Monday, May 19, 2008
Maribeth Ponders her Upcoming Opportunity with PBI
Last week, I was lucky enough to meet two very inspirational people: Robert Buchanan, president of Polar Bears International, and his wife, Carolyn Buchanan, the foundation's director of development. After spending only two minutes with them, we were already joking together, and bonding over our common Italian/ Irish ancestry. Oh yes; the Buchanan's are my kind of people!
However, our time spent together wasn't all fun and games. Mr. Buchanan got down to business. He presented an informational, moving, but alarming power point on polar bears, and how they are rapidly being pushed to extinction because of global climate change.
I will never forget something he said, "This [global warming] is not a left- wing or right- wing issue; this is an issue that effects all of humanity. Who cares if Man caused global warming or not? It's up to Man to stop it."
http://www.clemetzoo.com/zblog/default.asp?Display=126
Plant Protection the Focus at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Special activities and plant sale planned for May
Join Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in celebrating the importance of plants to people and the planet. Talk with experts, tour the Zoo and even get your hands dirty -- all on Plant Conservation Day at the Zoo. The green scene takes place Sunday, May 18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The day begins with an invitation to participate in an invasive plant pull. Invasive plant species threaten native biodiversity and should be removed when possible. Volunteers can help in this effort from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Brookside Reservation. Participants will receive free admission to the Zoo. Those interested should pre-register by calling (216) 635-2526.
For something less physical, a guided ZooTram tour of some of the Zoo's specialty gardens takes place at 11:30 a.m. Don Krock, the Zoo's Manager of Horticulture, will lead the tour and point out conservation features of some of the Zoo's 24 gardens.
The day continues with talks by local plant experts. All talks takes place in the Zoo Administration Building and are free with regular Zoo admission.
http://www.clemetzoo.com/pressroom/index.asp?action=details&pressrelease_id=1305
Vets Determine Why Tiger Rejected Newborn Cub At Pittsburgh Zoo (Video)
POSTED: 8:34 am EDT May 15, 2008
UPDATED: 9:20 am EDT May 15, 2008
PITTSBURGH -- Veterinarians at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium think they know why a tiger may have rejected her newborn cub.
A shortage of milk may be to blame.
'Toma' gave birth Sunday. Zookeepers said the tiger stopped caring for the cub that night.
Veterinarians gave Toma a complete examination on Wednesday.
Dr. Barbara Baker said, “What we're doing right now is we’ll put her back in her enclosure and we are going to hit her with a drug and inject her with a drug that will hopefully, that will initiate the nursing behavior, the maternal behavior we want to see."
For now, the cub will stay in the zoo's hospital where he will be fed by zoo staff every three hours.
http://www.wpxi.com/news/16271687/detail.html
Pittsburgh zoo staff to raise shunned Amur tiger cub
The Associated Press
PITTSBURGH - The staff at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium will take over mothering duties of an Amur tiger cub who has been shunned by his mother.
The cub was born Sunday, but his mother, Toma, has refused to nurse him.
Zoo officials gave the mother a drug to stimulate milk production, thinking that might jump-start her maternal instincts. But that hasn't happened.
Instead, the cub will be bottle-fed and the zoo will try to find a companion for the animal until he can be weaned.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums says it helps to put a dog or another abandoned cub with a cub that is being raised by hand.
http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/state/pennsylvania/20080516_ap_pittsburghzoostafftoraiseshunnedamurtigercub.html
Zoo tax mulled
By CHARLES CRUMM
Journal Register News Service
Oakland County commissioners have taken the first step towards creating an authority to operate and fund the Detroit Zoo.
Advertisement
In a special meeting Wednesday, commissioners voted to establish an authority, clearing the way for a campaign for a one-tenth mill property tax question to appear on the Aug. 5 ballot.
Commissioners voted 18-5, with some no votes wanting to have a property tax question appear on the November ballot and others simply in opposition to a tax to support the zoo.
"I'm voting no because it creates a taxing authority," said Commissioner Robert Gosselin, R-Troy. "I think the zoo is worth it but not from a taxing standpoint. I would hope you find another way to fund it."
http://www.dailytribune.com/stories/051508/loc_localn08.shtml
Calls to stop zoo's panda plans
Politicians north and south of the border have called on Edinburgh Zoo to reconsider its plans for a giant panda breeding programme.
Scottish Green MSP Robin Harper has tabled a motion at Holyrood expressing concerns at plans by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS).
It has been proposed that a breeding pair should be loaned from China.
The RZSS said work in zoos was integral to preserving the species and helped conservationists in China.
Animal campaigners claim no captive-bred panda has ever been released into the wild and conservation groups say the best way to ensure their future is to protect their natural habitat.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7403323.stm
New York Researcher Wins The Indianapolis Prize
By Devon Scott and AP reports
5/14/2008
A world-renowned field biologist is getting a local honor - The Indianapolis Prize from the Zoo.
Dr. George Schaller is known for saving endangered animals across the planet and helping start a number of wildlife refuges.
Indianapolis Zoo CEO Mike Crowther says Schaller has done amazing things for the environment.
Schaller gets $100,000. He says he plans to use it as seed money to encourage students to get into field biology and to start several new wildlife sanctuaries.
Schaller is based in New York City where he is Vice President for Science and Exploration at the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Schaller has trekked 1,000 miles across a rugged reserve in Tibet to study the endangered Tibetan antelope, or chiru, and is also working to save Marco Polo sheep and snow leopards.
Schaller has inspired many field biologists and has helped establish more than 15 wildlife reserves throughout the world.
http://www.wibc.com/News/Story.aspx?ID=91177
What is The Indianapolis Prize?
Star report
Posted: May 13, 2008
Background: The Indianapolis Prize is the world’s largest cash award given to an individual animal conservationist who has made significant achievements in advancing the sustainability of a species or group. It was established in 2004 by the Indianapolis Zoo.
Amount: $100,000, funded by Eli Lilly and Co. in 2006 and 2008.
Frequency: Award given every two years.
2006 winner: George Archibald, co-founder of the International Crane Foundation, credited with contributing significantly to the preservation of the world’s 15 surviving species of cranes, including the whooping crane in North America.
2008 field: Twenty-nine animal conservationists were nominated.
Award presentation: Indianapolis Prize Gala, presented by AES Corp., parent company of Indianapolis Power and Light, will be Sept. 27 at the Marriott Downtown.
2010 Prize: Nominations will open June 1 and close Nov. 30. Six finalists will be announced in August 2009.
On the Web: www.indianapolisprize.org.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080513/NEWS/80513057
Zoo's escaped ape attacks keeper
How the orang-utan escaped its enclosure is a mystery
A Blackpool Zoo keeper was taken to hospital for treatment after being bitten by an orang-utan.
The woman suffered injuries to her arm and foot when she was attacked by the female orang-utan in the staff access corridor to the Ape House.
An investigation into the incident is under way, but it is not yet known how the animal got into the corridor.
Zoo bosses described it as an isolated incident and said no members of the public were put in danger.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/lancashire/7403216.stm
Orangutans escape enclosures at two different zoos
Associated Press - May 18, 2008 12:03 PM ET
TAMPA (AP) - Two orangutans are safely back in their cages after escaping from enclosures at two different zoos across the country.
At Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida, part of a new exhibit is closed after a 10-year-old female orangutan escaped yesterday by climbing the exhibit's windows. Caretakers had to coax it into a back area using apples, carrots and vanilla ice cream for about an hour.
Meanwhile, 3,000 visitors at the Los Angeles Zoo were forced to head for the exit yesterday when a 29-year-old orangutan named Bruno punched a hole through mesh that surrounds his habitat. Authorities say he was free for about 20 minutes until a handler saw him in a holding area behind the cage. Keepers quickly approached the orangutan and sedated him.
http://www.newswest9.com/Global/story.asp?S=8342864&nav=menu505_2
Your News: Celebrate Endangered Species Day at Naples Zoo
Submitted by Tim Tetzlaff
Thursday, May 15, 2008
NAPLES — On Friday, May 16, 2008 Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens and the Friends of the Florida Panther Refuge are celebrating the country’s third annual Endangered Species Day.
Designated as a national celebration of America’s commitment to protecting and recovering our nation’s endangered species, the goal of Endangered Species Day is simple—to educate Americans about the importance of protecting our rare, threatened, and endangered plant and animal species – and, most importantly, what they can do to help.
http://marconews.com/news/2008/may/15/your-news-celebrate-endangered-species-day-naples-/
May 15, 2008, 6:38PM
Get the bear facts at the Houston Zoo
Black bears are on the rebound in Louisiana and have been spotted in East Texas.
Campers and others who want to be bear-aware should check out the Houston Zoo's Bear Awareness Day Saturday.
Zookeepers will offer tips on how to keep your campsite bear-proof and how to share the outdoors with the animals.
Representatives from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Big Thicket National Preserve will answer questions about the role bears play in nature and the importance of biological diversity.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/pets/5783941.html
Dallas Zoo's surviving elephant back on display
05:52 PM CDT on Wednesday, May 14, 2008
By DAVID SCHECHTER / WFAA-TV
Video
David Schechter reports
May 14, 2008
DALLAS -- The Dallas Zoo has reopened its elephant exhibit two days after Keke the elephant died. Despite concern about an intestinal ailment, an exam shows the elephant died from heart failure.
It took 35 animal experts to perform the autopsy for the 8,000 pound animal. The result? KeKe's heart was not effectively pumping blood.
Jenny, the Zoo's surviving elephant, was back on display today. Officials say she's upset-- but responding well-- and ready to greet the public.
http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa080514_jh_elephants.fe53d97e.html
Family of tiger victim files claim against S.F.
Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, May 16, 2008
(05-15) 15:26 PDT San Francisco - -- The parents of a 17-year-old San Jose boy who was fatally mauled by a tiger at the San Francisco Zoo filed a claim against the city Thursday in the latest legal salvo over the Christmas Day attack.
