#Flooding that spread across parts of #Iowa, #SouthDakota & #Minnesota this past weekend is forecast to worsen Mon & Tues as rivers continue to rise. Meteorologists warn that any additional #rain from possible #thunderstorms could extend or heighten the risks.
The #floods are the product of torrential #rain across parts of the upper Mississippi River basin since Thurs, dumping totals of 10”–18” of rain…. Soils were already saturated from months of wetter-than-avg conditions before #storms fueled by intense Gulf of Mexico moisture lingered over the region Thurs–Sat.
That sent runoff into #streams & #rivers & overwhelming #levees…. Rivers are expected to crest Tues or Wed at moderate to record #flood stages.
A recent study that measured 61 different drugs from 104 countries from rivers in 1,052 locations found 43.5% of the sites had traces of at least one drug that were above safe levels for ecological health.
Today, after a couple of stormy days with a lot of rain and a few tornadoes…
First sightings of house wrens and hummingbirds in our yard.
Cliff swallows have arrived and are down at the river bridge of West Fork Grand River, where the water is now churning (very different from back on March 2).
A view of dried-up rivers in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, December 2, 2013. The Pilbara region, which is the size of Spain, has the world's largest known deposits of iron ore and supplies nearly 45 percent of global trade in the mineral. REUTERS/David Gray
"Right-wing politicians have launched a bid to block the passing of the #EU’s flagship nature protection law, which scientists have described as a “cornerstone of food security and human health”.
Derailing the law could come at significant cost to farmers, who are facing increasingly uncertain conditions due to climate #breakdown and #biodiversity loss."
" EU countries must restore at least 30% of drained #peatlands by 2030 (at least a quarter shall be rewetted), 40% by 2040 and 50% by 2050 (where at least one-third shall be rewetted)."
Plus:
An additional three billion #trees to be planted.
"Member states will also have to restore at least 25 000 km of #rivers into free-flowing rivers and ensure there is no net loss in the total national area of urban green space and of urban tree canopy cover."
A drone view shows a "mat" of water lettuce covering the Vaal River and expanding quickly, impairing the water's quality by blocking the air-water interface and sharply lowering oxygen levels at the Luciana Country Estate, Parys, South Africa, February 16. REUTERS/Shiraaz Mohamed