Tiny plastic particles present a threat to creatures on land, and may have damaging effects similar or even more problematic than in our oceans. Researchers from the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) and their Berlin colleagues warn that the impact of microplastics in soils, sediments and freshwater sources could have a long-term negative effect on terrestrial ecosystems throughout the world.
It is now widely accepted that microplastics contaminate the oceans and are harmful to coastal and marine habitats. And yet what effect do fragments of plastic have on land ecosystems?
Jessica Green Daily Mail Fri, 09 Feb 2018 12:36 UTC
Some cars manage to swerve to avoid getting caught up in the dangerous scenes and many motorists can be seen fleeing from their vehicles in a bid to avoid any oncoming traffic
Footage has emerged that captures a timelapse of the terrifying moment when more than 50 vehicles - including a Dancing with the Stars tour bus - piled into each other during a blizzard.
A traffic camera shows how motorists on a busy Iowa highway battled against horrific driving conditions before colliding into one another.
The accident, which killed one person and left at least five people in critical condition, happened on interstate 35 in Ames where temperatures on the road had plummeted to below -18C.
The Iowa Department of Transportation released the clip - which shows dozens of vehicles, including trucks, slide into the large pileup on Monday.
Kylie Stevens and Emily Pidgeon Daily Mail Sat, 10 Feb 2018 12:01 UTC
Power has been cut, main roads flooded and more than 200 people have been evacuated from their homes in Samoa
Residents in Samoa hope the worst is over as tropical cyclone Gita moves away from the island nation after wreaking havoc.
Power has been cut and more than 200 people have been evacuated from their homes after major flooding, which include main roads in the capital city of Apia.
A category 2 cyclone warning on Saturday morning has since been cancelled.
'Tropical cyclone warning category 1 (39-54mph) remains in force for all of Samoa,' Samoa Meteorological Service's Facebook page states.
'Heavy rain warning remain in effect for Samoa; flooding and landslide is possible for vulnerable areas. Flood advisory remains in effect for low-lying coastal areas due to high surf.'
Tuvalu - the Pacific island group often cited by climate alarmists as the nation most immediately at risk from rising sea levels caused by 'global warming' - is not sinking after all.
In fact it's getting bigger, scientists now admit.
Comment: Earth's rotation is slowing with scientists predicting an upsurge in earthquakes, and we're seeing a dramatic increase in sinkholes, landslides and other earth movements; wind speeds are changing, as is the gulf stream, and the behaviour of the jet streams are increasingly erratic; more cosmic rays are reaching earth, and in tandem with all this, the Sun is entering a grand solar minimum, its quietest in 200 years, and we're seeing solar system wide climate change.
Meanwhile on Earth, the evidence of these changes are everywhere:
Two young people were found dead Wednesday and one person was missing after heavy rains caused a mudslide and flooding in a central Bolivia town, authorities said.
The governor of Cochabamba province said both of the known dead were minors.
The overnight swelling of the Taquina river damaged buildings and covered streets in mud and rubble in the small community of Tiquipaya, about 150 miles (250 kilometers) east of La Paz.
President Evo Morales issued a state of emergency for several regions that were worst-hit by torrential rains. The decree sets out money to help the more than 6,300 families affected.
Statistics from the Fire and Rescue Department reveal that it received two emergency calls for landslides in November 2017, which then increased to 34 in December 2017.
In January 2018, the calls slowed down to 20, before picking up again from February 1-7, with 31 calls in just one week.
No damage to property was reported in the last three months.
Meanwhile, one of the calls received this month involved a 10-metre landslide in the Brunei-Muara District. The matter has since been referred to the Public Works Department (JKR) for further action.
In relation to this, the department is advising members of the public to be on the alert for any warning signs of landslides in their surroundings.
Huge hail hit Cordoba, Argentina earlier this month
The hail started around 4:30 in the afternoon in Cordoba, Argentina. At first, it was "tiny and fun," but then it changed. Hailstones larger than tennis balls began to fall from the sky, eventually growing to mammoth size.
Victoria Druetta hurriedly snagged one giant stone that fell in her neighborhood of Carlos Paz, snapped a photo of it and placed it in her freezer.
"The hail lasted 20 minutes. It was kind of scary," Druetta recalled. "It hit and then exploded and then melted some. It was probably even bigger."
Work got under way on Friday to remove an 18-meter (59-foot) fin whale that washed up dead on a beach near the northern Spanish town of Caravia.
Because of the whale's size, the task requires sectioning the carcass into portions.
Area residents gathered to watch the team remove the tail and loading it onto a truck for transport to facilities run by Proygrasa, a company specializing in the collection and disposal of carcasses.
Comment: Australian researchers: 'We found evidence of microplastics pretty much everywhere we looked'