Echoes of storms may contribute to Antarctic ice shelf collapse.
Besides global warming, a new study in the journal Geophysical Research Letters says that tsunami-like “infra-gravity waves” may be causing some of this past decade’s biggest ice collapses.
As most ice shelves are over 1,000 feet thick, they are generally not affected by ocean waves. However, infra-gravity waves occur when the energy of the waves from a storm is echoed back out to the ocean for thousands of miles.

Just before the Wilkins Shelf disintegrated in 2008, a large storm had pounded the coast of Patagonia, sending off an infra-gravity wave. Dr. Peter Bromirski of the US-based Scripps Institute of Oceanography stated, “Regular sea swells chip off little icebergs from the edges. Infra-gravity waves could be affecting a much greater part of the ice shelf.”

Dr. Bromirski and colleagues, we appreciate this new information about ice shelf disintegration. Let us hasten our steps toward lifestyles in harmony with nature to stabilize the climate and help preserve our Earth.
Ever-concerned for our planetary welfare, Supreme Master Ching Hai addressed such effects of an unbalanced ecosphere and the need for action during a January 2009 videoconference in Mongolia.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34638036/ns/technology_and_science-science

Solar-powered irrigation betters lives in sub-Saharan Africa.
Studying systems that were financed and installed by the US-based Solar Electric Light Fund, Stanford University scientists from California, USA worked with local women’s agricultural groups in rural Benin to compare the effectiveness of the sun-powered drip irrigation systems to previous growing methods that relied on scarce water sources such as rain.

They discovered that these systems fostered the growth of an average of 1.9 metric tons of produce per month, including fresh tomatoes, okra, peppers, eggplants, carrots and other greens. Besides being able to supply their families abundantly year-round, the women villagers were also able to earn extra income from sales.

Many thanks, Solar Electric Light Fund and Stanford University researchers for bringing both the materials and the expanded understanding of how these sustainable methods improve lives.
May many such sub-Saharan African communities be similarly bestowed for the eco-balance and wholesome sustenance of all.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100104151923.htm
http://www.dnaindia.com/scitech/report_solar-powered-irrigation-improves-diet-and-income-in-rural-
sub-sahara_1331288

EXtra News
Cuban scientists studying the nation’s Las Salinas Brito, a natural reservoir in the Caribbean’s largest wetland area, forecast that it will be submerged in salt water by 2030 due to continued climate change and encroaching sea levels.  
http://www.cubaheadlines.com/2010/01/01/19419
/climate_change_perils_are_reaching_natural_reservoir_cuba.html

Migration experts report that people’s movement to cities after losing their homes to climate-related events is creating rapid and unplanned urbanization, aggravating already scarce water, energy and food supplies.  
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/04/world/asia/04migrants.html?partner=rss&emc=rss


Physicists at the University of Washington in the USA state that the melting of sea ice in the normally calm Arctic Sea is causing an escalated response to factors such as wind, resulting in increased turbulence and internal oscillation of the ocean waters.  
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091230183301.htm


Researchers at Boston University in the USA estimate that Egypt will be one of the most global warming-affected Arab nations, with a one-meter sea level rise that would submerge agricultural lands of the Nile Delta and displace 12 million people.  
http://bikyamasr.com/?p=7325


In spite of their renowned tolerance for arid climates, Namibia’s iconic quiver trees are dying due to climate change as they reach the apparent limit of their physiological tolerance.  
http://www.france24.com/en/20100106-namibias-landmark-trees-dying-climate-change