Category Archives: High Seas

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Rain, wind, and high tide all created rough weather conditions in St. Augustine on Tuesday.

Muggy and freezing cold! is how daughter Riya and Eela Bhanji described their late-morning stroll in the downtown area. We didnt expect it to be this cold, Eela added.

More than an inch and a half of rain caused flooding in some downtown streets, and high tide kicked in just after 9 a.m., swallowing up the shore on the beach.

RELATED: First Alert Weather Day: Tracking a cold and rainy day Tuesday

Locals tell Action News Jax theyre used to the weather. I think its kind of expected, Johan Desmet said. He has lived in the area for five years and the dunes he used to visit are long gone.

In about the last year, everything has washed away, he explained. But for now, everyones doing what they can to stay dry and enjoy the ancient city. Its a nice area, Eela pointed out. Its pretty historical.

There will be another high tide later Tuesday night, just before 9:45 p.m.

TRENDING: Man arrested at Jaguars game after NFL cameras caught him on field during touchdown play

It shouldnt be as high as the one Tuesday morning, and conditions should improve Tuesday night into Wednesday.

2021 Cox Media Group

Continued here:

Rough seas, flooding in St. Augustine - ActionNewsJax.com

As with the roller coasters we mentioned in Rest in Pieces: 4 Roller Coasters That Shut Down. Permanently in 2021, we are bidding several non-coaster attractions farewell in 2021.

First, we head to Six Flags St. Louis where they have decided to close two memorable attractions this year. Superman Tower of Power originally opened at Six Flags AstroWorld as Dungeon Drop. Following AstroWorlds closure and demolition, the Dungeon Drop ride was moved to Six Flags St. Louis and renamed Superman Tower of Power. It reopened in 2006. It is a drop tower ride, standing 23 stories. There are 2 other iterations of this ride still open at other Six Flags parks. One of the original iterations was called then Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom home. However, it closed following an incident in which a teenage girl had her feet severed by a cable. Superman Tower of Power was removed from Six Flags St. Louis website in March of 2021 and was demolished in September. The ride was destroyed to make way for Catwoman Whip, a double-ended rotating catapult style ride.

The Moon Antique Cars at Six Flags St. Louis are also being retired. This historic antique car attraction originally opened in 1971 and delighted guests for 49 years. There has been no mention of what will be taking the classic rides place. Antique car rides tend to be popular at many theme parks. Many people still enjoy car rides like Tomorrowland Speedway, even when others call for their closure. Sadly, this was not enough to save the Moon Antique Cars.

Over at Six Flags Over Georgia, they are also saying goodbye to two non-coaster rides. First up is Bugs Bunny High Seas Adventure. Bugs Bunny High Seas Adventure originally opened as the Santa Maria in 1994. It ran for 21 years before being rethemed into Bugs Bunny High Seas Adventure. This swinging ride lifted riders in pirate ship-shaped swings that would drift apart as the ride spun in a circle. It was a fun-themed twist on the traditional wave swinger ride. In addition to Bug Bunny High Seas Adventure, Six Flags Over Georgia has also decided to permanently close the Skybuckets. This cable car ride originally opened in 1968. The ride would transport guests from one part of the park to another. It closed in 2020 due to concerns regarding the pandemic and was confirmed to be closing permanently this year.

In New York at Six Flags Darien Lake, two rides have closed this year. The Giant Wheel Ferris wheel was announced as a permanent closure this year. While no formal announcement was originally made, a sign sat outside the attraction noting its retirement earlier this year. It was originally built for the 1982 Worlds Fair and stood 15 stories tall. The second attraction to close at Six Flags Darien Lake is Grizzly Run. Grizzly Run was a river rapids ride that originally opened in 1989. After spending the 2020 season closed, Grizzly Run started the 2021 season boarded up and fenced off. It wasnt confirmed until May that the ride would not be reopening.

Last, we make a stop at Adventureland in Iowa to say goodbye to three attractions. Falling Star, a pendulum-style ride in which riders would swing side to side originally opened in 1989. Lighthouse was a spinning carnival-style ride that opened for the first time in 1974. Finally, Lady Luck, a roulette-themed spinning ride that opened in 1974 also closed this year.

Will you miss any of these classic rides?

