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Archive for July 18th, 2012
Borneo’s forests face dire future from global warming
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 18th, 2012
Mongabay: Already wracked by extensive deforestation and forest degradation, the future looks grim for Borneo's tropical rainforests, reports a new study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences.
Combining historical records with field observations and global climate models Tomo'omi Kumagai and Amilcare Porporato of Duke University find that an sharp increase in drought conditions - a product of warmer temperatures in the Indian Ocean and higher frequency of el Niño events - will...
Iceberg breaks off from Greenland
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 18th, 2012
BBC: The Petermann Glacier in northern Greenland has calved an iceberg twice the size of Manhattan, scientists say.
Images from a Nasa satellite show the island breaking off a tongue of ice that extends at the end of the glacier.
In 2010 an ice island measuring 250 square km (100 square miles) broke off the same glacier.
Glaciers do calve icebergs naturally, but the extent of the changes to the Petermann Glacier in recent years has taken many experts by surprise.
"It is not a collapse but...
Iceberg twice Manhattan’s size breaks off Greenland glacier
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 18th, 2012
Reuters: An iceberg twice the size of Manhattan broke free from Greenland's massive Petermann Glacier, which could speed up the march of ice into northern waters, scientists said on Wednesday.
This is the second time in less than two years that the Petermann Glacier has calved a monstrous ice island. In 2010, it unleashed another massive ice chunk into the sea.
The latest break was observed by NASA's Aqua satellite, which passes over the North Pole several times a day, and was noted by Trudy Wohlleben...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Iceberg twice Manhattan’s size breaks off Greenland glacierHeat and Drought Pose Risks for Nuclear Power Plants
Posted by Climate Central: Andrew Freedman on July 18th, 2012
Climate Central: Compared to coal and natural gas, nuclear power plants offer a significant advantage when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions -- they don't emit any. However, in an ironic twist, it seems that climate change is increasingly causing problems for operators of nuclear plants.
Like coal-fired power plants, nuclear facilities use large amounts of water for cooling purposes. After water has cycled through the plant, it is discharged back into a nearby waterway, usually a lake or a river, at a higher...
Drought In Danger Of Beaching Mississippi Barges
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 18th, 2012
National Public Radio: The drought that's impacting much the country is drying up crops and now rivers. The Mississippi River is experiencing water levels low enough to affect barge traffic. Barge companies are lightening loads, meaning more boats are needed for the same amount of cargo. Robert Siegel speaks with Mark Mestemacher, co-owner of Ceres Barge Line in St. Louis.
7 Surprising Health Effects of Drought
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 18th, 2012
LiveScience: With more than half the U.S. currently in drought, concerns have mounted over the consequences of the arid climate on the country's crop yields. But droughts have far reaching effects beyond the farm, including many effects on human health, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Here are seven potential health concerns that occur with drought:
Bad air
Droughts can reduce air quality and compromise the health of people with certain conditions, according to the...
Record Heat Wave Pushes U.S. Belief in Climate Change to 70%
Posted by Bloomberg: Mark Drajem on July 18th, 2012
Bloomberg: A record heat wave, drought and catastrophic wildfires are accomplishing what climate scientists could not: convincing a wide swath of Americans that global temperatures are rising.
In the four months since March there has been a jump in U.S. citizens’ belief that climate change is taking place, especially among independent voters and those in southern states such as Texas, which is now in its second year of record drought, according to nationwide polls by the University of Texas.
In a poll...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Record Heat Wave Pushes U.S. Belief in Climate Change to 70%Little relief forecast for drought-damaged U.S. crops
Posted by Reuters: Sam Nelson on July 18th, 2012
Reuters: Midday weather updates on Wednesday indicate more hot, dry weather for the U.S. Midwest, where corn and soybean crops are rapidly deteriorating amid the harshest drought in more than half a century.
"It's a little wetter for next week in the west and southwest but even if the rains fall they would only be 0.50 inch or less so not much relief and confidence is low in that forecast," said Don Keeney, a meteorologist for MDA EarthSat Weather.
Keeney said some rains over the next few days would...
Report Sees Lax Inspections of N.Y. Gas Wells
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 18th, 2012
New York Times: A major concern about the advent of a new type of natural gas drilling in New York is whether the state`s environmental regulators could keep up with a potential boom once this drilling process, known as fracking, is allowed.
EarthworksA study found that annual inspections of active wells declined by around 1,000 between 2001 and 2010 even as the number of wells rose.
Judging from the state`s experience to date in policing conventional drilling, environmental groups say, New York is far from...
FAO launches project to boost food security in Egypt
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 18th, 2012
SciDev.Net: The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is leading a US$3 million project to boost food and nutrition security for women and youth in Egypt, through increased food production, nutrition education, and governmental capacity building.
The four-year project, announced last month (18 June), is funded by the Italian government and will be implemented in collaboration with Egypt's Ministry of Agriculture.
Moujahed Achouri, the Egyptian FAO representative, told SciDev.Net: "The programme is...