The claim, a precursor to a lawsuit, accuses the city of being negligent and failing to properly enclose a 243-pound Siberian tiger named Tatiana. The escaped tiger killed Carlos Sousa on Dec. 25 and mauled two San Jose brothers before it was shot and killed by San Francisco police.
"The tiger's enclosure was insufficient to protect patrons and the tiger," says the claim filed by Walnut Creek attorney Michael Cardoza on behalf of the boy's parents, Carlos and Marilza Sousa.
The city "knew that the tiger's enclosure was insufficient and thereby knowingly exposed zoo patrons to extremely dangerous, wild animals," it said.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/16/BA9G10N58H.DTL
Detroit Zoological Society Announces Gift From The Chrysler Foundation
May 15, 2008, 9:48 pm
Filed under: In The News
Detroit Zoo Names Main Train Station, Unveils Newly Refurbished Trains
ROYAL OAK, Mich., May 8, 2008 – The Detroit Zoological Society today announced a $250,000 grant from The Chrysler Foundation to help refurbish the Detroit Zoo’s historic Tauber Family Railroad. In recognition of the gift, the Society named the main train station the Chrysler Main Station.
“The Chrysler Foundation’s generous gift helps us to preserve a symbol of the Zoo’s rich heritage and enables millions of future Zoo visitors to enjoy the railroad for many years to come,” said Detroit Zoological Society Executive Director Ron Kagan. The railroad has served over 40 million Zoo guests who have ridden the rails since the train was introduced in 1931.
“Chrysler is very proud to play a continuing role for more than half a century in supporting one of the Detroit Zoo’s favorite attractions,” said Brian Glowiak, Vice President, The Chrysler Foundation. “This historic commitment began with our original donation of three trains nearly 60 years ago, followed by recurring donations to upgrade and maintain their operations. We are pleased that future generations will continue to experience this timeless treasure.”
http://dzoovoleric.wordpress.com/2008/05/15/detroit-zoological-society-announces-gift-from-the-chrysler-foundation/
And the Winner is...Zahara
Name Chosen for Detroit Zoo’s Zebra Foal
ROYAL OAK, Mich., March 3, 2008 – The people have spoken and the Detroit Zoo’s zebra foal has a name.
With 994 votes cast in the Zoo’s online poll, Zahara won by a landslide with 439 votes. Bella was a distant second with 250 votes, followed by Chloe with 139 votes and Holly with 109 votes. Noel was the favorite of only 57 voters.
Zahara is an Arabic word meaning “flower.”
The Zoo received over 2,000 name suggestions and narrowed the field to five. The finalists were posted on the Zoo’s Web site where the public had until midnight February 29 to vote for the winning name.
The Grevy’s zebra foal was born December 26 and is the daughter of 15-year-old Elvira and 6-year-old ZZ. She currently is kept indoors at the zebra habitat most days due to cold weather, but can be seen outdoors near her mother on milder days.
http://www.detroitzoo.org/Newsflashes/2008_Press_Releases/And_the_Winner_is...Zahara/
$8m zoo fund shortfall
MICHAEL OWEN, POLITICAL REPORTER
May 20, 2008 11:15pm
ADELAIDE Zoo has a funding shortfall of up to $8 million for its major refurbishment, despite a $19 million pledge from the State Government.
Premier Mike Rann, who is on the U.S. leg of a 15-day trade mission, said today the Government would provide $19 million for the zoo's biggest facelift in its 125-year history.
As reported by The Advertiser in March, an upgraded entrance, a giant panda forest and a new perimeter fence will be part of the major refurbishment.
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,23726400-5006301,00.html
PETA asks Dallas Zoo to close elephant exhibit
07:14 PM CDT on Friday, May 16, 2008
By KIMBERLY DURNAN / The Dallas Morning News
kdurnan@dallasnews.com
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals gathered at the Dallas Zoo on Friday to ask zoo officials to close its elephant exhibit and send the zoo's only elephant, Jenny, to a sanctuary in Tennessee or California.
PETA members protest Dallas Zoo elephant exhibit (DMN - Video/editing: Richard Michael Pruitt)
PETA officials say that elephants need to be with other elephants and need room to roam.
Margaret Morin spoke for the group of 10 protestors.
"We are here to educate the public on Jenny's plight," Ms. Morin said. "She has served her time and now deserves to live the rest of her life at a sanctuary. The zoo is not a humane environment to an elephant."
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/051708dnmetelephant.107b8c007.html
Zoo opens stingray exhibit, public interaction restricted
Deaths at Calgary Zoo prompt change in exhibit policy
May 16, 2008 01:57 PM
Due to the unexplained deaths of 39 stingrays at a Calgary Zoo, a Toronto Zoo stingray exhibit is going ahead with one major change: the public will no longer be able to touch the sea creatures.
The exhibit, which opened to the public Friday, May 16 was being billed as Stingray Bay - A Touching Experience with visitors granted the opportunity to interact with rays in a large pool for an admission fee of $3. For the time being , visitors will not be able to touch or feed them and admission has been reduced to $1.
"In light of recent events at the Calgary Zoo's Singray Exhibit, the Toronto Zoo will, in the short-term, limit access to the stingrays and only provide controlled feedings," the zoo said in a press release.
http://www.insidetoronto.com/News/Scarborough/article/48246
San Diego Zoo targets global warming
5:03 PM, May 16, 2008
The San Diego Zoo, known for its pioneering work in preservation of endangered species, is throwing its resources and reputation behind the fight against global-warming.
As part of the National Endangered Species Day on Friday, the zoo declared that greenhouse gases are a major threat to wildlife -- not just polar bears, but other large carnivores, birds, reptiles and even coral reefs. "All ecosystems on the planet are being altered by climate change but perhaps none quite as dramatically as coral reefs," said Stuart Sandin from the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation with Scripps Institution of Oceanography, one of the speakers at the all-day seminar.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2008/05/the-san-diego-1.html
Butterfly Pavilion Opens Saturday
POSTED: 11:07 am CDT May 16, 2008
UPDATED: 11:27 am CDT May 16, 2008
OMAHA, Neb. -- A new butterfly and insect pavilion at the Henry Doorly Zoo open on Saturday after a year of construction.
At 9:30 a.m. Saturday, the $10.5 million project opens to the public.
Hundreds of species of butterflies and moths fly free inside the pavilion. Visitors get a close look at flying insects from around the world. Butterfly farms in Peru, Panama and Costa Rica, among others, will sell the cocoons needed to fill the pavilion. The cost for an average chrysalis is between $1 and $20 depending on species.
Copyright 2008 by KETV.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
http://www.ketv.com/entertainment/16294878/detail.html
Prague zoo sets out to save Indian gharial
2 days ago
PRAGUE (AFP) — Prague zoo has launched a programme aimed at saving the gharial, an Indian fish-eating crocodile, from extinction with a million-dollar pavilion where keepers hope the creatures will reproduce.
There are only 150-200 of the species, the Gavialis gangeticus also known as the gavial, living in the wild along India's rivers today. Another 20 or so are in captivity in India, Japan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and the United States, according to figures from the Prague zoo.
"All of the conservation plans launched in the world have failed up until now. The gharial is one of the most threatened species on the planet," said Petr Veselsky, in charge of reptiles at the zoo.
The new gharial pavilion -- the first such programme in Europe -- houses three males and four females from a park in Madras in southern India.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gnIm2sYkrAYzgnTAhdjS2xNOEtHA
Look, but don't touch
Calgary Herald
Published: Saturday, May 17, 2008
Re: "Zoo loses another cownose ray," May 14.
I was dumbfounded to hear that the Calgary Zoo's cownose ray exhibit was designed to allow the public to touch these gentle creatures. Has the zoo lost its marbles? For years, I have taught scuba divers to avoid direct contact with sea life for their protection and for the protection of the marine life. Look, yes, touch, no! I have also taught scores of divers first aid response to hazardous marine life injuries. Having been encouraged to touch, will the young child recognize the difference between a gentle cownose ray and a stingray he or she comes across in shallow waters? I doubt it. I have seen the result of the slash and tear of a stingray's spin and tail.
Encouraging children to touch sea life has enormous negative potential consequences. Why the zoo would encourage such behaviour is beyond me. I can only assume there are no scuba divers on the Calgary Zoo staff. If there are, it might be a good time to review those notes on why we don't touch the sea life.
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/letters/story.html?id=c9b4b348-6fd1-4e05-841f-59b501b99d68
2 Pittsburgh Zoo Elephants Expected To Give Birth Soon
POSTED: 3:57 pm EDT May 16, 2008
UPDATED: 7:12 pm EDT May 16, 2008
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium is beginning to resemble a maternity ward. Days after the birth of a baby tiger, the zoo is just weeks away from the arrival of not one but two baby elephants.
This is the first time that two of the zoo's elephants will deliver within a month of each other.
The first one could come as early as May 28. After 22 months gestation, it has been a long wait, zoo officials said.
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/16299963/detail.html
San Diego Zoo, Prison Merge
Quote:
SAN DIEGO—Plagued by a lack of funding and growing staff shortages, the San Diego Zoo and Ironwood State Prison were combined earlier this week, bringing local inmates and wildlife together for the first time under the same roof.
The new state-of-the-art facility—which will house 12 separate cell blocks, a reptile house, two weight rooms, and a primate sanctuary—is expected to save the state of California up to $5 million in operation costs over the next year.
"It is with great pride that I announce the opening of the San Diego Maximum Security Zoological & Convict Reserve," director David Hennessey said at an opening ceremony Tuesday. "From southern white rhinos to repeat offenders serving 20 years for drug trafficking—you'll find them all here at our amazing new facility."
Construction on the resource-sharing project concluded last Wednesday, after which felons and fauna were carefully transferred to their new joint living space. According to Hennessey, the 40-acre facility features one of the largest collections of migratory birds, hoofed mammals, and hardened inmates in all of North America.
http://www.alldeaf.com/jokes-funny-stories/52441-san-diego-zoo-prison-merge.html
Zoo launches $10M campaign; Gifts to fund improvements before tax vote
Crain’s Detroit Business
May 17, 2008, 8:43 pm
This is a very good article to see how the zoo gets its funding, why the need it, and some of the things they will do if the mileage passes.
