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Archive for September 17th, 2014
5 face federal charges over ride through protected Utah canyon
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 17th, 2014
Reuters: Federal prosecutors in Utah filed criminal charges on Wednesday against five men who allegedly organized and led an all-terrain vehicle protest ride into a red-rock desert canyon closed to motorized use by federal land managers.
About 300 protesters participated in the May ride through Recapture Canyon, where officials are trying to protect numerous Native American archaeological sites including ancient rock art, dwellings and other artifacts.
The demonstration near the southeastern Utah community...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on 5 face federal charges over ride through protected Utah canyonStudies: Tornado seasons peaking earlier, become more volatile
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 17th, 2014
Washington Post: Tornado season is the U.S. is peaking earlier, with wilder swings from year to year, according to two recent studies.
Residents of tornado alley should ready themselves for an earlier peak of tornado season, according to a new study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. This shift could be up to two weeks sooner than what people have been used to in the past.
Given that "tornado alley" doesn`t have a strict geographical definition, the authors looked at Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma,...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Studies: Tornado seasons peaking earlier, become more volatileOfficials warn of potentially toxic algae on major Portland river
Posted by Reuters: Courtney Sherwood on September 17th, 2014
Reuters: Public health officials in Oregon warned recreational boaters and swimmers who on warm days flock to a river that bisects Portland to stay out of the water on Wednesday after detecting what they suspect is a potentially dangerous toxic algae. Oregon Health Authority officials said they believe the unusual film found at the Willamette River is the result of toxic blue-green algae, which is dangerous to touch, drink or inhale. Filtering the water won't make it safe, and fish from the river could be...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Officials warn of potentially toxic algae on major Portland riverCalifornia wildfire in national forest threatens at least 1,600 homes
Posted by Reuters: Alex Dobuzinskis and Steve Gorman on September 17th, 2014
Reuters: Fire crews in California's rugged Sierra Nevada battled to gain the upper hand on Wednesday against a blaze that threatened 1,600 homes and has displaced 2,100 residents as flames roared for a fifth day through dry timber and brush west of Lake Tahoe.
The so-called King Fire, the most menacing of 11 major wildfires across the drought-parched state, has scorched at least 18,500 acres (7,490 hectares) of the El Dorado National Forest since it erupted Saturday, fire officials said.
As of Wednesday,...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on California wildfire in national forest threatens at least 1,600 homesClimate change means rate of growth of trees has gone up by 77%
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 17th, 2014
Independent: The speed at which trees grow has accelerated considerably since the 1960s – by as much as 77 per cent in the case of the beech – as climate change increases the temperature and lengthens the growing season, according to new research.
The rising concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that is accelerating global warming is also playing a role in enhancing tree growth, as is the growing prevalence of nitrogen that has resulted from increasing car numbers, scientists said.
A study by...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Climate change means rate of growth of trees has gone up by 77%Amid Drought, New California Law Will Limit Groundwater Pumping for Fi
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 17th, 2014
National Geographic: Despite California's reputation as an environmental policy leader, its regulation of groundwater extraction has long been among the weakest in the nation. That changed Tuesday, when California Governor Jerry Brown signed a package of three bills designed to regulate the pumping of water from underground aquifers.
While many observers say the rules are too little and too late to protect the state's rapidly depleting aquifers, the new laws are still a major shift in a long-deadlocked political battle....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Amid Drought, New California Law Will Limit Groundwater Pumping for FiNatural disasters displaced more people than war in 2013, study finds
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 17th, 2014
Guardian: Natural disasters displaced three times as many people as war last year – even as 2013 was a horrific year for conflict – with 22 million people driven out of their homes by floods, hurricanes and other hazards, a new study has found.
Twice as many people now lose their homes to disaster as in the 1970s, and more people move into harm’s way each year, the study by the Norwegian Refugee Council found.
“Basically, the combination of mega natural disasters and hundreds of smaller natural disasters...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Natural disasters displaced more people than war in 2013, study findsAntarctic sea ice set for record high as Arctic heads for sixth lowest extent
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 17th, 2014
Guardian: The extent of sea ice in Antarctica is set to reach a record high, scientists said on Tuesday, as they announced that Arctic sea ice appeared to have shrunk to its sixth lowest level ever.
The NSIDC said that satellite data was expected to shortly confirm whether the maximum extent of sea ice at the opposite pole, in Antarctica, had set a new record.
“Antarctic sea ice is poised to set a record maximum this year, now at 19.7 million sq km (7.6m sq m) and continuing to increase,” the centre,...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Antarctic sea ice set for record high as Arctic heads for sixth lowest extentAustralia not prepared for effects of climate change
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 17th, 2014
Australian Broadcasting Corporation: EMMA ALBERICI, PRESENTER: A report on the effects of climate change on Australia's infrastructure calls coastal flooding the sleeping giant of risk to future prosperity.
And the Climate Council of Australia says so-called "once-in-a-lifetime natural disasters" could become regular occurrences.
Hamish Fitzsimmons reports.
HAMISH FITZSIMMONS, REPORTER: More than three-quarters of the population lives near the coast but Australia's love affair with the beach will come at a future cost.
That's...