Record cesium level detected in fish caught near Fukushima nuclear plant

(Kyodo) – Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Friday it detected a record 740,000 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium in a fish caught in waters near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, equivalent to 7,400 times the state-set limit deemed safe for human consumption. The greenling measuring 38 cm in length and weighing 564 […]

Hoping to save bees, Europe to vote on neonicotinoid pesticide ban

By DAVID JOLLY 14 March 2013 PARIS (The New York Times) – Will Brussels try to give bees a break? In a case closely watched on both sides of the Atlantic, European officials plan to vote Friday on a proposal to sharply restrict the use of pesticides that had been implicated in the decline of […]

Climate change and deforestation threaten the ecological stability of Lake Tanganyika

By Lisa Borre7 March 2013 (National Geographic) – Tropical lakes in East Africa don’t grab headlines the way polar bears do, but climate change is having an effect on them, too. Although the changes are not as visible as melting polar ice caps, they are no less real. As in many lakes around the world, […]

Infographic: How climate change is destroying Earth

14 February 2013 (LearnStuff) – Thanks to extensive research and noticeable changes in weather and storm prevalence, it’s getting harder to turn a blind eye to the reality of climate change. Since the Industrial Age spurred the increasing usage of fossil fuels for energy production, the weather has been warming. In fact, since 1880, the […]

Climate change dates back to dawn of first farmers – ‘Early farmers used a lot more land, and they cleared a lot more forest per farmer’

By Dan Vergano3 March 2013 (USA TODAY) – Deforestation by early farmers likely kicked off an era of man-made climate change long before our present era, suggests a climate scientist taking a hard look at agriculture’s early effects. Chopping down trees with flint axes, planting peas and shearing sheep — those all sound like the […]

Ocean acidification affects northeastern U.S. coasts more: study

By Tanya Lewis, LiveScience1 March 2013 (NBC News) – Coastal regions around the United States respond differently to ocean acidification, a large-scale study finds. In the new study, scientists from 11 U.S. institutions measured levels of carbon dioxide and other forms of carbon in waters off the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. If […]

Shark kills number 100 million annually, research says – ‘They are not reproducing fast enough to keep up with the rate we are pulling them out of the ocean’

By Matt McGrath, Environment correspondent, BBC News1 March 2013 (BBC) – The most accurate assessment to date of the impact of commercial fishing on sharks suggests around 100 million are being killed each year. The researchers say that this rate of exploitation is far too high, especially for a species which reproduces later in life. […]

Hobbiton set to shrivel in Waikato drought

By Matt Bowen26 February 2013 (Fairfax NZ News) – Bilbo Baggins’ lush green shire could have the life sucked out of it after Waikato’s undeclared drought restricted Hobbiton’s water supply. It’s the region’s driest summer in five years and, with no rain in sight, Matamata’s best known tourist attraction may become three hectares of parched […]

Global warming study maps coral reef vulnerability – Reducing carbon emissions would delay annual bleaching events by more than two decades in 23 percent of the world’s reefs

By Bob Berwyn 26 February 2013 FRISCO (Summit Voice) – Using the latest data from the upcoming IPCC climate assessment, ocean researchers have concluded that about three-quarters of the world’s coral reefs could face annual bleaching events in just a short 30 years, and they’ve mapped out which areas will be hit first. “This study […]

Chemicals linked to problems with otters’ penis bones, endocrine disruptors suspected – ‘We were surprised to see the reduction in the baculum weight’

By Michelle Warwicker24 February 2013 (BBC Nature) – Otters’ reproductive organs may be affected by chemicals in our waterways, according to scientists. Experts studying the reproductive health of the mammals in England and Wales were concerned to find a decrease in the weight of otters’ penis bones. Other health problems in males included an increase […]

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