Earth ChangesS


Hourglass

Loggerhead turtles on decline in Florida

Tampa, Fla. -- The number of loggerhead sea turtle nests is on the decline throughout Florida, indicating a potential threat to the animals, wildlife experts say.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission official Anne Meylan said 4,692 of the 45,084 loggerhead nests counted last year in Florida are now gone, an alarming development for wildlife officials, The Tampa (Fla.) Tribune said Saturday.

Roses

Why flowers have lost their scent

Pollution is dulling the scent of flowers and impeding some of the most basic processes of nature, disrupting insect life and imperilling food supplies, a new study suggests.

Evil Rays

4.5 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Illinois Continuing Series

A 4.5-magnitude tremor struck southern Illinois on Monday continuing the series of aftershocks initiated by the 5.2 earthquake which hit the region Friday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) informed.

Phoenix

US: Forest Fire Scorches 3,000 Acres in Ulster Park

A fast-moving forest fire that twice jumped trenches dug to hold it back has scorched 3,000 acres of the Minnewaska State Park Preserve near New Paltz, N.Y., an official said on Sunday.

Only minor injuries were reported in the fire, which started on Thursday in the northeast quadrant of the park, about 90 miles north of New York City in Ulster County.

But residents of a nearby hamlet have been told to prepare for evacuation, said Yancey Roy, a spokesman for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Cloud Lightning

Tornadoes hit Maryland, US

Two tornadoes ripped through the Maryland suburbs of Washington yesterday, part of a weather system that sparked fires, spawned hail and flooded roads around the state.

Afternoon reports of severe weather in Charles and Prince George's counties were confirmed as tornadoes late last night by the National Weather Service in Sterling, Va. No injuries were reported.

Bulb

The fallacy of "Climate Change"

"Climate Change" seems to be the new buzzword these days among environmentalists and politicians who were formerly the proponents of "Global-Warming". Unfortunately, the term "climate change" is a meaningless phrase. The climate is always changing, about as often as the weather in fact. Some years are warm, while others are cool. Some years are dry, while others are wet. There are El Niños, and there are La Niñas. There have been ice ages and warm periods throughout Earth's history. And the term "Global Climate Change" is not much better. That simply tells us that the climate is changing everywhere in the world. Yeah, and so...?

Cloud Lightning

Jet Streams Move Poleward, Widening Hurricane Belt, Study Says

Global warming may be pushing the jet streams toward the Earth's poles, widening the area where hurricanes may form, scientists at the Carnegie Institution's Department for Global Ecology found.

Nuke

Coral reefs can survive nuclear explosion

New Queensland research has found coral reefs can survive a nuclear explosion but may not be able to survive global warming.

Scientists at Townsville's James Cook University have found healthy coral reef populations growing inside the Bravo atomic bomb crater in the Marshall Islands. The Bravo crater was formed in 1954 by a bomb a thousand times more powerful than the one dropped on Hiroshima.

Recycle

Colorado, US: Water law coming into play

Colorado's complex system for appropriating water - which was shaped in part by disputes over Poudre River water - will come into play if Glade Reservoir is built.

State water law is based on the concept "first in time, first in right," also known as the doctrine of prior appropriation.

Eye 2

Komodo Dragon's Bite Is "Weaker Than a House Cat's"



Komodo Dragon
©Kenneth Garrett/NGS
A Komodo dragon prowls Rinca Island, Indonesia, in a file photo. A new study has found that the giant lizards have surprisingly weak bites and instead use their sharp teeth and strong neck muscles to subdue their prey.

The world's largest living lizard, the fearsome Komodo dragon, has a bite weaker than a house cat's, researchers say.

Though known for killing prey much larger than itself, the Komodo relies on its razor-sharp teeth, strong neck muscles, and "space frame" skull to subdue its prey, according to a new study.