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Worst Mediterranean drought in 900 years has human fingerprints all over it | John Abraham

The Guardian - Fri, 2016-03-18 20:00

A new study shows that the current Mediterranean drought is likely the worst in 900 years, probably due to human-caused intensification

In a warming world, we expect to see increases in some extreme weather events. The science is pretty clear that in some parts of the world, drought and heat waves have and will continue to increase. In other areas, more severe storms along with precipitation and flooding have increased. Drought, heat waves, and floods are examples of changes to weather and climate patterns that will have costs for human society.

It’s tricky to discern not only whether past extreme weather have changed, but also whether human-caused global warming is a factor. Scientists need high-quality records that go back many decades to see if there is any trend towards increasing or decreasing extreme weather. But weather is quite variable. We can see a rise or fall in extreme weather events with no apparent cause, human or natural.

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Pluto may have an underground ocean

ABC Science - Fri, 2016-03-18 17:54
WATER WORLD?: Internal heating, fuelled by the natural decay of radioactive elements in Pluto's rocks and other sources, likely keeps an ocean of ammonia-rich water liquid beneath the dwarf planet's frozen surface, new data suggests.

Victoria Corner Inlet Fishery- Agency application 2016

Department of the Environment - Fri, 2016-03-18 14:40
Application on ecological sustainability - call for public comments open from 22 March 2016 until 26 April 2016.
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Drones give precise picture of seabird numbers

ABC Science - Fri, 2016-03-18 10:46
WILDLIFE WARRIORS: Drones can provide a more precise way of monitoring nesting seabird colonies than traditional methods used in wildlife conservation, according to a new Australian study.

Quarterly Update of Australia's National Greenhouse Gas Inventory: September 2015

Department of the Environment - Fri, 2016-03-18 09:53
The September 2015 Quarterly Update has been released.
Categories: Around The Web

Quarterly Update of Australia's National Greenhouse Gas Inventory: September 2015

Department of the Environment - Fri, 2016-03-18 09:53
The September 2015 Quarterly Update has been released.
Categories: Around The Web

Your final date could be 'one face late' if you speed rate

ABC Science - Fri, 2016-03-18 08:22
ONLINE DATING: If you're looking for the love of your life on online dating sites it may pay to take your time rather than rapidly swiping through profile pictures and making snap judgments about their attractiveness.

Shut old nuclear reactors, says unprecedented alliance of EU cities

The Guardian - Fri, 2016-03-18 01:16

Communities and campaigners in Germany, the Netherlands and Luxembourg lobby for closure of two ageing 40-year old Belgian nuclear reactors close to borders

An unprecedented alliance of 30 major cities and districts from three countries has joined forces to try to shut down two ageing Belgian nuclear reactors close to their borders.

Cologne and Dusseldorf in Germany, Luxembourg City and Maastricht in the Netherlands are among the cities co-funding a lawsuit to close one reactor – Tihange 2 – and calling on the European commission to prepare a separate case at the European court of justice.

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Pregnant T. rex dinosaur found

ABC Science - Wed, 2016-03-16 14:24
OLD MUM: A pregnant Tyrannosaurus rex has been found, shedding light on the evolution of egg-laying as well as on gender differences in the dinosaur

Southern right whale study quantifies impact of whaling in NZ

ABC Science - Wed, 2016-03-16 11:35
WHALE TALE: The population of southern right whales in the waters off New Zealand today is just 12 per cent of its size before whaling began, according to a new study.

Record-breaking temperatures 'have robbed the Arctic of its winter'

The Guardian - Wed, 2016-03-16 03:48

Fort Yukon has recorded Alaska’s coldest ever temperatures but this winter temperatures have been much warmer than usual, leading to dangerously thin ice

This year’s record-breaking temperatures have robbed the Arctic of its winter, sending snowmobilers plunging through thin ice into freezing rivers and forcing deliveries of snow to the starting line of Alaska’s legendary Iditarod dogsledding race.

Last month’s high temperatures – up to 16C (29F) above normal in some parts of the Arctic – flummoxed scientists, and are redefining life in the Arctic, especially for the indigenous people who live close to the land.

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Louisiana's vanishing island: the climate 'refugees' resettling for $52m

The Guardian - Tue, 2016-03-15 22:30

Isle de Jean Charles has lost 98% of its land and most of its population to rising sea levels – but as remaining residents consider relocation, what happens next is a test case to address resettlement needs

Wenceslaus Billiot, an 88-year-old native of Isle de Jean Charles, Louisiana, remembers growing up on a much different island than the two-mile sliver of his ancestral home that remains today.

“When I was a kid I used to do trapping in the back,” he said, gesturing towards the back of the small, one-story house that stands elevated on stilts to escape the floods that roll in from the bayou after nearly every storm. “You could walk for a long time. Now, nothing but water.”

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Recovery Plan for Three Handfish Species

Department of the Environment - Tue, 2016-03-15 16:49
Recovery Plan for Three Handfish Species: Spotted handfish Brachionichthys hirsutus, Red handfish Thymichthys politus and Ziebell's handfish Brachiopsilus ziebelli
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Carbon sinks less likely to 'bite back', according to new research

ABC Science - Tue, 2016-03-15 16:08
CLIMATE CHANGE: New findings suggest carbon dioxide from increasing plant respiration in a warming world may not be as big a problem for global warming as some have thought.

A brief history of gravitational waves

ABC Science - Tue, 2016-03-15 15:33
GREAT MOMENTS IN SCIENCE: It took a century of speculation and experimentation to discover gravitational waves, as Dr Karl explains.

Blue-green algae and Commonwealth Environmental Water

Department of the Environment - Tue, 2016-03-15 13:47
An overview on blue-green algal blooms, how they are managed and the role of the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder.
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T-rex's tiny ancestor could hold clue to predator's dominance

ABC Science - Tue, 2016-03-15 11:58
EVOLUTION GAP: The fossils of a newly discovered, smaller ancestor of the Tyrannosaurus rex may hold clues as to why the iconic dinosaur rose to the top of the food chain, scientists say.

Rare 'fairy circles' discovered in outback Australia

ABC Science - Tue, 2016-03-15 09:05
ENIGMATIC PATTERNS: The chance discovery of 'fairy circles' in Western Australia's Pilbara region is providing new insight into one of nature's enduring puzzles.

What happens in our brains when we hallucinate?

ABC Science - Mon, 2016-03-14 09:46
VIVID MIND: You don't have to have schizophrenia or take LSD to have a hallucination, and they don't always have to be scary either.

York to replace Foss flood defence pumps after Boxing Day failure

The Guardian - Sat, 2016-03-12 00:42

Environment Agency says eight pumps capable of handling 30% more water to be installed along river as part of £13m project

The Environment Agency has said it intends to replace all water pumps around York months after the failure of one led to flooding in large swaths of the city.

Eight pumps capable of dealing with 30% more water are to be installed over the next 20 months, the agency said.

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Categories: Around The Web

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