See the original post here:

Rest In Pieces Part 2: Rides That Closed Permanently in 2021 - Theme Park Tourist

New airborne surveillance system patrols oceans for illegal activity

In some parts of the world, the sea is fraught with piracy, smuggling and illegal fishing.

To help navies and coastal authorities combat illegal activity, Raytheon Intelligence & Space (RI&S) has developed the SeaVue family of airborne radars to detect small maritime targets.

The newest SeaVue radar, SeaVue Multi-Role, works with RI&S' AN/DAS-4 Multi-spectral Targeting Systeman electro-optical/infrared sensorto image targets and provide enhanced actionable intelligence.

"SeaVue and its predecessors have been used around the world for decades to interdict illegal activity on the open seas," said Barbara Borgonovi, Vice President of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Systems for RI&S. "DAS-4 is the latest iteration of our multi-spectral targeting system technology. These systems are imperative to maritime patrol for both civil and military applications."

SeaVue is currently deployed on a variety of international manned and unmanned platforms. RI&S is in discussions with several nations to equip their navies and coastal authorities with the new SeaVue MR, which includes an increased small-target detection range that operates on platforms flying at high altitudes.

"Previously, aircraft had to fly low, at about 1,500 to 5,000 feet, so legacy systems could get the best view of what was on the ocean's surface," said Craig Young, Chief Engineer for Airborne Multi-Mode Radars for Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance Systems at RI&S. "If aircraft flew too high, there was the potential to mix up wave patterns for targets. To meet the requirements of modern aircraft, SeaVue Multi-Role can detect small targets from much higher altitudes, up to around 35,000 feet."

This capability increases search coverage for every flight hour, allowing for greater overall mission endurance.

SeaVue MR works by scanning the ocean's surface for targets. When a target's tracking information is picked up, the AN/DAS-4 MTS technology provides full-motion HD video that identifies and engages with pinpoint accuracy.

"It's then up to the operator to decide if they're looking at a friendly or hostile force," said Young. "Our systems help operators see clearly enough to help make that distinction."

This capability could help protect fleets, trade routes and access to the oceans.

"The military has large assets such as aircraft carriers and destroyers moving about the ocean at any given time," said Young. "Having an aircraft surveilling from above can help call out if there are hostile forces approaching the fleet."

SeaVue MR delivers these enhanced capabilities all at lower size, weight, power and costalso known as SWaP-C.

"Where radars of this caliber used to require a dozen different boxes to achieve the same capability, SeaVue Multi-Role is a three-box radar," said Neil Peterson, Vice President of Radar Sensor Systems for RI&S. "Having a lower SWaP-C allows SeaVue to be installed on anything from an unmanned aircraft to larger jets."

RI&S demonstrated SeaVue and DAS-4 on the SeaGuardian for the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and 12 other NATO member and partner nations as part of the Joint Warrior demonstration in the fall of 2021.

Learn more about RI&S' SeaVue Multi-Role Radar.

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Monitoring The High Seas At High Altitude - Aviation Week

As the Arctic and the oceans warm due to climate change, understanding how a rapidly changing environment may affect birds making annual journeys between the Arctic and the high seas is vital to international conservation efforts. However, for some Arctic species, there are still many unknowns about their migration routes. Using telemetry to solve some mysteries of three related seabird species the pomarine jaeger, parasitic jaeger and long-tailed jaeger scientists discovered they took different paths across four oceans from a shared central Canadian high Arctic nesting location. As predators and kleptoparasites that steal prey caught by other animals, jaegers are critical components of marine and terrestrial food webs. These new tracking data add to growing evidence linking marine biodiversity in the Arctic region and the high seas to inform large scale marine biological diversity management in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

Local coastal communities from the Arctic to the tropics are also connected through the expansive migrations of these three seabird species. To tell this story, the authors partnered with artist Laurel Mundy to create a comic version of the research, showing how these Arctic seabirds connect the world. The comic is available online in five languages:

Print copies will be distributed to schools in the Canadian Arctic.

Research PaperTitle: Sympatrically-breeding congeneric seabirds (Stercorarius spp.) from Arctic Canada migrate to four oceansPublished:Ecology and EvolutionLink:https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.8451For citations: https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8451

Quote from Autumn-Lynn Harrison, lead author and research ecologist for the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institutes Migratory Bird Center: These three related seabird species left their shared summer island home in the Canadian Arctic to take wildly different migration routes across four of the worlds oceans. Anyone thats ever taken a different route than the rest of their family can relate to this amazing migration story. In this golden age of animal tracking, birds still have the ability to surprise us.

