Daniel Stone 

National Geographic News

October 31, 2012

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/10/121031-alps-tsunami-geneva-nature-geoscience-science/

This article is about researchers discovering that a Tsunami destroyed Geneva, Switzerland 1,500 years ago. There had long been stories of a giant wave destroying the town in texts from that time, but now after studying a soil deposit in the Rhone River that spurred a tsunami wave to hit Geneva which at this point was already a trading hub in the region. The soil deposit was determined to have originated from above where the lake's surface used to be and had fallen into the eastern corner of the lake. The wave that was created by the landslide was somewhere between 9 and 26 feet, the size depending on the speed of the landslide which the scientists could not measure. The scariest part of the researcher's findings was that multiple Swiss cities are in danger of similar disasters with Geneva being the most at risk. With its 200,000 residents and many international and local businesses the danger is very real. Also many of those residents live in low elevation areas. Researchers have also said that the the likelihood of another tsunami hitting Geneva is low but if it did happen it would be catastrophic. I think that this is a very interesting article because while having learned a few things about tsunamis I have never heard of one happening in a lake, and especially this far from an ocean. Although I don't think that Geneva or Switzerland needs to take any serious action to ready themselves for this unlikely event it is another interesting example of danger appearing in an unexpected place. Much like the volcano in Iceland that erupted in 2010. It was a very unlikely place for a global travel cirsis to arise from but none the less it did create a significant problem in our modern society.

Great Barrier Reef loses half its coral in 27 years

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/9578969/Great-Barrier-Reef-loses-half-its-coral-in-27-years.html

It is time to face the terrifying fact that the amazing Coral Reef- one of the best parts of untouched nature in the world, has lost half of it's coral in only three decades. The Coral Reef, which runs the length of Queensland’s coast and stretches 155 miles from shore, is said to have an enemy- The Crown on Thorns starfish. Marine biologists believe that this is the one creature to hold responsible for most of the disappearance of corals. When the time is right, a starfish can produce up to millions, and ten millions, of larvae, which strip entire reefs of coral. These predators, just in one gap, can swallow about a 17 inch diameter of coral- this is why it is believed to be so dangerous. Imagine millions of those... Can the Coral Reef be safe with such predators?
Another reason, is cyclone, or climate change. There has been a significant rise in the temperature of the sea, and corals can only survive at a certain temperature. This cannot be controlled by scientists, and it something the Earth is going through. However, another important factor in this Coral Reef damage is the storms. They can in no way be prevented, but are an extreme danger to corals, since they ruin their environment. 
The only thing scientists can do, is work hard, on some kind of limitation of the number of Starfish. Everything else is in the hands of the Earth, and it will take at least 10-20 years to recover from such a loss...

The Mystery of the Vanishing Beetles

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/9685410/The-mystery-of-the-vanishing-beetles.html

Over a certain period of time already, researchers have noticed a significant decrease in the population of insects in general- but one of the largest decreases are noted for the Beetles. Some beetles are even dropping in the numbers so rapidly, that they are already considered endangered in many areas. Nobody can determine the mysterious cause of this unexpected change in population of beetles. It is known that beetles are often collected, or their dead bodies kept in glass as decoration, but it is still not an explanation for such a significant loss of them on Earth. Are people killing them? Keeping them as pets at home, n removing them from nature? People do not understand that the loss of even such a small species can be extremely dangerous for the rest of the ecosystem. Farmers rely on beetles to eat a large amount of slugs, and aphids, as well as weed seeds, stopping the crops from being ruined by these unwanted 'guests'. This decline is a serious issue that will affect the rest of the insect population, and later on the ecosystem. Scientists need to learn more about this!

Scientists Pioneer Method to Predict Environmental Collapse

At the University of Southampton, scientist may have devised a technique used to predict when an ecosystem is likely to collapse. They are currently testing their theory out in Lake Erhai, China.

The theory is based off of a mathematical formula which is now being applied to real world situations. It may also have the potential to predict crises in agriculture, fisheries and even social systems. The mathematical model helps prove a theory that ecosystems fluctuate dramatically between healthy and unhealthy states right before they collapse.

Due to pollution, Lake Erhai, a lake in the Yunnan province of China, has undergone an environmental collapse. The research team collected fossilized algae from sediment at the bottom of the lake and charted the variations and levels between them over a 125-year period. The results of the sample data showed that the alge had grown consistently until up to 30 years before the collapse of the ecosystem. During these 30 years there were dramatic changes in the types and concentrations of algae present in the water.

