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Archive for August 14th, 2014
Rain, cooler temperatures ease wildfire threat in U.S. Northwest
Posted by Reuters: Courtney Sherwood on August 14th, 2014
Reuters: Lower temperatures and scattered rain brought a reprieve Thursday to the wildfire-scorched U.S. Northwest, where firefighters said they hoped to regain control of blazes that had flared during extreme heat this week. Four major fires in Oregon were fully contained early Thursday and mandatory evacuations have been lifted statewide, said Carol Connolly, spokeswoman for the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. But eight large wildfires continue to burn and air quality remains somewhat worse...
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The Arctic is Definitely Losing its Snow, Say Experts
Posted by Nature World: None Given on August 14th, 2014
Nature World: Experts from NASA and the University of Washington (UW) have recently determined with certainty that the Arctic is losing its snow depth at an alarming rate, especially on its sea ice.
This should not be surprising for anyone who has been paying attention to the recent alarming news from the Arctic. NASA and other organizations say that the Arctic has started experiencing increased summer sea ice loss within the last few years, indicating a drastic shift in overall seasonal sea and air temperatures...
Central America braces drought-linked food crisis
Posted by Reuters: Anastasia Moloney on August 14th, 2014
Reuters: Low rainfall linked to the El Nino weather phenomenon has led to drought in parts of Central America, causing widespread damage to crops, shortages and rising prices of food, and worsening hunger among the region’s poor.
An unusually hot season and extended dry spells have brought drought to areas in eastern and western Guatemala and El Salvador, southern Honduras and northern and central Nicaragua, destroying swathes of bean and maize crops, the region’s staple foods, and putting pressure on...
Top 10 U.S. Cities Running Out of Water
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on August 14th, 2014
EcoWatch: Even as we watch the stunning footage of an overwhelmed Detroit drowning under massive rainfall, U.S. Drought Monitor shows other regions of the country parched and longing for more water. The organization releases weekly maps tracking the extent of drought in the U.S., ranking regions on five levels: "abnormally dry," "moderate drought," "severe drought," "extreme drought" and "exceptional drought."
Its current map documents a huge swath of the western U.S., extending as far east as Kansas, Missouri...
Rain And Climate Influenced By Dust And The Microbes That Ride On It
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 14th, 2014
RedOrbit: Dusty air blowing across the Pacific from Asia and Africa plays a critical role in precipitation patterns throughout the drought-stricken western US. Today, a scientist will present new research suggesting that the exact chemical make-up of that dust, including microbes found in it, is the key to how much rain and snow falls from clouds throughout the region. This information could help better predict rain events, as well as explain how air pollution from a variety of sources influences regional...
United Kingdom: Fish poachers targeted in crackdown
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 14th, 2014
BBC: A crackdown on fish poaching across Wales has seen 139 people prosecuted in the first four months of the year, says Natural Resources Wales (NRW).
The legal action has seen those involved fined £18,000 in total.
On Tuesday two men were the latest arrests for illegal fishing, after being found on a dinghy with a net on the River Usk in Monmouthshire.
But officials say the issue is a problem across Wales, and threatens an angling industry worth £150m a year.
Since the start of the year,...
United Kingdom: Protesters occupy field near Cuadrillas proposed fracking site in Blackpool
Posted by Guardian: Nishad Karim on August 14th, 2014
Guardian: Several hundred anti-fracking protesters have taken over a field near a proposed exploration site for shale gas in the Fylde area, east of Blackpool.
The “No Dash for Gas – Reclaim The Power” camp has positioned itself close to one of two planned drill sites by energy firm Cuadrilla and is expected to remain for six days.
Inga Wilde, a campaigner at the camp said: “Blackpool is the first location for fracking in the UK, the first test site. So we’d like to stop fracking here and fracking everywhere...
Fracking Waste Disposal Fuels Opposition in U.S. and Abroad
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on August 14th, 2014
EcoWatch: A poll taken by Public Policy Polling revealed this week that 65 percent of California residents oppose dumping fracking waste in the ocean. The actions of fracking companies in both the U.S. and England, the eagerness of many government bodies and officials to cater to them, and the obfuscation around the disposal of the waste show they have reason to be concerned.
Ban Michigan Fracking reports that 12 tons of radioactive fracking waste is heading for a hazardous waste facility in the Detroit...
Hot enough for you? See how ‘dramatic’ climate change is affecting your city
Posted by Climate Central: Eric Pfeiffer on August 14th, 2014
Climate Central: Every summer, a man dressed in a Darth Vader suit goes for a sprint through Death Valley’s blistering temperatures. But by the end of the century, he may not have to travel much farther than outside his front door to recreate his daring stunt in temperatures hot enough to fry an egg. A new interactive research report from Climate Central says that “dramatic warming” will affect more than 1,000 cities before the end of the century. “By the end of this century, summers in most of the 1,001 cities...
Plan sell burned California trees sends sparks flying
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on August 14th, 2014
Reuters: Long, heavy logging trucks, swaying with the weight of charred California pines, wind through the forest near Yosemite National Park, part of an effort to clean up from last year’s devastating wildfires even as new blazes break out this summer.
But as the U.S. Forest Service prepares to release plans this month for selling thousands of the burned trees to logging companies, conflict is brewing with residents who say the trucks are dangerous and environmentalists who fear the project is just an...