Great Pacific garbage patch: giant plastic trap put to sea again
Floating boom is designed to trap 1.8tn items of plastic without harming marine life – but broke apart last time
After 14 months without tourists, Kauai’s North Shore tests the waters again
Despite the economic value tourists bring to Hawaii, state officials also face growing pressure to balance tourism with preservation of the islands’ natural resources and culture. As part of that effort, Kauai is rolling out new regulations to limit tourist traffic on the reopened highway.
Scientists map huge undersea fresh-water aquifer off U.S. Northeast
In a new survey of the sub-seafloor off the U.S. Northeast coast, scientists have made a surprising discovery: a gigantic aquifer of relatively fresh water trapped in porous sediments lying below the salty ocean. It appears to be the largest such formation yet found in the world.
Melting of Himalayan glaciers has doubled in recent years
A newly comprehensive study shows that melting of Himalayan glaciers caused by rising temperatures has accelerated dramatically since the start of the 21st century.
These sled dogs aren’t walking on water, but something fishy is going on
Each year in June, just before all the sea ice has melted, climate scientists at the Danish Meteorological Institute head out by dog sled onto the Greenland sea ice to collect their instruments. Typically the dogs walk on ice for this task, but because of warming temperatures, this year the dogs were splashing in ankle-deep water.
Asian countries take a stand against the rich world’s plastic waste
Amid a growing global movement against non-recyclable plastic, Vietnam and Thailand have said they will block all imported plastic waste in the next few years. Taiwan announced it would only accept plastic scrap if sorted into a single type, making it easier to recycle.
Japan wraps everything in plastic. Now it wants to fight against plastic pollution.
Japan’s obsession with hygiene combined with its pride in “omotenashi,” or customer service, dictates that everything is meticulously wrapped, rewrapped and bagged in multiple layers of plastic.
Where does your plastic go? Global investigation reveals America’s dirty secret
A Guardian report from 11 countries tracks how US waste makes its way across the world – and overwhelms the poorest nations.
Greenland lost 2 billion tons of ice this week, which is very unusual
Over 40% of Greenland experienced melting Thursday, with total ice loss estimated to be more than 2 gigatons (equal to 2 billion tons) on just that day alone.