TORONTO — Canada has some of the world’s most extensive water resources, but a new report released today warns that even a modest amount of global warming will reduce flows in the Great Lakes and the Athabasca River enough to crimp hydro-electricity production in Ontario and oil sands development in Alberta. The report, from the World Wildlife Fund Canada, reviewed the likely impacts of a 2-degree rise in average global temperatures on the two water systems, which play a critical role in the country’s economic development and environment. It says there will be less abundant water resources primarily because warming will lead to more evaporation from water bodies, changes in rainfall patterns, and alterations in glacial melting, lowering levels in streams and lakes. ‘We think of our water resources as endless, but they’re not only finite, they’re diminishing with global warming,’ said Julia Langer, a spokeswoman for the environmental group. ‘All of the data indicates that these are diminishing water resources.’ The study predicts there will be enough water scarcity driven by the 2 degrees of global warming — expected to occur some time between 2026 and 2060 — that Canadians should begin planning now to […]
Up to two thirds of China’s 661 cities are facing water scarcity, and at least 100 are facing severe drought, according to a report issued by the country’s Ministry of Water Resources. Water shortages are holding back the development of these cities, which are mainly located in the country’s central and west provinces, China News Service said today, citing the report. Water pollution is also increasingly threatening Chinese residents’ quality of life. China produced 71.7 billion tons of sewage last year, and up to 70 percent was dumped into local rivers without being treated. This has polluted up to 90 percent of the country’s water resources, according to the report. The health of the Yellow River, which supplies water to more than 155 million people and 15 percent of China’s farmland, continues to deteriorate as it faces a series of manmade challenges that endanger its entire ecosystem, said a previous report. Sixty percent of the water in the Yellow River is used by citizens and trade and industry activities, compared with the internationally recognized limit of 40 percent. The National Development and Reform Commission released a new regulation on the supervision of water […]
Volcanic eruptions in high latitudes can greatly alter climate and distant river flows, including the Nile, according to a recent study funded in part by NASA. Researchers found that Iceland’s Laki volcanic event, a series of about ten eruptions from June 1783 through February 1784, significantly changed atmospheric circulations across much of the Northern Hemisphere. This created unusual temperature and precipitation patterns that peaked in the summer of 1783, including far below normal rainfall over much of the Nile River watershed and record low river levels. The study provides new evidence that large volcanic eruptions north of the equator often have far different impacts on climate than those in the tropics. ‘While considerable research has shown that eruptions in the tropics influence climate in the Northern Hemisphere winter, this study indicates that eruptions in high-latitudes produce changes in atmospheric circulation in the Northern Hemisphere summer,’ said lead author Luke Oman, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J. Using a sophisticated computer model developed by NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, the researchers linked the Laki eruptions to a cascade of effects that rippled across much of the Northern Hemisphere, altering surface temperatures that ultimately resulted in much below […]
Thanksgiving has always been my favorite public holiday. It invokes no religious differences; it entails no commercial obligations. It is just getting together with people one cares about, and saying thank you, in whatever form is personally appropriate, for the many good things that have happened during the previous year. It is my hope that each of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, one that creates life-lasting memories. — Stephan
Scientists have discovered a dramatic variation in the genetic make-up of humans that could lead to a fundamental reappraisal of what causes incurable diseases and could provide a greater understanding of mankind. The discovery has astonished scientists studying the human genome – the genetic recipe of man. Until now it was believed the variation between people was due largely to differences in the sequences of the individual ‘letters’ of the genome. It now appears much of the variation is explained instead by people having multiple copies of some key genes that make up the human genome. Until now it was assumed that the human genome, or ‘book of life’, is largely the same for everyone, save for a few spelling differences in some of the words. Instead, the findings suggest that the book contains entire sentences, paragraphs or even whole pages that are repeated any number of times. The findings mean that instead of humanity being 99.9 per cent identical, as previously believed, we are at least 10 times more different between one another than once thought – which could explain why some people are prone to serious diseases. The studies published today have found […]
Remote Viewing the Year 2060
