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Cleaning the North Pacific Gyre
November 6, 2009 | CNN

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch – a mass of trash and debris the size of Texas – has been growing in the North Pacific Gyre. Project Kaisei is an endeavor that aims to retrieve the garbage and somehow use it as fuel. This article includes a video and photo slideshow.

Related stories.
Video: Horizontal Drilling and Hydraulic Fracturing
November 5, 2009 | American Petroleum Institute

The American Petroleum Institute has a video that explains the horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing processes. It explains the drilling, fracturing, equipment, materials and environmental concerns.

This is an excellent video from an authoritative source.

Related stories.
The Coldest Decade in the Past 500 Years
November 3, 2009 | UC San Diego

A previously unknown volcanic eruption in 1809 kicked off the coldest decade in the past 500 years. This eruption was larger than the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo and was followed in 1815 by the eruption of Tambora. The result was a global lowering of temperature.

Related stories.
Kilimanjaro Glaciers Are Melting
November 3, 2009 | CNN Tech

An article on the CNN website reports that the glaciers on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania are retreating and could be melted away within 20 years.

Related stories.
Timor Sea Oil Well Still Leaking
November 2, 2009 | NASA Earth Observatory

More than two months after a blowout at a newly-drilled oil well, crude oil and gas condensate continued to leak into the Timor Sea, between northwest Australia and Indonesia. According to news reports, the company responsible for the leaking well has tried to cap it three times without success.

Related stories.
The Aral Sea is Rising
November 1, 2009 | Yahoo! News

The former port of Aralsk was recently 60 miles from the shoreline of the Aral Sea. However, a dam built by the World Bank and Kazakh government is causing the water to rise – Aralsk is now 15.5 miles from the shoreline.

Related stories.
Massachusetts
Nantucket Recycles Almost Everything
October 29, 2009 | The New York Times

This is a photo slideshow featuring Nantucket, Massachusetts, where 92% of the island’s waste is recycled. Residents of the island reuse, recycle, and compost almost everything. Their landfill, which is mined for aluminum and other materials, is shrinking.

Related stories.
Google Earth
Google Earth Heroes
October 28, 2009 | Google Earth

Google Earth can become a powerful tool for people and organizations that are striving to help the environment. Google has applauded their efforts by featuring some of their work in a collection of videos.

Related stories.
West Virginia
WV Mountaintop Removal Mine a World Hotspot
October 21, 2009 | AP on Google

About a dozen virtual tours of global environmental “hot spots” will be featured at the December 17-18 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris. One of the hotspots is a mountaintop removal coal mine in West Virginia.

Related stories.
Second Warmest September on Record
October 19, 2009 | NOAA

The combined global land and ocean surface temperature was the second warmest September on record, according to NOAA, based on records going back to 1880.

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Water
EPA to Revoke a WV Mining Permit
October 16, 2009 | Associated Press

EPA plans to revoke an issued permit for a mountain top removal coal mine in West Virginia. The agency says that the surface mining operation could violate the Clean Water Act.

Related stories.
California Hydroelectric Dams To Be Removed
October 6, 2009 | LA TImes

Four PacifiCorp hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River will be decommissioned. Environmentalists are pleased because the dams reduced water quality and salmon will be able to swim upstream to their historic spawning areas.

Related stories.
Coal Ash Gets More Scrutiny
October 4, 2009 | 60 Minutes

A lengthy article on the 60 Minutes website describes several places where coal as is either intentionally or unintentionally in locations where people can contact it, water that has contacted it or breathe the dust particles. Is it unsafe in any of these situations?

Related stories.
EPA Delays Mountaintop Removal Mining Permits
October 1, 2009 | Reuters

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is holding 79 coal-mining permits that use the controversial mining method of “mountaintop removal”. EPA is considering their potential impact on water quality.

Related stories.
Drilling in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas
September 27, 2009 | LA Times

Environmental groups are urging Washington to impose a moratorium on oil and gas drilling in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. They are concerned about the impact of drilling on wildlife and the Arctic Ocean environment.

Related stories.
topographic maps
Free Topographic Maps – Printable
September 26, 2009 | Digital-Topo-Maps.com

Here is a website where you can view USGS topographic maps and print them from .pdf documents.

There is no charge for the service. Check it out.

Related stories.
Monitoring Water Use From Space
September 20, 2009 | NASA

A video describes how NASA scientists can use the thermal wavelengths from Landsat data to estimate how much water is being used on a field-by-field basis.

Related stories.
Ice Cores and Climate Change Video
September 17, 2009 | Penn State “Conversations”

In this video, Penn State professor Richard Alley, one of the world’s leading climate researchers, explores some of the basic research behind climate change and explains how climate change might impact our future. He is interviewed by Patty Satalia, host of the Penn State “Conversations” interview series.

