tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78079830301559733402024-03-14T00:11:45.814-07:00Global WarmingEdwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09137408491653648852noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807983030155973340.post-81316639960327820382011-08-25T08:01:00.000-07:002008-08-27T08:09:13.111-07:00Global Warming Effects<div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Global warming is not a problem occurred rather it is a problem created.we the people are responsible for this devastating cause.All these developmental issues made today without concerning to <span style="color:#330000;"><strong><em>global warming effects</em></strong></span> that help rise in the globalwarming today is the serious matter of Earth`s declination due to the to the global warming.This globally rising problem signifies that we are the one and only <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SLLL4GI7xkI/AAAAAAAAARk/W45rOJwSXfY/s1600-h/ozone_layer.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238473481166505538" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Ozone layer detail" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SLLL4GI7xkI/AAAAAAAAARk/W45rOJwSXfY/s320/ozone_layer.jpg" border="0" /></a>reason for all the declining lives in this nature i.e.we are responsible for the extinction of all the flora and fauna and even it may be the overwhelming problem for us.</span><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">Here the polar bears are fighting for their survival, all the polar ice caps and glaciers are melting,also the ozone layer(the protectective layer for all the creatures) is being depleted, living creatures are losing their habitat,and else problems are being faced by the Mother Earth.All these facts happening are trying to warn us.So we must be thinking of the the solution either to avoid or to compensate these problems.It is because we caused it and we are the one to solve these problem. </span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Many practices are being held today for this serious crisis by the whole world which shows our implementation.I, also being one of us,thinking i must do what i can,made this site so as i could get you all people the information about the whole world on this problem that are on my approach.I hope i could be the part to save this world from this crisis by bringing awareness through this work.</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238479772363195746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="rise in globalwarming" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SLLRmSrHBWI/AAAAAAAAARs/YHvYlOBcQqI/s400/spencer.jpg" border="0" /></span>Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09137408491653648852noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807983030155973340.post-64152183348499926212008-08-10T20:28:00.000-07:002008-08-10T20:40:56.574-07:00Conservation of flora and fauna in global warming<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ-zkzETOLI/AAAAAAAAARU/Dfzr7UhAS-Q/s1600-h/cydbali_english_color.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233098736792713394" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="UNFCC meeting venue on Indonesia`s hosting" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ-zkzETOLI/AAAAAAAAARU/Dfzr7UhAS-Q/s320/cydbali_english_color.png" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong><span style="color:#003300;">Global warming</span></strong> and <strong><span style="color:#330000;">climate change</span></strong> has become a global issues and concern within the regional and international levels. In the context of national scope, this issues had grew stronger after Indonesia had been selected to become host of the 13th Conference of the Party to the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP 13). The venue took place in Denpasar, Bali.<br /><br />Our earth has already experienced the phenomena of global warming and climate change which leads to hazardous climate events. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has released numbers of research which has proved that the earth are warming and climate are changing. The IPCC is an independent scientific body under the UNFCCC. <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ-zkvAjLDI/AAAAAAAAARM/eF-yS0aCi6s/s1600-h/indonesia.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233098735703239730" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Indonesia as host on climate change conference" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ-zkvAjLDI/AAAAAAAAARM/eF-yS0aCi6s/s320/indonesia.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The phenomena of hazardous climate events has an enormous impact to the environment and human livelihood. Global warming and unpattern climate changes threatened farming for food security, clean water availability, human and ecosystem health. Global warming also threatened the existence of small island nations because of the rising of sea level.<br /><br />Eventhough climate changes has become global issue, but there are still many communities around the world who has not known and understand what is global warming and climate changes. Many of us living in developing countries are limited to information on global warming and climate changes. For many developing countries like Indonesia, efforts to develop public awareness on global warming and climate changes are urgently needed in order to enhance public understanding on the issues.<br /><br />In the efforts of spreading awareness on global warming and climate change, Peka Indonesia collaborating with IISES and TMII conducted one day seminar on global warming and climate change. The seminar was conducted on January 22nd 2007 in Indonesian Miniature Garden, Jakarta with seminar theme "Conservation of Flora and Fauna in the middle of changing climate and global warming"<br /><br />The aim of this one day seminar is to spread out informations on global warming and climate change to the public especially for the staffs of Indonesian Miniature Garden. Participants will received informations on the effect of global warming to the existence of biodiversity, how we can contribute to minimize carbon emission, and how we can actively involve in the conservation of our nature environment. Thus we can minimize the effects of global warming.<br /><br />On this one day seminar, we invited Dr. Sony Keraf (former minister of environment) as a key note speaker. Dr Keraf gave presentation on the science of global warming and climate change and efforts initiate by countries in the world to adapt to climate change. We also invited 5 other speaker to give prensentation on this seminar, they are, Dr. Suryo Wiyon (Department of Agriculture, IPB), Kuswandono (Gede Pangrango National Park), Dr. Rosicon Ubaidilah (Indonesian Institute of Science), and Arif (Pelangi Foundation). These five speaker gave presentations on the topic of global warming and its effect to the earth environment, effect of global warming to flora and fauna, socializing the result of UNFCCC Bali 2007, and opportunity for public involvement to reduce the <strong><em>effect of global warming</em></strong>. The seminar was attended by 150 participant, mostly from staffs of Indonesian Miniature Garden and several from public in general. We sees that forum-forum seminar like this are still needed in order to spread out the information on global warming and climate change. We envision that through good understanding, the public will increase their awareness toward global warming and will initiate an action to contribute on reducing carbon emission, thus minimalizing the <strong><em><span style="color:#330099;">hazardous effects</span></em></strong> of global warming and climate change. </span><span style="font-size:85%;"></span>Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09137408491653648852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807983030155973340.post-24930278402754051592008-08-10T20:03:00.000-07:002008-08-10T20:27:54.479-07:00<div><div><b><u><p><span style="font-family:arial;color:#330000;">The impact of the greenhouse effect on natural terrestrial environments:</span></p></b></u><p><span style="font-family:arial;">The public is increasingly aware of the significance <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ-xMzD77OI/AAAAAAAAARE/vPmtT9SspqA/s1600-h/green-house-effect.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233096125451070690" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Grenhouse effect pic" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ-xMzD77OI/AAAAAAAAARE/vPmtT9SspqA/s320/green-house-effect.png" border="0" /></a>of the <strong>greenhouse effect</strong>. There is an expectation that Governments will take preventative and remedial action urgently. However, in the ecological arena there is as yet no consensus about how this should be done.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">For example, ecological theory suggests that big changes in climate will, over sufficient time, result in major changes in the species composition and relative abundance of species within ecological communities. But these changes could arise because of species adaptation and evolution <i>in situ</i>, or because of migration to 'track' appropriate climatic conditions. Or, of course, a mixture of the two.</span></p><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">In south eastern Australia there has been a great deal of movement of ecological communities as the climate has gradually changed. The very gradual drying and warming as the continent has drifted,north has resulted in the replacement of most of the rainforest communities with dry-environment communities. Very few species that were once part of the rainforest seem to have evolved into new varieties or species adapted to hotter, drier conditions.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">This history suggests that the correct conservation strategy for our flora and fauna is for them to be allowed or assisted to migrate as the climatic bands move. Otherwise it appears that they will perish. The Bio-Clim models showing climatic zones moving hundreds of kilometres, in some cases, reinforce the notion that species or ecological community mobility is important. People even talk of whole nature reserves or Parks being 'in the wrong place' and imply that they should somehow be 'moved'. So the strategy that comes to mind as being the most significant is the maintenance or indeed the re-establishment of corridors to provide for the necessary movement.</span></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233094551262777986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="rainforest" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ-vxKwM0oI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/LRmTYYaZsW0/s400/rainforest.jpg" border="0" /><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">However this 'evidence' does not capture all of what is going on. An alternative history has played itself out in special circumstances. For example, on permanent islands, temporary islands (like the Grampians) and in quasi-islands caused by sharply differing geological zones, species have often been trapped <i>in situ</i>, with nowhere to go despite the climatic changes. In such cases many (most?) of the species survive despite the physiological stress, and go on to adapt <i>in-situ</i>. This often leads to accelerated speciation. A good example is the south west of Western Australia where the underlying geology is very broken up and diverse. The region has been subjected to far more extreme changes in climate than south eastern Australia because of the sea current switching <strong><em><span style="color:#666600;">effect</span></em></strong> caused by temperature changes and yet, unlike the south east of Australia, the species have clung on in place. The fact they have nowhere to go because they cannot migrate out is not the critical issue. What is important is that many of the plants from outside the zone, that might otherwise have been better adapted and could therefore have displaced the original species, have not been able to invade because of the barrier created by the different soil types.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">So it seems that it is not so much <b><i>physiological stress</b></span></i><span style="font-family:arial;">, but <b><i>competition</b></span></i><span style="font-family:arial;"> that decides whether most species will persist in the face of climate change. The enormous adaptability of most plants and animals is demonstrated by agriculture, domestic gardens, botanic gardens and zoos where species from extraordinarily different original environments can often survive so long as competition is kept at bay.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">These special cases suggest that maintaining the <b><i>stability</b></span></i><span style="font-family:arial;"> of the species composition, that is controlling inputs of weeds and pest animals, is the critical strategy. In fact now that human land use changes have changed most natural areas into ?islands? it seems appropriate to use the example of natural ?islands? to guide us in choosing a species survival strategy.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">If we adopt the basic ?island? model, then we have to resolve a paradox about stability and change, especially in the case of small ?islands?. Small ?islands? risk the loss of species due to stochastic shocks - fires, droughts, disease, etc. It is important to have corridors or some other means of allowing species to re-colonise any ?de-stocked? habitat. This implies that species mobility is important. However small ?islands? are more prone to invasion by weeds and pests from the surrounding zone. So minimising species mobility is important. (It seems that the ideal solution would be to surround small native habitat ?islands? with a semi-permeable membrane! - to allow in the local natives but prevent the invasion of exotics.) Larger bush areas, being able to provide for their own restocking, do not raise this dilemma so severely.</span></p><br /><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">So it seems as a universal principle we should not encourage the maximum movement of species in the face of the greenhouse effect. Instead, the conservation of native species is generally best served by maintaining as high a level of stability as the normal short run fluctuations of the environment will allow.</span></p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><br /><br /><p></p></span></div></div>Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09137408491653648852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807983030155973340.post-29255369230160198662008-08-09T23:44:00.000-07:002008-08-10T01:19:24.750-07:00Britain`s changing flora & fauna<div><div><div><div><b><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;color:#330033;">Species under efffect</span><br /></p><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">European beaver</span></p></b><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">Last autumn's news, that beavers were being released into a pen at the Cotswold Water Park as a <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6V6Z_ONNI/AAAAAAAAAOM/XCz3Z2-NOo4/s1600-h/european+beaver.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232784647692104914" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="European Beaver" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6V6Z_ONNI/AAAAAAAAAOM/XCz3Z2-NOo4/s200/european+beaver.jpg" border="0" /></a>prelude to full-scale reintroduction, provoked the usual press hysteria about the damming of rivers and the destruction of trees. In fact the animals in question are European beavers, a much more environmentally-friendly animal than their Canadian cousin, and more likely to improve habitats rather than destroy them. Beavers were originally native here, but went extinct sometime during the 16th century, as a result of hunting for their fur. In mainland Europe, they fell to a low point of 1200 individuals during the 19th century, but have since made a strong recovery.</span></p><div><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong></strong></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong></strong></span> </div><strong><span style="font-family:Arial;">Wild boar</span></strong><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">The conservation authorities were somewhat embarrassed when reports of "really wild" boars <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6V6ZNxb7I/AAAAAAAAAOU/PBEMVEFFVdY/s1600-h/Mead_wild_boar.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232784647484698546" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Wild Boar" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6V6ZNxb7I/AAAAAAAAAOU/PBEMVEFFVdY/s200/Mead_wild_boar.jpg" border="0" /></a>began to appear in the press - usually as a result of an unfortunate motorist literally bumping into one. As escapees from commercial farms, policy dictated that they should be recaptured or killed, to prevent them establishing a permanent presence. But the legislation ignored the fact that wild boars were originally native to Britain, dying out in the 17th century as a result of over-hunting. Once at large, they are also notoriously difficult to track down. So, despite its controversial status, the wild boar looks set to make a permanent return.</span></p><b><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;">Early spider orchid<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6V6781lnI/AAAAAAAAAOc/A3tLhW8-gM4/s1600-h/early+spidar+orchid.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232784656808908402" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Early Spider Orchid" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6V6781lnI/AAAAAAAAAOc/A3tLhW8-gM4/s200/early+spidar+orchid.jpg" border="0" /></a></span></b><br /></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;">During the construction of the Channel Tunnel, almost five million cubic metres of chalk marl was extracted and used to construct a nature reserve, Samphire Hoe near Folkestone. Almost immediately rare orchids began to colonise, and the site is now home to thousands of early spider orchids, one of our rarest species. Common on the continent, this chalk grassland specialist is also found on Ministry of Defence sites and downland reserves in southern England and north Wales. As its name suggests, it usually flowers for a few weeks in late April and early May.</span></div><b><br /><div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />European swallowtail</span></div></b><p><span style="font-family:arial;">Larger and paler than the British version, sightings of European swallowtails have increased in the <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6V65i8d-I/AAAAAAAAAOk/eqynvAt3VZE/s1600-h/european+swallowstails.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232784656163436514" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="European Swallowtails" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6V65i8d-I/AAAAAAAAAOk/eqynvAt3VZE/s200/european+swallowstails.jpg" border="0" /></a>past few years, and the species is now a regular visitor to southern England, where it has occasionally bred. Ironically, the distinctive British swallowtail, confined to a few sites in the Norfolk Broads, remains highly vulnerable, due to its dependence on a single food-plant - milk-parsley. Another migrant butterfly, the clouded yellow, has recently begun to overwinter in Britain, with successful breeding reported from, among other sites, the cliffs above the beach at Bournemouth!</span></p><b><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;">Marsh frog</span></div></b><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6aMamFdrI/AAAAAAAAAOs/OEOTJ5XAl_Y/s1600-h/Stripped%20Marsh%20Frog.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232789355139266226" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="striped marsh frog" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6aMamFdrI/AAAAAAAAAOs/OEOTJ5XAl_Y/s200/Stripped%2520Marsh%2520Frog.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:arial;">Introduced to Romney Marsh in Kent in the mid-1930s, this noisy and colourful amphibian is now a familiar sight - and sound - in waterways throughout south-east England. As soon as the sun comes out, the marsh frog - a voracious predator - makes its presence known by puffing out its cheeks and producing a loud croak. However, it is a shy creature, and will retreat into the water as soon as it realises it is being observed. This species is likely to benefit from climate change, which should allow it to extend its range northwards, wherever there is suitable wetland habitat.</span><b><br /><br /></div><p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">Black kite</span></b><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6aMa1OX_I/AAAAAAAAAO0/3IZlJwemE6w/s1600-h/black_kite.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232789355202764786" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Black Kite" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6aMa1OX_I/AAAAAAAAAO0/3IZlJwemE6w/s200/black_kite.jpg" border="0" /></a> </p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">In the developing world, black kites have learned to hang around rubbish dumps, where they are adept at scavenging for anything even remotely edible. They also have an unappealing, though undoubtedly impressive, trick of snatching food from people's hands, demonstrating their acrobatic flying skills. Whether they can put such talents to the test here is open to question, though their adaptability was revealed last summer when a wandering black kite paired with one of the red kites released as part of the Scottish reintroduction programme. Looks likely to follow hard on the heels of the cattle egret as our next avian colonist.</span><b><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">Striped dolphin</span></p></b><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232791034796029538" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="striped Dolphin" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6buLzdtmI/AAAAAAAAAO8/nG5k1CiWTKs/s200/striped+dolphin.jpg" border="0" /><span style="font-family:arial;">Mainly found in tropical and sub-tropical seas, the striped dolphin is able to survive in British waters because of the warming influence of the North Atlantic Drift. Until recently sightings were confined to the English Channel, but in the past decade or so it has spread farther north, with records from the west coast of Scotland, the North Sea and even the Shetland Isles - just a few degrees south of the Arctic Circle. Most records are, unfortunately, of animals stranded on beaches. When seen at sea it can be distinguished from its commoner relatives by the distinctive pale stripe along its sides.</span><b><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Humpback whale</span></div></b><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6buZfLaMI/AAAAAAAAAPE/SomlCmOVahA/s1600-h/Humpback_Whale_underwater.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232791038469040322" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Humpback Whale" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6buZfLaMI/AAAAAAAAAPE/SomlCmOVahA/s200/Humpback_Whale_underwater.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:arial;">Incredible though it may seem, the most acrobatic of all the world's whales is now a regular visitor to our coastal waters, where lucky observers may witness it leaping out of the sea in an action known as "breaching". The original European population of this great whale was wiped out more than 500 years ago, but by the 1980s, after it was granted protection under international law, the species began to appear again. The increase in sightings is likely to be partly a result of the rise in popularity of whale- watching trips, but may also be due to rising sea temperatures caused by global climate change.