October 2022

Global decline of insect populations: data gaps and the push for everyone to get involved

By Jennifer Collins

Our world's insect population is struggling.Over the past two decades, reports of localized and global decline in insect populations has been growing increasingly alarming, with such numbers as 45% global decline for studies beetles, dragonflies, grasshoppers, and butterflies over 40 years, and localized studies reporting a drop in flying insect biomass of 76% over a 27 year period in northwest Germany*.

While these are jaw-dropping numbers, the entomological community understands that the true picture is far more complex, with varying impacts on diversity and abundance for marine, freshwater and terrestrial species and includes direct and indirect climate stressors and industrial impacts. 


Dr. David Wagner from the University of Connecticut has raised the alarm about the global threats to insect diversity through his presentation, “Insect Decline in the Anthropocene,” with its catchy subtitle, “Death by a Thousand Cuts,” delivered at this year’s ACS conference. Per Wagner, we have an urgent need to fill in the data gap with time-series data so that population trends over space and time can be examined. For example, data seems to show an increase in abundance for freshwater species, along with a decline in diversity and abundance for terrestrial insect species. There are also limitations in the data to adequately characterize the decline in insects. The vast majority of studies are focused on North America and Europe, excluding up to 80% of the world’s insect species. The consensus of the entomological community is that we need focused, long-term studies with targeted locations, especially in tropic regions. 


While the preliminary reports of insect decline and links to human-activity stressors give a sense of foreboding, we can all contribute to the efforts of data collection. The technology is literally at our fingertips through two tools that we can all use to help... 

Read the Full Article

Drought impacts cranberry production

What?! No cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving?! In last month’s newsletter, we presented an article regarding the drought in the Southwest United States and how it has led to water supply cuts. This month we’re taking a trip to Massachusetts to see how the drought in the Northeast is endangering the cranberry harvest. Extreme fluctuations in environmental conditions from extensive droughts to severe storms resulting in seawater flooding the cranberry bogs have cranberry farmers concerned for their harvest this year. Check out the full article at the following link

Tis the season... For pumpkins!

With Halloween just around the corner, our minds go to pumpkins. Did you know that there are close to 100 varieties of pumpkins? Pumpkins come in all different shapes, sizes and colors with some weighing only a few ounces to others weighing 2,300 lbs. Pumpkins like a long (60 to 130 days), warm growing climate, ideally 68 F to 90 F. If the climate is too hot and wet, they are susceptible to fungus. They need full sunshine and a rich, well-drained soil. Pumpkins are native to Mexico but in the United States, the top state for pumpkin acreage is Illinois. 

This table on the right shows the top 5 states based on acreage that grew the most pumpkins in 2017 and 2012.


Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2017. Census of Agriculture, available at USDA - National Agricultural Statistics Service - Census of Agriculture


For another point of view on pumpkins, check out Jim Gaffigan’s Jim Gaffigan is baffled by the mania over pumpkins - CBS News

Join Waterborne at the upcoming SETAC North America 43rd Annual Meeting!

Join Waterborne Environmental at the upcoming SETAC conference on November 13-17, 2022! We're sending a cotillion of experts who will staff our booth (find us in Booth #46), present short courses and papers (abstracts below), and meet with colleagues within the industry. If you'd like to set up a meeting, please contact Waterborne's SETAC lead, Nathan Snyder, at snydern@waterborne-env.com.


Read abstracts and location details for the below, here.


Waterborne Short Course

Sunday, November 13th, 1 - 5PM

Training Course 08: Down-the-Drain Disposal: Environmental Exposure and Risk Assessment for Formulated Consumer


Waterborne Presentations

Monday, November 14th, 10AM - 12:40PM,

Title:  Incorporating Climate Changes Scenarios to Understand Future Water Stress and Modeling its Impact on Consumer Product Chemical Exposure to the Environment. 


Wednesday, November 16th, 10AM - 12:40PM

Title:  SolBeePop: Assessing Risks of Pesticide Exposures to Populations of Solitary Bees in Agricultural Landscapes, a Modeling Approach.


Waterborne Posters

  • Mechanistic effect models: A brief history to highlight benefits and obstacles in using them for chemical risk assessment. 
  • Modeling pesticide effects on multiple threatened and endangered Cyprinid fish species to support decision making. 
  • Analysis of the Fate and Transport of SARS-CoV-2 in Wastewater and Surface Waters in the US Using iSTREEM®
  • Evaluating Subsurface Movement of PFAS Compounds Using Both One and Multi-Dimensional Modeling Approaches
  • Right-Sizing UV Filter Exposure Estimates – A Critical Need.

Waterborne Environmental is a renowned consulting firm that has provided innovative solutions to the world’s most complex environmental problems since 1993. Our experienced, unbiased scientists and engineers work across industries to evaluate environmental, ecological, and human risks. Our work spans across industry and regulatory agencies to support the balance in the needs of a growing population with the environmental impact on our valuable natural resources.


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