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Archive for July 23rd, 2012
Scientists testing anti-fungal bacteria on diseased frogs in California
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 23rd, 2012
Mongabay: Researchers are treating tadpoles in Kings Canyon National Park with a bacteria they hope will provide immunity to an infamous fungal disease, reports the San Francisco Gate. The bacteria could be key not only to saving California's mountain yellow-legged frog (Rana muscosa), which is listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List, but also frog species around the planet, many of which have been decimated by the chytrid fungal disease.
Scientists are pouring the anti-fungal bacterium, known as Janthinobacterium...
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Research: Climate change drives rise in food poisoning
Posted by Raw Story: Stephen C. Webster on July 23rd, 2012
Raw Story: Research published Sunday in the scientific journal Nature Climate Change claims that warning sea levels in the Baltic Sea are strongly linked to recent blooms of the Vibrios bacteria group, which have corresponded with an uptick in humans reporting foodborne illnesses in northern Europe.
And while the study notes that the Baltic Sea is "the fastest warming marine ecosystem examined so far anywhere on Earth," scientists also found that other temperate and even cooler regions, like Peru, Chile,...
U.S. intelligence community gauges water risks over next 30 years
Posted by AlertNet: Lisa Anderson on July 23rd, 2012
AlertNet: Is water as a strategic resource, like oil, gas or uranium?
The U.S. intelligence community thinks so. In a report requested by the U.S. Department of State, analysts from eight intelligence agencies focused their attention on how water-related problems -- everything from shortages to floods and contaminated supplies -- will affect national security interests over the next 30 years.
This kind of in-depth analysis, coordinated by the National Intelligence Council (NIC), is usually classified,...
The world’s water-scarce hotspots
Posted by AlertNet: Anastasia Moloney on July 23rd, 2012
AlertNet: Water scarcity is both a natural and a human-made problem.
Population growth, rapid urbanisation, industrial development, rising agricultural needs and overuse of lakes, waterways and aquifers - all put pressure on water supplies.
Additional drivers of water scarcity include drought, desertification, rising sea levels and accelerated melting of glaciers, which scientists say are being exacerbated by climate change.
The technical definition of water scarcity is a complex equation based on...
Regions where water disputes are fuelling tensions
Posted by AlertNet: Astrid Zweynert on July 23rd, 2012
AlertNet: Disputes over water are common around the world, exacerbated by climate change, growing populations, rapid urbanisation, increased irrigation and a rising demand for alternative energy sources such as hydroelectricity.
Following are a few of the regions where competition for water from major rivers systems is fuelling tension.
SOUTH ASIA
India is home to three major river systems -- the Ganges, Brahmaputra and the Indus -- which support 700 million people. As an upstream nation, it controls...
Man-made climate change is increasing tummy bug outbreaks in Europe, claim scientists
Posted by Zambia Daily Mail: Claire Bates on July 23rd, 2012
Zambia Daily Mail: Climate change is driving the growth of a group of water-borne bacteria in northern Europe that can cause illnesses from cholera to gastroenteritis.
An international team examined sea surface temperature records and satellite data, as well as statistics on Vibrio cases in the Baltic.
Vibrios is a group of bacteria which usually grow in warm and tropical marine environments. The bacteria can cause various infections in humans, ranging from cholera to gastroenteritis-like symptoms from eating...
Rifts Emerge Amid ‘Frac Sand’ Rush In Wisconsin
Posted by National Public Radio: Laurie Stern on July 23rd, 2012
National Public Radio: Western Wisconsin counties bordering the Mississippi River have a unique geography: steep bluffs with layers and layers of silica sand. The sand is extremely valuable because it's strong enough to prop open underground veins in shale fields so oil and natural gas can be released. It's called "frac sand," and Wisconsin appears to have more of it than any other state. But the hills are private property, so sand mining companies have to negotiate with local farmers - not all of whom are on board.
Australia: Climate change to hit Victoria
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 23rd, 2012
AAP: DEVASTATING bushfires and heatwaves are set to lash Victoria more often as climate change heats up and dries out the state.
That's according to a new Climate Commission report.
KEY FINDINGS OF THE CLIMATE COMMISSION'S REPORT, THE CRITICAL DECADE: VICTORIAN CLIMATE IMPACTS AND OPPORTUNITIES
Extreme weather in Victoria is set to increase in frequency and intensity in the future.
The number of hot days has increased over the last few decades and is expected to continue increasing.
Conditions...
Fracking company paid Texas professor behind water contamination study
Posted by National Public Radio: Terrence Henry on July 23rd, 2012
National Public Radio: Dr. Charles “Chip” Groat, who led a study on fracking and groundwater contamination, didn’t disclose over a million dollars in compensation and stock from a drilling company.
Earlier this year, a study led by Dr. Charles “Chip” Groat for the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin made headlines for saying there was no link between fracking and groundwater contamination. (When we reported on the study in February, we noted that the study also found some serious issues around the...
As debate heats up on oil sands, feds admit lack of data
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on July 23rd, 2012
Greenwire: As House Republicans offered a new bill and green activists unveiled a report related to Canadian oil sands crude today, government regulators revealed that they do not record how much of the controversial heavy fuel is transported daily through U.S. pipelines.
In explaining its lack of data on diluted bitumen, or dilbit -- the technical name for the fuel that drives much of the safety debate over projects such as the Keystone XL pipeline -- the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration...