Is the earth warming? Is human activity the cause? Is there anything we can do about it?
While many believe there is a consensus in the scientific community that humans are causing the earth to heat and that serious action must be taken immediately, that's not what most Americans believe, according to a Pew Poll taken May 8.
The poll did find that 71 percent of Americans say there is solid evidence that the earth is warming. But only 47 percent said they believed the earth was warming because of human activities, such as burning fossil fuels.
Earth Changes
Severe thunderstorms are winding down across West Michigan, leaving a trail of downed trees and power lines in their wake.
Most severe weather reports are of hail and heavy rains.
There are reports of some trees down and lightning strikes of homes and power lines.
Most severe weather reports are of hail and heavy rains.
There are reports of some trees down and lightning strikes of homes and power lines.
To Monday noon, the total rainfall recorded at the Hong Kong Observatory in June had reached 1,346.1 millimeters, which has become the wettest month since records began in 1884.
The new record broke the one previous monthly rainfall record of 1,241.1 millimeters set in May, 1889.
The new record broke the one previous monthly rainfall record of 1,241.1 millimeters set in May, 1889.
Last week it snowed, yesterday people wore shorts and by the end of the week it will snow again.
Hobart enjoyed a beautiful day of sunshine yesterday, with the temperature creeping up to a summer-like 18.1C.
Out of all the capital cities in Australia, only Darwin, Sydney and Brisbane were warmer than Hobart.
But as children took time out to play at the beach, Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Barry Becker had some bad news: don't make any outdoor engagements for later in the week.
Hobart enjoyed a beautiful day of sunshine yesterday, with the temperature creeping up to a summer-like 18.1C.
Out of all the capital cities in Australia, only Darwin, Sydney and Brisbane were warmer than Hobart.
But as children took time out to play at the beach, Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Barry Becker had some bad news: don't make any outdoor engagements for later in the week.
Authorities on Wednesday ordered most of the remaining residents of this scenic coastal community to leave after an out-of-control wildfire jumped a fire line and threatened more homes.
New mandatory evacuation notices were issued Wednesday morning for an additional 10-mile stretch along Highway 1, bringing the total length of the evacuated area to about 25 miles of the coast, emergency officials said.
"The fire is just a big raging animal right now," said Darby Marshall, spokesman for the Monterey County Office of Emergency Services.
Firefighters are battling more than 1,100 wildfires, mostly ignited by lightning, that have scorched 680 square miles and destroyed 60 homes and other buildings across Northern California since June 20, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
New mandatory evacuation notices were issued Wednesday morning for an additional 10-mile stretch along Highway 1, bringing the total length of the evacuated area to about 25 miles of the coast, emergency officials said.
"The fire is just a big raging animal right now," said Darby Marshall, spokesman for the Monterey County Office of Emergency Services.
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| ©NASA photo via Associated Press |
| Fires near Big Sur are shown in a photo from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer instrument on NASA's Terra satellite on Sunday, June 29, 2008. The image combines a natural color portrayal of the landscape with thermal infrared data showing the active burning areas in red. The dark area in the lower right is a previous forest fire. |
Firefighters are battling more than 1,100 wildfires, mostly ignited by lightning, that have scorched 680 square miles and destroyed 60 homes and other buildings across Northern California since June 20, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
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| ©Unknown |
Study Discovers Lava Spewing Activity
In a series of different expeditions on the Arctic Seafloor, there have been a number of volcano spots located that are actively spewing red-hot lava out of the seafloor.
It has revealed itself as an explosive geographical location, with fountains of molten lava and gas that are springing out of different volcanoes under the sea near the North Pole.
The researchers that went in search of ocean floor conditions near the North Pole were surprised to discover the intensity and variety of volatile activity beneath the Arctic Ice.
Chile's Llaima volcano, one of South America's most active, is spewing lava in southern Chile, the government said on Tuesday, ordering an evacuation just two months after the spectacular eruption of the Chaiten volcano further south.
Snow-capped Llaima, near Chile's picturesque lake region, erupted violently on New Year's Day, forcing the temporary evacuation of some tourists and residents from the surrounding Conguillio National Park, and then belched ash and lava in February.