</span><b><br /><br /></div><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">Cattle egret<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232791037518207874" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Cattle Egret" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6buV8e24I/AAAAAAAAAPM/TKB2Afj2tt0/s200/cattle%2520egret.jpg" border="0" /></span></p></b><p><span style="font-family:arial;">A contender for the title of the world's most successful bird, having managed to colonise Australasia and the Americas, and even reach Antarctica, from its original Old World home. It is now spreading north through Europe at a rapid rate, and looks likely to follow the example set by its close relative, the little egret, and become a permanent addition to our avifauna. As their name suggests, cattle egrets live in close association with livestock, feeding on invertebrates attracted by their dung. In the breeding season adults acquire elegant buffy-orange plumes, which they use in courtship display.</span></p><b><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;">European bee-eater</span></div></b><div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6buhfu8jI/AAAAAAAAAPU/CNRx67265qA/s1600-h/European_bee_eater.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232791040618852914" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="European Bee Eater" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6buhfu8jI/AAAAAAAAAPU/CNRx67265qA/s200/European_bee_eater.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">The attempted breeding by a pair of these exotic and colourful birds in the Wye Valley last summer was, unfortunately, curtailed by a hungry fox. But bee-eaters did successfully nest in a County Durham quarry in 2002, raising two young under the admiring gaze of thousands of birders. Although often considered a Mediterranean species, the bee-eater has spread rapidly northwards during the latter half of the 20th century, and may well make a permanent leap across the Channel during the next few years. Birders would do well to listen for their distinctive bubbling call, given by migrating flocks flying high overhead.difficult to track down.</span><b><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The departing</span></div><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">Snowy owl<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6bu56ZNHI/AAAAAAAAAPc/GXIkAEQpzgM/s1600-h/snowy+owl.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232791047173125234" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Snowy Owl" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6bu56ZNHI/AAAAAAAAAPc/GXIkAEQpzgM/s200/snowy+owl.jpg" border="0" /></a></span></b><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">In 1967, birders on the island of Fetlar in Shetland celebrated the unprecedented breeding of snowy owls, the very first time this arctic species had nested in Britain. They had extended their range southwards as the result of a brief period of climatic cooling in north-eastern Scotland and Scandinavia. Sadly for Harry Potter fans, as temperatures rose, conditions became unsuitable for this magnificent owl, and breeding last occurred in 1975. Today, snowy owls occasionally turn up as wandering visitors to Shetland and the Western Isles, but are unlikely to breed here again.</span></p><b><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">White-beaked dolphin</span></p></b><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6dWCFXU7I/AAAAAAAAAPk/W853MyWPi9s/s1600-h/white+beaked+dolphin.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232792818893149106" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="White Beaked Dolphin" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6dWCFXU7I/AAAAAAAAAPk/W853MyWPi9s/s200/white+beaked+dolphin.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Despite a welcome increase in sightings of whales and dolphins in British and Irish waters, this species appears to be heading into a possibly terminal decline. Scientists monitoring sightings and beach strandings of white-beaked dolphins have found a dramatic drop in numbers. This is most likely a result of a rapid rise in sea temperatures, itself due to global climate change, which affects this cool-water species more than most. Unless the warming trend is reversed, the white-beaked dolphin is likely to disappear first from the shallow waters around our west coast, then from the cooler North Sea.</span><b><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family:arial;">Greater horseshoe bat</span></b> </div><div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The rarest of our 17 species of bat - and indeed one of our rarest mammals</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6g3fAoRvI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/d10uKLGNeqQ/s1600-h/greater+horseshoe+bat.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232796692128483058" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Greater horseshoe Bat" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6g3fAoRvI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/d10uKLGNeqQ/s200/greater+horseshoe+bat.jpg" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-family:arial;">gets its name from the distinctive horseshoe-shaped flap of skin around its nose, which aids it in the process of echolocation. It is confined to south-west England and south Wales, probably because the mild climate of these areas enables it to feed during the winter. The relict Welsh population, in particular, suffers from low genetic diversity, and without conservation efforts may not survive much longer. This bat's rapid decline is due to changes in traditional farming practices and the consequent reduction in insect food.</span><b><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Ptarmigan</span></div></b><div><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6dWaDdyEI/AAAAAAAAAP0/Hnebw16XX5E/s1600-h/ptarmigan.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232792825327634498" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Ptarmigan" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6dWaDdyEI/AAAAAAAAAP0/Hnebw16XX5E/s200/ptarmigan.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">One of a trio of montane specialists likely to suffer from the effects of global warming on their Scottish highland home, the others being snow bunting and dotterel. These all depend on the delicate arctic-alpine ecosystem of the high tops. Each year the decrease in snow cover on the Cairngorm plateau, and the resulting changes in vegetation and insect life, threaten these rare and fascinating birds with extinction. Ptarmigan are the only British birds to turn completely white in winter for camouflage - which may not seem quite such a good idea if the snow disappears.</span></div><b><br /><div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Wood white</span></div></b><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6dWUSV0BI/AAAAAAAAAP8/djvhiAsqO68/s1600-h/wood+white.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232792823779414034" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Wood white" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6dWUSV0BI/AAAAAAAAAP8/djvhiAsqO68/s200/wood+white.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:arial;">This delicate butterfly thrives on "edge" habitats, such as open rides through woodland. It enjoyed a brief population boom in the 60s and 70s, thanks partly to the legacy of Dr Beeching: the wholesale closure of rural railway lines created a temporary glut of new habitat. Since then, like so many of our woodland butterflies, it has declined in numbers. It did appear to be thriving in Ireland, until observant scientists discovered that most Irish "wood whites" in fact belonged to a different species - the two only being told apart by examining their genitalia under the microscope.</span></div><b><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;">Wild cat</span></b><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6dWoi1eCI/AAAAAAAAAQE/y_DuSAXMies/s1600-h/wildcat.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232792829217306658" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Wildcat" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6dWoi1eCI/AAAAAAAAAQE/y_DuSAXMies/s200/wildcat.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">This legendary and almost impossibly elusive predator faces rapid extinction. This is not, as with so many other creatures, because of climate change or modern farming practices, but simply because interbreeding with feral and domestic moggies has so diluted the gene pool, that there may now only be a few hundred truly wild cats in existence. Most of those that do remain are in the remotest parts of the Grampian Mountains and the Scottish Highlands. Not always easy to tell apart from hybrids, pure-bred cats show distinctive vertical black stripes on their coat and black rings around their tails.</span></div><b><br /><div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">European tree frog</span></div></b><div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232794209262129330" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="European tree Frog" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6em9nKULI/AAAAAAAAAQM/jo70rtwZLas/s200/european+tree+frog.jpg" border="0" /><span style="font-family:arial;">A small, usually bright green amphibian, which is, however, able to change colour at will, and may appear in various shades from lime green to greyish-brown. More often heard than seen, its repetitive call has been compared to a barking dog or quacking duck. Once thought to be an alien species introduced here by humans, new evidence suggests that a long-established colony in the New Forest did, in fact, comprise native animals. Unfortunately this was discovered too late to protect the tree frog, which now appears to be extinct in Britain.</span></div><b><br /><div><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Wart-biter bush cricket</span></div></b><div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The wart-biter bush-cricket is just managing to cling on in five widely separated populations on <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6g3cNgP5I/AAAAAAAAAQs/e8XKpmVAXQM/s1600-h/wart+biter+bush+cricket.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232796691377176466" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Wart biter bush cricket" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6g3cNgP5I/AAAAAAAAAQs/e8XKpmVAXQM/s200/wart+biter+bush+cricket.jpg" border="0" /></a>ancient chalk grassland and heathland in southern Britain, from the South Downs to Wiltshire. It is one of our largest and most impressive insects: almost four centimetres long, bright green, and with fearsome jaws that make short work of its smaller relatives. Despite its common name, this species has probably always been rare and localised in Britain - the English name is a translation of the Latin "verrucivorus" - pertaining to warts.</span></div><b><br /><div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Stinking hawk's beard</span></div></b><div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232794211644143394" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Stinking Hawks` Beard" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6enGfE9yI/AAAAAAAAAQc/dPtPGDLWdf0/s200/stinking+hawks%60+beard.jpg" border="0" /><span style="font-family:arial;">Despite its off-putting name, this little plant is attractive in a modest way, with golden-yellow flowers appearing from June to August. When crushed, the leaves give out the characteristic "bitter almond" scent of cyanide. Unfortunately this member of the dandelion family does not seem to have inherited its commoner cousin's survival skills: the last native specimen was observed by a bungalow at Dungeness, Kent, in 1980. Soon afterwards it was reintroduced there, under the protective eye of, among others, the late film director Derek Jarman. Sadly most of his specimens were eaten by rabbits, the stinking hawk's beard's most frequent nemesis.</span></div><b><br /><div><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Red-backed shrike</span></div></b><div><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6enfzllCI/AAAAAAAAAQk/PeBy29FbY5I/s1600-h/red+backed+shrike.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232794218441053218" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Red backed Shrike" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ6enfzllCI/AAAAAAAAAQk/PeBy29FbY5I/s200/red+backed+shrike.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">During the mid-1990s, following a rapid decline, this diminutive predator became the latest species to go extinct as a British breeding bird. The last pair hung on in the East Anglian brecks, where warm summers provided just enough large insects to feed their young. This decline in insect life, due mainly to the overuse of agricultural pesticides, is undoubtedly the main cause of the red-backed shrike's disappearance. However, there is a possibility that climate change could benefit the species, with warmer, drier summers and a more continental-type climate recreating the right conditions for it to return.</span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></div></div></div></div>Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09137408491653648852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807983030155973340.post-71431628293711096442008-08-09T21:34:00.000-07:002008-08-09T21:52:23.386-07:00Flora and fauna at risk on shrinking meadows<div><b><span style="font-size:6;"><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;color:#330000;">Flora and fauna at risk on shrinking meadows</span></p></b></span><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">In damp fields at various sites around the country, scientists are hard at work counting plants, as part of a major new project to save Britain's last few remaining <span style="color:#3366ff;"><i>floodplain meadows</i>.</span></span></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232747072317858402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="floodplain meadow" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ5zvOz4omI/AAAAAAAAAOE/LpJsuBqdrHc/s400/P8150401.JPG" border="0" /><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">Once common across the floodplains of England and Wales, these flower-strewn meadows declined dramatically due to urbanisation and changes in farming practice. Since the 1950s, 98 per cent of species- rich meadows have been lost, leaving less than 1,000 hectares scattered around the country.</span></p><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">The remaining fragments, though protected by national and European law, are at risk from a range of factors including climate change and inappropriate management. By carrying out detailed surveys during the next 10 years, scientists hope to find out what is happening to them and how we can protect them.</span></p><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">Floodplain meadows evolved over hundreds of years and were highly prized for their natural fertility, maintained through regular winter flooding. Every year they yielded a valuable hay crop, and then provided grazing for animals. Today, they help alleviate flooding through winter storage of floodwaters and provide a habitat for an enormous range of plants and animals, including butterflies, birds such as curlews and snipe, and flowers such as the rare snake's head fritillary.</span></p><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">"Due to their position on floodplains, these meadows are particularly sensitive to changes in rainfall pattern," explains David Gowing, professor of botany at The Open University, which is hosting the project. "And being species-rich, they are sensitive to the increasing burden of nutrients and pollution from the wider river catchment and the atmosphere."</span></p><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">But understanding what affects floodplain meadows and how, is no easy task. Emma Rothero is the project's outreach co-ordinator, also based at The Open University. She explains: "In the past, changes in farming practice were responsible for the meadows' disappearance but now they are threatened by things like gravel extraction and development, which can reduce the amount of water reaching the meadows, and by flood defences.</span></p><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">"Too much water can be as damaging as too little, as the plants do not tolerate being flooded into the growing season. Other factors which cause changes in nutrient levels, such as sewage treatment works and increases in fertiliser application in the catchment, can also be a problem."</span></p><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">By monitoring the floodplains over a long period of time the scientists hope to amass a large database of information. But the work involved is painstaking. "These are botanically rich environments with up to 40 species per square metre," says Rothero.</span></p><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">"At the moment we are staking out a number of sites around the country with one-metre by one-metre quadrats. A quadrat is basically a square on the ground. On one site you might have 200 quadrats. You record all the plants within each quadrat. On some sites we are taking samples of soil and hay and looking at the nutrient levels, and on some we are recording water levels using electronic data loggers. If you collect this data over a long period of time, you can see how the plant species change in response to water and nutrient levels.</span></p><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">"The aim is to get good scientific information to people like landowners, conservation officers, site managers and policy-makers, so they can make decisions about site and catchment management. We plan to run workshops and courses, and to make the scientists accessible to those with questions and issues on wildflower floodplain meadows."</span></p><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">The Floodplain Meadows Project is hosted by The Open University in partnership with the Environment Agency, Natural England, The Grasslands Trust, the Field Studies Council, The Wildlife Trusts and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. It has been set up with funding from the Esmee Fairburn Foundation and the Garfield Weston Foundation, but the team needs to raise more funds to support the project in the long term, says Rothero. "If anyone wants to support us, we'd be interested in hearing from them."</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></div>Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09137408491653648852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807983030155973340.post-33213344168458846952008-08-09T21:15:00.000-07:002008-08-09T21:34:02.500-07:00Polar flora and fauna under global warming impact<span style="font-family:arial;">In agreement with the different climate models developed by researchers and confirmed by the IPCC (the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), the poles are the regions of the world where climate change is and will be the most rapid. This development is not without impact on the organisms living in those regions, some of which are the subject of increasing concern amongst biologists.<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ5sROiT3NI/AAAAAAAAANs/uMvDWuYmmhs/s1600-h/greenlandnasa.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232738860266675410" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="warming Arctic polar region" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ5sROiT3NI/AAAAAAAAANs/uMvDWuYmmhs/s400/greenlandnasa.jpg" border="0" /></a></span><b><br /><div><div><div><p><span style="font-family:arial;">It's getting warm at the poles!</span></b></p></div></div></div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">The trend towards Arctic warming is generalised, and in some regions the temperature has risen by more than 3°C over the past 50 years. This is more than ten times faster than the rest of the planet, where the average increase was only 0.6°C over the past century.</span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">At the other end of the world, and although warming at present only affects the Antarctic peninsula, the phenomenon, although it has recently slowing, is just as marked: 4-5°C in the past 50 years…<br /><br /><b>Early trends in the south…</b><br />Because of the effect of temperature on the distribution of living organisms in these extreme environments, such changes are not without consequences.<br />"On the Antarctic peninsula, only two flowering plants were seen on exceptional occasions in the past," points out Pete Convey, from the BAS (British Antarctic Survey). "But over the past thirty years, antarctic grass and pearlwort have been developing in the south, as are several species of moss. All are benefiting from a lengthening in the periods of thaw."<br /><br />Other effects are seen in the marine environment, following a regional trend towards a halt to the spread of pack ice. This ice is necessary to ensure the winter development of <em><strong><span style="color:#330000;">juvenile krill</span></strong></em> (a small crustacean which looks like a shrimp and upon which an impressive range of predators are dependent) and there has been a reduction in the frequency of successful breeding years. Their predators are also suffering: Wayne Trivelpiece from the NOAA (the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ5tyEEhuQI/AAAAAAAAAN0/dS0NZtQxzjk/s1600-h/krill_or.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232740523904710914" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Juvenile Krill photo" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ5tyEEhuQI/AAAAAAAAAN0/dS0NZtQxzjk/s400/krill_or.jpg" border="0" /></a>Administration) has thus seen the disappearance of the chinstrap penguin from the multi-species colony he has been studying for nearly 30 years near to the Polish Arctowski research station: "It is probably the reduction in krill fecundity which is the reason for the decline of Adélie and chinstrap penguins on the Antarctic peninsula." The same effects have been seen in South Georgia, where Keith Reid & John Croxall from the BAS have shown that the growing competition for krill between sea lions and Macaroni penguins has led to a marked decline in the latter.<br /><br /><b>… and much disquiet in the north</p></b></span><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">As made clear a few months ago by the ACIA (Arctic Climate Impact Assessment) report in Reykjavik, the effects of global warming on fauna and flora are even more pronounced in the Arctic. Terry Callaghan, from the Abisko Scientific Research Centre in Sweden, explains: "On land, amongst other phenomena, warming has caused a gradual melting of the permafrost (permanently frozen ground), with the disappearance of hundreds of pools and lakes (because they have drained into the thawed soil) and the flora and fauna which inhabit them. We have also seen a gradual spread of forest coverage to the north, to the detriment of the tundra, where millions of migrating birds have their breeding grounds."<br /><br />"Because the forests are darker, the albedo (percentage of reflected solar radiation) of these areas has fallen and thus created a positive retroaction which enhances warming," adds Glenn Patrick Juday, from the University of Alaska. "At the same time, we are seeing an increase in the number of fires and massive swarms of insect pests in several regions around the Arctic landmass."