The Danish startup POND has found a way to replace traditional resin in different materials with biodegradable resin. They are at least 95 % biobased and fully degradable in nature. They are suitable to bind all natural fibers such as flax, hemp, pineapple, palm leaves, and cotton resulting in making fully biodegradable products. (Image credit: pond.global)
It’s still Climate Week, though the marches and summit conference are over. If you’d like to spend some time doing a brief climate watch this weekend, here are a few suggestions. These short takes are the result of surveying over 500 free and publicly available videos. Each takes around three minutes or less to watch.
Weather and climate are similar but different. For the most part, they are very distinct phenomena. Below, we talk about the weather first, and then delve into the climate. Weather We measure what’s going on in our atmosphere over a short period of time—usually in a particular place on a particular day—by assessing the weather. Could be
Or do you? It’s time to pay attention to climate change now—as if it wasn’t back in 1800, when our current problems started. We all need to acknowledge that stunning industrial achievements can carry with them enormous unforeseen risks and challenges. Americans should take particular note, because on the whole we are wa-a-a-y behind on this.
“Deep. Dangerous. Determined.” And now we all have a chance to go along. Today DEEPSEA CHALLENGE 3D opens—-the film in which James Cameron dives to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest known part of Earth’s oceans. “I’ve seen some pretty astonishing things in the depths,” says James Cameron of his dives to the
Where did that octopus emerge from? (Gallo TED talk) Having recently visited Fabien Cousteau’s Mission 31 under the sea and a water creature from long ago (Lyrarapax unguispinus), we thought it might interest you to revisit what’s hiding deep in the oceans today. For this, we turn to a classic video from oceanographer David Gallo: “Underwater
(All figures are from the 2014 National Climate Assessment draft.) Later today (Tuesday, May 6), at 8 a.m. EDT, the National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Committee of experts meets by conference call to approve the final version of the Third National Climate Assessment. The gist of their message, as Suzanne Goldenberg of The Guardian
The latest issue of Nature promises temporary relief to a planet where fresh water is quickly becoming scarcer and scarcer (photo: cc, from freeaussiestock.com). Vincent E.A. Post of Flinders University in Adelaide and his coauthors Jacobus Groen, Henk Kooi, Mark Person, Shemin Ge, and W. Mike Edmunds report the surprising news that outer continental shelves
The amount of water stored in peak snowpack in the McKenzie River watershed of the Oregon Cascade Range will fall by about 56% by the year 2050, as a result of climate change, new research from Oregon State University has found. The research also suggests that similar impacts will be seen in other similar low-elevation
Charles Darwin was right, again, but this time his predictions focused on a somewhat different genre than we normally associate with the man; this time, it’s the ocean. Researchers have found that Darwin may in fact have been right on the money when he labelled the Eastern Pacific Barrier (EPB) “impassable” in the 1880s. The
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of America has released maps and other data concerning the world’s coasts, continental shelves, and deep ocean available for anyone to view online. The information has been available to scientists for a long time, but viewing the data was restricted by the need for specialised software and a scientific
Dolphins — do you know anybody who doesn’t like them? So cute, so amazing and funny — that’s what they are. What’s more — they’re absolutely intelligent and talented! Can I say that they’re just fabulous animals?
Have any of you swum with dolphins? Can you describe this feeling for those who haven’t had so much fortune to do that (yet)? I hope I will try one day!
Check out this super cool infographic from ReuseThisBag… which, believe it or not, sells Reusable Shopping Bags. As we’ve written a number of times before, there are huge garbage patches, mostly of plastic, in the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean (and other oceans).
Click the image to enlarge it.
“The ocean is taking up less carbon because of the warming caused by the carbon in the atmosphere.”
A two-part study investigating the impact of methane – one of the most potent of greenhouse gases – has found that millions of tonnes of methane currently frozen in sediment beneath the Arctic Ocean will wreak havoc if released into the oceans.
