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Shift from hard drives to flash may have environmental benefits
One year later: Hurricane Katrina in review
Acid rain affects one-third of China (08/28/2006) One-third of China is impacted by acid rain according to officials quotes Sunday by state media. The Associated Press reports that China's factories are sending ever increasing amounts of sulphur dioxide -- the chemical that causes acid rain -- according to Sheng Huaren, deputy chairman of the Standing Committee of parliament. Emissions of sulphur dioxide have risen by 27 percent since 2000. [ China | Pollution] Climate change caused dramatic changes in Antarctica 14 million years ago
Climate change causing early spring (08/25/2006) Spring is arriving earlier across Europe than it did 30 years ago according to new research published in the journal Global Change Biology. Scientists from 17 nations examined 125,000 studies involving 561 species and found that spring is beginning on average six to eight days earlier than it did 30 years ago. The researchers said that in countries where rapid increases in temperature have occurred, "that figure is almost doubled." [ Climate Change] Treehugger.com interview
Remote island provides clues on population growth, environmental degradation (08/25/2006) Halfway between South America and New Zealand, in the remote South Pacific, is Rapa. This horseshoe-shaped, 13.5 square-mile island of volcanic origin, located essentially in the middle of nowhere, is "a microcosm of the world's situation," says a University of Oregon archaeologist. Until only recently, little was known about the French Polynesian Island, where the current population is less than 500. Archaeological, linguistic and genetic data suggest that the island, like much of East Polynesia, was inhabited in a final pulse of colonization by seafaring travelers who originated from Island Southeast Asia. New research, led by the University of Oregon's Douglas Kennett, has shed fresh new light on Rapa, especially on what life may have been like for as many as 1,500 to 2,000 people who lived there before the arrival of European explorers. [ Past Cultures] Pictures of the Namib Desert 
(08/25/2006) Dee Harlow submitted pictures from her travels in the Namib Desert. "Even the ecology of deserts are vulnerable while their significance and beauty are seldom appreciated," she wrote. [ Travel] Feathers, human hair used to fight oil spill in Philippines
Recovery of biodiversity after dinosaurs was chaotic (08/24/2006) A new study suggests that the recovery of biodiversity following the extinction of dinosaurs may have been chaotic with broken ecological links leading to unbalanced plant-insect food webs. With present-day biologists warning that we face an extinction crisis of our own making, the findings may have implications for the present since they indicate that in the event of massive species, biological recovery may more complex than excepted. [ Extinction] North Atlantic Ocean freshening could weaken Gulf Stream (08/24/2006) A new analysis of 50 years of changes in freshwater inputs to the Arctic Ocean and North Atlantic may help shed light on what's behind the recently observed freshening of the North Atlantic Ocean. In a report, published in the August 25, 2006 issue of the journal, Science, MBL (Marine Biological Laboratory) senior scientist Bruce J. Peterson and his colleagues describe a first-of-its-kind effort to create a big-picture view of hydrologic trends in the Arctic. Their analysis reveals that freshwater increases from Arctic Ocean sources appear to be highly linked to a fresher North Atlantic. [ Climate Change] Why some Himalayan glacies aren't melting due to climate change (08/24/2006) New research into climate change in the Western Himalaya and the surrounding Karakoram and Hindu Kush mountains could explain why many glaciers there are growing and not melting. The findings suggest this area, known as the Upper Indus Basin, could be reacting differently to global warming, the phenomenon blamed for causing glaciers in the Eastern Himalaya, Nepal and India, to melt and shrink. [ Climate Change] GM tree could be used for cellulosic ethanol (08/24/2006) A tree that can reach 90 feet in six years and be grown as a row crop on fallow farmland could represent a major replacement for fossil fuels. Purdue University researchers are using genetic tools in an effort to design trees that readily and inexpensively can yield the substances needed to produce alternative transportation fuel. [ Energy] Americans believe hot weather, hurricanes linked to global warming (08/23/2006) As first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina nears, a just-released Zogby poll shows that not only are Americans more convinced global warming is happening, they are also linking recent intense weather events like Hurricane Katrina and this summer's heat wave and droughts to global warming. [ Climate Change] Kids' rainforest site revised
1 in 3 U.S. National Parks Polluted (08/21/2006) Air pollution exceeds federal standards in nearly 40 percent of America's national parks according to a new report from the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association. [ Pollution] New potential fuel source carries global warming risk
