RSS Feed
Archive for September 1st, 2013
How to Build a Dune
Posted by National Geographic: Jen A. Miller on September 1st, 2013
National Geographic: A dune in the right place at the right time is a very powerful thing. More than just hills of sand, dunes can be a beach town's first line of defense against storms and erosion. That's why some coastal communities are encouraging their growth.
When Superstorm Sandy hit the Jersey Shore in October 2012, the ocean surged onto land on the strength of winds blowing at up to 89 miles (143 kilometers) per hour. Some towns had no barriers between the ocean and their homes, businesses, and boardwalks....
Old Man and the River: Senator’s Fight for Montana Waterway
Posted by National Geographic: Douglas H. Chadwick on September 1st, 2013
National Geographic: Daybreak on August 8 found me on a bank of the North Fork of the Flathead River in northwestern Montana, among the mixed tracks of deer, otters, and grizzly bears, marveling, as I have a thousand times before, at the near-magical transparency of these waters.
The bottom stones stood out as if on display under glass. Decades ago, my wife and I built a cabin nearby.
Across the river on the east bank, in Glacier National Park, the campers were stirring in their tents and the first cars were snaking...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Old Man and the River: Senator’s Fight for Montana WaterwayJapan: Radiocative Water Leak At Fukushima Worse Than First Thought
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 1st, 2013
National Public Radio: Radiation surrounding Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant has increased 18 fold following a report last month that radioactive water had leaked into the ground around the plant, which was badly damaged in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Tokyo Electric Power Co., which owns the Dai-Ichi Fukushima plant, reports that radiation around the site is at 1,800 millisieverts per hour, a level that Reuters says is "enough to kill an exposed person in four hours." Previously, the utility, also known...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Japan: Radiocative Water Leak At Fukushima Worse Than First ThoughtOcean dead zone a mystery in Oregon
Posted by Dalles Chronicle: None Given on September 1st, 2013
Dalles Chronicle: The oceans cover over two-thirds of our planet’s surface, making it hard to imagine we humans could do them much damage.
Unfortunately, along with ocean acidification, global warming and the Giant Pacific Trash Vortex, ocean dead zones are increasingly in the news.
Dead zones are the popular name for hypoxic regions, areas in an ocean or large lake depleted of oxygen. When oxygen levels drop too low, fish or other animals that can move fast enough flee the area. Crabs, starfish, clams and other...
As fracking debate grows, both sides talk differences
Posted by Vindy: None Given on September 1st, 2013
Vindy: On a cloudy day in July hundreds of people gathered in downtown Warren.
Dividing them was a road. On one side was a large group of outspoken people who had traveled from nearby places in the Mahoning Valley and others from across Ohio. They came to protest the oil and gas industry and its growing presence throughout eastern Ohio in a show of numbers determined to reveal the truth behind what they believe are the clandestine operations that it engages in.
On the other side were those who came...
Climate change and the lack-of-fear factor
Posted by Staten Island: CASS R. SUNSTEIN on September 1st, 2013
Staten Island: With respect to the science of climate change, many experts regard the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as the world`s authoritative institution. A draft summary of its forthcoming report was leaked recently. It describes the panel`s growing confidence that climate change is real, that it is a result of human action, and that if the world continues on its current course, it will face exceedingly serious losses and threats (including a significant rise in sea levels by century`s end).
While...
Failure thin brush may have worsened California wildfire
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 1st, 2013
Reuters: A cluster of controlled fire and tree-thinning projects approved by forestry officials but never funded might have slowed the progress of the massive Rim Fire in California, a wide range of critics said this weekend.
The massive blaze at the edge of Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada mountains has scorched an area larger than many U.S. cities - with some of that land in the very location pinpointed by the U.S. Forest service for eight projects aimed at clearing and burning brush and small...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Failure thin brush may have worsened California wildfireEnvironmentalist Press for Climate Change Consideration
Posted by NBC: None Given on September 1st, 2013
NBC: As New Jersey continues to rebuild from Sandy, there are some differences on how to proceed.
Contending that the reconstruction is not taking climate change into account, environmental groups urge a strategic retreat from some storm-surge and flood risk areas.
Gov. Chris Christie, however, said he won't condemn shorefront properties to prevent rebuilding homes there.
"There are private property rights to respect here," the governor said. "And if folks are willing to comply with the law and...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Environmentalist Press for Climate Change ConsiderationFukushima radiation levels 18 times higher than previously thought
Posted by Guardian: Justin McCurry on September 1st, 2013
Guardian: Radiation levels 18 times higher than previously reported have been found near a water storage tank at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, prompting fresh concern over safety at the wrecked facility.
The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), said radiation near the bottom of the tank measured 1,800 millisieverts an hour – high enough to kill an exposed person in four hours.
Tepco said water levels inside the tank had not changed, indicating there had not been a leak. But the...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Fukushima radiation levels 18 times higher than previously thoughtWildfire in Yosemite expands and obscures scenic views
Posted by Reuters: Jonathan Allen and Kevin Murphy on September 1st, 2013
Reuters: A massive wildfire that has charred the northwest edge of Yosemite National Park in California has sent smoke into a scenic and previously unaffected area, obscuring views of popular landmarks on Saturday for tourists who visited the area.
The smoke from the fire, which broke out two weeks ago, spread to the area during a holiday weekend that in the past years has seen the park fill with visitors.
Shifting winds brought heavy smoke from the so-called Rim Fire to Yosemite Valley, an area famed...