Environment

• Friday, January 15th 2010 - 09:40 UTC

  Haiti sits on two seismic fault lines and a major disaster was expected

  

  Seismologists have known for years that a devastating earthquake was likely to hit Haiti. They just did not know when. Although Tuesday’s devastation was wreaked by the most severe quake to hit Port-au-Prince since 1751, the island has been the victim of major seismic activity several times since.

• Friday, January 8th 2010 - 12:49 UTC

  Barrick Gold mine project threatens glaciers claims Chilean government

  

  Canadian mining giant Barrick Gold, the owner of what would be Chile’s largest gold mine, Pascua Lama, could face legal sanctions after Chile’s national water commission (DGA) reported that the company is failing to comply with Chile’s environmental laws.

• Thursday, January 7th 2010 - 17:24 UTC

  Beaches in south Chile closed because of swarms of jelly fish

  

  Beaches near the city of Osorno in southern Chile have closed due to swarms of jellyfish populating the shores. At least 40 people have reported being stung by the tiny jellyfish. According to health reports, the stings produce a painful skin inflammation.

• Thursday, January 7th 2010 - 16:56 UTC

  Japanese whalers and environmentalist ram vessels in the high seas

  

  Anti-whaling activists have accused a Japanese vessel of ramming their high-tech speed boat during a confrontation in the Southern Ocean. Video of the incident appeared to show the Japanese ship severely damaging the Ady Gil, but all six crew were rescued.

• Thursday, January 7th 2010 - 16:38 UTC

  All luxury cruise ship suffers accident in Antarctic Peninsula

  

  One of the most elegant expedition vessels operating in Antarctica, the Clelia II, has been withdrawn from service during January for repairs following an accident that occurred over Christmas week but is only now coming to light.

• Wednesday, January 6th 2010 - 03:16 UTC

  Coldest winter in a century and snow close down Britain

  

  Britain was in the grip of snow chaos as Arctic conditions forced the closure of schools, roads and airports. Some train services were also cancelled as forecasters predicted one of the coldest winters in 100 years.

• Wednesday, January 6th 2010 - 03:15 UTC

  Major earthquake east of South Georgia & South Sandwich

  

  A major 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck the southern Atlantic Ocean early on Tuesday east of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, a sparsely populated British territory, according to a US monitor.

• Thursday, December 31st 2009 - 02:22 UTC

  Scientific warning that Argentina’s hake TAC “high risk scenario”

  

  Measures recently adopted by the Argentina’s Fisheries Federal Council regarding hake TACs imply very high risks for sustainability and, therefore, to the continuity of related economic activities throughout the country, claims the Centre for Development and Sustainable Fisheries (CeDePesca).

• Wednesday, December 30th 2009 - 09:59 UTC

  Special New Year with a blue moon in the Americas and partial eclipse in Asia

  

  The blue moon has long been a subject of poetry and one of those phrases that are used without quite understanding the meaning, but its presence is a scientific marker for a rotating earth that runs by its own clock, ignoring man’s calendar.

• Tuesday, December 29th 2009 - 08:36 UTC

  Massive stranding of whales in several New Zealand’s beaches

  

  More than 120 beached whales have died in two separate incidents in New Zealand, officials have said. Twenty one pilot whales that were beached on the North Island of New Zealand have been buried.