NYT Editorial27 July 2011 For centuries, the whitebark pine, Pinus albicaulis, has grown on hundreds of thousands of acres across the West. It is a keystone species of an entire ecosystem — one now seriously at risk. Most of the whitebark pines in Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks are dead. It has been declared an […]
By Brian Merchant11 July 2011 Brooklyn, New York – Unruly herbicides are making headlines again: A couple weeks ago, it was the fact that the world’s top-selling weedkiller was causing birth defects. This time, it looks like the brand new herbicide Imprelis, manufactured by the chemical giant DuPont and okayed for use by the EPA, […]
MEDIA CONTACT: James Leonard, 209-228-440625 July 2011 MERCED — An increase in wildfires due to climate change could rapidly and profoundly alter the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, according to a new study authored by environmental engineering and geography Professor Anthony Westerling of the University of California, Merced. The study by Westerling and his colleagues — which […]
By Juliet Eilperin18 July 2011 The Fish and Wildlife Service determined Monday that whitebark pine, a tree found atop mountains across the American West, faces an “imminent” risk of extinction because of factors including climate change. The decision is significant because it marks the first time the federal government has identified climate change as one […]
By Deborah Zabarenko18 July 2011 WASHINGTON — Polar bear cubs forced to swim long distances with their mothers as their icy Arctic habitat melts appear to have a higher mortality rate than cubs that didn’t have to swim as far, a new study reports. Polar bears hunt, feed and give birth on ice or on […]
Media contactsCheryl Dybas, NSF (703) 292-7734, cdybas@nsf.govTim Stephens, UCSC (831) 459-2495, stephens@ucsc.edu July 14 (NSF) – The decline of large predators and other “apex consumers” at the top of the food chain has disrupted ecosystems across the planet. The finding is reported by an international team of scientists in a paper in this week’s issue […]
By Shelby Lin Erdman, CNN; CNN’s Ninette Sosa and Barbara Hall contributed to this reportJuly 18, 2011 (CNN) – Massive global greenhouse gas pollution is changing the chemistry of the world’s oceans so much that scientists now predict it could severely damage shellfish populations and the nations that depend on the harvests if significant action […]
By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL9 July 2011 With its dark red and black stripes, spotted fins and long venomous black spikes, the lionfish seems better suited for horror films than consumption. But lionfish fritters and filets may be on American tables soon. An invasive species, the lionfish is devastating reef fish populations along the Florida coast and […]
ScienceDaily (July 14, 2011) — Ocean acidification, a consequence of climate change, could weaken the shells of California mussels and diminish their body mass, with serious implications for coastal ecosystems, UC Davis researchers will report July 15 in the Journal of Experimental Biology. California mussels (Mytilus californianus) live in beds along the western coast of […]
By Paul Goldman, NBC News Producer6 July 2011 TEL AVIV – During the hot summer months, Israel has always been synonymous with beautiful sandy beaches and swimming in the warm salty waters of the Mediterranean Sea – but not anymore. It’s now a common sight to see scores of dead, gray jellyfish covering the beaches’ […]
