Coral bleaching weakens fish's health and survival chances
Researchers in Australia and Sweden have found that coral bleaching and death can have a direct effect on how reef-dwelling fish learn about their environment - particularly how to avoid predators.
The team from James Cook University in Queensland and Uppsala University carried out tests in enclosed "mini reefs" that simulated the environment they were studying. They put young damselfish in their reefs, half of which contained healthy coral, the other half containing the skeletons of dead coral. The scientists then trained the fish to recognise the scent of a new predator - pairing that scent with another chemical that damselfish release when they're under attack. Only the fish in the healthy reefs learned the new predator's smell, and hid among the coral in response. On dead reefs, the fish just kept on exploring, leaving themselves vulnerable. The researchers say their results show worrying signs of the direct impact of coral damage on marine animals' behaviour and survival. The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Scientists have published their first global assessment of the state of the world's plants.
They warn that 21% of all plants are at risk of extinction and face a broad range of threats. The research was carried out by the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in the UK. See the full report: here
Islands, land disappearing because of global warming and rising sea levels - 2016
Five of the Solomon Islands have submerged underwater and six more have experienced a dramatic reduction in shoreline due to man-made climate change, according to a paperpublished in the journal Environmental Research Letters.
The Solomon Islands, a sovereign country consisting of a network of picturesque, tropical islands located in the Pacific Ocean, has a population of a little more than 500,000 people, according to census data published in 2009, many of whom have been adversely affected by rising sea levels in recent years.
Ten houses from one island were washed away at sea between 2011 and 2014, according to the study, which asserts that the rising sea levels affecting the Solomon Islands are caused by the warming of the planet.
The research, which was conducted by Australian scientists, bears implications that are likely to reverberate far beyond the turquoise shores of Oceania.
COP 21 News - November 30 to December 11 2015 in Paris
The COP 21 United Nations sponsored global conference on the environment, global warming, rising sea levels, extinction, overpopulation, pollution and sustainable development is being held in Paris from November 30, 2015 to December 11, 2015.
We will put reports and info from the conference here.
China per capita carbon emissions overtake EU - 2013
New data on carbon shows that China's emissions per head of population have surpassed the EU for the first time. The researchers say that India is also forecast to beat Europe's CO2 output in 2019. Scientists say that global totals are increasing fast and will likely exceed the limit for dangerous climate change within 30 years. The world has already used up two thirds of the warming gases researchers calculate will breach 2 degrees C. The Global Carbon Project involves researchers from several different institutes around the world and it provides objective details on the scale of annual emissions. The latest data shows that a record 36 billion tonnes of carbon from all human sources were emitted in 2013. Top ten emitters 2013 - % of global total China - 29 USA - 15 EU - 10 India - 7.1 Russian Federation - 5.3 Japan - 3.7 Germany - 2.2 Republic of Korea - 1.8 Iran - 1.8 Saudi Arabia - 1.5 The biggest emitters were China, which produced 29% of the total, followed by the US at 15%, the EU at 10% and India at 7.1% But in an interesting development, China's emissions per head of population exceeding those of the European Union for the first time. While the per capita average for the world as a whole is 5 tonnes of carbon dioxide, China is now producing 7.2 tonnes per person, to the EU's 6.8 tonnes. The US is still far ahead on 16.5 tonnes per person. "We now see China's per capita emissions surpassing the EU," said Dr Robbie Andrew, from the Centre for International Climate and Environmental Research in Norway, who was involved in the research.
Reef in Bermuda. Healthy coral reefs have declined by about 50% in the past 40 years Many of the Caribbean's coral reefs could vanish in the next 20 years, according to a report published by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Data from more than 35,000 surveys suggests that habitats have declined by more than 50% since the 1970s. The report's authors believe that over-fishing and disease is mainly to blame. They say the trend could continue if nothing is done, but with protection the reefs could bounce back. Carl Gustaf Lundin, director of IUCN's Global Marine and Polar Programme, said the findings were alarming. "The reefs support a number of different countries and populations," he said. "Tourism is one of the biggest industries, and the health of the reef is essential to the well-being of many of the people living there. And of course they are immensely beautiful and wonderful places as well." Reef overrun with algae The reefs are becoming over-run with algae, which suffocates the coral. The report, which was also authored by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, looked at data collected between 1970 and 2012 from 90 reef habitats and is the most comprehensive assessment of corals in this region.
Jet stream changed by Global Warming changing weather patterns
We may have to get used to winters where spells of weather go on for weeks - or even months.
New research suggests that the main system that helps determine the weather over Northern Europe and North America may be changing.
The study shows that the so-called jet stream has increasingly taken a longer, meandering path.
This has resulted in weather remaining the same for more prolonged periods.
The work was presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Chicago.
The observation could be as a result of the recent warming of the Arctic. Temperatures there have been rising two to three times faster than the rest of the globe.
According to Prof Jennifer Francis of Rutgers University in New Jersey: "This does seem to suggest that weather patterns are changing and people are noticing that the weather in their area is not what it used to be."
“We can expect more of the same and we can expect it to happen more frequently” Prof Jennifer Francis, Rutgers University
The meandering jet stream has accounted for the recent stormy weather over the UK and the bitter winter weather in the US Mid-West remaining longer than it otherwise would have.
"We can expect more of the same and we can expect it to happen more frequently," says Prof Francis
The jet stream, as its name suggests, is a high-speed air current in the atmosphere that brings with it the weather.
It is fuelled partly by the temperature differential between the Arctic and the mid-latitudes.
Reef in Bermuda. Healthy coral reefs have declined by about 50% in the past 40 years Many of the Caribbean's coral reefs could vanish in the next 20 years, according to a report published by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Data from more than 35,000 surveys suggests that habitats have declined by more than 50% since the 1970s. The report's authors believe that over-fishing and disease is mainly to blame. They say the trend could continue if nothing is done, but with protection the reefs could bounce back. Carl Gustaf Lundin, director of IUCN's Global Marine and Polar Programme, said the findings were alarming. "The reefs support a number of different countries and populations," he said. "Tourism is one of the biggest industries, and the health of the reef is essential to the well-being of many of the people living there. And of course they are immensely beautiful and wonderful places as well." 
Reef overrun with algae The reefs are becoming over-run with algae, which suffocates the coral. The report, which was also authored by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, looked at data collected between 1970 and 2012 from 90 reef habitats and is the most comprehensive assessment of corals in this region.
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