Breaking Waves: Ocean News

In my war against pigeons, all I have is a broom. But the ‘rats of the sky’ remain unflappable | Calla Wahlquist

admin — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 15:00:21 +0000

They threaten our drinking water and refuse to budge. But non-lethal methods are the only advisable ways to deal with the infestation

‘Exceptionally difficult’: grueling wildfires test the resolve of US crews

admin — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 15:00:20 +0000

Thousands of firefighters are deployed as an all time record for acres burned – and it’s only August. Now some worry about the long months ahead

It’s still early in the wildfire season for the American west, but it’s already shaping up to be a tough and, in some cases, record-breaking year.

Former NSW Coalition government was warned recycled soil products posed ‘unacceptable risks’

admin — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 13:55:16 +0000

Exclusive: Environment watchdog advised in 2021 the material ‘should not be used broadly’, before backing away from proposals to tighten regulations

As the world gets hotter, could helping trees migrate northwards protect them?

admin — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 09:00:03 +0000

With the climate changing, many species are marching towards cooler climes – but trees are being outpaced. Some ecologists say assisted movement is the answer

Weather tracker: Hundreds evacuated during flash flooding in Balearic Islands

admin — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 08:24:49 +0000

Gusts of up to 62mph made waters around islands unsafe; and Hurricane Ernesto passed over Bermuda

Hundreds of people were evacuated as flash flooding struck homes and holiday lets in the Balearic Islands last week, with many parts receiving about 100mm of rain within 24 hours.

‘The land is becoming desert’: drought pushes Sicily’s farming heritage to the brink

admin — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 04:00:49 +0000

While tourists flock to the Italian island in greater numbers, a water crisis is intensifying for its rural population

For the first time in four generations of his family’s farming history, Vito Amantia’s threshers have lain silent this year. The 650,000kg of wheat that his farm would usually produce in a year has been lost, parched and withered under the scorching sun and relentless drought.

More than 100 people treated for heat-related illness at Colorado airshow

admin — Sun, 18 Aug 2024 17:44:10 +0000

Attendees who fell ill suffered from dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke in 96F temperatures

More than 100 people were treated for heat-related illness at a Colorado airshow on Saturday, with attendees describing a lack of shade and free water on festival grounds as temperatures soared to 96F (36C) highs.

The number of hikers visiting US national parks is increasing. So is the challenge of keeping them safe

admin — Sun, 18 Aug 2024 10:00:26 +0000

The death of a young woman falling from the famous – and ever more popular – Half Dome in Yosemite ignites debate

In 1974, Scott Crollard, a teen on a church youth group trip, casually climbed cables to help reach the lofty summit of Half Dome, whose name describes a unique rock formation in California from which you can see the Yosemite Valley some 5,000ft below.

Feeding seaweed supplement to cattle halved methane emissions in Australian feedlot, study finds

admin — Sat, 17 Aug 2024 20:00:08 +0000

Cattle at a Queensland feedlot were fed red seaweed for 200 days in one of the longest trials of the additive – but experts say it’s not farm-ready

Out with beach days, in with star-gazing: how holidays turned nocturnal

admin — Sat, 17 Aug 2024 17:00:05 +0000

Travel companies are reporting a surge of interest in people wanting to get away from light pollution and into nature

For the campers at the Dark Skies site near the Cambrian mountains in Wales, the blackness of the pitches is an important draw.

“When people come, they are blown away by the night sky,” said Tanya Jordan, who owns the site and holiday cottages nearby. “We get people who know about it and come for that reason.”