Zoo launches $10M campaign; Gifts to fund improvements before tax vote
By Sherri Begin
Plans at the zoo
What: The Detroit Zoological Society last month officially launched a $10 million campaign to fund capital improvements at the zoo.
Projects planned: An animal carousel, an upgrade to the Tauber Family Railroad, a corporate pavilion, new signs and enhancements to the Ford Education Center and the Belle Isle Nature Zoo.
Saving for the future: About $3 million of the campaign total will bolster the zoo’s $8 million endowment.
http://dzoovoleric.wordpress.com/2008/05/17/zoo-launches-10m-campaign-gifts-to-fund-improvements-before-tax-vote-crains-detroit-business/
Heritage Park Zoo celebrates 20th anniversary
By Doug Cook, The Daily Courier
Saturday, May 17, 2008
PRESCOTT - The Heritage Park Zoo has blossomed since its humble beginnings in May 1988, transforming itself from a tiny complex that cared for just a few animals into a full-fledged wildlife refuge.
On Saturday, the non-profit Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary, as it's now dubbed, celebrated its 20th anniversary, offering free admission and hot dogs, as well as animal shows and docent tours, to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
About 700 people attended the event, which went off without a hitch under warm, sunny skies and a light breeze.
http://www.dcourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&subsectionID=1&articleID=55461
Acquiring 'Blatt site opens new zoo worlds
BY C. DAVID KOTOK
COPYRIGHT 2008 OMAHA WORLD-HERALD
Baseball players, fans and umps would give way to polar bears, seals and walruses as part of a planned $100 million expansion of the Henry Doorly Zoo.
$100 million expansion
• Rosenblatt: Razed for 950 parking spaces
• Madagascar: Walk among bushy-tail lemurs
• Arctic Center: See polar bears, seals and otters
• Elephants: New home for up to a dozen more
• Pandas: Not yet, but still on the wish list
The Omaha Zoo Foundation board has signed off on an agreement with the city to obtain the Rosenblatt Stadium property for the nearly $12 million the city still owes on past stadium improvements. The foundation plans to raze the stadium to replace parking that will be lost to a major new exhibit and to add even more spaces.
Dr. Lee Simmons, the zoo's executive director, said the Rosenblatt property will give the zoo the elbow room to build a blockbuster new attraction. The Arctic Center, featuring animals typical of Alaska, is planned west of the zoo's Desert Dome in what is now the parking area along 10th Street.
The Arctic Center would become a visitor's first stop after entering the zoo and provide another enclosed attraction accessible during the cold months, Simmons told The World-Herald.
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10337683
For economy, zoo gets lion's share of credit
BY KAREN SLOAN
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
When it comes to Omaha's economy, the Henry Doorly Zoo is no bear cub.
It's a full-grown grizzly.
A new study of Nebraska's top tourist attraction found that its overall economic impact on Omaha in 2007 was $86.34 million.
That figure takes into account several ways that the zoo strengthens the city's overall economy.
It factors in money spent at the zoo, spending by zoo visitors at businesses, wages of zoo employees and other workers, zoo construction projects and the retention of Omahans who would otherwise travel elsewhere for entertainment.
"Any major attraction like this has a multiplier effect, and people throughout the economy feel the impact," said Eric Thompson, director of the Bureau of Business Research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The Omaha Zoological Foundation hired Thompson to study the zoo's impact on Omaha and Nebraska, and he analyzed attendance and spending data from the past 10 years.
Zoo spending translates into tax revenue for the city and state.
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10337682
continued...
Last week, I was lucky enough to meet two very inspirational people: Robert Buchanan, president of Polar Bears International, and his wife, Carolyn Buchanan, the foundation's director of development. After spending only two minutes with them, we were already joking together, and bonding over our common Italian/ Irish ancestry. Oh yes; the Buchanan's are my kind of people!
However, our time spent together wasn't all fun and games. Mr. Buchanan got down to business. He presented an informational, moving, but alarming power point on polar bears, and how they are rapidly being pushed to extinction because of global climate change.
I will never forget something he said, "This [global warming] is not a left- wing or right- wing issue; this is an issue that effects all of humanity. Who cares if Man caused global warming or not? It's up to Man to stop it."
http://www.clemetzoo.com/zblog/default.asp?Display=126
Plant Protection the Focus at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Special activities and plant sale planned for May
Join Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in celebrating the importance of plants to people and the planet. Talk with experts, tour the Zoo and even get your hands dirty -- all on Plant Conservation Day at the Zoo. The green scene takes place Sunday, May 18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The day begins with an invitation to participate in an invasive plant pull. Invasive plant species threaten native biodiversity and should be removed when possible. Volunteers can help in this effort from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Brookside Reservation. Participants will receive free admission to the Zoo. Those interested should pre-register by calling (216) 635-2526.
For something less physical, a guided ZooTram tour of some of the Zoo's specialty gardens takes place at 11:30 a.m. Don Krock, the Zoo's Manager of Horticulture, will lead the tour and point out conservation features of some of the Zoo's 24 gardens.
The day continues with talks by local plant experts. All talks takes place in the Zoo Administration Building and are free with regular Zoo admission.
http://www.clemetzoo.com/pressroom/index.asp?action=details&pressrelease_id=1305
Vets Determine Why Tiger Rejected Newborn Cub At Pittsburgh Zoo (Video)
POSTED: 8:34 am EDT May 15, 2008
UPDATED: 9:20 am EDT May 15, 2008
PITTSBURGH -- Veterinarians at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium think they know why a tiger may have rejected her newborn cub.
A shortage of milk may be to blame.
'Toma' gave birth Sunday. Zookeepers said the tiger stopped caring for the cub that night.
Veterinarians gave Toma a complete examination on Wednesday.
Dr. Barbara Baker said, “What we're doing right now is we’ll put her back in her enclosure and we are going to hit her with a drug and inject her with a drug that will hopefully, that will initiate the nursing behavior, the maternal behavior we want to see."
For now, the cub will stay in the zoo's hospital where he will be fed by zoo staff every three hours.
http://www.wpxi.com/news/16271687/detail.html
Pittsburgh zoo staff to raise shunned Amur tiger cub
The Associated Press
PITTSBURGH - The staff at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium will take over mothering duties of an Amur tiger cub who has been shunned by his mother.
The cub was born Sunday, but his mother, Toma, has refused to nurse him.
Zoo officials gave the mother a drug to stimulate milk production, thinking that might jump-start her maternal instincts. But that hasn't happened.
Instead, the cub will be bottle-fed and the zoo will try to find a companion for the animal until he can be weaned.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums says it helps to put a dog or another abandoned cub with a cub that is being raised by hand.
http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/state/pennsylvania/20080516_ap_pittsburghzoostafftoraiseshunnedamurtigercub.html
Zoo tax mulled
By CHARLES CRUMM
Journal Register News Service
Oakland County commissioners have taken the first step towards creating an authority to operate and fund the Detroit Zoo.
Advertisement
In a special meeting Wednesday, commissioners voted to establish an authority, clearing the way for a campaign for a one-tenth mill property tax question to appear on the Aug. 5 ballot.
Commissioners voted 18-5, with some no votes wanting to have a property tax question appear on the November ballot and others simply in opposition to a tax to support the zoo.
"I'm voting no because it creates a taxing authority," said Commissioner Robert Gosselin, R-Troy. "I think the zoo is worth it but not from a taxing standpoint. I would hope you find another way to fund it."
http://www.dailytribune.com/stories/051508/loc_localn08.shtml
Calls to stop zoo's panda plans
Politicians north and south of the border have called on Edinburgh Zoo to reconsider its plans for a giant panda breeding programme.
Scottish Green MSP Robin Harper has tabled a motion at Holyrood expressing concerns at plans by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS).
It has been proposed that a breeding pair should be loaned from China.
The RZSS said work in zoos was integral to preserving the species and helped conservationists in China.
Animal campaigners claim no captive-bred panda has ever been released into the wild and conservation groups say the best way to ensure their future is to protect their natural habitat.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7403323.stm
New York Researcher Wins The Indianapolis Prize
By Devon Scott and AP reports
5/14/2008
A world-renowned field biologist is getting a local honor - The Indianapolis Prize from the Zoo.
Dr. George Schaller is known for saving endangered animals across the planet and helping start a number of wildlife refuges.
Indianapolis Zoo CEO Mike Crowther says Schaller has done amazing things for the environment.
Schaller gets $100,000. He says he plans to use it as seed money to encourage students to get into field biology and to start several new wildlife sanctuaries.
Schaller is based in New York City where he is Vice President for Science and Exploration at the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Schaller has trekked 1,000 miles across a rugged reserve in Tibet to study the endangered Tibetan antelope, or chiru, and is also working to save Marco Polo sheep and snow leopards.
Schaller has inspired many field biologists and has helped establish more than 15 wildlife reserves throughout the world.
http://www.wibc.com/News/Story.aspx?ID=91177
What is The Indianapolis Prize?
Star report
Posted: May 13, 2008
Background: The Indianapolis Prize is the world’s largest cash award given to an individual animal conservationist who has made significant achievements in advancing the sustainability of a species or group. It was established in 2004 by the Indianapolis Zoo.
Amount: $100,000, funded by Eli Lilly and Co. in 2006 and 2008.
Frequency: Award given every two years.
2006 winner: George Archibald, co-founder of the International Crane Foundation, credited with contributing significantly to the preservation of the world’s 15 surviving species of cranes, including the whooping crane in North America.
2008 field: Twenty-nine animal conservationists were nominated.
Award presentation: Indianapolis Prize Gala, presented by AES Corp., parent company of Indianapolis Power and Light, will be Sept. 27 at the Marriott Downtown.