AuthorsAutumn-Lynn Harrison (1), Paul F. Woodward (2), Mark L. Mallory (3), Jennie Rausch (2)

(1) Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute

(2) Canadian Wildlife Service

(3) Department of Biology, Acadia University

About the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute plays a leading role in the Smithsonians global efforts to save wildlife species from extinction and train future generations of conservationists. SCBI spearheads research programs at its headquarters in Front Royal, Virginia, the Smithsonians National Zoo in Washington, D.C., and at field research stations and training sites worldwide. SCBI scientists tackle some of todays most complex conservation challenges by applying and sharing what they learn about animal behavior and reproduction, ecology, genetics, migration and conservation sustainability.

About the Canadian Wildlife ServiceThe Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) is a branch of Environment and Climate Change Canada and is the agency primarily responsible for the monitoring and management of migratory birds and species at risk in Canada. CWS vision is a society that lives and develops as part of nature, values the diversity of life, takes no more than it can replenish, and leaves to future generations a nurturing and dynamic world, rich in biodiversity. Our mission is to achieve nature conservation outcomes for wildlife, habitat, and the ecosystems of which they are part, with a particular focus on migratory birds and species at risk.

About Acadia UniversityAcadia University is one of Canadas top-ranked, primarily undergraduate universities and has a vibrant graduate research program in biology, notably in marine and coastal research. Much of their recent, collaborative research focuses on how anthropogenic changes in these habitats influence the fauna that live there. Tracking studies, notably on birds and fish, have provided insights that are having direct impacts on wildlife management and habitat policy.

The rest is here:

Arctic Birds Connect the World: Biologging Tech Tracking of Nearctic Seabirds Surprise Scientists with Diverse Migratory Paths from Shared Breeding...

Low clouds are expected to form northwards, in coastal areas and on Islands. So residents of Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah, Dubai and Ajman can expect cloudy skies. Image Credit: Gulf News Archives

Dubai: You might want to rethink your plans to hit the beach as the weather bureau has warned UAE residents about rough conditions on Wednesday.

According to the National Center of Meteorology (NCM), skies across the UAE are looking partly cloudy and dusty at times over some areas, especially in Al Ain and Abu Dhabi.

Low clouds are expected to form northwards, in coastal areas and on Islands. So residents of Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah, Dubai and Ajman can expect cloudy skies.

Temperatures are expected to decrease. On average temperatures are expected to be in low 20s with minimum temperatures dropping to 10C.

Dubai is currently at 23C with partly cloudy skies.

The relative humidity is expected to be high at night and on Friday morning, reaching up to 90 per cent.

Winds are expected to repeatedly blow, at a speed of 20 30 km/h, reaching up to 45 km/h at times.

The winds are expected to blow dust and sand into the air, especially during the day, getting stronger with the cloud activity and reducing horizontal visibility. Dusty conditions are especially expected westwards such as in Abu Dhabi.

Drivers should be careful on the road as the dust might hinder visibility. Those who suffer from allergies should also take precautions when going outside.

Conditions in the Arabian Gulf and the Oman Sea are expected to be rough.

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UAE: Chilly weather with a drop in temperatures, low clouds in Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah, Dubai and Ajman, rough seas in Arabian Gulf - Gulf News

The FBI has reportedly taken over the investigation of a 25-year-old mother who fell off a Carnival cruise ship in an incident that one onboard paramedic has said had a high suspicion of foul play.

The unidentified woman is presumed to have died after she fell off a fifth-floor balcony of her stateroom while the Carnival Miracle was en route from California to Mexico on Saturday, the Sun reported.

Someone has lost their life, whether it was done by accident or by foul play I dont know, said Daniel Miranda, a Northern California firefighter paramedic on board the ship, according toCBS Los Angeles.

Theres some high suspicion of foul play, he added.

The woman, who fell into waters about 35 miles off the coast of Ensenada, had reportedly been traveling with her boyfriend and a relative.

After searching for over 31 hours, the Coast Guard ended its efforts and the feds took over, according to the news outlet.

We responded due to the circumstances since we have jurisdiction on the high seas, an agency spokesman told the Sun. Whether accidental, foul play or otherwise, we look for evidence to determine what actually occurred.

