Video: Distribution of Cesium-137 contamination in the Pacific Ocean from Fukushima, modeled to the year 2021

Modeled distribution of radioactive contamination in the Pacific Ocean from Fukushima, to 10 years after disaster, by GEOMAR | Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel.http://www.geomar.de/news/article/fukushima-wo-bleibt-das-radioaktive-wasser/ Distribution of the radioactive contamination in the Pacific Ocean from Fukushima Fukushima – Wo bleibt das radioaktive Wasser? [Original] 09.07.2012/Kiel. Die Reaktorkatastrophe im japanischen Fukushima gerät bereits wieder in Vergessenheit. Große Mengen […]

U.S. lists 2 ice seal species as threatened, including ringed seals, which are prey of polar bears

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, 21 December 2012 (AP) – Two types of ice seals joined polar bears Friday on the list of species threatened by the loss of sea ice, which scientists say reached record low levels this year due to climate warming. Ringed seals, the main prey of polar bears, and bearded seals in the Arctic […]

Plastic chokes oceans and trashes beaches

By Karin Schulze23 December 2012 (SPIEGEL) – A new exhibition in Hamburg seeks to alert people to the dangers of the plastic in our daily lives, painting a stark picture of how it accumulates in the world’s oceans. It reveals how plastic particles can enter into the food chain and return to us through our […]

Rogue geoengineering project: Can we stop modern-day mad scientists?

By Kathryn Doyle28 November 2012 It’s hard to stop a bad idea with enough money behind it—even rogue science on the high seas. Russ George, a wealthy American businessman with a history of big, controversial ideas, launched his latest one this October: dumping 200,000 pounds of iron sulfate into the North Pacific. His aim was […]

Mortality of biggest and oldest trees around the world is increasing rapidly, study warns

By JIM ROBBINS7 December 2012 The death rate of many of the biggest and oldest trees around the world is increasing rapidly, scientists report in a new study in Friday’s issue of the journal Science. They warned that research to understand and stem the loss of the trees is urgently needed. “It’s a worldwide problem […]

Video: Plastic debris is being ingested by Hawaii wildlife at an alarming rate

[As always, sorry about the ad. –Des] 11 December 2012 (NBC Nightly News) – On Kamilo Beach on Hawaii’s Big Island, disturbing research demonstrates plastic debris is being ingested by wildlife at an alarming rate. NBC’s Miguel Almaguer reports. Troubling signs in paradise Technorati Tags: plastic,pollution,Oceania,ecosystem disruption,bird decline,mammal decline,marine mammal

2012: The end of Earth’s Arctic Era

By Larry O’Hanlon 6 December 2012 This year’s record ice melts in Greenland and the Arctic ocean aren’t flukes, but confirmation that the Arctic is racing ahead into a new and unknown climate state, said top US climate scientists today. The announcement came with the release today of the 2012 Arctic Report Card, which calls […]

Graph of the Day: Value of Logs and Sawn Timber Imports Into China From All Countries, 2000-2011

China is now the biggest importer, exporter, and consumer of illegal timber in the world. Its footprint impacts vital forest ecosystems ranging from neighbouring countries such as Myanmar to remote areas of Africa. With domestic forests incapable of meeting surging demand, China has a gaping and growing timber deficit that can only be filled by […]

Permafrost thaw to cause more global warming, not yet accounted for in climate predictions

Doha, 27 November 2012 (UNEP) – Permafrost covering almost a quarter of the northern hemisphere contains 1,700 gigatonnes of carbon, twice that currently in the atmosphere, and could significantly amplify global warming should thawing accelerate as expected, according to a new report released today by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Warming permafrost can also radically […]

Washington State first in U.S. to plan for a more acidic ocean

By Kieran Mulvaney 3 December 2012 Washington State has become the first in the nation to set out an action plan for addressing ocean acidification. The plan follows publication of a report by a Blue Ribbon Panel established by outgoing Governor Christine Gregoire back in March. Ocean acidification is a result of seawater absorbing approximately […]

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