Posts Tagged ‘education’
Look after our oceans..
Monday, May 17th, 2010 Global distribution of coral reefs under threat
Friday, April 9th, 2010
Coral Reefs under threat
Diversity of Corals, Algae in Warm Indian Ocean Suggests Resilience to Future Global Warming
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010This is really good news for a small patch of reef…wish it could all find a way to protect itself against the human onslaught..
ScienceDaily (Feb. 15, 2010) — Penn State researchers and their international collaborators have discovered a diversity of corals harboring unusual species of symbiotic algae in the warm waters of the Andaman Sea in the northeastern Indian Ocean.
“The existence of so many novel coral symbioses thriving in a place that is too warm for most corals gives us hope that coral reefs and the ecosystems they support may persist — at least in some places — in the face of global warming,” said the team’s leader, Penn State Assistant Professor of Biology Todd LaJeunesse. According to LaJeunesse, the comprehensiveness of the team’s survey, which also included analysis of the corals and symbiotic algae living in the cooler western Indian Ocean and Great Barrier Reef area of Australia, is unparalleled by any other study.
The team’s findings will be published during the week ending 20 February 2010 in an early online issue of the Journal of Biogeography.
Corals are colonies of tiny animals that derive nutrients and energy from golden-brown, photosynthetic algae that live inside the corals’ cells. “This symbiotic relationship is sensitive to changes in the environment,” said LaJeunesse. “For example,
Coral reefs and climate change
Monday, December 21st, 2009Why weren’t they listening?
International Day of Climate Action
Wednesday, October 14th, 2009The following is taken directly from www.350.org
So, what is global warming and what’s the problem anyway?
The science is clear: global warming is happening faster than ever and humans are responsible. Global warming is caused by releasing what are called greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The most common greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide. Many of the activities we do every day like turn the lights on, cook food, or heat or cool our homes rely on energy sources like coal and oil that emit carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases. This is a major problem because global warming destabilizes the delicate balance that makes life on this planet possible. Just a few degrees in temperature can completely change the world as we know it, and threaten the lives of millions of people around the world. But don’t give up hope! You can help stop global warming by taking action here at 350.org.
Either way you slice it, in terms of CO2 or CO2-e, 350 is the mark of a completely new direction—and the movement that will get us there.
These considerations have led 350.org to see the 350 ppm target not only in terms of CO2, but CO2e. On a technical level, this becomes a more ambitious target, incorporating other greenhouse gases. On a practical level, it signifies the same priorities 350 has embodied all along. Any climate target lower than where we are right now (more…)
Belize/Honduras earthquake – was there really a tsunami threat? (Part Three)
Saturday, May 30th, 2009(Nadine Pedoe)
There were no tsunami waves caused by this earthquake at all, despite some panic that there may be. The warning was taken off after about half an hour, but many people didn’t know it had been, so the panic continued. There is very little (but still some) risk of a tsunami from this fault. Other active faults are further from Belize.
The word ‘tsunami’ is Japanese. The English word for them used to be “tidal waves” but this is inaccurate as they have nothing to do with tides. There are very few languages with their own word for them because they are rare in most of the world. They are caused by undersea volcanoes, earthquakes and landslides and are still quite poorly understood by scientists. This is partly because they don’t happen often and also because there is no warning that they are about to happen, except for an earthquake which also can’t be predicted with any accuracy. Around 80% of them occur in the Pacific Ocean, triggered by the earthquakes and volcanoes around the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’ – see last post. Japan is the most advanced country in their research as tsunamis hit their coastline every year.
Due to the devastating tsunami in Asia on 26th December 2004, the word ‘tsunami’ now strikes terror in the minds of most of us. Before this time, most people had little knowledge of what a tsunami was. However the conditions of a tsunami’s formation need to be (more…)
Earthquake in Honduras/Belize – why?- the science behind it (Part One)
Saturday, May 30th, 2009(Nadine Pedoe)
On 28th May 2009, Central America was rocked by a strong earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale, which has luckily caused far less damage and fewer fatalities than it may have done. Earthquakes affecting Belize are extremely rare, so it has caused a lot of panic. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning in the immediate aftermath of the quake, causing further panic amongst island and coastal dwellers. Hopefully understanding some of the science behind it can relieve some of those fears.
Why did it happen and is it likely to happen again?
Earthquakes and volcanoes are caused by movements of massive plates that make up the crust of the earth. All the land and ocean rests on one or other of these plates, which form a kind of jigsaw pattern around the earth. The plates move very slowly in relation to each other, just a few inches a year, caused by heat cells in the liquid mantle (made of magma) below them. Where these plates meet is known as a plate boundary, of which there are four different kinds.
Three of the kinds of plate boundary (from Wikipedia)
Constructive plate boundary (or divergent)
The plates move apart (more…)
BBC Report “Key Coral Reefs could disappear”
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009
BBC Article
“The world’s most important coral region is in danger of being wiped out by the end of this century unless fast action is taken, says a new report.
The international conservation group WWF warns that 40% of reefs in the Coral Triangle have already been lost.
The area is shared between Indonesia and five other South East Asian nations and is thought to contain 75% of the world’s coral species.
It is likened to the Amazon rainforest….”
Read the rest of their article
Destruction of the oceans is a life and death issue for humanity
Thursday, May 14th, 2009“Dying oceans ‘life and death issue’: Indonesia
MANADO, Indonesia (AFP) — The destruction of the world’s oceans due to climate change and overuse is a “life and death issue” for humanity, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Thursday.
“We must come to the rescue of the oceans. We must save them from the ravages of abuse and over-exploitation by humankind, from the havoc due to pollution and dire effects of climate change,” Yudhoyono said at a global conference on oceans….”
Caye Caulker’s first high school
Tuesday, May 5th, 2009Ocean Academy is coming towards the end of its first year in operation, teaching 35 local students, most of whom wouldn’t otherwise get the chance for a high school education. This 90% donation and grant-run school is the brainchild of Heidi Curry and Joni Miller, who achieved this miracle for Caye Caulker in a very short time. Another generous individual, Dane Dingerson, donated some land for the school, and many volunteers worked to get the school opened in just a few short months, giving their time and money. September saw three (more…)
