Zahara De Los Atunes, Spain (AFP) June 8, 2023 As the sun rises in the Gulf of Cadiz on Spain’s southern tip, a team of fishermen lifts the tip of a vast system of nets with bluefin tuna trapped inside. “Hoist!” they cry before men in wetsuits jump into the water to deliver a final blow to the fish captured using this 3,000-year-old netting tradition. … Continue reading Spain’s 3,000-year-old tuna fishing tradition

Paris (AFP) June 7, 2023 Global oceans were warmer last month than any other May in records stretching back to the 19th century, the European Union’s climate monitoring unit reported Wednesday. Sea temperatures at a depth of about 10 metres were a quarter of a degree Celsius higher than ice-free oceans in May averaged across 1991 to 2020, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service … Continue reading Oceans warmer last month than any May on record

Sydney (AFP) May 19, 2023 The brush-tailed bettong – a rare, very cute marsupial resembling a rabbit-sized kangaroo – is bouncing back on the South Australian mainland, more than 100 years after disappearing from the region. Bettongs, which leap with their hindlegs much like a full-sized kangaroo, populated over 60 percent of Australia before falling victim to cats, foxes and land-clearing after European settlementhttp://dlvr.it/SpPXwf Continue reading ‘Mini kangaroos’ hop back in South Australia

Stanford CA (SPX) May 19, 2023 At least 2 billion people worldwide routinely drink water contaminated with disease-causing microbes. Now Stanford University scientists have invented a low-cost, recyclable powder that kills thousands of waterborne bacteria per second when exposed to ordinary sunlight. The discovery of this ultrafast disinfectant could be a significant advance for nearly 30 percent of the world’s populatihttp://dlvr.it/SpPXvQ Continue reading New non-toxic powder uses sunlight to quickly disinfect contaminated drinking water

Boston MA (SPX) May 19, 2023 To study ocean currents, scientists release GPS-tagged buoys in the ocean and record their velocities to reconstruct the currents that transport them. These buoy data are also used to identify “divergences,” which are areas where water rises up from below the surface or sinks beneath it. By accurately predicting currents and pinpointing divergences, scientists can more precisely forecast thttp://dlvr.it/SpPXvP Continue reading A better way to study ocean currents

Paris (AFP) May 21, 2023 France is preparing for temperatures of four degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels in the country by century’s end as the world falls short in meeting climate change targets, a cabinet minister warned Sunday. Christophe Bechu, minister for ecological transition, told the weekly JDD paper that his government was no longer banking on limiting the increase to 1.5 Celsius or at … Continue reading France primed for ‘realistic’ 4C warming scenario: minister

Ghibullo, Italy (AFP) May 20, 2023 More than 36,000 people have now been forced from their homes by deadly floods in northeast Italy, regional officials said Saturday, as rising waters swallowed more houses and fresh landslides isolated hamlets Violent downpours earlier this week killed 14 people, transforming streets in the cities and towns of the Emilia Romagna region into rivers. And as more rain fell, … Continue reading Over 36,000 people displaced by Italy floods

Tehran (AFP) May 19, 2023 Iran said Friday it “reserves” the right to take action as a dispute with Afghanistan escalates over an upstream river dam that restricts the flow of water into the country. “The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves its rights to take necessary measures and emphasises the full responsibility of Afghanistan in this regard,” the foreign ministry said in a statement, without … Continue reading Iran says ‘reserves’ right to act on Afghan water dispute

Sydney (AFP) May 20, 2023 A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Saturday in the Pacific Ocean to the east of New Caledonia, the US Geological Survey said, a day after a major quake hit the same area. The epicentre was 35 kilometres (22 miles) deep and located about 300 kilometres (190 miles) east of the New Caledonian archipelago, it said. “It lasted maybe two seconds, not too … Continue reading Magnitude 7.1 quake strikes east of New Caledonia

Faenza, Italy (AFP) May 19, 2023 Italy received offers of international aid on Friday for floods, described as its worst for a century, which killed 14 people and left thousands stranded in waterlogged homes or in evacuation centres. As some areas began the clean-up following downpours earlier this week, others were newly evacuated on Thursday and authorities extended a red weather alert in parts of … Continue reading Offers of aid as Italy reels from ‘worst flood in a century’