Coral Reefs ‘Will Be Gone By End Of The Century’

They will be the first entire ecosystem to be destroyed by human activity, says top UN scientist

Coral reefs are on course to become the first ecosystem that human activity will eliminate entirely from the Earth, a leading United Nations scientist claims. He says this event will occur before the end of the present century, which means that there are children already born who will live to see a world without coral.

The claim is made in a book published tomorrow, which says coral reef ecosystems are very likely to disappear this century in what would be “a new first for mankind – the ‘extinction’ of an entire ecosystem”. Its author, Professor Peter Sale, studied the Great Barrier Reef for 20 years at the University of Sydney. He currently leads a team at the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health. [Read more...]

Forest Expert Turns Butterfly Man

He spent his entire life protecting animals and vegetation in Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam and Godavari districts roaming along with dangerous beasts. But, only after his retirement did Yerneni Gouthama Siddhartha take a liking to butterflies.

It was his little Pomeranian puppy that drew his attention to these dainty beings. “The puppy always went after them and played with them when I took it out for a morning walk,” Mr. Siddhartha told The Hindu. As a nature lover he soon became interested in them and started photographing them. [Read more...]

Small Trees Can Put On A Big Show

The importance of small trees in gardens of any size simply can’t be measured.

Large trees are magnificent monuments in the landscape, but small trees can be equally significant landmarks in your own backyard. Big trees take your eyes to the sky; small trees shade a space, such as a patio, without dominating it. They define the flow of the eye and the feet through a garden, and punctuate the views. Small trees have a way of keeping the experience of a garden intimate and inviting.

“Most people want to look at things that are in scale with them, at their eye level, and if you choose the right small tree with the right form, you can create a great sense of place,” says Brian Kissinger, a garden designer and the director of horticulture at Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. [Read more...]

Geologists Study Energy Source Underground

Geologists and energy experts say that using heat from the earth as a power source, and to heat and cool houses and businesses, might prove to be a clean-energy alternative for Ohio and other states.

To determine whether it will work, state geologists are using a $21.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to look for geothermal prospects throughout the country. Exploration efforts include studying underground temperatures, heat flow and thermal conductivity of rocks to determine whether geothermal energy is the right answer.

“Every state has potential,” said Lee Allison of the Arizona Geological Survey, who is principal investigator for the three-year study. [Read more...]

Gold Mine Worth £9 Billion Discovered In Germany

A massive seam of pure gold worth at least nine billion pounds has been discovered in one of the poorest regions of eastern Germany.

The precious metal was found nearly 4,000ft down in Lausitz region where one-in-five are jobless.

Eight hundred miners have already been called to sign on for jobs and there are estimates that double that number could soon be on the payroll, the Daily Mail reports.

The KSL mining company also struck the intended copper-bearing rock laden with an estimated 2.7 million tons, as well as lesser deposits of silver and platinum. [Read more...]

Coal Mines Insurance, Servicing The Industry

In today’s mining industry, though working at coal mine indeed provides you with various benefits, but there is no doubt that working thereat was always a dangerous job for anybody. It is such an unpredictable work as no one knows what happens next in the day to day affairs. Well, it cannot be denied that it’s a hazardous industry, thus, the question is who’s insuring coal mines these days? Not a lot of insurance companies have the appetite to do mining risks. But Coal Mines Insurance can play a vital role in helping those in this type of job, especially in case of any untoward incident that may transpire and possibly rendering the principal insured physically incapacitated.

Nevertheless, Coal Mines Insurance will help protect the loved ones of workers in such coal fields, in case anything happens while the worker is in the performance of his job. They are committed to servicing the industry and meeting the needs of their customers, compensates worker in case of any injuries or damages happen while working and hence they are assured that their life is in protection during any such incidences. They operate a case management model integrating injury and claims management processes. Working together with employers, injured workers and service providers following any workplace injury ensures that optimal returns to work outcomes are achieved.

Arctic Sea Ice May Be Melting Slower Than Thought

Danish researchers say the rate of melting in the Arctic sea may be slower than previously thought.

A team from the Danish National Research Foundation for Geogenetics at the University of Copenhagen developed a method to measure the variations in the ice several millennia back in time.

The scientists based their results on material gathered along the coast of northern Greenland, which experts believe will be the final place summer ice will survive.

“Our studies show that there have been large fluctuations in the amount of summer sea ice during the last 10,000 years,” Svend Funder, team leader of the study, said in a press release. [Read more...]