Dr. Rong Wang, the researcher who led the study said that: "Dramatic swings can be seen in other data, suggesting large external impacts on the lake over a long time period -- for example, pollution from fertilisers, sewage from fields and changes in water levels -- caused the system to switch back and forth rapidly between alternate states. Eventually, the lake's ecosystem could no longer cope or recover -- losing resilience and reaching what is called a 'tipping point' and collapsing altogether."

I believe this is very interesting and may be reflected in man-made systems as well such as the stock market etc. This may help us predict ecological and agricultural crises in the future as well and help us prevent them from happening.

Our Drugs Make Fish Flounder

Name of Article: Our Drugs Make Fish Flounder
By: Richard A. Lovett
Published on: Scientific American

You may not think about this often but the medicine we use often ends in waterways and then affects several species. An example of such a fluoxetine (found in Prozac) which reaches waterways through urine as sewage-treatment plants are unable to remove it. When it does reach waters it affects the species of fathead minnows greatly. In fact, it the male fathead minnows are so affected that they start ignoring the females, consequently halting the reproduction process.

Meanwhile, another research indicated that 17-β-estradiol (a chemical found in birth control pills) affects the ability of fathead minnows larvae to escape predators and slows down their reflexes.

Effects such as those put the species in danger. While they do not face immediate extinction, a steady decline is inevitable.

Street lights 'changing ecology on the ground'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18158529

Even though we have used street lights for years, and years now, and we got completely used to them, only now have researchers found that they mights be having a negative impact on the environment. Insects are an important part of the food chain, since many species of birds feed on them. Now, it is found that they might be affected by street lamps and lights. Even though researchers have counted the population of various bugs for a few years now, none of them have researched their behavior- especially at night. It is found, after these studies, that most of the bugs, both during the day and at night, are near the lights. This is ruining their nocturnal behavior, and not allowing the bugs to act a certain way during the day, and at night. Overall, this artificial lighting might be ruining the life cycles of many species of animals, which we might not even be aware of. There is no alternative way for now, but maybe not making the street lights as strong and bright as they are at night- this could maybe help solve, or at least reduce the problem.

Boat Race Fuels Ecology Argument

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_west/7444456.stm

The Round Britain Power Boat Race is raising a huge debate within the country. Marine Charity called The Sea does not support this event, because they believe that the fast-moving boat, and the oil from their motors can damage all of the wildlife n the coast- especially dolphins, which are close to becoming endangered species. The areas that the dolphins live in are very sensitive, and any unknown object coould do potential harm. Since this is a large event which uses up to £300m yearly, many tourists are expected to be there, which will surely leave a negative impact on the wildlife of the marine society. There are many porpoises, fish, and other species of marine inhabitants that The Sea is afraid will be in danger because of this race. Even though the organizers of this race say that they have kept ecology in mind, and that the bots will be spread out at least a few meters, and that they will watch where they will go exactly, The Sea is still unsure of the fact that this is a good idea. But, with all of the technology we created, can any animal be completely safe?

Christine Dell'Amore
National Geographic News
November 21, 2012
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/11/121121-mount-doom-volcano-new-zealand-science-eruption/

This article is about Mount Tongariro in New Zealand which is on North Island. This volcano erupted on November 21st for five minutes and through clouds of ash 2.5 miles up into the atmosphere. The volcano is 6,490 feet tall and had previously erupted in August, which was the first eruption since 1987. There is also predictions that a similar eruptions will take place in the next few weeks although the activity on the mountain has stopped for the moment. Much like Mount  Eyjafjallajökull, the Icelandic volcano that erupted in 2010, air travel has become difficult. Obviously not on the same scale as the eruption of  Eyjafjallajökull in 2010, which crippled air travel throughout all of Europe. But air travel on New Zealand's North Island has been stopped. The reason for the cancellation of flights is that in volcanic dust there is microscopic pieces of glass and when they enter a turbine engine they can become hot enough to melt. When they melt they can create significant damage within the engine and sometimes cause it to stall. On top of that the visibility of pilots can be reduced to zero when they fly through the ash and it can also damage the windows of the plane. Much like sandstorms can damage the windshield of a car. One interesting part of this volcano is that it neighbors the mountain depicted as Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I think that this is not a global environmental issue because the volcano that erupted is not large enough to affect a significant part of the planet like Mount  Eyjafjallajökull did in 2010. However if a full scale eruption was to happen the impact on New Zealand would be terrible. Especially with the affect it would have on the beautiful landscape from the North Island that is featured in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. 

