Category Archives: Aquatic Ecology
English and Welsh Water Quality Improves – But Still A Very Long Way To Go
Water quality in England and Wales has improved for the nineteenth year in a row the Environment Agency announced today. Seven out of 10 English rivers and nine out of 10 Welsh rivers achieved what is termed “very good” or … Continue reading
Climate Change and Eutrophication in Lakes
With their large surface-to-volume ratios, shallow lakes are prone to environmental change, and clear, biodiverse waters can become turbid and less biodiverse relatively easily. It has long been known that shallow lakes might therefore be vulnerable to global warming trends, … Continue reading
England’s Most Famous Lakes to Receive New Attention
At the ‘Lakes for Living, Lakes for Life’ conference being held on the shores of Lake Windermere this week, the Environment Agency has announced that it will assess the 730 most important lakes in England & Wales which need to … Continue reading
Urban Waterways Can Be Wildlife Rich Too
Despite the frequent public preconception that urban waterways such as canals and ditches are polluted eyesores, devoid of almost all wildlife, recent research has shown that they can have more macroinvertebrate diversity than similar water systems in rural areas. They … Continue reading
‘Save the Albatross’ Campaign a Remarkable Success
The outlook for endangered albatross species has dramatically improved, thanks to the success of an international conservation programme implemented by the RSPB and Birdlife International. The Albatross Task Force (ATF) was established in 2006 in order to reduce the number … Continue reading
Frog Decline Linked to Agri-Chemicals
The global decline in frog populations has been attributed to an increase in infectious diseases. However findings in Nature reveal a link between parasitic infection and local interaction between phosphate fertilisers and herbicides. The study focused on leopard frogs from … Continue reading
New System Improves River Basin Health Assessment for Water Framework Directive
Scientists have recently developed a new computer modeling system that will improve the way in which river basins are assessed for the European Water Framework Directive. The system has been named the Elbe decision support system, (Elbe-DSS), after the river … Continue reading
Future For Algal Biofuel Use in the UK Outlined
The Carbon Trust, a government funded agency, is to unveil plans that will set the agenda for algal biofuels becoming a significant alternative to fossil fuels by 2020. £26m has been allocated to research and development of infrastructure that will … Continue reading
Alien vs. Predator: Battle of the Non-Natives
Two non-native invasive species; the chinese mitten crab and the non-native crayfishs‘ ranges are set to overlap in the near future. Both crustaceans are formidable predators, with a tendency to damage the ecology of their local environment. The signal crayfish … Continue reading