March 5th, 2010
A 60 mile long iceberg, known as B9B, has smashed into the Mertz Glacier tongue in Antarctica. The Mertz Glacier is a 100-mile long tongue of ice which the B9B iceberg broke away from in 1987.
Over a period of nearly 8 weeks, the B9B iceberg approached the glacier and with tide and current slowly hammered into the tongue of ice.
On the 26th February, the Mertz Glacier tongue broke off creating a new iceberg measuring 50 miles by 25 miles. This iceberg could now disrupt weather patterns for years to come.
Both icebergs are now floating 90 miles off the northern coast in the Antarctic Continental Shelf and combined, they are weighing in at over 1000 billion tons. The Mertz Tongue Iceberg contains a year’s supply of fresh water for 1/5 of the world’s population and could potentially block the ‘bottom water’ which powers the oceans circulation system. ‘Bottom water’ is the lowest layer of ocean, cold-salt water and Antarctica produces bottom water for the South Pacific, Southern Indian Ocean, South Atlantic and portions of the North Atlantic.
Changes in these waters and currents could influence weather patterns around the world and would make Britain colder as we would not have the mild sea temperatures brought in by the Atlantic drift.
With such a mass floating in the ocean it could also reduce the amount of oxygen in the oceans jeopardising marine wildlife. Emperor penguins, bird life and seals could be under threat.
Experts say that ‘iceberg calving’- which occurs when these icebergs break off, does happen from time to time and that this occurrance is by no means a record large iceberg.
The icebergs are expected to head west along the Antarctic coastline.
Tags: Antarctic, Atlantic drift, Icebergs, Weather, weather change, weather patterns | Posted in News, Wildlife, environment, rising sea levels
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February 8th, 2010
Two years after the container ship Naopli grounded off the shores of Lyme Bay, debris continues to cause havoc to wildlife.
Small plastic pellets, known as nurdles are still to be found floating on the water. Birds interpret these as fish eggs, eat them, putting themselves in danger as obviously they are potentially fatal.
If you would like to help prevent this, come along and join the Great Dorset Beach Clean on Sunday, April 18th at 1.30pm at Kimmeridge Bay.
Tags: Great Dorset Beach Clean, Lyme Bay, Naopli wreck, Wildlife | Posted in Events, Wildlife, environment
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February 5th, 2010
If you are local to Poole, Dorset and would like to help the environment, Leisure Services are looking for volunteers to help tidy up the expansive areas of heathland.
A variety of tasks are planned for this winter including; clearing trees and plants that are taking over the nature reserves.
Families are welcome, but most of the activities are suited to those over 16. Tasks can be customised to suit adults of all ages and abilities.
If you are interested, please call Leisure Services on 01202 265265.
Tags: Dorset, Heathland, nature reserves, Poole, volunteers | Posted in Wildlife, environment
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January 19th, 2010
The pretty, little Hazel Dormouse has found a new home in Backwell (Somerset), after the local community pulled together to buy a neglected piece of land called Jubilee Stone Wood and restore it to its former glory.
This small British mammal can be distinguished by its big black eyes and bushy tail. It is almost entirely nocturnal, so spotting one is a real treat.
Due to the decline in woodland habitats throughout the country, the dormouse has been under threat of extinction. But Backwell Environment Trust, a local voluntary group have now provided the Dormouse with a well-deserved and long overdue habitat.
Jubilee Stone Wood, was purchased by the group with the sole intention of turning it into a nature reserve. Once these mammals were spotted, 30 dormice boxes were provided to offer secure shelter and a place to breed and raise their young.
Backwell Environment Trust was set up by the locals when they realised that Jubilee Stone was up for sale, with painstaking commitment they have turned it into a beautiful nature reserve and are now enjoying the return of many different types of wildlife.
Tags: Backwell, Hazel Dormouse, Jubilee Stone Wood, local community, Somerset | Posted in Wildlife, environment
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December 29th, 2009
So you thought golfing was all about the great outdoors and getting back to nature? Well, apparently in the past, the management of golf courses has been environmentally questionable, with many using harsh chemical pesticides and disregarding the areas’ natural inhabitants.
Now, with the support of the RSPB the ‘roughs’ i.e. less cultivated areas, are now back to being a haven for wildlife. In Britain alone, there are more than 140,000 hectares of rough and out-of-bounds areas on golf courses, this is indisputability a huge area to abuse.
Now European Union laws prevent the use of damaging pesticides and encourage the green-keepers to use environmentally-friendly chemicals instead. As a result many courses are now enjoying an increase in wildlife. Crane Valley in Dorset for example, works with Natural England to ensure it remains a natural habitat for wildlife and is now benefitting from the presence of two sets of nesting buzzards. Another club, the prestigious Remedy Oak, also in Dorset, has recently reported an upturn in the quantity and variety of birds on its courses.
Wasn’t it Mark Twain who said ‘Golf, is a good walk spoiled’? – well, maybe not so any more…
Tags: birds, conservation, golf, RSPB | Posted in Wildlife
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December 2nd, 2009
It’s taken 30 years, but now it would seem that the English otter is making a comeback! Agricultural pesticides were responsible for their diminishing numbers, but there have been sightings in various parts of the country, particularly in Dorset, with all of the county’s rivers housing otter colonies.
Between the 1950’s and 1980’s agricultural pesticides leaked into the rivers and streams blinding the otters and damaging their immune systems. In addition to this, the chemicals also poisoned the fish the mammals fed on.
