A Scrapbook of the Green World
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Smithsonian Reports Spotted Owl In Danger Again
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A Better Beer Bottle Part 2: One Million Beer Bottles Used...
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Category Archives: Environmental & Climate Science
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Joe Mohr in Environmental & Climate Science 405 days ago
I once called Blue Planet Run a “must read“, and it is (so read it!). However, GOOD’s latest water issue* is easier to take with you, covers some new topics, and well, some people just prefer magazines. I’m not sure if magazines can be called ‘must reads’–but if so, then this issue is (so read… Read More…
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Jeff McIntire-Strasburg in Climate Change 434 days ago
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/T4qPa2xIU4o&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1] Want to argue about the causes of global warming? OK… but as you do so, keep in mind this slideshow by a group of high school students in Kwigillingok, Alaska. The effects of climate change aren’t matters of theory for these kids and their families: they’re seeing them first-hand. via Twilight Earth
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Allison Boyer in Environmental & Climate Science 503 days ago
Near the southern end of the Okinawa chain of islands, you’ll find Japan’s largest coral reef – and it is dying. Reports shows that up to 90 percent of the coral may already be gone, so scientists are now testing “transplant” methods in the Sekisei Lagoon Reef to hopefully save the country’s other coral reefs…. Read More…
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Jennifer Lance in Environmental & Climate Science 566 days ago
Dr. Miracle of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington has developed a method of detecting brain injuries in salmon caused by dams by comparing amounts of intact protein to amounts of breakdown protein products in cell walls. This information is useful for redesigning hydroelectric dams to minimize damage to fish or campaigning for… Read More…
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It isn’t news that the economy is causing problems for a number of businesses, but Millennium Seed Bank Project may also be in financial trouble, according to director Paul Smith. The Millennium Seed Bank Project, located in the UK is trying to collect and protect every type of plant known to exist. From Reuters: The… Read More…
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New “secondary” forests are emerging in Latin America, Asia and other tropical regions rapidly as land that was once farmed is abandoned as people move into the cities. In fact, it is estimated that for every acre of rainforest that is cut down, 50 acres of forest is revitalized areas that were once farmed, logged,… Read More…
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Adam Williams in Environmental & Climate Science 578 days ago
An article in the in the science journal PLoS One, describes researchers’ — Julia Finn, Mark Norman and Tom Tregenza — studied a female dolphin routinely employing a series of steps in preparing a meal of cuttlefish. Published with the research — titled “Preparing the Perfect Cuttlefish Meal: Complex Prey Handling by Dolphins” — was… Read More…
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Amy Bell in Environmental & Climate Science 581 days ago
Alaska’s governor Sarah Palin has announced that the state of Alaska plans to sue the federal government over its decision to place beluga whales from Anchorage’s Cook Inlet on the Endangered Species List. Palin is said to be against the decision because of the effects it may have on oil and gas developments and the… Read More…
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Dave Harcourt in Environmental & Climate Science 584 days ago
A study of the change in life expectancy in the USA in concludes that the change in air cleanliness has increased life expectancy by 21 weeks or significantly less than half a year. The question is, with today’s life expectancy of 78 years, what kind of return on investment is this over and above than the… Read More…
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When people go hunting, they kill the big trophy animals with the largest antlers, hide, horns, etc. The scawny, weak animals are left behind, reversing the natural selection Darwin espoused in his theory of evolution. Newsweek explains how hunting cause “evolution reverse”: Researchers describe what’s happening as none other than the selection process that Darwin… Read More…
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No more squeaky voices from floating balloons. No more Goodyear blimps. We may have reached peak helium levels, as this inert gas is endangered. According to Scientific Blogging, helium is not readily renewable and is made through from uranium and thorium decaying over billions of years: Lee Sobotka, professor of chemistry and physics at Washington… Read More…
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The January 2009 issue of Smithsonian Magazine reports that the spotted owl is in danger again. Once the subject of a battle between environmentalists and industry (loggers), this time the owl is facing a natural competitor, a bigger bird: the barred owl. According to Craig Welch, the writer of Smithsonian article: As climate chaos disrupts… Read More…
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The Aral Sea is landlocked between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and it was once the world’s fourth largest inland sea. Due to Soviet irrigation projects, the Aral sea has been steadily shrinking since the 1960s. In 2007, the sea had shrunk to 10% of its original size, and what remains is heavily polluted from weapons testing,… Read More…
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Contrary to popular opinion that global warming began with the Industrial Revolution, a new study by University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists has found that global warming began 5,000 to 8,000 years ago with large-scale agriculture production in Asia and extensive deforestation in Europe. The introduction of rice cultivation and tree removal caused increases in methane and… Read More…
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More than 200 million prescriptions for antidepressants are taken each year in the US, many of which end up in our ground water through patients’ excrement or from the pills being flushed down the toilet. According to Discover Magazine: The concentrations of antidepressants in the water—billionths of a gram per liter—aren’t enough to affect larger… Read More…
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I’ve always heard that licking toads can cause psychoactive effects, but I didn’t know they were fatal to crocodiles. According to Professor Keith Christian, of Charles Darwin University, “A recent survey on the Victoria river showed that in a one-year period as many as 77 per cent of the crocodiles have died as a result… Read More…
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Twenty of 31 species of prized native fish species in California are in serious decline, according to a new study by Peter Moyle, UC Davis professor of conservation biology. Unless the state acts quickly, these species face extinction by the end of the century. Professor Moyle explains: Our fish need cold, clean water to survive,… Read More…
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Improper disposal of medical scanners and industrial equipment has led to nuclear waste being included in consumer products made from recycled metal, such as beer kegs, cutlery, purses, sinks, and tools. Last year, the US customs rejected 64 shipments of radioactive goods from India and China. The French nuclear regulator found elevator buttons from India… Read More…
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In order to expand training operations at Fort Irwin, CA, the Army began relocating 770 desert tortoises in March 2008. Coyotes immediately began killing the relocated tortoises. In response to a lawsuit filed by The Center for Biological Diversity to stop the translocation, the Army suspended the operation. Ileene Anderson, a biologist with the Center… Read More…
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Australian scientists have discovered 274 fish, ancient corals, molluscs, crustaceans and sponges in uncharted depths of the Southern Ocean. According to the Sydney Morning Herald: The astounding discoveries of creatures never thought to have existed were found in waters up to 3,000 metres deep, among scores of extinct volcanoes whose great mountains and canyons provide… Read More…
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In an unusual move for an administration that cares little for endangered species, the U.S. Department of the Interior proposed adding 48 species found only in Hawaii to the federal endangered species list this week. The administration claimed to be using a “newly developed, ecosystem-based approach to species conservation,” even though the Clinton administration used… Read More…