Forest fires causing mercury pollution in North America (08/21/2006) Increasing occurrence and intensity of wildfires due to climate change could worsen mercury pollution in North America according to a new study from researchers at Michigan State University, the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and the Canadian Forest Service. Wildfires are releasing mercury long ago sequestered in Northern wetlands. [ Pollution | Climate Change] Global water problem: one in three face water scarcity
Ancient blue whale was a shark killer (08/21/2006) A 25-million-year-old whale fossil from southeastern Australia suggests a curious origin for baleen whales. Presented at the at the Melbourne Museum last week, the fossil shows that earliest baleen whales were small, toothed and highly predatory creatures with enormous eyes -- virtually the opposite of the baleen whales we know today. These, like the blue whale and the humpback are gentle, toothless giants that feed on krill and other tiny organism. [ Extinction | Biodiversity | Marine] Amazon photo tour
Coal to oil conversion gaining interest in China, U.S. (08/17/2006) High oil prices are spawning greater interest in technologies that convert coal into liquid fuel, according to an article published yesterday in The Wall Street Journal, but the shift could have a significant impact on the environment. Production and use of a gallon of liquid fuel originating from coal emits about 80 percent more carbon dioxide than the production and use of fuels derived from crude oil. Patrick Barta, the author, writes that "some boosters of the coal-to-oil plants describe them as carbon-dioxide factories that produce energy on the side." [ Energy | Climate Change] Hurricane intensity linked to global warming
Climate change, not hunters, killed ancient Australia's giant kangaroos (08/16/2006) Scientists at the University of Melbourne and La Trobe University have found strong evidence for the cause of the extinction of Australia’s giant marsupials some 50,000 years ago. Cold, arid climates of the last ice age have been identified as a likely cause, casting doubt on the alternative hypothesis which blames human hunters. [ Extinction | Climate Change] 'Hybrid Mutant' creature found dead in Maine (08/16/2006) The Associated Press is reporting the discovery of a strange 'Hybrid Mutant' creature in Maine. The animal, described as a 40 and 50 pound animal with "a bushy tail, a short snout, short ears and curled fangs hanging over its lips," was apparently hit by a car as it chased a cat across a rural road in Androscoggin County. [ Biodiversity] China denies destroying rainforests for timber (08/16/2006) China disputed charges that it is plundering the world's biodiverse rainforests to meet booming demand for timber, according to the state-run China Daily. [ China | Rainforests] Bison-hunting Plains indians more advanced than thought (08/15/2006) A controversial new theory argues that ancient plains Indians may have developed complex tribal social structures far earlier than many researchers believe. Dr. Dale Walde, an archaeologist at the University of Calgary, says that evidence from bison kill sites together with ceramics found in Alberta and Saskatchewan suggests that pressure from agricultural societies from the Midwestern U.S. may have prompted Bison hunters to change their bison hunting strategies and to organize themselves into larger groups. [ Past Cultures] Most of world's forests could be gone by 2100 due to climate change
Bison-hunting Plains indians more advanced than thought (08/15/2006) A controversial new theory argues that ancient plains Indians may have developed complex tribal social structures far earlier than many researchers believe. Dr. Dale Walde, an archaeologist at the University of Calgary, says that evidence from bison kill sites together with ceramics found in Alberta and Saskatchewan suggests that pressure from agricultural societies from the Midwestern U.S. may have prompted Bison hunters to change their bison hunting strategies and to organize themselves into larger groups. [ Past Cultures] Frozen balls could bring mammoths back to life (08/15/2006) Scientists have successfully bred mice using dead sperm extracted from frozen mice. The research raises the possibility that long-extinct species could one day be brought back to life. [ Extinction] Orangutan population plunges 43% in Indonesia
Fish decline has ecological impact in tropical river (08/14/2006) Dramatic population reductions of a single fish species in a South American river could degrade ecosystem function in an entire river system, according to an article in the Aug. 11 issue of the journal Science. [ Fish] Past climate change caused dramatic shift in humidity, precipitation levels, temperature, and ocean water salinity (08/12/2006) Scientists have uncovered new evidence of dramatic changes in humidity, precipitation levels, temperature, and ocean water salinity during a past episode of global warming. Analyzing plant fossils collected in the Arctic, a team of researchers led by Mark Pagani, professor of geology and geophysics at Yale University, found that water and atmospheric water vapor are a major indicator of the greenhouse changes. [ Climate Change] Amazon drought extends into second year