<br /><br />The situation is no better in the Arctic Ocean: the average surface area of pack ice (measured at the end of each summer) has shrunk in 30 years by practically a million square kilometres (around 15 to 20%). This gradual shrinkage is causing increasing problems for the species associated with sea ice, whether these are single-cell algae, the copepod crustaceans which graze on them, the fish which hide in them and so on, up the chain to that most emblematic animal of the North Pole, the polar bear.<br /><br /><b>Polar bears facing major problems</b><br />According to Andrew Derocher from the University of Alberta in Canada, and his colleagues, shrinkage of the pack ice has caused a reduction in the numbers of ringed seals as well as in their accessibility for polar bears, for whom they are the principal prey. This is of crucial importance for <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ5vNrYgCyI/AAAAAAAAAN8/t56-yVvKMYY/s1600-h/060921-polar-bears_big.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232742097825565474" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="polar bear facing climate change" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ5vNrYgCyI/AAAAAAAAAN8/t56-yVvKMYY/s400/060921-polar-bears_big.jpg" border="0" /></a>the female bears when it comes to building up fat reserves before fasting for several months in winter and giving birth to their young. Indeed, researchers have shown that in Hudson Bay, each week the spring thaw advances represents a 10 kg loss of weight for female bears by the time they enter the snow den where their young will be born. In addition, warming also increases the frequency of winter rains and the collapse of these dens.<br /><br />Sadly, there are few prospects for an improvement in the Arctic pack ice, because climate models agree on a continuous rise in the average temperature over the 100 years to come: up to 7°C for the ocean and up to 10°C in winter. The ACIA report even suggests the possible disappearance of summer pack ice between now and 2100…<br /></span><b><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Dying of heat in the Antarctic</span></b><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">On the other hand, at the other end of the globe, the formidable mass of the Antarctic ice sheet may protect the Antarctic Ocean from global warming. But at a local level, and once again in the context of rising temperatures in the peninsula, a series of joint studies, headed in particular by Lloyd Peck from the BAS and Hans-Otto Pörtner from the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany, recently put forward new reasons for concern. Their research on several marine invertebrate species has shown that the oxygen supply necessary for several vital functions, such as reproduction, is easily disturbed by a rise in water temperature. In fact, a 4°C rise would be sufficient to condemn several populations, or even some species with a limited distribution, to extinction.<br /><br /></span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"></span>Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09137408491653648852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807983030155973340.post-70723978389075703292008-08-09T21:01:00.000-07:002008-08-09T21:15:01.350-07:00Trees of Andalucia on threat of global warming<b><span style="font-family:arial;color:#003300;">Spanish Fir</span></b><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><b><span style="color:#006600;">Pinsapo </span></b><br /><b><span style="color:#333300;">Abies Pinsapo</span></b></span> <div><div><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">In 1837, during one of his exploratory visits to the south of the Iberian Peninsula, the Swiss Botanist Edmond Boisser discovered a new species of tree: Abies Pinsapo, popularly known as the pinsapo pine or Spanish fir. <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ5ppCCAaKI/AAAAAAAAANc/hh5X4__H0t8/s1600-h/PINSAPO-GRAZALEMA-719036.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232735970691934370" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Pinsapo Grazalema" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ5ppCCAaKI/AAAAAAAAANc/hh5X4__H0t8/s400/PINSAPO-GRAZALEMA-719036.jpg" border="0" /></a></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">The tree can grow up to 30m tall and live as long as 200 years. It has tiny needle-like leaves, which are extremely sharp and cylindrical in shape, and although this foliage appears lightweight, it throws out a very dense shade on the ground. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">Found only in the southern mountains of Andalucia and in the north of Morocco, botanists discovered that the pinsapo had been around since the Tertiary geological time period - before the Ice Age! How could it have survived? </span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">What probably happened is that the climatic changes occurring during the Pleistocene period were not as intense in Andalucia as might be assumed. In that case, the glaciers of the Ice Age that reached down from the North may have stopped short of these mountains, thus saving the species from extinction. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">What the elements couldn't destroy man almost did. At the beginning of the last century, due to extensive cultivation, pinsapo numbers were dwindling. In 1964 there were just 700 hectares of pinsapo forests remaining. Now, thanks to careful forestry management, there are 5000 hectares. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">However, just as this distinctive tree looked set to last until the next Ice Age, a new threat has <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ5qnZSmxLI/AAAAAAAAANk/NcDnAKYxSpo/s1600-h/182Heterobasidiumannosum.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232737042087462066" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Fungus HeteroBasidium Annosum" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ5qnZSmxLI/AAAAAAAAANk/NcDnAKYxSpo/s400/182Heterobasidiumannosum.jpg" border="0" /></a>appeared - the fungus '<span style="color:#330033;">heterobasidium annosum</span>'. Invisible but deadly, the fungus attacks the roots, moves up the trunk and finally brings the tree down. Experts consider that changes in the climate (local effects of global warming) have weakened the species' resistance to this fungus, which in normal circumstances would not pose a threat. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">So far, the response of the regional government has been to burn infected specimens to prevent the spread of the disease. Ecologists are calling for a seed bank to ensure the survival of the species. In the future pinsapos could then be planted in areas where the effects of global warming have been less noticeable, such as Sierra Nevada and Cazorla. </span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></div></div>Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09137408491653648852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807983030155973340.post-38876519338701573162008-08-09T20:46:00.000-07:002008-08-09T21:01:23.493-07:00Valuable SeaGrass faces globalwarming threat<span style="font-family:arial;"><strong><span style="color:#003300;">Valuable seagrass faces global warming threat</span></strong><br /></span><div><div><br /><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">GENEVA: Seagrass meadows, which are vital for the survival of much <i><span style="color:#663300;">marine life</span> </i>and a source of household materials in Europe and Africa, face a mounting threat from global warming, a report said on Friday.<br /><br />The report, from the Swiss-based International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), said the <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ5nKxWgBwI/AAAAAAAAANM/MWEYgJp2EF8/s1600-h/300px-Posidonia.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232733251795158786" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="valuable seagrass pic" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ5nKxWgBwI/AAAAAAAAANM/MWEYgJp2EF8/s400/300px-Posidonia.jpg" border="0" /></a>submerged meadows -- many around the Mediterranean -- could be saved through concerted action by governments and scientists.<br /><br />"Seagrass habitats are already declining due to increasing water temperatures, algae (seaweed) growth and light reduction, which are all effects of global change," said IUCN specialist Mats Bjork, one of the authors of the report.<br /><br />The report said the grass -- flowering plants found in shallow waters around the globe -- provides food and shelter for prawn and fish populations and is used traditionally as mattress filling, roof covering and for medicines.<br /><br />If much of it were to disappear, a wide range of species -- including dugongs, sea turtles, sea urchins and seabirds who feed on it -- would also come under increased threat, according to the report.<br /><br />The report said some of the healthiest seagrass areas known to exist today were off the North African coast of Libya and Tunisia in areas where there had been little industrial or tourism development.<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ5nsgDp3qI/AAAAAAAAANU/gwXjUhgby5U/s1600-h/algeria+protected+area.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232733831268261538" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="North coast algeria protected area" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJ5nsgDp3qI/AAAAAAAAANU/gwXjUhgby5U/s400/algeria+protected+area.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Carl Gustaf Lundin, head of IUCN's Global Marine Program, said the meadows could be saved by making seagrass more resilient to climbing temperatures through mixing genetically more diverse populations.<br /><br />The report, issued at a conference in Barcelona, said the introduction of protected areas and linking the underwater meadows to nearby mangrove plantations or coral reefs would also give a huge boost to their chances of survival.<br /><br />Lundin said it was also vital to extend research into how seagrass can be protected -- an effort already promoted by IUCN that would require governments and scientific institutions to devote resources and time. </span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></div></div>Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09137408491653648852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807983030155973340.post-11918743077669278042008-07-30T18:53:00.000-07:002008-08-09T19:37:37.950-07:00How global warming is changing Animal kingdom<p align="left"><strong><em><span style="color:#333300;">Scientists take note of shifts in animal behavior</span></em></strong></p><span style="font-family:Arial;"><p align="left"></p><p align="left">The planet is warming, humans are mostly to blame and plants and animals are going to dramatic lengths to cope. That's the consensus of a number of recent studies that used wildlife to gauge the extent of global warming and its effects. </p><p align="left">While the topic of climate change is contentious - including whether the planet is actually heating up - a growing number of documented shifts in traits and behaviors in the wild kingdom is leading many scientists to conclude the world is changing in unnatural ways.</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">Marmots end their hibernations about three weeks earlier now compared to 30 years ago. Polar bears today are thinner and less healthy than those of 20 years ago. Many fish species are moving northward in search of cooler waters. A fruitfly gene normally associated with hot, dry conditions has spread to populations living in traditionally cooler southern regions.</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">While We Argue...</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">Over the past century, Earth's average temperature has risen by about 1 degree Fahrenheit and many scientists believe greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide emissions from human activities are to blame. Left unattended, they warn, temperatures may rise by an additional 2-10 degrees by the end of the century. In the leading computer models, it follows that polar ice will melt and seas would rise drastically, threatening coastal communities around the globe.</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">A handful of scientists dispute the data. Others say humans aren't to blame.</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">Terry Root, an environmental science and policy professor at Stanford University, says that as humans argue about thermometer readings, animals are providing evidence that should be figured in to scientific and political decisions.</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">Animals are "just reacting to what's going on out there," Root says. "And if their behavior is very similar to what we expect with what's going on with global warming - if they're shifting and they're moving, if they're changing their breeding time by 5 days in 10 years - we can use that information to support what the thermometers are also showing."</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">Climate change can occur naturally, but what worries many scientists the most - and the reason why they don't think this is part of a natural cycle - is the rapid rate at which the current changes are happening - changes that are being reflected in the responses of wildlife.</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">In a 2003 study published in the journal Nature, Root and her colleagues analyzed numerous studies involving wild plant and animals for changes due to global warming. Out of the nearly 1,500 species examined, the researchers found that about 1,200 exhibited temperature-related changes consistent with what scientists would expect if they were being affected by global warming.</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">The authors highlighted four possible ways that species might respond to rising temperatures, all of which have been documented by other studies and researchers.</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"><b><span style="color:#003300;">Divide and Destroy</span></p></b><p align="left"></p><p align="left">The first is for species to migrate northward or move to higher elevations. The ubiquitous presence of humans, however, is making this option difficult for some species.</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">"The thing that is very, very different from prehistoric times is that there are now K-Mart parking lots these species have to cross as they try to move north to get away from the heat down south," Root told LiveScience.</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">As a result, species that can't adapt to urban or agricultural environments become isolated, their lines of retreat cut off.</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">In a study published last year in the journal PLoS Biology, Elizabeth Hadly, a biologist at Stanford University, examined fossil records from past warming periods and concluded that global warming can reduce genetic diversity by affecting the connections between species populations.</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">The best way to ensure species survival is to have large, interconnected populations that are genetically diverse, Hadly explained in an email interview.</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">This means that even if the genetic diversity of a species as a whole is high, if the individuals are scattered and prevented from interbreeding, they can become just as vulnerable to disease and external threats as a species with a small population and low genetic diversity. Like the military strategy of divide-and-conquer, a group that together might have had the resources to withstand an assault can be picked off one by one if split up.</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">Connections among individuals within a species aren't the only things that can be disrupted: global warming can also threaten the ties that bind members of different species to one another.</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">Many biologists, including Darwin, once believed that species responded to temperature changes as a group, thus preserving their relationships to one another. But scientists are finding that this is often not the case.</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">Instead, different species respond to environmental stressors in different ways, and this can lead to what Root calls the "tearing apart of communities."</p><p align="left"></p><b><p align="left"><span style="color:#003300;">Intricate Connections</span></p></b><p align="left"></p><p align="left">The second prediction was that the timing of natural events like flowering, migration, and egg-laying could shift. Ecosystems are intricately connected webs, and even if a species doesn't rely on temperature and daylight cues to trigger certain behaviors, it may interact with other species that do.</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">"Thousands of years of co-evolution could easily be disrupted," Root says.</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">Third, the body size and behaviors of species may change in response to rising temperatures. For example, scientists believe that as a general rule, bodies become smaller in response to general warming and larger with cooling.</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">A 2003 study led by Philip Gingerich, a geological sciences professor at the University of Michigan, looked at horse fossils from a warming period that occurred 55 million years ago. They found that as temperatures rose, the fossils shrank, from the size a small dog to a house cat. The researchers believed the dwarfing might have resulted from the horses eating plants whose tissues were low in protein but high in toxic compounds - plants that flourished in the carbon dioxide-rich environment of the time.</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">Finally, species can undergo genetic changes. This last prediction has been documented in at least two species, the red squirrel and the fruitfly Drosophila.</p><p align="left"></p><b><p align="left"><span style="color:#333300;">Business as Usual?</span></p></b><p align="left"></p><p align="left">Not all scientists are convinced humans have anything to do with climate change or the shifts seen in the animal world.</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">Michael Patrick, an environmental science professor at the University of Virginia, believes the current warming is part of a natural cycle.</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">"It's what you'd expect," Patrick told LiveScience. "It's not all a result of human induced climate change. Half of it is at best, probably less than half."</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">Even if humans are causing global warming, Patrick said, there is little we can do to change it. "If it is an issue, it is one that we will have to adapt to."</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">Patrick believes the wildlife changes are likewise natural.</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">"With all due respect, you would expect to see some slight changes in the distribution of plants and animals as the planet warms - or as the planet cools for that matter," Patrick said. "It's hardly newsworthy."</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">If anything, most species would benefit from an earlier spring, and focusing on global warming is a harmful distraction from more serious problems afflicting wildlife, Patrick says. "If you asked me which one we should worry about more - changes in climate or human-caused changes in habitat - I would say that the latter is much more important."</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">"Overall climate will change quite a bit," Patrick said. "However, if you change characteristics of the surface - if you turn forest into farmland - that will have more severe effects on wildlife than merely changing the temperature a degree or two."</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"><b><span style="color:#333300;">Stressful Future</span></p></b><p align="left"></p><p align="left">Ecosystems and wildlife aren't the only things that increasing temperatures will affect.</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">"Global warming is going to be a big stress to all animals, including Homo sapiens," said Root.</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">A recent report issued by the Pew Center for Global Climate Change, a Virginia-based nonprofit organization, warned that rising temperatures could exacerbate health risks such as asthma for the elderly, the infirm and the poor, and especially for those in poor countries.</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">Even if all pollution were stopped today, the climate will warm at least another degree by the year 2100 and seas will rise 4 inches (11 centimeters), according to one recent study. Another report says warming is unstoppable through the year 2400. Despite the dire warnings, many scientists believe it may not be too late to reverse the trend.</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">The Pew report suggests creating transitional habitats that link natural areas as a way to help migrating species. Also, alleviating other environmental stressors like habitat destruction could help reduce their combined effects with global warming.</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">Root is encouraged by the fact that many cities are following higher environmental standards, even if state and national governments are dragging their feet.</p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">In the end, she believes, it will be the relatively small things that people do that will have the biggest impact: "Hummer sales, thank heaven, are dropping since gas prices have gone up, and hybrid [car] sales have gone up. It's that type of stuff."</p><p align="left"></p></span>Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09137408491653648852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807983030155973340.post-80741705314862130102008-07-30T18:37:00.000-07:002008-07-30T18:49:08.531-07:00Extinction<div align="justify"><br /><br /></div><b><span style="font-size:130%;"><div align="justify"><br /></div><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#330033;">Polar bear 'extinct within 100 years'</span></p></b></span><div align="justify"><br /></div><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">The polar bear could be driven to extinction by global warming within 100 years, warns an ecology expert. </span></p><div align="justify"><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJEYGMhqGmI/AAAAAAAAAM0/OIlmhlv64YI/s1600-h/nelson1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228987137074535010" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="polar bear headed for extinction" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJEYGMhqGmI/AAAAAAAAAM0/OIlmhlv64YI/s400/nelson1.