Desdemona Despair

Blogging the End of the World™

Image of the Day: Satellite View of Receding Dead Sea, 1972, 1989, and 2011

Caption by Aries Keck and Mike Carlowicz6 April 2012 The Dead Sea is so named because its high salinity discourages the growth of fish, plants, and other wildlife. This salt lake resides in a depression in the Earth’s crust, where the continents of Africa and Asia are pulling away from each other. It has pulled […]

BP oil spill contaminated Gulf food chain: study

21 March 2012 (Houston Business Journal) – The Deepwater Horizon explosion and subsequent oil spill could have long-term effects on the Gulf of Mexico’s aquatic food chain, a new study says [Macondo-1 well oil-derived polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in mesozooplankton from the northern Gulf of Mexico]. BP Plc’s (NYSE: BP) Macondo well at the site leaked […]

Task force recommends reducing global harvest of forage fish

Corvallis, Oregon, 10 April 2012 (SPX) – A task force that conducted one of the most comprehensive analyses of global “forage fish” populations issued its report this week, which strongly recommends implementing more conservative catch limits for these crucial prey species. The Lenfest Forage Fish Task Force [summary pdf, full pdf] calls for the harvest […]

Human destruction of Dead Sea ‘mimics a severe dry period’

Tel Aviv, Israel, 13 Apr 2012 (SPX) – Rapidly dropping water levels of the Dead Sea, the lowest point on the earth’s surface heralded for its medicinal properties, has been a source of ecological concern for years. Now a drilling project led by researchers from Tel Aviv University and Hebrew University reveals that water levels […]

Graph of the Day: Temperature Ranks for U.S. States, March 2012

A persistent weather pattern led to 25 states east of the Rockies having their warmest March on record. An additional 15 states had monthly temperatures ranking among their ten warmest. That same pattern brought cooler-than-average conditions to the West Coast states of Washington, Oregon, and California. U.S. records warmest March; more than 15,000 warm temperature […]

A glance at fire season prospects for U.S. West – ‘Fire season is just about year-round now’

By The Associated Press12 April 2012 A state-by-state look at 2012 fire season prospects for the West: ARIZONA—Arizona had its worst fire in history in 2011, the Wallow Fire that charred more than 840 square miles in the state and parts of New Mexico. State officials say the strong winds that fanned the fire will […]

Drastic changes needed to curb nitrous oxide emissions

Contact: Michael Bishop, michael.bishop@iop.org, 01-179-301-032, Institute of Physics12 April 2012 Meat consumption in the developed world needs to be cut by 50 per cent per person by 2050 if we are to meet the most aggressive strategy, set out by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), to reduce one of the most important greenhouse […]

Western U.S. prepares for dangerous fire season – ‘Millions of acres could burn’

By REMA RAHMAN, Associated Press, with AP writers Todd Dvorak in Boise, Idaho, Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, N.M., Robert Jablon in Los Angeles, Felicia Fonseca in Flagstaff, Ariz., Matt Volz in Helena, Mont., Paul Foy in Salt Lake City, Jeff Barnard in Grants Pass, Ore., Ken Ritter in Las Vegas, Jennifer Kelleher in Honolulu […]

Colorado entering worst drought in 250 years – Water supplies for fire suppression to get priority

By Lauren Glendenning, lglendenning@vaildaily.com, Vail, Colorado13 April 2012 EAGLE COUNTY, Colorado – The Eagle River basin is melting four to eight weeks earlier than normal this year because of below average snowfall, warm spring temperatures and wind, according to the Eagle River Water and Sanitation District, presenting what could be the worst water supply year […]

Rapid climate change threatens Asia’s Rice Bowl – ‘In the fields, there is no debate about climate change’

Contact: Jeff Haskins, jhaskins@burnesscommunications.com, 66-815-476-685 Michelle Geis, mgeis@burnesscommunications.com, 301-280-5712      12-Apr-2012 Bangkok – As Asia’s monsoon season begins, leading climate specialists and agricultural scientists warned today that rapid climate change and its potential to intensify droughts and floods could threaten Asia’s rice production and pose a significant threat to millions of people across the region. “Climate […]

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