Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Light pollution causes urban birds to stay awake longer each day, study finds

admin — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 18:00:09 +0000

Researchers ‘shocked’ to discover some species settling down for sleep 50 minutes later than rural counterparts

Urban birds stay up significantly later than their rural counterparts, according to research that highlights the impact of light pollution on wildlife.

The study, based on recordings submitted by bird enthusiasts to a popular species identification and mapping website, showed that light pollution caused birds to sing for an average of 50 minutes longer each day, with some species waking up an hour earlier and settling down for the evening an hour later.

Gina Rinehart’s apocalyptic visions for bush summits just the latest in a history of climate science denialism | Temperature Check

admin — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 15:00:09 +0000

Sponsorship of News Corp’s event series has given Australia’s richest person a vehicle for her anti-net zero crusade

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Victoria’s mountain ash forests could lose a quarter of ‘giant’ trees as temperatures rise

admin — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 15:00:09 +0000

Eucalyptus regnans – which regularly reach 60 to 80m tall – lose about 9% of their trees for every degree of warming, research finds

Solar panels in space ‘could provide 80% of Europe’s renewable energy by 2050’

admin — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 15:00:06 +0000

Researchers also suggest system could resolve problems with irregular and weather-dependent Earth-based supply

Solar panels in space could cut Europe’s terrestrial renewable energy needs by 80% by 2050, a study has found.

Using a detailed computer model of the continent’s future power grid, the researchers found that a system of space-based panels designed by Nasa could reduce the cost of the whole European power system by as much as 15%. It could also cut battery use by more than two-thirds.

Drought bringing autumn harvest two weeks early, Waitrose says

admin — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 12:46:32 +0000

Farmers that supply supermarket are already harvesting wheat, oilseed rape and oats amid dry conditions

Harvests are coming two weeks early because of drought, Waitrose has said, as it prepares to stock autumnal fruit in summer.

Farmers that supply the supermarket are harvesting wheat, oilseed rape, oats and malting barley a fortnight before they generally would, according to the supermarket. A lack of rainfall coupled with the hot weather has caused the crops to race through their growing stages and mature early.

Eden Project wildflower centre issues climate warning as it marks 25th year

admin — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 11:27:59 +0000

Changing weather patterns are affecting planting and pose a threat to a variety of species, says head of development

Rising temperatures in the spring and unpredictable autumns are making the huge task of restoring the UK’s lost meadows even more challenging, the National Wildflower Centre (NWC) has warned.

Brazil authorities suspend key Amazon rainforest protection measure

admin — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 09:34:53 +0000

Suspension of soy moratorium could open up area of rainforest the size of Portugal to destruction

One of the key agreements for Amazon rainforest protection – the soy moratorium – has been suspended by Brazilian authorities, potentially opening up an area the size of Portugal to destruction by farmers.

Psychedelic rock! Formations that mess with your mind – in pictures

admin — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 06:01:01 +0000

In Glass Mountain, Michael Lundgren captures remote American landscapes with a haunting stillness, revealing the hidden rhythms and enthralling mystery of the natural world

The surprising reason timber plantations explode into megafires

admin — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 05:32:18 +0000

Industrial forests, packed with evenly spaced trees, face nearly 50% higher odds of megafires than public lands. A lidar-powered study of California’s Sierra Nevada reveals how dense plantations feed fire severity, but also shows that proactive thinning could prevent forests from collapsing into shrubland ecosystems.

‘Landmines have become the greatest protectors’: how wildlife is thriving in the Korean DMZ

admin — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 05:00:03 +0000

The demilitarised zone between North and South Korea has become an ecological oasis with nearly 6,000 species documented, including rare cranes, deer and bears

Standing on top of a small mountain, Kim Seung-ho gazes out over an expanse of paddy fields glowing in their autumn gold, the ripening grains swaying gently in the wind. In the distance, North Korea stretches beyond the horizon.

“It’s so peaceful,” says the director of the DMZ Ecology Research Institute. “Over there, it used to be an artillery range, but since they stopped firing, the nature has become so beautiful.”