Related Posts
New research shows herbicide causes sterilization and sex change in frogs
Atrazine, a common weed killer in much of the world, has been shown to turn male frogs into...
Cold snap kills Florida’s native and invasive species
Unseasonably cold weather in Florida this winter has had deadly consequences for the American state's wildlife. Chilled iguanas...
What do Canadians love more: Hockey or oil?
Canada is famous for ice hockey. That, maple syrup and being a nicer, cleaner version of the United...
Honey Bees to Receive Help Along French Roads
Throughout North America, Europe and Asia, the honey bee has been severely affected by a mysterious ailment, known...
‘O No, Canada!’ – Alberta’s Oil Sands
And we thought you were so Green… apparently, not so much. The Alberta Oil Sands or “Tar Sands”...
Tip of the Day
To save energy, remember to turn off the light when leaving a room
Salting roads kills frogs and other wildlife
photo by comedy_nose (source: Flickr Creative Commons)
Frogs can’t seem to get a break. Yet another enemy of the vulnerable amphibians – at least in cold countries – is sodium chloride, or NaCl, which is used in many parts of the world to grit icy roads in the winter in order to make them more drivable. The problem is that it’s toxic to aquatic animals and plant life – especially frogs. This becomes an issue as soon as the weather warms up and the snow and ice begin to melt. According to a New York Times piece, sodium chloride runoff is particularly taxing for Chicago’s frogs, fish and aquatic plants:
‘Above-freezing temperatures melt the city’s roadside snowbanks, sending an annual average of 270,000 tons of road salt into the state’s waterways and giving flora and fauna a super-sized serving of NaCl.’
–New York Times
‘It’s not easy being green’, jokes aside, this is no laughing matter (as if you would even laugh at such a weak play on words). The UK and Canada also experience environmental concerns due to road salt runoff, as an article in the Guardian from last winter explains. The most sensitive species are amphibians, but they are not alone from the dangers of chloride-based salts:
‘Road salt can also damage, or even kill, trees and vegetation growing close to the verge, according to reports in Canada. And it can also impact on the health of migratory birds.’
–Guardian
Heating roads, as is done in some parts of Japan, may be one solution, but that is only feasible for urban areas. Sand and grit – or gravel – are also used in an admixture with salt when salt is in short demand, which at least lessens the amount of chloride runoff.
by Graham Land
Additional resources:
The Environment Report – Canada to Declare Road Salt Toxic? (audio)
Frogs – The Global Frog Crisis
Tags: aquatic, Canada, chloride, frogs, grit, Guardian, NaCl, New York Times, salt, sodium chloride, TOXIC, winter
Other Greenfudge.org posts
Lightning makes mushrooms grow, Japanese study shows
Research in Japan suggests that lightening strikes can significantly increase growth in some popular species of mushroom. According to a report in National Geographic, sudden bursts of electricity – of the strengths that might occur some distance from where lightning strikes the ground – cause mushrooms to multiply. A direct hit from a lightening bolt would fry a mushroom, but a diffuse jolt sparks a curious response. The latest results show that lightning-strength jolts of electricity can more than double the yield...
This unique forest is in danger. Sign the petition!
This is the last forest in Europe, where you can view and enjoy how it looked eight thousand years ago. Soon, however, this may change due to ongoing, and destructive human activities. Greenpeace activists are calling for reducing deforestation, which leads to a progressive degradation of this unique, and beautiful area of the Białowieża Forest. Members of Greenpeace Poland, pointed out that since the time of the Jagiellonian dynasty (1386), for hundreds of years, until World War I, Bialowieza Forest was...
Weird Science News: An unlikely saboteur
A time traveling bird who drops baguette bombs. Sounds pretty preposterous, doesn't it? But it's part of a theory that two physicists are proposing in order to explain the latest in a series of stumbling blocks that have thwarted the efforts of the CERN or the European Organization for Nuclear Research since 1964. Bech Nielsen of the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen and Masao Ninomiya of the Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics in Kyoto propose – in several published papers,...
Stray Chinese dog completes 20-day cycle journey to Tibet
Most of us have had the experience of being followed by a friendly stray or loose dog for a while during a walk or jog. Usually the sociable canine will tag along for a while and then move on to pastures anew. On a recent bike race across China, a stray took this kind of behavior to an entirely different level and it now has a new home with one of the cyclists. Now named Xiao Sa, or ‘Little Sa’, the stray...
EVs in the UK: Fully electric cars on Britain’s roads!
About a month ago I was on the steamy, summery streets of London when I spotted a dreadlocked bohemian fellow with a little dog sitting in a car that wasn’t much bigger than a breadbox. The vehicle was squeezed into a parking space, which I think is normally reserved for skateboards and mopeds used for delivering pizza. Needless to say I was immediately stricken with puppy love – not for the doggy or the guy that looked like an extra...
Fight drought and famine in Somalia
Last week the United Nations declared a famine in two southern areas of Somalia. According to aid workers 800,000 children could die due to the current hunger. Somalia’s Foreign minister warned that 3.5m are at risk of death by starvation. All in all, around 10m people are in peril. Islamist Militants have expelled workers from the UN’s World Food Program workers where possible. Nonetheless, the WFP is in the process of delivering 10 tons of food to the areas worst stricken by the...
Greece and gold: Fast money, but at what cost?
Earlier this week masked activists vandalized a mining site in northern Greece. As many as 50 people raided the Skouries gold mining project in the Chalkidiki peninsula (Halkidiki) region, burning portacabin offices and damaging equipment. The activist allegedly carried guns and doused two guards with flammable liquid, though they did not set anyone alight. From ekathermini.com: A total of 33 people were detained on Sunday, prompting residents of the nearby village of Ierissos to hold a public rally to protest what the saw...
UN: Reducing methane and black carbon could give climate temporary quick fix
A new UN report concentrates on the warming effects of black carbon (soot) and ground-level ozone like methane. Both are considered “short-lived climate forcers”, which have more immediate effects on temperatures than CO2. Therefore limiting their production would also have a more immediate impact on the climate. In the past this strategy has been largely ignored in favor of plans to limit CO2 emissions, which have so far proved ineffective and lack the immediacy of results that can be so problematic...
Australia Government Fails to Pass Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme
The anticipated decision of Australia’s government on new carbon-trading laws is not a good one. After much debating and political unrest, the package of 11 bills has been rejected with a 41 to 33 vote. At least seven opposing senators’ votes were needed to pass the new set of laws, but only 2 cast their lot in favor of it. Many were also wondering if Labor Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, would hold a snap election if the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme...
Bonobo means no: Head shaking chimps offer insight into ‘hardwired’ human behavior
Scientists in Germany have observed and filmed bonobos – a close relative of the common chimpanzee – shaking their heads from side to side in what is believed to be body language for 'saying no'. Bonobos have already been observed using head shaking to express other emotions, but same signal meaning 'no' for both bonobos and humans could be evidence of an ancient forerunner to our own genetically-compelled methods of communication. During the study, they witnessed four individual bonobos shaking their heads...
View all articles
You can also log in to post a comment.