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NASA - Satellites See Unprecedented Greenland Ice Sheet Surface Melt

Thu, 2012-07-26 21:05 — Kathy Gilbeaux

      

nasa.gov - July 2012

Extent of surface melt over Greenland’s ice sheet on July 8 (left) and July 12 (right). Measurements from three satellites showed that on July 8, about 40 percent of the ice sheet had undergone thawing at or near the surface. In just a few days, the melting had dramatically accelerated and an estimated 97 percent of the ice sheet surface had thawed by July 12. In the image, the areas classified as “probable melt” (light pink) correspond to those sites where at least one satellite detected surface melting. The areas classified as “melt” (dark pink) correspond to sites where two or three satellites detected surface melting. The satellites are measuring different physical properties at different scales and are passing over Greenland at different times. As a whole, they provide a picture of an extreme melt event about which scientists are very confident. Credit: Nicolo E. DiGirolamo, SSAI/NASA GSFC, and Jesse Allen, NASA Earth Observatory
› Hi-res of left image
› Hi-res of right image

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How Climate Change is Increasing Cholera Outbreaks in Northern Europe

Tue, 2012-07-24 22:52 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Rising temperatures: The Baltic Sea represents the 'fastest warming marine eco-system examined so far anywhere on earth'

(SEE LINK TO STUDY BELOW)

 

  • Vibrio bacteria, which is normally found growing in warm and tropical waters, now thrives in the Baltic Sea

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  • Bacteria strains will multiply as seas warm, predict researchers
  • The bacteria causes illnesses from cholera to gastroenteritis

    dailymail.co.uk - by Claire Bates - July 23, 2012

    Climate change could be driving an increase in illnesses such as cholera and gastroenteritis in northern Europe, scientists have warned.

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    A rise in temperatures in the Baltic Sea has triggered the growth of the water-borne bacteria Vibrio.

    An international team examined sea surface temperature records and satellite data in the Baltic, as well as statistics on Vibrio cases in the region.

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    4 Videos: Failed States Index 2012 Launch

    Sun, 2012-07-22 16:42 — Kathy Gilbeaux

    fundforpeace.org

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    Pakistan's Escalating Vaccine Tensions

    Sat, 2012-07-21 17:18 — Maeryn Obley

    cfr.org - Laurie Garrett - July 18th, 2012

    Last year the CIA deployed a Pakistani physician to execute a phony hepatitis vaccine campaign in Abbottabad, hoping to extract blood samples from the children living inside a compound, thought to house Osama bin Laden and his family. Because of the vaccine deception, multiple imams and Taliban leaders have declared that vaccines are CIA plots. The ruse may also be responsible for what appears to have been an assassination attempt against a World Health Organization immunization convoy that injured two people on July 17.

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    Calculating the global health consequences of the Fukushima nuclear disaster

    Sat, 2012-07-21 17:13 — Maeryn Obley

    submitted by Luis Kun

    homelandsecuritynewswire.com - July 18th, 2012

    Radiation from Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster may eventually cause approximately 130 deaths and 180 cases of cancer, mostly in Japan, Stanford researchers have calculated. The estimates have large uncertainty ranges, but contrast with previous claims that the radioactive release would likely cause no severe health effects. The numbers are in addition to the roughly 600 deaths caused by the evacuation of the area surrounding the nuclear plant directly after the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and meltdown.

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    U.S. ship fires on fishing boat in Persian Gulf, killing 1

    Fri, 2012-07-20 10:36 — Maeryn Obley

    The Rappahannock, which refuels warships, had just passed through the Strait of Hormuz when a fishing boat started to approach it. The supply ship fired on the craft, killing one and injuring three. (Cale Hatch / U.S. Navy / March 21, 2012)Image: The Rappahannock, which refuels warships, had just passed through the Strait of Hormuz when a fishing boat started to approach it. The supply ship fired on the craft, killing one and injuring three. (Cale Hatch / U.S. Navy / March 21, 2012)

    latimes.com - David S. Cloud - July 16th, 2012

    Fearful of a terrorist attack, a U.S. Navy fuel resupply ship that had just passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf opened fire at a 50-foot fishing boat moving toward it, killing one person and wounding three, U.S. officials said.

    A security team aboard the Rappahannock, which refuels warships, fired a .50-caliber machine gun Monday after the smaller boat "disregarded warnings and rapidly approached" about 10 miles off Jebel Ali port in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, according to the Navy's 5th Fleet, which is based in neighboring Bahrain.

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    How Doctors Without Borders is mapping the world’s epidemics

    Thu, 2012-07-19 19:55 — Maeryn Obley

    Cholera cases in MSF facilitiesImage: Cholera cases in MSF facilities

    dailydot.com - David Holmes - March 9th, 2012

    Five years ago, Ivan Gayton would spend months at a time in the African bush with no connection to the outside world except for a satellite phone or a high-frequency radio.

    But today, the head of Doctors Without Borders in Nigeria spends 75 percent of his time on a computer or a cell phone, even when working in rural Africa. And while the sense of adventure may be diminished, Gayton says the new technologies have had an “astonishing” effect on his organization’s effectiveness.

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    Living in a Cashless Society

    Mon, 2012-07-16 18:16 — Kathy Gilbeaux

    submitted by Theresa Bernardo

    techtalkafrica.com - by Niyi Aderibigbe - June 7, 2012

    After decades of cash use, there has been a call from different quarters for an alternative means of transaction. With globalization advancement in technology, many models of cashless transactions have emerged. Use of debit and credit cards to pay for goods, electronic transfer of money through banks, internet banking, mobile money, etc. has become the order of the day. Contrary to the belief of some people that a cashless society might be a mirage, it has become a dream for many countries of the world which is gradually coming true.

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    Swimming With the Trash: A Marine Drone Seeks to Scoop up Plastic

    Thu, 2012-07-12 23:09 — Kathy Gilbeaux

    submitted by Albert Gomez

          

    good.is - July 11, 2012

    While there's been plenty of media pointing out or raising awareness about the disaster submerged right beneath sea level— the mountain-sized patch of plastic and other garbage that's been collecting in oceans around the world, particularly in the Pacific—there's less attention to some of the solutions that are currently in the works. Part of the reason is that the problem seems so huge (indeed, it's beyond the point of return) and so distant that it's not necessarily the easiest to conceive of steps to take action against.

    Yet a crew of big-thinking designers has a concept for a trash-skimming and sensor-equipped "marine drone" that could detect trash in the ocean and scoop it into its net to be recycled. The drone is designed to navigate the ocean for two weeks at a time and would use an infrasound system to keep fish at bay.

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    The Giving Pledge

    Thu, 2012-07-12 22:43 — Kathy Gilbeaux

    The Giving Pledge is an effort to invite the wealthiest individuals and families in America to commit to giving the majority of their wealth to the philanthropic causes and charitable organizations of their choice either during their lifetime or after their death.

    Each person who chooses to pledge will make this statement publicly, along with a letter explaining their decision to pledge. At an annual event, those who take the pledge will come together to share ideas and learn from each other.

    The Pledge is a moral commitment to give, not a legal contract. It does not involve pooling money or supporting a particular set of causes or organizations.

    While the Giving Pledge is specifically focused on billionaires, the idea takes its inspiration from efforts in the past and at present that encourage and recognize givers of all financial means and backgrounds. We are inspired by the example set by millions of Americans who give generously (and often at great personal sacrifice) to make the world a better place.

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