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Archive for May 23rd, 2014
For New Jersey mayor, time to adapt to rising sea levels is now
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 23rd, 2014
National Public Radio: Last week, scientists warned that a massive chunk of the West Antarctica Ice Sheet will eventually drift into the sea and melt, raising sea levels at least 10 feet higher than previous predictions.
Even before the announcement, scientists at the nonprofit research organization Climate Central predicted that surging seas could put the homes of nearly 5 million Americans underwater by the end of this century.
Dawn Zimmer, mayor of Hoboken, N.J., is a member of President Obama's Task Force on...
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Glacial melt pours iron into ocean, seeding algal blooms
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 23rd, 2014
Scientific American: A decade ago, a common hypothesis was that rivers and dust supplied the ocean with most of its iron. Since then, scientists have reported in several papers that icebergs and deep-sea hydrothermal vents also may be significant contributors.
Scientists report in a new study this week that glacial melt may be funneling significant amounts of reactive iron into the ocean, where it may counter some of the negative effects of climate change by boosting algal blooms that capture carbon. The paper, published...
Vancouver Island’s glaciers will disappear in 25 years, scientist says
Posted by Province: Sandra McCulloch on May 23rd, 2014
Province: All Vancouver Island glaciers, including the iconic Comox glacier, will be gone within 25 years due to climate change, says University of Victoria geography professor Dan Smith.
“There are not many glaciers left,” Smith said Wednesday.
“In the 1970s, they did an inventory on Vancouver Island and they counted about 170 glaciers, and I’d say there are five of what you could call glaciers left.”
Comox glacier at a square kilometre is the largest, but compared with others in the Rockies, “is...
Should we try to fight rising sea levels – or abandon the coasts?
Posted by Vox: Brad Plumer on May 23rd, 2014
Vox: The world's sea levels are expected to rise 1 to 3 feet -- or more -- as the planet heats up in the coming century. The more greenhouse gases we emit, the bigger the rise, but we've already locked in at least some sea-level increase no matter what.
So what should the millions of people living in low-lying coastal areas do?
Broadly speaking, there are three ways to deal with sea-level rise. First, large coastal cities like New York or Boston or Tokyo will likely spend billions to erect dikes...
No shale gas potential in Weald basin, concludes British Geological Survey
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 23rd, 2014
Guardian: Government hopes that Britain can emulate the US with a shale gas revolution have been undermined with a long-awaited report unexpectedly concluding there is no potential in the Weald region of southern England.
Michael Fallon, the energy minister, insisted he was neither "disappointed nor happy" at the findings from the British Geological Survey (BGS) and denied the government had "hyped" UK potential.
He preferred to focus on more positive BGS findings that there could be 4.4bn barrels of...
Blackpool faces risk of failing new EU water quality law
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 23rd, 2014
Guardian: Dozens of beaches around England could fail new stricter sewage standards for water quality, including Blackpool, Clacton, Morecambe and Margate. While 90% of the nation's beaches meet cleanliness standards, 46 suffer from sewer overflows, manure running off from farms and badly connected toilets in coastal homes and businesses. The result can be swimmers suffering gastroenteritis and eye or ear infections.
The official bathing season, when the water at 420 popular beaches is monitored, began...
Ecuador: Permit Issued for Drilling in Amazon Reserve
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on May 23rd, 2014
Associated Press: Ecuador’s government has issued an environmental permit for oil drilling in a pristine Amazon reserve that President Rafael Correa initially offered to exempt from exploration if rich countries would pay his government. Mr. Correa abandoned that effort last year because of insufficient interest and has spurned pleas by environmentalists to spare the Yasuni reserve. This month, Ecuador’s electoral council declared invalid a petition seeking to prevent drilling in the 6,500-square-mile Amazon reserve....