2010 Prize: Nominations will open June 1 and close Nov. 30. Six finalists will be announced in August 2009.
On the Web: www.indianapolisprize.org.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080513/NEWS/80513057
Zoo's escaped ape attacks keeper
How the orang-utan escaped its enclosure is a mystery
A Blackpool Zoo keeper was taken to hospital for treatment after being bitten by an orang-utan.
The woman suffered injuries to her arm and foot when she was attacked by the female orang-utan in the staff access corridor to the Ape House.
An investigation into the incident is under way, but it is not yet known how the animal got into the corridor.
Zoo bosses described it as an isolated incident and said no members of the public were put in danger.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/lancashire/7403216.stm
Orangutans escape enclosures at two different zoos
Associated Press - May 18, 2008 12:03 PM ET
TAMPA (AP) - Two orangutans are safely back in their cages after escaping from enclosures at two different zoos across the country.
At Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida, part of a new exhibit is closed after a 10-year-old female orangutan escaped yesterday by climbing the exhibit's windows. Caretakers had to coax it into a back area using apples, carrots and vanilla ice cream for about an hour.
Meanwhile, 3,000 visitors at the Los Angeles Zoo were forced to head for the exit yesterday when a 29-year-old orangutan named Bruno punched a hole through mesh that surrounds his habitat. Authorities say he was free for about 20 minutes until a handler saw him in a holding area behind the cage. Keepers quickly approached the orangutan and sedated him.
http://www.newswest9.com/Global/story.asp?S=8342864&nav=menu505_2
Your News: Celebrate Endangered Species Day at Naples Zoo
Submitted by Tim Tetzlaff
Thursday, May 15, 2008
NAPLES — On Friday, May 16, 2008 Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens and the Friends of the Florida Panther Refuge are celebrating the country’s third annual Endangered Species Day.
Designated as a national celebration of America’s commitment to protecting and recovering our nation’s endangered species, the goal of Endangered Species Day is simple—to educate Americans about the importance of protecting our rare, threatened, and endangered plant and animal species – and, most importantly, what they can do to help.
http://marconews.com/news/2008/may/15/your-news-celebrate-endangered-species-day-naples-/
May 15, 2008, 6:38PM
Get the bear facts at the Houston Zoo
Black bears are on the rebound in Louisiana and have been spotted in East Texas.
Campers and others who want to be bear-aware should check out the Houston Zoo's Bear Awareness Day Saturday.
Zookeepers will offer tips on how to keep your campsite bear-proof and how to share the outdoors with the animals.
Representatives from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Big Thicket National Preserve will answer questions about the role bears play in nature and the importance of biological diversity.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/pets/5783941.html
Dallas Zoo's surviving elephant back on display
05:52 PM CDT on Wednesday, May 14, 2008
By DAVID SCHECHTER / WFAA-TV
Video
David Schechter reports
May 14, 2008
DALLAS -- The Dallas Zoo has reopened its elephant exhibit two days after Keke the elephant died. Despite concern about an intestinal ailment, an exam shows the elephant died from heart failure.
It took 35 animal experts to perform the autopsy for the 8,000 pound animal. The result? KeKe's heart was not effectively pumping blood.
Jenny, the Zoo's surviving elephant, was back on display today. Officials say she's upset-- but responding well-- and ready to greet the public.
http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa080514_jh_elephants.fe53d97e.html
Family of tiger victim files claim against S.F.
Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, May 16, 2008
(05-15) 15:26 PDT San Francisco - -- The parents of a 17-year-old San Jose boy who was fatally mauled by a tiger at the San Francisco Zoo filed a claim against the city Thursday in the latest legal salvo over the Christmas Day attack.
The claim, a precursor to a lawsuit, accuses the city of being negligent and failing to properly enclose a 243-pound Siberian tiger named Tatiana. The escaped tiger killed Carlos Sousa on Dec. 25 and mauled two San Jose brothers before it was shot and killed by San Francisco police.
"The tiger's enclosure was insufficient to protect patrons and the tiger," says the claim filed by Walnut Creek attorney Michael Cardoza on behalf of the boy's parents, Carlos and Marilza Sousa.
The city "knew that the tiger's enclosure was insufficient and thereby knowingly exposed zoo patrons to extremely dangerous, wild animals," it said.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/16/BA9G10N58H.DTL
Detroit Zoological Society Announces Gift From The Chrysler Foundation
May 15, 2008, 9:48 pm
Filed under: In The News
Detroit Zoo Names Main Train Station, Unveils Newly Refurbished Trains
ROYAL OAK, Mich., May 8, 2008 – The Detroit Zoological Society today announced a $250,000 grant from The Chrysler Foundation to help refurbish the Detroit Zoo’s historic Tauber Family Railroad. In recognition of the gift, the Society named the main train station the Chrysler Main Station.
“The Chrysler Foundation’s generous gift helps us to preserve a symbol of the Zoo’s rich heritage and enables millions of future Zoo visitors to enjoy the railroad for many years to come,” said Detroit Zoological Society Executive Director Ron Kagan. The railroad has served over 40 million Zoo guests who have ridden the rails since the train was introduced in 1931.
“Chrysler is very proud to play a continuing role for more than half a century in supporting one of the Detroit Zoo’s favorite attractions,” said Brian Glowiak, Vice President, The Chrysler Foundation. “This historic commitment began with our original donation of three trains nearly 60 years ago, followed by recurring donations to upgrade and maintain their operations. We are pleased that future generations will continue to experience this timeless treasure.”
http://dzoovoleric.wordpress.com/2008/05/15/detroit-zoological-society-announces-gift-from-the-chrysler-foundation/
And the Winner is...Zahara
Name Chosen for Detroit Zoo’s Zebra Foal
ROYAL OAK, Mich., March 3, 2008 – The people have spoken and the Detroit Zoo’s zebra foal has a name.
With 994 votes cast in the Zoo’s online poll, Zahara won by a landslide with 439 votes. Bella was a distant second with 250 votes, followed by Chloe with 139 votes and Holly with 109 votes. Noel was the favorite of only 57 voters.
Zahara is an Arabic word meaning “flower.”
The Zoo received over 2,000 name suggestions and narrowed the field to five. The finalists were posted on the Zoo’s Web site where the public had until midnight February 29 to vote for the winning name.
The Grevy’s zebra foal was born December 26 and is the daughter of 15-year-old Elvira and 6-year-old ZZ. She currently is kept indoors at the zebra habitat most days due to cold weather, but can be seen outdoors near her mother on milder days.
http://www.detroitzoo.org/Newsflashes/2008_Press_Releases/And_the_Winner_is...Zahara/
$8m zoo fund shortfall
MICHAEL OWEN, POLITICAL REPORTER
May 20, 2008 11:15pm
ADELAIDE Zoo has a funding shortfall of up to $8 million for its major refurbishment, despite a $19 million pledge from the State Government.
Premier Mike Rann, who is on the U.S. leg of a 15-day trade mission, said today the Government would provide $19 million for the zoo's biggest facelift in its 125-year history.
As reported by The Advertiser in March, an upgraded entrance, a giant panda forest and a new perimeter fence will be part of the major refurbishment.
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,23726400-5006301,00.html
PETA asks Dallas Zoo to close elephant exhibit
07:14 PM CDT on Friday, May 16, 2008
By KIMBERLY DURNAN / The Dallas Morning News
kdurnan@dallasnews.com
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals gathered at the Dallas Zoo on Friday to ask zoo officials to close its elephant exhibit and send the zoo's only elephant, Jenny, to a sanctuary in Tennessee or California.
PETA members protest Dallas Zoo elephant exhibit (DMN - Video/editing: Richard Michael Pruitt)
PETA officials say that elephants need to be with other elephants and need room to roam.
Margaret Morin spoke for the group of 10 protestors.
"We are here to educate the public on Jenny's plight," Ms. Morin said. "She has served her time and now deserves to live the rest of her life at a sanctuary. The zoo is not a humane environment to an elephant."
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/051708dnmetelephant.107b8c007.html
Zoo opens stingray exhibit, public interaction restricted
Deaths at Calgary Zoo prompt change in exhibit policy
May 16, 2008 01:57 PM
Due to the unexplained deaths of 39 stingrays at a Calgary Zoo, a Toronto Zoo stingray exhibit is going ahead with one major change: the public will no longer be able to touch the sea creatures.
The exhibit, which opened to the public Friday, May 16 was being billed as Stingray Bay - A Touching Experience with visitors granted the opportunity to interact with rays in a large pool for an admission fee of $3. For the time being , visitors will not be able to touch or feed them and admission has been reduced to $1.
"In light of recent events at the Calgary Zoo's Singray Exhibit, the Toronto Zoo will, in the short-term, limit access to the stingrays and only provide controlled feedings," the zoo said in a press release.
http://www.insidetoronto.com/News/Scarborough/article/48246
San Diego Zoo targets global warming
5:03 PM, May 16, 2008
The San Diego Zoo, known for its pioneering work in preservation of endangered species, is throwing its resources and reputation behind the fight against global-warming.
As part of the National Endangered Species Day on Friday, the zoo declared that greenhouse gases are a major threat to wildlife -- not just polar bears, but other large carnivores, birds, reptiles and even coral reefs. "All ecosystems on the planet are being altered by climate change but perhaps none quite as dramatically as coral reefs," said Stuart Sandin from the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation with Scripps Institution of Oceanography, one of the speakers at the all-day seminar.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2008/05/the-san-diego-1.html
Butterfly Pavilion Opens Saturday
POSTED: 11:07 am CDT May 16, 2008
UPDATED: 11:27 am CDT May 16, 2008
OMAHA, Neb. -- A new butterfly and insect pavilion at the Henry Doorly Zoo open on Saturday after a year of construction.
At 9:30 a.m. Saturday, the $10.5 million project opens to the public.
Hundreds of species of butterflies and moths fly free inside the pavilion. Visitors get a close look at flying insects from around the world. Butterfly farms in Peru, Panama and Costa Rica, among others, will sell the cocoons needed to fill the pavilion. The cost for an average chrysalis is between $1 and $20 depending on species.
