"The tiny Pacific nation of Tuvalu – once thought to be under threat from rising sea levels – has grown the size of California's Disneyland over the past 40 years. It's mostly thanks to waves dumping extra sediment, sand and gravel on shore lines, according to research by Auckland University scientists. The study, published in the Nature Communications journal on Friday, was the first in-depth look at how much each of Tuvalu's 101 islands have changed over the decades."
A costly plan to build floating islands shows how climate change is pushing the search for innovative solutions, but some critics ask who will ultimately benefit.
This article was about the whale and how they were repopulating and how the whale hunting was banned in the 70s. I think this article was really good because use it talked about whales.
Global warming has raised global sea level about 8" since 1880, and the rate of rise is accelerating. Rising seas dramatically increase the odds of damaging floods from storm surges.
As everyone knows, water is key. We usually talk about water in geography has a way to export/import or for key military purposes. Here we are talking about survival and certain states within in India (29 to be exact) that were suffering through a drought and whose rivers had been completely dried up. India has tried a new plan to try to get water to these areas, by diverting water from there other rivers to these states. This is an interesting way to try to deal with this problem, however is it really feasible to do this? Would this eventually causes problems in the areas in which we are taking the water from? Also this would be very expensive and India , who is still a growing country, could hurt them economically for years to come. No one has said this will work and while yes, its horrible to see what has happen to these areas, but is this just a quick fix. What would the plan be for a future drought, is there anyway to come up with a better plan? Possibly will these people need to move in the future. Our rivers and lands are constantly changing so as people we might have to move away from areas that which were once habitable, but now may not be.
Extreme drought combined with inefficient agricultural practices and the depletion of groundwater resources have creates a water crisis in India. However the solution to the drought seems poorly planned and likely to fail. There is no evidence showing that a massive water diversion project like this will succeed in alleviating the effects of such a massive drought.
Drought is a factor of the physical geography of an area that is in trouble. India is heavily depended on monsoon rains, and for two years have no received what they normally do, and 330 million people are affected by it. The country is planning to divert different rivers to solve the issue. "The government says the scheme will irrigate 35,000 hectares of land and generate 34,000 megawatts of electricity." This will exponentially help those dealing with the water crisis, but also help with other thing such as electricity.
"After historic rains, Atacama, Chile is exploding with vibrant wildflowers. Here's a softer side to the disruptive weather phenomenon known as El Nino: an enormous blanket of colorful flowers has carpeted Chile's Atacama desert, the most arid in the world. The cyclical warming of the central Pacific may be causing droughts and floods in various parts of the world, but in the vast desert of northern Chile it has also caused a vibrant explosion of thousands of species of flowers with an intensity not seen in decades."
This article is about a desert located north of Chile where a barren desert becomes a valley of pink wildflowers. This desert acts like a high pressured trap keeping the low pressure storm out and leaving most parts of the landscape parched with less than 0.2 inches of rain. earlier that year, unexpected clouds started forming leaving the barren land with 2 inches of snow and rain. Enough had fallen to cause an overflow of the banks and rivers to create flooding. But, even though this rain caused flooding it brought the valley "back to life" leaving a seemingly endless carpet of pink wildflowers.
The Atacama desert is the nearly never receives rainfall. Every decade or so it does get some rain. When this happens the buried seeds that await the rains germinate and blossom causing a vast landscape of beautiful purple and pink flowers in a normally arid desert. This phenomenon happen recently causing the greatest bloom seen in the Atacama desert in decades. This if anything proves the beauty and resilience of nature, even with nearly no rain in a desert plants still find a way to overcome.
Truly amazing. After an intense rainfall, the Atacama desert in Chile was in bloom. The Atacama desert which has been described as the driest place in the world was hit with 2 inches of rain that caused massive flooding throughout the area. While the floods moved the desert and created something beautiful, you can not ignore the fact that they also moved through cities causing some deaths and a billion dollars in damages. Nature can be both beautiful and terrifying.
"A new census that shows that Earth is host to a staggering 3.02 trillion trees — more than scientists expected.The most recent estimate only counted 400 billion trees, reports Rachel Ehrenberg. Because prior studies used satellite technology alone instead of including data from on-the-ground tree density studies, writes Ehrenberg, they missed the mark. They also estimate that since human civilization began, 45.8 percent of all trees been lost."
"Pristine Seas is an exploration, research, and media project to find, survey, and help protect the last wild places in the ocean. These pristine places are unknown by all but long-distance fishing fleets, which have started to encroach on them. It is essential that we let the world know that these places exist, that they are threatened, and that they deserve to be protected. Learn more about Pristine Seas here: http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/explore/pristine-seas/ "
Fishing and Urban Development have detrimentally destroyed our oceans, and we have polluted the seas at such a high level. Urban growth and over fishing have caused our oceans to be polluted, and we are killing the diversity in Earth's waters. It is essential that we preserve marine life and stop polluting the ocean and the creatures that inhabit it.
(North America topic 7) Just like geography and history textbooks become obsolete the day they're published (thanks to Professors Dixon and Bonin for the phrase!), the same can be said for maps and icons.
