Scientists struggle to tell whether algae prevention programs work

摘要

The jury is still out on how different farming practices affect the watersheds of Lake Erie, according to a recent study. The U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the nonprofit Northeast-Midwest Institute, found that the patchwork of programs trying to help farmers keep fertilizers and manure from running off their fields were difficult to track. The monitors that collect data on fertilizer and manure runoff are often in different areas as those conservation programs, the study found.