Individuals that physically interact with their outdoors environment tend to be passionate about preserving it. Hikers, conservationists, fishermen, hunters, rock climbers, and surfers are passionate about keeping their outdoor playgrounds free of pollution.
Tristan da Cunha is known as “the most remote inhabited island in the world.” Situated in the South Atlantic Ocean, its nearest land neighbor — South Africa — is 1,750 miles away. South America comes in second at a whopping 2,088 miles away.
The continuing exploration of the Southern Ocean for deep-sea vents has once again rewarded results, as scientists about the Royal Research Ship James Cook of the National Oceanography Centre have discovered a new set of deep-sea volcanic vents in the frigid southern waters. This is the fourth discovery made by the team in three years,
A study published in the most recent edition of the Journal of Geophysical Research has illustrated a new method in which scientists can estimate how much of the ocean’s pollution is falling from the sky. Such a method will allow scientists the ability to understand how toxic airborne chemicals are impacting the oceans, and how
A study published in the most recent edition of the Journal of Geophysical Research has illustrated a new method in which scientists can estimate how much of the ocean’s pollution is falling from the sky. Such a method will allow scientists the ability to understand how toxic airborne chemicals are impacting the oceans, and how
Waves have provided scientists with an inexplicable mystery for centuries now, wiping away entire coastlines or ships when waves shouldn’t have been able to. Researchers at Oregon State University together with colleagues at the Technical University of Delft have created a new way to study ocean waves by using two video cameras to feed data
The water that flows north into the Arctic Ocean from the North Atlantic Ocean is the warmest it has been in 2,000 years and is likely related to the amplification of global warming in the Arctic, says a new study published in the most recent edition of the journal Science. The study showed that the
Every now and again really smart people make pushes in science that need to be taken note of. At the moment, if there is one area in the world where smart people need to invest their time, it is poverty and the environment. Thankfully, Stanford researcher Mark Z. Jacobson and Mark Delucchi of the University
A report from the UN’s weather agency, the World Meteorological Organization, has reported that the current La Nina event will last through the first quarter of 2011, and possibly into the second quarter. However, the report noted that “the strength of the event is likely to decrease during the course of the coming 4 months.”
Scientists have long assumed that the long-lasting and severe cold spells in Europe that have taken place since the Last Glacial Maximum some 10,000 to 20,000 years ago have been the result of changes in the circulation of the Atlantic Ocean currents. New research led by Cardiff University has now shown that ocean circulation changes
Yes, first of all, by stabilize we don’t mean keep it exactly the same — that is impossible. We mean not pumping it so full of CO2 that we see unprecedented warming and ‘natural’ disasters and perhaps even an unlivable climate at some point. Anyway, this post is a share of an in-depth post by
New researched published in the most recent edition of the scientific journal PNAS has shown that there have been significant and drastic changes to oceanic currents in the western North Atlantic Ocean since the 1970s. The research found that the influence of the cold water Labrador Current has been decreasing continually since the 1970s, minimizing
A recent article in NZ Herald News discusses the looming food crisis and how it might become the world’s biggest problem in the decades to come. “If the world doesn’t act now, it faces a catastrophic global food shortage by mid-century,” Greg Ansley writes. Ansely cites numerous recent studies concerning the degradation of our oceans
A new research study to be published online in the journal Nature Geoscience have raised the question as to whether undersea methane is contributing to the rising acidification of the planet’s oceans. The research team found methane leaking from “cold seeps” in two areas of the Pacific Ocean was being taken up by oceanic microorganisms
The quest to understand the interactions between our planet’s oceans and its environment is a continuing one, fraught with inexplicable evidence and hidden meanings. A team led by scientists from the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, have measured the air to sea exchange of carbon dioxide in the open ocean at higher wind speeds than ever
New measurements from a pair of satellites nicknamed Tom and Jerry have provided a first time look into the planet’s average ocean level increase. Measuring gravity everywhere around the globe, Tom and Jerry have provided researchers with data showing that the annual world average sea level rise is about 1 millimetre. Naturally, this is not
