| News Briefs - July-August - Online Extra |
Warn Against Injecting
Sulfates Into Air
Volcanic eruptions can pour vast
amounts of sulfur particles into
the air. The sulfur in turn can
block the sun’s rays leading to a
cooling of surface temperatures.
Warnings have been raised
though about a proposal to
artificially inject sulfur particles
into the the atmosphere. Large
amounts of sulfates would likely
destroy 25 to 75% of the ozone
layer above the Arctic. The ozone
layer protects against dangerous
ultra-violet rays.—news.yahoo.
com AFP (4/24/08)
Greenhouse Gases Rise
Greenhouse gas emissions rose
in 2007, according to the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA). CO2 rose
0.6% or 19 billion tonnes. Over
2006 levels. That means the
amount of carbon dioxide in the
air reached 385 parts per million
(ppm). The figure was roughly
280 ppm before 1850 and the
industrial revolution. Methane,
another greenhouse gas, also
rose in 2007 after a decade of
remaining static, the NOAA said.—
news.yahoo.com AFP (4/24/08)
Earth Experiencing A
Great Extinction Episode
We are in one of the “great
extinction episodes” in Earth’s
history, says the Zoological
Society of London. According to
the Society, between 1/4 and 1/3
of the world’s wildlife has been
lost since 1970. Land-based
species fell 25%, marine 28% and
freshwater 29%. Pollution, farming
and urban expansion, over-fishing
and hunting are blamed.—news.
bbc.co.uk (5/16/08)
Sulfates Into Air
Volcanic eruptions can pour vast
amounts of sulfur particles into
the air. The sulfur in turn can
block the sun’s rays leading to a
cooling of surface temperatures.
Warnings have been raised
though about a proposal to
artificially inject sulfur particles
into the the atmosphere. Large
amounts of sulfates would likely
destroy 25 to 75% of the ozone
layer above the Arctic. The ozone
layer protects against dangerous
ultra-violet rays.—news.yahoo.
com AFP (4/24/08)
Greenhouse Gases Rise
Greenhouse gas emissions rose
in 2007, according to the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA). CO2 rose
0.6% or 19 billion tonnes. Over
2006 levels. That means the
amount of carbon dioxide in the
air reached 385 parts per million
(ppm). The figure was roughly
280 ppm before 1850 and the
industrial revolution. Methane,
another greenhouse gas, also
rose in 2007 after a decade of
remaining static, the NOAA said.—
news.yahoo.com AFP (4/24/08)
Earth Experiencing A
Great Extinction Episode
We are in one of the “great
extinction episodes” in Earth’s
history, says the Zoological
Society of London. According to
the Society, between 1/4 and 1/3
of the world’s wildlife has been
lost since 1970. Land-based
species fell 25%, marine 28% and
freshwater 29%. Pollution, farming
and urban expansion, over-fishing
and hunting are blamed.—news.
bbc.co.uk (5/16/08)
Cars—Bad Places to be
During Tornadoes
More than one-third of the 22
people killed in Oklahoma and
Missouri by a May tornado died in
cars. The tornado was packing
winds of 170 mph. Experts say an
automobile is one of the worst
places to be during a twister.
Since tornados can travel faster
than an automobile, one expert’s
advice is to be sure a person is
traveling away from the twister or
else find a strong structure in
which to stay until the storm has
passed.—Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel (5/13/08)
Baby Boom in Russia
Russia of late has been enjoying
a post-Soviet baby boom after
years of shrinking population. The
country’s population had been
shrinking at the rate of about
750,000 people a year. Now
births are on the upswing, 1.6
million in 2007, which was the
most in 15 years. Russia’s surging
economy and new laws that
expand maternity leave benefits
and payments along with
educational vouchers are credited
with helping to change the attitude
toward having children.—(Racine)
Journal Times (4/6/08)
Internet Crime Costly
More than $240 million was lost
last year in Internet crimes. The
number of reported scams
dropped slightly from previous
years, but the total amount of
money lost jumped by $40 million.
The average loss for men was
$765 and for women, $552.
Auction fraud, in which consumers
did not get what they ordered
over the Internet, was the most
common crime.—Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel (4/7/08)
378,000 Volunteers
Clean World’s Beaches
In a single day last September
378,000 volunteers scoured
33,000 miles of shoreline
worldwide and collected 6 million
pounds of trash consisting of 7.2
million items. The debris
consisted of cigarette butts, food
wrappers, abandoned fishing
lines, plastic bags, etc. that
threatened seabirds and marine
mammals. The items were
catalogued by the Ocean
Conservancy which reported that
most of the volunteers and most
of the trash came from the U.S.—
(Racine) Journal Times i4/16/08)
No Increase in Global
Warming for Ten Years
There will be no increase in global
warming for roughly a decade, if a
new computer model developed
by German researchers is correct.
The new prediction is based on
the natural cycle of ocean
temperatures which are expected
to cool between now and the year
2020. The scientists expect global
warming to resume at that time.
They warn though that modeling
is still in its infancy and
predictions are subject to change.
—news.bbc.co.uk (5/1/08)
More than $240 million was lost
last year in Internet crimes. The
number of reported scams
dropped slightly from previous
years, but the total amount of
money lost jumped by $40 million.
The average loss for men was
$765 and for women, $552.
Auction fraud, in which consumers
did not get what they ordered
over the Internet, was the most
common crime.—Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel (4/7/08)
378,000 Volunteers
Clean World’s Beaches
In a single day last September
378,000 volunteers scoured
33,000 miles of shoreline
worldwide and collected 6 million
pounds of trash consisting of 7.2
million items. The debris
consisted of cigarette butts, food
wrappers, abandoned fishing
lines, plastic bags, etc. that
threatened seabirds and marine
mammals. The items were
catalogued by the Ocean
Conservancy which reported that
most of the volunteers and most
of the trash came from the U.S.—
(Racine) Journal Times i4/16/08)
No Increase in Global
Warming for Ten Years
There will be no increase in global
warming for roughly a decade, if a
new computer model developed
by German researchers is correct.
The new prediction is based on
the natural cycle of ocean
temperatures which are expected
to cool between now and the year
2020. The scientists expect global
warming to resume at that time.
They warn though that modeling
is still in its infancy and
predictions are subject to change.
—news.bbc.co.uk (5/1/08)
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