Breaking Waves: Ocean News

‘A crisis entirely of humanity’s making’: UN chief issues climate SOS on trip to Pacific

admin — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 23:01:22 +0000

António Guterres calls for a ‘massive’ increase in finance and support for the countries most vulnerable to rising sea levels

Pacific island nations are in “grave danger” from rising sea levels and the world must “answer the SOS before it is too late”, the UN chief has warned during a visit to Tonga.

Flood surge in Sudan bursts dam, destroying villages and killing dozens

admin — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 21:41:39 +0000

One report says 150-200 people missing after heavy rain led to Arbaat dam giving way in area already hit by civil war

Surging waters have burst through a dam in eastern Sudan, wiping out at least 20 villages and leaving at least 30 people dead but probably many more, the UN has said, devastating a region already reeling from months of civil war.

Study finds salamanders are surprisingly abundant in northeastern forests

admin — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 17:12:06 +0000

Two recent amphibian-focused studies shed light on the ecological importance of red-backed salamanders, while confirming that proactive measures would prevent costly impacts from a wildlife disease spreading across Europe that has not yet reached North America.

Rescue effort at ice cave in Iceland ends after police say no one is missing

admin — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 14:28:03 +0000

Search for more survivors of cave collapse that killed one called off as records show 23 not 25 people were on tour

After a 17-hour, 200-person rescue operation in which first responders used chainsaws and ice picks to cut through a collapsed ice cave to track down two missing tourists, police in Iceland have called off the search and said they now believe that no one had ever been missing.

Officials in Iceland said on Monday that after examining tour operator records, they had concluded that 23 people were on the tour, not 25 as had been previously reported.

Hot and alone: how US cities work to protect isolated people in heatwaves

admin — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 14:00:32 +0000

Data shows people living alone were more likely to die in recent periods of unusually intense heat around the world

The dangers of extreme heat can be amplified by social isolation, experts have warned, with those living alone found to be most likely to suffer.

“Heatwaves are deadly,” Eric Klinenberg, a sociologist at New York University who studies climate disasters, once said. “Cold societies make them far more lethal.”

US national park service to receive $100m in largest grant in its history

admin — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 12:27:31 +0000

Donation from Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment will be used across country’s more than 400 national park sites

The official non-profit organization of the US national park service is set to receive the largest grant in its history, a $100m gift the fundraising group described as transformative for the country’s national parks.

Plutonium levels near US atomic site in Los Alamos similar to Chornobyl, study finds

admin — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 12:00:32 +0000

Much of the land near the atomic bomb’s birthplace was converted to recreational areas, but toxic waste remains

Soil, plants and water along popular recreation spots near Los Alamos, New Mexico, the birthplace of the atomic bomb, are contaminated with “extreme concentrations” of plutonium, a new study has found, but calls for the federal government to act have been dismissed.

Forget the moths that eat your clothes. Most are beautiful and deserve to be loved | Tim Blackburn

admin — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 11:00:30 +0000

From the merveille du jour to the burnished brass, Britain’s 2,500 species of moths are all special in their own way

One dead, two missing after ice cave collapse in Iceland

admin — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 06:39:46 +0000

Incident happened as tour group of 25 was visiting Breiðamerkurjökull glacier in south-east of country

Albanese government accused of trying to ‘bury bad news’ about health of Great Barrier Reef

admin — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 06:00:54 +0000

Major report released at 4pm on Friday with no media release or a press conference from Tanya Plibersek