Blogs & Ecology

There is no question the recent uptick in hurricane number and intensity is at least partially influenced by climate change. Why and how much will be the subject of a new long-term study unveiled last week by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and National Science Foundation (NSF); working with government agencies and several businesses in the insurance and energy industries, NCAR will examine how the pattern of hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico region will change by mid-century.

According to the Times-Picayune's Mark Schlei...

Recently, hurricanes, floods and torrential rains have resulted in vast areas of land, sometimes whole villages and cities, being engulfed in water. The devastation is often catastrophic. People are left homeless and destitute, with little to call their own. The effects of these disasters leave their mark long after the waters have subsided. But what if there was a way out, an alternative? What if we fulfilled the dreams of Jules Verne, and many like him, and succeeded in living under the oceans. For a long time it was never thought truly possible, now it’s quickly becoming a reality.

As politics, elections, and bailouts are just starting to heat up here in the US, and our media (and lives) will inevitably revolve around hardly anything else over the next few weeks, it’s extremely important to remember that there is a huge world beyond our borders with its own matters, issues and crises that may not effect us as directly but are just as important for us to keep in mind.

Oil Slick After Hurricane Ike, High Island, Texas, Smiley N. Pool / The Houston Chronicle, Excerpt

Some politicians consistently say that offshore oil drilling is safe and that drill rigs have withstood Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Ike without any significant damage or oil spills. The facts, as they often do, tell a very different story. On September 16, the oil drilling company Rowan announced one of its drill rig was missing, and that it had likely capsized and sunk due to Hurricane Ike. ...

A recent guest post from Rocky Mountain Institute points out how vulnerable the USA remains to hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico, citing hurricane Gustave as an example. This current post's graphic dramatically displays the risk. The more intense a future hurricane is, the greater the chance of in inland incursion (per the image) doing long term physical damage to refinery equipment and pipelines.

Via::USEIA, EIA Report on Hurricane Impacts on U.S. Energy ...

Hurricane Fay by NOAA

If you can’t quite get enough lava flows, images of Earth from space and weird and wonderful factoids about this awesome planet of ours, then check out the Geography section over at About. Written and managed by Matt Rosenberg, a professional, published geographer who has been the guide on About for over a decade, the collection of articles and images compiled is phenomenal.