Oil Safety Weak Two Years After BP Spill
Offshore drilling safety and oversight is still lacking two years after the massive BP oil spill sullied the US Gulf Coast, two reports released Tuesday have found.
Lakshadweep Islands
In the Arabian Sea, roughly 200 kilometers off the west coast of southern India, are the Lakshadweep Islands. The island chain consists of 27 islands along with coral atolls, and sand banks. Glistening white sand beaches ring the islands, and only 10 or 11 of the islands are inhabited.
Can Whales Predict Tsunamis?
As tsunami warnings hit the Indonesian and Sri Lankan coasts last week, observers at sea watched as every species of cetacean, from massive blue whales to diminutive spinner dolphins, vanished in the space of a few minutes.
NOAA Releases New Views of Earth’s Ocean Floor
NOAA has made sea floor maps and other data on the world’s coasts, continental shelves and deep ocean available for easy viewing online. These are critical data for modeling coastal flooding, from tsunami to hurricane storm surge.
Lagos ready to battle illegal sand miners, Nigeria
The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, on Tuesday said the government had no choice but to wage “serious war” against illegal sand miners in the state.
The State of Glaciers
Glaciers are one of the natural environments most often used to illustrate the impacts of climate change. It is fairly indisputable that in a warming world, glaciers melt faster. Yet two recent studies suggest that in the Himalayas the rate of mass loss has been small and that further west, in the Karakoram range, the glaciers are actually slightly gaining mass. Is there a conflict between these studies and the wider body of research indicating that, worldwide, glaciers have been receding for several decades?
Ocean Beach Erosion: New Plan Crafted
The silver tide that surges through Ocean Beach from dawn to dusk is a surfer’s delight. For San Francisco, however, it is an unrelenting test of nature.
Under Climate Change, Winners and Losers On the Coral Reef
As ocean temperatures rise, some species of corals are likely to succeed at the expense of others, according to a new report that details the first large-scale investigation of climate effects on corals.
Arctic Oil Rush Will Ruin Ecosystem, Warns Lloyd’s of London
Insurance market joins environmentalists in highlighting risks of drilling in fragile region as $100bn investment is predicted