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Satellite Eye on Earth: June 2017 – in pictures

The Guardian - Thu, 2017-07-27 23:18

Patagonia’s icefields, Australia’s changing tides, and volcanic activity in Alaska are among the images captured by Nasa and the ESA last month

Alaska’s remote Bogoslof Island volcano erupted in a series of explosions starting in December 2016, triggering the highest aviation alert as it shot ash plumes at least 35,000ft into the atmosphere. By monitoring the volcano via satellite and seismologic data, scientists can provide a warning of when further eruptions could pose a risk to aircraft. This image shows just a small puff of smoke rising from the volcano, while a sediment plume drifts towards the top left of the image, turning the Bering Sea a bright blue-green.

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Categories: Around The Web

England and Wales record warmest winter since 1910

The Guardian - Thu, 2017-07-27 22:44

Met Office figures for 2016 also show long-term decrease in amount of frost, while last winter was the second wettest on record across the country

The winter of 2016 was the warmest for England and Wales in records that stretch back to 1910, the Met Office’s annual State of the UK Climate report revealed on Thursday.

The average temperature from December 2015 to February 2016 was more than 2C above the long-term average across the southern half of the UK. The report also found that, over the last decade, the number of air frosts has dropped by 7% and the number of ground frosts by 9%, compared with the average between 1981-2010.

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A profile of award-winning climate scientist Kevin Trenberth | John Abraham

The Guardian - Thu, 2017-07-27 20:00

Kevin Trenberth - recent award winner - is one of the world’s foremost climate scientists

The American Geophysical Union - the pre-eminent organization of Earth scientists - presents annual awards to celebrate the achievements of scientists. The awards, which are often named after famous historical scientists, reflect the contributions to science in the area of the award namesake. With the 2017 award winners just announced, it’s appropriate to showcase one of the winners here.

The 2017 winner of the Roger Revelle medal is Dr. Kevin E. Trenberth. One of the most well-known scientists in the world, he is certainly the person most knowledgeable about climate change that I know.

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Lapland zoo polar bears enjoy snow gift

BBC - Thu, 2017-07-27 17:11
Christmas has come early for Lapland zoo polar bears with snow in July.
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Top tips for RideLondon, the capital's cycling marathon

The Guardian - Thu, 2017-07-27 16:10

Here’s how to prepare for the 100-mile cycling event ...

Shortly before 6am on Sunday, the first of about 25,000 intrepid cyclists will set off from the Olympic Park in east London on a 100-mile trip through the capital and into the hills of Surrey, finishing on the Mall.

It is the fifth year of an event which has so far lived up to its billing of a London marathon for two wheels, part of a wider and much-enjoyed weekend of cycling activities in the capital, which has now spawned similar events elsewhere in Britain.

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Watching ice melt: inside Nasa’s mission to the north pole

The Guardian - Thu, 2017-07-27 15:00

For 10 years, Nasa has been flying over the ice caps to chart their retreat. This data is an invaluable record of climate change. But does anyone care? By Avi Steinberg

From the window of a Nasa aircraft flying over the Arctic, looking down on the ice sheet that covers most of Greenland, it’s easy to see why it is so hard to describe climate change. The scale of polar ice, so dramatic and so clear from a plane flying at 450 metres (1,500ft) – high enough to appreciate the scope of the ice and low enough to sense its mass – is nearly impossible to fathom when you aren’t sitting at that particular vantage point.

But it’s different when you are there, cruising over the ice for hours, with Nasa’s monitors all over the cabin streaming data output, documenting in real time – dramatising, in a sense – the depth of the ice beneath. You get it, because you can see it all there in front of you, in three dimensions.

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Paris 1.5-2°C target far from safe, say world-leading scientists

RenewEconomy - Thu, 2017-07-27 14:50
Targeting a limit of 1.5-2°C of warning far from safe, and will spur feedbacks with potential to run out of humanity’s control.
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A beast of an airship follows us down to the pub

The Guardian - Thu, 2017-07-27 14:30

Sandy, Bedfordshire The Airlander 10 is a 92-metre hybrid airship-plane, full of helium and personality

Half an hour after appearing high over our washing line a giant followed us down to the pub. The church bells next door rang eight, the air was mosquito-still and then an all-consuming bass rumble filled the sky.

A puffed up grey cloud three times the length of a blue whale came overhead. People sitting at the neighbouring table glanced up, then went back to their drinks.

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EnergyAustralia: “The truth about coal is that it is not cheap”

RenewEconomy - Thu, 2017-07-27 14:19
EnergyAustralia says coal is not cheap and idea that new coal plants could reduce electricity costs is a "myth". This comes as the ACCC vows to focus on bidding practices in wholesale markets, an issue completely ignored by AEMC, the market rule maker.
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ACT launches second phase of battery test centre, early results in

RenewEconomy - Thu, 2017-07-27 14:17
Early results suggest that lithium-ion out-performs both the advanced and traditional lead-acid battery packs in terms of round-trip efficiency.
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Electricity sector “gold plating” behind sky-high prices – not renewables

RenewEconomy - Thu, 2017-07-27 14:13
TAI report says electricity sector gold-plating costing households $400-$500 a year. Cost of carbon price: "barely noticeable."
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AGL expands smart technology portfolio with $13m in US start-up

RenewEconomy - Thu, 2017-07-27 14:11
AGL invests $13 million in smart lock and smart home controls start-up in US, expanding its push into new technologies.
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Queensland launches “world’s largest” EV fast-charging network

RenewEconomy - Thu, 2017-07-27 12:46
Queensland govt launches Electric Super Highway, names first 18 locations for "green-powered" EV fast charging stations.
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Digging for carbon cuts: How the mining industry can win with renewables

RenewEconomy - Thu, 2017-07-27 11:33
An unprecedented drop in renewable energy prices, the high energy intensity of mining, and the volatility of fossil fuel pricing have combined to create a groundbreaking opportunity for decarbonizing the mining industry.
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UK to ban gas and diesel cars by 2040

RenewEconomy - Thu, 2017-07-27 11:30
Electric cars will soon be as cheap as gas ones, “signaling economic turmoil for oil-exporting countries.”
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Spain’s auction allocates 3.5 GW of solar PV capacity

RenewEconomy - Thu, 2017-07-27 10:08
Solar had the largest share in Spain’s renewable energy auction, leaving wind power, which won all the allocated capacity in the previous auction, with just 720 MW.
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WBHO to deliver largest utility-scale solar farm in WA

RenewEconomy - Thu, 2017-07-27 09:23
Perth-based business WBHO Infrastructure, in Joint Venture with Singapore based Phoenix Solar, has secured the EPC (Engineering, Procurement & Construction) contract to deliver WA’s largest solar project, Byford Solar Farm.
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ACT recognised for forward thinking behind reverse auctions

RenewEconomy - Thu, 2017-07-27 09:12
The ACT Government’s innovative reverse auctions for renewable energy investment last night won the Innovative Solutions category of the Institute for Public Administration’s 2017 Public Sector Innovation Awards.
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'We have got a problem with compliance': Glyde

ABC Environment - Thu, 2017-07-27 08:06
MDBA chief Phillip Glyde says it's not an acceptable state of affairs if 'the rules of racing' are not being followed and the States are gaming the Murray Darling Basin Plan.
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300 billion litres of Murray Darling water 'lost' to infrastructure upgrades

ABC Environment - Thu, 2017-07-27 07:52
Leading water scientist Dr. John Williams says around $3bn of taxpayer money which has been paid out to improve water efficiency in the Murray Darling has dramatically reduced environmental water flows in the Basin.
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