RSS Feed
Archive for October 4th, 2014
Hot, dry weather in California stokes wildfire fears
Posted by Reuters: Alex Dobuzinskis on October 4th, 2014
Reuters: The fall season has brought a wave of hot, dry weather to California, with parts of the state baking this weekend in triple-digit temperatures and officials expressing concern the summer-like heat could spark a massive wildfire. The scorching temperatures came from a high pressure system in the U.S. West and the arrival in Southern California of autumn's first Santa Ana winds, which carry hot air through mountain passes toward the coast, meteorologists said. In Los Angeles, thermometers in parts...
In Age of Extinction, which species can we least afford to lose?
Posted by Guardian: Tracy McVeigh on October 4th, 2014
Guardian: The threatened extinction of the tiger in India, the perilous existence of the orangutan in Indonesia, the plight of the panda: these are wildlife emergencies with which we have become familiar. They are well-loved animals that no one wants to see disappear. But now scientists fear the real impact of declining wildlife could be closer to home, with the threat to creatures such as ladybirds posing the harshest danger to biodiversity.
Climate change, declining numbers of animals, rising numbers...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on In Age of Extinction, which species can we least afford to lose?Soot from Canadian wildfires may have increased Greenland ice melt
Posted by Radio Canada International: Marc Montgomery on October 4th, 2014
Radio Canada International: Danish-born glaciologist Jason Box who has studied glaciers for two-decades is in the second year of a study called the Dark Snow Project. He is with the Geological Survey of Greenland and Denmark.
They found that soot is covering immense areas of the ice-sheet, darkening and increasing its heat absorption, causing melting to increase. The soot may be from a variety of sources including burning of coal, diesel, dung and wood.
It’s also thought that greatly increased soot this year is due to...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Soot from Canadian wildfires may have increased Greenland ice meltAmid rising water, sinking land, folks in southern Louisiana sit tight
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 4th, 2014
ClimateWire: This is where the mainland ends in southern Louisiana -- at least for now.
You get here by following an old road that abruptly ends at an expanse of marshy water, which is moving in on the land at one of the fastest clips in the world, according to scientists. Residents note that the road, known as LA-1, now leads in more directions than just north and south. It's also sinking.
Its two lanes reach into this part of the state, about two hours south of New Orleans, through treeless fields and...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Amid rising water, sinking land, folks in southern Louisiana sit tightSweltering heat continues hold Southland in its grip
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 4th, 2014
LA Times: A four-day heat wave reaches its sizzling zenith Saturday, when Death Valley-like temperatures will bake Southern California, ratcheting up concerns about wildfires and turning outdoor activities into sweltering chores.
The spike in temperatures comes during what is usually the beginning of the Santa Ana season, when gusting winds can dry out already desiccated vegetation and whip small fires into monsters. Saturday could see temperatures in the triple digits across the region, with some places...
Haven’t Quite Figured Out How to Feed Billions More People
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 4th, 2014
National Geographic: When famine loomed in Mexico and southern Asia in the mid-20th century, agricultural crop researchers saved the day. Scientists at Mexico's International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and the Philippines's International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) came up with new, high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice that raised harvests and kept starvation at bay. Share Share on emailEmail More » That major advancement in crop production—financed with money from governments and the Rockefeller...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Haven’t Quite Figured Out How to Feed Billions More People