The European Commission activates Europe’s civil protection system
Japan is one of the best-prepared countries in the world to cope with disasters, but the sheer magnitude of this earthquake and the tsunami means that international assistance is needed.
Massive Quake triggers devastating Tsunami, Japan
A ferocious tsunami spawned by one of the largest earthquakes on record slammed Japan’s north-eastern coast Friday, killing hundreds of people as it swept away ships, cars and homes while widespread fires burned out of control. Japan issued its most serious tsunami warning, saying a wave as high as 20 ft could strike the coast near Miyagi prefecture.The massive 8.8 magnitude quake struck about 382 kilometers northeast of Tokyo.
Surprisingly Few White Sharks Off California Coast, First Census Finds
Satellite tagging studies have demonstrated that white sharks in the northeast Pacific make annual migrations from coastal areas in Central California and Guadalupe Island, Mexico, out to the Hawaiian Islands, and then they return to the same regions of the coast year after year.
Belo Monte hydroelectric dam construction work begins
With most Brazilian eyes firmly fixed on the country’s annual carnival, construction work officially started this week on the controversial Belo Monte hydroelectric dam in the Amazon, after reversal of a February suspension ruling.
Melting ice sheets becoming largest contributor to sea level rise
The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are losing mass at an accelerating pace, becoming the dominant contributor to global sea level rise, and much sooner than model forecasts have predicted.
Louisiana’s Grand Isle: Mardi Gras Amid Oil-Spill Remnants
In the days and months following the Gulf oil spill, life changed for residents of this seaside paradise. Grand Isle beaches closed.The seafood industry was decimated. Today, Mayor David Camardelle estimates that Grand Isle is 80% back to normal, yet admits tar balls keep washing ashore, likening the oil-spill remnants to a ghost in the Gulf of Mexico. It’s there… then it’s gone.
The Lost Emperors
A small colony of emperor penguins on an island off the West Antarctic Peninsula is gone, and the most likely culprit is loss of sea ice caused by warming. Most emperor penguins breed on sea ice, called fast ice, which attaches to the ice shelves and coastlines. This is the first time the disappearance of a colony has been documented.
Goats Put Their Graze Anatomy to Good Work
A couple hundred of the inveterate munchers are eating their way through invasive weeds in a burned portion of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Nature Preserve, California, clearing the way for native plants and insects to move back in this coastal habitat. Grazing, low-cost and environmentally friendly, is becoming a more common practice in restoration and conservation efforts.
New System Can Warn of Tsunamis Within Minutes?
Seismologists have developed a new system that could be used to warn future populations of an impending tsunami only minutes after the initial earthquake.