Thankfully, due to the combination of conservationists, farmers and water companies, the otter’s luck has changed. There is now a 15m protection zone between agricultural land and the waterways, where the farmers cannot spray pesticides. Consequently, the rivers have improved dramatically, plants grow again, insects flourish and this creates a healthy ecological state for everything else to grow and develop.
With healthier waterways, a ban on otter hunting and the pesticide exclusion zone, the otters are now happily regaining their original habitats. However, there is one disgruntled party; the fishermen – they claim the mammals are stealing their fish and therefore threatening their livelihood. Well, probably true, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time!
Tags: agricultural pesticides, farming, habitats, otters, pesticides, UK | Posted in Wildlife, environment
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November 23rd, 2009
Ensus is building Europe’s largest wheat refinery at Wilton in Teesside, intending to meet one third of the UK’s bioethanol demand.
Biofuels help combat climate change because the crops from which they are produced absorb carbon dioxide as they grow. Carbon dioxide is released as they are burned, but absorbed by new crops again, making a complete cycle.
There will undeniably be a huge impact on the UK’s wheat producing farmers and concern about how they will cope in years of poor harvest. Even environmental campaigners, Friends of the Earth are claiming that the potential deforestation to produce new farmland is just not worth it. Ensus insists however that the wheat supply will be provided by EU countries only and will also contribute to animal feed, therefore reducing the need for soya meal which comes from areas of deforestation.
So are biofuels worthwhile? On the positive side, they massively reduce carbon emissions and are cheap to the consumer. On the negative side they could result in deforestation and the destruction of animal habitats. In addition to this, biofuel production is not yet energy efficient.
Do we need to look at the bigger picture and regard biofuels as a work in progress, living in hope that this is a step in the right direction?
Tags: bioethanol, Biofuels, carbon emissions, deforestation, energy efficiency, Ensus, Friends of the Earth | Posted in Biofuels, Sustainable Energy, Transport, Wildlife, carbon emissions
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November 19th, 2009
Woodland burials are now being hailed as the ‘green’ way forward, providing a final resting place in a leafy hillside or meadow rather than a crowded, unfeeling municipal cemetery.
Traditional cemeteries are hostile, overflowing, with high maintenance costs, not to mention the amount of land they utilise. The Manor Road Cemetery in London for example, covers an 8 mile area and is renowned for being littered with broken and vandalised gravestones.
Crematoriums were once believed to be a more positive solution, but consider the huge amount of wood that is burnt and the resulting emissions. Approximately 437,000 wooden coffins are burnt in the UK each year, which requires massive quantities of natural gas. Clearly this process can no longer be considered green.
In contrast to this, the woodland burial allows both burial shrouds and coffins including the eco-friendly options of cardboard, wicker or bamboo plus graves are often marked only by a tree or simple plaque. They offer a changing landscape, seasonal and evolving over time. Consideration is given to type of trees planted such as ash, beech and horse chestnut, wildlife is encouraged and grass is left to grow therefore protecting the natural habitat.
‘Natural’, ‘green’ and ‘woodland’ burials are believed to be the fastest growing environmental movement in Britain today and is supported by the Environment Agency, Agenda 21, Friends of the Earth and the Natural Death Centre.
Tags: Agenda 21, Environment Agency, Friends of the Earth, Natural Death Centre, Woodland Burials. Green | Posted in Wildlife, environment
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October 14th, 2009
A 15ft Northern Bottlenose Whale was spotted in Poole Bay, Bournemouth last month.
Named Gilbert after the RNLI lifeguard who first spotted him, he turned out, in fact to be a female. It is thought that Gilbert took a wrong turn off her migratory path, on the way to the Atlantic and ended up in the exclusive seaside resort.
For a few days Gilbert seemed in good spirits and was seen frolicking between the piers at Bournemouth and Boscombe. But sadly, after 2 weeks in the area, the whale was spotted in distress by a jet skier. The alarm was raised but she was eventually found dead in the shallows at Alum Chine and hauled onto the beach by tractor
There were rope burns found around her beak and it is believed that she may have been caught up in fishing nets, but the main speculation for her demise was the lack of suitable food. Northern Bottlenoses are deep divers who feed predominately on squid, which provide their main source of water and without this supply it is probable that Gilbert died of dehydration.
Tags: Bournemouth, Northern Bottlenose, Poole By, Whale | Posted in Wildlife
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September 28th, 2009
Following recent media coverage, many of us are now aware that the bee population is diminishing at an alarming rate.
We need our bees! The pollination of our plants is a crucial part of our environment, without this service UK agriculture will undoubtedly suffer. In fact there is a figure that represents the financial worth of these insects – £12.4 billion a year!
The cause of the problem is a nicotine based pesticide called neonicotinoid. It is seed/soil based chemical, it is coated rather than sprayed and does indeed serve its purpose. However, once the bees, when going about their daily business, come into contact with it the problems start.
Neonicotinoid does not actually kill the bees, which is why its use is justified, it stresses them to such a degree that it effects their reproduction and so eventually their colonies start collapse.
Although this synthetic pesticide is not targeted at the bee, its ongoing damage is apparent. Should that not be enough reason to start looking for an alternative?
Tags: bee population, Bees, eco-system, environment, neonicotinoid, nicotine, pesticide, UK bee colonies | Posted in Wildlife, environment
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