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:arial;">The animal, which relies on sea ice to catch seals, is already starting to suffer the effects of climate changes in areas such as Hudson Bay in Canada. </span></div><div align="justify"><br /></div><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">Scientists say Arctic sea ice is melting at a rate of up to 9% per decade. Arctic summers could be ice-free by mid-century. </span><span style="font-family:arial;">Dr Andrew Derocher, of the University of Alberta, Edmonton, has used the data to assess the impact on the Arctic's top predator. </span></p><b><div align="justify"><br /></div><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#330000;">Top carnivore</span></b><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span></p><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">He believes the polar bear could disappear in the wild by the end of the century unless the pace of global warming slows. </span></div><div align="justify"><br /></div><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">He told "Polar bears are a species whose whole life history is dependent on having sea ice. </span></p><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">"As the sea ice changes in distribution and pattern we can expect this to have fundamental changes on the ecology of polar bears. </span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">"As the sea ice disappears, so will the polar bears." </span></div><div align="justify"><br /></div><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">Polar bears are uniquely adapted to survival in the Arctic. They are the world's largest land predator, feeding mainly on seals. </span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">They use the sea ice as a floating platform to catch prey and they travel across it on their way to their dens. </span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">British polar expert Dr Peter Wadhams of the University of Cambridge says the bear faces a gloomy future unless it is able to change its habits. </span></p><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">"It could be that a polar bear could adapt to a new habitat and adopt habits like the brown bear in Alaska which hunts salmon in streams and other small animals on land," he said. </span></div><b><div align="justify"><br /></div><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#330000;">Fragile ecology</span></b><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">Scientists believe that <i>Ursus maritimus</i>, the "sea bear", evolved about 200,000 years ago from brown bear ancestors. </span></p><div align="justify"><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJEYGAcsh7I/AAAAAAAAAM8/rgQGlGlMLVA/s1600-h/p_bear.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228987133832497074" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="sketch-polar bear" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJEYGAcsh7I/AAAAAAAAAM8/rgQGlGlMLVA/s400/p_bear.gif" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:arial;">Whether it can "change its spots" and behave more like a brown bear is another matter. </span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">Lynn Rosentrater, climate scientist in the WWF International Arctic Programme, thinks it unlikely. </span></div><div align="justify"><br /></div><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">There have been cases of polar bears scavenging in bins for food in summer, she said, but the animals need seal fat to get through the winter. </span></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">"In the absence of sea ice the whole basis of polar bear ecology ceases to exist," she explained. </span><span style="font-family:arial;">Polar bears are currently found in Arctic regions of Alaska, Canada, Russia, Greenland and Norway. </span></p><u><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">Populations in southern limits such as Hudson Bay are at most risk of dying out. </span></div><div align="justify"> </div></u><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">Bears stand most chance of surviving, in isolated groups, in the western Arctic or the Canadian archipelago. </span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"></span>Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09137408491653648852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807983030155973340.post-7711028717966349012008-07-30T02:35:00.000-07:002008-08-06T21:29:43.407-07:00Polar Bears in recent decades<b><br /><br /><br /></b><b><p><span style="font-family:arial;">What has been happening to polar bears in recent decades?</span></b></p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><br /><br /><p align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;">Scott L. Schliebe<br />Polar Bear Project Leader<br />U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/MMM<br />Anchorage, AK </p></span><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228742083629505506" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="polar bear ongoings" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJA5ONTfW-I/AAAAAAAAAMc/R10s7-1A8n8/s400/schliebe_01.jpg" border="0" /><span style="font-family:arial;">Polar bears have long captured the attention of the general public but probably at no time in the past have they been more in the forefront of the public's imagination than today. Today's heightened interest in polar bears may be due in part to an enhanced understanding of the ecology of polar bears, their environment, and an increased interest in Arctic issues brought on by concerns for climate change. Results of years of research and studies are now available to an interested public, and efforts to communicate this information to the public has been more effective in recent years than in the past. As a result the current public is generally well-informed and educated regarding the ecology of polar bears. This public, unlike previous publics, has a variety of communication tools that enable it to interact and communicate more effectively with researchers and managers.</span><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJA5vKRL1dI/AAAAAAAAAMs/TTJLU0gQq_A/s1600-h/schliebe_11_small.jpg"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228742649750214098" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="polar bears distribution" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJA5vKRL1dI/AAAAAAAAAMs/TTJLU0gQq_A/s320/schliebe_11_small.jpg" border="0" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">What have we learned? We now know that polar bears are not a single large homogeneous population that roams throughout the Arctic. Instead groups of polar bears referred to as stocks or populations, are distributed throughout the Arctic. Research begun in the late 1960s and continuing today also provides a thorough backdrop of information on population demographics, systematically analyzed data on population boundaries, population movements, population size, reproductive and survival parameters, and other useful information about biological, physiological, and ecological aspects of polar bears. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">We also realize that polar bears do not occur in large numbers; their ability to replace individuals in the population is very limited and population growth is extremely slow; they are long-lived creatures, which helps to offset the low reproductive potential; their populations fluctuate in response to natural factors such as climate and prey availability; and, populations can also be impacted by humans through factors such as hunting, oil spills, shipping, and other activities. We also realize that the level of human presence and activity in the Arctic continues to build. As a result the potential for humans to impact polar bears has never been greater than today.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">Technologically, researchers have been blessed in the last 30 years. Advances in satellite telemetry allowed researchers to follow individual bears over time and greatly enhanced our knowledge of movements and population bounds. Infrared thermal sensory equipment is providing promise in detecting polar bear dens beneath the snow. Extended time-series of data now available for some populations documents trends that were previously not apparent. Improvements in aircraft and vessel transportation have provided access to a larger portion of the range of polar bears than was previously accessible. Finally, technologic advances have allowed for multi-disciplinary Arctic research, which is in many cases supported by polar-class icebreakers. All of these advances plus greater understanding of population dynamics and population modeling now allow for greater precision in making management decisions and a better understanding of risks and consequences of management actions.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">In the past, one of the greatest saving graces for polar bear populations was the fact that their habitat was relatively pristine and secure from alteration. In fact a very large portion of the high arctic was void of any human presence. Hence at that time the greatest concern for polar bear populations were over harvest and human development that was occurring at the fringes of the range of polar bears.</span><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJA5u_4M39I/AAAAAAAAAMk/i1OuMgfKpts/s1600-h/schliebe_03_small.gif"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228742646961070034" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="change in sea ice extent over 25 years" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJA5u_4M39I/AAAAAAAAAMk/i1OuMgfKpts/s320/schliebe_03_small.gif" border="0" /></span></a></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">Polar bears and their prey have evolved to living in the extreme conditions of the Arctic. Polar bears and seals are dependent on sea-ice for foraging, resting, and reproduction. The Arctic ecosystem was shaped by climate and continues to be driven today by climate. Polar bears and ice seals, primarily ringed seals, serve as key indicators of the effects of climate change on the Arctic environment. Today, polar bear populations are facing threats previously unprecedented during recorded history in the Arctic. Recent climate change scenarios based upon modeling of climate trend data predict that the Arctic region will experience major changes in the upcoming decades. On the most drastic end of the spectrum one model predicts that the Arctic basin may be void of ice within 50 years. Other models have shown that ice thickness has decreased by 40% during the past 30 years and the average annual extent of ice coverage in the polar region has diminished substantially, with an average annual reduction of over 1 million square kilometers.</span></p><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">While the ultimate or progressively evolving effects of climatic change on polar bear populations is not certain, we do recognize that even minor climate changes could likely have a profound effect on polar bears. The following is from the IUCN/Species Survival Commission, Polar Bear Specialist Group (PBSG) web site and in summary indicates the following:</span><br /></div><dir><dir><p><span style="font-family:arial;">Climate changes on prey species will have a negative effect on polar bears </span><br /></p><ul><li><span style="font-family:arial;">increased snow can result in reduced success in successfully entering seal birth lairs </span></li><br /><br /><li><span style="font-family:arial;">decreased snow or increased seasonal rain patterns could effect seal pupping by not providing adequate snow for construction of birth lairs or if rain fall by collapsing birth lairs thus reducing seal productivity </span></li><br /><br /><li><span style="font-family:arial;">prey reductions could effect polar bear condition and ultimately cub production and survival </span></li></ul><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">Changes that alter the period of ice coverage could affect distribution and impact polar bears </span><br /></p><ul><li><span style="font-family:arial;">bears may spend greater amounts of time on land </span></li><br /><li><span style="font-family:arial;">extended use of terrestrial areas would ultimately effect physical condition of bears when forced to rely on fat stores </span></li><br /><li><span style="font-family:arial;">decreased physical condition could effect production and survival </span></li><br /><li><span style="font-family:arial;">bears using deteriorating pack ice may experience increased energetic costs associated with movements and swimming </span></li></ul><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">Denning could be impacted by unusual warm spells </span><br /></p><ul><li><span style="font-family:arial;">access to high quality denning areas may be limited or restricted </span><br /></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">use of less desirable denning habitat could have impacts on reproduction and survival </span><br /></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">rain or warming could directly cause snow dens to collapse or be opened to ambient conditions </span></li><br /><li><span style="font-family:arial;">loss of thermal insulative properties in opened dens could affect litter survival </span></li></ul></dir></dir><span style="font-family:arial;">As a case in point, in Western Hudson Bay researchers have collected demographic information on polar bears since 1981. Over this time frame and location the sea ice breakup has been occurring earlier. The earlier breakup has been related to the poorer condition of polar bears and there is a correlation between the earlier breakup and a decadal scale pattern of warming air temperatures during the spring between 1950 and 1990. It appears that earlier breakup caused by warmer temperatures has resulted in declines in physical and reproductive parameters of polar bears in this area. This is the only study to date to demonstrate the effects of changed environment resulting from climate changes, and a corresponding effect on polar bears. Climate change is not uniform in all areas of the Arctic, however. Since Hudson Bay is located at the southern most extent of the range of polar bears, findings here may be a forewarning of changes to come in future years for other areas of the Arctic. Clearly, climate change and its effect on sea ice and polar bears should be closely monitored in future years.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Environmental contaminants in the form of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) pose an additional area of increased concern for polar bears. Recent documentation of baseline contaminant levels in the circumpolar environment and in key species has dramatically expanded the knowledge of regional presence and levels of these pollutants over the past 10 years. Polar bears, as an apical predator that tends to amplify the accumulation organochlorines compounds, are a perfect candidate for studies in evaluating trends. We now know that polar bears inhabiting certain areas of the Arctic exhibit elevated levels of organochlorines, particularly PCB's (poly chlorinated biphenyls) while populations inhabiting other areas have lower levels. Laboratory experiments involving elevated levels of organochlorines have been associated with a range of effects including neurological, reproductive, and immunological changes. Studies are continuing to evaluate the effect of persistent organic pollutants on essential life functions of polar bears and other marine animals with an emphasis on evaluating immune and hormonal systems. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">International involvement in polar bear conservation dates back to 1965 when scientists from Canada, Norway, Denmark, USSR, and the United States met in Fairbanks to discuss polar bear conservation due to widespread concern that populations were being over harvested. Until this time there had been very little management of polar bears in the Arctic and no coordinated effort among arctic countries. Harvest rates were rising rapidly in most areas except Russia which had enacted a ban on hunting in 1956. The Fairbanks meeting resulted in the formation of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group (PBSG) whose mission was to coordinate polar bear research and management programs on an international basis and to exchange information on each country's programs.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Members of the PBSG and the countries they represent developed and negotiated the International Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears (Agreement), which was signed in Oslo, Norway in May, 1973. Among other conditions the Parties agreed through Article VII to "conduct national research programs on polar bears, particularly research relating to the conservation and management of the species. They shall, as appropriate, coordinate such research with the research carried out by other Parties, consult with other Parties on management of migrating polar bear populations, and exchange information on research and management programs, research results, and data on bears taken." The PBSG meets every three to five years with a goal of advancing the principles of the Agreement. The most recent meeting was held June 2001 in Nuuk, Greenland. The proceedings of the working group meetings are published in the IUCN series. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Highlights of recent activities include: conducting ecotoxological studies to evaluate potential effects on polar bear immune and hormone systems in the Svalsbard Island complex; continuing efforts to refine population boundaries and better understand sustainable harvest levels or the effects of harvests on populations; evaluating new techniques to conduct aerial population surveys; evaluating the relationship between bears, seals, and sea ice conditions; population genetics studies; and research to evaluate the effectiveness of thermal sensory technology to detect polar bear dens beneath snow.</span>Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09137408491653648852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807983030155973340.post-24500014625681023242008-07-30T02:03:00.000-07:002008-08-06T21:10:38.503-07:00<span style="font-size:6;"><div><div><p><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#003300;"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:180%;"><strong>Gore Shares Peace Prize for Climate Change Work</strong></span> </span></span></p></span></div></div><p><span style="font-family:arial;">By WALTER GIBBS and SARAH LYALL</span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">Published: October 13, 2007 </span></p><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJAxUl2qlsI/AAAAAAAAAME/wPOHZne2ZQ8/s1600-h/12gorepc.190.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228733397205685954" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJAxUl2qlsI/AAAAAAAAAME/wPOHZne2ZQ8/s320/12gorepc.190.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">OSLO, Oct. 12 — Former Vice President Al Gore</span><span style="font-family:arial;">, who emerged from his loss in the muddled 2000 presidential election to devote himself to his passion as an environmental crusader, was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, sharing it with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a United Nation</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> network of scientists. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">The Norwegian Nobel Committee praised both "for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change</span><span style="font-family:arial;">." </span></p><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJAxouRxGlI/AAAAAAAAAMM/JCdGqnON1Tw/s1600-h/12gore-190.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228733743064226386" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJAxouRxGlI/AAAAAAAAAMM/JCdGqnON1Tw/s320/12gore-190.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p><span style="font-family:arial;">The prize is a vindication for Mr. Gore, whose cautionary film about the consequences of climate change, "An Inconvenient Truth," won the 2007 Academy Award for best documentary, even as conservatives in the United States denounced it as alarmist and exaggerated. </span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">"I will accept this award on behalf of all the people that have been working so long and so hard to try to get the message out about this planetary emergency," Mr. Gore said Friday in Palo Alto, Calif., standing with his wife, Tipper, and four members of the United Nations climate panel. "I’m going back to work right now," he said. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">The award was also a validation for the United Nations panel, which in its early days was vilified by those who disputed the scientific case for a human role in climate change. In New Delhi, the Indian climatologist who heads the panel, Rajendra K. Pachauri, said that science had won out over skepticism. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">Mr. Gore, a vociferous opponent of the Bush administration on a range of issues, including the Iraq war, is the second Democratic politician to win the peace prize this decade. Former President Jimmy Carter</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> won in 2002.</span></p><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><p><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Mr. Carter, himself a critic of Mr. Bush, was 78 when he won the prize. But Mr. Gore is just 59 and an active presence in American politics, if only as a large thorn in Mr. Bush’s side — and in the side of Democrats worried that he might challenge them for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. Mr. Gore, who lost the 2000 election to Mr. Bush, has regularly said that he will not run for president again. But Friday’s announcement touched off renewed interest in his plans.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">Tony Fratto, a White House spokesman, did not go overboard in his praise. "Of course we’re happy for Vice President Gore and the I.P.C.C. for receiving this recognition," he said.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">In Oslo, Ole Danbolt Mjoes, chairman of the peace committee, was asked whether the award could be seen as criticism of the Bush administration, which did not subscribe to the Kyoto treaty to cap greenhouse gases. He replied that the Nobel was not meant to be a "kick in the leg to anyone" — the Norwegian expression for "kick in the teeth."</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">"We would encourage all countries, including the big countries, and challenge them to think again and to say what they can do to conquer global warming," Dr. Mjoes said in Oslo. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">The four other members of the peace committee generally refuse to comment on the thinking behind the award, which in recent years has moved toward issues at a degree of remove from armed conflict, like social justice, poverty remediation and environmentalism. But in a telephone interview, Berge Furre, one of the four, said, "I hope this will have an effect on the attitudes of Americans as well as people in other countries." </span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">In its formal citation, the Nobel committee called Mr. Gore "probably the single individual who has done most to create greater worldwide understanding of the measures that need to be adopted." It praised the United Nations panel, which is made up of 2,000 scientists and is considered the world’s leading authority on climate change, for creating "an ever-broader informed consensus about the connection between human activities and global warming."</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">While the world’s major environmental groups all praised Mr. Gore for his role in raising public awareness, they praised the panel for, in the words of Greenpeace</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> International, "meticulous scientific work." </span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">The two approaches both play a part, scientists said Friday. "The noble prize </span><span style="font-family:arial;">is honoring the science and the publicity, and they’re necessarily different," said Spencer R. Weart, a historian at the American Institute of Physics.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">Mr. Gore, who announced he would give his portion of the $1.5 million prize money to the nonprofit organization he founded last year, the Alliance for Climate Protection, said he was honored to share the prize with the panel, calling it "the world’s pre-eminent scientific body devoted to improving our understanding of the climate crisis."