46 arrested for illegal Amazon logging (08/11/2006) The Associated Press reports that 46 people, including 16 agents of the federal environmental protection agency, were arrested for allegedly operating illegal logging operations in the Amazon rainforest and southern Brazil. [ Amazon | Deforestation] Biofuels can lead to deforestation says Unilever executive (08/11/2006) While biofuels are hyped for their potential to off-set fossil fuel use, the shift toward their use should proceed with caution warns Alan Jope, vice president of consumer products giant Unilever. In an August 7 interview with The Times, Jope said that the environmental drawbacks of biofuels is overlooked. [ Energy | Deforestation] Deforestation in the Amazon [Update]
Forest fires have high cost to health
Greenland’s ice melting rapidly (08/10/2006) A new analysis of data from twin satellites has revealed that the melting of Greenland's ice sheet has increased dramatically in the past few years, with much of the loss occurring primarily along one shoreline potentially affecting weather in Western Europe. [ Climate Change] Snow in Antarctic not falling to counter sea level rise (08/10/2006) The most precise record of Antarctic snowfall ever generated shows there has been no real increase in precipitation over the southernmost continent in the past half-century, even though most computer models assessing global climate change call for an increase in Antarctic precipitation as atmospheric temperatures rise. [ Climate Change] 'Dead Zone' causing wave of death off Oregon coast (08/10/2006) The most severe low-oxygen ocean conditions ever observed on the West Coast of the United States have turned parts of the seafloor off Oregon into a carpet of dead Dungeness crabs and rotting sea worms, a new survey shows. Virtually all of the fish appear to have fled the area. [ Climate Change] WSJ: Bush Administration doing little to treat "addiction to oil"
Carbon dioxide-eating enzyme could fight global warming (08/09/2006) A new technology could help fight climate change by letting carbon-dioxide enzymes do the work. According to Mark Wendman of the UK-based Inquirer a Canadian firm has licensed production rights to an enzyme that scrubs carbon dioxide from smokestacks and other concentrated sources. The byproducts from the CO2 scrubbing process are carbonate and hydrogen gas, which could serve as a fuel source. [ Climate Change] NASA satellite images reveal more Amazon deforestation
Small farmers good, big farmers bad for conservation say researchers
Some trees may migrate slower in response to climate change (08/08/2006) Genetic analysis of living spruce trees suggests that trees cannot migrate in response to climate change as quickly as some scientists believed. [ Climate Change] Malaysia leads plywood exports to the United States (08/08/2006) Malaysia is the leading volume supplier of tropical plywood to the United States according to the July 15-31 Tropical Timber Market Report from the International Tropical Timber Organization. In terms of volume of plywood exports to the U.S., China and Indonesia were ranked second and third, respectively. [ China | Deforestation] Bird migrates 39,000 miles (08/08/2006) Sooty shearwaters migrate around 65,000 kilometers (39,000 miles) annually according to a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. [ Animal Behavior] Rising seas may be killing Florida palms (08/08/2006) Palm trees on Florida's west coast appear to be dying more rapidly than in previous years because of sea level rise tied to global warming. University of Florida scientists who began monitoring a large coastal study area in North Florida in 1992 reported widespread deaths of palms and other trees in low-lying coastal areas in the past. But the latest survey of the waterfront area along the Gulf of Mexico reveals new and unsettling numbers: Of 88 large, mature palms that died at the rural Levy County site between 1992 and 2005, 66 percent, or 58, have died since 2000. [ Climate Change] Carbon emissions could be buried in deep-sea sediments (08/08/2006) Deep-sea sediments could provide a virtually unlimited and permanent reservoir for carbon dioxide, the gas that has been a primary driver of global climate change in recent decades, according to a team of scientists that includes a professor from MIT. The researchers estimate that seafloor sediments within U.S. territory are vast enough to store the nation's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for thousands of years to come. [ Climate Change] July was second-hottest month in U.S. history (08/07/2006) July was second-hottest month in U.S. history according to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). The average temperature for the 48 contiguous states was 77.2°F and more than 2,300 daily temperature records were broken across the country. [ Climate Change] How snakes can see in the dark (08/07/2006) Even in the dark, snakes on a plane could keep a close watch on passengers and crew thanks to small cavities near their snouts known as pit organs, according to a forthcoming article published in Physical Review Letters. Physicists at the Technische Universität München believe a network of neurons in the snakes' brains –a kind of snake brain firmware - provides image enhancement as though the snakes were wearing virtual corrective lenses. They discovered that even a crude network dramatically improves infrared imaging. [ Animal Behavior] Cellulosic ethanol fuels environmental concerns
