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Archive for May, 2013
Russia evacuates ‘drifting’ Arctic research station as ice floe melts
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 25th, 2013
Christian Science Monitor: Russia's environment ministry has ordered the urgent evacuation of 16 scientists from a research station on an Arctic ice floe near Canada because the ice around it is disintegrating at an alarming rate, giving the station little chance of survival.
The emergency has sparked a wider debate among Russian Arctic researchers over how to continue their work amid rapidly changing climate conditions, and in an atmosphere in which the race for newly uncovered Arctic resources has become one of the most...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Russia evacuates ‘drifting’ Arctic research station as ice floe meltsCanada’s vast boreal forest a biodiversity hotspot
Posted by Philadelphia Inquirer: Sandy Bauers on May 25th, 2013
Philadelphia Inquirer: In case you missed it and forgot to send a card -- as did I -- Wednesday was the International Day for Biodiversity.
What's biodiversity?
Ask most people, and they think it's related to the number of species in a particular area. The more species, the more biodiversity.
So, naturally, they think of places like the Amazon as being biodiversity strongholds.
But a report from the Boreal Songbird Initiative and Ducks Unlimited begs to differ. They think other characteristics -- concentrations...
After the flood: From Haiti to Britain
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 24th, 2013
Independent: How do you produce art about climate change? Everyone from writers to painters to film-makers itch to grapple with this question – but often struggle, getting bogged down in the complicated science, or the worthiness of the subject. It's the same for photographers: "There's a real problem with the image of climate change; it's either evidence – 'the water was up to here, and now it's there' – or it's cute polar bears," says Gideon Mendel.
He has, however, been absorbed with an ongoing photographic...
Barrick Gold fined for Chile project
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 24th, 2013
BBC: Chilean authorities have fined the world's largest gold mining company, Barrick Gold Corp, more than $16m for environmental offences.
Construction at the Pascua-Lama mine, on the border with Argentina, has been suspended until a system to contain contaminated water is put in place.
The news led to share trading in the Canadian-owned company being halted in New York and Toronto after a sell-off.
But activists complained that the fine was only 0.1% of the total operation.
"The resolution...
Fracking accident leaks benzene into Colorado stream
Posted by Grist: John Upton on May 24th, 2013
Grist: Once again, Colorado`s fracking boom has residents wondering if there`s something in the water - carcinogenic benzene, in this case. A plant for fracked natural gas processor Williams Energy, near Parachute, Colo., spilled an estimated 241 barrels of mixed natural gas liquid into the ground, some of which eventually washed as benzene into Parachute Creek.
More than two months after the spill was discovered, neighbors of the plant are wondering why the energy company is being put in charge of the...
Arctic base evacuated as ice dissolves beneath researchers’ feet
Posted by Grist: None Given on May 24th, 2013
Grist: Though it carries major supervillain cred, placing a scientific research station atop an Arctic ice floe in an era of global warming is a dicey proposition - even for the Russians.
North Pole 40, a Russian science station that monitors pollution and conducts meteorological research, began operating in October on an Arctic ice floe. The Russians have been deploying research stations to drifting ice floes for more than 70 years, and North Pole 40 is their 40th such station.
But they don`t make...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Arctic base evacuated as ice dissolves beneath researchers’ feetSit In Continues Demanding a Moratorium on Fracking in Illinois
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on May 24th, 2013
EcoWatch: What happens in Illinois, doesn`t stay in Illinois--especially when you`re dealing with the national ramifications of a combined fracking and coal mining rush unparalleled in recent memory.
As a sit in movement continues at the office of Gov. Quinn in Springfield, IL, besieged southern Illinois residents who have been left out of backroom legislative negotiations over a controversial and admittedly flawed regulatory fracking bill are calling on the nation to contact Gov. Quinn and Lt. Gov. Madigan...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Sit In Continues Demanding a Moratorium on Fracking in IllinoisDeforestation Dries Up Dams Threatening Hydropower
Posted by SciDevNet: María Elena Hurtado on May 24th, 2013
SciDevNet: Deforestation may lead to electricity shortages in tropical rainforest regions that rely heavily on hydropower, as fewer trees mean less rainfall for hydropower generation, a study shows. For example, if deforestation continues, one of the world's largest dam projects in Brazil will deliver around a third less energy than is currently estimated, according to the research, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) last week (13 May). Researchers had presumed that cutting...
Researchers search for best feed for the ‘king’ of the rivers
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 24th, 2013
ScienceDaily: The red mahseer is highly sought after by anglers and high end restaurants. Breeding them may be a bit easier now that UPM researchers have found the best feed combination.
The ikan kelah merah or red mahseer has been crowned the "king" of the Malaysian river not for no reason -- the expensive and elusive fish is the dream catch of any angler or the sought-after dish of any gourmet.
The fish which is called "empurau" in Sarawak can fetch from RM800 to RM1,200 per kilo live weight, is the holy...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Researchers search for best feed for the ‘king’ of the riversReinventing Farming For A Changing Climate
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 24th, 2013
National Public Radio: Scientists say climate change could increase pests and weeds, lengthen growing seasons and turn dry soil to dust. Farmers are already on the offensive, adopting no-till cropping methods to conserve water and experimenting with different seeds. And scientists are using a technique called gene silencing to develop new crops—without tinkering with the plants' DNA.