Archive by category | Earth, environment & ecology

Philanthropists aid Keeling curve

The iconic ‘Keeling curve,’ a 56-year record of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, will continue with support from American philanthropists Eric and Wendy Schmidt. A five-year, US$500,000 grant, announced on 3 September, will help ease funding pressure on the greenhouse-gas monitoring effort run by researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California.   … Read more

Indian Ocean signal was not crash of flight MH370

Indian Ocean signal was not crash of flight MH370

Hopes have faded that hydroacoustic signals picked up on the floor of the Indian Ocean might help to locate the Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 airliner which disappeared in March. Data from an additional sensor suggest that the signal likely resulted from geological activity and not the sound of an aeroplane crashing into the ocean’s surface.  Read more

Updated: Icelandic volcano erupts

Updated: Icelandic volcano erupts

A volcanic eruption has begun near the caldera of Bárðarbunga, the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) announced on 23 August. Officials have raised its aviation colour code to red, signifying that an “eruption is imminent or in progress.”  … Read more

Ban all ivory sales for 10 years, says conservationist

Ban all ivory sales for 10 years, says conservationist

The international community should ban all sales of ivory — including seized tusks and antique pieces that were created when trade was legal — for at least 10 years, argues a peer-reviewed essay published today in Conservation Biology. Without such measures, the epidemic corruption and high demand will ruin attempts to save African elephants, the author says.  Read more