H2ORadio

A Better Way to Recycle Plastics? Think Pac-Man. That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Headlines: These bright yellow barriers that lift from the seabed could save a beloved European city from climate change. There is new hope around the plague of plastics piling up in our oceans and waterways. Reservoirs around the world bask in the sun, and they hold huge potential f...

As If 2020 Weren’t Bad Enough—Now We Have Zombie Storms. That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Headlines: California law is being used for the first time to protect a species because of climate change. Droughts can happen over the ocean and scientists say they can come ashore. What happens in soils on the ground can make thunderstorms stronger. It's now possible to kee...

Birds Are Falling Out of the Sky and No One Knows Why. That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Headlines: The storm surge from Hurricane Sally was the third highest on record—approximately six feet above the ground—flooding Pensacola. Are wildfires linked to the massive die-off of birds in the Southwest? Listening to earthquakes may be a new method to measure how oceans...

Tourists in Colorado's high country might want to snap a lot pictures while they can. Researchers predict that climate change will reduce the number of aspens that make the fall color in the Rocky Mountains so captivating.

Clouds Are the Missing Piece in Predicting Climate Change. That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Headlines: About 100 fires are burning in the West, and experts are alarmed at the speed at which they’ve spread. Understanding how much clouds will affect global warming is up in the air. Climate change is throwing the water cycle for a loop. There’s a source of plastic po...

With many people staying close to home during the coronavirus pandemic, gardening has become popular, specifically vegetable gardens. COVID-19 has led to high unemployment, causing food banks to be overwhelmed, so people are growing food not only to feed their families but also to help their communities. It’s an old idea reborn to meet the moment.

H2O Radio conversation with Russ Schumacher, CO state climatologist about a macroburst that hit Akron, Colorado, on June 7, 2020.

Mexico Might Ask Trump for Clemency. That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Headlines: Will forests recover after recent wildfires? A new study says some won't. There’s a dispute brewing on the U.S.-Mexico border that has nothing to do with immigration—and everything to do with water. Mites might be in a mite-y big bit of trouble with big implications for the planet. El...

As Schools Reopen, There’s Another Problem, and It’s Not the Coronavirus. That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Headlines: If our collective future were a movie, last week would be the trailer. Parents, teachers, and staff might now have another problem to contend with—Legionnaires' disease in schools. It’s a crime that’s neither well understood, nor well known. Lice j...

What’s It Take to Fill a Pothole? True Grit. That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Headlines: Sea level rise could push water tables along the California coast closer to the surface, putting inland infrastructure at risk. The Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River increased power generation to help California cope with a massive heat wave. The Southeast is in hot water....

A Redevelopment in Denver Will Use Poop to Heat and Cool Buildings. That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Headlines: If you live in western Colorado or eastern Utah—it's not your imagination—it’s getting hotter. The last fully intact ice shelf in the Canadian Arctic has collapsed, losing more than 40 percent of its area in just two days. Seabird guano could be “white g...

What Happens to All the Tear Gas After Protests? That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Headlines: There are worries about what chemicals in tear gas will do to the environment—particularly the water. That sinking feeling—four California "hotspots" are vulnerable to subsidence and sea level rise. A common mineral used in cellphones or computer batteries may also be in d...

A 4,000-Year Drought in the Southwest? It Could Happen. That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Headlines: A cave in Nevada is revealing some dire implications for the American Southwest. A group of heavy hitters from the world of finance are warning of economic disaster without urgent action on climate change. There's a mysterious hole off the Gulf Coast of Florida abou...

A Major Source of Ocean Pollution You’ve Never Heard Of. That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Headlines: Methane emissions are skyrocketing and the two biggest sources are fossil fuels and cows that release gas when they burp. COVID-19 is making weather forecasting less accurate. A new study says the world’s paved roads are releasing potentially toxic pollutants into...

Could Beavers Be Making Climate Change Worse? That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Headlines: Despite decent winter snowfall, runoff in the Colorado and Rio Grande River Basins is not looking very good. The number of dust storms in the Southwest has doubled in recent decades—a situation that could strain ICU units already dealing with COVID-19. Beavers might make the...

Could PFAS Contaminants Make the Coronavirus Worse? That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Headlines: The EPA is moving to craft exemptions for PFAS chemicals as another federal agency questions their connection to COVID-19. It's not just oceans—fruits and vegetables have microplastics in them, too. Programs that plant trees to mitigate climate change could backfire. Th...

To Stop the Coronavirus, Put a Lid on It. That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Headlines: The great American outdoors just got a lot greater. The EPA defied a court order and will not set a drinking water standard for a known endocrine disruptor. Public restrooms could spread the coronavirus, according to a study published last week. There's a plume of dust from the S...

It’s Raining Plastics on the National Parks. That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. We may soon have more discarded face masks in the ocean than jellyfish. Plastics are being carried high in the atmosphere and then depositing in remote areas when it rains or snows. A Russian diesel spill shows how buildings in the permafrost are vulnerable to global warming. Abandoned c...

While the Nation Protests, Trump Rolls Back Environmental Protections. That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Trump ordered federal agencies to bypass critical environmental laws for projects, including oil and gas pipelines, highways, and mines. In another order, Trump rolled back protections for an East Coast marine monument established by President Obama. The EPA was...

Could Turning Beaches Green Fight Climate Change? That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Forests have been getting shorter and younger over the past 50 years and that might have broad impacts on global ecosystems. A nonprofit wants to turn the tide on climate change by turning beaches green. Less snow could fall in North America by the end of the century unless greenhou...

How Thunderstorms Can Make Your Allergies Worse. That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. Dam failures in Michigan point to a larger problem with aging infrastructure and climate change. Urban street trees are declining and one reason might be leaky natural gas pipelines. Bumblebees have a hack to get plants to bloom. People with hay fever might hope that rainstorms will...

Could a Textile Coating Repel COVID-19? That story and more on H2O Radio’s weekly news report about water. The EPA will take no steps to regulate a water contaminant that presents serious health risks to as many as 16 million Americans. The 1987 Montreal Protocol got rid of dangerous CFCs—but their replacement has unintended consequences. A fabric coating has been able to repel viruses—and might b...

This Week in Water for May 10, 2020 by H2ORadio

Richard (Rick) Bacon talks about the WAVES Project, which helps wounded veterans to heal.

When veterans retire from the military—whether voluntarily or from injury—it can be a difficult transition. Gone is the camaraderie that gave their lives structure and often lost is a sense of purpose. A partnership with the National Park Service is helping wounded warriors to heal and restore connections by giving them a mission underwater.