Environment – Page 192 – Shamskm: A site to exchange knowledge and solutions

ARkStorm: California’s other “Big One”

By Guest PostJanuary 17, 20111 commentEnvironmentarkstorm scenario, arkstorm summit, cal ema, climate change, economic systems of california, emergency planning purposes, fema, flood modeling, flooding, forecasting, geologic flood history in california, hypothetical california scenario, lucy jones, marcia mcnutt, mike dayton, nancy ward, sacramento, san andreas earthquakes, scenario, sea level rise scenarios, storm, united states

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — For emergency planning purposes, scientists unveiled a hypothetical California scenario that describes a storm that could produce up to 10 feet of rain, cause extensive flooding (in many cases overwhelming the state’s flood-protection system) and result in more than $300 billion in damage.

The “ARkStorm Scenario,” prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey and released at the ARkStorm Summit in Sacramento on Jan. 13 – 14, combines prehistoric geologic flood history in California with modern flood mapping and climate-change projections to produce a hypothetical, but plausible, scenario aimed at preparing the emergency response community for this type of hazard. (more…)

Highwater in Saale River

By Volker MintzlaffJanuary 17, 2011Environment, Naturecastle gieblichenstein, disaster alarm, flood situation, flood water, gauge, giebichenstein bridge, halle, halle trotha, island of peissnitz, saale river, saale valley, saale walk, saxony anhalt, shipping company riedel, snow melting, talstrasse, temperature, water touristics, winter highwater

Due to heavy snow melting as the temperature turns to be ‘mild’ and simultaneous rainfall, 2011’s Winter highwater is the highest since 1946 in the Saale river in Halle (Saxony-Anhalt). The flood water reached a maximum of 6.92 m on the gauge of Halle Trotha. A record of 7 m would cause a ‘disaster alarm’. (more…)

Earth’s Hot Past: Prologue to Future Climate?

By Guest PostJanuary 16, 20112 commentsEnvironmentancient atmosphere, climate system, earth hot past, future climate, geologic past, global temperature, paleoclimate record

Study of Earth’s deep past leads to look into the future

The magnitude of climate change during Earth’s deep past suggests that future temperatures may eventually rise far more than projected if society continues its pace of emitting greenhouse gases, a new analysis concludes. (more…)

EPA Grants Continue to Protect Beachgoers

By Guest PostJanuary 16, 2011Environmentamerica, bacteria levels, beach, beach managers, beaches, beaches environmental assessment and coastal health act, beachgoers, grants, local beach conditions, monitor beach, ocean beaches, peter s silva, protect swimmers, states, territories, tribes, water, water quality

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is providing almost $10 million in grants to 37 states, territories and tribes to help protect swimmers and beachgoers at America’s beaches. The grants will help local authorities monitor beach water quality and notify the public of conditions that may be unsafe for swimming. The grants have enabled states and territories to more than double the number of beaches they monitor since 2003. This continues EPA’s efforts to help beach managers provide consistent public health protection and up-to-date information about local beach conditions. (more…)

Extent of Corruption in Countries Around The World Tied to Earthquake Fatalities

By Guest PostJanuary 14, 2011Environmentcollapse of buildings, corrupt building practices, earthquake engineering, earthquake fatalities, extent of corruption

A new assessment of global earthquake fatalities over the past three decades indicates that 83 percent of all deaths caused by the collapse of buildings during earthquakes occurred in countries considered to be unusually corrupt. (more…)

Carnegie Airborne Observatory: Mapping Video

By Guest PostJanuary 14, 2011Environmentairborne methods, canopy, carbon, deforestation, degradation, forests, global ecology, global project, greg asner, land use practices, map, monitoring carbon storage and emissions, redd, reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation, tropical forests, united nations, vegetation, vital resources

Some 55% of tropical forests are negatively affected by land use practices and deforestation worldwide. But the ability to penetrate the canopy to see what’s going on has been lacking until now.

Global Ecology’s Greg Asner’s group has developed new airborne methods to peer through the canopy to measure and map, in beautiful 3-D, the underlying vegetation, degradation and deforestation, and the amount of carbon stored and emitted in these forests. (more…)

Video Explores What Happens in Africa ‘When the Water Ends’

By Guest PostJanuary 12, 20112 commentsCulture, Environmentchanging environment, evan abramson, flood cycles, hydropower project, nomadic herdsmen, traditional livelihoods, tribal societies, water ends

For thousands of years, nomadic herdsmen have roamed the harsh, semi-arid lowlands that stretch across 80% of Kenya and 60% of Ethiopia. Descendants of the oldest tribal societies in the world, they survive thanks to the animals they raise and the crops they grow, their travels determined by the search for water and grazing lands. (more…)

Widespread Ancient Ocean “Dead Zones” Challenged Early Life

By Guest PostJanuary 8, 20111 commentEnvironmentancient ocean, dead zones, late ediacaran period, oxygen poor state, oxygenation states

Persistent lack of oxygen in Earth’s oceans affected animal evolution

The oceans became oxygen-rich as they are today about 600 million years ago, during Earth’s Late Ediacaran Period. Before that, most scientists believed until recently, the ancient oceans were relatively oxygen-poor for the preceding four billion years. (more…)

Category Archives: Environment