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Archive for March 13th, 2013
Increase in heavy rainfalls over past 60 years in upper Midwest, US
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 13th, 2013
ScienceDaily: Heavy rains have become more frequent in the upper Midwest over the past 60 years, according to a study from the University of Iowa. The trend appears to hold true even with the current drought plaguing the region, the study's main author says.
The fact that temperatures over the country's midsection are rising, too, may be more than coincidence.The hotter the surface temperature, which has been the trend in the Midwest and the rest of the world, the more water that can be absorbed by the atmosphere....
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Dead pigs in China river spotlight heedless industry
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 13th, 2013
Reuters: The rotting bodies of about 6,000 pigs in a river that supplies tap water to Shanghai has drawn attention to an ugly truth - China's pig farms are often riddled with disease and one way or another, sick animals often end up in the food chain.
Authorities have found traces of a common pig virus in some of the animals floating in the Huangpu River this week, and industry insiders say farmers likely dumped them, common in an industry which has no system of compensation for losses from disease.
"There...
Keystone XL pipeline not good for Canada, opposition leader suggests
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 13th, 2013
Guardian: Canada's opposition leader spoke out against the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline during a visit to Washington on Wednesday, breaking with the Canadian government's full-on lobbying push for the controversial project.
In appearances around Washington, Thomas Mulcair, the leader of the New Democratic Party, was scathing of the Conservative government's environmental record and strongly suggested – without saying so explicitly – that he does not believe the pipeline is in Canada's interest.
"We...
Large Fractures Spotted in Vulnerable Arctic Sea Ice
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 13th, 2013
Climate Central: Following more than two decades of Arctic sea ice thinning and melting, an unusual event just weeks before the start of the spring melt season is providing visual proof of how vulnerable the ice pack really is.
During the end of February and continuing into early March, large fractures in the sea ice were observed off the north coast of Alaska and Canada, from near Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic to Barrow, Ala., the northernmost city in the U.S.
The rapid climate change in the Arctic...
Dead pigs washed up from Shanghai river number 6,000
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 13th, 2013
Guardian: The number of pig carcasses recovered from a Shanghai waterway passes 6,000 on Wednesday. The animals were first found in the Huangpu River on Sunday and recovery workers are still removing bodies from the water. Though tests show there is no threat to health, discovery of the carcasses raises concerns over food safety and pollution
Ready for anything: County sets up climate change council
Posted by Wisconsin State Journal: None Given on March 13th, 2013
Wisconsin State Journal: Locusts aren't mentioned, but just about anything else that could cause calamity in Dane County is included in a new plan to make sure we're ready for weather extremes.
The Climate Change Action Council, the first of its kind in Wisconsin, was announced Wednesday by Dane County Executive Joe Parisi.
The council will make recommendations for changes or additional resources the county or public safety agencies need to be better prepared with changing climate that has taxed the capacity to respond....
350 Action Endorses Markey for U.S. Senate for His Opposition to Keystone XL
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on March 13th, 2013
EcoWatch: 350 Action, the political arm of 350.org, today announced that they will endorse Rep. Ed Markey for U.S. Senate in Massachusettes. This marks the first time that 350 Action has endorsed a candidate for office.
“Rep. Markey is the only candidate in this race who is taking a principled stand on the dangerous Keystone XL tar sands pipeline,” said 350 Action executive director May Boeve. “In Congress, each candidate had his shot at opposing this boondoggle of a project, which, if approved, would mean...
New Desalination Process Slashes Costs of Producing Fresh Water
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 13th, 2013
Yale Environment 360: Lockheed Martin, one of the world’s largest military contractors, has developed a process that company officials say significantly reduces the amount of energy needed to desalinate water, an innovation that could help communities worldwide tackle the growing threat of water scarcity. According to the U.S.-based company, the new process uses ultra-thin carbon membranes with holes large enough to allow water to pass through, but small enough to block the salt molecules in seawater, Reuters reports....
China: Dead pigs in Shanghai river: more than 6,000 carcasses found
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 13th, 2013
Associated Press: Hundreds more dead pigs have been recovered from the Huangpu river, in Shanghai, following the discovery of more than 2,800 floating porcine carcasses in the water course earlier this week.
The find brings the total to more than 6,600 pig carcasses since last Friday.
The swollen, rotting, bodies in the Huangpu are causing anxiety for many residents, but officials said the water, extracted for tap supplies, remained safe.
A surge in dumping of dead pigs followed police campaigns against the...
Extreme water in Earth’s interior
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on March 13th, 2013
ScienceDaily: Earth is the only known planet that holds water in massive quantities and in all three of the main phase states. But the earthly, omnipresent compound water has very unusual properties that become particularly evident when subjected to high pressure and high temperatures.
In the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a German-Finnish-French team published what happens when water is subjected to pressure and temperature conditions such as those found in the...