The ship, carrying 1,100 people, left the Long Beach Cruise Terminal on Dec. 9 and was due to return Saturday.

I cant believe something happened to her. Sweet young lady, you know. A sweet soul and shes gone, said Patricia Taylor, who said she met the young mother on the trip.

And this lady is 25 years old with a baby. A 1-year-old child, she added, the Sun reported.

On Saturday, the company said in a statement that we advised Carnival Miracle guests this morning of an overboard incident involving one of our guests from the balcony of her stateroom.

Our thoughts are with the guest and her family, and our care team is providing support, the statement added.

Read this article:

FBI takes over probe of missing mother who fell off Carnival cruise ship - New York Post

Throughout history, the world has been an endless source of worry for investors. But that doesn't mean you should abandon stocks. In fact, it may be the best reason to have a diversified portfolio of companies that succeed in different environments. The combination of fast-growing companies and blue chip dividend payers can provide stability when market sentiment swings from euphoria to despair and back again.

We asked three Fool.com contributors for a healthcare company that offers a balance between risk and reward right now. The trio they offered checks several different boxes for a diversified portfolio, including growth, yield, and value. Here's why they think Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), Teladoc Health (NYSE:TDOC) and Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) can help calm the nerves of investors who are seeing red.

Image source: Getty Images.

Jason Hawthorne (Johnson & Johnson): The healthcare conglomerate is doing something many once considered unthinkable. It's breaking itself up -- sort of. The company is following in the footsteps of other giant pharma companies and jettisoning its slow-growth consumer healthcare business. That means that in a couple of years the company selling iconic brands like Band-Aid and Tylenol will not be called Johnson & Johnson. It might seem to contradict the company's long-held strategy of product and market diversification. But it makes sense.

Last year, its consumer health segment grew only 1%. That slow growth was nothing new. The drug division has been the engine of growth in recent years, and despite the struggles of the medical devices business -- sales were wrecked by the pandemic last year -- sales expansion is driven mostly by new products. And management has signaled excitement about what it has coming to the market.

Business Unit

2017

2018

2019

2020

Consumer health

2.2%

1.8%

0.3%

1.1%

Medical devices

5.9%

1.5%

(3.8%)

(11.6%)

Pharmaceutical

8.3%

12.4%

3.6%

8%

Data source: Johnson & Johnson.

In the most recent quarter, ending in September, sales of medical devices climbed 7%. That growth was driven almost exclusively outside the U.S. Another highlight was the 10,000th bronchoscopy procedure performed by its Monarch robotic platform. Management is counting on the device to cut into Intuitive Surgical's share of the robotic surgery market. A focus on faster-growing businesses might not be the only motivation for the breakup.

Skeptics would say the breakup is driven by management's desire to avoid the financial hit from the roughly 40,000 lawsuits alleging its talc products cause cancer. CEO Alex Gorsky -- who is stepping down next year -- said the litigation played no role in the decision. But the company offloaded its talc liabilities into a separate entity by taking advantage of a Texas merger law. It then moved the company to North Carolina and filed for bankruptcy. As part of the bankruptcy settlement, the company offered $2 billion toward the litigation. The company had previously earmarked $4 billion for this purpose.

Setting aside how you feel about the motivation behind the move, Johnson & Johnson's split from its consumer health unit accomplishes several goals that could set it up to continue compounding profits in the years ahead. With a price-to-earnings ratio of 25, investors are currently able to buy one of the most historically stable stocks around for less than the S&P 500 Index. Add in a dividend yield of 2.5% -- nearly twice that of the index -- thanks to a payout that has been increased 59 years in a row, and it becomes clear why a tidal wave of selling could spare this iconic brand.

Rachel Warren (Teladoc): As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on and cases of the new omicron variant continue to rise globally on top of the already dominant delta variant, investors are understandably concerned that another correction or crash could be imminent. Whether this will be the case is anyone's guess.

But if you're looking for another healthcare stock to put on your buy list if the market takes a downturn, Teladoc is one compelling option. With more people delaying returns to the office and working from home indefinitely, and hospitals filling up once more as we head into the cold winter season, it's only logical that more people will be turning to telehealth once again as a means of getting affordable and quality healthcare in a safe and convenient way.

