RSS Feed
Archive for August, 2012
NASA Image Shows Low Waters of Drought-Stricken Mississippi River
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 21st, 2012
Yale Environment 360: The top satellite photo, taken just south of Memphis, Tenn. on Aug. 8, reveals extensive sandbars that are newly exposed or far larger than they were in August, 2011 (bottom). In addition, numerous stretches of the river have become significantly narrowed by decreased water flow. The low water levels have allowed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to repair levees damaged by floods in 2011, which are visible as tan lines surrounding the river in these images. (NASA images)
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on NASA Image Shows Low Waters of Drought-Stricken Mississippi RiverExxon Nigeria unit says begins oil spill clean-up
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 21st, 2012
Reuters: ExxonMobil's Nigeria unit said on Tuesday it was helping clean up an oil spill near its facility off the West African country's southeast coast, although the company wasn't yet sure what caused the leak.
Mobil Producing Nigeria, a joint venture between ExxonMobil and the state oil firm, confirmed last week oil had been sighted near Ibeno in Akwa Ibom state but the source was unknown.
Local fishing communities blame Mobil for the spill, which they say has cut off their livelihood.
"Mobil...
Georgia latest state seeking to end U.S. ethanol rule
Posted by Reuters: Patrick Rucker on August 21st, 2012
Reuters: Georgia, the center of U.S. poultry production, is adding its voice to a string of states asking Washington to help ease pressure on corn prices by suspending rules that send a large share of the crop to produce ethanol.
Ethanol fuel made from corn is blended with gasoline under a federal program meant to encourage domestic energy sources, but the rules can be waived under a formal appeal from a state.
Livestock farmers complain that demand for ethanol wrongly diverts a large share of the feed...
America Hit With Record Devastation From Wildfires
Posted by Mother Jones: Julia Whitty on August 21st, 2012
Mother Jones: The National Interagency Fire Center reports [2] that 2012 just broke the record for most acreage burned by wildfires as of this date (see chart below). The previous record was set in 2006, another mega drought year.
Year-to-date statitstics for acreage bruned by wildfires, with more lands having burned in 2012 than any previous year: National Interagency Fire Center [2]Year-to-date statistics for acreage burned by wildfires: National Interagency Fire Center
That's nearly 7 million acres—or...
China’s mega coal power bases exacerbate water crisis
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 21st, 2012
Guardian: A new Greenpeace report warns China's plan to rapidly expand large coal mines and power plants in its arid northern and western provinces threatens to drain precious water supply and could trigger a severe water crisis. The photographer Lu Guang has documented the water-intensive coal extraction, forcing deterioration of arid grassland and forcing herders to seek alternative livelihoods
Eight Ways Climate Change Is Throwing Animal Populations ‘Out Of Kilter’
Posted by ThinkProgress: Ellie Sandmeyer on August 21st, 2012
ThinkProgress: Well over half the country is suffering from extreme drought, and locally, pets and animals are struggling with the effects of climate change as well. Triple-digit temperatures have gripped much of the U.S. this summer, and extreme heat, which NASA`s James Hansen wrote is "almost certainly" connected to climate change, can have a serious impact on animal biodiversity, as food grows scarcer and a wide variety of habitats dry out.
“The whole ecosystem is going to have to move north as the climate...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Eight Ways Climate Change Is Throwing Animal Populations ‘Out Of Kilter’UCSD Nobel Laureate Cites Potential Evidence Linking Extreme Weather And Global Warming
Posted by redOrbit: Brett Smith on August 21st, 2012
redOrbit: In the keynote address at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia, Nobel Laureate Mario J. Molina stressed that the latest scientific evidence has only strengthened the link between human activity and extreme weather events and global warming.
Molina has some experience in working with human-atmospheric interactions on a global scale. The University of California, San Diego professor won the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his key role in...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on UCSD Nobel Laureate Cites Potential Evidence Linking Extreme Weather And Global WarmingUN calls on nations to adopt urgent drought policies
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 21st, 2012
Guardian: The nations of the world urgently need to adopt drought-management policies, as farmers from Africa to India struggle with lack of rainfall and the United States endures the worst drought it has experienced in decades, top officials with the UN weather agency said on Tuesday.
The World Meteorological Organisation says the US drought and its ripple effects on global food markets show the need for policies with more water conservation and less consumption. It is summoning ministers and other high-level...
Dry forests disappearing faster than rainforests in Latin America
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 21st, 2012
Mongabay: Countries across Latin America lost 78,000 square kilometers of subtropical and tropical dry broadleaf forests between 2001 and 2010, according to a new satellite-based assessment [PDF] published in the journal Biotropica.
The research - based on analysis of data from the MODIS sensor on NASA satellites - looked at vegetation change in ten biomes across 16,000 municipalities in Latin America and the Caribbean. It found that dry forest cover fell from 2.03 million sq km in 2001 to 1.95 million...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Dry forests disappearing faster than rainforests in Latin AmericaNo drought-busting rains seen for crop belt
Posted by Reuters: Sam Nelson on August 21st, 2012
Reuters: Benign weather is expected for the next week or two in the Midwest crop region, with no serious delays of early harvest but also no significant relief to corn and soybeans from the worst drought in half a century, an agricultural meteorologist said on Tuesday.
"The bottom line is there are no earth-shattering weather events in sight, it will be quiet most of the week," said John Dee, meteorologist for Global Weather Monitoring.
High temperatures in the upper 80s (degrees Fahrenheit) to low...