Related stories.
Coral Reef Map
Impact of Climate Change on Coral Reefs
September 14, 2009 | Oregon State

“An explosion of knowledge has been made in the last few years about the basic biology of corals, researchers say in a new report, helping to explain why coral reefs around the world are collapsing and what it will take for them to survive a gauntlet of climate change and ocean acidification.” Quoted from the Oregon State press release.

Related stories.
USGS Microbiology Activities
September 12, 2009 | USGS

USGS scientists are involved in a wide range of microbiology research to understand pathogens in contaminating drinking water, West Nile Virus in bird species, plague in Black-Footed ferrets, microorganisms as potential sources of alternative energy and other microbiology issues. They have a “Microbiology and the Environment” website to share information about their activities.

Related stories.
Timor Sea Oil Slick Appears Larger
September 9, 2009 | Earth Observatory

“A damaged oil well northwest of Western Australia continued to leak fuel into the Timor Sea in the first week of September 2009. This natural-color image shows the area affected by the oil slick on September 3. Compared to an image captured on August 30, the area affected appears larger, but that doesn’t automatically mean there is more oil. According to news reports, chemicals that help the oil disperse are being dropped on the slick from airplanes.” Quoted from Earth Observatory.

Related stories.
Eruption and Recovery at Kasatochi Volcano, Alaska
August 27, 2009 | USGS

The August 7, 2008 eruption of Alaska’s Kasatochi Volcano completely covered Kasatochi Island with several meters of ash and volcanic material. It killed all of the island’s plants, fish and animals – it virtually sterilized the island. This ecological event also provided a rare research opportunity – a chance to see how species recolonize the island.

Related stories.
Commercial Ships in Russia’s Northeast Passage
August 26, 2009 | EcoWorldly.com

The first commercial ships to attempt a crossing of Russia’s Northeast Passage without the aid of icebreakers left Vladivostok last week. This route saves them 4000 nautical miles in their trip between South Korea and the Netherlands. A small upside to global warming.

Related article: What is the Northwest Passage?

Related stories.
3000 Mile Walk
August 25, 2009 | LighterFootStep.com

This video is a mug-shot documentary of Christoph Rehage’s plan to walk from Beijing, China to Bad Nenndorf, Germany – a distance of over 3,000 miles.

Related stories.
Over 1/2 of World Population Exposed to Major Natural Hazards
August 23, 2009 | Columbia University Earth Institute

The World Bank published a report in 2005 titled: “Natural Disaster Hotspots: A Global Risk Analysis,” that presents a global view of disaster risks associated with some major natural hazards such as drought, floods, cyclones, earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides. The report indicates that 3.4 billion people, more than half the world’s population, live in areas where at least one hazard could significantly impact them. Quoted from a Columbia University press release of 03/05.

Related stories.
Climate Change Graphs and Maps
August 23, 2009 | NOAA

NOAA has a large collection of graphs, tables and maps that document climate change. They have maps and charts for temperature, precipitation, sea ice extent, atmospheric measurements and more.

Related stories.
Strategic Risk
Climate Change and GDP
August 23, 2009 | Strategic Risk

An article on the Strategic Risk website suggests that climate change might produce water shortages that lead to conflict in some parts of the world and that climate change could cost 5 to 20% of GDP annually.

Related stories.
Mercury in Fish, Bed Sediment, and Water
August 21, 2009 | USGS

Mercury is a global pollutant that ultimately makes its way into every aquatic ecosystem through the hydrologic cycle. USGS published a study that examined mercury in top-predator fish, bed sediment, and water from streams across the United States.

Related stories.
Mexico
No More Plastic Bags in Mexico City
August 21, 2009 | CNN

New ordinances now prohibit stores in Mexico City from using non-biodegradable plastic bags. Some other cities around the world have also adopted restrictions on the bags.

Related stories.
Amusement Parks Going Green
August 6, 2009 | The Baltimore Sun

Amusement parks across the U.S. have been taking steps to become greener. Some of the changes include replacing incandescent bulbs with LED lights, using alternative fuels, installing solar panels, using biodegradable plates and utensils, and recycling more.

Related stories.
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Free printable topo maps


East Africa Rift The East Africa Rift System: Learn some basics about the East Africa Rift System from this article by James Wood and Alex Guth of Michigan Technological University.


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Mineral Rights Mineral Rights / Oil & Gas: Who owns the minerals under your land? Have they been sold? Can someone mine without your permission?


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yosemite rockfall Spectacular Yosemite Rockfall:A photo sequence of the fall and debris avalanche by Herb Dunn.


coal through a microscope Coal Through a Microscope: Coal is more than a black rock. It's THE most interesting rock.



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