Title  Superstorm Sandy Is "What Global Warming Looks Like"

Author News Editor

Date October 30th 2012

This article is about the recent hurricane that affected the East Coast of the United States and how some claim that it is tied to climate change. The article begins with a description of the storms impact, including the fact that the death toll is at 50 with a predicted rise once search and rescue teams continue their work throughout the city. It then begins to describe how one group of scientists believes that the storm was caused by climate change. Their evidence being that with climate change the currents of the ocean are being affected meaning that the hot and cold air collisions that cause hurricanes are becoming more and more extreme. Also that hurricanes will begin to effect unlikely places more often, such as New York and the East Coast of the United States. Also part of the article is political. It talks about the amount of the money spent on the 2012 election and how that money could be better spent on the environment. Then the article talks about the opinion of Dan Kottlowski, an expert senior meteorologist with Accuweather. He disagrees with the idea that this storm was more damaging because of global warming. His explanation is that every 40 years the Atlantic Ocean goes through a warming cycle which causes storms to hit the East Coast like Sandy did this year. I think that it is vitally important to be sure that this storm was caused by global warming. If indeed it was this would be an incredibly effective way to show people what will happen if we do not stop climate change. For the vast majority of people climate change hasn't begun to fully change their surroundings, they can still question whether or not it is fact or fiction and procrastinate more and more with the work that has to be done.

Is it time for Geoengineering?

"The Arctic 'Death Spiral'"
by Peter Wadhams (Professor of Ocean Physics at Cambridge)
Scientific American Magazine

Global warming is plaguing the arctic and actions must be taken soon to prevent the cataclysmic environmental damage that will effect the entire world. The thickness of the ice in the arctic has decreased by about 43% between 1976 and 1999, as water levels have gradually risen. According to Cambridge University Ocean Physics Professor, Peter Wadhams, by 2015, the "summer melting will outstrip the accumulation of new ice in winter and the entire ice cover will collapse. He also claims that the weakening ozone layer will lead to lower rates of solar radiation reflection, which explains the planet's rising temperature. It is also predicted that the change in climate will melt the arctic permafrost, releasing mass amounts of methane, further contributing to global warming. A recent Russian study shows that the seabeds are in fact rising in methane content. This will lead to what experts are calling an environmental 'death spiral' that will greatly damage our planet. Wadhams then proposes that we use geoengineering techniques to combat climate change, before it is too late. Basically, geoengineering is when environmentalists modify features of the environment to benefit it. Wadhams proposes that they make the clouds whiter in order to block the sun, releasing balloons full of sulfates, and painting roofs and pavement white. He claims that "we can no longer afford the luxury of talking about reducing CO2 emissions... we need action now."

Methods of Geoengineering

I strongly agree with the ideas proposed in this article, since we desperately need to take action against global warming soon, since the arctic damage is building up, and we have no way to control it. Also, the methane buildup and potential for release could prove disastrous  since methane is more harmful to the atmosphere than CO2. However, Geoengineering an extremely controversial method of environmental preservation, which has gotten a lot of attention lately after the Haida Salmon Restoration Corp. tried to release large quantities of iron into the ocean to mimic a volcanic explosion in order to help raise the population of salmon (more on this story here: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=fertilizing-ocean-with-iron-to-save-salmon-and-earn-money). I think Geoengineering has a lot of potential for helping solve environmental issues, while utilizing our technological advances. However, I believe that extensive research and laboratory simulation should be conducted before actually carrying out the actions. These different methods of modifying the environment to counteract the pollution shows promise for solving issues temporarily, while we find ways to cut back on our carbon emissions and pollution. Today, geoengineering is commonly used, but on a larger scale, it could greatly improve the environment, especially at the earth's poles where the ice is melting rapidly. I also think regulation should be heavily enforced, so that no unauthorized projects, the the sea iron fertilzation don't happen. Overall, I believe that geoengineering has a lot of potential for solving many of our climate issues and should be heavily researched, but also, heavily regulated. 

Great apes may have 'midlife crisis', a study suggests

By Jeremy ColesReporter, BBC Nature

"What we are testing is whether the U-shaped curve can describe the association between age and well-being in non-human primates as it does in humans," psychologist and lead author Dr Alexander Weiss of the University of Edinburgh told BBC Nature.