</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">Mr. Pachauri said, "The message that it sends is that the Nobel Prize committee realized the value of knowledge in tackling the problem of climate change." He said the award was an acknowledgment of the panel’s "impartial and objective assessment of climate change."</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">The climate panel, established in 1988, has issued a series of increasingly grim reports in the last two decades assessing issues surrounding climate change. It is expected to issue another report in the next few months, before the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Indonesia on Dec. 3. Some 180 countries are scheduled to begin negotiations there on a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, the climate adviser to Chancellor Angela Merkel</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> of Germany and a leading contributor to the United Nations panel’s reports, said they were the result of "a painstaking process of self-interrogation."</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">The committee acts at "about the highest level of complexity you can manage in such a scientific assessment," Dr. Schellnhuber said in a telephone interview from Milan. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">For a scientist, he said, taking part on the climate change panel entails considerable sacrifices. "It drives you absolutely crazy," Dr. Schellnhuber said. "You fly to distant places; you stay up all night negotiating; you listen to hundreds of sometimes silly interventions. You go through so many mundane things to produce the big picture."</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">The Nobel prizes are meant to be apolitical, and are awarded independently of one another. (The peace prize is awarded in Oslo, while the others are awarded by various academies in Sweden.) But a number of recent winners have expressed their opposition to Bush administration policies.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">The 2005 literature winner, the British playwright <span style="color:#663300;">Harold pinter</span></span><span style="font-family:arial;">, turned his Nobel address into a blistering indictment of American foreign policy since the Second World War. A co-winner of the peace prize that year, <span style="color:#993300;">Mohamed ElBaradei</span></span><span style="font-family:arial;">, the director of the <span style="color:#663333;">International Atomic Energy Agency</span></span><span style="font-family:arial;">, made no secret of his opposition to the American invasion of Iraq and has angered the Bush administration by his measured methods for trying to rein in nuclear proliferation, particularly in Iran.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">In its citation on Friday, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said the United Nations panel and Mr. Gore had focused "on the processes and decisions that appear to be necessary to protect the world’s future climate, and thereby reduce the future threat to the security of mankind."</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">It concluded, "Action is necessary now, before climate change moves beyond man’s control." </span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">Walter Gibbs reported from Oslo, and Sarah Lyall from London. Reporting was contributed by Jesse McKinley from Palo Alto, Calif., Somini Sengupta from New Delhi, Mark Landler from Frankfurt, David Rampe from Paris, and Andrew C. Revkin from New York.</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"></span>Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09137408491653648852noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807983030155973340.post-42699508467824472972008-07-30T01:42:00.000-07:002008-08-06T21:21:12.088-07:00New York times report on the climate change<span style="font-family:arial;"><em><span style="color:#333333;">June 23, 2008</span></em><br /><strong><span style="color:#663300;">1988-2008: Climate Then and Now</span></strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />By </span><br /></span><a href="http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/author/arevkin/"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></a><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Andrew c. Revkin</span><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJAr7wXhbvI/AAAAAAAAAL8/zPvolaVwpfw/s1600-h/discover190.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228727472972984050" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Discover magazine cover story on climate,October 1998" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SJAr7wXhbvI/AAAAAAAAAL8/zPvolaVwpfw/s400/discover190.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Global warming has felt like breaking news a few times in recent years. But the first big pulse of coverage and public attention came in 1988, when the Amazon Rainforest </span><span style="font-family:arial;">and Yellowstone</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> were ablaze, a searing drought had farmers kicking dusty fields </span><span style="font-family:arial;">in frustration, and global temperatures had seen enough of a rise that a NASA climate expert, James Hansen, asserted before a Senate panel that statistics showed "the greenhouse effect has been detected and is changing our climate now."<br />I thought it might be worth inviting you all to read and "annotate" (as we’ve done with a </span><span style="font-family:arial;">co</span><span style="font-family:arial;">uple of climate speeches and polar bear decision</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> recently) my cover story for Discover Magazine, reported through that hot year and published in the October 1988 edition. I asked the current management there if they’d post the original article. They liked the idea, but the article was so old that it wasn’t </span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">even available in electronic form, so they had to type it up. Here’s the story, </span><span style="font-family:arial;">Melissa Lafsky of the magazine also did a brief e-mail interview with me, which is on their Reality base blog.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></div><br />I’ll start by posting some relevant sections below and offering some reflections on how the story has stood the test of time. I’d enjoy seeing your reactions, pro or con.<br /><br /><br />I was not at the Senate Energy Committee hearing when Dr. Hansen testified. But I had been focused on climate and humans since 1984, when I began reporting what would end up being a long cover story for Science Digest magazine assessing nuclear winter, kind of the inverse potential human impact on climate (global cooling from a pall of smoke rising from incinerated cities). I went to Toronto one week after Dr. Hansen’s testimony to report from the first international "<span style="color:#333300;">Conference on changing Atmosphere</span></span><span style="font-family:arial;">" — one of the seminal meetings building momentum toward the first report of the newborn InterGovernmental panel on climate change</span><span style="font-family:arial;">.</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Nuclear winter, as I wrote in 1985, was more nuanced than the initial dramatic concept, morphing from a Page One post-apocalyptic apocalypse into a more subtle phenomenon, labeled "nuclear autumn" by Stephen H. Schneider. What is distinct about global warming is that the basics of 100-year-old theory have stood the test of time (more CO2 = warming world = less ice + higher seas and lots of climate change). Let’s dive into my old story to see what has, and has not, changed.<br />After an opening section leading off with Dr. Hansen’s testimony:</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Until this year, despite dire warnings from climatologists, the greenhouse effect has seemed somehow academic and far off. The idea behind it is simple: gases accumulating in the atmosphere as by-products of human industry and agriculture — carbon dioxide, mostly, but also methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, and chlorofluorocarbon — let in the sun’s warming rays but don’t let excess heat escape. As a result, mean global temperature has probably been rising for decades. But the rise has been so gradual that it has been masked by the much greater, and ordinary, year-to-year swings in world temperature.<br />In my </span><br /></span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auTEWanRTfM"><span style="font-family:arial;">YouTube interview with Dr. Hansen</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">, he discusses how the public remains attuned mainly to anomalies on short time scales — cold or warm — and misses the point that it is the long-term trend that he and other experts say will transform the planet, but at a pace invisible day to day.<br />Not anymore, said Hansen. The 1980s have already seen the four hottest years on record, and 1988 is almost certain to be hotter still. Moreover, the seasonal, regional, and atmospheric patterns of rising temperatures — greater warming in winters than summers, greater warming at high latitudes than near the equator, and a cooling in the stratosphere while the lower atmosphere is warmer — jibe with what computer models predict should happen with greenhouse heating. And the warming comes at a time when, by rights, Earth should actually be cooler than normal. The sun’s radiance has dropped slightly since the 1970s, and dust thrown up by recent volcanic eruptions, especially that of Mexico’s El Chichon in 1982, should be keeping some sunlight from reaching the planet.<br />What’s important here, and remains important, scientists say, is how the patterns of atmospheric and climatic change reveal the most about the involvement of greenhouse gases, not simply the change in global temperature.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Even though most climatologists think Hansen’s claims are premature, they agree that warming is on the way. Carbon dioxide levels are 25 percent higher now than they were in 1860, and the atmosphere’s burden of greenhouse gases is expected to keep growing. By the middle of the next century the resulting warming could boost global mean temperatures from three to nine degrees Fahrenheit. That doesn’t sound like much, but it equals the temperature rise since the end of the last ice age, and the consequences could be devastating. Weather patterns could shift, bringing drought to once fertile areas and heavy rains to fragile deserts that cannot handle them. As runoff from melting glaciers increases and warming seawater expands, sea level could rise as much as six feet, inundating low-lying coastal areas and islands. There would be dramatic disruptions of agriculture, water resources, fisheries, coastal activity, and energy use.<br /><br /><br />The range of possible warming from a particular rise in greenhouse gas concentrations is only a little narrower than it was back then. Again, this remains a risk-management challenge. As Dr. Hansen says in the video interview, climate is not something that we will "fix."<br /><br /><br />"Average climate will certainly get warmer," says Roger Revelle, an oceanographer and climatologist at the University of California at San Diego. "But what’s more serious is how many more hurricanes we’ll have, how many more droughts we’ll have, how many days above one hundred degrees." By Hansen’s reckoning, where Washington now averages one day a year over 100 degrees, it will average 12 such scorchers annually by the middle of the next century.<br />At the time, the basic notion that warmer seawater would fuel hurricanes was young and untested. Most scientists projecting many more, and stronger storms, including Kerry Emanuel (quoted farther down in my 1988 story), have since shifted to more nuanced projections</span><span style="font-family:arial;">. Enough time has passed that Dr. Emanuel and some other researchers say intensification has already been seen. But the hurricane-climate connection remains an idea its formative stages.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Comparable climate shifts have happened before, but over tens of centuries, not tens of years. The unprecedented rapid change could accelerate the already high rate of species extinction as plants and animals fail to adapt quickly enough. For the first time in history humans are affecting the ecological balance of not just a region but the entire world, all at once. "We’re altering the environment far faster than we can possibly predict the consequences," says Stephen Schneider, a climate modeler at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. "This is bound to lead to some surprises."<br /><br /><br />The situation then remains similar today in that the worst-case outcomes from a greenhouse-warmed world are clearly possible, but with the probability hard to nail down. This is one reason the policy debate, essentially over how much to invest in a climate insurance policy, remains turbulent.<br />A few themes that are central to climate discussions now were not part of the global warming story in 1988 — most notably the concept of thresholds and nonlinear "tipping points." The evidence that climate can shift abruptly had not yet emerged from ice cores in Greenland. All the curves looking forward were smooth.<br />The rising role of developing countries was also described in the story, along with the looming challenge posed by the rise of China as an economic, and climatic, force:<br /><br /><br />In the end, the greatest obstacle facing those who are trying to slow the output of greenhouse gases is the fundamental and pervasive nature of the human activities that are causing the problem: deforestation, industrialization, energy production. As populations boom, productivity must keep up. And even as the developed nations of the world cut back on fossil fuel use, there will be no justifiable way to prevent the Third World from expanding its use of coal and oil. How can the developed countries expect that China, for example, which has plans to double its coal production in the next 15 years in order to spur development, will be willing or even able to change course?<br />Overall, the story captured the same situation that scientists are still trying to describe now: a world poised for momentous changes that would be hard to reverse; the need for adaptation to inevitable changes and changes in energy choices to cut the chances of utter calamity; and the need to act in the face of uncertainty.<br /><br /><br />The piece culminated with a quote from Michael McElroy, a climate expert at Harvard, speaking at the Toronto climate conference. It could still be delivered today.<br />Michael McElroy concluded, "If we choose to take on this challenge, it appears that we can slow the rate of change substantially, giving us time to develop mechanisms so that the cost to society and the damage to ecosystems can be minimized. We could alternatively close our eyes, hope for the best, and pay the cost when the bill comes due."<br /><br /><br />Again, I’d love to hear your thoughts on particular sections of the story. Point them out in your comment and I’ll post the relevant paragraph and link to your contribution.<br /><br /></span><br /></span>Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09137408491653648852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807983030155973340.post-40241829134130566432008-07-29T19:35:00.000-07:002008-07-29T20:15:59.137-07:00UNEP`S research on climate change<div><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong><span style="color:#003300;">Warmer World May Mean Less Fish</span></strong></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><strong>Global Warming Adding to Pollution and Over-Harvesting Impacts on the World's Key Fishing Grounds Says New UNEP - "In Dead Water" - Report</strong></span></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><div><strong>Monaco/Nairobi, 22 February 2008 -</strong> </div><br /><div>Climate change is emerging as the latest threat to the world's dwindling fish stocks a new report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) suggests.<br />At least three quarters of the globe's key fishing grounds may become seriously impacted by <a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SI_cxxo9-tI/AAAAAAAAAL0/Xd9JHuzzzPo/s1600-h/InsertImage.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228640440097307346" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SI_cxxo9-tI/AAAAAAAAAL0/Xd9JHuzzzPo/s400/InsertImage.jpg" border="0" /></a>changes in circulation as a result of the ocean's natural pumping systems fading and falling they suggest. </div><br /><div><br />These natural pumps, dotted at sites across the world including the Arctic and the Mediterranean, bring nutrients to fisheries and keep them healthy by flushing out wastes and pollution.<br />The impacts of rising emissions on the marine world are unlikely to end there. Higher sea surface temperatures over the coming decades threaten to bleach and kill up to 80 per cent of the globe's coral reefs-major tourist attractions, natural sea defences and also nurseries for fish. </div><br /><div><br />Meanwhile there is growing concern that carbon dioxide emissions will increase the acidity of seas and oceans. This in turn may impact calcium and shell-forming marine life including corals but also tiny ones such as planktonic organisms at the base of the food chain. </div><br /><div><br />The findings come in a new rapid response report entitled "In Dead Water" which has for the first time mapped the multiple impacts of pollution; alien infestations; over-exploitation and climate change on the seas and oceans.<br />"The worst concentration of cumulative impacts of climate change with existing pressures of over-harvest, bottom trawling, invasive species infestations, coastal development and pollution appear to be concentrated in 10-15 per cent of the oceans," says the report. </div><br /><div><br />This 10-15 per cent of the oceans is far higher than had previously been supposed and is "concurrent with today's most important fishing grounds" including the estimated 7.5 per cent deemed to be the most economically valuable fishing areas of the world, it adds. </div><br /><div><br />The report, the work of UNEP scientists in collaboration with universities and institutes in Europe and the United States, was launched today during UNEP's Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum taking place in Monaco. </div><br /><div><br />It is the largest gathering of environment ministers since the climate convention conference in Indonesia just over two months ago where governments agreed the Bali Road Map aimed at delivering a deep and decisive climate regime for post 2012. </div><br /><div><br />Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, said:" The theme of the Governing Council is 'Mobilizing Finance for the Climate Challenge for trillions of dollars can flow into climate-friendly energies and technologies if government's can provide the right kind of enabling market mechanisms and fiscal incentives". </div><br /><div><br />"It is sometimes important to remind ourselves why we need to accelerate these transformations towards a Green Economy. In Dead Water has uniquely mapped the impact of several damaging and persistent stresses on fisheries. It also lays on top of these the likely impacts of climate change from dramatic alternations in ocean circulation affecting perhaps a three quarter of key fishing grounds up to the emerging concern of ocean acidification," said Mr Steiner. </div><br /><div><br />"Climate change threatens coastal infrastructure, food and water supplies and the health of people across the world. It is clear from this report and others that it will add significantly to pressures on fish stocks. This is as much a development and economic issue as it is an environmental one. Millions of people including many in developing countries derive their livelihoods from fishing while around 2.6 billion people get their protein from seafood," he said. </div><br /><div><br />The report comes in wake of findings issued last week by a team led by the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis which estimates that over 40 per cent of the world's oceans have been heavily impacted by humans and that only four per cent remain relatively pristine.<br />It also comes amid concern that sea bird chicks in the North Sea may be being choked after being fed on a diet of snake pipefish-a very bony species. Over the past five years snake pipefish numbers have boomed a meeting of the Zoological Society in London was told last week.<br />One reason for their sharp increase in numbers might be changes in ocean currents bringing the fish into North Sea waters, the experts suggest. </div><br /><div><br />The new UNEP report has been compiled by researchers including ones at UNEP's GRID Arendal centre; UNEP's World Conservation Monitoring Centre and UNEP's Division of Early Warning and Assessment.<br />It draws on a wide range of new and emerging science including the latest assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change-the 2,000 plus panel of scientists established by UNEP and the World Meteorological Organisation. </div><br /><div><br />Other contributions have come from organizations and institutions including the University of Plymouth; the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research; the University of British Columbia; the Institute of Zoology; Princeton University; the University of Barcelona and the Sustainable Europe.</div><br /><div></span></div>Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09137408491653648852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807983030155973340.post-41991576149785281972008-07-27T19:07:00.000-07:002008-07-27T19:16:35.719-07:00Live Earth Concerts<p><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong><span style="color:#003300;">CONCERT FOR A CLIMATE IN CRISIS</span></strong></span></p><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong><span style="color:#003300;"></span></strong><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227882485229088146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="live earth SOS" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SI0ra_uQ7ZI/AAAAAAAAALM/mThYRZ-182E/s400/511707468_81f535172c.jpg" border="0" /><br /><p><br />"Live Earth is a 24-hour, 7-continent concert series taking place on 7/7/07 that will bring together more than 100 music artists and 2 billion people to trigger a global movement to solve the climate crisis.<br />Live Earth will reach this worldwide audience through an unprecedented global media architecture covering all media platforms - TV, radio, Internet and wireless channels.<br />Live Earth marks the beginning of a multi-year campaign led by the Alliance for Climate Protection, The Climate Group and other international organizations to drive individuals, corporations and governments to take action to solve global warming. Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore is the Chair of the Alliance and Partner of Live Earth.<br />Live Earth was founded by Kevin Wall, the Worldwide Executive Producer of Live 8, an event that brought together one of the largest audiences in history to combat poverty. Wall formed a partnership with Al Gore and the Alliance for Climate Protection to ensure that Live Earth inspires behavioral changes long after 7/7/07.Live Earth will stage official concerts at Giants Stadium in New York; Wembley Stadium in London; Aussie Stadium in Sydney; Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro; Maropeng at the Cradle of Humankind in Johannesburg; Makuhari Messe in Tokyo; the Steps of the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai; and HSH Nordbank Arena in Hamburg.</p><br /><p><br />Performers at the London concert include Madonna, Beastie Boys, Keane, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Razorlight, Duran Duran, Black Eyed Peas, Genesis, Bloc Party, Corinne Bailey Rae, David Gray, Foo Fighters, James Blunt, John Legend, Paolo Nutini, Pussycat Dolls and Metallica.