Magma Balloons Under the Island of Santorini
September 19, 2012
Santorini is known as a prized gem of the Grecian islands, a tiny alcove surrounded by water and loved by residents and tourists alike. The multicolored limestone houses are built onto a cliff overlooking the sea with spectacular views of the sunset; Santorini retains the Cycladic architecture of its...
Drought-Driven Food Costs May Damp Consumer Sentiment
September 5, 2012
Due to the severe drought that has affected the Midwest, food costs are expected to rise for the next nine months. The drought, which is the worst in decades, has already destroyed more than half of the United States’ corn crop. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has already declared 1,600 counties...
Wildfire Prompts Evacuations in Southern CA Forest
September 5, 2012
GLENDORA, Calif. (AP) — A wildfire that broke out in the Angeles National Forest on Sunday forced the evacuation of thousands of visitors and sent a huge cloud of smoke that could be seen from throughout the Los Angeles basin. The fire broke out near a campground around 2:30 p.m. and quickly grew to 3,600 acres, or about 5 ½ square miles. It forced the evacuation of campgrounds that typically attract up to ...
Greenhouse Gases Reach All-Time High
November 30, 2011
Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide reached an all-time high of 389 parts per million in 2010 and rose at a faster pace than in previous years, according to a report issued Nov. 21 by the World Meteorological Organization, the U.N.’s weather agency. The report stated that global CO...
Invasive Sea Squirt Threatens Connecticut’s $30 Million Shellfish Industry
September 21, 2011
WEST HAVEN, CONN -- The invasive sea squirt, Styela clava, has now been discovered along the Eastern Seaboard as far south as Bridgeport Harbor and poses a significant danger to Connecticut’s $30 million shellfish business, according to field research conducted by Carmela Cuomo, head of the...
Scientists: Gulf Health Nearly At Pre-Spill -Level
April 20, 2011
BAY JIMMY, La. – Scientists judge the overall health of the Gulf of Mexico as nearly back to normal one year after the BP oil spill, but with glaring blemishes that restrain their optimism about nature’s resiliency, an Associated Press survey of researchers shows. More than three dozen scientists...
Future Farm: A Sunless, Rainless Room Indoors
April 13, 2011
DEN BOSCH, Netherlands – Farming is moving indoors, where the sun never shines, where rainfall is irrelevant and where the climate is always right. The perfect crop field could be inside a windowless building with meticulously controlled light, temperature, humidity, air quality and nutrition. I...
Hurricane Hermine Drenches Texas
September 16, 2010
On Sept. 6, forecasters said that Tropical Storm Hermine had put a hurricane watch in effect for parts of Texas. According to CNN.com, the storm was expected to dump four to eight inches of rain over northeastern Mexico and sections of southern and north-central Texas. Isolated amounts of up to 12 inches...
Hurricane Earl Zipping Past East Coast
September 8, 2010
For anyone celebrating Labor Day weekend, it was fair warning for all to watch out for power outages, strong beach currents, and gusty winds. However, the media coverage that had been devoted to Hurricane Earl, the Category 1 storm that had been ravaging the Eastern Seaboard, provided worries and concerns...
California Falls Behind In Waste-To-Energy Race
September 8, 2010
LONG BEACH, Calif. — Government officials from around the world used to come to this port city to catch a glimpse of the future: Two-story piles of trash would disappear into a furnace and eventually be transformed into electricity to power thousands of homes. Nowadays, it's U.S. officials going...
Europe Blanketed in Volanic Ash
April 28, 2010
On Apr. 14, Iceland’s volcano Eyjafjallajokull erupted, filling the clouds and sky with tons of ash. This volcano caused Europe’s aviation safety authorities to be faced with an unprecedented dilemma and take drastic action to avoid a loss of power disaster caused by engine damage. Europe’s airspace...
Oil Leak from Sunken Rig Could Hurt Gulf Coast
April 28, 2010
NEW ORLEANS – Oil leaking from a sunken drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico oozed slowly toward the coast Monday, endangering hundreds of miles of marshes, barrier islands and white sand beaches in four states from Louisiana to Florida. The areas, home to dolphins, sea birds, prime fishing grounds...
Chinese Coal Carrier Leaking Oil Near Great Barrier Reef
April 14, 2010
On Apr. 4 the Shen Neng 1, a Chinese coal carrier, ran aground near the Great Barrier Reef. At the time of the incident, the ship had veered nearly fifteen kilometers off course. This resulted in a spill of three kilometers by one hundred meters, and while this is considered small scale, there is...
Federal survey finds coal ash sites in 35 states
September 8, 2009
From the Associated Press WASHINGTON – The toxic leftovers from burning coal for power are sitting in nearly 600 sites in 35 states, according to a federal survey released Tuesday. Spills have occurred at 34 of those sites over the last decade. Many of the spills were minor compared with the...
UK: Global deal on climate change at risk
September 8, 2009
From the Associated Press LONDON – Two British Cabinet ministers said Tuesday that attempts to broker a new global pact on climate change by the end of the year are at risk of failing. Hopes for an agreement being reached at a United Nations summit in December "hang in the balance," undermined by a...