Graph of the Day: Total Annual Area Occupied by Overwintering Monarch Butterflies, 1994-2011

The total annual area occupied by overwintering monarch butterflies from 1994 through 2011 has declined significantly, with the all-time smallest area reported during the 2009–10 overwintering season. The dashed line shows the 17-year average (7.24 ha). Both linear (upper) and exponential (lower) regression lines are included. Abstract: During the 2009–2010 overwintering season and following a 15-year […]

Graph of the Day: Premature Deaths from Ground-level Ozone, Projected to 2050

Urban air pollution is set to become the top environmental cause of mortality worldwide by 2050, ahead of dirty water and lack of sanitation. The number of premature deaths from exposure to particulate air pollutants leading to respiratory failure could double from current levels to 3.6 million every year globally, with most occurring in China […]

Video: Groundwater Crisis Unfolds in Times Square

HeadsUp! Nasdaq screen from Heads Up! 2012 on Vimeo. 22 March 2012 (NYT) – To mark World Water Day, digital animations conveying the gravity of global declines in groundwater just went on display on two billboards in Times Square. The animations, based on satellite data provided by NASA and the University of California, Irvine, and […]

Radioactive cesium levels rise sharply in Fukushima, according to citizen watchdog

By Charlie Smith 19 March 2012 A Japanese citizen watchdog has reported that cesium-137 levels rose more than five times in Fukushima over a 24-hour period between March 15 and 16. The online Fukushima Diary pointed out that there were no megabecquerels per square kilometre of cesium-137 detected between March 8 and March 11. But […]

Graph of the Day: Gamma Radiation Air-reading in Tokyo, 1 March 2011 – 20 March 2012

グレイは放射線が物質に当たった時のエネルギー量を表し、大気中の放射線量1グレイは1シーベルトに換算できます。 【参考】健康安全研究センターで平常時に観測されていた測定値:1時間あたり0.028~0.079マイクロシーベルト(平均値は概ね、0.035マイクロシーベルト/時)で推移<上記の緑色の帯の範囲>。 Machine translation: Grey represents the amount of energy when radiation hits the material, you can convert the atmospheric radiation 1 gray dose of 1 sievert. [Wikipedia: The gray (symbol: Gy) is the SI derived unit of absorbed radiation dose of ionizing radiation (for example, X-rays), and is defined as the absorption of one […]

Graph of the Day: Radioactive Seawater Impact from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant, March 2012

We use a Lagrangian particles dispersal method to track where free floating material (fish larvae, algae, phytoplankton, zooplankton…) present in the sea water near the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station plant could have gone since the earthquake on March 11th. THIS IS NOT A REPRESENTATION OF THE RADIOACTIVE PLUME CONCENTRATION. Since we do not […]

Australia climate is warming at an alarming rate

SYDNEY, 14 March 2012 (AFP) – Australia’s climate is warming at an alarming rate and is set to become drier despite recent record floods, scientists said Wednesday in a report that warns of increased drought and fiercer storms. The country has seen annual average daily temperatures rise by 0.9 degrees Celsius since 1911, with each […]

Water shortage a global threat without urgent reform: OECD

Paris (AFP) 7 March 2012 – Water management needs urgent reform if the world is to head off serious deterioration in the quality and quantity of water available. At the release of the OECD’s Meeting the Water Reform Challenge, OECD Secretary-General, Angel Gurría warned that ,“Without major policy changes, we risk high costs to economic […]

Graph of the Day: Projected Decline in Length of Growing Period in the Global Tropics, 2050

Areas that will experience more than a 5% reduction in length of growing period (LGP). LGP is defined by the average number of growing days per year, in which a growing day is one in which the average air temperature is greater than 6°C and the ratio of actual to potential evapo-transpiration exceeds 0.35 (Jones […]

Belief in global warming on the rebound: National survey of American public opinion on climate change

28 February 2012 (Brookings) – As 2012 begins, a growing number of Americans believe global warming is occurring. This is one of the key findings from the latest National Survey of American Public Opinion on Climate Change (NSAPOCC). Other highlights include: More Americans than ever are pointing to experiences with warmer temperatures as the main […]

Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial