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Archive for November 17th, 2010
Malaria, downpours and drought: Report predicts major climate changes in India
Posted by Canadian Press: Katy Daigle on November 17th, 2010
Canadian Press: A new report says India could be 2 degrees Celsius (3.8 F) warmer than 1970s levels within 20 years -- a change that would disrupt rain cycles and wreak havoc on the country's agriculture and freshwater supplies, experts said Wednesday.
More flooding, more drought and a spreading of malaria would occur, as the disease migrates northward into Kashmir and the Himalayas, according to the report by 220 Indian scientists and 120 research institutions.
The temperature rise, which could be even more...
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United Kingdom: Residents rescued from homes as floods hit Cornwall
Posted by Guardian: Steven Morris and Leo Hickman on November 17th, 2010
Guardian: Residents and motorists were rescued from flooded homes and stranded vehicles as heavy rain and strong winds caused chaos in Cornwall today.
Police declared the flooding, which also led to road and school closures, a "major incident" and people were advised not to travel.
An empty car was washed into the harbour in Portloe, south Cornwall, while a landslip at Lostwithiel, near Bodmin, blocked the main rail line in and out of the county.
Derek Baynton, a Lostwithiel resident, said he feared...
Fish make cocoons to sleep safely
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 17th, 2010
BBC: "The bullethead parrotfish (Chlorurus sordidus) takes about 45 to 60 minutes to produce its cocoon," explained Dr Gutter.
The mucus-producing glands behind their gills are about the size of a 10 pence piece; large organs for a fish that grows to a maximum length of 40cm.
To find out if the sleeping cocoons had a protective role, the researchers conducted an overnight experiment.
They exposed coral reef parrotfish with and without cocoons to skin parasites called gnathiids.
Fish without...
Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh Forbids Gas Drilling
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 17th, 2010
Associated Press: Pittsburgh became the first city in gas-rich Pennsylvania to ban natural gas drilling after City Council members unanimously approved the measure Tuesday. The council, which cited health and environmental concerns, received a standing ovation after voting 9 to 0 to approve the ban within city limits. Pittsburgh sits atop the Marcellus Shale, a large rock formation that spreads across parts of New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Drilling companies have been flocking to those states to...
BP deep-cleaning Gulf beaches amid new worries
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 17th, 2010
Associated Press: What's typically a beautiful, quiet stretch of beach in the fall now resembles a construction site. Bulldozers and yellow dump trucks shake the ground; a giant sifting machine spits clean sand out one end, tar balls out another.
With its Macondo well dead and few visitors on the coast during the offseason, BP has launched its biggest push yet to deep-clean the tourist beaches that were coated with crude during the worst of the Gulf oil spill. Machines are digging down into the sand to remove buried...
Report: India faces major climate changes by 2030
Posted by Associated Press: Katy Daigle on November 17th, 2010
Associated Press: A new report says India could be 2 degrees Celsius (3.8 F) warmer than 1970s levels within 20 years - a change that would disrupt rain cycles and wreak havoc on the country's agriculture and freshwater supplies, experts said Wednesday.
More flooding, more drought and a spreading of malaria would occur, as the disease migrates northward into Kashmir and the Himalayas, according to the report by 220 Indian scientists and 120 research institutions.
The temperature rise, which could be even more...
Climate Change Could Mean Colder Winters
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 17th, 2010
redOrbit: According to a recent study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research, researchers suggest that climate change could be responsible for colder winters to come in the northern regions.
Vladimir Petoukhov, lead author of the study, said shrinking sea ice in the eastern Arctic has caused some regional warming of lower air levels and could possibly lead to anomalies in atmospheric airstreams, which may trigger an overall cooling of the northern continents.
“These anomalies could triple the...
Climate change set to cause migrant surge
Posted by CNN: Peter Wilkinson, on November 17th, 2010
CNN: The devastating effects of climate change and conflicts fought over ever-scarcer resources such as water could cause a surge in migration that experts fear the world is totally unprepared for. At least one billion people will be forced from their homes between now and 2050 by such forces, the international charity group Christian Aid predicted in a recent report. This forecast is backed up by a new report by British consultancy Maplecroft that says developing countries in Asia and Africa face the...
United States: Detroit’s urban farms could provide a majority of produce for local residents
Posted by Science Centric: None Given on November 17th, 2010
Science Centric: Transforming vacant urban lots into farms and community gardens could provide Detroit residents with a majority of their fruits and vegetables.
As city officials ponder proposals for urban farms, a Michigan State University study indicates that a combination of urban farms, community gardens, storage facilities and hoop houses - greenhouses used to extend the growing season - could supply local residents with more than 75 percent of their vegetables and more than 40 percent of their fruits.
The...
Colder Winters Possible Due to Climate Change: Study
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 17th, 2010
Reuter: Climate change could lead to colder winters in northern regions, according to a study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research on Tuesday.
Vladimir Petoukhov, lead author of the study, said a shrinking of sea ice in the eastern Arctic causes some regional warming of lower air levels and may lead to anomalies in atmospheric airstreams, triggering an overall cooling of the northern continents.
"These anomalies could triple the probability of cold winter extremes in Europe and northern...