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"Dust blows from what was once the Aral Sea floor. Tragic mismanagement of a natural resource."
Via Seth Dixon
PULL a spring, let it go, and it will snap back into shape. Pull it further and yet further and it will go on springing back until, quite suddenly, it won't....
Via Joel Barker, Seth Dixon
TED Talks 400 years after Hudson found New York harbor, Eric Sanderson shares how he made a 3D map of Mannahatta's fascinating pre-city ecology of hills, rivers, wildlife -- accurate down to the block -- when Times Square was a wetland and you... KC: The Manhattan Project created a picture of the area before the development of a city, the way Henry Hudson did during his 1609 exploration. After 10 years (1999-2009), the research project has expanded to study the entire city of New York. The Welikia Project analyzes geography and landscape ecology to discover the original environment and compare it to present day. Scientists have learned that world's largest cities once had a natural landscape of freshwater wetlands and salt marshes, ponds and streams, forests and fields with an equally diverse wildlife community. By focusing on the city's biodiversity of 400 years ago and the modern era, information can be gathered about what has changed, what has remained constant, where the city was done well and where it needs to improve. This source is useful because it allows for the visualization of NYC in a way never seen before. Urban environments, such as NYC, have a landscape largely created by humans, so the skyscrapers, pavement, and mass population is far removed from the landscape it once was. Find more information about the Welikia Project and more on New York City's urban ecology on this scoop.it topic.
Via Kate C, Seth Dixon
As follow-up to an earlier post about how we have enter the age of the Anthropocene, this stunning map is a fantastic visual representation of the forces that merit the dawning of a new geologic age. This map depicts the lights at night, major roads, railways power lines, oversea cables, airline routes and shipping lanes. It also expands the areas according to population size. For more on the production of this map, see the Globaia website: http://globaia.org/en/anthropocene/ Spotted on Living Geography: http://livinggeography.blogspot.com/2012/03/new-map-of-anthropocene.html
Via Seth Dixon
The insect is so large — as big as a human hand — it's been dubbed a "tree lobster." It was thought to be extinct, but some enterprising entomologists scoured a barren hunk of rock in the middle of the ocean and found surviving Lord Howe Island... Island Biogeography is endlessly fascinating and provides some of the most striking species we have on Earth. The physical habitat is fragmented and the genetic diversity is limited. Within this context, species evolve to fill ecological niches within their particular locale. This NPR article demonstrates the story of but one of these incredible species that never could have evolved on the continents. In modern society, more extinctions are happening on islands than anywhere else as 'specialist' species are in greater competition with 'generalists.'
Via Seth Dixon
The collapse of the Aral Sea ecosystem is (arguably) the man-made environmental disaster of the 20th century. Soviet mismanagement, water-intensive cotton production and population growth have all contributed the overtaxing of water resources in the Aral Sea basin, which has resulted in a the shrinking of the Aral Sea--it has lost more of the sea to an expanding desert than the territories of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg combined. The health problems arising from this issues are large for the entire Aral Sea basin, which encompasses 5 Central Asian countries and it has profoundly changed (for the worse) the local climates.
Via Seth Dixon
From Andalusia to Olympia, here are ten gorgeous places we might not have for much longer. Some ecosystems are incredibly resilient in the face of climate change, while others are more vulnerable. This slideshow looks at some of the most gorgeous, yet susceptible places on Earth.
Via Seth Dixon
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Jeffrey Gettleman, The Times’s Nairobi bureau chief, reports on how Kenya’s wildlife conservation corps is learning from a reformed poacher how to counter the growing threat to elephants.
Via Seth Dixon
Venice, by virtue of its geographic situation will always be sinking as a course of nature. A research team from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the UCSD has recently concluded that Venice is sinking 2 millimeters per year...not catastrophic on a single year basis, but threatens the long-term viability and sustainability of the location. Urban ecology: what economic forces created the rationale for building Venice? What environmental factors are currently threatening it? Will economic or environmental forces win out? Location: do the economic advantages of a location outweigh the environmental liabilities of the location? How do these competing factors influence the development of a city? For additional information on this story see: http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-03-venice-hasnt.html
Via Seth Dixon
The cover package of this week's TIME—which should still be on newsstands—detailed the 10 ideas that are changing your life. What kind of ideas, you ask? "Welcome to the Anthropocene. It’s a new geological epoch, one where the planet is shaped less by natural forces then by the combined activity, aspirations—and emissions—of more than 7 billion human beings." Humanity's technological advancements and impact on the Earth's planetary systems is significant enough that many scientists agree that it has fundamental shifted the geologic paradigm.
Via Seth Dixon
Divers on Australia's Great Barrier Reef recently snapped rare pictures of a wobbegong, or carpet shark, swallowing a bamboo shark whole. The diversity of life on this planet and the ecosystems which such creatures live in is something that continually leaves me in awe at the wonders of the natural world.
Via Seth Dixon
What areas of the United States contain the densest amount of woody biomass? This map and the localized versions show the biogeography of the distinct climatic zones of the United States. It also can show interesting human patterns. What are some things that explain this spatial distribution?
Via Seth Dixon
10 ways to go green this holiday season. Zero Waste holiday tips from Eco-Cycle. This infographic combined with these recommendations are some simple reminders that mass consumption and waste does not contribute to global joy or cheer.
Via Seth Dixon, Allison Anthony
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