• Welcome
  • Community
  • Blogs
  • Photos
  • Join
  • Log in
Follow MNN    
MNN - Mother Nature Network - Envrionmental News
improve your world
Thursday, February 9, 2012
  • Earth Matters

    Browse All » Animals Weather Energy Politics Space Translating Uncle Sam Wilderness & Resources

  • Health

    Browse All » Allergies Fitness & Well-Being Healthy Spaces

  • Lifestyle

    Browse All » Arts & Culture Travel Natural Beauty & Fashion Recycling Responsible Living

  • GREEN TECH

    Browse All » Computers Gadgets & Electronics Research & Innovations Transportation

  • Eco-Biz & Money

    Browse All » Green Workplace Personal Finance Sustainable Business Practices

  • Food & Drink

    Browse All » Beverages Healthy Eating Recipes

  • Your Home

    Browse All » At Home Organic Farming & Gardening Remodeling & Design

  • family

    Browse All » Babies & Pregnancy Family Activities Pets Protection & Safety

Tweet
Pin It
Email Bookmark and ShareShare
WorldShares lets you earn donations for your favorite nonprofit. Earn up to 20 points now.
Learn More

Earn Points
What's this?
MNN.COM›

MNN BLOGGERS

Russell McLendon

Weekend Briefing

Fri, Aug 28 2009 at 9:15 AM EST

GARBAGE PATCH KIDS: A team of ocean researchers held a press conference Thursday after returning from a three-week voyage to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, calling what they found "shocking." The garbage patch is formed by ocean currents that carry trash from thousands of miles in all directions into a giant vortex of seawater, known as an ocean gyre, in the North Pacific. Most of the debris found there is plastic, which breaks down very slowly, often killing birds and sea creatures in the meantime. [For more, see MNN's feature "What is the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch?"] The scientists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography collected samples of the trash, much of which is tiny bits of plastic that are unfortunately "the right size to be interacting with the food chain out there," lead researcher Miriam Goldstein tells the AP. The team was surprised at how easy trash was to find in the planet's largest ocean, and plans to take another trip next year — this time to the even bigger South Pacific Ocean Gyre. "We are afraid of what we're going to find in the South Pacific, but it's time to go," Scripps director Tony Haymet said during the press conference. (Sources: Associated Press, San Diego Union-Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Reuters)
 
DANNY DOWNGRADES: Tropical Storm Danny has weakened in the western Atlantic, according to the National Hurricane Center, and is barely a tropical storm anymore. But it's still expected to create dangerous conditions along the U.S. East Coast over the weekend, including violent waves and life-threatening rip currents. Danny's maximum sustained winds are down to about 40 mph as of Friday morning, and it's located about 355 miles south of Cape Hatteras, N.C. (Sources: NOAA, Philadelphia Inquirer)
 
LACK OF SHELF CONFIDENCE: It will be at least another year before wind turbines begin popping up on the U.S. continental shelf, Obama administration officials tell the LA Times. Offshore wind power has been a top priority of President Obama's (what hasn't?) since he took office, and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said earlier this year that turbines off American coastlines could meet the entire country's current electricity demand. Salazar also resolved a long-running jurisdictional battle between his agency and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, but the LAT reports that bureaucracy, as well as "regulatory underbrush" left by the Bush administration, continues to hinder the efforts. (Source: LA Times)
 
ENERGETIC SUPPORT: Despite the raucous rancor surrounding the health-care debate, Americans still like how Obama and congressional Democrats are handling energy issues, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll. Nearly 60 percent of poll respondents approve of proposed changes to U.S. energy policy being hashed out by Congress and federal agencies, while 55 percent support how Obama himself is dealing with the issue (compared with 30 percent who don't). While still less controversial than health-care reform, cap-and-trade is the least popular of the potential energy regulations, with 52 percent supporting it and 43 percent opposing it. (Source: Washington Post)
 