<br />Its not everyday that 2 billion people rally around a single cause for the betterment of the whole of mankind.<br />I, myself will attend Live Earth, in London, not only to see some of the Earth’s best musical talent (as well as some not so talented), but also to view this ‘Unity in the World’s Undertakings,’ first hand.<br />Having some of biggest names in the music industry , as well as former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, behind an initiative fighting for a noble cause is a great example co-operation and unity of thought in the world undertakings. The question is, how sustainable is this endeavor? What is the real solution behind climate change? </p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227882488801957458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="LIVE EARTH STADIUM UK" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SI0rbNCGllI/AAAAAAAAALU/e0mDGctYWfk/s400/liveearth.jpg" border="0" /><br />This question was asked at a conference on Climate Change, at Oxford University,England in October 2006.<br />The event was was organised by the Baha’i Agency for Social and Economic Development (BASED-UK) and the International Environment Forum (IEF), a Baha’i-inspired organization.<br />One of the conclusions of the conference was that the challenges posed by global warming will require a far higher level of collective action and international cooperation than is currently practiced. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Below is an excerpt from a </span><a href="http://news.bahai.org/story/482"><span style="font-family:arial;">Baha’i World News Story</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> reporting on the conference:<br />Climate change is "testing mankind’s ability to deal with a collective challenge," said Halldor Thorgeirsson, deputy executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat (UNFCCC). "The solution itself will fundamentally change how governments cooperate."<br />In an address titled "The international community’s response to climate change," Dr. Thorgeirsson said the role of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, in global warming is now well established scientifically and "sufficiently clear to justify nations taking prompt action."<br />"When it comes to climate change it will not be solved by any one actor on its own," said Dr. Thorgeirsson.<br />IEF President Arthur Dahl said the purpose of the conference was "to unify these perspectives, relate them to each other" and to "engage the Baha’i community in the process of applying spiritual principles to the practical problems of the world."<br />Dr. Dahl, a former deputy assistant executive director of the United Nation Environment Program, delivered the keynote presentation on "scientific and faith perspectives" on climate change, saying that most scientists have now concluded that there will be significant warming in the coming years.<br />"Climate change is going to force humanity to recognize its oneness," said Dr. Dahl. "Whole ecosystems will shift over long distances, if they can move fast enough."<br />"We are looking at a scale of change this planet has not seen before," said Dr. Dahl. "Sea level has been going up and the scenarios show the trend to continue. It will bring other impacts: food insecurity, water shortages."<br />Such changes, said Dr. Dahl, will require more than technical solutions. Rather, he said, they will require the application of ethical and spiritual principles so as to create "new value-based economic models" that seek to create a "dynamic, just and thriving social order."<br />Religion, said Dr. Dahl, can play a key role in strengthening the ethical framework for action on climate change by educating people "about values and global responsibility," creating "motivation for change," and encouraging the sacrifices that will be needed to create sustainable development.</span>Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09137408491653648852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807983030155973340.post-74014713309656774742008-07-27T18:42:00.000-07:002008-07-27T19:02:48.612-07:00Global warming benefits<span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><div><br /><strong><span style="color:#330000;">Global Warming Benefits</span></strong></div><br /><div><strong><span style="color:#330000;"></span></strong></div><br /><div><strong><span style="color:#663300;">WARMER WINTERS ARE HEALTHIER</span></strong>: </div><br /><div>From a purely evolutionary point of view, warm periods have always benefited plants and animals. The world has thrived during the warming periods between the ice ages. Cold periods have always caused serious survival problems for all organisms including mankind. Scientific studies show that there will be 40,000 fewer deaths each year in the U.S. In Britain alone, scientists estimate that about 30,000 deaths a year are related to cold winter weather. Warmer temperatures in the U.S. will reduce medical costs by about $20 billion every year.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#663300;">WARMER WEATHER WILL OPEN THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE</span></strong>:</div><br /><div>As rising temperatures melt glaciers in the Arctic and particularly in Alaska, a new, faster trade route will soon open up. The Bering Strait, a legendarily difficult passage for <a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SI0n5sqnfRI/AAAAAAAAAK8/AvUKyR2tHcY/s1600-h/arctic_northwest_passage_3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227878614642949394" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="northwest passage-artic" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SI0n5sqnfRI/AAAAAAAAAK8/AvUKyR2tHcY/s320/arctic_northwest_passage_3.jpg" border="0" /></a>ships, could become an oceanic super-highway between the hemispheres as ice sheets disappear. The seldom-used strait is set to become the Panama Canal of the north, cutting down travel time between Europe, America and Asia by as much as one-third. Experts predict the Northwest Passage will be open for year-round travel within a decade. This would be of particular importance for supertankers which are too big to fit through the Panama Canal and currently are forced to go around the tip of South America. This reduction of sea lane ice in the Arctic will be a dramatic boon to the shipping industry carrying cargo between the continents.</div><br /><div><br /><strong><span style="color:#663300;">WARMER WEATHER MEANS MORE CROPS</span></strong>:</div><br /><div>Satellite measurements now show that our planet has become greener than it was prior to the onset of global warming. The rising carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere dramatically increases overall global food production. The presence of carbon dioxide has a fertilizing effect on the growth of plant life. The warmer weather means a longer growing season, and thus greater <a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SI0n5zPwPxI/AAAAAAAAALE/TEpoIxDkfs4/s1600-h/image.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227878616409325330" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="rise in global food production" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SI0n5zPwPxI/AAAAAAAAALE/TEpoIxDkfs4/s320/image.jpg" border="0" /></a>output. This, combined with fewer frosts and more precipitation, among other factors, will greatly benefit all of the agricultural economic sectors, plus the positive impacts on forestry and recreation. In addition to the dramatic increase of actual land available for cultivation, natural resources would be much easier to extract. The overall economic impact of global warming on the U.S. economy will actually be positive, creating a measurable increase in Gross Domestic Product.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#663300;">WARMER WEATHER MEANS MORE USABLE LAND</span></strong>: </div><br /><div>As the ice retreats to the poles, more arable land will become available for both residential and agricultural purposes. Large land-masses in the northern hemisphere, just south of the Canadian/U.S. border, have some very extreme climates that can be quite inhospitable for human habitation. Most Canadians live in a belt running along its southern border with the United States. But once global warming is factored in, vast northern regions will become arable and comfortably habitable. All of Canada will welcome an agricultural boon field with long growing seasons. Heretofore uninhabitable land will not only become inhabitable, but even temperate.<br />The process of converting northern US and Canadian forests and grasses to cropland will have a positive cooling effect, because agricultural crops reflect more sunlight and release more moisture into the air. This expanded agriculture will counteract global warming by as much as fifty-percent across parts of North America, Canada, Europe, and Asia. The old boreal forests of both Canada and Russia add to global warming since these pine and waxy leafed trees are darker, thereby absorbing more heat, and, because of their leaf structure, do not evaporate cooling water into the surrounding air. The replacement of boreal forests with more tropical trees will dramatically aid in balancing and diminishing the negative affects of global warming.</div><br /><div><br /><span style="color:#663300;"><strong>WARMER WINTERS ARE SAFER</strong></span>:</div><br /><div>With most streets free from ice and snow, driving will be a lot safer; No need to shovel snow reducing the stress induced heart attacks; Heating bills will be drastically lower; No need to waste money on all of that cold weather gear. Rail, road and air transportation would be positively impacted by a general warming since weather-related delays and accidents would be greatly reduced. Department of Energy studies show that consumer energy bills would be reduced by over $12 billion each year.<br />Global warming will have no real effect, positive or negative, on economic activities such as manufacturing, retailing, wholesaling, banking, education and the majority of other businesses that are unrelated to cold weather. Of course cold weather activities, such as snow-sports, would be negatively affected.<br /></div></span>Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09137408491653648852noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807983030155973340.post-77091119473556109212008-07-23T18:58:00.000-07:002008-07-23T19:21:15.140-07:0010 Best ways to reduce global warming<div align="left"><br /></div><br /><div align="left"><br /><br /></div><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;">Burning fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal, oil and gasoline raises the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and carbon dioxide is a major contributor to the green house effect and global warming.</span></div><br /><div align="left"><br /><br /></div><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;">You can help to reduce the demand for fossil fuels, which in turn reduces global warming, by using energy more wisely. Here are 10 simple actions you can take to help reduce global warming.</span></div><br /><div align="left"><br /><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><div align="left"><br /><strong><span style="color:#330000;">1. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle</span></strong> <a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SIfjmbOYJ4I/AAAAAAAAAKg/ERjoo_1FLP0/s1600-h/recycling.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226396141869344642" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="recycling programme" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SIfjmbOYJ4I/AAAAAAAAAKg/ERjoo_1FLP0/s320/recycling.gif" border="0" /></a><br />Do your part to reduce waste by choosing reusable products instead of disposables. Buying products with minimal packaging (including the economy size when that makes sense for you) will help to reduce waste. And whenever you can, recycle paper,plastic, newspaper, glass and aluminum cans. If there isn't a recycling programme at your workplace, school, or in your community, ask about starting one. By recycling half of your household waste, you can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#330000;">2. Use Less Heat and Air Conditioning</span></strong><br />Adding insulation to your walls and attic, and installing weather stripping or caulking around doors and windows can lower your heating costs more than 25 percent, by reducing the amount of energy you need to heat and cool your home.<br />Turn down the heat while you’re sleeping at night or away during the day, and keep temperatures moderate at all times. Setting your thermostat just 2 degrees lower in winter and higher in summer could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide each year. </span></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><div align="left"><br /><br /></div><br /><div align="left"><br /><strong><span style="color:#330000;">3. change a light bulb</span></strong><br />Wherever practical, replace regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. Replacing just one 60-watt incandescent light bulb with a CFL will save you $30 over the life of the bulb. CFLs also last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, use two-thirds less energy, and give off 70 percent less heat.<br />If every U.S. family replaced one regular light bulb with a CFL, it would eliminate 90 billion pounds of greenhouse gases, the same as taking 7.5 million cars off the road. </div><br /><div align="left"><br /><br /></div><br /><div align="left"><br /><strong><span style="color:#330000;">4. Drive less Drive smart</span></strong><br />Less driving means fewer emissions. Besides saving gasoline, walking and biking are great forms of exercise. Explore your community’s mass transit system, and check out options for carpooling to work or school.<br />When you do drive, make sure your car is running efficiently. For example, keeping your tires properly inflated can improve your gas mileage by more than 3 percent. Every gallon of gas you save not only helps your budget, it also keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.<br /><a href="http://environment.about.com/od/greenlivingdesign/a/tire_pressure.htm"></a><br /></div><br /><p align="left"><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SIflNYVfldI/AAAAAAAAAKo/4SlXKYAe0ng/s1600-h/energy+efficient+bulb.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226397910620411346" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" height="320" alt="enregy efficient flouroscent bulb" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SIflNYVfldI/AAAAAAAAAKo/4SlXKYAe0ng/s320/energy+efficient+bulb.jpg" width="320" border="0" /></a></p><br /><div align="left"><br /><strong><span style="color:#330000;">5. Buy Energy-Efficient Products<br /></span></strong>When it's time to buy a new car, choose one that offers good gas mileage. Home appliances now come in a range of energy-efficient models, and compact florescent bulbs are designed to provide more natural-looking light while using far less energy than standard light bulbs.<br />Avoid products that come with excess packaging, especially molded plastic and other packaging that can't be recycled. If you reduce your household garbage by 10 percent, you can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.</div><br /><div align="left"><br /><br /></div><br /><div align="left"><br /><strong><span style="color:#330000;">6. Use Less Hot Water<br /></span></strong>Set your water heater at 120 degrees to save energy, and wrap it in an insulating blanket if it is more than 5 years old. Buy low-flow showerheads to save hot water and about 350 pounds of carbon dioxide yearly. Wash your clothes in warm or cold water to reduce your use of hot water and the energy required to produce it. That change alone can save at least 500 pounds of carbon dioxide annually in most households. Use the energy-saving settings on your diswasher and let the dishes air-dry. </div><br /><div align="left"><br /><br /></div><br /><div align="left"><br /><strong><span style="color:#330000;">7. Use the "Off" Switch</span></strong><br />Save electricity and reduce global warming by turning off lights when you leave a room, and using only as much light as you need. And remember to turn off your television, video player, stereo and computer when you're not using them.<br />It's also a good idea to turn off the water when you're not using it. While brushing your teeth, shampooing the dog or washing your car, turn off the water until you actually need it for rinsing. You'll reduce your water bill and help to conserve a vital resource. </div><br /><div align="left"><br /><br /></div><br /><div align="left"><br /><strong><span style="color:#330000;">8. Plant a tree</span></strong> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226399555652317218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="cherry tree plantation" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SIfmtIjqcCI/AAAAAAAAAKw/hvzAnwN-J7o/s400/cherry+tree+plantation.jpg" border="0" /><br />If you have the means to plant a tree, start digging. During photosynthesis, trees and other plants absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. They are an integral part of the natural atmospheric exchange cycle here on Earth, but there are too few of them to fully counter the increases in carbon dioxide caused by automobile traffic, manufacturing and other human activities. A single tree will absorb approximately one ton of carbon dioxide during its lifetime. </div><br /><div align="left"><br /><br /></div><br /><div align="left"><br /><strong><span style="color:#330000;">9. Get a report card from your utility companies</span></strong><br />Many utility companies provide free home energy audits to help consumers identify areas in their homes that may not be energy efficient. In addition, many utility companies offer rebate programs to help pay for the cost of energy-efficient upgrades. </div><br /><div align="left"><br /><br /></div><br /><div align="left"><br /><strong><span style="color:#330000;">10. Encourage Others to Conserve</span></strong><br />Share information about recycling and energy conservation with your friends, neighbors and co-workers, and take opportunities to encourage public officials to establish programs and policies that are good for the environment.<br />These 10 steps will take you a long way toward reducing your energy use and your monthly budget. And less energy use means less dependence on the fossil fuels that create greenhouse gases and contribute to global warming.</span></div>Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09137408491653648852noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807983030155973340.post-66834273570509161522008-07-23T17:48:00.000-07:002008-07-23T18:08:04.514-07:00Global warming may increase kidney stones<p align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong><span style="font-family:arial;color:#330000;">U.S. researchers predict global warming may increase kidney stone incidence</span></strong> </span></p><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SIfUdISM0RI/AAAAAAAAAJw/-hE3NHCPqwc/s1600-h/fv_KidneyStone_2_.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226379489491865874" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="kidney stone pics" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SIfUdISM0RI/AAAAAAAAAJw/-hE3NHCPqwc/s400/fv_KidneyStone_2_.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Among the many diseases predicted to come with climate change, a team of U.S. researchers say kidney stones may become more common as the temperature rises across North America. Researchers from University of Texas examined how the incidence of <strong><em><span style="color:#996633;">kidney stones</span></em></strong> would change with increasing temperatures and suggest kidney stones may increase across the United States by as much as 30 percent in the most affected areas. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />In addition, they calculate the direct and indirect costs of treating approximately 2 million new kidney stone cases annually could increase by 1 billion U.S. dollars by <strong><em><span style="color:#333333;">2050,</span></em></strong> which is 25 percent more than the current expenditures.Previous research has found the risk of kidney stone formation is increased by low urine volume, which reflects the state of body hydration. <a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SIfUdIpb3aI/AAAAAAAAAJo/tTryXc-YXJQ/s1600-h/urine+of+man+suffering+from+kidney+stone.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226379489589321122" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="urine of man suffering from kidney stones" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SIfUdIpb3aI/AAAAAAAAAJo/tTryXc-YXJQ/s400/urine+of+man+suffering+from+kidney+stone.png" border="0" /></a><br /><br />While the response of kidney stone formation to temperature increase is uncertain, the authors note kidney stone incidence is higher in warmer parts of the country, especially the southeast, presumably due to fluid loss in warm climate.<br />They caution if the risk increases directly with temperature, high-population coastal regions could see the largest increases.<br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />If the risk suddenly climbs steeply at some threshold temperature, a band stretching from Kentucky to northern California would likely see the most new cases.<br /></span><br /></span>Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09137408491653648852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807983030155973340.post-34903673674272517142008-07-22T18:15:00.000-07:002008-07-22T18:27:54.662-07:00<div><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SIaINBB2vzI/AAAAAAAAAJY/Ubar6Z6VgQ8/s1600-h/melting+of+Antartica.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226014174805933874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="melting of Antartica-global warming effects" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SIaINBB2vzI/AAAAAAAAAJY/Ubar6Z6VgQ8/s400/melting+of+Antartica.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;">The higher temperature may be causing some floating icebergs to melt, but this will not make the oceans rise. Icebergs are large floating chunks of ice. In order to float, the iceberg displaces a volume of water that has a weight equal to that of the iceberg. Submarine use this principle to rise and sink in the water by changing their weight. </span></div><br /><br /><div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">But the rising temperature and icebergs could play a small role in the rising ocean level. Icebergs are chunks of frozen glaciers that break off from landmasses and fall into the ocean. The rising temperature may be causing more icebergs to form by weakening the glaciers, causing more cracks and making ice more likely to break off. As soon as the ice falls into the ocean, the ocean rises a little.</span></div><br /><br /><div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">If the rising temperature affects glaciers and icebergs, could the </span><a href="http://maps.howstuffworks.com/maps-polar-regions.htm"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#000000;">polar ice caps</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> be in danger of melting and causing the oceans to rise? This could happen, but no one knows when it might happen.</span></div><br /><br /><div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The main ice covered landmass is Antartica at the South Pole, with about 90 percent of the world's ice (and 70 percent of its fresh water). Antarctica is covered with ice an average of 2,133 meters (7,000 feet) thick. If all of the Antarctic ice melted, sea levels around the world would rise about 61 meters (200 feet). But the average temperature in Antarctica is -37°C, so the ice there is in no danger of melting. In fact in most parts of the continent it never gets above freezing.