This article uses the example of Louisiana's state highway signs, which show the outline of the state... well, according to data from the 1930s. While an updated sign isn't as pretty, it does bring about the truth that the landscape is changing, and on a larger scale this is true for the entire world, especially with influence from development and climate change. However, I can relate to the other side of the argument too. Tossing the old LA symbol would toss a historical reminder of what once was. The same can be said for New Hampshire's Old Man of the Mountain road signs and license plates. I'd hate to see the profile removed, especially since what is symbolizes still lives on in the hearts of many residents and visitors, including myself.
"Last week, a major tourist thruway in Yellowstone National Park had to be shut down because the road melted. The road’s Wicked Witch of the West impression was caused by high temperatures in both the air and under the ground. Yellowstone sits atop a volcanic hotspot, and that heat helped cause the asphalt to soften and oil to well up onto the surface."
"California's drought just hit a new milestone: As of this week, 32.98 percent of the state is experiencing "exceptional" drought, making it the worst drought in the 14 years that the Department of Agriculture's Drought Monitor has tracked data."
"The Habitable Planet is a multimedia course for high school teachers and adult learners interested in studying environmental science. The Web site provides access to course content and activities developed by leading scientists and researchers in the field."
"The depths below the ocean’s surface comprise a staggering 95 percent of the Earth’s living space, and much of it is unexplored by humans. To put into perspective just how deep the oceans go, this XKCD comic, (hi-res image). Most of the ocean doesn’t even see sunlight. Even scientists aren’t familiar with everything that’s down there."
"This case study considers the pros and cons of cotton production in Uzbekistan. Since the country's independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, revenues from cotton taxation have contributed substantially to developing the industrial sector, boosting the current account, achieving energy and food-grain self-sufficiency, and buffering domestic shocks in food and energy prices. Nonetheless, some argue that the state procurement system hampers the development of the agricultural sector. Often the payments for cotton hardly cover farmers' production costs, and the quasi mono-culture of cotton production has adversely affected environmental sustainability."
Three decades later, it’s not certain how radiation is affecting wildlife—but it’s clear that animals abound.
It may seem strange that Chernobyl, an area known for the deadliest nuclear accident in history, could become a refuge for all kinds of animals—from moose, deer, beaver, and owls to more exotic species like brown bear, lynx, and wolves—but that is exactly what Shkvyria and some other scientists think has happened. Without people hunting them or ruining their habitat, the thinking goes, wildlife is thriving despite high radiation levels.
"New research confirms that the next mass extinction is in progress, and we’re the cause. There’s been little doubt that humans have been severely altering the planet and reducing biodiversity, but it has been unclear how many species go extinct under normal circumstances, without human influence.
This new research clarifies the rate of 'background extinction' (the rate of extinction during the point before humans became a primary contributor to extinction). The research confirms that human activity is driving species extinct at a rate far higher than the background rate. A look at previous events suggests cause for concern. Geologists recognize five previous mass extinction events— the end of the Ordovician, Devonian, Permian, Triassic, and Cretaceous periods, meaning that we’re now in the 6th."
This site is great to show evidence of climate change. It has various sites with videos and articles. The interactive is organized to answer these main questions:
How do we know it’s happening?How do we fix it?How do we live with it?
There is too much talk about helping the climate and environment. All politicians do is talk about cleaning the environment and having less pollution. Even Al Gore is big talk. I've only heard of little change. I want to see a difference. I want to see people actually doing things to help the environment. Enough talk. What should happen is a world wide clean up. Jobs should be created where people should clean in their own community. Its a simple job. Get a trash bag, get off your lazy butts, get out of the house, get a group together (who would be paid by the state) to pick trash up off the streets, beaches, trails in the woods, baseball fields, parks. This isn't hard to do. Not just one person, but if a group of people can come together and be employed by their state to clean their community, at least four days a week. There should also be a group of people, even fisherman to clean the ocean, go out and get what ever trash you can find. Using nets, and if fish are caught, throw them back in the ocean. Also, Trash Island has to be eliminated. It boggles my mind that who ever passed the law on trash being dumped into the ocean an Okay to do. Are you kidding me?? What is wrong with you? Our Earth is dying because of humanity. Also the oil spill that happened in 2012, I believe, I saw a man on the news that created a way to capture the oil floating on the surface of the ocean with a blanket like material, sure it would take a lot of those "blankets" but at least it would be helping to rid the ocean from oil. What are people thinking?? that the oil will just disappear?? Are you serious? So many people really have to open their minds. Look at what's happening you ignorant selfish fools. I will finish my rant right here.
A punishing drought is forcing a reconsideration of whether the aspiration of untrammeled growth that has for so long been the state’s engine has run against the limits of nature.
This seems like a useful tool to a degree. But if we could actually simulate every destructive event then we would be miracle workers. This was a sad event. We have left such an imprint on the earth that it's starting to fight back. We need to be more aware and careful with the one planet we have. Climate changes are in the news more and more. We can't ignore climate changes anymore.
We are very proud in France thinking we created the watershed approach with the 1964' water law, present basis for EU's water framework directive. Now, I would say that John W Powell is the true creator of watershed management. It's ablow toFrenchpride...
"When the Minute 319 'pulse flow' began in March 2014, it was not clear whether the effort would be enough to reconnect the Colorado River with the Sea of Cortez. Some hydrologists thought there might be just enough water; others were less optimistic. It turns out the optimists were right, though just barely. For the first time in sixteen years, the Colorado River was reunited with the Sea of Cortez on May 15, 2014."
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