Month: April 2012

  • Ancient Arabian Rivers

    Arabia is a vast desert today. But times change all things and ages ago the climate was milder and wetter. Satellite images have revealed that a network of ancient rivers once coursed their way through the sand of the Arabian Desert, leading scientists to believe that the region experienced wetter periods in the past. The…

  • New Breeding Habits Emerge for the Wandering Albatross

    Flying around the Southern Ocean is one of the largest bird species on Earth, the Wandering Albatross, also known as the Snowy Albatross or White-winged Albatross. They are a predator and keystone species of their circumpolar range. Like all polar species, they are feeling the effects of a warming climate, and it is beginning to…

  • ‘Warming Hole’ Delayed Climate Change Over Eastern United States

    Climate scientists at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have discovered that particulate pollution in the late 20th century created a “warming hole” over the eastern United States — that is, a cold patch where the effects of global warming were temporarily obscured.

  • Yellowstone: Huckleberry Ridge

    The Yellowstone Caldera is the volcanic caldera located in Yellowstone National Park in the United States, sometimes referred to as the Yellowstone Supervolcano. The caldera is located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, in which the vast majority of the park is contained. Researchers at Washington State University and the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Center…

  • The Change in Ocean Salinity

    Seawater is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world’s oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% (35 g/L). This means that every kilogram (roughly one liter by volume) of seawater has approximately 35 grams (1.2 oz) of dissolved salts (predominantly sodium (Na+) and chloride (Cl−) ions). A clear change in…

  • Palm oil is a major driver of peatlands destruction in Indonesian Borneo

    Developers in Indonesian Borneo are increasingly converting carbon-dense peatlands for oil palm plantations, driving deforestation and boosting greenhouse gas emissions, reports a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The research concludes that nearly all unprotected forests in Ketapang District in West Kalimantan will be gone by 2020 given current trends.…

  • What’s Undermining Energy Efficiency?

    Exhilaration swept through the energy efficiency industry as city after city, state after state and nation after nation set aggressive energy saving goals over the last several years. But with target dates nearing in certain jurisdictions, a more sober attitude now permeates. Some governments are asking: Are we reaching too high? A global report issued…

  • David Cameron outlines a Green Plan for Britain, gets mixed reviews

    Prime Minister’s speech on the UK’s drive for low-carbon energy has been given a lukewarm reception by campaign groups and industry leaders. Commenting on David Cameron’s address, Friends of the Earth’s Executive Director Andy Atkins said he was still waiting to see evidence of the Coalition being the greenest Government ever. He added: “This falls…

  • Concrete Degradation at New Hampshire, Nuclear Plant

    Concrete is considered fairly durable. The alkali–silica reaction (ASR) is a reaction which occurs over time in concrete between the highly alkaline cement paste and reactive non-crystalline (amorphous) silica, which is found in many common aggregates. The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) released a report today about potentially serious concrete degradation possibly due to this…

  • Northern Canada Feels the Heat: Climate Change Impact On Permafrost Zones

    Permafrost zones extend over 50% of Canada’s land area. Warming or thawing of permafrost due to climate change could significantly impact existing infrastructure and future development in Canada’s north. Researchers Jennifer Throop and Antoni Lewkowicz at the University of Ottawa, along with Sharon Smith with the Geological Survey of Canada, have published a new study,…