooding.

Less development along the water’s edge prevents runoff,erosion, and diminished water quality and fosters healthier
environments for fish, water mammals, birds and insects. This undisturbed border also prevents contaminants, such as fertilizer and herbicide, from lakeshore lawns from running directly into the water body. Ranchers are also encouraged to fence their pastures several yards away from these shoreline zones to prevent overgrazing and siltation due to livestock usage.

We must move forward from our traditional regulatory role to one of pro—active involvement in watershed management programs.

Wetlands and their importance are now recognized for their many contributions to enhancing water quality, providing valuable wildlife habitat and contributing to public safety and welfare.

The first and primary mission of federal and state agencies charged with National Wetlands Inventory is simply to stop the loss of these valuable resources through the implementation of "No Net Loss" programs, with the objective of having the wetlands replaced and replicated on—site or as close to on—site as possible.

Tools such as the The Wetlands Mapper integrates digital map data with other resource information to produce timely and relevant management and decision support tools.

Habitat improvement is an important concern for those looking to advance the preservation of watchable wildlife and game species alike. Along with the prevention of pollution and water quality improvement, these goals can be accomplished by simple and relatively inexpensive projects that all landowners and sportsmen can take part in.

Further Environmental Protection Agency studies revealed that non–point sources, such as stormwater runoff from construction sites, were significant contributors to polluting streams–primarily with sediments. Beginning with raindrops breaking down the soil structure and dislodging particles, the runoff carrying the soil particles becomes sheet erosion. This eventually forms rills and larger gullies.

Less development along the water’s edge prevents runoff, erosion, and diminished water quality and fosters healthier environments for fish, water mammals, birds and insects. This undisturbed border also prevents contaminants, such as fertilizer and herbicide, from lakeshore lawns from running directly into the water body. Ranchers are also encouraged to fence their pastures several yards away from these shoreline zones to prevent overgrazing and siltation due to livestock usage.

"Sometimes even Mother Nature needs a hand"



Footnote

My Dad died 2 days ago (2.19.2009).
In many ways, to his kids he was a precurser environmentalist before it became the "In" way to be.
I only hope he finds time to read this in between passing time with old friends.

Friday, January 16, 2009

New article page just published

Overview
USGS scientists recently completed a quantitative analysis, published in the July 2007 issue of Geology, documenting effects of accelerated coastal land loss and thermokarst lake expansion and drainage along a section of the Alaska North Slope coastline

Check out this article re: Alaska Coastal Erosion on your newest erosion article page 6 found here

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Thursday, January 8, 2009

Modifying urban rivers to increase biodiversity



Urban rivers are typically heavily-engineered and polluted with degraded habitats. They are therefore a priority for biodiversity restoration. Research suggests that relatively simple modifications to river walls may potentially encourage biodiversity by significantly improving habitats for plants and animals. The EU's Water Framework Directive requires good ecological status in surface waters by 2015, and as such it is important to encourage biodiversity in rivers and waterways. One way of achieving this is to alter the structure of a river. Naturalistic landscape features, such as meanders, ...

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Sunday, January 4, 2009

Erosion Website Up-dates


We are developing new systems and approaches to erosion and sediment control
This page of your erosion contol website presents the latest product updates.
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