The Deadly Occupation Attracting Kenya’s Youth
Sand is becoming a necessary component in fuelling the construction boom that is driving the rapid pace of urbanisation and rapid economic growth patterns in Kenya. Many of Kenya’s poor youth are turning to sand mining as a quick way of earning money, despite the deadly risks due to poor sand harvesting methods.
‘Dead zone’ In The Gulf Of Mexico Is The Size Of Connecticut
The zone, which at about 5,000 square miles (13,000 sq km) is the second largest in the world but still smaller than in previous years, is so named because it contains no oxygen, or too little, at the Gulf floor to support bottom-dwelling fish and shrimp.
Two Major Storms Headed Toward Hawaii
Two storms, Hurricane Iselle and Tropical Storm Julio, are headed for Hawaii later this week in an unusual one-two punch that could be an effect of a developing El Nino pattern.
Army Corps Of Engineers Agrees To Disclose Dam Pollution
For the first time in its history, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will have to disclose the amount of pollutants its dams are sending into waterways in a groundbreaking legal settlement that could have broad implications for the Corps’ hundreds of dams nationwide.
Kenya Launches Giant Lamu Port Construction Project
A Chinese firm, China Communication Construction Company, has signed a $478.9 million deal to construct three berths at Kenyan Indian Ocean port of Lamu. The port, at completion, will have 32 berths. The project involves dredging shallow inland channels and felling shoreline-stabilizing mangrove forests.
Atlantic Warming Turbocharges Pacific Trade Winds
Rapid warming of the Atlantic Ocean, likely caused by global warming, has turbocharged Pacific Equatorial trade winds. This has caused eastern tropical Pacific cooling, amplified the Californian drought, accelerated sea level rise three times faster than the global average in the Western Pacific…
Arctic Melt Pond
From above, Arctic ice looks quite different in summer than it does in winter. As temperatures rise in the summer, turquoise splotches of color begin to speckle the ice surfaces. The splashes of blue are melt ponds, areas where snow has melted and pooled in low spots on glaciers and sea ice.
Nice Beach Erosion Leads To Complaints From Swimmers
The pebble beaches of the Côte d’Azur resort have been eroded so steeply by the waves of the Mediterranean, that daily bulldozing is not enough to stop shoreline from slipping into steep drop.
Why Restoring Wetlands Is More Critical Than Ever
Along the Delaware River estuary, efforts are underway to restore wetlands lost due to centuries of human activity. With sea levels rising, coastal communities there and and elsewhere in the U.S. and Europe are realizing the value of wetlands as important buffers against flooding and tidal surges.