Environment

• Saturday, March 28th 2015 - 11:52 UTC

  Antarctica floating ice shelves thinning at an unexpected accelerated rate

  

  Scientists have their best view yet of the status of Antarctica's floating ice shelves and they find them to be thinning at an accelerating rate. Fernando Paolo and colleagues used 18 years of data from European radar satellites to compile their assessment.

• Thursday, March 26th 2015 - 09:46 UTC

  North Chile heavy rain and flash flooding forces suspension of world's largest copper mines

  

  Heavy rains in Chile's northern desert regions have caused mudslides and rivers to breach their banks, leaving residents stranded and forcing top copper miner Codelco to suspend mining operations.

• Monday, March 23rd 2015 - 19:55 UTC

  UN calls for global unity in pursuit of better water access for all

  

  As the perils of climate change increasingly threaten the planet, the international community must unite in “a spirit of urgent cooperation” to address the many water-related challenges facing humanity, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared on Sunday.

• Thursday, March 19th 2015 - 08:07 UTC

  Conservationists praise UK for creating largest marine reserve around Pitcairn islands

  

  Leading conservation groups, scientists and residents of Pitcairn Island congratulated the UK Government on its decision to create the world’s largest marine reserve around the Pitcairn Islands, a UK Overseas Territory in the South Pacific.

• Wednesday, March 18th 2015 - 13:17 UTC

  First call for proposals from Antarctic Wildlife Research Fund

  

  The Antarctic Wildlife Research Fund (AWR) issued this week its first call for proposals, inviting applications from scientific researchers who can aid in determining the impact of the krill fishing industry on the Antarctic marine ecosystem. Such research will serve to ensure ecosystem protection, while improving the management basis for the fishery.

• Wednesday, March 18th 2015 - 01:52 UTC

  Hundreds of sea lion pups stranded in California as nursing mothers can’t find sufficient food

  

  Animal rescue centers in California are being inundated with stranded, starving sea lion pups, raising the possibility that the facilities could soon be overwhelmed, the federal agency coordinating the rescue said.

• Tuesday, March 3rd 2015 - 23:08 UTC

  The entire Great Lakes almost completely covered with ice

  

  The entire Great Lakes, shared by Canada and the United States is at 88.8% ice coverage, with the highest totals coming from Lake Huron and Lake Erie at about 96% ice coverage according to Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, part of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA.

• Tuesday, March 3rd 2015 - 12:44 UTC

  One of Chile's most active volcanoes erupts: 3.500 people evacuated

  

  A volcano in Villarrica, southern Chile erupted early Tuesday morning, spewing lava into the sky and causing about 3,500 people to evacuate. The volcano, which is one of South America's most active, sent ash and smoke 3,300 feet into the air at about 3 a.m. local time. It did not cause any injuries to people or damage to infrastructure, according to the Chilean e-news Emol.com.

• Monday, March 2nd 2015 - 07:19 UTC

  Falkland Islands included in European funds for environmental projects

  

  More than €6 million has been made available to European Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) some of which can be accessed for environmental projects within the Falkland Islands, according to a report from the Penguin News last edition.

• Saturday, February 28th 2015 - 07:03 UTC

  HMS Protector in cleanup and surveying tasks in South Georgia

  

  The men and women of HMS Protector have helped the South Georgia Government by carrying out a beach cleanup and glacier survey. 700 miles east of the Falklands, South Georgia is a crescent shaped island with magnificent scenery and wildlife. But over the years debris from several shipwrecks has been washed up on the island’s beaches.