Now, don't get me wrong. Teladoc has proven to be far more than a coronavirus play, even as society broadly reopened earlier this year and more people were going back to work and resuming everyday activities. In the first nine months of 2021, Teladoc's revenue jumped 108% from the same period in 2020, while total visits surged nearly 60% year over year.

Teladoc's negative EBITDA and net income during this nine-month period ($72.3 million and $417.8 million, respectively) is attributable to stock-based compensation as well as other expenses related to its 2020 acquisition of fellow telehealth giant Livongo. On the flip side, the company is profitable on an adjusted EBITDA basis. Teladoc reported that its adjusted EBITDA for the first nine months of 2021 was just shy of $191 million, a considerable increase from the $76.5 million it reported in the same period in 2020.

It's no secret that shares of Teladoc have come down considerably from its all-time high. Right now, the stock is trading down about 50% year to date. However, as the market continues to experience high volatility and concerns about the next phase of the pandemic linger, the stock may be showing signs of a much-anticipated rebound. Shares jumped higher than 10% on Friday, Dec. 17.

For patient long-term investors looking to invest in a quality business on sale, Teladoc more than passes muster. And if you're looking for a resilient business to add to your basket right now, this healthcare stock is a smart option to consider.

Steve Ditto (Vertex):If you're worried about a market crash, Vertex may be the kind of company you need to ride out rough seas -- it's a profitable business with an exceptionally strong and durable franchise at an attractive price, with a product its customers literally can't live without.

Vertex has built its business by developing the leading treatment for cystic fibrosis. In Q3, Vertex grew revenue 29% year over year, and management upped year-end guidance to a range of $7.4 billion to $7.5 billion. Vertex ended the quarter with almost $7 billion in cash.

In addition to backing a market winner with a great core product, investing in Vertex is like being part of a venture fund with one really big winner in the portfolio and several promising opportunities lined up to drive future growth. Vertex is using its cash to fund a robust internal pipeline and partnerships with with a range of biotech companies.

One particularly promising relationship is with CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP), which is hoping to be first to market with a gene-editing treatment potentially worth billions. In Q3, Vertex expanded its CRISPR gene-editing technology investments, announcing new collaborations with Arbor Biotechnologies and Mammoth Biosciences. Vertex previously made bets on other companies with promising technologies like Affinia Therapeutics, Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA), and Skyhawk Therapeutics.

Despite all this business momentum, for much of the year the stock price has been under a lot of pressure due to concerns about narrowing growth opportunities and potential competition from AbbVie in the cystic fibrosis market. Management's "beat and raise" results of the last two quarters have muted those concerns and driven the stock price up more than 14% in the last six months compared to the S&P 500, which is up less than 12%.

For long-term investors, including those concerned about a market crash, any uncertainty around Vertex is offset by the strength of the balance sheet, likely durability of future revenue streams, options for future growth from internal pipeline investments and external partnerships, and underlying support of a stock buyback program.

This article represents the opinion of the writer, who may disagree with the official recommendation position of a Motley Fool premium advisory service. Were motley! Questioning an investing thesis -- even one of our own -- helps us all think critically about investing and make decisions that help us become smarter, happier, and richer.

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3 Healthcare Stocks to Buy If You're Worried About a Market Crash - The Motley Fool

Severe coastal flooding inundated islands and atolls across the western equatorial Pacific last week, with widespread damage to buildings and food crops in the Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands.

On one level, very high tides are normal at this time of year in the western Pacific, and are known as "spring tides". But why is the damage so bad this time?

The primary reason is these nations are enduring a flooding trifecta: a combination of spring tides, climate change, and La Nia.

La Nia is a natural climate phenomenon over the Pacific Ocean known for bringing wet weather, including in eastern Australia. A less-known impact is that La Nia also raises sea levels in the western tropical Pacific.

In a terrifying glimpse of things to come, this current La Nia is raising sea levels by 15-20 centimeters (6-8 inches) in some western Pacific regions the same sea level rise projected to occur globally by 2050, regardless of how much we cut global emissions between now and then.

So let's look at these phenomena in more detail, and why we can expect more flooding over the summer.

Low-lying islands in the Pacific are considered the frontline of climate change, where sea level rise poses an existential threat that could force millions of people to find new homes in the coming decades.

Last week's tidal floods show what will be the new normal by 2050. In the Marshall Islands, for example, waves were washing over boulder barriers, causing flooding on roads half a meter deep.