An international team of researchers is suggesting that orangutans and chimpanzees might be going through a "mid life crises" aswell, just as humans. 
Experiments have shown that happiness and enjoying life is rich in the younger ages of apes, they tend to be unhappy while being an "adult" but return to the state of happiness again when reaching the old age. This is the known u-shaped curve, which humans also go through. 

Dr Weiss predicted and was hoping that the results would have a similar curve due to the close relationship between humans, chimpanzees and orangutans and in fact, the curve is the same. 

Testings :

The study constisted of 508 chimpanzees and orangutans from varying age levels, from zoos, sanctuaries and research centres. Zoo keepers, volunteers, researchers and caretakers who had worked with this subject for a couple of years watched the apes. They knew everything about their behaviour. The helpers had to score the animals numerically for well being and happiness on a short questionnaire. This was based on a human well being model, but made for use in non human primates. 
"Dr Weiss said that the similarities between humans, chimps and orangutans go beyond genetics and physiology. You don't have the chimpanzee hitting midlife and suddenly they want a bright red sports car. But there may be other things that they want like mating with more females or gaining access to more resources."

So in fact, chimpanzees and orangutans go through a very similar mid life crisis just as humans do. I found it really interesting to see that apes are actually that similar to us humans. No one would have thought that they tend to question their life or go crazy when they are in the middle of their lifes. But as the research showed, apes are more similar to us than we think, even on the psychological level.

Grasshoppers Change Their Tune to Stay Tuned Over Traffic Noise

A recent study shows that humans are not only responsible for climate change but also for animal behavior. A study done by Ulrike Lampe and colleagues from the University of Bielefeld, Germany, showed that the sound that grasshoppers made was affected by man-made sounds such as traffic on busy roads. Grasshoppers use the sounds to mark territory, find mates, warn off predators and other means of communication.

 Lampe collected 188 male bow-winged grasshoppers. Half of them from quite locations and the other half next to busy roads with loud traffic. They made the grasshoppers produce their sounds by exposing them to female grasshoppers. Close to 1000 recordings showed that the grasshoppers that lived near busy roads made different sounds. It was found that the grasshoppers raised the volume of the lower-frequency sounds since the traffic was making these lower-frequency sounds less audible.

This is important because traffic noise may be harmful to the grasshopper’s mating system. Lampe says that "Increased noise levels could affect grasshopper courtship in several ways. It could prevent females from hearing male courtship songs properly, prevent females from recognizing males of their own species, or impair females' ability to estimate how attractive a male is from his song."

I found this quiet shocking. I was unaware that humans had such a great impact on animal behavior. This should act as a wakeup call for us as humans and remind us that we are not the only species that belong to this planet.

Combatting Indoor Air Pollution from Downtown Cities

Combatting Indoor Air Pollution from Downtown Cities
By Allison Winter
Environmental News Network

 It is safe to assume that most people we know, including ourselves, have air conditioning. However, something we don't think about more often than not is the way air conditioning pollutes environment through circulating air. Moreover, think of buildings. Imagine that every flat has air conditioning, they all circulate air. Now, there is a building next to it. It will intake the pollution.
This is a lot more striking when you actually live in a building, like I do.

Now, a team of researchers from Concordia University thought of an environment friendly way to deal with this kind of pollution. They set up an experiment in the university lab that consisted of placing models of all kinds of buildings next to one that was polluting. They measured the amount of pollution absorbed by the buildings and looked for the place where the concentration of toxins was the highest.
According to the results, the level of pollution depended on the height of the buildings, and how far apart they were - which is actually very logical, but now there is a scientific proof.

Anyway, their plan was to place intake vents upwind of the polluter, to the wall that is more sheltered. Also, they should not be placed on roofs where they are not protected. Of course, the spaces between buildings should also be increased.
The plan will be of most use to people who start building stuff in the future, and should help in reducing pollution on the long run, but it will not make any immediate changes.

I feel that this is a very important issue that should be looked into, as a great number of people lives in cities and they are subjected to air pollution at all times. Also, once people start taking care of themselves, the environment will become less polluted.

Human Thirst Makes Earth Quake

Human Thirst Makes Earth Quake

By David Biello

scientificamerican.com

What initially interested me in this article/podcast was the unusual title. Apparently, we might be able to influence and cause earth quakes?
Last May, an earth quake hit Lorca, in Spain, killing nine people. According to an analysis published by Nature Geoscience, it happened because too much groundwater was extracted from the area.

It is not exactly sure whether the quake was going to happen anyway because of other factors, and the human action only made it happen sooner, or it was caused mostly by it.
In any case, it is baffling how much impact our actions have on nature.

