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Archive for February, 2014
Environment Agency job cuts on hold due to UK floods crisis
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 14th, 2014
Guardian: Plans for hundreds of redundancies at the Environment Agency have been put on hold because of the floods crisis sweeping the country.
The agency's chief executive has sent an email to staff saying that the response to the flooding is taking priority over other work.
Paul Leinster said: "We are quite rightly prioritising incident response above all other work. With this in mind, we are reviewing the timetable for the change programme.
"We will not be taking further decisions on work stream...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Environment Agency job cuts on hold due to UK floods crisisUnited Kingdom: Prince William and Prince Harry join flood relief effort
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 14th, 2014
Guardian: Princes William and Harry on Friday went on a private mission to help the flood response, working to lug sandbags in Datchet.
The Guardian came across the pair by the railway crossing in the flood-hit Berkshire village where they were quietly working with a team of 20 members of the Household Cavalry and Network Rail staff to load dozens of sandbags on to a railway truck.
The princes, dressed in waterproofs and wellingtons, formed part of a human chain hauling the heavy sandbags out of the...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on United Kingdom: Prince William and Prince Harry join flood relief effortRise in malaria forecast for tropical highlands
Posted by SciDevNet: None Given on February 14th, 2014
SciDevNet: More people may contract malaria in the tropical highlands of Africa, Asia and South America as global warming makes the climate in these areas more suitable for the disease's transmission, according to a study. While the study focuses on the effects of global warming, it notes that further studies will be needed to account for other factors that may influence the disease's spread, including economic development, changes in human population patterns and adaptations in the mosquitoes that transmit...
Why has British weather been so bad?
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 14th, 2014
Guardian: Weather vs climate
Just so we are clear on the distinction between weather and climate, the Nasa website says the fundamental difference between the two is time.
What weather means
Weather is basically the way the atmosphere is behaving, mainly with respect to its effects upon life and human activities. The difference between weather and climate is that weather consists of the short-term (minutes to months) changes in the atmosphere. Most people think of weather in terms of temperature,...
Great Lakes nearly frozen. Why it means less snow
Posted by Christian Science Monitor: John Flesher on February 14th, 2014
Christian Science Monitor: From the bridge of the Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw, northern Lake Huron of the Great Lakes looks like a vast, snow-covered field dotted with ice slabs as big as boulders -- a battleground for the icebreaker's 58-member crew during one of the roughest winters in memory.
It's been so bitterly cold for so long in the Upper Midwest that the Great Lakes are almost completely covered with ice. The last time they came this close was in 1994, when 94 percent of the lakes' surface was frozen.
As of...
President Obama releases drought plan ahead Valley visit
Posted by KFSN: None Given on February 14th, 2014
KFSN: Final preparations are underway for President Obama's Valley visit. Farmers and ranchers are anxious to hear what he has to say about California's historic drought.
The administration's new drought plan was releases early Friday morning -- ahead of the president's first trip to Fresno. The plan promises money and resources to everyone impacted by drought. Mr. Obama's plan will expedite assistance. Items that usually take 6-8 months to process will be available in 60 days -- around April 15th....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on President Obama releases drought plan ahead Valley visitAfter Four Centuries, Southwest US Irrigation System Faces Decline
Posted by Nature World: None Given on February 14th, 2014
Nature World: Dwindling snowmelt runoff, combined with social and economic factors favoring modernism over tradition, has lead to the decline of communal irrigation systems known as acequias that have sustained farming villages in the arid southerwestern US for centuries, according to a Dartmouth College study.
The study, which appears in the journal of Global Environmental Change, reflects similar changes seen around the world in which isolated communities become integrated into a larger economy. This integration...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on After Four Centuries, Southwest US Irrigation System Faces DeclineSolar is keeping California’s lights on as hydro dries up
Posted by Grist: John Upton on February 14th, 2014
Grist: We told you recently that wind turbines kept the heaters working in Texas during a cold snap that shut down several natural-gas power plants. And now we have similar superhero news from that other great renewable energy source - the sun.
The San Jose Mercury News reports that solar energy is helping to meet California`s power needs amid a drought that has caused hydroelectric supplies to shrivel:
Despite last week`s showers, the lack of rain in California this winter is having a dire impact...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Solar is keeping California’s lights on as hydro dries upSouth Australia weather warning as floods follow record heatwave
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 14th, 2014
Guardian: A severe weather warning remains in place for parts of South Australia, as Adelaide had its wettest February day since 1974.
Emergency services on Friday are responding to dozens of call-outs, as flooded roads and fallen trees cause chaos to drivers and residents in the city.
SES state duty officer Graeme Wynwood has warned drivers to take care.
“Following a long period of very dry weather, the roads are extremely slippery so it is imperative that motorists drive to the conditions,” he said....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on South Australia weather warning as floods follow record heatwaveUnited Kingdom: Lord Stern warns that ongoing storms are just a taste of things to come
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 14th, 2014
Independent: Leading environmental economist Lord Stern has said the ongoing storms in the UK are just a taste of things to come, warning that failing to tackle global warming could lead to war as hundreds of millions of people are forced to migrate.
The peer, author of a landmark 2006 report on climate change, said record rainfall and storm surges were “a clear sign that we are already experiencing the impacts of climate change”.
He said that the dangers were greater now than in 2006 because greenhouse...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on United Kingdom: Lord Stern warns that ongoing storms are just a taste of things to come