This flooding has coincided with the recent spring tides. But while there is year to year variability in the magnitude of these tides that vary from location to location, this year's spring tides aren't actually unusually higher than those seen in previous years.

For instance, tidal analysis shows annual maximum sea levels at stations in Lombrom (Manus, Papua New Guinea) and Dekehtik (Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia) are roughly 1-3 cm (up to an inch) higher than last year. Meanwhile, those at Betio (Tarawa, Kiribati) and Uliga (Majuro, Marshall Islands) are roughly 3-6 cm (1-2 inches) lower.

This means the combined impacts of sea level rise from climate change and the ongoing La Nia event are largely responsible for this year's increased flooding.

The latest assessment report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change finds global average sea levels rose by about 20 cm (8 inches) between 1901 and 2018.

This sea level rise would, of course, lead to more coastal inundation in low-lying regions during spring tides, like those in the western tropical Pacific. However, sea level rise increases at a relatively small rate around 3 millimeters per year. So while this can create large differences over decades and longer, year to year differences are small.

This means while global mean sea level rise has likely contributed to last week's floods, there are relatively small differences between this year and the previous few years.

This is where La Nia makes a crucial difference. We know La Nina events impact the climate of nations across the Pacific, bringing an increased chance of high rainfall and tropical cyclone landfall in some locations.

But the easterly trade winds, which blow across the Pacific Ocean from east to west, are stronger in La Nia years. This leads to a larger build-up of warm water in the western Pacific.

Warm water is generally thicker than cool water (due to thermal expansion), meaning the high heat in the western equatorial Pacific and Indonesian Seas during La Nia events is often accompanied by higher sea levels.

This year is certainly no different, as can be seen in sea surface height anomaly maps here and here.

From these maps, along with past studies, it's clear Pacific islands west of the date line (180E) and between Fiji and the Marshall Islands (15N-15S) are those most at risk of high sea levels during La Nia events.

We can expect to see more coastal flooding for these western Pacific islands and atolls over the coming summer months. This is because the La Nia-induced sea level rise is normally maintained throughout this period, along with more periods with high spring tides.

Interestingly, the high sea levels related to La Nia events in the northern hemisphere tend to peak in November-December, while they do not peak in the southern hemisphere until the following February-March.

This means many western Pacific locations on both sides of the equator will experience further coastal inundation in the short term. But the severity of these impacts is likely to increase in the southern hemisphere (such as the Solomon islands, Tuvalu, and Samoa) and decrease in the northern hemisphere (such as the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia).

Looking forward towards 2050, a further 15-25 cm of global average sea level rise is expected. La Nia events typically cause sea levels in these regions to rise 10-15 cm above average, though some regions can bring sea levels up to 20cm.

Given the projected sea level rise in 2050 is similar to the La Nia-induced rise in the western Pacific, this current event provides an important insight into what will become "normal" inundation during spring tides.

Unfortunately, climate projections show this level of sea level rise by 2050 is all but locked in, largely due to the greenhouse gas emissions we've already released.

Beyond 2050, we know sea levels will continue to rise for the next several centuries, and this will largely depend on our future emissions.

To give low-lying island nations a fighting chance at surviving the coming floods, all nations (including Australia) must drastically and urgently cut emissions.

Shayne McGregor, Associate Professor, and Associate Investigator for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes, Monash University.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Read more from the original source:

Glimpse of The Future as La Nia Raises Sea Levels in Western Pacific by Up to 20 cm - ScienceAlert

Competition for quality tree cavities to nest in is tight, and birds like this Pileated Woodpecker create some of the most sought after abodes. Photo: Katherine Davis/Audubon Photography Awards

Birds improve our quality of life. Watching them flit around a backyard feeder or hop through the grass can be an entertaining diversion, a mood booster, and a window into animal behavior. Observing our avian counterparts offers connection to nature and a reminder that we coexist with wildlife. And theres more they do for us behind the scenes: We reap many benefitsfrom sharing our planet with birds through whats known as ecosystem services.

Ecosystem services include all of the positive benefits that natural systems provide. The term includes everything from the basic provisioning of food and oxygen, to more subtle perks such as the ways wetlands reduce storm and flood damage. Labeling these natural processes servicesmakes it easier for ecologists and conservationists to quantify the value of nature (sometimes literally in dollars) as well as what we lose through environmental damage.

