Sand Berm May Not Be Enough to Protect Goleta Beach from Winter El Niño Storms
Santa Barbara County Parks Department staff walked the shoreline at Goleta Beach Park earlier this week to find that much of the work crews had done – a 2,400-foot sand berm – to protect the beach from coming El Niño storms had been washed away with high tides over the weekend.
Stealing Turtle Eggs Got People Shot, But The Thievery Continues
Olive ridley sea turtles are a threatened species, and the Mexican government has made it illegal to harvest their eggs from Pacific beaches. Mexican marines patrol those beaches, and violators have been prosecuted. Yet sea turtle eggs continue to be harvested, sold in the market.
Paris COP21: Amid Optimism, Key Issues Remain on Negotiating Table
The centerpieces of a deal are the 180 national emissions pledges for the period up to 2030, which were submitted ahead of the conference. What is at issue now are the rules for their implementation, and whether a procedure can be agreed upon for upgrading them later to give the world a chance of meeting its two-degree target.
Bangladesh’s Kutubdia island losing battle to stem climate tide
Although around 100,000 people still reside on Kutubdia, few have any illusions they are living on borrowed time, with Coast – a Bangladeshi NGO – warning the whole island could disappear underwater within 50 years. Tens of thousands have already left for good, mainly heading to the teeming capital Dhaka.
Column: The future of Florida’s beaches and the public’s right to know; Op Ed. by Orrin Pilkey
“The state of Florida has a very weak coastal management program and has carried out no realistic planning about how to respond to sea-level rise. In fact, leading politicians of the state, including the governor, deny global climate change and have forbidden their lieutenants from even mentioning the seven words “climate change, global warming, sea level rise…”
Climate talks enter next phase, toughest decisions ahead
Global climate change talks in Paris moved into a new, tougher phase on Saturday as negotiators agreed on a draft accord, albeit one that still leaves hundreds of points of dispute for ministers to resolve next week.
Records Fall in 2015 Cyclone Season
The 2015 hurricane season in the Atlantic, eastern Pacific, and central Pacific basins ended on November 30, according to the meteorological calendar. It was a year that brought many storms that defied usual expectations and destroyed parts of the record books.
Higher Levels of Fukushima Cesium Detected Offshore
Scientists monitoring the spread of radiation in the ocean from the Fukushima nuclear accident report finding an increased number of sites off the US West Coast showing signs of contamination from Fukushima. This includes the highest detected level to date from a sample collected about 1,600 miles west of San Francisco.
Ciguatera fish poisoning predicted to increase with rising ocean temperatures
A new NOAA study forecasts an increase in ciguatera fish poisoning in the Gulf of Mexico and the U.S. Southeast Atlantic coast with predicted rising global ocean temperatures due to climate change.