Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Yosemite hiker slips on cables in Half Dome and falls to death during storm

admin — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 21:02:07 +0000

Father says Grace Rohloff, 20, lost footing about three-quarters into 400ft cables descent and slid down mountain

A father-daughter hike that began with an Arizona college student checking off a bucket list item ended tragically when she was killed after falling down Yosemite’s Half Dome earlier this month.

Cairngorms estate goes back on sale after criticism of ‘green laird’ owner

admin — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 18:09:46 +0000

Campaigners say sudden sale suggests Abrdn’s use of Scottish countryside was ‘get-rich-quick scheme’

A Scottish estate that became a lightning rod for disputes over wealthy “green lairds” buying up the Highlands has been unexpectedly put up for sale.

The Far Ralia estate in the Cairngorms has gone on the market for £12m, three years after it was bought for £7.5m by an investment trust run by Standard Life, now Abrdn, as a way to offset carbon emissions from its properties.

How well does tree planting work in climate change fight? It depends

admin — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 16:30:57 +0000

Using trees as a cost-effective tool against climate change is more complicated than simply planting large numbers of them, an international collaboration has shown.

Monday was hottest recorded day on Earth: ‘Uncharted territory’

admin — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 15:57:40 +0000

Data shows that the global surface air temperature reached 62.87F compared with 62.76F on Sunday.

World temperature reached the hottest levels ever measured on Monday, beating the record that was set just one day before, data suggests.

Tree bark plays vital role in removing methane from atmosphere, study finds

admin — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 15:28:49 +0000

Researchers uncover ‘remarkable new way in which trees provide a vital climate service’ by reducing emissions

Microbes in the bark of trees play a vital role in removing methane from the atmosphere, scientists have discovered.

The greenhouse gas is a product of agriculture and the burning of fossil fuels and is 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide. However, it remains in the atmosphere for a shorter time.

The US’s quiet rise to the world’s biggest fossil fuel state

admin — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 15:00:23 +0000

No country has ever in history produced as much oil and gas as the US does now and Louisiana is ground zero

Early mammal could help answer one of biology’s biggest question, say experts

admin — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 15:00:21 +0000

Krusatodon kirtlingtonensis, which lived 166m years ago, ‘a piece of the puzzle’ explaining mammals’ success

The remains of a diminutive mouse-like creature that lived 166m years ago could help answer one of biology’s biggest questions of why mammals have become so successful, fossil experts say.

Krusatodon kirtlingtonensis belongs to the immediate predecessors of mammals and lived alongside the dinosaurs during the middle Jurassic age. But while it was originally known only from individual teeth, researchers have now reported two partial skeletons.

‘High quality, low price and dizzying variety’: how the Chinese switched to electric cars

admin — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 13:00:10 +0000

The country has long been the world’s biggest market – but the government’s interest is more geopolitical than environmental

When Kenzi, an advertising worker in Shanghai, bought an electric vehicle in November she wasn’t even thinking about the environmental benefits. She had read Elon Musk’s biography and thought the Tesla 3 looked good. She also knew that if she bought an EV she could bypass the long wait and cost of getting licence plates, which are rationed by the government.

Heathrow prepares third-runway blueprint for Labour amid record passenger numbers

admin — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 11:24:04 +0000

UK’s biggest airport served almost 40m passengers in first half of 2024, straining its system ‘to the maximum’

Heathrow is preparing to announce a fresh blueprint for a third runway for the Labour government’s approval as record passenger numbers “strain its system to the maximum”.

The UK’s biggest airport served almost 40 million passengers in the first half of 2024, culminating in its busiest day ever on 30 June.

Revealed: Tories failed to do impact check before approving banned pesticide

admin — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 10:12:50 +0000

Exclusive: UK campaigners say it is ‘unacceptable’ no nature assessments were made on bee-killing Cruiser SB

The Conservative government did not carry out a legally required assessment of how greenlighting the use of a banned pesticide, described as a “death blow to wildlife”, would affect some of the most important nature sites, documents have revealed.

The previous government gave emergency approval this year for sugar beet farmers to use Cruiser SB for the fourth year in a row.