NSTA WebNews Digest

Science News: Environment and Nature

Global Warming Is Epic, Long-Term Study Says

3/8/2013 - CNN
Global warming has propelled Earth's climate from one of its coldest decades since the last ice age to one of its hottest—in just one century.

Deepest Undersea Vents Discovered by UK Team

2/21/2013 - BBC News
UK scientists exploring the ocean floor in the Caribbean discover an "astounding" set of hydrothermal vents, the deepest in the world.

Beijing Smog: When Growth Trumps Life in China

1/27/2013 - BBC SciTech
Beijing's air pollution has soared to hazardous levels, but cleaning up the problem is not straightforward, and is dependant on prioritising quality of life over economic growth.

How High Could the Tide Go?

1/22/2013 - The New York Times (requires free registration)
Researchers are studying ancient rock formations in search of clues from records of past climate change to help predict sea level rises from global warming.

A Rogue Climate Experiment Outrages Scientists

10/19/2012 - The New York Times (requires free registration)
A California businessman chartered a fishing boat in July, loaded it with 100 tons of iron dust and cruised through Pacific waters off western Canada, spewing his cargo into the sea in an ecological experiment that has outraged scientists and government officials.

A Climate Scientist Battles Time and Mortality

7/2/2012 - The New York Times (requires free registration)
Lonnie G. Thompson, one of the scientists who essentially discovered global warming, has for years climbed mountains to gather ice he examines for climactic changes.

Red List Counts 'On the Brink' Species

6/19/2012 - BBC News
East Asia's status as the world's main "extinction hotspot" is confirmed in the new Red List of Threatened Species.

Rio+20: Expert Panel's Call to 'Seize the Moment'

6/18/2012 - BBC News
Governments must seize the "historic opportunity" of the Rio+20 summit to put the world on a new sustainable course, says a panel of Nobel laureates, ministers, and scientists.

'Warming Hole' Delayed Climate Change Over Eastern United States

4/27/2012 - ScienceDaily
Climate scientists at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences 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.

So Much Life on a Little Patch of Earth

4/24/2012 - The New York Times (requires free registration)
Rare life forms can sometimes show up on your doorstep, as a family in Washington found. But even the mundane and everyday species can be just as enchanting.

Environmental Coalition Urges Limits on Synthetic Biology

3/14/2012 - The Chronicle of Higher Education
A coalition of 111 environmental and policy groups are calling for greater oversight of the field of synthetic biology.

Swept From Africa to the Amazon

2/6/2012 - Scientific American
What the journey of a handful of dust tells us about our fragile planet.

Next Ice Age Not Likely Before 1,500 Years: Study

1/9/2012 - Reuters
High levels of carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere mean the next ice age is unlikely to begin for at least 1,500 years, an article in the journal Nature Geoscience said on Monday.

Yeti Crabs, Ghost Octopi Found at 1st Antarctic Deep-Sea Vents

1/4/2012 - Scientific American
Better knowledge of what governs the patterns of life at deep-sea vents will enable responsible decisions about how to manage these deep-ocean resources.

The Science of Climate Change

11/28/2011 - Voice of America News
Climate negotiators are meeting in Durban, South Africa beginning from November 28 to December 9 to discuss the planet's changing climate.

The Wipeout Gene

10/24/2011 - Scientific American
Scientists have genetically engineered mosquitoes with a self-destruct mechanism, an advance that could slow the spread of mosquito-borne diseases. The intentional release of genetically modified insects has sparked international controversy, especially because the first releases were conducted in secret.

Arctic ‘Tipping Point’ May Not Be Reached

8/5/2011 - BBC News
Scientists say current concerns over a tipping point in the disappearance of Arctic sea ice may be misplaced.

Counting Fireflies for Science

7/18/2011 - MSNBC
The Firefly Watch website turns a summer pastime into a grass-roots experiment.

Global Warming Lull Down to China's Coal Growth

7/5/2011 - BBC News
The lull in global warming from 1998 to 2008 was mainly caused by a sharp rise in China's coal use, a study suggests.

Ocean Life on the Brink of Mass Extinctions: Study

6/21/2011 - Reuters
Life in the oceans is at imminent risk of the worst spate of extinctions in millions of years due to threats such as climate change and over-fishing, a study showed on Tuesday.

Global Warming Not to Blame for 2011 Droughts

6/15/2011 - NewScientist
Droughts may be occurring from China to Texas, but climate change models suggest global warming is not responsible.

In a Globalized World, Are Invasive Species a Thing of the Past?

6/14/2011 - TIME
A growing number of conservation biologists are beginning to question whether we're fighting a losing battle by trying to get rid of invasive species.

US Woman Fights to Save Cheetahs

6/13/2011 - Voice of America News
Just 10,000 of the big cats survive worldwide.

Stanford Climate Scientists Forecast Permanently Hotter Summers

6/7/2011 - National Science Foundation
The tropics and much of the Northern Hemisphere are likely to experience an irreversible rise in summer temperatures within the next 20 to 60 years if atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations continue to increase, according to a new climate study.

U.N. Forecasts 10.1 Billion People by Century’s End

5/4/2011 - The New York Times (requires free registration)
The population of the world, long expected to stabilize just above 9 billion in the middle of the century, will instead keep growing and may hit 10.1 billion by the year 2100, the United Nations projected in a report released Tuesday.

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