Notre Dame Scientists Publish Peer Reviewed Article on Asian Carp Invasion

Posted January 5, 2011

The work of the University of Notre Dame research team showing an ongoing Asian carp invasion of Lake Michigan got a big validation today with their publication in Conservation Letters, a peer-reviewed journal.

This publication lends further support to eDNA being a valuable and reliable tool for detecting the presence of Asian carp.  We've heard so much criticism over the last year that the eDNA method has never been subjected to peer review... well now it has, and it has passed the scrutiny of at least this one journal.  Hopefully this publication -- along with others that are likely to follow -- will finally put the question of the legitimacy of eDNA to rest. 

The eDNA has shown us that Asian carp are present in Chicago’s waterways and likely swimming into Lake Michigan.  It’s long past time to move beyond talking about whether there’s a real problem here and get serious about solving it.

NRDC published a report last October entitled “Re-Envisioning the Chicago River,” in which we worked with engineers at the Shaw Environmental firm to identify the hydrological and water quality issues that would need to be addressed to create a permanent separation in the Chicago waterway system.  Separation is the only reliable solution that will achieve close to 100% prevention of invasive species transfers through the Chicago waterway system – dealing not just with the Asian carp, but with all of the other invasive species that are queued up to follow.

Our report found that separating the two basins doesn’t require a magic bullet; it can be done with off-the-shelf technology, and done relatively quickly.  The only thing we’re missing is the political will.

Bastardi: January could be Coldest for U.S. since 1980s

State College, Pa. -- 3 January 2011 -- AccuWeather reports on the heels of a record-cold December, frigid weather will continue seizing areas from coast to coast through mid- to late January.

Based on this forecast, AccuWeather.com Chief Long Range Forecaster Joe Bastardi says this month could turn out to be the coldest January for the nation as a whole since 1985.

While there has been outstanding regionalized cold in January in recent years, Bastardi points out that the U.S. has not experienced this type of coast-to-coast cold since the 1980s.

Record-smashing cold has already been gripping a large portion of the West since Jan. 1 with snow even falling in Las Vegas Monday. Bitter arctic air has also made a return to the northern Plains, while the East and South experienced a dramatic cool down since the weekend.

More waves of arctic air will invade the country, starting late this week and continuing through next week and beyond. The period from Jan. 10-20 is when Bastardi expects the core of the cold to be in place, with the northern Plains in the heart of it.

He says Chicago and Omaha could have one or two days with high temperatures below zero during this time. People in New York City may be looking at one day with highs in the teens, while temperatures potentially fail to rise out of the 20s in Dallas, Texas, and Jackson, Miss., for one or two days.

Bastardi also highlights the potential for rare snow in Seattle and Portland with the upcoming weather pattern.

The cold air coming to Texas starting early next week could affect the state's citrus industry, according to Bastardi. He thinks Florida citrus, however, should be safe.



By Heather Buchman, meteorologist for AccuWeather.com