US Geological Survey / By Curt D. Storlazzi, Paul Berkowitz, Michelle H. Reynolds, and Joshua B. Logan http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2013/1069/ [From Press Release] Dynamic modeling of sea-level rise, which takes storm wind and wave action into account, paints a much graver picture for some low-lying Pacific islands under climate-change scenarios than the passive computer modeling used in … Continue reading »
Tagged with Oceans and Coastal Resources …
Managing for the Future in a Rapidly Changing Arctic: a Report to the President
Interagency Working Group on Coordination of Domestic Energy Development and Permitting in Alaska http://on.doi.gov/YVgaec [Alaska Public Media] Dozens of federal, state and local agencies have a say on how development happens in arctic Alaska. A report released today (Thursday, April 4th) makes the case for doing a better job coordinating the work those agencies are … Continue reading »
Restoring a Degraded Gulf of Mexico: Wildlife and Wetlands Three Years After the Gulf Oil Disaster
National Wildlife Federation http://bit.ly/10tkrEg [From Press Release] …This report gives a snapshot view of six wildlife species that depend on a healthy Gulf and the coastal wetlands that are critical to the Gulf’s food web. It describes different sources of restoration funding and provides initial suggestions as to how this funding can be used to … Continue reading »
Natural Catastrophes and Man-made Disasters in 2012
Swiss Reinsurance Company (Swiss Re) http://www.preventionweb.net/english/professional/publications/v.php?id=31982&pid:50 [From a Climate Wire article by Evan Lehmann] …Swiss Re, a global reinsurance company, said in a report released yesterday that a smaller rise in seawater — 10 inches by midcentury — suggests that “the probability of extreme flood losses occurring will almost double.” “So even without considering how … Continue reading »
Temperature and Vegetation Seasonality Diminishment over Northern Lands
Original research article and supplementary information available on the authors’ Boston University site below (Nature Climate Change published online March 10, 2013; doi:10.1038/nclimate1836) / by L. Xu, et al. http://cybele.bu.edu/greeningearth/ssnltydim/ssnlty-dim.html [Yale Environment 360] Declining snow and ice coverage in the northern latitudes and rising temperatures have triggered a significant increase in vegetation across large swaths of the Arctic, … Continue reading »
Sea-Level Rise for the Coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington: Past, Present, and Future
National Research Council http://bit.ly/WpbetQ Tide gages show that global sea level has risen about 7 inches during the 20th century, and recent satellite data show that the rate of sea-level rise is accelerating. As Earth warms, sea levels are rising mainly because ocean water expands as it warms; and water from melting glaciers and ice … Continue reading »
National Petroleum Reserve, Alaska: Integrated Activity Plan — Record of Decision
Dept. of the Interior https://www.blm.gov/epl-front-office/projects/nepa/5251/42462/45213/NPR-A_FINAL_ROD_2-21-13.pdf [Environment News Service] Exploration and development of lands containing about three-quarters of the economically recoverable oil in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska will be permitted, under a Record of Decision signed today by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar… At the same time, the decision protects natural resources in the 23-million-acre … Continue reading »
Strategy Papers on the Arctic or High North: A Comparative Study and Analysis
Institute for International Affairs, Center for Small State Studies / By Alyson JK Bailes & Lassi Heininen http://stofnanir.hi.is/ams/sites/files/ams/Strategy%20Papers%20-%20PDF%20-%20SinglePage.pdf [Preface] The future challenges expected in the environmental, economic, security and other spheres as the Arctic ice melts have become a hot topic in governmental, as well as academic and media, circles. In the last decade, each of … Continue reading »
Arctic Oil and Gas
Ernst and Young http://bit.ly/12IGXgP [Oil and Gas Journal article by Glen Clock] The quest for Arctic oil and gas resources “is not for the faint of heart, nor for those with less-than-deep pockets,” Ernst & Young said in a special report, adding operators confront a harsh climate, limited infrastructure, exceptionally long lead times, and … Continue reading »
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Recent Activities and Ongoing Developments
Congressional Research Service http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42942.pdf [PEN-e] Summary: In the wake of the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010, the federal government, state governments, and responsible parties faced an unprecedented challenge. An oil discharge continued for 84 days, resulting in the largest oil spill in U.S. … Continue reading »
