Atmospheric deposition of mercury is about four times higher in lakes near several major US cities compared to lakes in remote areas, according to a new study by the US Geological Survey.
Atmospheric deposition is the predominant pathway for mercury to reach sensitive ecosystems, where it can accumulate in fish and harm wildlife and humans, the US Geological Survey reported.
Coal-fired power plants and industries are among the primary sources of mercury emissions. Mercury emissions can travel far in the atmosphere, and the relative importance of local, regional, or international mercury emissions to natural waters is generally unknown.
This is the first study to quantify the relation between mercury fallout and distance from major urban centers.
The study included lakes nearby, and remote from Boston, Mass.; Albany, N.Y.; Montreal, Canada; New Haven, Conn.; Tampa and Orlando, Fla.; Chicago, Ill.; Minneapolis, Minn.; Denver, Colo.; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Portland, Ore.
To better understand geographic patterns of mercury deposition, the USGS analyzed sediment cores from 12 lakes with undeveloped watersheds near to - less than 30 miles - and remote from - more than 90 miles - several major urban areas in the United States.
Earth Changes
© Agence France-Presse
Bad memories: A Thai man takes a photo of a wave in Prachuap khiri khan province southern Thailand. About 100 people were evacuated and dozens of tourists stranded.
Bad memories: A Thai man takes a photo of a wave in Prachuap khiri khan province southern Thailand. About 100 people were evacuated and dozens of tourists stranded.
The three-to-four metre high wave inundated a shore on the Gulf of Thailand, causing floods of one metre deep and damaging houses in a village in Chumphon province, according to provincial governor Pinich Charoenpanich.
Dozens of tourists were stranded on Phitak Island with about 1000 people in total affected by the waves. Reports suggest about 200 households were hit, although there are no reports of casualties.
Mr Pinich said officials helped evacuate about a hundred people to a safe place farther inland, and were expected to return home when the waters had subsided and the wind dropped.
© Flickr
Giant waves breaking on shoreline
Giant waves breaking on shoreline
Among the areas hardly-hit were Hua Lame village in Langsuan district and sub-villages in the three sub districts as giant waves struck before noon time. No casualties have been reported so far.
Flooding in the coastal villages did not originate directly from heavy rainfall in contrast with the flooding devastation in Southern Philippines as giant waves struck the villages which reportedly caused the flooding.
You will see 5 of the 10 eruptions which occurred today at Sakurajima. If you were to watch the videos in extreme fast forward, the volcano would appear like a steam engine -- literally giving off eruptions all day long at regular intervals.
In this video, you will see static discharge lightning, lava bomb/missiles/projectiles, and the entire mountainside covered in lava.
The volcano webcams were not uploading for at least a week, it is good to see the site back up and running !
In this video, you will see static discharge lightning, lava bomb/missiles/projectiles, and the entire mountainside covered in lava.
The volcano webcams were not uploading for at least a week, it is good to see the site back up and running !
Road closures: Dozens of vehicles sit along the side of a highway in Rio Rancho, N.M., waiting for authorities to reopen U.S. 550 northbound
More than a foot of snow was dumped on the region yesterday, with high winds making driving conditions treacherous.
Several roads including Interstate 40 were shut as high winds created snow drifts and icy conditions.
There were also delays for passengers flying out of Albequerque and Denver.
Stranded motorist Tarquin Wilding told KOAT-TV: 'If you don't have (four-wheel drive) and you just have two-wheel ... you're either going to spin or stay stuck'.
Emergency crews rescued more than 1,000 drivers trapped along the Egnatia Highway near the towns of Kozani and Grevana, but hundreds more remained confined to their cars.
Darwin residents are bracing for wild weather on Christmas Day as a cyclone heads toward the Top End coast.
The Bureau of Meteorology has upgraded Darwin from a cyclone watch to a cyclone warning.
It is predicting a tropical low off the Top End coast will develop into a category one cyclone around 4:00am ACST, strengthening into a category two system by 10:00pm.
