Insect pest at Flight 93 site linked to climate – ‘Major effects on forest productivity in the United States and Canada’

By Kevin Begos10 November 2013 PITTSBURGH (AP) – The grove of hemlock trees around where United Flight 93 crashed on Sept. 11 is being attacked by an insect that wasn’t there 20 years ago, and some scientists say it’s an example of how climate change combines with other factors to cause environmental damage. The problem […]

Foliage season under fire from climate change – ‘A lengthening growing season could open up the door for invasive species’

By Brian Kahn14 October 2013 (Climate Central) – Clocks aren’t the only things falling back at this time of year. The start to foliage season is also on the move, with the season starting later and later in the U.S. since 1982. Other threats from climate change could also cost states that rely on the […]

Lionfish infestation in Atlantic Ocean a growing epidemic – ‘The lionfish invasion is probably the worst environmental disaster the Atlantic will ever face’

By Katie Linendoll, Special to CNN19 October 2013  (CNN) – The clear waters around Bermuda are as picturesque as you can imagine, and the brilliantly colored fish swimming around are like something from a crayon box. But a serious problem lurks behind the beautiful facade: the lionfish. Lionfish are not native to the Atlantic Ocean. […]

Deadly giant hornets kill 42 people in China, injure more than 1,500 – ‘The hornets were horrifying. They hit right at my head and covered my legs.’

By Madison Park, Dayu Zhang, and Elizabeth Landau3 October 2013 HONG KONG (CNN) – A thumb-sized wasp with an orange head has killed dozens of people in China and injured more than 1,500 with its powerful venomous sting. The Asian giant hornet, known scientifically as Vespa mandarinia, carries a venom that destroys red blood cells, […]

Video: Canadian expedition spotlights thinning Arctic sea ice – ‘There’s still ice up there, but there’s far less ice than there was before’

NEW YORK, 28 September 2013 (CBS News) – From afar, we watched this summer as four Vancouver-based men launched their custom-made, kevlar-coated, wood and fiberglass row boat, the Arctic Joule, from Canada’s Northwest territory in early July, heading east, toward Greenland. The rowers — Kevin Vallely and Frank Wolf, from Canada, with Denis Barnett and […]

Mammals vanish entirely from forest fragments after 25 years – ‘It was like ecological Armageddon. Nobody imagined we’d see such catastrophic local extinctions.’

By Jeremy Hance26 September 2013 (mongabay.com) – As tropical forests worldwide are increasingly cut into smaller and smaller fragments, mammal extinctions may not be far behind, according to a new study in Science. Tracking native smalls mammals in Chiew Larn Reservoir, Thailand for over 25 years, scientists found a stunning and rapid decline in mammal […]

A warmer world will mean more pests and pathogens for crops – ‘Crop pests continue to march polewards as the earth warms’

By Bryan Walsh2 September 2013 (TIME) – When we talk about the challenge of ending hunger and feeding a growing global population, most of the focus is put on increasing production. That’s not surprising — “more” is our solution to most social problems. But some of the hunger gap could be closed by making better […]

Video: Where have all the moose gone? Minnesota moose population down 52 percent since 2010

2 September 2013 (NBC Nightly News) – Scientists are trying to uncover why Minnesota’s moose population is rapidly declining.  NBC’s Anne Thompson reports. Where have all the moose gone? Technorati Tags: North America,mammal decline,ecosystem disruption,habitat loss,global warming,climate change,invasive species

Graph of the Day: Predicted range expansion of the Asian Tiger Mosquito in Northeastern U.S., Present-2080s

Predicted Ae. albopictus range expansion in the northeastern USA under two climate change scenarios. (A) Moderate increase in CO2 emissions (B2 scenario). (B) Higher increases in CO2 emissions (A2 scenario). Predicted present range based on 1950–2000 climate data. Three future time periods: 2020s (years 2010–2039), 2050s (years 2040–2069), and 2080s (years 2070–2099). Urban areas are […]

Algae blooms killing manatees, dolphins, and pelicans in Florida estuary – ‘We fear the fishery collapse may be forthcoming’

By MICHAEL WINES 7 August 2013 MELBOURNE, Florida (The New York Times) – The first hint that something was amiss here, in the shallow lagoons and brackish streams that buffer inland Florida from the Atlantic’s salt water, came last summer in the Banana River, just south of Kennedy Space Center. Three manatees — the languid, […]

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