Copyright 2008 by KETV.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
http://www.ketv.com/entertainment/16294878/detail.html
Prague zoo sets out to save Indian gharial
2 days ago
PRAGUE (AFP) — Prague zoo has launched a programme aimed at saving the gharial, an Indian fish-eating crocodile, from extinction with a million-dollar pavilion where keepers hope the creatures will reproduce.
There are only 150-200 of the species, the Gavialis gangeticus also known as the gavial, living in the wild along India's rivers today. Another 20 or so are in captivity in India, Japan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and the United States, according to figures from the Prague zoo.
"All of the conservation plans launched in the world have failed up until now. The gharial is one of the most threatened species on the planet," said Petr Veselsky, in charge of reptiles at the zoo.
The new gharial pavilion -- the first such programme in Europe -- houses three males and four females from a park in Madras in southern India.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gnIm2sYkrAYzgnTAhdjS2xNOEtHA
Look, but don't touch
Calgary Herald
Published: Saturday, May 17, 2008
Re: "Zoo loses another cownose ray," May 14.
I was dumbfounded to hear that the Calgary Zoo's cownose ray exhibit was designed to allow the public to touch these gentle creatures. Has the zoo lost its marbles? For years, I have taught scuba divers to avoid direct contact with sea life for their protection and for the protection of the marine life. Look, yes, touch, no! I have also taught scores of divers first aid response to hazardous marine life injuries. Having been encouraged to touch, will the young child recognize the difference between a gentle cownose ray and a stingray he or she comes across in shallow waters? I doubt it. I have seen the result of the slash and tear of a stingray's spin and tail.
Encouraging children to touch sea life has enormous negative potential consequences. Why the zoo would encourage such behaviour is beyond me. I can only assume there are no scuba divers on the Calgary Zoo staff. If there are, it might be a good time to review those notes on why we don't touch the sea life.
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/letters/story.html?id=c9b4b348-6fd1-4e05-841f-59b501b99d68
2 Pittsburgh Zoo Elephants Expected To Give Birth Soon
POSTED: 3:57 pm EDT May 16, 2008
UPDATED: 7:12 pm EDT May 16, 2008
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium is beginning to resemble a maternity ward. Days after the birth of a baby tiger, the zoo is just weeks away from the arrival of not one but two baby elephants.
This is the first time that two of the zoo's elephants will deliver within a month of each other.
The first one could come as early as May 28. After 22 months gestation, it has been a long wait, zoo officials said.
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/16299963/detail.html
San Diego Zoo, Prison Merge
Quote:
SAN DIEGO—Plagued by a lack of funding and growing staff shortages, the San Diego Zoo and Ironwood State Prison were combined earlier this week, bringing local inmates and wildlife together for the first time under the same roof.
The new state-of-the-art facility—which will house 12 separate cell blocks, a reptile house, two weight rooms, and a primate sanctuary—is expected to save the state of California up to $5 million in operation costs over the next year.
"It is with great pride that I announce the opening of the San Diego Maximum Security Zoological & Convict Reserve," director David Hennessey said at an opening ceremony Tuesday. "From southern white rhinos to repeat offenders serving 20 years for drug trafficking—you'll find them all here at our amazing new facility."
Construction on the resource-sharing project concluded last Wednesday, after which felons and fauna were carefully transferred to their new joint living space. According to Hennessey, the 40-acre facility features one of the largest collections of migratory birds, hoofed mammals, and hardened inmates in all of North America.
http://www.alldeaf.com/jokes-funny-stories/52441-san-diego-zoo-prison-merge.html
Zoo launches $10M campaign; Gifts to fund improvements before tax vote
Crain’s Detroit Business
May 17, 2008, 8:43 pm
This is a very good article to see how the zoo gets its funding, why the need it, and some of the things they will do if the mileage passes.
Zoo launches $10M campaign; Gifts to fund improvements before tax vote
By Sherri Begin
Plans at the zoo
What: The Detroit Zoological Society last month officially launched a $10 million campaign to fund capital improvements at the zoo.
Projects planned: An animal carousel, an upgrade to the Tauber Family Railroad, a corporate pavilion, new signs and enhancements to the Ford Education Center and the Belle Isle Nature Zoo.
Saving for the future: About $3 million of the campaign total will bolster the zoo’s $8 million endowment.
http://dzoovoleric.wordpress.com/2008/05/17/zoo-launches-10m-campaign-gifts-to-fund-improvements-before-tax-vote-crains-detroit-business/
Heritage Park Zoo celebrates 20th anniversary
By Doug Cook, The Daily Courier
Saturday, May 17, 2008
PRESCOTT - The Heritage Park Zoo has blossomed since its humble beginnings in May 1988, transforming itself from a tiny complex that cared for just a few animals into a full-fledged wildlife refuge.
On Saturday, the non-profit Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary, as it's now dubbed, celebrated its 20th anniversary, offering free admission and hot dogs, as well as animal shows and docent tours, to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
About 700 people attended the event, which went off without a hitch under warm, sunny skies and a light breeze.
http://www.dcourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&subsectionID=1&articleID=55461
Acquiring 'Blatt site opens new zoo worlds
BY C. DAVID KOTOK
COPYRIGHT 2008 OMAHA WORLD-HERALD
Baseball players, fans and umps would give way to polar bears, seals and walruses as part of a planned $100 million expansion of the Henry Doorly Zoo.
$100 million expansion
• Rosenblatt: Razed for 950 parking spaces
• Madagascar: Walk among bushy-tail lemurs
• Arctic Center: See polar bears, seals and otters
• Elephants: New home for up to a dozen more
• Pandas: Not yet, but still on the wish list
The Omaha Zoo Foundation board has signed off on an agreement with the city to obtain the Rosenblatt Stadium property for the nearly $12 million the city still owes on past stadium improvements. The foundation plans to raze the stadium to replace parking that will be lost to a major new exhibit and to add even more spaces.
Dr. Lee Simmons, the zoo's executive director, said the Rosenblatt property will give the zoo the elbow room to build a blockbuster new attraction. The Arctic Center, featuring animals typical of Alaska, is planned west of the zoo's Desert Dome in what is now the parking area along 10th Street.
The Arctic Center would become a visitor's first stop after entering the zoo and provide another enclosed attraction accessible during the cold months, Simmons told The World-Herald.
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10337683
For economy, zoo gets lion's share of credit
BY KAREN SLOAN
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
When it comes to Omaha's economy, the Henry Doorly Zoo is no bear cub.
It's a full-grown grizzly.
A new study of Nebraska's top tourist attraction found that its overall economic impact on Omaha in 2007 was $86.34 million.
That figure takes into account several ways that the zoo strengthens the city's overall economy.
It factors in money spent at the zoo, spending by zoo visitors at businesses, wages of zoo employees and other workers, zoo construction projects and the retention of Omahans who would otherwise travel elsewhere for entertainment.
"Any major attraction like this has a multiplier effect, and people throughout the economy feel the impact," said Eric Thompson, director of the Bureau of Business Research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The Omaha Zoological Foundation hired Thompson to study the zoo's impact on Omaha and Nebraska, and he analyzed attendance and spending data from the past 10 years.
Zoo spending translates into tax revenue for the city and state.
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10337682
continued...
How do scientists tell the public that the lower troposphere is drying out and unable to support hurricanes?
I'll put together a 'Saturday Night' about this topic. It is important. The 'Katrina' Season wasn't the worst of all hurricanes in the future, but, it was the last 'traditional' season. Every hurricane season since the "Katrina" Season has been atypical and I'll discuss that.
Storm warning
They then used two versions of the model, one assuming climate warming of 2.8ºC by 2100, and one without warming, to estimate whether hurricane activity will continue to increase in the region as a result of human-induced climate change.
References
Knutson, T. R. et al. Nature Geosci. doi:10.1038/ngeo202 (2008).
Increasing frequency of storms in past 25 years may not continue, although average severity may grow.
Olive Heffernan
Olive Heffernan
Hurricanes may become rarer in the Atlantic throughout the 21st century if the world continues to warm, suggests a new study.
The research is the latest to address the question of how — and whether — global warming will affect the intensity and frequency of hurricanes.
Globally, the number of major hurricanes has shot up by 75% since 1970. And although rising ocean temperatures are generally accepted as the key culprit — hurricanes can only form where sea surface temperatures exceed 26ºC — the link to global warming has remained a contentious issue.
In the new study, published today in Nature Geoscience 1, Thomas Knutson of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and colleagues used a regional climate model of the Atlantic basin to simulate the observed increase in hurricane activity between 1980 and 2006, on the basis of observed sea-surface temperatures and atmospheric conditions.
“The study does not support the notion that rising greenhouse gases are causing an increase in tropical storm frequency,” says Knutson.
The research is the latest to address the question of how — and whether — global warming will affect the intensity and frequency of hurricanes.
Globally, the number of major hurricanes has shot up by 75% since 1970. And although rising ocean temperatures are generally accepted as the key culprit — hurricanes can only form where sea surface temperatures exceed 26ºC — the link to global warming has remained a contentious issue.
In the new study, published today in Nature Geoscience 1, Thomas Knutson of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and colleagues used a regional climate model of the Atlantic basin to simulate the observed increase in hurricane activity between 1980 and 2006, on the basis of observed sea-surface temperatures and atmospheric conditions.
“The study does not support the notion that rising greenhouse gases are causing an increase in tropical storm frequency,” says Knutson.
Storm warning
They then used two versions of the model, one assuming climate warming of 2.8ºC by 2100, and one without warming, to estimate whether hurricane activity will continue to increase in the region as a result of human-induced climate change.
Overall, the number of hurricanes will decrease, with weaker storms feeling the greatest impacts. Knutson and his team predict a 27% drop in tropical storms, 18% fewer hurricanes and 8% fewer 'major hurricanes'.