</span></div><br /><br /><div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">At the other end of the world, the North Pole, the ice is not nearly as thick as at the South Pole. The ice floats on the Arctic Ocean. If it melted sea levels would not be affected.<br />There is a significant amount of ice covering Greenland, which would add another 7 meters (20 feet) to the oceans if it melted. Because Greenland is closer to the equator than Antarctica, the temperatures there are higher, so the ice is more likely to melt.</span></div><br /><br /><div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">But there might be a less dramatic reason than polar ice melting for the higher ocean level -- the higher temperature of the water. Water is most dense at 4 degrees Celsius. Above and below this temperature, the <a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SIaIv5OsZEI/AAAAAAAAAJg/qSo0nlrpnoA/s1600-h/ancient_antarctic_microbes_2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226014774007718978" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="ancient Antartic microbes" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SIaIv5OsZEI/AAAAAAAAAJg/qSo0nlrpnoA/s320/ancient_antarctic_microbes_2.jpg" border="0" /></a>density of water decreases (the same weight of water occupies a bigger space). So as the overall temperature of the water increases it naturally expands a little bit making the oceans rise.</span></div><br /><br /><div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In 1995 the<span style="color:#000000;"> </span></span><a href="http://howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=question473.htm&url=http://www.ipcc.ch/"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#000000;">I</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#000000;">nt</span><span style="color:#000000;">er</span><span style="color:#000000;">gov</span><span style="color:#000000;">ernmental Panel on Climate Change</span> issued a report which contained various projections of the sea level change by the year 2100. They estimate that the sea will rise 50 centimeters (20 inches) with the lowest estimates at 15 centimeters (6 inches) and the highest at 95 centimeters (37 inches). The rise will come from thermal expansion of the ocean and from melting glaciers and ice sheets. Twenty inches is no small amount -- it could have a big effect on coastal cities, especially during storms.)</span></div></div>Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09137408491653648852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807983030155973340.post-73815570900114796322008-07-21T01:43:00.000-07:002008-07-27T18:24:56.582-07:00FACTS ON POLAR ICE CAPS<span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong><span style="color:#663300;">1.Polar ice cap<br /></span></strong><em><span style="color:#003333;">(Reference:-Wikipedia,the free encyclopedia.)</span></em></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SIRP_yBuM5I/AAAAAAAAAIw/LdwFuxBx4lk/s1600-h/global_warming_use.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225389424835965842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="polar ice caps pics" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SIRP_yBuM5I/AAAAAAAAAIw/LdwFuxBx4lk/s400/global_warming_use.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />A polar ice cap is a high-latitude region of a planet or moon that is covered in ice. There are no requirements with respect to size or composition for a body of ice to be termed a polar ice cap, nor any geological requirement for it to be over land; only that it must be a body of solid phase matter in the polar region. This causes the term 'polar ice cap' to be somewhat of a misnomer, as the term ice cap itself is applied with greater scrutiny as such bodies must be found over land, and possess a surface area of less than 50,000 km²: larger bodies are referred to as ice sheets.<br /><br /><br />The composition of the ice will vary. For example Earth's polar ice caps are mainly water ice, while Mars's polar ice caps are a mixture of solid phase carbon dioxide and water ice.<br /><br /><br />Polar ice caps form because high-latitude regions receive less energy in the form of solar radiation from the sun than equatorial regions, resulting in lower surface temperatures.<br /><br />The polar ice caps have changed dramatically over the last 20 years. According to prevalent scientific theory, this change can be attributed to global warming resulting from climate change caused largely by the burning of fossil fuels. Seasonal variations of the ice caps takes place due to varied solar energy absorption as the planet or moon revolves around the sun. Additionally, in geologic time scales, the ice caps may grow or shrink due to climate variation. See ice age, polar climate.<br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#663300;">2.Impacts of global warming on polar ice caps</span></strong><br />This is a very important statement to think about how Global warming may have <a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SIRQeaOZlcI/AAAAAAAAAI4/F15300M6N9o/s1600-h/polar-ice-caps-melting+northern+artic+region.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225389951022634434" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Melting northern polar ice cap" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SIRQeaOZlcI/AAAAAAAAAI4/F15300M6N9o/s320/polar-ice-caps-melting+northern+artic+region.jpg" border="0" /></a>significant impacts on our environment over the next century. Many say that it is currently responsible for changes in weather and climate patterns already. The short-term variability of the weather makes it very hard to base decisions on only a few years’ observations, but the long-term trends (measurements over a hundred years) do indicate that we are on a warming trend.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#006600;">EARTH POLAR ICE CAPS</span></strong><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#660000;">North pole</span></em></strong><br />Earth's north pole is covered by floating pack ice (sea ice) over the Arctic Ocean, the Arctic ice pack. Portions of the ice that don't melt seasonally can get very <a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SIRV7B32UDI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/sEA3Ge2OyVM/s1600-h/icecap+northern.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225395940259942450" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Northern polar ice caps" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SIRV7B32UDI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/sEA3Ge2OyVM/s320/icecap+northern.jpg" border="0" /></a>thick, up to 3–4 meters thick over large areas, with ridges up to 20 meters thick. One-year ice is usually about a meter thick. The area covered by sea ice ranges between 9 and 12 million km². In addition, the Greenland ice sheet covers about 1.71 million km² and contains about 2.6 million km³ of ice.<br /><br />While the International Panel on Climate Change 2001 report predicted that the North polar ice cap would last to 2100 in spite of global warming caused by climate change, the dramatic reduction in the size of the ice cap during the northern summer of 2007 has led some scientists to estimate that there will be no ice at the North Pole by 2030 with devastating effects on the environment.<br /><br />Other scientists such as Wieslaw Maslowski, a professor at the Naval Postgraduate School, estimate that there will be no summer ice by as soon as 2013. He argues that this projection is already too conservative as his dataset did not include the minima of 2005 and 2007.<br /><br />Due to the Global warming(climate change)northern polar ice cap is being melted far beyond than the south pole.Melting of north polar ice cap is so rapid.<br /><br /><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#660000;">South pole</span></em></strong><br />The land mass of the Earth's south pole, in Antarctica, is covered by the Antarctic <a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SIRRZzR_GvI/AAAAAAAAAJA/Y3wHlJsI2SM/s1600-h/southern+polar+ice+cap.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225390971360844530" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Antartica polar ice caps" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SIRRZzR_GvI/AAAAAAAAAJA/Y3wHlJsI2SM/s320/southern+polar+ice+cap.jpg" border="0" /></a>ice sheet. It covers an area of almost 14 million km² and contains 25-30 million km³ of ice. Around 70% of the fresh water on the Earth is held in this ice sheet. In addition, the West Antarctic Ice Sheet covers 3.2 million km² and the Ross Ice Shelf covers 0.5 million km². See Climate of Antarctica.<br /><br /><br />Global warming has increased the volume of summer meltwater on glaciers, which has weakened ice shelves. The dramatic collapses of The Prince Gustav Channel, Larsen Inlet, Larsen A, Wordie, Muller, and the Jones Ice Shelf show the impacts of climate change on the Antarctic ice cap.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://effectsglobalwarming.blogspot.com/2008/07/higher-temperature-may-be-causing-some.html"><strong><span style="color:#006600;">EFFECT OF POLAR ICE CAP MELTATION ON RISE OF OCEAN</span></strong> </a><br />You may have heard about global warming. It seems that in the last 100 years the earth's temperature has increased about half a degree Celsius. This may not sound like much, but even half a degree can have an effect on our planet. According to the U.S. </span><br /></span><a href="http://people.howstuffworks.com/epa.htm"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#000000;">Environmental Protection Agency</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> (EPA) the sea level has risen 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) in the last 100 years.<br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong><br /><span style="color:#663300;">MARS POLAR ICE CAP</span></strong><br /><br />The planet Mars also has polar ice caps, but they consist of frozen </span><br /></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxide"><span style="font-: "><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225393949205732706" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="polar ice caps on Mars as seen by the Hubble`s Telescope" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SIRUHIniHWI/AAAAAAAAAJI/zs57un2hDlE/s320/Mars,_as_seen_by_the_Hubble_Telescope.jpg" border="0" /></a></span>carbon dioxide<span style="font-family:arial;"> as well as<span style="color:#660000;"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#660000;">water</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">. The ice caps change with the Martian seasons-the carbon dioxide ice </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sublimation_(physics)"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#660000;">sublimes</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> in summer, uncovering a surface of layered rocks, and then reforms in winter. These polar ice caps are one of the main reasons that people believe that life exists on Mars.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><strong>Global warming on Mars?<br /></strong>In the other study, led by Michael C. Malin, features at the south pole were observed to retreat by up to 10 feet (3 meters) from one Martian year to the next. </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />The odd shapes -- circular pits, ridges and mounds -- were first photographed in 1999. Since then, the features have eroded away by up to 50 percent.<br />The pits are growing, the ridges between them shrinking.<br />Caplinger and Malin caution that a year's worth of data does not reveal when this erosion began or how long it will continue. Yet they speculate that the features could have been created in a Mars' decade and may erode away completely within one to two decades.<br />"We know that the pits we see at the surface today are not very old, and that they will not last very long," Malin said.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#330000;">Water or not on mars?</span></em></strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The rate of erosion suggests the features are made of moderately dense but solid carbon dioxide, rather than water ice, the scientists conclude. But that does not preclude the possibility of water ice at the south pole.<br />"We don't know what's underneath," Caplinger said. "You could certainly have water ice under carbon dioxide."<br />He said the only way to find out is to go there and drill down.<br />The newly observed melting, if it is part of a trend, could pump enough carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of Mars to increase its mass by 1 percent per decade, the scientists said. Already, the atmosphere of Mars is roughly </span><a href="http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/solarsystem/mars_water_011129.html"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#000000;">95 percent carbon dioxide</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#000000;">.</span><br />Caplinger said no one knows for sure what effect the extra carbon dioxide might have on the climate. "Not much," he figures.<br />But he said many scientists assume that Mars undergoes climate change. Photos of the surface suggest water may once have flowed on Mars, implying that it would have been warmer. And Earth's ice ages offer the lesson that change is inherent in a climate<br /><br /></span>Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09137408491653648852noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807983030155973340.post-49188492154166275272008-07-12T23:15:00.000-07:002008-07-12T23:32:22.041-07:00<div><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;color:#003333;"><strong>Melting Ice Threatens Polar Bears Survival</strong></span></p><br /><br /><br /><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SHmeinU0PPI/AAAAAAAAAIU/0ZF2V0CS33A/s1600-h/arctic+melting.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222379560421833970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SHmeinU0PPI/AAAAAAAAAIU/0ZF2V0CS33A/s400/arctic+melting.jpg" border="0" /></a>The Department of Interior’s imminent decision on whether to place polar bears on the federally protected endangered species list has focused attention on a recent study that documents for the first time the way that Arctic sea ice affects the bears' survival, breeding, and population growth. If current ice melting trends continue, the bears are likely to become extinct in the southern Beaufort Sea region of Alaska and adjacent Canada, the study concludes.<br /><br />Using extensive data of polar bears collected by U.S. Geological Survey scientists from 2001 to 2005, a research team including Hal Caswell of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and Christine Hunter of the University of Alaska determined that climate change in the Arctic is dramatically reducing polar bears’ survival and reproductive rates.<br /><br />The study concluded that melting Arctic ice is a critical threat to the bears’ survival. Polar bears need ice as a platform to hunt for their main food source: seals. As the Arctic Ocean became more ice-free over more summer days in 2004 and 2005, polar bear breeding and survival declined below the point needed to maintain the population, the team found.</span></p><br /><br /><br /><p><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The population can withstand occasional "bad-ice years," but not a steady diet of them. Some climate studies project that summer Arctic ice may disappear by mid-century. If it does, the polar bear will follow soon after, the scientists say, with two-thirds of polar bears disappearing throughout their entire range.<br /><br /><strong><em>The Endangered Species Act process</em></strong><br />Interior officials were scheduled to make their decision on polar bears on Jan. 9, but postponed it for a month, citing the complexity of the situation. The long legal process to be considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act began in 2005, when the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) filed a petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).<br /><br />The FWS began an initial review of the petition in February 2006 and received more than 500,000 public comments—both supporting and opposing. On Jan. 9, 2007, the FWS formally proposed listing the polar bear as "threatened." In the language of the Endangered Species Act, a species is "endangered" if it is in danger of extinction in at least a significant portion of its range. It is "threatened" if it is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future. The FWS would take steps to protect the species in either case, but a threatened listing is more flexible and lets the government make "special rules tailored to the species’ needs." The proposed listing triggered another yearlong process, and FWS turned to its research arm, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for further information.<br /><br />The USGS had recently completed a painstaking study of one of the 19 polar bear populations in the Arctic—the one living in the Southern Beaufort Sea, off the coast of northern Alaska and adjacent Canada. From 2001 to 2005, USGS researchers searched for bears, tranquilized, measured, and tagged them, gave them lip tattoos to identify them, removed a tooth to measure the bears’ ages, and then released and tracked the bears in a "mark-recapture" study.<br /><br />In March 2007, the USGS enlisted Caswell and Hunter, mathematical ecologists who specialize in population dynamics models, to advise the team. They used new analytical methods, developed while Hunter was a postdoctoral investigator at WHOI, to develop new models that incorporated USGS-collected information about polar bears’ mortality rates, birth rates, life cycles, and habitats. They coupled these models to projections of Arctic climate changes, especially forecasts of sea ice conditions. They calculated the interplay of all these factors—"some 10,000 simulations," Caswell said—to estimate the probabilities of future polar bear population growth or decline.<br /><br />"Ice, it turns out, is a critical component of the polar bears’ environment," Caswell said, "and for the first time we were able to link it directly to population growth."<br /><br /><strong><em>Ice and ice bears</em></strong><br />Like other predators at the top of the food chain, polar bears have a low <a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SHmfq-s93UI/AAAAAAAAAIc/hJnV5-TsZRA/s1600-h/polar-bear1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222380803647724866" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="ice and polar bear" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SHmfq-s93UI/AAAAAAAAAIc/hJnV5-TsZRA/s400/polar-bear1.jpg" border="0" /></a>reproductive rate. One or two cubs are born in midwinter and stay with their mother for two years. Consequently, females breed only every three years. The bears don’t reproduce until they are five or six years old.<br /><br />From late fall until spring, mothers with new cubs den in snowdrifts on land or on pack ice. They emerge from their dens, with the new cubs, in the spring to hunt seals from floating sea ice. (In many languages, they are more fittingly called ice bears. They are unipolar, inhabiting only the Arctic, an ice-covered ocean, not the ice-covered continent of Antarctica.) Simply put, if there isn’t enough sea ice, seals can’t haul out on the ice, and polar bears can’t continue to hunt.<br /><br />In each of the first three years of the USGS surveys, the near-shore ice melted an average of about 100 days, and the Southern Beaufort Sea polar bear population grew about 5 percent per year. But in 2004 and 2005, the number of "ice-free" days increased to about 135, and the population declined by about 25 percent per year. During the same period, polar bear researchers in the Arctic reported seeing things they had never seen before: emaciated bears, starving bears, bears drowning, and bear cannibalism.<br /><br />The population models created in the study suggested that 130 "ice-free" days is a threshold, constituting a "bad-ice" year that has negative impacts on the polar bear population. The frequency of "bad-ice" years is critical: If they occur too often (more often than once every six years or so), the bear population shrinks, the scientists said. All the climate models examined predict that bad ice years will occur more often in the future, as the Arctic warms. That projects a dire future for polar bears, though some small populations might hang on in isolated regions where ice remains, Caswell said.<br /><br />Caswell and Hunter, along with USGS polar bear biologists Erich Regher and Steven Amstrup; Michael Runge from the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland; and Ian Sterling from the Canadian Wildlife Service, issued two reports on the Southern Beaufort Sea polar bears, in September 2007. They were among nine reports presented to the FWS and USGS administrations and to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne.<br /><br />"These are very discouraging reports," Caswell said. "You could see the expressions on the faces of the audience change as the presentation went on and they became aware of the severity of the situation."<br /><br /><strong><em>Controversy, for and against</em></strong><br />Following the release of the reports, another public comment period elicited tens of thousands of responses. Supporters of adding polar bears to the list of threatened species included the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission, and 51 members of Congress. Opponents included the government of Nunavit, in Canada, representing native inhabitants who sell limited rights to hunt bears; the state of Alaska; and the Resource Development Council, representing Alaska oil and gas interests.<br /><br />Many of the opponents invoked uncertainty as their main criticism. The Resource Development Council claimed that "all major studies by the USGS are filled with uncertainty and doubt." And in an op-ed piece Jan. 5 in The New York Times, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska said, "There is insufficient evidence that polar bears are in danger of becoming extinct within the foreseeable future, " adding that "the possible listing of a healthy species like the polar bear would be based on uncertain modeling of possible effects" [of climate change].<br /><br />However, Caswell points out that this is a serious misunderstanding of the nature of scientific results. "Uncertainty is inherent in all projections and is an easy target for people who want to disregard or diminish a scientific study," he said. "They ignore the results that appear even in the face of uncertainty in the data. In the case of the polar bear, the conclusions about population decline and the effects of sea ice changes on that decline are robust—in spite of the uncertainty. "<br /><br /><strong><em>No easy fix</em></strong><br />On the day the FWS postponed its decision for a month, the CBD, NRDC, and Greenpeace jointly announced their intent to sue the government to force the ruling. If Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne decides to designate polar bears as threatened, critical habitat areas could be designated in the future, and federal and state agencies would be prohibited from authorizing, funding, or carrying out actions that "destroy or adversely modify" critical habitats of the species—which could include permitting of mining and drilling operations. </span><br /></p><br /><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">American hunters would no longer be able to bring into the U.S. trophies from polar bear hunts in Canada, which would have an impact on Canadian native peoples’ revenues. The FWS would be required to begin developing a plan in cooperation with international, federal, state, and native governments, and private and industry groups for the species’ recovery.