On Tuesday the government ordered a 9-mile (15 km) exclusion zone around the 10,253-foot (3,125 meter)-high volcano and ordered the evacuation of around 40 people from the area, about 435 miles (700 km) south of the capital Santiago.
Snow-capped Llaima, near Chile's picturesque lake region, erupted violently on New Year's Day, forcing the temporary evacuation of some tourists and residents from the surrounding Conguillio National Park, and then belched ash and lava in February.
On Tuesday the government ordered a 9-mile (15 km) exclusion zone around the 10,253-foot (3,125 meter)-high volcano and ordered the evacuation of around 40 people from the area, about 435 miles (700 km) south of the capital Santiago.
A wildfire in the Los Padres National Forest has forced authorities to evacuate residents living in the canyon areas north of Goleta in Santa Barbara County.
U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Kathy Good says the fire has burned roughly 50 acres of heavy brush in the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains. She says winds are pushing the fire down a slope toward homes in the Glen Annie and La Patera canyons.
Authorities issued a mandatory evacuation for residents in those areas.
U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Kathy Good says the fire has burned roughly 50 acres of heavy brush in the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains. She says winds are pushing the fire down a slope toward homes in the Glen Annie and La Patera canyons.
Authorities issued a mandatory evacuation for residents in those areas.
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| ©AP |
| Residents watch as a brush fire burns out of control in the Santa Ynez Mountains near Santa Barbara, Calif. |
LIMA -- The U.S. Geological Survey says a 5.5-magnitude earthquake rattled Peru's central highlands, followed by a 4.7-magnitude temblor in the same area. No damages or injuries were immediately reported.
The first quake struck at 7:17 p.m. (0017GMT) Monday evening, and the second hit 47 minutes later.
The epicenter was a sparsely populated area 70 miles (110 kilometers) east-southeast of Huanuco, the closest major city.
The first quake was the fourth with a greater-than-4.7 magnitude to strike the area in the past week.
The first quake struck at 7:17 p.m. (0017GMT) Monday evening, and the second hit 47 minutes later.
The epicenter was a sparsely populated area 70 miles (110 kilometers) east-southeast of Huanuco, the closest major city.
The first quake was the fourth with a greater-than-4.7 magnitude to strike the area in the past week.
Like the proverbial canary in the coal mine, penguins are sounding the alarm for potentially catastrophic changes in the world's oceans, and the culprit isn't only climate change, says a University of Washington conservation biologist.
Oil pollution, depletion of fisheries and rampant coastline development that threatens breeding habitat for many penguin species, along with Earth's warming climate, are leading to rapid population declines among penguins, said Dee Boersma, a University of Washington biology professor and an authority on the flightless birds.
"Penguins are among those species that show us that we are making fundamental changes to our world," she said. "The fate of all species is to go extinct, but there are some species that go extinct before their time and we are facing that possibility with some penguins."
In a new paper published in the July-August edition of the journal BioScience, Boersma notes that there are 16 to 19 penguin species, and most penguins are at 43 geographical sites, virtually all in the Southern Hemisphere. But for most of these colonies, so little is known that even their population trends are a mystery. The result is that few people realized that many of them were experiencing sharp population declines.
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| ©Dee Boersma |
| Rain has soaked this Adélie penguin chick in Antarctica before its feathers are capable of repelling water. Though the icy continent is in essence a desert, coastal rainfall is becoming more common with changing climate. |
Oil pollution, depletion of fisheries and rampant coastline development that threatens breeding habitat for many penguin species, along with Earth's warming climate, are leading to rapid population declines among penguins, said Dee Boersma, a University of Washington biology professor and an authority on the flightless birds.
"Penguins are among those species that show us that we are making fundamental changes to our world," she said. "The fate of all species is to go extinct, but there are some species that go extinct before their time and we are facing that possibility with some penguins."
In a new paper published in the July-August edition of the journal BioScience, Boersma notes that there are 16 to 19 penguin species, and most penguins are at 43 geographical sites, virtually all in the Southern Hemisphere. But for most of these colonies, so little is known that even their population trends are a mystery. The result is that few people realized that many of them were experiencing sharp population declines.
