“Neonic” insecticides found in half of U.S. streams tested
Neonicotinoid insecticides were found in a little more than half of the streams sampled from 2011-14 in a study of the prevalence of pesticides and other contaminants in waterways, said the U.S. Geological Survey.
A “dead zone” the size of Connecticut in Gulf this year
Scientists forecast an average-sized "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico this year of 5,483 square miles, "or about the size of Connecticut," says the U.S. Geological Survey.
Ag-heavy Eastern Shore has big role in Chesapeake pollution
The U.S. Geological Survey says "excess fertilizer and manure applied to the Chesapeake Bay's Eastern Shore are causing poor-quality water flows in streams that flow into the bay."
Drought-hit California has record processing-tomato crop
Growers in California harvested a record crop of tomatoes for processing, the thick-skinned varieties used in making soup and pasta sauces, says Bloomberg.
Even odds for a decade-long drought in Southwest
The chances of the U.S. Southwest suffering a decade-long drought are at least 50 percent, thanks to climate change, says a team of researchers.