Birds make big contributionsacross habitats, and theyre crucial for people and the planet to thrive. When avian species are lost, their particular functions and benefits disappear, too. And introduced species cant easily replace the critical roles of native ones, according to a new study published in Science Advances. That means holding onto the bird diversity we have is paramount.

You might already know about some of the ecosystem services birds provide, for instance pollinating your favorite fruits. Here area few of the more surprising ways birds (metaphorically) keep the world turning.

Bird droppings, also known as guano,play a key role in spreading nutrients, and seabirds are particularlycrucial.After months of eating fish and other sea creatures on the high seas, they visit land to nestin large colonies of hundreds or thousands. When seabirds bring their full stomachs ashore and poop, they concentrate nutrients at their coastal breeding grounds in enormous volumes.

In northwest Greenland, for instance, Dovekies come to land en masse every summer to breed. In doing so, they move an estimated 3,500 tons of nitrogen, an important nutrient for plantsfrom the ocean to the soil. All that nitrogen boosts local grass growth in the normally barren Arctic habitatand feeds grazers such as hares, geese, reindeer, and muskox, which are hunted by people for food. Where there are Dovekies, muskox numbers are 10 times higher.

At one point in human history, big deposits of bird guano were so valuable as fertilizer for crops that Spain started a war over them. The advent of synthetic fertilizers means bird poop is no longerfought over, but as in Greenland guano deposits still support many ecosystems and people.

Its well known that birds transport seeds. They munch on their favorite berries, and then distribute seed-strewn droppingsensuring thatnew plants continueto sprout up. Recently scientists have found thatsome birds also have a penchant for foragingvaluable fungi. In Patagonian forests, Chucao Tapaculos and Black-throated Huet-huets are voracious truffle-hunters. Whenever they dig up a fungus, eat it, and hop to the next one,they move spores aroundand propagate a diversity of tasty mushrooms.

This does more than multiply the birds food source: The truffles are actually the fruiting bodies of an intricate underground fungal network that keeps surrounding trees alive. The below-ground fungal filaments transport nutrients to the roots of trees in exchange for sugar.

The mutually beneficial partnership is the scaffolding that supports the whole forest system. Birds ensure it stays intact.

What birds eat is often just as ecologically importantas where they poop. For example, many birds are voracious predators of pests. Barn Swallows can consume as many as 60 insects an hour. Over an agricultural field, swallows rescue pest-prone crops and leave more food for us. And installing Barn Owl boxes on farms reduces populations of destructive rodents, like gophers. Similarly, putting up nest boxes for Western Bluebirds can save grapes on vineyards. In this way, promoting and protecting bird habitat is a great alternative to widely used, harmful pesticides.

For birders, woodpeckers are doubly good news: a fine sight on their own, and home-builders for other cavity-nesting species. Research has shown that cavity-nestersbirds that build their homes inside tree hollows or other holesdo best when woodpeckers abound. In one recent Texas study, birds like titmice, flycatchers, and wrens were more likely to survive long-term if they built their nests in abandoned woodpecker cavities instead of those created by decay. Woodpecker-excavated holes afforded more access to tasty insects and offered better protection from predators.

Woodpeckers are so important for other species that monitoring them can tell scientists how the entire bird community is doing. They are environmental indicators:If woodpeckers are around, you can bet lots of other birds are, too.

Vultures are the only vertebrate animals that eat carrion exclusively. (Other scavengers, like coyotes, also hunt for food.) Because vultures are so singularly focused, theyre remarkably efficient at picking up the scraps. Research has shown that when vulture populations fall, the number of rotting carcasses on a landscapegoes upby a factor of 10 in aSouth Carolina study. Inone Kenyan study, scientists noted that without vultures, carcasses took three times the standard amount of time to decompose. More rotting stuff means a higher risk of disease for humans and other animals. Next time you go on a hike and dont come across a dead deer, thank a vulture.

If you're still unconvincedthat birds are here to help, consider that some directly assist other specieshumans included. Greater Honeyguides live up to their name and range throughout sub-Saharan Africa: There, the brown-and-cream-colored birds, which eat bees wax and insect larvae, literally guide people to honey. In a well-documented quid pro quo, honey-hunting humansattract Greater Honeyguides through sound. (Different people around the continent have different communication cues they use to call honeyguides. The Yao community of Mozambique uses a distinctive trill. Hazda hunters in Tanzaniarely on a whistle.) Then the birds lead them to hives.

