Desdemona Despair

Blogging the End of the World™

Years of drought and mismanagement hit Syria water supply, cause largest internal migration in country’s history

By Khaled Yacoub Oweis; editing by Alistair Lyon and Janet LawrenceMon Nov 15, 2010 9:32am EST JUB SHAEER, Syria (Reuters) – The ancient Inezi tribe of Syria reared camels in the sandswept lands north of the Euphrates river from the time of the Prophet Mohammad. Now water shortages have consigned that way of life to […]

Intersex fish found in Maryland lakes – ‘We find it in every lake that we look’

By Timothy B. Wheeler, The Baltimore SunNovember 11, 2010 Scientists have found more intersex fish in Maryland, this time on the Eastern Shore, and their research suggests one possible source of the gender-bending condition could be the poultry manure that is widely used there to fertilize croplands. Six lakes and ponds on the Delmarva Peninsula […]

Up to six more months of Pakistan flood water: EU official

AFP 12 November 2010 ISLAMABAD (AFP) — A senior EU aid official warned Friday that flood waters could linger up to another six months in Pakistan, where he said the magnitude of the crisis meant people were still going without aid. “There is nearly water everywhere,” Peter Zangl, the director general of the European Commission’s […]

Scientists wary of BP oil spill’s long-term effects on species

By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune Wednesday, November 10, 2010, 8:56 PM Federal officials planning the recovery from the effects of the BP Macondo oil spill should remain on guard for signs of the collapse of fish or wildlife species in and around the Gulf of Mexico in the years to come, say more than 40 […]

Climate change worsens plight of Iraq farmers

By Khalid al-Ansary and Serena Chaudhry; additional reporting by Aref Mohammed in Basra and Khalid Farhan in Najaf; editing by Alistair Lyon and Janet Lawrence)Sun Nov 14, 2010 8:22am EST BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Frequent dust storms and scarce rains are stifling Iraq’s efforts to revive a farming sector hit by decades of war, sanctions and […]

Climate change threatens Lebanon’s snow and cedars – ‘Water is soon going to become a luxury’

By Alistair Lyon, Special Correspondent; editing by Janet LawrenceFARAYA, Lebanon | Sun Nov 14, 2010 9:02am EST (Reuters) – Lebanon’s ski resorts have survived civil war but now face an insidious threat from climate change expected to cut snow cover by 40 percent by 2040. The effects of global warming are still a low priority […]

Sea level rise threatens Alexandria, Nile Delta

By Dina ZayedALEXANDRIA, Egypt | Sun Nov 14, 2010 9:33am EST (Reuters) – Twenty years ago, Taher Ibrahim raced his friends across Alexandria’s beaches, now rising seas have swept over his favorite childhood playground. Alexandria, with 4 million people, is Egypt’s second-largest city, an industrial center and a port that handles four-fifths of national trade. […]

New ocean acidification study shows added danger to already struggling coral reefs

Contact: Barbra Gonzalez, barbgo@rsmas.miami.edu University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science8 November 2010 MIAMI – A new study led by scientists at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science suggests that over the next century recruitment of new corals could drop by 73 percent, as rising CO2 levels […]

Graph of the Day: Annual Releases of Hatchery Salmon into the North Pacific Ocean, 1950-2005

(A) Annual releases of juvenile hatchery chum salmon, pink salmon, and sockeye salmon into the North Pacific Ocean and (B) the proportion of total hatchery releases originating from North American hatcheries, 1950–2005. Values exclude spawning-channel sockeye salmon. Values are updated from Mahnken, et al. (1998). Ruggerone, et al, 2010 Gregory T. Ruggerone, Randall M. Peterman, […]

Scottish vessels arrested for illegal fishing west of Bergen, Norway

By Jo Hjelle09.nov.2010 20:49 Two Scottish fishing vessels were arrested Tuesday for illegal fishing west of Bergen, Norway. The two Scottish fishing vessels Arcturus and Rosemount were arrested by the Norwegian coast guard, during a routine resource control. The coast guard discovered a great amount of fish under the minimum size, states Øystein Flatval-Larsen, captain […]

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