Who's The Savage? (photoon)
Who’s the savage in this forest? The indigene, or the “forest industry”? Thanks for posting this great photoon from The Pieces Fit on your Facebook page, Moms Clean Air Force!
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Planet Earth Still Absorbing Half of our Greenhouse Gases
Planet Earth’s oceans, forests, and other assorted ecosystems are continuing to soak up approximately half the carbon dioxide we humans pump into the atmosphere every day, even as those emissions continue to increase, once again belying the very little knowledge we currently have of our planet. “Globally, these carbon dioxide ‘sinks’ have roughly kept pace
Warming Turns Tundra to Forest (Which Increases Warming)
In the last few decades, shrubs in the Arctic tundra have transformed themselves into trees as a result of the warming Arctic climate, at a speed and magnitude that is far greater than scientists had ever anticipated. If this continues and is replicated across the whole of the Arctic tundra, it would significantly accelerate global
Destruction of Forests Can Increase or Decrease Carbon Intake
Huge percentages of forests are destroyed each year as a result of hurricanes, insect outbreaks and wildfire, but scientists are only just beginning to get a handle on what this does to the overall carbon intake of a forest.
Tropical Forest and Savannah Tipping Points
Tipping points are always a hotbed issue in climate science, but in a new study it has been found that a region with tropical tree cover will jump quickly between a forested state to a savannah or treeless state.
African Deforestation Reduces Rainfall over Remaining Forest
A new study has shown that deforestation in the rainforests of West Africa reduces the amount of rain that falls over the rest of remaining forest.
Forest Logging Increases Risk of Mega Fires
A new study has found that logging can increase the risk of catastrophic wildfires by changing the predominant variety of tree to one that is younger and therefore more prone to fire.
The Great Reversal is Under Way in our Forests
New research shows that forests in many regions across the planet are actually becoming larger carbon sinks, thanks to an increase in density, if not in spread. Europe and North America both saw increases in carbon storage despite little to no expansion of the forest areas.
Investigating the Carbon Impact of Hurricane Damage
There is a source of increased carbon emissions that not many people are looking at; the destruction of trees during a hurricane or other strong storm. Investigating situations such as this are leading scientists to better understand the carbon cycle.
Shifting Biomes in Alaska
Scientists have hypothesized that evergreen forests will increase their growth at the margin of present tundra areas, while simultaneously declining at the margins of temperate forests to the south. New research highlights this shift in biomes caused by a warming climate by combining data gathered from satellite imagery and tree rings. The study, which will
Manmade Climate Change is Thousands of Years Old
Manmade climate change is not only a thing of the last hundred years, according to new research from scientists at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL). The Roman Conquest, expansion of civilization in China, the Black Death, and the discovery of America, amongst other historical landmarks, have all had large impacts on the climate.
Tree Species Greatly at Risk from Global Warming
New research conducted at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem show that many tree species may be unable to shift with the changing climates, and could face extinction if manmade intervention is not made. The research looked at trees which dispersed their seeds via the wind, which include trees like pines and maples, and looked at
Environmental News of the Week: Polar Bears, More Plagues Likely, & More
Here’s our roundup of interesting (good & bad) environmental and wildlife news of the week, other than what we’ve covered already. White House: Polar Bears Not ‘Endangered’ The Obama administration is sticking with a George W. Bush-era decision to deny polar bears endangered species status. In a court filing Wednesday, the Fish and Wildlife Service
Mummified Forest Shedding Light on Ancient Climate
The northernmost mummified forest ever discovered in Canada is under the spotlight of researchers who are hoping to gain valuable information as to how plants will manage in a changing climate. The trees are located in Ellesmere Island National Park in Canada and were perfectly preserved by a landslide some 2 to 8 million years
Southwestern Forests Weakened by Drought and Rising Temperatures
New research into the tree populations of Southwest America have found that these forests will face reduced growth if temperatures continue to rise and rain continues to fall. The researchers looked at tree-ring data and climate models to find that the rising temperatures and falling precipitation have led to a decline in the fitness of