So, despite the fact that hurricane activity has increased dramatically in the Atlantic over the past 25 years, this trend will not continue until the end of the century under warmer conditions. “We can’t simply extrapolate the trend from the past 25 years into the future,” says co-author Issac Held, also at NOAA.
The study focused primarily on changes in the number of hurricanes, but also projected a shift towards more intense storms and heavier rainfall events. This largely concurs with recent work by Kerry Emanuel, a hurricane expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. Using a different type of model, Emanuel projected that global warming will result in fewer hurricanes globally, but that they will become more intense in some locations.
The study focused primarily on changes in the number of hurricanes, but also projected a shift towards more intense storms and heavier rainfall events. This largely concurs with recent work by Kerry Emanuel, a hurricane expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. Using a different type of model, Emanuel projected that global warming will result in fewer hurricanes globally, but that they will become more intense in some locations.
Size matters
Kevin Trenberth, a climatologist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, who was not involved in the study, agrees to an extent with the findings. “The results suggest fewer tropical storms in the Atlantic, and this seems reasonable given everything else we know”.
But he cautions that the authors may have underestimated increases in hurricanes and really severe storms, owing to the fact that their model was fairly low-resolution and could not account for changes in some of the largest of these events.
“In this business it is not the numbers that matter, it is also the intensity, duration and size,” he says.
Kevin Trenberth, a climatologist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, who was not involved in the study, agrees to an extent with the findings. “The results suggest fewer tropical storms in the Atlantic, and this seems reasonable given everything else we know”.
But he cautions that the authors may have underestimated increases in hurricanes and really severe storms, owing to the fact that their model was fairly low-resolution and could not account for changes in some of the largest of these events.
“In this business it is not the numbers that matter, it is also the intensity, duration and size,” he says.
References
Knutson, T. R. et al. Nature Geosci. doi:10.1038/ngeo202 (2008).
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Global warming effects pervasive: study
Team analysed data back to 1970; changes 'significant' (click at title to entry, thank you)
Margaret Munro, with files from Mike De Souza, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Thursday, May 15, 2008
A vast array of physical and biological systems -- from polar bears in the Arctic to tiny krill in the Southern Ocean -- are showing the effects of the world's rising temperature, say scientists who analysed more than 30,000 sets of data stretching back to 1970.
Shrinking glaciers, melting permafrost, earlier spring river runoff, and warmer water bodies point to pervasive physical changes, they say.
And earlier spring blossoms, bird migrations and altered distribution -- salmon showing up in the Arctic, the mountain pine beetle expanding into vast tracks of Western Canada's forests -- point to the many biological impacts....
May 17, 2008
1200
Antarctica Surface Winds (click here for animation)
The surface winds have increased in velocity due to the turbulence caused by the heat transfer at higher latitudes. The winds are primarily offshore over WAIS and onshore over East Antarctica where there are two smaller heat transfer systems arriving.
May 17, 2008
0600
Antarctica Vortex/Jet Stream
In animation (click here) there is noted a huge arrival of a heat transfer over the top Blue Ice on May 15, 2008 and lingering still. It reached across WAIS to the edges of Vostok. From the images below the location of the heat transfer matches the loss in frigid temperature over WAIS and the Blue Ice. Gone. The frigid air building is now completely gone.
Conditions at Clean Air, Antarctica in May, 2008
Conditions at Clean Air, Antarctica the past week
March 20, 3008
1311 gmt
Antarctica
The frigid cold over Antarctica had expanded quickly and temperatures at the coldest areas dropped dramatically, but, in a couple of days that seems to be beginning to reverse.
Clean Air, Antarctica
May 15, 2008 at:11:04 AM GMT
Lat/Lon: 89.9° S 0.0° W
Temperature :: -76 °F / -60 °C
Visibility :: 3.6 miles / 5.7 kilometers
Conditions :: Snow
Clean Air, Antarctica
May 17, 2008 at 6:18 PM GMT
Lat/Lon: 89.9° S 0.0° W
Temperature :: -58 °F / -50 °C
Conditions :: Overcast
Windchill :: -87 °F / -66 °C
Wind :: 9 mph / 15 km/h / 4.1 m/s from the NNE
Pressure :: 28.62 in / 969 hPa (Steady)
Visibility :: 1.0 miles / 1.6 kilometers
UV :: 0 out of 16
Clouds :: Overcast 1500 ft / 457 m
(Above Ground Level)
Elevation :: 9285 ft / 2830 m
Flight Rule :: LIFR (NZSP)
Wind Speed :: 9 mph / 15 km/h / 4.1 m/s
Wind Dir :: 30° (NNE)
Ceiling :: 1500 ft / 457 m
Vostok, Antarctica
May 15, 2008
5:02 PM VOST
Lat/Lon: 78.4° S 106.9° E
Temperature :: -100 °F / -74 °C
Conditions :: Clear
Humidity :: 26%
Dew Point :: -107 °F / -77 °C
Wind :: 9 mph / 15 km/h from the WSW
Wind Gust :: -
Pressure :: in / hPa (Rising)
Visibility ;; 12.0 miles / 20.0 kilometers
Elevation :: 11220 ft / 3420 m
Flight Rule :: VFR ()
Wind Speed :: 9 mph / 15 km/h /
Wind Dir :: 240° (WSW)
Ceiling :: 100000 ft / 100000 m
Vostok, Antarctica
May 17, 2008
8:40 PM VOST
Lat/Lon: 78.4° S 106.9° E
Temperature :: -95 °F / -71 °C
Conditions :: Clear
Humidity :: 30%
Dew Point :: -102 °F / -74 °C
Wind :: 12 mph / 18 km/h from the SSW
Wind Gust :: -
Pressure :: in / hPa (Falling)
Visibility :: 12.0 miles / 20.0 kilometers
Elevation :: 11220 ft / 3420 m
Flight Rule:
VFR ()
Wind Speed :: 12 mph / 18 km/h /
Wind Dir :: 200° (SSW)
Ceiling :: 100000 ft / 100000 m
Margaret Munro, with files from Mike De Souza, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Thursday, May 15, 2008
A vast array of physical and biological systems -- from polar bears in the Arctic to tiny krill in the Southern Ocean -- are showing the effects of the world's rising temperature, say scientists who analysed more than 30,000 sets of data stretching back to 1970.
Shrinking glaciers, melting permafrost, earlier spring river runoff, and warmer water bodies point to pervasive physical changes, they say.
And earlier spring blossoms, bird migrations and altered distribution -- salmon showing up in the Arctic, the mountain pine beetle expanding into vast tracks of Western Canada's forests -- point to the many biological impacts....
May 17, 2008
1200
Antarctica Surface Winds (click here for animation)
The surface winds have increased in velocity due to the turbulence caused by the heat transfer at higher latitudes. The winds are primarily offshore over WAIS and onshore over East Antarctica where there are two smaller heat transfer systems arriving.
May 17, 2008
0600
Antarctica Vortex/Jet Stream
In animation (click here) there is noted a huge arrival of a heat transfer over the top Blue Ice on May 15, 2008 and lingering still. It reached across WAIS to the edges of Vostok. From the images below the location of the heat transfer matches the loss in frigid temperature over WAIS and the Blue Ice. Gone. The frigid air building is now completely gone.
Conditions at Clean Air, Antarctica in May, 2008
Conditions at Clean Air, Antarctica the past week
March 20, 3008
1311 gmt
Antarctica
The frigid cold over Antarctica had expanded quickly and temperatures at the coldest areas dropped dramatically, but, in a couple of days that seems to be beginning to reverse.
May 12, 2208
1324 gmt
Antarctica
May 17, 2008
1323 gmt
Antarctica - the frigid cold is beginning to shrink after its expansion
May 17, 2008
1200
Clean Air, Antarctica
May 15, 2008 at:11:04 AM GMT
Lat/Lon: 89.9° S 0.0° W
Temperature :: -76 °F / -60 °C
Visibility :: 3.6 miles / 5.7 kilometers
Conditions :: Snow
Clean Air, Antarctica
May 17, 2008 at 6:18 PM GMT
Lat/Lon: 89.9° S 0.0° W
Temperature :: -58 °F / -50 °C
Conditions :: Overcast
Windchill :: -87 °F / -66 °C
Wind :: 9 mph / 15 km/h / 4.1 m/s from the NNE
Pressure :: 28.62 in / 969 hPa (Steady)
Visibility :: 1.0 miles / 1.6 kilometers
UV :: 0 out of 16
Clouds :: Overcast 1500 ft / 457 m
(Above Ground Level)
Elevation :: 9285 ft / 2830 m
Flight Rule :: LIFR (NZSP)
Wind Speed :: 9 mph / 15 km/h / 4.1 m/s
Wind Dir :: 30° (NNE)
Ceiling :: 1500 ft / 457 m
Vostok, Antarctica
May 15, 2008
5:02 PM VOST
Lat/Lon: 78.4° S 106.9° E
Temperature :: -100 °F / -74 °C
Conditions :: Clear
Humidity :: 26%
Dew Point :: -107 °F / -77 °C
Wind :: 9 mph / 15 km/h from the WSW
Wind Gust :: -
Pressure :: in / hPa (Rising)
Visibility ;; 12.0 miles / 20.0 kilometers
Elevation :: 11220 ft / 3420 m
Flight Rule :: VFR ()
Wind Speed :: 9 mph / 15 km/h /
Wind Dir :: 240° (WSW)
Ceiling :: 100000 ft / 100000 m
Vostok, Antarctica
May 17, 2008
8:40 PM VOST
Lat/Lon: 78.4° S 106.9° E
Temperature :: -95 °F / -71 °C
Conditions :: Clear
Humidity :: 30%
Dew Point :: -102 °F / -74 °C
Wind :: 12 mph / 18 km/h from the SSW
Wind Gust :: -
Pressure :: in / hPa (Falling)
Visibility :: 12.0 miles / 20.0 kilometers
Elevation :: 11220 ft / 3420 m
Flight Rule:
VFR ()
Wind Speed :: 12 mph / 18 km/h /
Wind Dir :: 200° (SSW)
Ceiling :: 100000 ft / 100000 m
Thursday, May 15, 2008
...the struggle to save ANWR...
How many times and in how many ways have I advocated for the safe keeping of our precious park lands and reserves? If I could only count.
How many times have Republican legislators coveted the 'wealth' they saw instead of Polar Bears, ice fields and permafrost?
We now have a vital link to the preservation of ANWR without the threat of 'wealth management' overriding the outcome of our national parks and reserves.
In this 2003 file photo provided by Subhankar Banerjee, a polar bear walks in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (SUBHANKAR BANERJEE, Associated Press / September 12, 2003)
How many times have Republican legislators coveted the 'wealth' they saw instead of Polar Bears, ice fields and permafrost?
We now have a vital link to the preservation of ANWR without the threat of 'wealth management' overriding the outcome of our national parks and reserves.
In this 2003 file photo provided by Subhankar Banerjee, a polar bear walks in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (SUBHANKAR BANERJEE, Associated Press / September 12, 2003)
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
"Polar" Bears are North Pole, not South Pole. Penguins are South Pole. They need to stay apart.
Now endangered, polar bears are an even bigger draw in Churchill, Canada (click here)
Some expect tourists to flock to the tiny town in Manitoba province to see the threatened bears while they can.
By Mary Forgione and Hugo Martín, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers May 15, 2008
The Bush administration's decision today to list polar bears as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act likely means more tourists will flock to a tiny Canadian town on Hudson Bay where bears are the star attraction every fall....
Some expect tourists to flock to the tiny town in Manitoba province to see the threatened bears while they can.
By Mary Forgione and Hugo Martín, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers May 15, 2008
The Bush administration's decision today to list polar bears as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act likely means more tourists will flock to a tiny Canadian town on Hudson Bay where bears are the star attraction every fall....
01 November 1999
Churchil Canada
Polar bears in Churchill in Manitoba, Canada have to be tranquillised then airlifted north in order to access their natural habitat as the sea ice is returning later and later after the summer months.
Churchil Canada
Polar bears in Churchill in Manitoba, Canada have to be tranquillised then airlifted north in order to access their natural habitat as the sea ice is returning later and later after the summer months.
...Many scientists say human-induced global warming is directly responsible for the melting sea ice and have called for limits on greenhouse gas emissions to stem the loss.
But Kempthorne said that science is not yet able to link specific activities such as carbon dioxide emissions from a coal-fired power plant to impacts on individual polar bears....
But Kempthorne said that science is not yet able to link specific activities such as carbon dioxide emissions from a coal-fired power plant to impacts on individual polar bears....
George W. Bush: "I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal"
Not Golfing, but, Fishing is okay !
Three engines, count them. Where is all the oil reserves going? Maine?
It must be one of those "What is psychologically good for the nation" moments.
Anchor of Bush's fishing boat gets stuck (click here)
KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine (AP) — President Bush's presidency is stuck in low gear. On Sunday, his fishing boat was stuck on stop.
Fellow Republicans may not be rushing to rescue his legislative agenda, but the Secret Service bailed Bush out of a jam when his boat anchor got wedged in rocks along the Atlantic Coast.
Relaxing before his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the president went fishing with his father, former President George H.W. Bush, and daughter, Barbara.
They dropped the anchor to fish less than 100 feet from shore at Biddleford, Maine, but when they decided to leave, they couldn't, according to an Associated Press photographer who took pictures of the incident.
A fishing guide along on the trip tried unsuccessfully to pull up the heavy anchor.
Soon after, a member of the president's security detail called divers aboard a Secret Service boat that had been following behind.
The anchor was untied, and the elder Bush backed his boat, a blue-and-white craft named Fidelity III, out of the way. After a diver dove down into the chilly water, the president, nonchalantly, resumed fishing.
But he had time to cast his line just a few times. Within minutes, the diver surfaced with the anchor in hand.
Residents and vacationers renting houses along the coast gathered to watch the anchor retrieval mission.
Bush waved his hat at the crowd as his dad began steering the boat back toward the Bush family estate at Walker's Point where Putin was to arrive a few hours later.
As he waited on a driveway for the Russian leader to arrive, Bush was asked about his fishing experience.
"Lousy," he said.
But his bad day of fishing didn't stop the president from going back out on the water for a second spin in Fidelity III. About a half hour after Putin arrived, the elder Bush piled his son and the Russian president into his speedboat and took them for a fast ocean ride.
Three engines, count them. Where is all the oil reserves going? Maine?
It must be one of those "What is psychologically good for the nation" moments.
Anchor of Bush's fishing boat gets stuck (click here)
KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine (AP) — President Bush's presidency is stuck in low gear. On Sunday, his fishing boat was stuck on stop.
Fellow Republicans may not be rushing to rescue his legislative agenda, but the Secret Service bailed Bush out of a jam when his boat anchor got wedged in rocks along the Atlantic Coast.
Relaxing before his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the president went fishing with his father, former President George H.W. Bush, and daughter, Barbara.
They dropped the anchor to fish less than 100 feet from shore at Biddleford, Maine, but when they decided to leave, they couldn't, according to an Associated Press photographer who took pictures of the incident.
A fishing guide along on the trip tried unsuccessfully to pull up the heavy anchor.
Soon after, a member of the president's security detail called divers aboard a Secret Service boat that had been following behind.
The anchor was untied, and the elder Bush backed his boat, a blue-and-white craft named Fidelity III, out of the way. After a diver dove down into the chilly water, the president, nonchalantly, resumed fishing.
But he had time to cast his line just a few times. Within minutes, the diver surfaced with the anchor in hand.
Residents and vacationers renting houses along the coast gathered to watch the anchor retrieval mission.
Bush waved his hat at the crowd as his dad began steering the boat back toward the Bush family estate at Walker's Point where Putin was to arrive a few hours later.
As he waited on a driveway for the Russian leader to arrive, Bush was asked about his fishing experience.
"Lousy," he said.
But his bad day of fishing didn't stop the president from going back out on the water for a second spin in Fidelity III. About a half hour after Putin arrived, the elder Bush piled his son and the Russian president into his speedboat and took them for a fast ocean ride.
Florida wildfires damage 160 homes
A firefighter works on hotspots in a wooded area of Grant, Fla. on Tuesday as wildfires continue to burn in Brevard County, in east Central Florida.
There are twelve wildfires throughout the USA (click here). Seven are in Florida.
Rain and snow across Arizona
May 12, 2008
Salt Lake City, Utah
Photographer states :: A little thunderstorm this morning with thunder and pea sized hail.
May 13, 2008
Rawlins, Wyoming
Photographer states :: Snow, snow, and more snow.... looking toward town
May 13, 2008
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Photographer states :: A small herd of elk graze in fresh snow in Rocky Mountain National Park.
May 13, 2008
Flagstaff, Arizona
Photographer states :: Side streets, Flagstaff AZ
May 13, 2008
Flagstaff, Arizona
Photographer states :: I had just set up the Barbecue Grill and table then it snowed last night. About 2 inches as of 0600 this morning. It was all gone by this afternoon at 1700.
Cape Breton gets 10 cm of snow in rare May storm
May 11, 2008
Thunder Bay, Canada
Photographer states :: Winter Wonderland in May, Highway 11/17, heading westward. No more snow!
Police called in salt trucks after thick, wet snowfall made driving difficult for motorists in the Martimes on Sunday, May 11, 2008.
May 11, 2008
Thunder Bay, Canada
Photographer states :: Winter Blizzard - Highway 102 West of Thunder Bay - 8:30 am .... and it would get worse!
Cape May County declares emergency as rain, wind pound coast
May 12, 2008
Rohoboth Beach, Delaware
Photographer states :: The Atlantic Ocean just off the Boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach DE during a N.E. storm with winds in excess of 50 mph.
May 12, 2008
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Photographer states :: Massive Beach Erosion in Atlantic City
May 12, 2008
Port Republic, New Jersey
Photographer states :: Flooding In Galloway from the Nor'easter
8:45 p.m. Update - High winds and heavy rain lashed New Jersey on Monday, chasing residents from their homes in coastal sections of Cape May County, flooding roadways, leaving nearly 50,000 people without electricity, and fanning the flames of a fatal fire in Newark.
Winds were gusting over 50 mph in many parts of the state, knocking down trees that left tens of thousands of people without electricity.
By 3 p.m. Atlantic City Electric was reporting that about 41,000 customers were without power, including 30,000 in Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland counties.
An accident this afternoon on the causeway that connects Long Beach Island to the mainland has stopped traffic from coming onto the island, police said.
Cape May County declared a state of emergency at 2 p.m. Monday as the strong northeast storm hammered the resort peninsula with sustained winds of 40 to 45 miles per hour with gusts hitting 70 miles per hour.
Havoc across the Triad
May 9, 2008
Advance, North Carolina
May 9, 2008
Advance, North Carolina
May 9, 2008
Advance, North Carolina
May 9, 2008
Advance, North Carolina
Photographer states :: After the tornado - pictures taken after the Advance, Nc tornado
Monday, May 12, 2008
With in days after a Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar, Yangon; there is a major earthquake in China. Hm.
Magnitude 7.9 - EASTERN SICHUAN, CHINA (click here)
2008 May 12 06:28:00 UTC
Monday, May 12, 2008 at 02:28:00 PM at epicenter
The earthquake broke underground pipes, causing water and mud to flow across the streets in the city of Chengdu
China earthquake: 'Tens of thousands' dead (click here)
By Richard Spencer in Chengdu and Malcolm Moore
Last Updated: 9:38PM BST 12/05/2008
Tens of thousands of people are feared dead after the biggest earthquake in three decades struck China.
The official death toll has been put at more than 8,500, but rescue workers and the Chinese army have not yet reached the worst affected areas.
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Sichuan province this afternoon. The epicentre was 50 miles north of Chengdu, a city of 11 million people, but tremors were felt more than 1,000 miles away in Bangkok and Hanoi.
At least six primary and middle schools were destroyed in the disaster, and 900 pupils were buried under rubble when the three-storey Jiangyan Middle School in Dujiangyan collapsed....
2008 May 12 06:28:00 UTC
Monday, May 12, 2008 at 02:28:00 PM at epicenter
The earthquake broke underground pipes, causing water and mud to flow across the streets in the city of Chengdu
China earthquake: 'Tens of thousands' dead (click here)
By Richard Spencer in Chengdu and Malcolm Moore
Last Updated: 9:38PM BST 12/05/2008
Tens of thousands of people are feared dead after the biggest earthquake in three decades struck China.
The official death toll has been put at more than 8,500, but rescue workers and the Chinese army have not yet reached the worst affected areas.
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Sichuan province this afternoon. The epicentre was 50 miles north of Chengdu, a city of 11 million people, but tremors were felt more than 1,000 miles away in Bangkok and Hanoi.
At least six primary and middle schools were destroyed in the disaster, and 900 pupils were buried under rubble when the three-storey Jiangyan Middle School in Dujiangyan collapsed....
Photo that Junta could not hide
Russia has the better rapport with the Myanmar government, everyone get of the way of the Russian Relief Effort. I strongly recommend the United Nations channel its efforts through Russia !
Russia to deliver more humanitarian aid to Myanmar May 12 (click here)
MOSCOW, May 11 (RIA Novosti) - A second plane from Russia's Emergencies Ministry's fleet is expected to deliver humanitarian aid to cyclone-hit Myanmar on Monday, Russia's embassy in the southeast Asian country said on Sunday.
Myanmar is attempting to recover from Cyclone Nargis that, according to official data, has left over 20,000 people dead and dozens of thousands homeless.
Russia's first plane with humanitarian aid landed in the capital of Myanmar, Yangon, early on Saturday.
Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar on May 3, devastating large parts of the country. Health official fear that the death toll is likely to rise to at least 100,000 people as rescue workers struggle to reach remote settlements, while the nationwide number of displaced people could reach millions.
Both planes from Russia's Emergencies Ministry are expected to deliver a total of 60 metric tons of humanitarian supplies, including tents, blankets, generators, medical supplies, including disinfectants and bandages, and food.
A state of emergency has been introduced in the five worst-hit areas - the Irrawaddy delta, the cities of Yangon and Pegu, and the states of Karen and Mon. Most of the deaths came in the low-lying Irrawaddy delta region.
May 12, 2008
1534 gmt
Global Pacific Satellite
May 12, 2008
1711 gmt
Western Pacific Satellite
Besides the obvious tragedy that accompanies life due to severe storms, there is a heat transfer into Antarctica noted.
May 12, 2008
1123 gmt
Indian Ocean Satellite
The reason the heat is concentrated over the Indonesian Islands is because that is where there is available water vapor. The jungles and tropical forests help concentrate the heat and spawn huge storms to drive the heat into the oceans. Otherwise, the entire planet would be suffering the consequences of drought as Africa is today. The jungles of Africa are still producing heat accumulations that will result in hurricanes, but, where there is savannah there is profound, regional drought.
May 12, 2008
This is one of the photos released by the Burmese dissident group.
Bodies Flow Into Hard-Hit Area of Myanmar (click here)
THANAP PIN SATE, Myanmar — The bodies come and go with the tides. They wash up onto the riverbanks or float grotesquely downstream, almost always face down. They are all but ignored by the living....
NC gets high winds, power outages after reported tornadoes
May 12, 2008
1526 gmt
Africa-Europe Satellite
May 12, 2008
1527 gmt
Western Hemisphere Satellite
The heat is significant everywhere. The southern hemisphere is exceptionally hot, but, the tropical northern hemisphere is starting to spawn storms across the Atlantic from Africa. Hurricane propagation.
May 12, 2008
0630z
UNISYS Water Vapor Satellite Western and Northern Hemisphere
And that brings us back to the Artic Oscillation. It will be delivering all kinds of bad news beginning with the West Coast.
May 12, 2008
0530z
UNISYS Enhanced Infrared Western and Northern Hemispheric Satellite.
May 12, 2008
0530z
UNISYS GOES East Enhanced Infrared Satellite
NC - Vast Devastation on coastal plain (click here)
May 12, 2008
0530z
UNISYS USA Enhanced Infrared Satellite
May 12, 2008
0531z
UNISYS Mid-Atlantic Enhanced Infrared Satellite Image
Posted: Today at 11:02 a.m.
Updated: 16 minutes ago
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Strong winds raked western North Carolina on Monday and knocked out power to thousands following a severe weather system that spawned seven tornados a day earlier.
"We've got a lot of trees down in the mountains," said Doug Outlaw, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office. "It really got going late yesterday and just increased overnight."
Duke Energy and Progress Energy reported more than 21,000 customers were affected by power outages Monday morning.
Outlaw said wind speeds reached an estimated 60 mph in the mountains and higher in mountain gaps where the wind was funneled. He said a roof was lifted off a house at Lake Lure as wind charged through a gorge at the end of the lake southeast of Asheville....
May 11, 2008
Maryville, Tennessee
Photographer states :: WIND FOR FIVE DAYS - Wind hit on Friday afternoon and is still here in the East TN Valley.
Returning home from Asheville (North Carolina) yesterday (Sunday) the wind in the mountains was moving trucks and cars around on the high roads.
Returning home at 6 PM Sunday night the phone was ringing with reports of a tree down in a home we own in Maryville, TN (less than 7 miles from where we live) and numerious trees down in that neighborhood.
Driving over we found a 100 year old oak in our yard down. It fell across our drive, power and phone lines and on top of a neighbor's Volvo parked at the top of our driveway. The tree blocked a side street and the top branches cut into the same neighbor's flowers in there front yard.
Police and utility crews told us they had been clearning trees since 1 AM Sunday morning and the wind had never stopped.
Today it is sunny but more of the same still in the area.
It is called Sea Level Rise
MOUNT HOLLY (click title to entry)— The National Weather Service in Mount Holly has issued both a coastal flood warning and a wind advisory for both Monmouth and Ocean counties.
A coastal flood warning remains in effect until 8 a.m.
A strong onshore flow is expected to cause widespread minor tidal flooding on the ocean front and the adjacent back bays around the time of high tide today and again tonight.
Areas of moderate tidal flooding could occur with the higher of the two tides along the southern new jersey and delaware coasts tonight.
For Sandy Hook, the next high tide will occur at 3 p.m. today and is forecast to be 7.5 to 8.0 feet above mean lower low water levels. High tide is again at 3:12 a.m. Tuesday and is forecast to be 7.0 to 7.5 feet above mean lower low water levels and 3:57 p.m. Tuesday with a height of 7.0 to 7.5 ft above mean lower low water levles.
A wind advistory has also been issued for the Shore area....
A coastal flood warning remains in effect until 8 a.m.
A strong onshore flow is expected to cause widespread minor tidal flooding on the ocean front and the adjacent back bays around the time of high tide today and again tonight.
Areas of moderate tidal flooding could occur with the higher of the two tides along the southern new jersey and delaware coasts tonight.
For Sandy Hook, the next high tide will occur at 3 p.m. today and is forecast to be 7.5 to 8.0 feet above mean lower low water levels. High tide is again at 3:12 a.m. Tuesday and is forecast to be 7.0 to 7.5 feet above mean lower low water levels and 3:57 p.m. Tuesday with a height of 7.0 to 7.5 ft above mean lower low water levles.
A wind advistory has also been issued for the Shore area....
Wild Weather, Heavy Wind Gusts Threaten NYC (click here for VIDEO)
NEW YORK (CBS) ― New York City felt more like Chicago on Monday morning, with chilly, wild weather turning the Big Apple into the Windy City and local airports into crowded waiting rooms.
"It is going to be a raw day today," said CBS 2 Meteorologist John Elliott.
Rain pushed into the tri-state overnight and tapered off to sprinkles in the morning, but the real concern is heavy bands of storms pushing in from the south. Periods of heavy rain are possible with extremely windy conditions.
The National Weather Service issued a Wind Advisory for the city until 5 p.m., and New Yorkers can expect to see winds between 20 and 30 mph, with strong gusts out of the east-northeast up to 50 mph.
The winds were causing headaches for travelers at area airports. Flights arriving at La Guardia Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport were experiencing delays of more than two hours, while flights arriving at John F. Kennedy Airport were seeing delays of up to an hour.
A Coastal Flood Advisory has also been issued until Tuesday due to tides averaging about two to three feet above normal.
In Cape May County, West Wildwood declared a state of emergency due to flooding, but did not insist that residents evacuate. The situation was the same in much of New Jersey's southernmost county, according to emergency management director Francis McCall.
"There's flooding on all the barrier islands," he said. "People have left on their own, but it wasn't mandatory."...
I tell you what, life in the USA is so bizarre that we just need to put our feet up and watch Britney Spears on "How I met your mother." Right? What a great distraction to reality while the weather conditions across the nation become lethal. Sounds like a plan.
The Greenland Melt in current decade (click here).
The ocean view below was once a mass of sea ice, icebergs and glaciers. 
Greenland's History of Melting (click here)
May 8, 2008 -- The idea that Greenland's ice melts sluggishly in response to global warming has long been one hedge against rapid global sea level rise -- but the idea may be wrong, say researchers.
New geologic evidence from the seafloor off the southern tip of Greenland shows that during the two past periods of global warming, the melting of Greenland glaciers was right in synch with rising global temperatures -- rather than lagging behind as models have predicted.
In other words, the ice is very sensitive to global warming and recent losses of ice there could be the beginning of a much larger melt than expected.
"People had thought that there was this thermal lag," said Anders Carlson of the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
But offshore sediments that record the debris that is washed out from valleys when glaciers recede tell another story. As Carlson said, "As soon as it starts warming, it starts to melt."...
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