An index of regional summertime heat wave activity that reflects intensity, duration and spatial extent of heat waves over California and Nevada. The index is computed using nighttime (minimum) temperatures for local durations of at least one, two and three consecutive days/nights. Deadly heat waves are becoming more frequent in California Technorati Tags: heat wave,global […]
By Jeremy Hance Under the current legal hunting rate scientists predict that the world’s largest bat, the aptly-named large flying fox or Pteropus vampyrus, faces extinction in six to 81 years. Increasing the urgency to save the large flying fox is the vital role it plays as an ecosystem engineer (a species whose behavior can […]
By Victoria Gill, Science reporter, BBC News Polar bears have shrunk over the last century, according to research. Scientists compared bear skulls from the early 20th Century with those from the latter half of the century. Their study, in the Journal of Zoology, describes changes in size and shape that could be linked an increase […]
Everything is writ large in the San Joaquin Valley: the farms, the sprawl, and the boom and bust cycles. For the past decade, it was population growth, and houses were the cash crop of the day. Now many of those new homes and developments sit empty, gathering dust and weeds. Slide show Ghost Suburbs Technorati […]
As another water war rages, the west side of California’s storied San Joaquin Valley waits for relief that may not come. By Katie Paul | Newsweek Web Exclusive …After three years of drought, California’s legendary water wars are flaring once again, and towns like Mendota, San Joaquin, and Firebaugh are getting a first glimpse of […]
Farmer Mazzareno Bisogni fights back tears as he stands among the remains of trees he planted 35 years ago, victims of a drought hitting “Australia’s Mississippi”. Bisogni’s orchard lies in the heart of the once-mighty Murray-Darling river system which irrigates Australia’s food bowl, the vast southeastern corner responsible for 40 percent of agricultural output. The […]
Images have been released showing a female whale fighting for her life after becoming entangled in a fishing net in the South Pacific. These heart-breaking images show the desperate plight of a whale trapped by equipment used in a controversial form of commercial fishing. The southern-hemisphere humpback became entangled in a long line and was […]
CHICAGO, Illinois, August 25, 2009 (ENS) – The common herbicide atrazine, known to impact wildlife reproductive health, has contaminated watersheds and drinking water throughout much of the United States, finds a new report released Monday by the Natural Resources Defense Council that raises concern about the chemical’s effects on human reproduction. The environmental nonprofit organization […]
ScienceDaily (Aug. 25, 2009) — The world’s last remaining “pristine” forest — the boreal forest across large stretches of Russia, Canada and other northern countries — is under increasing threat, a team of international researchers has found. The researchers from the University of Adelaide in Australia, Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada and the National […]
Politicians cared little about the burning of East Africa’s largest forest – until the lights in Nairobi started going out. By Daniel Howden Under a slate-grey sky Francis Maina is hunched over a tree stump. He secures a rusted chain around it and signals for the tractor to start hauling. The blackened base of the […]
