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Archive for July, 2015
Scientists propose international effort assist bumblebees
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 9th, 2015
Independent: A comprehensive study of bumblebees across two continents over the the past century has unequivocally linked their decline to rapidly rising global temperatures resulting from man-made climate change, scientists have said.
A detailed review on reported sightings of 67 different species of bumblebee across Europe and North America between 1901 and 2010 has indicated that the key pollinating insects of crops are being squeezed “like a vice” by rising temperatures.
Over the past 40 years, when...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Scientists propose international effort assist bumblebeesScience is about to learn a whole lot about how climate change, drought affect crops
Posted by ExtremeTech: None Given on July 9th, 2015
ExtremeTech: A new letter in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) highlights an exciting new ability in global remote sensing: by using fluorescence data from satellites already in orbit, some scientists now believe they can provide a more accurate look at the level of photosynthetic activity in large vegetated areas. Even better, there`s already a super-powered successor satellite in the works, meaning that this new technique could shortly give scientists a much better understanding of...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Science is about to learn a whole lot about how climate change, drought affect cropsJerry Brown will speak on climate change at Vatican event hosted Pope Francis
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 9th, 2015
LA Times: "This unprecedented gathering of global leaders is a wake-up call to face up to the common threats of climate change and human exploitation," Brown said in a statement Thursday. "This is about the future of humanity and how we as human beings live and treat one another and the natural world around us."
Brown, who once considered a life in the priesthood and spent years in a Jesuit seminary before dropping out, has traveled widely to urge stronger action against the advance of global warming. He...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Jerry Brown will speak on climate change at Vatican event hosted Pope FrancisAssessing quality of flowing waters with DNA analyses
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 9th, 2015
ScienceDaily: The quality of waters can be assessed using of the organisms occurring therein. This approach often results in errors, because many species look alike. Therefore, new methods focus on DNA analyses instead. Biologists at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) have optimised the process so that they are now able to identify many organisms at once in a quick and reliable manner using short DNA sequences. The results have been published in the "PLOS ONE" magazine. Expert knowledge for species identification...
Severe harmful algal bloom predicted Lake Erie in 2015: Second worst in century predicted
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 9th, 2015
ScienceDaily: NOAA and its research partners, using an ensemble modeling approach, predict that the 2015 western Lake Erie harmful algal bloom season will be among the most severe in recent years and could become the second most severe behind the record-setting 2011 bloom. The effects of the cyanobacterial blooms include a higher cost for cities and local governments to treat their drinking water, as well as risk to swimmers in high concentration areas, and a nuisance to boaters when blooms form. These effects...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Severe harmful algal bloom predicted Lake Erie in 2015: Second worst in century predictedAfrica’s climate insurance scheme expands, eyes aid agency clients
Posted by Reuters: Megan Rowling on July 9th, 2015
Reuters: Africa's fledgling insurance scheme covering governments against drought expects to add five countries this year, expanding its client base to nine nations, and plans to offer insurance for tropical cyclones and floods from next May.
In its first year of operation, African Risk Capacity (ARC), an African Union agency, insured Niger, Senegal, Mauritania and Kenya for $129 million in total losses, and paid out $26.3 million after three West African states suffered low rainfall.
Senegal, Niger...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Africa’s climate insurance scheme expands, eyes aid agency clientsWhy climate talks need a focus on agriculture
Posted by SciDevNet: Frank Rijsberman on July 9th, 2015
SciDevNet: Negotiators at the Paris climate talks in December (COP 21) will focus on reaching a truly universal and legally binding agreement to drive the world's transition towards resilient, low-carbon societies and economies. This is being talked about as humanity's last chance to avoid truly disastrous effects for our planet -- the floods in the Philippines and persistent drought in Thailand are just two current examples of the types of events that climate change makes more likely.
In parallel, the scientific...
Plankton Eating Plastic Caught on Camera for First Time Ever
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on July 9th, 2015
EcoWatch: We know that plastic waste leaves a devastating trail, and now for the first time, we can actually witness it impacting the oceans` tiniest creatures. Zooplankton, the foundation of the marine food system, have been caught eating plastic in a new video from Five Films (via New Scientist).
The footage, captured under a microscope at the UK-based Plymouth Marine Laboratory, shows copepods consuming--and accumulating--fluorescent polystyrene beads measuring 7 to 30 micrometers in diameter.
"We...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Plankton Eating Plastic Caught on Camera for First Time Ever5 Extreme Weather Events Impacting the Planet
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on July 9th, 2015
EcoWatch: Deniers will keep on denying apparently, but the signs of climate change are everywhere. As the planet has warmed up, severe weather events are happening in every corner of the globe, alerting us to the need for strong, immediate action.
1. Many parts of the world are suffering from extended heat waves. We`ve heard a lot about the heat waves blanketing India and Pakistan, which have claimed a high body count. Thousands of people in the region have died as a result. The situation has been exacerbated...
In oil-friendly Oklahoma, Gov. Fallin moved slowly on ‘awkward’ issue of quakes
Posted by EnergyWire: Mike Soraghan on July 9th, 2015
EnergyWire: As she knocked on the federal government's door for aid in the wake of a damaging earthquake in 2011, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin (R) avoided talking about one aspect of the earthquake -- its cause.
Too "awkward," said Fallin's communications director, Alex Weintz.
"The problem is, some people are trying to blame hydraulic fracturing (a necessary process for extracting natural gas) for causing earthquakes," Weintz wrote in an email, vetoing mention of the earthquake at an energy conference. "So...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on In oil-friendly Oklahoma, Gov. Fallin moved slowly on ‘awkward’ issue of quakes