![]() ![]() Though sewage treatment and the flow of waste into the river has dramatically improved in recent decades, the problem isn't solved yet. Some stretches of the river have warmed by 0.34 degrees Fahrenheit annually since 2007, threatening the delicate ecosystem, reports Amy Cheng for the Washington Post. However, the report also highlighted major concerns due to climate change, such as rising temperatures and sea levels. ![]() The cause of this decline is still unknown, according to the press release. ![]() The team documented 115 fish species in the river, but the number of species has declined since the early 1990s. For example, around 20 years ago, little was known about seals living in the river, but the report highlights the abundance and location of two species: the harbor and gray seal, reports Scott Neuman for NPR. Populations of birds and marine mammals have positive short-term and long-term projections, and many long-gone species have returned to the river. "This report has enabled us to really look at how far the Thames has come on its journey to recovery since it was declared biologically dead, and in some cases, set baselines to build from in the future," Alison Debney, a leader of the Zoological Society of London's conservation program, says in a press release. In optimistic news, they found that the river is once again home to species such as sharks, eels, seals and seahorses, reports the BBC. To gauge the health of the river, a team of scientists conducted a variety of tests, and they published the results in the first-ever State of the Thames Report this week. By 1957, scientists at the Natural History Museum of London declared large swaths of the Thames to be so polluted that they were "biologically dead." As London's population grew over the course of centuries, so did its impact on the river. The 215-mile-long River Thames cuts through southern England, flows through London and opens at the English Channel. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |