Grist: Though it carries major supervillain cred, placing a scientific research station atop an Arctic ice floe in an era of global warming is a dicey proposition - even for the Russians. North Pole 40, a Russian science station that monitors pollution and conducts meteorological research, began operating in October on an Arctic ice floe. The Russians have been deploying research stations to drifting ice floes for more than 70 years, and North Pole 40 is their 40th such station. But they don`t make...

EcoWatch: On Wednesday, Northwest-based groups filed a formal petition with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers asking it to evaluate the cumulative and related impacts of all proposed coal export terminals in Oregon and Washington. There are currently two active coal export proposals in Washington--Cherry Point (north of Bellingham) and Longview--and one proposal in Boardman, OR, that would collectively export a total 100 million metric tons of coal per year if built. Formally submitted by Earthjustice, the...

Grist: Momentous change doesn`t always leave visual cues. A 2008 Obama looks much the same as a 2012 Obama (minus a few gray hairs and Benghazi wrinkles). In some ways, climate change is similar; we can`t exactly see villainous clouds of CO2 strangling the sky. But when it comes to glaciers, climate change leaves marks that can be seen from space. Our friends at GlacierWorks hope to document those scars. Respected mountaineer and GlacierWorks Executive Director David Breashears retraced the steps of...

Environmental News Network: After three years of ongoing research by an international team of scientists, a study commissioned by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme for a first-ever comprehensive assessment of Arctic Ocean acidification was presented last week at a meeting of Arctic Council Ministers in Bergen, Norway. The research show that the cold waters of the Arctic sea are more vulnerable to acidification. Cold water more readily absorbs CO2 and combined with the precipitous drop in summer sea ice extent,...

ClimateWire: A panel of New Jersey infrastructure experts yesterday took issue with Gov. Chris Christie a few days after the Republican expressed doubts about the links between climate change and Superstorm Sandy. The governor's remarks earlier this week, in which he said there isn't "any proof thus far that Sandy was caused by climate change," served as backdrop to the dialogue here during a Rutgers University event on New Jersey and climate adaptation. Each member of a panel of experts appeared to disagree...

Mother Nature Network: In the epic and eternal battle between sea turtles and fishermen, can both survive? The answer can be yes, according to the new documentary, "¡Viva la Tortuga!" Produced by students from Pace University, the 16-minute film takes a close look at the coalition Grupo Tortuguero, which has been working to protect endangered sea turtles in Mexico's Magdalena Bay on the Baja Peninsula by developing new, sustainable ways to support the region's economy. "¡Viva la Tortuga!" is the third documentary created...

ScienceDaily: A marine research expedition sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has led to the discovery of perhaps the world's largest methane cold seep by two university-based research teams and their partners, UNCW announced today. The seep lies deep in the western North Atlantic Ocean, far from the life-sustaining energy of the sun. Mussels blanketing the the seep rely on bacteria that use the methane to make energy....

EcoWatch: A mother otter in Moss Landing Harbor, CA, tries to free her cub from a plastic bag. Photo courtesy of the Central Coast Sanctuary Alliance. According to Bag Monster, a bill is under consideration that would regulate single-use plastic bags in the U.S. On Earth Day, the bill, Trash Reduction Act of 2013, was introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives. If passed, the bill would place a five-cent fee on single-use plastic and paper bags in every retail location across the country. “According...

Yale Environment 360: A small monitoring tag attached to an entangled North Atlantic right whale revealed just how much fishing gear impairs a whale’s ability to swim, dive, and feed, scientists say. After locating a two-year-old whale, dubbed Eg 3911, with fishing gear entangled around her mouth and pectoral fins, a team of scientists was able to attach a so-called Dtag in January 2011 that recorded her movements before, during, and after the team removed the nets. The whale “altered its behavior immediately following...

Mongabay: A migratory shorebird that has flown more than 400,000 miles has reappeared once again. The bird, dubbed "B95" after the number on his leg band or "Moonbird" for the distance he has flown over his lifespan, is a rufus red knot (Calidris canutus rufus) that scientists have been tracking for 19 years. Each May his arrival is anxiously awaited by researchers who want to see whether he survived his annual 16,000-kilometer migration (9,940 mile) each way from the Canadian Arctic to South America's...

ScienceDaily: Using a "patient monitoring" device attached to a whale entangled in fishing gear, scientists showed for the first time how fishing lines changed a whale's diving and swimming behavior. The monitoring revealed how fishing gear hinders whales' ability to eat and migrate, depletes their energy as they drag gear for months or years, and can result in a slow death. The scientists in this entanglement response suction-cupped a cellphone-size device called a Dtag to a two-year-old female North Atlantic...

Guardian: An unprecedented stocktake of UK wildlife has revealed that most species are struggling and that one in three have halved in number in the past half century. The unique report, based on scientific analysis of tens of millions of observations from volunteers, shows that from woodland to farmland and from freshwater streams to the sea, many animals, birds, insects, fish and plants are in trouble. The causes include the intensification of farming, with the consequent loss of meadows, hedgerows and...

Inter Press Service: Everyone knows water is life. Far too few understand the role of trees, plants and other living things in ensuring we have clean, fresh water. This dangerous ignorance results in destruction of wetlands that once cleaned water and prevented destructive and costly flooding, scientists and activists warn."We have accelerated major processes like erosion, applied massive quantities of nitrogen that leaks from soil to ground and surface waters and, sometimes, literally siphoned all water from rivers."...

Philadelphia Inquirer: For the third time, Gov. Christie has refused to link climate change and Sandy. "I don't think there's been any proof thus far that Sandy was caused by climate change,' Christie said yesterday in response to a question from a reporter from WNYC, an NPR affiliate. Today at a union meeting for teachers, Christie's expected Democratic challenger, State Sen. Barbara Buono, brought up his remark. "Wake up!" Buono said. "How much proof do you need? This kind of putting his head in the sand, being...

New York Times: Like ocean waters around the world, the Chesapeake has become more and more acidic as a result of rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Now, by studying oyster populations in relation to acidity levels, a team of researchers has concluded that oysters — particularly their shells — can play a significant role in reducing that acidity. “Oyster shells are made out of calcium carbonate, so they’re sort of like an antacid pill,” said George Waldbusser, an assistant professor of earth, ocean...

InsideClimate: U.S. oil production is suddenly growing so fast that some analysts are questioning how much the country really needs the Canadian tar sands oil that would move through the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. This month, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said it expects domestic crude oil production to surge 20 percent by the end of 2014 from its level at the start of this year. That means an additional 1.4 million barrels of U.S.-produced oil will be available each day—about twice as much...

Guardian: What do emptier waters look like? This web aquarium shows declining fish populations over the past 100 years - and it uses more than 200 datasets to do it. We recommend that you closely analyse the data showing that the population of big fish has been decimated while small fish are now overly abundant. Or else you can leave it on your screen as a digital pet and a grim modern Tamagotchi.

Guardian: One of the world's largest fish farm companies, Marine Harvest, has voluntarily agreed to much tougher limits on its pesticides use and seal killing by joining a strict new environment scheme. Marine Harvest will join the Aquaculture Stewardship council, a new accreditation scheme championed by WWF, after coming under repeated attack for heavy use of toxic chemicals, seal-killing and major outbreaks of sea lice and salmon diseases. The Norwegian-owned company, which grows 25% of all Scotland's...

Reuters: Days before a Shell drillship went aground in the storm-tossed Gulf of Alaska, it was clear that towing failures could spell disaster for the vessel, the crew and the marine environment, a company official told a U.S. Coast Guard panel on Monday. The Kulluk, having completed preliminary drilling on an exploration well in the Beaufort Sea, broke away from its tow lines, and support vessels attempting to regain control of the drillship developed their own engine and mechanical problems, Norman Custard,...

Reuters: Extreme global warming is less likely in coming decades after a slowdown in the pace of temperature rises so far this century, an international team of scientists said on Sunday. Warming is still on track, however, to breach a goal set by governments around the world of limiting the increase in temperatures to below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times, unless tough action is taken to limit rising greenhouse gas emissions. "The most extreme rates of warming simulated by...