Tsunami reconstruction drives illegal logging in Indonesia (08/06/2006) Tsunami reconstruction efforts are continuing to boost illegal logging and deforestation in Indonesia according to a new article published by the Associated Press. Writer Michael Casey visited the Aceh province on the island of Sumatra. The region suffered the heaviest damage and loss of life from the December 2004 tsunami. Casey writes that the recent peace agreement between Aceh rebels and the Indonesian government has hastened the destruction of the province's biologically diverse tropical rainforests. [ Deforestation | Rainforests] Pictures of the Eastern Sierra Nevadas 
(08/04/2006) Last week I went hiking in Hoover Wilderness Area in Mono County in the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains of California. I took some pictures and have now posted them on the site. [ Travel] Shell chairman calls for clean coal technologies to fight global warming
Fewer hurricanes predicted for 2006 season (08/04/2006) William Gray and Philip Klotzbach of the Colorado State University hurricane forecast team issued a report today reducing the number of storms expected to form in the Atlantic basin this season. However, the researchers still call for above-average hurricane activity this year and expect above-average tropical cyclone activity in August and September. [ Hurricanes] Researchers seek controls to save coral reefs from live fish trade (08/04/2006) Researchers are calling for tighter controls on the live reef fish trade, a growing threat to coral reefs, in letters to the international journal Science. Twenty of the world’s leading marine scientists, including a team from the Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, have called for action by governments to halt the unsustainable plunder of the world’s ocean resources. For decades tropical coral reefs have battled for survival against a complex array of threats including pollution, coral bleaching triggered by rising sea temperatures and over-fishing. In particular, the health of the reefs is being compromised by the live reef fish trade, a serious threat that has prompted scientists to call for tighter regulations on the exploitation of reef resources which are particularly important to developing tropical nations. [ Marine | Coral reefs] Changes to mongabay.com (08/03/2006) I have made some changes to mongabay.com. Most obviously, the layout of the homepage has been modified to include topical links to related articles. I have also restarted the weekly newletter. NASA helps search for "exinct" woodpecker (08/03/2006) Last month scientists from NASA and the University of Maryland, College Park, Md., launched a project to identify possible areas where the thought-to-be-extinct ivory-billed woodpecker could be living. [ Extinction] Exxon's PR firm using cheap-looking YouTube video to bash Gore (08/03/2006) A Washington, D.C., public relations and lobbying firm whose clients include oil company Exxon Mobil may be responsible for a cartoon video that pokes fun at Al Gore according to an article in today's issue of The Wall Street Journal [ Climage Change] California fails to curb its oil addiction, no luck with alternative fuels thus far (08/02/2006) California has failed in its efforts to curb its addiction to oil says an article in today's issue of The Wall Street Journal. [ Energy] U.S. supports "Heart of Borneo" conservation initiative
World's largest cities sign climate pact (08/02/2006) While the Bush administration refuses to take legistlative steps to fight climate change, 22 of the world's largest cities joined forces Tuesday in a global warming pact aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Launched by former President Bill Clinton's foundation, the initiative will provide technical assistance to help cities become more energy efficient and allow them to pool their resources to reduce the cost of energy-saving product purchases. [ Climate Change] Predators prefer to eat stupid animals (08/02/2006) Predators such as jaguar and chimpanzees consistently target smaller-brained prey less capable of escape according to research published in the Royal Society Journal Biology Letters. [ Animal Behavior ] Orangutans and chimps are smarter than monkeys and lemurs
Earth's 'critical zone' threatened (08/01/2006) In a report released today, scientists call for a new systematic study of the Earth's 'critical zone'--the life-sustaining outermost surface of the planet, from the vegetation canopy to groundwater and everything in between.Understanding and predicting responses to global and regional change is necessary, they say, to mitigate the impacts of humans on complex ecosystems and ultimately sustain food production. [ Earth Science ] $100 laptop for children may be nearing production (08/01/2006) The $100 laptop may be nearing production after One Laptop per Child (OLPC), the nonprofit group behind the device, confirmed that the governments of four countries are in talks to purchase the machines. [ Biodiversity | Technology ] Historic Caribbean sea turtle population falls 99%
Pictures of Rare Marine Bacteria Discovered in Ocean Census (08/01/2006) A startling revelation about the number of different kinds of bacteria in the deep-sea raises fundamental new questions about microbial life and evolution in the oceans. [ Biodiversity | Marine ] Global Warming to Have Significant Impact on California
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