impacts

First Hole in North Pole Ice Drilled by Explorers

A group of Arctic explorers has made the grueling journey to the North Pole and drilled a hole in the ice to take the first ever sample of ocean water at the pole in an effort to better understand the impacts of climate change. The explorers, part of a group called the Catlin Arctic Survey, completed the sampling expedition after failing to last year, reported the Guardian. The team reached the geographic North Pole on May 12 after a 60-day trek across the frigid Arctic ice.

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First Hole in North Pole Ice Drilled by Explorers

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Scientists find fastest deep ocean current near Antarctica

Scientists have discovered a fast-moving deep ocean current with the volume of 40 Amazon Rivers near Antarctica that will help researchers monitor the impacts of climate change on the world’s oceans. A team of Australian and Japanese scientists, in a study published in Sunday’s issue of the journal Nature Geoscience, found that the current is a key part of a global ocean circulation pattern that helps control the planet’s climate. Scientists had previously detected evidence of the current but had no data on it

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Scientists find fastest deep ocean current near Antarctica

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Hydrocarbon development threatens the Amazon

Because hydrocarbons are now being exploited at a rate 7 times higher than in 2003, the impacts of oil and gas activities need to be scientifically studied. These studies should rigorously identify and measure the effects on biodiversity, indigenous groups and wilderness areas in this region. This view was expressed to SciDev.Net by Martí Orta-Martinez from the Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB) and co-author of a study on the predation of the Peruvian Amazon in this century by the granting of land for gas exploration and oil.

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Hydrocarbon development threatens the Amazon

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Attention Bikers - Google Maps is for you!

At long last, Google Maps has routes specifically for bikes. With the click of a mouse, the new feature allows you to plot the best (and flattest!) ride from Point A to Point B. Several cities, including New York, Minneapolis, San Francisco and Portland, Oregon, have bike-specific mapping sites.

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Attention Bikers - Google Maps is for you!

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Nigeria: Country Loses 350,000 Hectares Annually to Deforestation

Minister of Environment, Mr. John Odey, has said the country loses over 350,000 hectares of land every year to deforestation and other impacts of climate change.

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Nigeria: Country Loses 350,000 Hectares Annually to Deforestation