Gusts of up to 110 kilometres per hour are expected to lash the Territory coastline including the Tiwi Islands.
The Bureau of Meteorology has upgraded Darwin from a cyclone watch to a cyclone warning.
It is predicting a tropical low off the Top End coast will develop into a category one cyclone around 4:00am ACST, strengthening into a category two system by 10:00pm.
Gusts of up to 110 kilometres per hour are expected to lash the Territory coastline including the Tiwi Islands.
© Tomohiko Suzuki
Tomohiko Suzuki, in full protective gear, near the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant on July 18.
Tomohiko Suzuki, in full protective gear, near the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant on July 18.
"Absolutely no progress is being made" towards the final resolution of the crisis, Suzuki told reporters at a Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan news conference on Dec. 15. Suzuki, 55, worked for a Toshiba Corp. subsidiary as a general laborer there from July 13 to Aug. 22, documenting sloppy repair work, companies including plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) playing fast and loose with their workers' radiation doses, and a marked concern for appearances over the safety of employees or the public.
For example, the no-entry zones around the plant -- the 20-kilometer radius exclusion zone and the extension covering most of the village of Iitate and other municipalities -- have more to do with convenience that actual safety, Suzuki says.
"(Nuclear) technology experts I've spoken to say that there are people living in areas where no one should be. It's almost as though they're living inside a nuclear plant," says Suzuki. Based on this and his own radiation readings, he believes the 80-kilometer-radius evacuation advisory issued by the United States government after the meltdowns was "about right," adding that the government probably decided on the current no-go zones to avoid the immense task of evacuating larger cities like Iwaki and Fukushima.
Glistening in the setting afternoon sun of an Icelandic winter, the Crystal Cave of Svmnafellsjvkull (CORR) in Skaftafell national park, highlights nature's beauty.
Created by the awesome forces of the Vatnajvkull ice cap in the south of the volcanic island, the deep blue cave was formed by the glacier meeting the coastline.
The centuries old ice that has come from the slopes of 6,921 feet tall Vrffajvkull, Iceland's tallest active volcano, has compressed all air out of the ice adding to the texture and colour of the cave.
Accessible through a 22-foot entrance on the shoreline, the cave tapers to a tight squeeze at the end no more than four feet high.
'Blue ice like this deep blue occurs over hundreds of years and begins when simple snow falls onto ice or in this case a glacier,' said 35-year old photographer Orvar Thorgeirsson.
Created by the awesome forces of the Vatnajvkull ice cap in the south of the volcanic island, the deep blue cave was formed by the glacier meeting the coastline.
The centuries old ice that has come from the slopes of 6,921 feet tall Vrffajvkull, Iceland's tallest active volcano, has compressed all air out of the ice adding to the texture and colour of the cave.
© Orvar Thorgeirsson
Nature at its best: Created by the awesome forces of the Vatnajvkull ice cap in the south of the volcanic island, the deep blue cave was formed by the glacier meeting the coastline
Nature at its best: Created by the awesome forces of the Vatnajvkull ice cap in the south of the volcanic island, the deep blue cave was formed by the glacier meeting the coastline
'Blue ice like this deep blue occurs over hundreds of years and begins when simple snow falls onto ice or in this case a glacier,' said 35-year old photographer Orvar Thorgeirsson.
Christchurch is today facing a grim future after being hit by yet another violent earthquake, its third major tremor in 15 months - with scientists predicting many more to come.
Experts predict the quakes will continue to hit New Zealand's second city for the next four years as residents rapidly lose the will to stay with the cost of making good after each disaster spiralling upwards.
The latest quake was registered at 5.8 magnitude, and although no lives were lost fears are growing that Christchurch could soon become a 'ghost town'.
Experts predict the quakes will continue to hit New Zealand's second city for the next four years as residents rapidly lose the will to stay with the cost of making good after each disaster spiralling upwards.
© GNS
Devastation: A seismograph shows the effect of the Christchurch earthquake
Devastation: A seismograph shows the effect of the Christchurch earthquake
