Desdemona Despair

Blogging the End of the World™

Ocean acidification increasing in Alaska waters

The same things that make Alaska’s marine waters among the most productive in the world may also make them the most vulnerable to ocean acidification. According to new findings by a University of Alaska Fairbanks scientist, Alaska’s oceans are becoming increasingly acidic, which could damage Alaska’s king crab and salmon fisheries. This spring, chemical oceanographer […]

Climate change reducing productivity in stream and forest ecosystems

ScienceDaily (Aug. 14, 2009) — A rare April freeze in 2007 provided researchers with further evidence that climate change could have negative effects on stream and forest ecosystems. As warm weather arrives sooner in many parts of the nation, forest plants and trees on the banks flourish, shading the stream from sunlight and causing an […]

Antarctic glacier thinning at ‘accelerating exponential rate’

By David Shukman, Science and environment correspondent, BBC News One of the largest glaciers in Antarctica is thinning four times faster than it was 10 years ago, according to research seen by the BBC. A study of satellite measurements of Pine Island glacier in west Antarctica reveals the surface of the ice is now dropping […]

Millions of salmon disappear from Canada river

By Rod Nickel WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) – Millions of sockeye salmon have disappeared mysteriously from a river on Canada’s Pacific Coast that was once known as the world’s most fertile spawning ground for sockeye. Up to 10.6 million bright-red sockeye salmon were expected to return to spawn this summer on the Fraser River, which empties […]

Colombia rainforest to be razed for gold mining

By Jeremy Hance Serrania de San Luca is a rainforest-covered massif rising to 2,300 meters (7,500 feet) in northern Colombia. Despite being little-explored and containing several endangered species, the forest is threatened by industrial gold mining operations, according to the local conservation group ProAves. Already the forest has been reduced to 10 percent of its […]

Graph of the Day: Unemployed for Over 26 Weeks, 1969-2009

From Calculated Risk: The blue line is the number of workers unemployed for 27 weeks or more. The red line is the same data as a percent of the civilian workforce. According to the BLS, there are almost 5.0 million workers who have been unemployed for more than 26 weeks (and still want a job). […]

India soil 'seriously degraded', pollution rising, biodiversity falling, freshwater use unsustainable

At least 45% of Indian land is environmentally “degraded”, air pollution is rising and flora and fauna is diminishing, according to a report. The State of Environment Report is the first to be published for eight years and is the first to use satellite imagery to support its findings. It focuses on water, energy, food, […]

Iraq blasts Turkey for not providing 'promised' extra water

Baghdad (AFP) Aug 11, 2009 – Iraq’s water minister accused Turkey on Tuesday of breaking a promise to increase water flows down the Euphrates river, saying Ankara was actually holding back on the precious commodity. He was responding to remarks by Turkey’s visiting foreign minister that his country had fulfilled its promises and was considering […]

Thousands of fish killed by algae at British beach

Thousands of suffocating fish have been spotted dying off a British beauty spot where the sea has been turned red by what experts believe could be a rare killer bloom of toxic algae. Warnings have been issued around St Austell Bay, Cornwall, where the mysterious rusty brown seas threaten to poison bathers, infect food and […]

Boreal forests in wealthy countries being rapidly destroyed

Boreal forests in some of the world’s wealthiest countries are being rapidly destroyed by human activities — including mining, logging, and purposely-set fires — report researchers writing in Trends in Ecology and Evolution. Assessing the status of the boreal forest that stretches across Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia, and Russia, Corey Bradshaw and colleagues found that less […]

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