NEPAL: More than 3.4 million people in Nepal already face dire food shortages because of climate change, Oxfam International warned Friday, adding that some Nepalese farming communities only have enough food stocks to last a few months. "Communities told us crop production is roughly half that of previous years," one Oxfam worker says. "Last year many could only grow enough [food] for one month's consumption." By raising temperatures too high, melting Himalayan snowpack too early and altering weather patterns too severely — including the region's famous monsoons — climate change has begun dismantling the country's ability to feed itself, Oxfam says. The organization recommends that farmers start trying different crop varieties and work on improving water management. (Source: AP)
 
NO LAUGHING MATTER: Earth's ozone layer was rescued from a death spiral in 1987 by the Montreal Protocol, an international agreement to limit emissions of ozone-depleting chemicals like CFCs, but it may be in trouble again. NOAA researchers report today in the journal Science that nitrous oxide — better known to dental patients and wayward slackers as laughing gas — is emerging as the No. 1 artificial cause of ozone loss. "Right now, nitrous oxide is the most important ozone-depleting gas that is emitted," says the study's lead author. "It will continue to be so unless something is done." N2O is released naturally as bacteria digest nitrogen in soil or water, but humans are adding an extra dose thanks to the breakdown of fertilizers, sewage and the burning of fossil fuels. (Sources: New York Times, New Scientist)
 
STICKY SITUATION: Honeybees have been dying and disappearing across the United States for several years, and scientists are just beginning to piece together the puzzle. Researchers announced earlier this week that affected bees had chunks of ribosomal DNA in their stomachs — a sign that they caught DNA-eating viruses, possibly from the invasive varroa mite. Another research team reported Thursday that high-fructose corn syrup, which is often fed to commercial honeybees to boost reproduction and honey-making, produces potentially dangerous amounts of a toxic substance when it's exposed to heat. While the rate of colony collapse disorder has slowed lately, it's still a major problem — the kind that only a tongue-in-cheek rap video can solve. Funded by ice-cream maker Häagen-Daaz, which uses a lot of honey, five brothers produced the following video to build up buzz over the plight of the honeybee. (Sources: ScienceDaily, Huffington Post)
 
 
— Russell McLendon
 
Want to receive the day's eco-news in your inbox? Click here to sign up for the Daily Briefing newsletter.
 
Photo (ocean debris): Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Mario Aguilera/AP
Photo (offshore wind): NOAA
Photo (Nepalese rice farmer): ZUMA Press
CLOSE link:
Previous Post
Daily Briefing: Thurs.
   Next Post
Daily Briefing: Mon.
You might also like:
Related Topics: Daily Briefing

Comments

Follow this conversation
Add your comment
View:
  • All (0)

Add your comment

Sign in with one of these accounts or just add your comment below.
    Log in or
    create an account
     
    Login
Used only for emailed comments and will not be displayed with your post
Notify me with an email when other people comment on this article.
The posting of advertisement, profanity or personal attacks is prohibited.
Click here to review our Terms of Use
THURSDAY'S BEST BETS

       tease to ecollywood

       tease to squatter

       tease to toxic plants for cats

ADVERTISEMENT

TOP MEMBERSJoin Now
  • poland.jr
    21026 points
  • ecomainegirl
    9359 points
  • achase
    9317 points
  • LauraB
    5049 points
  • Momof2
    4502 points
All members

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER

CONNECT WITH MNN

Follow @twitterapi
 Tumblr
 Google +


Quick Links

  • About Us
  • Advisory Board
  • Editors' Blog
  • Press
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
  • Terms of Service
  • WorldShares

MNN Tools

  • Advice
  • Blogs
  • Day in History
  • Eco-glossary
  • Infographics
  • Lists
  • Photos
  • Videos

Connect

  • Community
  • Contact Us
  • Contests
  • Idea Lab
  • Mixed Greens
  • Newsletters
  • Polls
  • RSS

Channels

  • Earth Matters
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Green Tech
  • Eco-Biz & Money
  • Your Home
  • Family
  • State Reports
 

Copyright © 2012 MNN Holdings, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Website by GLICK INTERACTIVE | Powered by CIRRACORE
 
SPONSORS