Its an example of true teamwork. Hunters help the birds because they can more easily take down and disassemble a hive than a lone bird can. And following honeyguides lowers the amount of time hunters spend searching and increases their chances of finding a hive.

Its a striking example of a truth most avian enthusiasts already know: Birds make life a little sweeter.

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6 Unexpected Ways Birds Are Important for the Environment (and People) - National Audubon Society

LAHORE: Government policies are not providing the relief that the state intends to provide to the common man or the businessmen. Minimum wage, free meals, Ehsaas benefits have neither dented poverty nor created jobs.

Free meals have for instance created addicts, who do not want to seek any job. Ehsaas dole outs are not sufficient to feed a single person although the amount is intended for the entire family.

With the increase in minimum wage, the documented entrepreneurs have reduced their workforce and passed on more benefits to efficient retained workers. The non-documented sectors pay their workers almost half the minimum wage or less.

As far as the entrepreneurs are concerned, they have withheld their investment programmes as the state policies are not clear. The gas crisis was in the offing during summer, but the state failed to enter into binding agreements with gas suppliers on the plea that the rates offered for sustained supplies were high.

It resorted to buying LNG from the floating vessels roaming in high seas. This worked for a while as LNG is in excess supply during summer and the floating cargo offered less than the long-term prices quoted by the gas rich countries.

When the crunch came, the government entered short-term contracts with small suppliers at a higher price. But as it happened the gas prices shot up beyond imagination and the suppliers preferred to default on their contracts and pay the penalty for default.

The penalty was bearable as the same supplies were disposed of elsewhere at a very high price that was more profitable after covering the penalty.

The gas crisis has gone out of proportion creating an acute urea crisis at a time when this fertiliser is badly needed to sow wheat. Industries were denied gas, while domestic consumers got the priority.

In the process, the government could please none as the cost of industrial production increased while the domestic consumers complained of low pressures or no gas at all. In Bangladesh, the priority for gas is for industries, and consumers come second. The basic argument in this regard is that if the industries closed, there would be widespread unemployment and unemployed consumers would not be able to pay their utility bills.

Electricity supply is satisfactory, but its tariff has been increased exponentially and there is no end in sight. The inefficiencies in the sector stay stubbornly high.

Corruption in this sector is as rampant as ever. Even the lifeline consumers pay double the tariff than what they used to pay 40 months back.

Middle-class consumers have stopped or reduced using power gadgets to contain their power bills. Still the bills are much higher than last year and almost double when compared with the bills they used to pay three and half years back.

Power supply however remains erratic. Domestic consumers could bear this inconsistency, but the industries cannot as it results in huge production losses (the raw materials are destroyed when power is interrupted in the middle of the process).

The ever-declining rupee value is bringing miseries for the consumers, but the currencys uncertain value is more worrisome for the entrepreneurs. All their business plans are upset when the rupee declines so rapidly as it did in the past eight months from Rs152 against the greenback to the current value of Rs178.

With the end yet not in sight! Central bank jacked up the policy rate by 2.75 percent in one month, increasing the cost of borrowing and cost of doing business.

Large-scale manufacturing is on decline after posting healthy growth from low base Covid-19 impact. Manufacturers are looking for cover as it is impossible for them to cope with low rupee value and high interest rates.

Higher imports are testing the capability of the central bank to maintain decent foreign exchange reserves. It has up till now been successful in this regard on the strength of massive loans it has accumulated, but new loans are hard to come.

If the imports do not decline appreciably, we might see our foreign exchange reserves declining to the danger zone. Our exports have increased but probably the limit has been reached.

We need new investment to leap exports further up. The so-called new investment in machinery is in the basic textiles sector, while we have posted export growth in the apparel sector where new investment is insignificant.

Apparel exporters are from small and medium enterprise sectors. They have huge orders in hand and are refusing most of these orders due to their inability to invest in new machines.

For the apparel exporters, loans would come in handy, but banks are not as cooperative with them as they are with spinners or weavers. Spinners and weavers are hesitant to enter the apparel field as they lack the expertise to operate apparel units, particularly the quality control required in this sector. They also lack the marketing skills mastered by small and medium apparel exporters.

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The cost of denial - The News International