Earth ChangesS


Info

Python Snakes, An Invasive Species In Florida, Could Spread To One Third Of US


Science Daily
Sun, 24 Feb 2008 11:17 UTC
Burmese pythons - an invasive species in south Florida - could find comfortable climatic conditions in roughly a third of the United States according to new "climate maps" developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Although other factors such as type of food available and suitable shelter also play a role, Burmese pythons and other giant constrictor snakes have shown themselves to be highly adaptable to new environments.

The just-released USGS maps can help natural resource agencies manage and possibly control the spread of non-native giant constrictor snakes, such as the Burmese python, now spreading from Everglades National Park in Florida. These "climate match" maps show where climate in the U.S. is similar to places in which Burmese pythons live naturally (from Pakistan to Indonesia).

A look at the map shows why biologists are concerned.

pythons native range
©USGS
Areas of the continental United States with current climate matching that of the pythons' native range in Asia. By 2100 the yellow "maybe" area is expected to extend north substantially, due to projected climate change.
Read More...
Bizarro Earth

Antarctic glaciers surge to ocean

Martin Redfern
BBC
Sat, 23 Feb 2008 23:54 UTC
UK scientists working in Antarctica have found some of the clearest evidence yet of instabilities in the ice of part of West Antarctica.

If the trend continues, they say, it could lead to a significant rise in global sea level.

The new evidence comes from a group of glaciers covering an area the size of Texas, in a remote and seldom visited part of West Antarctica.
Read More...
Stop

Two boys die in avalanche in Urals


RIA Novosti
Sat, 23 Feb 2008 16:22 UTC
Two boys have died in an avalanche in the Orenburg Region in the Urals, an emergencies ministry spokesman said on Friday.

Two boys aged 12 and 14, who were sledging down a snowy slope on home-made boards, were buried under a 2-meter (6.5 feet) layer of snow.
Read More...
Cow Skull

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who's the Cruelest Species of Them All?

Anneli Rufus
AlterNet
Sat, 23 Feb 2008 12:33 UTC
We are, of course, but a new book on animal cruelty will make your jaw drop about how vicious humans can be to other animals.
Read More...
Fish

Panic after 'Franken-fish' that is deadlier than a piranha is caught in Britain

Jaya Narain
The Daily Mail (UK)
Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:56 UTC
With its razor-sharp teeth, the fish known as the giant snakehead terrorises the warm waters of south-east Asia.

Which is why an angler was particularly startled to hook a 2ft specimen from a river in Lincolnshire.

Andrew Alder caught the snakehead using a sprat for bait while fishing for pike in the River Witham near North Hykeham.

Giant Snakehead
©Daily Mail
Known as the 'gangster' of the fish world, a snakehead was caught in Lincolnshire
Read More...
Bizarro Earth

U.N. says world fisheries face collapse


Reuters
Fri, 22 Feb 2008 22:32 UTC
Monaco - A deadly combination of climate change, over-fishing and pollution could cause the collapse of commercial fish stocks worldwide within decades, said Achim Steiner, head of the United Nations Environment Program.
Read More...
Cloud Lightning

Madagascar: Violence of Cyclone Ivan overwhelms careful preparations


irinnews.org
Fri, 22 Feb 2008 18:45 UTC
As initial assessments shed light on the extensive damage caused by Cyclone Ivan earlier this week, Madagascar is bracing itself for another onslaught as Cyclone Hondo picks up and heads for the island's east coast.

Ivan slammed into Madagascar's northeastern coast on Sunday, 18 February, with winds of up to 210km per hour, leaving a trail of destruction on its way across the island until it slowly diminished in strength and dissipated in the Mozambique Channel on Tuesday.
Read More...
Cloud Lightning

Ecuador extends floods emergency


BBC
Fri, 22 Feb 2008 18:39 UTC


Ecuador flood2
©Associated Press
Residents ride on a make-shift raft in a flooded street in Puerto Inca, Ecuador.

Ecuador has extended a state of emergency to the entire nation after torrential rains triggered floods and mudslides across the country. The move eases access to $25m (£12.7m) in emergency funds for repairs.

Nearly a month of flooding has claimed at least three lives and forced thousands to flee their homes.
Read More...
Snowman

US: Northeast Hit by Major Winter Storm


The New York Times
Fri, 22 Feb 2008 12:29 UTC
A major winter storm struck the northeast Friday morning, with snowfall causing massive delays at airports, closing schools and snarling traffic on streets and highways in the region.

Snow started falling earlier than expected, before daybreak, with four inches measured at mid-morning in Manhattan's Central Park. A total of six to nine inches was expected before the snow is to change to sleet and rain in the afternoon.

Image
©Unknown
Employees clearing snow in a commercial area in Queens.

Arrival delays of more than five hours were reported by the Federal Aviation Administration at Kennedy and Newark airports with a lesser delay of slightly more than three hours at La Guardia.
Read More...
Cow Skull

Record cold kills cattle and rice in Vietnam


The Earth Times
Wed, 13 Feb 2008 18:10 UTC
Record-setting cold weather has killed more than 8,000 cattle and 100,000 hectares of paddy rice in northern Vietnam since mid-January, officials said Tuesday. Most of the cattle have died in northern mountainous provinces, where temperatures during the month-long cold spell have sometimes dropped to below zero Celsius, a rarity in Vietnam.
Read More...