Slow Arctic ice growth foretells summer melt.
US scientists have noted minimal ice formation this winter in the Arctic, with only 34,000 square kilometers’ growth per day in January compared to more than twice that rate in the 1980s.

Warmer temperatures were observed to be a contributing factor in the slowed ice growth. US National Snow and Ice Data Center Director Dr. Mark Serreze cautioned that such a winter phenomenon would likely mean a bigger summer melt, stating that this year’s winter ice would create only a thin layer that takes less energy to melt the following summer.

This process in turn exposes additional areas of darker ocean waters, which absorb more heat than the reflective ice and accelerate melting even further.

Dr. Mark Serreze: We will probably see, for example, an accelerated hydrologic cycle, because we were talking earlier that you warm it up, you put more water vapor into the atmosphere. Well water vapor fuels storms. So you would have, for example, more and more severe weather events.

Many thanks, Dr. Serreze and colleagues at the US National Snow and Ice Data Center, for this vital information about the disappearing Arctic ice. As we all realize the danger of the Earth’s changing climate, let us make united steps toward lifestyles that return stability to our planet.

Speaking as on previous occasions with concern for our planet’s urgent state, Supreme Master Ching Hai emphasized during a September 2009 videoconference in Japan the dangers posed by such melting, while offering the most effective solution.


Danube River Basin Management Plan enacted.
On Tuesday, February 16 ministers and high-level representatives from 14 European countries as well as the European Commission met and pledged to protect the River Danube.

As Europe's second-longest river, the Danube is considered a lifeline of the continent and has been called the European equivalent of the Amazon.

International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) President Mitja Bricelj stated, “The Danube waters are shared by us all, and therefore we also share the responsibility.”

An initial five-year plan includes measures to minimize pollution and rebuild natural wetlands areas. Your Excellencies of the 14 Danube River basin countries, we laud your commitment to protecting this natural heritage of Europe. May the river’s beauty and ecological balance be restored for the life-sustaining enjoyment
of generations to come.
http://www.france24.com/en/20100216-danube-countries-agree-protect-amazon-europe

Extra News
Singapore’s Emulsion Fuel company formulates a clean-burning and cost-efficient diesel containing one-fifth water, with a 30% water content version being developed to reduce environmental impact even more.
http://www.straitstimes.com/Singapore/Story/STIStory_491577.html

Robert Kennedy, Jr., best-selling author and senior attorney for the National Resources Defense Council, has been tirelessly campaigning at universities acrossthe US for sustainable energy measures, stating that a stable economy is dependent upon a stable environment.  
http://www.energyboom.com/policy/robert-kennedy-jr-green-visionary-making-case-renewable-energy

With temperatures in Alaska increasing at twice the rate of other US states, over 200 native villages face flooding and potential relocation as the dangers caused by melting conditions force evacuation from their ancestral homes.  
http://www.kansascity.com/400/story/1756613.html