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Sahara dust may make you cough, but it's a storm killer

Texas A&M University The bad news: Dust from the Sahara Desert in Africa -- totaling a staggering 2 to 9 trillion pounds worldwide -- has been almost a biblical plague on Texas and much of the Southern United States in recent weeks. The good news: the same dust appears to be a severe storm killer. More here.

Wildfires rage in Arctic Circle as Sweden calls for help

The Guardian Sweden worst hit as hot, dry summer sparks unusual number of fires, with at least 11 in the far north. More here.

Is B.C. headed for another devastating summer of wildfires?

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Canada’s National Observer Ashcroft Reserve wildfire as seen across Loon Lake, BC. July 2017  Photo by Shawn Cahill. With warm weather, a high snowpack and floodwaters rising throughout the province, it may seem like B.C. is set to repeat last year’s weather patterns, which led to a catastrophic summer of fires. But it’s still too early to reliably predict…. More here.

Mercury linked to dramatic decline of migratory songbirds: study

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RCI Radio Canada International The Cape May warbler, while not named in this story, also migrates from the  West Indies to the Boreal forests of Canada. A PinP photo. Examination of tail feathers suggests that mercury is one of the determining factors for the steep declines of many songbird populations that migrate long distances to and from North America. More here.

Historic Floods in Japan Kill More Than 100, Force Millions to Flee

ECOWATCH At least 109 people have died in Japan following historic  flooding  and mudslides over the weekend that prompted evacuation orders covering about five million people,  The Guardian reported Monday .

New research confirms the common house fly spreads serious hog diseases. Is Manitoba's factory hog industry dragging its heels?

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by Larry Powell The house fly. Photo by  USDA A veterinarian at the Walcott Veterinary Clinic in Iowa, Grant Allison, captured flies at swine operations which had tested positive for both diseases in Iowa and Minnesota. In his words, "Flies replicate in moist conditions that could involve manure. So there's an intimate relationship between manure and viruses and flies. The idea that flies might be a possible vector was immediately obvious. We came up with a plan and started by finding an outbreak and trapping flies to see if the flies were positive." They were. Not only were they carrying live viruses for both diseases, they were spreading them to healthy pigs and making them sick. What's more, the flies were even found to be infectious in January, usually considered the off-season for such harmful vectors. Dr. Allison recommends putting a larvicide in the hog feed as one tool in a program to achieve effective fly-control. He believes an extensive progra