Unintended consequences of dams and reservoirs
An international team of drought scientists show that while many dams and reservoirs are built, or expanded, to alleviate droughts and water shortages, they can paradoxically contribute to making them worse.
How Hurricanes Michael, Florence May Have Spread Nonnative Species
Hurricane Florence’s floodwaters and Hurricane Michael’s storm surge caused obvious devastation to natural areas, but a subtler set of harms is harder to see. Potentially destructive nonnative aquatic species, such as fast-growing plants that can choke waterways and hungry snails that can attack crops, can fan out across the landscape in the storms’ waters, spreading unseen and becoming hard to eradicate.
North Topsail Beach, NC: before and after hurricane Florence
Topsail Beach is an engineered beach, which gives it greater access to recovery funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It is facing an expense of about $6.4 million for Florence repair to the berms. Full beach restoration will cost about $17 million.
Pages of the Sea: Nationwide project remembers soldiers who fell during Great War
It was the most ephemeral of tributes, yet all the more poignant for it. This morning, under the cloak of darkness and scored only by the sound of waves lapping on sand, hundreds of volunteers took to beaches across the British Isles to take part in a unique commemoration of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
The Caribbean island of Mayreau could be split in two due to erosion
After years of erosion by the waves, people living on Mayreau, an island in the southern Grenadines, are confronted with the real possibility that the sea will split their island in two, and destroy its world famous Salt Whistle Bay.
Marine Protected Areas overlook a large fraction of biodiversity hotspots
Around 75 percent of marine biodiversity in Finnish waters is left unprotected, reveals a performance assessment of the country’s current Marine Protected Area network. Increasing protection by just 1 percent in the most biodiverse areas could double conservation of the most important species.
Study tracks severe bleaching events on a Pacific coral reef over past century
A new study has uncovered the history of bleaching on a reef in the epicenter of El Nino, revealing how some corals have been able to return after facing extreme conditions.
Pine Island Glacier Quickly Drops Another Iceberg
Calving that used to happen about every six years has become a near-annual event.
Cruise ship to provide ‘$2.1m undertaking’ after Great Barrier Reef spill
Carnival Australia has been compelled to provide a “$2.1m undertaking” after spilling 28,000 litres of liquid food waste into the Great Barrier Reef’s protected waters.