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Archive for April, 2013
Can Nutrient Trading Shrink the Gulf of Mexico’s Dead Zone?
Posted by World Resources Institute: Michelle Perez on April 17th, 2013
World Resources Institute: The Gulf of Mexico has the largest dead zone in the United States and the second-largest in the world. Dead zones form when excessive amounts of nitrogen and phosphorous wash into waterways and spur algal blooms, depleting the water of oxygen and killing fish, shrimp, and other marine life. The Gulf of Mexico dead zone can range between an astounding 3,000 and 8,000 square miles. At its largest, it’s about the size of Massachusetts.
Reducing this growing dead zone problem is a huge scientific,...
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Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 17th, 2013
ClimateWire: After photographing Black Dragon Lake here for eight years, He Jiaxin knows of more places where he can get the lake to mirror the majesty of its surrounding mountains than anyone else. But this year, he has a problem: The lake has disappeared.
Since its springs dried up last year, no water has flowed into Black Dragon Lake for more than 400 days. At the same time, hot weather caused a high evaporation rate, turning a large part of the lake into a play yard for children.
Black Dragon Lake had...
Australia: ‘Fracking’ emissions monitoring to be tightened
Posted by Age: Tom Arup on April 17th, 2013
Age: The federal government has signalled that it will tighten monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions from coal seam gas ''fracking'' projects following a heated debate about how much the industry contributes to global warming.
In a discussion paper released on Tuesday, the government proposed that by 2015 companies would have to directly monitor ''fugitive'' methane emissions from coal seam gas production where fracking is used.
Fracking involves pumping fluid into rock layers to help extract gas....
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Australia: ‘Fracking’ emissions monitoring to be tightenedWisconsin’s climate is changing before our eyes
Posted by Express Milwaukee: None Given on April 17th, 2013
Express Milwaukee: Milwaukeeans have been shivering and wet this past week, so it’s easy to believe that our soggy, cold April means that global warming or climate change isn’t a serious threat.
But unfortunately it is.
This past week’s heavy rains aren’t necessarily caused by global warming, but they do fit the long-term climate trends Wisconsin is experiencing.
“Weather is always going to be variable,” said Matt Howard, director of the city’s Office of Environmental Sustainability. “But when you’ve got an...
Feds overlook climate costs of Keystone, greens say
Posted by FuelFix: Jennifer A. Dlouhy on April 17th, 2013
FuelFix: As House Republicans advance legislation to expedite the Keystone XL pipeline, environmentalists on Tuesday released a new report insisting the State Department is ignoring the full climate change damage that could result if the Obama administration approves the project.
The report by Oil Change International says the pipeline would unleash 181 million metric tons of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases annually - equivalent to the tailpipe emissions from more than 37.7 million cars. The...
Troubled waters: Big, bad algal blooms could become new norm for Lake Erie
Posted by Great Lakes Echo: Kathiann M. Kowalski on April 17th, 2013
Great Lakes Echo: Lake Erie faces a greener future—and that’s bad. Scientists say harmful algal blooms like the one from 2011 will strike more often. More extreme weather and warming trends could also extend bad blooms’ duration. As a result, Lake Erie’s aquatic life and wildlife in nearshore areas face more frequent exposure to toxins. Food webs face disruption. Fisheries will suffer. Lake Erie’s persistent dead zone will expand. And water chemistry will change. The reason is that all trends that caused Lake Erie’s...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Troubled waters: Big, bad algal blooms could become new norm for Lake ErieReview of National Climate Assessment calls for expanded government research
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 17th, 2013
Bloomberg: The federal government should expand its efforts to understand climate change impacts in the United States and provide more practical guidance for adapting to climate change, the National Research Council said in an April 15 report. The draft National Climate Assessment does a reasonable job of fulfilling its objectives of assessing current climate change science and potential impacts on the United States, but the federal government should provide more information and guidance for the country, according...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Review of National Climate Assessment calls for expanded government researchAmerica’s Most Endangered Rivers of 2013
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on April 17th, 2013
EcoWatch: For thirty years, our America’s Most Endangered Rivers report has highlighted urgent threats to rivers and has spurred the public to take action. Through the report, we have helped sound the alarm on hundreds of rivers, saving them from threats like pollution and new dams.
The river at the top of the 2013 list, announced today, is the Colorado River--a river that is so dammed, diverted and drained that it dries to a trickle before reaching the sea.
Flowing for more than 1,400 miles across seven...
Is Ice Loss by Glaciers Abnormal?
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 17th, 2013
ScienceDaily: In the last few decades, glaciers at the edge of the icy continent of Antarctica have been thinning, and research has shown the rate of thinning has accelerated and contributed significantly to sea level rise. New ice core research suggests that, while the changes are dramatic, they cannot be attributed with confidence to human-caused global warming, said Eric Steig, a University of Washington professor of Earth and space sciences. Previous work by Steig has shown that rapid thinning of Antarctic...
Desertification crisis affecting 168 countries worldwide, study shows
Posted by RTCC: None Given on April 17th, 2013
RTCC: Severe land degradation is now affecting 168 countries across the world, according to new research released by the UN Desertification Convention (UNCCD).
The figure, based on submissions from countries to the UN, is a marked increase on the last analysis in the mid-1990s, which estimated 110 states were at risk.
In an economic analysis published last week the Convention also warns land degradation is now costing US$490 billion per year and wiping out an area three times the size of Switzerland...
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