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Archive for February, 2010
Fog decline threatens US redwoods
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 15th, 2010
BBC: Scientists in California say a drop in coastal fog could threaten the state's famed giant redwood trees. Their study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, says such fog has decreased markedly over the past 100 years. The weather records analysed come from the US National Climate Data Centre. "Fog prevents water loss from redwoods in summer and is really important for the tree and the forest," said research co-author Professor Todd ...
Weather model shows where California will burn
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 15th, 2010
New Scientist: THIS year, southern California will burn - you can count on it. But we may now be able to predict which areas will be worst hit, thanks to this map. It was compiled by Max Moritz's team at the University of California, Berkeley, and is the first to take into account fire-friendly weather. Wild fires cause millions of dollars of damage each year in California and elsewhere. Fire researchers typically identify risk areas by looking for flammable vegetation and features like canyons that ...
How will global warming change ecosystems?
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 14th, 2010
Time Magazine: Scientists have made lots of projections over the past few years about how warming temperatures and a changing climate will affect the planet. Real-world measurements have confirmed at least some of them: sea level is clearly rising, for instance, and the ice that covers the Arctic Ocean is shrinking and thinning -- in the latter case, faster than anyone had expected just a few years ago. Other measurements are a lot more difficult, though. It's reasonable to expect, for example, that ...
Oil groups mount legal challenge to Schwarzenegger’s tar sands ban
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 14th, 2010
Guardian: A lobby group that includes BP and Shell in its membership has launched a legal challenge against low-carbon legislation in California that in effect rules out the use of oil from Canadian tar sands. The action by the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association (NPRA) comes amid growing political, investor and consumer pressure on US oil companies not to participate in the carbon-intensive tar sands of Alberta. A NPRA statement said the legislation was unlawful for a number of ...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Oil groups mount legal challenge to Schwarzenegger’s tar sands banGreenland ice loss driven by warming seas:
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 14th, 2010
Agence France-Presse: Greenland's continent-sized icesheet is being significantly eroded by winds and currents that drive warmer water into fjords, where it carves out the base of coastal glaciers, according to studies released Sunday. The icy mass sitting atop Greenland holds enough water to boost global sea levels by seven metres (23 feet), potentially drowning low-lying coastal cities and deltas around the world. At present, the ocean watermark is rising at around three millimetres (0.12 inches) ...
Canada looks to China to exploit oil sands rejected by US
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 14th, 2010
Guardian: Canada, faced with growing political pressure over the extraction of oil from its highly polluting tar sands, has begun courting China and other Asian countries to exploit the resource. The move comes as American firms are turning away from tar sands fuel because of its heavy carbon footprint and impact on the landscape. Whole Foods, the high-end organic grocery chain, and Bed Bath & Beyond last week both signed on to a campaign by ForestEthics to stop US firms using ...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Canada looks to China to exploit oil sands rejected by USEnvironment, agriculture get larger campaign play
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 14th, 2010
Dallas Morning News: Environmentalists' favorite buzz words -- green energy, biofuels, sustainable development -- are fast becoming the jargon of agriculture workers and the politicians who support them. A strengthening link between environmental awareness and agricultural development is reshaping the role of Texas agriculture commissioner. It's also redefining how commissioner candidates campaign and who is taking notice, even as early as the Democratic primary. "The farmer and environmentalist ...
Washington’s snowstorms, brought to you by global warming
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 14th, 2010
Washington Post: You want to hear my winter weather story? No, really, I know you do. The cross-country ski race I've been training for, set for today high in the Green Mountains: cancelled, lack of snow. Meanwhile, across the continent, backhoes and helicopters are moving snow down British Columbia's Cypress Mountain in an attempt to cover the Olympic ski courses, and technicians are burying cooling pipes beneath the moguls to keep them from melting. Some climate-conscious jokers put out a ...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Washington’s snowstorms, brought to you by global warmingKenya relocates zebras and wildebeest to feed its hungry lions
Posted by Water Conserve: Water Conservation RSS Newsfeed on February 13th, 2010
Times (UK): Shortly after dawn yesterday, as a large orange sun shone across a classic Rift Valley scene of grassland, acacia trees and misty blue hills, the silence was broken by the thumping blades of a helicopter. The pilot made low, buzzing runs at small herds of zebra, coaxing them towards a 50m-wide funnel-shaped trap with Tarpaulin walls hidden among the trees. Once the stamping, snorting animals were inside the funnel, rangers in camouflage fatigues shouted and used sticks to ...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Kenya relocates zebras and wildebeest to feed its hungry lionsRapid melting of record snowfall could harm waterways, aquatic life
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on February 13th, 2010
Washington Post: To nature, snow is potential. It is rainwater, waiting for a cue. So for now, scientists can guess at the environmental effects of historic back-to-back blizzards: Snowed-in cars don't pollute, snow-drooped trees could temporarily change the architecture of local forests. But the full impact of this two-act Snowmageddon won't be clear until the stuff melts. If those 30-plus inches of snow turn to water too fast, the water could pour unfiltered into the Potomac and Anacostia ...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Rapid melting of record snowfall could harm waterways, aquatic life