Experiment Challenges 'CO2 Fertilization' Theory, Reveals Limit to CO2 Absorption
According to the theory, an increase in atmospheric CO2 (the main GHG responsible for global warming) will have an enhancing effect on forest growth, since plants and trees require CO2 to synthesize fuel (sugar, via photosynthesis) and experience growth. Thus, this excess CO2 is “fertilizing” tree growth, which in turn means more growth, which means
Rainforest Pictures (10 Friday Photos)
Rainforests… Can you believe they are real? I think that rainforests are beautiful and I wish I could visit one of them some time. They look like they were from a movie or picture made by someone with a huge imagination, don’t you think? Well, this week’s 10 Friday Photos is on this topic of
Amazon River (10 Friday Photos)
10 beautiful and fun photos of the Amazon River. If you haven’t noticed, I love water. Every time I do a post for this 10 Friday Photos series, I seem to pick something related to water or at least include a lot of pics with water in them. Perhaps that’s why Martyna decided to do
Map Depicts Global Forest Heights
A first of its kind map has been created detailing the height of the world’s forests. There are other local- and regional-scale forest canopy maps that exist, but this new map is the first of its kind that spans the entire globe based on one uniform method. Such a map has benefits for climate scientists
Dramatic Decline in Illegal Logging
A new report released shows that after a decade of effort across the planet the fight against illegal logging is finally paying dividends. The assessment, released by Chatham House, is the most thorough assessment to date and finds that a decade of international effort to tackle the problem is having a dramatic and beneficial effect
Trees give Insight into Northwest Africa’s Dry Past
New research of trees in northwest Africa has revealed droughts in the latter part of the 20th century are some of the fiercest experienced in that area. [social_buttons]The research looked at tree rings in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia and found that there have been frequent and severe droughts during the 13th and 16th centuries, as
Kenya’s Mau Forest in Dire Straights
The fight is on to save one of East Africa’s most treasured national resources. [social_buttons] “If the Mau Forest is destroyed, Kenya will die,” said scientist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Professor Wangari Maathai of the University of Nairobi. Together with scientists from the University of Copenhagen and the grass-roots Green Belt Movement, the Wangari
Google to Fight Deforestation from Space
[social_buttons] Google Inc. is joining forces with space agencies around the world and the conservation organization Group on Earth Observations (GEO) to monitor deforestation rates using satellite imagery. Among the space agencies working on the program are NASA, the ESA, and the national space agencies of Japan, Germany, Italy, India, and Brazil. The GEO is
Nike Stops Use of Amazon Leather After Damning Greenpeace Report
Nike has stopped all imports of leather from the Amazon region of Brazil, after a Greenpeace report claimed that its shoes and trainers could be speeding up the destruction of the world’s largest rainforest and contributing to global warming. The report, published last month, revealed how cattle hides from deforested areas were entering the supply
Humans are Slowly and Steadily Destroying the Everglades and Amazon
If it wasn’t bad enough that we seem to be pumping more and more in the way of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, we humans seem to be doing a pretty damn good job of eating away any chance of removing said emissions. The latest comes in a one-two punch. First of all experts are
A Unique Solution: Put the Trees in the Ground
Innovative solutions could very well be vital in the coming years, if we are to solve the worsening pollution of our planet. Whether or not you attribute its increase to global warming, carbon dioxide has long been on the rise and subsequent damages have been seen worldwide in flora and fauna ecosystems. One of the
Forests Good; Pollution Bad
Every now and again I like to return to a topic I’ve already touched on before (please don’t ask me to find where I did, the archives confuse me). So when my news feeds pointed me towards this new research, I couldn’t help but head back to another ‘no-brainer’ for you all. To be published
Alaska Under Attack Again
I haven’t always been the liberal nutjob that I am now. There was a time when I was right behind Bush for trundling in to Iraq, and found the idea of protecting animals very much the picture of “hippie” idiocy. But, with age came wisdom, and with wisdom came a shift in my view of
Ode to a Road
What to do when you have spent five years trying to stop a massive federal road project to no avail? Take a walk and say good bye to the gentle one lane curves, old growth forest, and northern spotted owl (NSO) habitat. That’s what members of my community did in semblance of a Maori custom