<br /><br />If climate change and melting Arctic sea ice are the cause of polar bears’ decline, reversing it may be enormously difficult. In this, the bears’ situation contrasts with another endangered species, whose demography Caswell has also analyzed: the North Atlantic right whale.<br /><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SHmhKF4c66I/AAAAAAAAAIk/w8wiZQeOx0Q/s1600-h/north+atalantic+right+whale.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222382437662518178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="north Atalantic right whale" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SHmhKF4c66I/AAAAAAAAAIk/w8wiZQeOx0Q/s400/north+atalantic+right+whale.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />"At least there are obvious ways to help the whale," Caswell said. "We know that ship strikes and fishing gear entanglements kill them, and we can try to mitigate those factors, even if it is difficult. In the case of the polar bear, there may not be an easy way to fix it. But it is important to note that the Endangered Species Act responds to the risk of extinction facing a species, regardless of the causes of that risk or of whether it will be easy or difficult to reduce the risk."</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></div></div></div>Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09137408491653648852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807983030155973340.post-84328171263299038612008-07-07T18:52:00.000-07:002008-07-27T18:23:02.417-07:00<p><span style="font-size:85%;color:#660000;"><strong>Threats To Polar Bears Survival</strong></span><br /></p><br /><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Polar bears, top predators in their arctic habitat, face growing threats to their survival.</span><b><br /></p></b><br /><b><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Global Warming</span></b><br /></p><br /><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Polar bears are highly adapted to their Arctic habitat. Recent declines in their numbers can be linked to the<u> <a href="http://effectsglobalwarming.blogspot.com/2008/07/melting-ice-threatens-polar-bears.html">melting of sea ice</a> </u>and its formation later in the year. The Artic Climate Impact Assessment <a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SHmaprrt7ZI/AAAAAAAAAIE/AabfWPmZ08c/s1600-h/polar_bear_crosses.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222375283804204434" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="polar bear crossing" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SHmaprrt7ZI/AAAAAAAAAIE/AabfWPmZ08c/s400/polar_bear_crosses.jpg" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:85%;">reported in 2004 that the covering of summer ice in the Arctic shrunk by 15 to 20 percent in the past 30 years, and the decline was expected to accelerate. Further predicted reductions of 10 to 50 percent of annual sea ice and 50 to 100 percent of summer sea ice in the next 50 to 100 years present a considerable threat. Ice is breaking up earlier in some areas and is predicted to do so in other areas, forcing bears ashore before they build up sufficient fat stores or forcing them to swim longer distances, which may exhaust them, leading to drowning. Not only is the Arctic warming forcing the bears to feed for a shorter time, but it is also decreasing their prey base. The consequences are thinner, stressed bears, decreased female reproductive rates, and lower juvenile survival rates. </span><br /></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Although a broad consensus has emerged that human activities are contributing to global warming, greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase in the United States and abroad. The United States has refused to sign the kyoto protocal</span><span style="font-size:85%;">, an international agreement intended to decrease the human production of greenhouse gases. Without the participation of the United States, the protocol is unlikely to meet its 2012 goal of reduced emissions of 5 percent of 1990 values in developed countries. Even if this goal is met, it is not stringent enough to preserve the polar bears' habitat.</span></p><b><br /><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Environmental Contaminant</span></b></p><br /><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The Arctic is considered a "sink" for environmental contaminants. Mercury, organochlorines such as PCBs and DDT, and other toxins are carried northward in rivers, ocean currents, and the wind. These toxins accumulate at higher levels along the food chain. Researchers have found extremely high amounts of chemical pollutants in polar bears, the top Arctic predator, putting the bears in danger of bone mineral density loss, hormonal imbalance, physiological damage, and compromised immune systems. Bone mineral density loss is especially devastating in female polar bears, which must mobilize large amounts of calcium and phosphate during pregnancy and nursing. As an additional blow, the harmful effects of pollutants can interact negatively with the nutritional stress caused by global warming.</span></p><b><br /><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Development</span></b></p><br /><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Melting sea ice has resulted in the opening of the Arctic to tourism and mineral and energy development. As more people visit the Arctic, noise pollution and interactions with polar bears increase. Polar bears are harassed by photographers and tourists wanting to come closer. Yet when the bears are attracted to human camps by the smell of food, they may be perceived as a threat and killed.</span><span style="font-size:85%;">Oil and gas exploration is a growing threat to polar bears as well. Companies are eager to exploit the mineral reserves in the Arctic, but it comes at a great cost to the environment.</span><b><br /></p></b><b><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Hunting</span></b><br /></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Because of their long lives and slow reproduction, polar bears rely on high adult survival rates to maintain their numbers. Over-hunting of adults can cause a catastrophic crash in population. Half of the 20 <a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SHmbm7cKJ-I/AAAAAAAAAIM/RC3aL0o3Qoo/s1600-h/In%20this%20undated%20photo%20provided%20by%20the%20Canadian%20Wildlife%20Service,%20hunter%20Jim%20Martell,%20left,%20is%20seen%20with%20a%20hy.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222376336005933026" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="hunted polar bear" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SHmbm7cKJ-I/AAAAAAAAAIM/RC3aL0o3Qoo/s320/In%2520this%2520undated%2520photo%2520provided%2520by%2520the%2520Canadian%2520Wildlife%2520Service,%2520hunter%2520Jim%2520Martell,%2520left,%2520is%2520seen%2520with%2520a%2520hy.jpg" border="0" /></a>recognized populations of polar bears are currently threatened by potential over-hunting. The remainder may be over-hunted in the near future if hunting quotas are not reduced. Subsistence hunting is permitted in Canada, Greenland and Alaska, and sport hunting is permitted in Canada and recently Greenland. </span><a href="http://www.iucnredlist.org/"><span style="font-size:85%;color:#333300;">The World Conservation Union Red List of Threatened Species</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#333300;"> </span>cites "a potential risk of over-harvest due to increased quotas, excessive quotas or no quotas in Canada and Greenland and poaching in Russia." </span><br /></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Although the United States prohibits non-subsistence hunting of polar bears under the </span><a href="http://www.hsus.org/marine_mammals/what_are_the_issues/the_marine_mammal_protection_act.html"><span style="font-size:85%;color:#333300;">Marine Mammal Protection Act</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"> and trophy hunting is arguably illegal under the </span><a href="http://pbsg.npolar.no/ConvAgree/agreement.htm"><span style="font-size:85%;color:#333300;">International Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">, U.S. hunters are permitted to import the trophies from sport hunted polar bears from six Canadian populations—Southern Beaufort Sea, Northern Beaufort Sea, Western Hudson Bay, Lancaster Sound, Viscount Melville Sound, and Norwegian Bay. Declining populations in some areas have spurred the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to review the sustainability of hunting in these areas. Unfortunately, polar bears continue to be killed and imported into the United States while the Fish and Wildlife Service considers whether to lift its approvals for any of the six targeted populations.</span></p><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span>Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09137408491653648852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807983030155973340.post-7259203050041151852008-07-07T18:29:00.000-07:002008-07-07T18:44:28.168-07:00Evolution<div><b><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><p><span style="font-family:lucida grande;color:#000099;">Evolution</span></p></b></span><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SHLGETc_alI/AAAAAAAAAH8/lk5-jHm_l70/s1600-h/Polar%20bear%20jawbone-370_13143_1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220452695319472722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="oldest polar bears fossil" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SHLGETc_alI/AAAAAAAAAH8/lk5-jHm_l70/s400/Polar%2520bear%2520jawbone-370_13143_1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">The polar bear appears to share a common ancestor with the presentday brown bear. It apparently branched off the brown bear lineage during the late Pleistocene. Kurt?en (1964) suggested that ancestors of the modern polar bear were "gigantic." Although still the largest of the extant bears, the polar bear, like many other mammals, has decreased in size since the Pleistocene. Also, significant morphological changes have continued within the last 20,000? to 40,000 years, perhaps through the present (Kurt?en 1964). Stanley (1979) described the many recently derived traits of polar bears as an example of "quantum speciation."<br /><br />Evidence of polar bear evolution contained in the sparse samples of fossils has been strengthened recently by molecular genetics. Whereas traits of fossil teeth and bones from polar bears clearly indicate their brown bear origins, fossil remains include only a handful of specimens (Kurt?en 1964). Genetic data from extant bears can provide phylogenetic information unavailable in the fossil record. Shields and Kocher (1991) first analyzed mtDNA sequences and showed a close relationship between brown bears and polar bears. Cronin et al. (1991) then discovered that mtDNA of brown bears is paraphyletic with respect to polar bears. That is, the mtDNA of brown bears of the Alexander Archipelago in southeastern Alaska is more closely related to the mtDNA of polar bears than it is to the mtDNA of other brown bears. Cronin et al. (1991) reported that mtDNA sequence divergence between Alexander Archipelago brown bears and polar bears is only about 1%, whereas a divergence of about 2.6% separates polar bears from brown bears occurring elsewhere. Cronin et al. (1991) and Cronin (1993) emphasized that mtDNA sequence divergence trees are not species trees and that mtDNA is not, by itself, a good measure of overall genetic differentiation. Nonetheless, these relationships provide a compelling argument regarding the origin and evolution of polar bears.<br /><br />Following the discovery of Cronin et al. (1991), others corroborated the finding of paraphyletic mtDNA in brown bears and polar bears. Talbot and Shields (1996a, 1996b) suggested that the Alexander Archipelago brown bears represent descendents of ancestral stock that gave rise to polar bears. This stock may have survived Pleistocene glaciers in an ice-free refugium in southeastern Alaska, isolated from brown bears in other Pleistocene refugia (Heaton et al. 1996). This island-dwelling ancestral stock apparently has remained isolated from the more recent mainland bears by broad ocean passages.<br /><br />Talbot and Shields (1996b) found mtDNA sequence divergence rates similar to those reported by Cronin et al. (1991), and proposed that ancestors of the Alexander Archipelago brown bears diverged from the other mtDNA lineages of brown bears 550,000? to 700,000 years ago. The mtDNA sequence divergences also suggested that polar bears branched from the Alexander Archepelago ancestral stock of brown bears about 200,000 ?to 250,000 years ago, a date closely corresponding with that suggested in the fossil record (Thenius 1953; Kurt?en 1964). Shields and Kocher (1991) and Cronin et al. (1991) reported that the mtDNA nucleotide sequence divergence between brown and polar bears (grouped together) and black bears was 7?9%. Applying the substitution rate (6%/million years) for mtDNA genes reported by Talbot and Shields (1996a) to the sequence divergence reported by Cronin et al. (1991) suggests that brown bear ancestral stock diverged from that of black bears approximately 1.2 to ?1.5 million years ago. This "molecular clock" estimate may be low. The fossil record suggests black bears diverged from the brown bear lineage 1.5 to ?2.5 million years ago.<br /><br />Cronin (1993) cautioned that mutation rates vary among genes as well as among taxa, and that conclusions based on "molecular clocks" must be viewed with caution and in the context of other evidence. For example, DNA sequences for two functional nuclear genes, ?-casein and the DQ? gene of the major histocompatability complex, show polyphyletic relationships among the three species of bears (M. Cronin and S. Amstrup, unpublished data). That is, the DNA sequences do not resolve the relationships among the species. These functional genes are presumably under strong selection and do not diverge as rapidly as mtDNA. Nonetheless, the mtDNA analyses indicate that Alexander Archipelogo brown bears derive from more ancient stocks and are more closely related to polar bears than are other members of the brown bear clan. These conclusions also corroborate the recent appearance of the polar bear in the fossil record and the more ancient roots of the black bear (Thenius 1953; Kurt?en 1964). All DNA evidence, regardless of some areas of uncertainty, corroborate conclusions from the fossil record that the polar bear is a recently derived species and is undergoing rapid evolution. The extreme arctic marine environment is undoubtedly exerting strong selection pressures for rapid adaptation.</span></p><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></div>Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09137408491653648852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807983030155973340.post-65725521589679581402008-07-05T18:25:00.000-07:002008-07-05T18:42:39.050-07:00<div><div><div><b><p><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;color:#000066;">Birth and Care of Young.</span></p><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SHAiLCmcjZI/AAAAAAAAAH0/vF1p8tQUFD8/s1600-h/polar_bears_await_decision.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219709541194435986" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="polar bear gestation" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SHAiLCmcjZI/AAAAAAAAAH0/vF1p8tQUFD8/s320/polar_bears_await_decision.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;color:#000066;">A. Gestation.</span></b><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> </span><br /></p><br /><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">1.The total gestation period is about eight months. </span><br /></p><br /><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">2.Gestation includes a period of delayed implantation. </span><br /><br /></p><dir><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">a. The fertilized egg divides into a hollow ball of cells one layer thick (a blastocyst),then stops growing and lies free-floating in the uterus for about four months. The blastula then implants in the uterine wall and continues to develop.</span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">b. Delayed implantation assures that the cub is born during the best time of the year for survival and allows the female to get into good physical condition and use her energy for nursing her newborn cubs.</span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">c. The actual embryonic development is estimated to be four months.</span></p></dir><b><p align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;color:#000066;">B. Denning.</span></b><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><br />During their first few weeks of life, polar bear cubs nurse most of the time and stay close to their mother to keep warm.</span></p><b><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;color:#000066;">D. Frequency of birth.</span></b><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">1.Most adult females give birth once every three years. In some populations, birth occurs once every two years. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">2.The most frequent litter size is two, followed by litters of one. Litters of three are less common than twins or singles, and litters of four are rare. </span></p><b><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;color:#000066;">E. Cubs at birth.</span></b><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">1.At birth, polar bear cubs weigh about 454 to 680 g (16-24 oz.) and are about 30 cm (12 in.) long. Males are born slightly larger than females. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">2.Polar bear cubs are born small and helpless, with their eyes closed. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">3.The fur is very fine at birth, making the cubs look hairless. </span></p><b><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;color:#000066;">F. Care of young.</span></b><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">1.Nursing. </span></p><dir><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">a. Female polar bears have four mammary glands. Mothers nurse their cubs in a sitting position, or lying down on their side or back.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">b. During their first few weeks of life, polar bear cubs nurse most of the time and stay close to their mother to keep warm. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">c. For the next three or four months the cubs nurse as often as six times a day. The length and number of nursings gradually decreases as the cubs grow older.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">d. Mother polar bears nurse their cubs for as long as 30 months. Some cubs stop nursing as young as 18 months of age, but remain with their mothers for survival until they are 30 months old. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">e. The average fat content of polar bear milk is 33%, similar to the milkfat of other marine mammals.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">2.Mother polar bears are extremely protective of their young, even risking their own lives in their cubs' defense. </span></p></dir><b><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SHAgWu3YADI/AAAAAAAAAHk/6EvCB4tsTxE/s1600-h/35154979.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219707543031906354" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="mother & cubs" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_5NswQ7lSoUU/SHAgWu3YADI/AAAAAAAAAHk/6EvCB4tsTxE/s320/35154979.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;color:#000066;">G. Cub growth and development.</span></b><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">1. Cubs open their eyes within the first month. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">2. The cubs begin walking while in the den at about two months. By this time, they also have thick, whitish fur and their teeth have erupted. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">3. By the time the mother and cubs emerge from the den in late March or April, the cubs weigh 10 to 15 kg (22-33 lb.). </span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">4. Mother and cubs remain around the den for about 12 more days, sometimes longer. </span></p><dir><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">a. This enables the cubs to acclimate to the colder weather and develop their walking muscles.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">b. During this time the cubs still spend about 85% of their time in the den, sleeping there at night.</span></p></dir><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">5. When ready, the mother polar bear leads her cubs to sea ice. Travel is slow with frequent rest and nursing stops. A mother will sometimes carry her cubs on her back through areas of deep snow or water. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">6. Cubs begin eating solid food as soon as their mother makes her first kill on the sea ice (about three to four months of age). </span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">7. The cubs grow quickly on their mother's fat rich milk and on seal blubber. By eight months of age, they weigh over 45 kg (99 lb.). </span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">8. Polar bear cubs learn to hunt by watching their mother. Cubs will try hunting in their first year, but don't seem to be successful until they're over one year old. Even then, they only spend about 4% of their time hunting. By the time they're two years old they spend about 7% of their time hunting and can catch a seal every five or six days.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">9. When her cubs are about 30 months old, a female polar bear is ready to breed again. At this time, an adult male may begin following her. Either the mother bear or the male chases away the cubs.</span></p><br /><br /><br /><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span></p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><br /><br /><br /><p align="center"></p></span></div></div></div>Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09137408491653648852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7807983030155973340.post-38657082870138258262008-07-05T18:13:00.000-07:002008-07-05T18:17:34.244-07:00Communication<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#006600;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Communication</span>.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#660000;">A. Vocalizations.</span><br /></span>1.Adult polar bears vocalize most when they're agitated or threatened. Sounds include hissing, growling, champing of teeth, and soft chuffing. </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />2.Cubs vocalize more often and for diverse reasons. Sounds include hissing, squalling, whimpering, lip smacking, and throaty rumblings.<br /><br />3.Mothers warn cubs with a chuffing or braying sound.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;color:#660000;">B. Other communication.</span><br />1.Polar bears also communicate through sight, touch, and smell.<br /><br />2.A male polar bear initiates play fighting by approaching another male with its head down, mouth closed, and eyes averted. The bears usually make contact by gently touching or "mouthing" each other around the face and neck. They then proceed to rear up on their hind legs and try to push each other over with their forepaws.<br /><br />3.A mother polar bear can comfort, protect, or punish her cubs by using her body, muzzle, or paws.<br /> </span></span><br /></span></span>Edwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09137408491653648852noreply@blogger.com0