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Polar Bears Found Swimming Miles From Alaskan Coast


Science Daily
Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:43 UTC
An aerial survey by government scientists in Alaska's Chukchi Sea has recently found at least nine polar bears swimming in open water - with one at least 60 miles from shore - raising concern among wildlife experts about their survival.

polar bears
©iStockphoto/Frederic Audet
Polar bear. An aerial survey by government scientists in Alaska's Chukchi Sea has recently found at least nine polar bears swimming in open water -- with one at least 60 miles from shore -- raising concern among wildlife experts about their survival.

Geoff York, the polar bear coordinator for WWF's Arctic Programme, said that when polar bears swim so far from land, they could have difficulty making it safely to shore and are at risk of drowning, particularly if a storm arises.

"To find so many polar bears at sea at one time is extremely worrisome because it could be an indication that as the sea ice on which they live and hunt continues to melt, many more bears may be out there facing similar risk," he said.

"As climate change continues to dramatically disrupt the Arctic, polar bears and their cubs are being forced to swim longer distances to find food and habitat."

Scientists say the Arctic is changing more rapidly and acutely than anywhere on the planet, noting that 2007 witnessed the lowest sea ice coverage in recorded history.
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Cow

Cows seem to know which way is north


Associated Press
Mon, 25 Aug 2008 20:56 UTC
WASHINGTON - Talk about animal magnetism, cows seem to have a built-in compass. No bull: Somehow, cattle seem to know how to find north and south, say researchers who studied satellite photos of thousands of cows around the world.
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Black Cat

Scientist says cat owners threatening fish supplies


RIA Novosti
Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:04 UTC


cat
©Unknown

Cat owners who feed their pets with fish are contributing to overfishing, which is threatening fish stocks worldwide, a scientist at an Australian university said.

Dr Giovanni Turchini of Deakin University said the global cat food industry each consumes 2.48 million metric tons of forage fish - small, rapidly breeding fish that are eaten by larger fish - each year.
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Stop

Scotland declares war on urban seagulls

Ian McKenzie
Reuters
Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:56 UTC
The Scottish government has declared war on increasingly aggressive urban seagulls.

The initial battle will be joined in the southwestern town of Dumfries during next spring's breeding season when a special anti-gull "task force" will seek to destroy nests and drive out the birds.
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Magic Wand

Quake-hit Chinese province sees surge in giant panda births


RIA Novosti
Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:47 UTC


panda
©Unknown

A total of 19 giant panda cubs have been born in captivity in southwest China's Sichuan Province since the May 12 earthquake, state news agency Xinhua cited researchers as saying.

Zhang Zhihe, a leading national panda expert, said nine pandas were born in the devastated region of Wolong and 10 in the provincial capital, Chengdu. The cubs, including eight sets of twins, were born from July onwards.

Giant panda Guo Guo gave birth to twins in mid-July, becoming the first giant panda to give birth since the disaster, the agency said.
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Extinguisher

Lightning charged storms start fires

John Tuohy
The Indianapolis Star
Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:50 UTC
First came a deafening bang and an unnerving rattle, followed moments later by the distinctive smell of smoke.

Two homeowners in the Fishers area described identical experiences today hours after lightning strikes peppered property throughout the region.



Image
©John Tuohy / The Star
Michael Marcum, who lives in Fishers' Spyglass Falls neighborhood, examines a 5-by-5 foot hole today in his 15-year-old son's bedroom after firefighters extinguished a lightning-sparked fire at his home.

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Target

Earthquake shakes central Philippines


Xinhua
Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:17 UTC
Manila -- A 5.7-magnitude earthquake jolted parts of the Visayas and northern Mindanao of the Philippines on Monday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.
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Bizarro Earth

Earthquake strikes Hawke's Bay, New Zealand


3news.co.nz
Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:10 UTC
A strong earthquake, measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale, has shaken the Hawke's Bay region.

GeoNet Science reports the quake, which struck at 11.25pm and was centred 10km southwest of Hastings could be felt over a large area.
      Read More...
Target

Strong earthquake rocks Tibet


Reuters
Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:08 UTC
New Delhi - A strong earthquake measuring 6.4 magnitude struck Tibet on Monday, but no immediate loss of life was reported, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the tremor at 6.3 magnitude, centered near the China-Nepal border at a depth of 21.7 miles. The quake was felt in the Indian capital New Delhi, where witnesses said buildings swayed.
      Read More...
Snowman

US: Winter weather? Almanac says 'Numb's the word!'

Jerry Harkavy
Associated Press
Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:14 UTC
Lewiston, Maine - People worried about the high cost of keeping warm this winter will draw little comfort from the Farmers' Almanac, which predicts below-average temperatures for most of the U.S.

Image
©AP Photo/Pat Wellenbach
Peter Geiger, editor of the Farmers' Almanac, poses outside his company in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008. The 192-year-old publication, which claims an accuracy rate of 80 to 85 percent for its forecasts that are prepared two years in advance is predicting below-average temperatures for most of the U.S. this coming winter.

"Numb's the word," says the 192-year-old publication, which claims an accuracy rate of 80 to 85 percent for its forecasts that are prepared two years in advance.

The almanac's 2009 edition, which goes on sale Tuesday, says at least two-thirds of the country can expect colder-than-average temperatures this winter, with only the Far West and Southeast in line for near-normal readings.

"This is going to be catastrophic for millions of people," said almanac editor Peter Geiger.

The almanac predicts above-normal snowfall for the Great Lakes and Midwest, especially during January and February, and above-normal precipitation for the Southwest in December and for the Southeast in January and February. The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions will likely have an unusually wet or snowy February, the almanac said.

In contrast, the usually wet Pacific Northwest could be a bit drier than normal in February.
      Read More...
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