Tullow Oil Confirms Major Find off coast of Ghana
Tullow Oil, the London-based explorer, has had a good week: two days after reporting soaring profits it confirmed that an oil strike off the coast of Ghana was a major find… Environmental concerns have raised as more oil companies begin drilling off the coast of Ghana. Does the country have the resources to cope with a major spill?
White cliffs of Dover suffer large collapse, UK
A large section of the white cliffs of Dover has collapsed into the English Channel following a “substantial” rockfall, according to the coastguard.
Rising Ocean Temperatures and Protected Coral Reefs
Special conservation zones known as marine protected areas provide many direct benefits to fisheries and coral reefs. However, such zones appear to offer limited help to corals in their battle against global warming, according to a new study.
Ancient Sea-Level Rise and Projections for Future Increase
The seas are creeping higher as the planet warms, but scientists have not yet reached a consensus about how high they may go. Projections for the year 2100 range from inches to several feet, or more.
Chevron Suspends Brazil Oil Output Following New Spill
The US oil company Chevron has temporarily halted production operations off southeastern Brazil, after a fresh oil leak was discovered. It has detected what it calls a “small new seepage” of oil on the seabed close to a well in the Frade field, where there was a major leak in 2011…
Santorini Shows Signs of Volcanic Unrest, Greece
The volcanic caldera on the picturesque island of Santorini is showing signs of unrest. The Greek island was the site of one of the most massive volcanic eruptions in history 3,600 years ago. That eruption, which created tsunamis 40 feet (12 meters) tall, may have spawned the legend of the lost city of Atlantis. The volcano last erupted in 1950, albeit on a much smaller scale.
Asia and Pacific: climate disasters displace 42 million
Climate-related disasters have displaced more than 42 million people in Asia over the past two years. The environment is becoming a significant driver of migration in Asia and the Pacific as the population grows in vulnerable areas, such as low-lying coastal zones and eroding river bank.
Controversial dam projects – in pictures
To mark the international day of action for rivers on Wednesday, a look is taken at some of the world’s most contentious dam projects, from the Three Gorges in China to Brazil’s Belo Monte dam.
Rising Sea Levels Seen as Threat to Coastal U.S.
About 3.7 million Americans live within a few feet of high tide and risk being hit by more frequent coastal flooding in coming decades because of the sea level rise caused by global warming, according to new research.