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Oct 5, 2022

As winters warm, nutrient pollution threatens 40 percent of US

Posted by in categories: climatology, sustainability

Scientists are ringing alarm bells about a significant new threat to U.S. water quality: as winters warm due to climate change, they are unleashing large amounts of nutrient pollution into lakes, rivers, and streams.

The first-of-its-kind national study finds that previously frozen nutrient pollution—unlocked by rising and rainfall—is putting at risk in 40% of the contiguous U.S., including over 40 states.

Nutrient runoff into rivers and lakes—from phosphorus and nitrogen in fertilizers, manure, , and more—has affected quality for decades. However, most research on nutrient runoff in snowy climates has focused on the growing season. Historically, and a continuous snowpack froze nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous in place until the watershed thawed in the spring, when plants could help absorb excess nutrients.

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