Climate Progress recently put together a piece on the top 10 climate science news stories of 2010 (so far). A lot of news that doesn’t hit the mainstream media. Here’s are a few of the stories: 1. Nature: “Global warming blamed for 40% decline in the ocean’s phytoplankton”: “Microscopic life crucial to the marine food
Our oceans, or more accurately, the creatures in our oceans, are in big trouble. Here’s some depressing news from Blue Planet Society: Our marine ecosystem is under threat like never before in the history of humanity. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) 33% of cartilaginous fishes and 15% of bony fishes
A new study to be published in the journal Nature shows just why the Atlantic Ocean reversed its circulation some 20,000 years ago. Led by two researchers from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona the research demonstrates the impact climate change can have on such a large body of water as the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic
This post is part of our participation in Blog Action Day 2010, which is on the topic of Water. A recent report out by the Institute of Physics (IOP) finds that weak global climate change targets are likely to result in all coral reefs dying off by 2100. The great importance of this matter is,
A first of its kind study has revealed that freshwater is flowing into Earth’s oceans in greater quantities every year, all as a result of more frequent and extreme storms caused by global warming. The study, published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that 18 percent more water
The mid-twentieth century saw the progressing warming of the globe come to an abrupt and for a time inexplicable hiatus. According to new research this temporary cooling was at least partially the result of a sudden cooling event centred over the North Atlantic between 1968 and 1972. “We knew that the Northern Hemisphere oceans cooled
Sea dragons? Well, they may not be real “popular,” but they are such amazing animals and definitely deserve more attention. They are beautiful, colorful and look very magical. I think sea dragons could be a proper icon of all oceans, even though they mostly live near Australia. Check out these beautiful pics below. (Thanks to Taylen
It won’t come as a surprise to many to know that the impact we are having on our ocean’s deep seafloor is growing with each decade that passes. New findings have revealed for the first time the actual physical footprint we are leaving on the oceans seafloor, and the biggest problem area is bottom-trawling commercial
Scientists from the University of Washington are currently 300 miles off the Washington-Oregon coast and diving nearly a mile deep, and you can join them right now.
The colour of the ocean might have a lot to do with the formation of hurricanes, according to a new research study.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seNnpJi_Bic Sign Oceana’s petition to stop offshore oil drilling and demand a clean energy future. In addition to the great Gulf of Mexico research expedition Oceana is setting out on, the world-leading organization also has a petition to put an end to offshore drilling that I thought was worth sharing.
Clues found near the summit of Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii suggest that changes in a far flung climate system had implications all over the world. Boulders deposited on the summit of Mauna Kea by an ancient glacier have provided evidence of ancient glacier formation, a result of the most recent ice age,
New research has shown that ice free Arctic waters will not necessarily be a boon to carbon sequestration. In what must be one of the best examples of looking for a silver lining in a storm cloud, scientists had been hoping that the unfortunate melting of Arctic ice would have opened up more of the
10 of the latest green news stories from around the web (that we didn’t cover in more depth earlier in the week). Have more to add, stick them in the comments below!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/7gouSXt2zE4&hl=en_US&fs=1] . Carl Safina, author of five books and over 100 scientific and popular publications on ecology and the oceans (including featured work in National Geographic and The New York Times), is about as expert as it gets when we talk about the oceans. In an excellent recent TED talk, Safina discusses the BP oil
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/fgT-QfcjXw4&hl=pl_PL&fs=1] Here is this week’s “greencast” or screencast of great green news from around the internet (that we didn’t already cover). Enjoy the video above via YouTube or in high definition on screenr. By the way, if you happen to notice the sound of pedestrians, cyclists or streetcars in the background, it is because I
An international team of researchers will visit the region of the North Atlantic Ocean affected by ash from the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in an effort to determine the impact the volcano had on the ocean biology. Aboard the UK’s Royal Research Ship Discovery, the team will make their second cruise to study the region, the
