General Awareness

ENVIRONMENT - August 2019

Aug 2019

Mar 12, 2020

Greenland and Antarctica Ice Loss Accelerating

Earth's great ice sheets, Greenland and Antarctica, are now losing mass six times faster than they were in the 1990s thanks to warming conditions.
A comprehensive review of satellite data acquired at both Poles is unequivocal in its assessment of accelerating trends.
Between them, Greenland and Antarctica lost 6.4 trillion tonnes of ice in the period from 1992 to 2017.
This was sufficient to push up global sea-levels up by 17.8 mm.
Today, the ice sheets contribute about a third of all sea-level rise, whereas in the 1990s, their contribution was actually pretty small at about 5%. This has important implications for the future, for coastal flooding and erosion.

Mar 11, 2020

New Colony of Rare Freshwater Pearl Mussels

A new colony of endangered freshwater pearl mussels has been discovered in north Highland.
The rare species was uncovered during a watercourse survey being carried out before culvert replacement work.
The pearl mussels are similar in shape to common marine mussels, but can grow larger and live for up to 130 years in fast-flowing rivers.
The Highlands and Islands are among Britain's last strongholds for the critically-endangered species.
The location of the find is being kept secret to prevent illegal poaching.
The survey was carried out ahead of habitat improvement work funded by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and managed by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS).

Mar 06, 2020

In 15 Years, Amazon Forest May Turn into CO2 Source

As per reports, the world's tropical forests are rapidly losing their ability to absorb carbon dioxide from greenhouse gas emissions, with the Amazon rainforest at risk of turning from carbon sink to source within 15 years.
Tropical forests provide humans with medicine, food, shelter and water and currently account for around half of all terrestrial carbon absorption.
But they are rapidly getting saturated as man-made emissions continue to climb year on year. Forests act as a carbon sink when the amount of carbon retrieved through photosynthesis outweighs that emitted by tree loss - be that through fire, drought or deforestation. The rate of forest decline varies throughout the world, with the Amazon's absorption ability dropping far faster than the tropical forests of sub-Saharan Africa.
A team of dozens of Europe- and Africa-based researchers monitored tree growth and mortality data from undisturbed forests across 11 countries in Africa stretching back over 50 years.
They then compared that data with similar measurements taken across more than 300 plots of Amazon rainforest.

Mar 04, 2020

Gardens and Graveyards of Coral Discovered off Australia's Coast

The South Australian coast is surrounded by a labyrinth of underwater canyons, many of them still unexplored. Last week, an international team of researchers (and their underwater robot companion) completed a survey of three such canyons, uncovering a hidden world of both thriving coral gardens and ash-white coral graveyards.
According to the expedition members, the fate of these hidden ecosystems, which sit in the immediate path of the increasingly warm water flowing out of Antarctica's Southern Ocean, could be a preview of how farther-flung ocean life will react to ongoing global warming.

Mar 03, 2020

Onshore Wind to Make Comeback in UK

According to a government decision, the cheapest form of new power in the UK - onshore wind - is set to make a comeback.
Ministers previously blocked projects after complaints from local campaigners that they were a blot on the landscape.
The government responded by denying onshore wind the chance to bid for a price guarantee for the electricity they produce.
They also gave local protestors a definitive say in the planning process.
This meant it was virtually impossible for wind farms to gain permission.
Environmentalists said the decision was irrational, and today the government has opened the way for onshore wind farm developers to bid for price support.
But the government still wants local people to have a strong say in the decision where they are built. That means relatively few are expected in congested England.

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