On April 20, 2010, an explosion rocked the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico. The ensuing fire gutted the platform, and within two days it sank and was destroyed. The platform was owned and operated by TransOcean Industries, but was leased by British Petroleum (BP). BP also operated the field being explored [...]
Read more →If you look at an image of Earth from space, you can easily spot several vast brown tracts. The Gobi and Taklamakan in Asia, the Sahara and Namib in Africa, the Sonaran Desert in North America, along with many others, comprise these areas of limited vegetation, little to no rainfall, and often high temperatures. The [...]
Read more →In most discussions of the natural environment, the topic of biodiversity usually makes an appearance. But what is biodiversity? And why is it so important? “At least 40 per cent of the world’s economy and 80 per cent of the needs of the poor are derived from biological resources. In addition, the richer the diversity [...]
Read more →The reports first started in the latter half of 2006. Huge losses of bees were being reported by commercial bee-keepers in the eastern United States. While it is normal for a bee colony to lose about 5% a year, these colonies were seeing much more massive die-offs. In some cases, losses of 90% and more [...]
Read more →Mankind launched the first artificial object into orbit October 4, 1957. Sputnik 1 continued to orbit the Earth for 3 months, before it reentered the atmosphere and was destroyed January 4, 1958. Since then, 1000’s of satellites have been launched into space, occupying a variety of orbits. The two most common places to put satellites [...]
Read more →One of the technologies being touted as an answer to the climate change crisis is carbon sequestration. At its simplest, carbon sequestration is about collecting CO2, and taking it out of the atmospheric system, often by shoving it underground. One of the simplest methods of carbon sequestration, though admittedly long-term, is to plant more trees. [...]
Read more →Earth day has arrived, and so have Eric Larsen and the Save the Poles Team. Their arrival to the North Pole after a journey of 490 miles (788 kilometers) was scheduled for today. This is the second leg of a three part journey in a bid to raise awareness about climate change. The expedition began [...]
Read more →Environmental effects of volcanic eruptions The recent volcanic eruption of Mount Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland has once again brought home the effect that volcanoes can have on society, even in a technologically-advanced society. The ash plume from the eruption reached as high as 7km into the air, and the glass-rich ash caused major disruptions in air [...]
Read more →The world’s reefs are dying. The bleaching of coral reefs has been noted since the 1980s, and the pace of bleaching is accelerating. There are a variety of causes, but most of them can be linked to human activity, whether climate change, pollution, or reef damage from things like bottom trawling, cyanide fishing, and dynamite [...]
Read more →There once was a time when people believed that the oceans were an inexhaustible source of food. The collapse of the Atlantic cod fishery, and other fisheries since, has put that belief to bed. Or it should have. Fishing continues at the same unsustainable rates in much of the world’s fisheries, with newer technologies implemented [...]
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