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Showing posts from August, 2018

Ten rivers carry 95% of all river-borne plastic into the ocean

According to the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research in Leipzig, up to 95% of river-borne plastic comes from just ten rivers: Amur, Ganges, Mekong, Niger, Nile, Pearl River, Indus, Hai He, Yangtze, Yellow River. The Yangtze is the main culprit. Yangtze River and basin: 912 tonnes of plastic deposited per day.

Africa 7,000 years ago

At about 9,500 years ago, the Holocene "Optimum" began setting in motion the warmest and wettest phase of climate during the Holocene. The Great Lakes expanded, and the southern Sahara became a Savannah as monsoon rains reached far to the north of their current extent. In the western Sahara, Niger tributaries stretched deep into the desert, and Lake "Mega-Chad" fed it through the Benue. Although after 7,000 years ago, a general cooling and drying began, the final drying of the Sahara only started about 4,500 years ago. While short-term variation has continued, current conditions were well established by about 2,000 years ago. Sub-Saharan Africa: An Environmental History By Gregory Maddox Our ancestors almost exterminated themselves some 7,000 years ago. According to genetics data after a period of some 2,000 years of decline, there was only one fertile male left alive to mate with every 17 women. The Stanford University's scientists blame “competition bet

Alaska: Early autumn average temperature trend past 50 years

Early autumn (August through October) temperatures over the past 50 years are warming in all regions in Alaska. The strongest trend is on the North Slope due to the collapse of early autumn sea ice in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas

The three principal plastic waste contributing rivers of the World

Plastic pollution in the marine environment has become a significant concern because of its persistence at sea and its damaging effects on marine life and, potentially, human health. Laurent C. M. Lebreton and his team estimated that between 1.15 and 2.41 million tonnes of plastic waste presently enter the ocean annually from rivers, with over 74 percent of emissions occurring between May and October. The top 20 polluting rivers, primarily located in the Asian continent, accounting for 67 percent of the global total. GIS specialist John Nelson was impressed by the “Principle Rivers/Lakes/Mountains” map diagrams that were popular in the mid-1800s and visualized top plastic waste-contributing rivers worldwide (Yangtze, Ganges, and Xi rivers). Top plastic waste-contributing rivers by metric tonnes of plastic are deposited daily: 1. Yangtze River and basin - 912 tonnes 2. Ganges River and basin - 315 tonnes 3. Xi River and basin - 202 tonnes

July 2018 turms up the heat

Historic and current average high temperatures of the month of July (in Fahrenheit). July 2018 has seen higher than average temperatures across the globe. The extreme weather has exacerbated flooding drought and forest fires countries. The highest temperature ever recorded (°C) in Europe  

Biodiversity map of Mexico

Mexico is considered one of the most mega-diverse countries of the world. With over 200 thousand different species, Mexico is home of 10–12% of the world's biodiversity. Mexico ranks first in biodiversity in reptiles with 707 known species, second in mammals with 438 species, fourth in amphibians with 290 species, and fourth in flora, with 26 thousand different species. Mexico is also considered the second country in the world in ecosystems and 4th in overall species.