What happened in Spain is something that cannot be just shrugged off. People tend to ignore global warming, for example, or extinction of certain species, because they can't see that kind of damage. That is not the case qith an earth quake - people died. Action should be taken to reduce behavior that is harmful to Earth.

The Battle Against Badgers

Badger Battle Erupts in England
by Geoff Brumfiel
ScientificAmerican.com

As part of a recent governmental campaign, England has introduced a policy where farmers and hunters will kill large amounts of Badgers. Badgers can carry a strain tuberculosis (TB) that can easily be transferred directly or indirectly to cattle, causing a major issue for farmers. In addition, this disease is transferable to humans through the milk of infected cattle. If this problem is not controlled, than the government predicts that they will lose 1 billion pounds to the issue within the next ten years. This is an extremely controversial issue, because many animal rights activists are furious with the plans to kill a large amount of the species. Studies conducted show that killing 70% of the population in large areas would reduce Bovine TB by about 16%. One issue concerning the strategy is the unknown Badger population in England. Since they are very common animals, and the largest predators in the country, it is impossible to estimate exactly how many animals would have to be killed to amount to 70% of the population.  Jack Reed, who is spokesman for the Badger Trust claims that the percentage "doesn't sound terribly meaningful to [him]" since it is still a relatively small reduction. The Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs released a new plan in July of 2011, aimed at completely eliminating Bovine TB. They focused on increasing surveillance and security on farms, as well as their "science-led policy" of hunting Badgers in areas greatly effected by the disease. The Governments in Wales and Ireland are also working to eliminate this serious issue, through snare-trapping campaigns and immunizations of the animals. 

I think Bovine TB is a very serious issue and needs to be combated, but I think there are other ways to do it rather than killing a large amount of animals. I agree with Jack Reed that a 16% TB reduction among cattle isn't a sufficient amount to justify the slaughter of around 70% of an animal population. They could add more security to cattle ranches, to prevent badgers from coming into contact with the cows, as well as conducting more frequent checks for the disease. Also, I think it is worth making an attempt to immunize badgers or cattle, so that they cannot catch or spread TB. However, I do agree that farmers should be able to shoot badgers if they see them on their property in order to protect their cattle and therefore their business. The mass reduction of England's main predator species could wreak havoc on the local ecosystems, throwing the food webs out of order because several species would loose their main predator. Overall, I think other methods of TB repression should be attempted before they kill massive amounts of Badgers. 

India: Nearly 300 elephant deaths in Orissa

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-20150702

About 300 elephants have suffered death in Orissa, India over the past couple years.
Most of the deaths were caused by electricity wires hanging from the electric path so the elephants got an electric shock and died.
But deaths were also caused by poising from farmers, trying to protect their fields. Elephants were running through their crops and damaging it. The farmers tried to stop this by spraying poison on their fields.
Some elephants were also poached, people are hunting them, which is not very ethical.
This is a serious problem in india, because elephants are becoming extinct. It is also very unusual because elephants are worshipped by a large amount of people there, so the sinking number of elephants has caused a serious conflict between people killing the elephants and people trying to protect nature and the animals.
Members from the forest, envorinment and energy departments are trying to fight against these procedures and trying to stop the deaths.

River Floods Predicted Using New Technology

Science dAILY

october 29th, 2012

            Scientists have devised a new solution to provide real-time predictions of floods caused by climate change and human activities. The RAMWASS research project devised a tool that was able to measure and predict the dangers of potential flood in specific river zones. The system uses a combination of environmental data from satellites, sensors and information from the ground to render a 3-D model result of the flood with maps of water speeds, flows and elevations. It also provides risk maps and flood times. The results are available online with the use of a system developed by CIMNE and are accurate to the minute. This helps with emergency situations especially when conditions of a flood are known to change instantly. The system offers protection at a low cost. This allows for places to be evacuated potentially days in advance and reduced flood losses and deaths. It can help governments and funding agencies to test “what-if” situations that may cause harm to people and public or private property.

            I believe this is an essential part of emergency predictions. The techniques used today to predict flash floods are primitive. Climate change is progressing and human activity is potentially to blame. This new technology allows us to monitor emergency situations that are caused by environmental factors, climate change and human activity. It allows areas that may be destroyed to be evacuated in advance and to prevent floods from escalating to emergency-floods. It also allows governments and other companies to simulate potential emergency situations and plan ahead to avoid them entirely.