The Amazon in the News

The worst floods on the records

The Negro River in Brazil’s Amazonas state in the Amazon Rainforest region is suffering the worst flood ever registered in the region, local authorities said Wednesday.

According to Brazil’s Geological Service, the Negro River’s water level had reached 29.78 metres on Tuesday, the highest record in a century, Xinhua news agency reported.

It forecast water level will continue to rise and remain above 29 metres for more than two months.

The flood has affected 75,000 families and has prompted 53 out of 62 municipalities in Amazonas state including state capital Manaus to declare a state of emergency.

Amazing fungus can consume discarded plastic

Researchers have discovered a fungus in the Amazon rainforest that can break down the common plastic polyurethane, used in billions of discarded plastic bottles.

Their pile-up, amounting to one billion tonnes since 1950s, is threatening to choke many of the eco systems so vital for survival of life. The synthetic material, derived from petrochemicals, degrades very slowly because of its complex chemical bonds.

Endophytes are fungi were found in plant stems collected in the Ecuadorian rainforest.

In plants they do not cause any noticeable disease symptoms in their hosts but they often play a key role in the decomposition of the plants after death. However, never before have they been tested for their ability to degrade synthetic materials.

Plant Eating Dinosaur Discovered in Antarctica

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111219102054.htm

Dec. 19, 2011

For the first time, the presence of large bodied herbivorous dinosaurs in Antarctica has been recorded. Until now, remains of sauropoda — one of the most diverse and geographically widespread species of herbivorous dinosaurs — had been recovered from all continental landmasses, except Antarctica. Dr. Ignacio Alejandro Cerda, from CONICET in Argentina, and his team’s identification of the remains of the sauropod dinosaur suggests that advanced titanosaurs (plant-eating, sauropod dinosaurs) achieved a global distribution at least by the Late Cretaceous. (The Cretaceous Period spanned 99.6-65.5 million years ago, and ended with the extinction of the dinosaurs).

Sauropoda is the second most diverse group of dinosaurs, with more than 150 recognized species. It includes the largest terrestrial vertebrates that ever existed.

A really neat way to look at things

NPP weather and climate satellite launches

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15488016

 
The link is above for information and a video

 

Providing an Agricultural Answer to Nature’s Call

Year 9: From the development point of view [which is Unit 3 for you guys], we will be looking at the Millennium Development Goals, which is how the UN is hoping the world will improve the quality of life for the worst off. 2 of these include providing sanitation for those who do not have it and also improving the diet for the starving.

Year 8: In Unit 6, you will be looking at the ways in which we are putting our world at risk. One of these is the release of greenhouse gases; also using up non-renewable fuel sources ( oil) for things like fertilizer and also how we are not managing water for the benefit of the people and the planet. This video is involved with all of this.

Year 7: In Unit 5, working world, you will be looking at farming. One aspect of this will be sustainable farming and another is providing food for those who are not able to provide enough at the moment.

 

Hurricanes

The strongest tropical storms are called hurricanes, typhoons or tropical cyclones. The different names all mean the same thing, but are used in different parts of the world. If these huge storms start in the Atlantic off the west coast of Africa, they are called hurricanes.

In an average year over a dozen hurricanes form over the Atlantic Ocean and head westwards towards the Caribbean, the east coast of Central America and the southern USA (Florida in particular). Hurricanes may last as long as a month and although they travel very slowly – usually at about 24 km/h (15 mph) – wind speeds can reach over 120 km/h (75 mph).

The intense winds of tropical storms can destroy whole communities, buildings and communication networks. As well as their own destructive energy, the winds generate abnormally high waves and tidal surges. Sometimes the most destructive elements of a storm are the subsequent high seas and flooding.

 

Arctic ozone loss at record level

Ozone loss over the Arctic this year was so severe that for the first time it could be called an “ozone hole” like the Antarctic one, scientists report.

If you would like to know more about this then please click this link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15105747

 

Google Street View Goes To The Amazon Rainforest

You cannot see it yet but watch out on google maps for it to appear