Nonpoint-source pollution refers to diffuse contamination of air, soil, or water arising from multiple, spatially distributed sources rather than a single, identifiable discharge point, making it analytically and regulatorily distinct from point-source emissions. In environmental science and management, it typically encompasses runoff from agricultural lands, urban surfaces, and forested or disturbed areas that mobilizes nutrients, sediments, pesticides, metals, and organic contaminants. Because pollutant loading varies with land use, hydrologic conditions, and meteorological events, nonpoint-source pollution is modeled using watershed-scale approaches, stochastic or process-based transport models, and is addressed through best management practices, land-use controls, and integrated catchment management rather than end-of-pipe treatment.
Across Europe, many banks alongside motorways are planted with grass to stabilize soil and keep roadside landscapes tidy.
Environment
Mar 22, 2026
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A new study from the University of British Columbia has found that artificial turf fields across Metro Vancouver leach 6PPD-quinone, a chemical known to kill coho salmon, into municipal stormwater systems—and the contamination ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 18, 2026
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96
The Environment Agency and the University of Stirling have published a new report on the links between phosphorus concentrations and ecology in English rivers. Phosphorus remains one of the most significant pollutants in ...
Ecology
Mar 7, 2026
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Pesticides can harm aquatic ecosystems and human health, so scientists need to understand how they move from farm fields into streams. A management tool commonly implemented is riparian buffers—strips of vegetation, like ...
Environment
Feb 24, 2026
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Ditches and canals are the underdog of the freshwater world. These human-made waterways are often forgotten, devalued, and perceived negatively—think "dull as ditchwater." But these unsung heroes have a hidden potential for ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 1, 2026
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20
A new University of Virginia study led by environmental scientist Justin Richardson shows that phosphorus pollution driving algae blooms in Virginia's Lake Anna may come from residential areas as well as farms, but a more ...
Environment
Jan 28, 2026
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26
Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have studied how polymer-coated fertilizer (PCF) applied to fields ends up on beaches and in the sea. They studied PCF deposits on beaches around Japan, finding that only 0.2% ...
Earth Sciences
Jan 19, 2026
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25
Scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign can now differentiate between human-derived and hydrological contributions of riverine nitrogen pollution in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. The advancement, published ...
Environment
Jan 17, 2026
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45
While a wealth of nutrient export models exists, a knowledge gap persists regarding how climate and land-use changes specifically drive dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) export in subtropical catchments.
Earth Sciences
Jan 16, 2026
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23
The ubiquitous plastic beverage bottle makes up about half of plastic waste collected for recycling in the U.S. Most recycled plastic is processed domestically, but a portion is traded overseas. A new study from the University ...
Environment
Dec 9, 2025
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