The impact that national energy sectors have on international freshwater resources has been demonstrated in the first global study of its kind. The analysis of 129 countries showed differences between countries and sectors in their reliance on international freshwater resources. For example, although the petroleum industries of North America and China are similar in magnitude, the North American industry consumes three times as much international freshwater. Demands from economically developed countries on less economically developed countries, which may have pre-existing water-scarcity issues, compound these problems and complicate the creation of policies that ensure both water and energy security.

Areas of mariculture — where marine organisms are cultivated for food — have been identified as important source areas for the dispersal of invasive alien species (IAS) via artificial floating litter. In order to identify IAS at high risk of dispersal via this method, researchers have analysed fouled anthropogenic litter sampled on beaches in two important European mariculture areas. Overall, the team detected eight aquaculture-related IAS attached to anthropogenic litter. All of these species are well adapted to rafting on artificial surfaces and have high potential to disperse in this way, suggesting that they are suitable candidates for closer monitoring and policy action in the future.

A new internet-based tool for tracking the changing boundaries of nature protected areas has been developed for Catalonia, which the researchers say could be used to help evaluate conservation in the Natura 2000 network.

A recent study has developed a method of diagnosing the environmental condition of wildlife habitats in forest areas. This allows biodiversity conservation to be integrated into the planning and management of the European-wide Natura 2000 nature protection areas.

A new model has been developed that could help metropolitan areas adapt to climate change by increasing ecosystem services provided by green spaces and farmland through calculating the percentage of evapotranspiring surface for different types of land use and the degree of fragmentation between ecosystems. To demonstrate how it works, researchers have applied this 'land use suitability strategy' model to an Italian municipality.

One strategy to halt the loss of biodiversity has been to create protected areas in the sea and on land. However, a new study suggests that unless additional measures are taken, particularly those that tackle human population growth and the increased use of natural resources, even the development of new protected areas will be unable to reverse the trend of global biodiversity loss.

To preserve rich biodiversity in protected areas of tropical forests, safeguarding the surrounding area can be just as important as safeguarding the park or reserve itself. This is according to a new study, which assessed the ecological health of 60 protected areas across the tropics.

Nine areas in the Atlantic where leatherback turtles are at higher risk of bycatch have been identified in a recent study. To help protect this important species less damaging fishing practices could be used in these areas, the study concludes, and some could be candidates for marine protected status.

Marine protected areas (MPAs) in which fishing is prohibited contain substantially more fish, including commercially valuable species, than either partially protected or unenforced MPAs, according to a recent survey of rocky reef fish in the Mediterranean Sea. This suggests that MPAs need to be highly protected to offer the best chance of recovery for fish stocks, say the researchers.

Marine Protected Areas should be managed as integrated networks rather than isolated units because of the high degree of exchange between them, a new study suggests. The researchers found that the large majority of sea bream (Sparidae) and wrasse (Labridae) fish spawned in MPA study sites in the Mediterranean Sea were transported via currents to other MPAs and unprotected areas, highlighting their interconnected nature.

Protected areas that allow local people to use the resources in a sustainable way are better for biodiversity conservation than excluding people entirely, a new study suggests. In a review of over 160 scientific studies, the researchers found that protected areas which were managed to allow sustainable access yielded greater socioeconomic benefits. Importantly, those with greater socioeconomic benefits were also more likely to report biodiversity benefits.

Land-use changes in the arid south-eastern Iberian Peninsula impact on the supply of various ecosystem services that support human well-being. Research into perceptions of the rapid expansion of greenhouse horticulture and the abandonment of rural and mountainous areas has highlighted trade-offs between conservation efforts and economic development.

The coverage of ‘Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas’ (IBAs) in relation to Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for birds in the EU has been assessed in a new study. Overall, 66% of the IBA network is covered by SPAs. SPAs were found to cover 23% of the distributions of 435 EU bird species as well as 25% of the distributions of mammals, reptiles and amphibians.

Agri-environment schemes (AES) have been implemented throughout Europe to mitigate against the negative effects of agricultural intensification. Although these schemes have shown positive effects on the abundance and richness of certain species and taxa, the impact of AES on reproduction of target species at the local and landscape scale is poorly understood. This large-scale study looked for the effect of selected AE measures on bumblebee reproduction. Results indicate that bumblebee reproduction is significantly higher on sown flower patches when compared to conventional management. Although the increase is most pronounced at the plot scale, higher reproduction was found in landscapes surrounding larger sown plots (at least one hectare) compared to smaller sown plots.

The use of pesticides in orchards may be threatening populations of wild bees, which are important pollinators that increase crop productivity, a new study concludes. However, the damage was mitigated in areas where the orchards were surrounded by natural landscapes, such as deciduous forests.

Air pollution legislation has led to reduced ozone pollution in rural areas in western Mediterranean countries; however, levels in urban and suburban areas are still increasing, new research concludes. This suggests that ground-level ozone, linked to human health issues as well as environmental damage, has the potential to become a more significant air quality issue than previously believed, the researchers say.

Levels of airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are falling at urban and rural sites in Europe and North America, according to recent research. These results contribute to growing evidence demonstrating that the legislation to reduce these harmful emissions has been successful. Concentrations of PAHs in urban areas were highest, the researchers found, but they were also declining at the fastest rate.

Rescinding a 2014 ban, the planting of genetically-modified crops and the use of neonicotinoid pesticides are allowed in U.S. national wildlife refuges again.

Fearful of late summers and early springs trimming their seasons, ski areas all over the United States are calling for action on climate change policy.

The U.K.'s push to create new marine reserves in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans represents a victory for biodiversity campaigners. (And fish.)

How to tame your cellulite condition with several exercises you can do anywhere.

Emergency and Disaster Response teams can obtain the Avenza Maps Pro app and authoritative maps to use while responding in hurricane-affected areas.

Local HVAC company now offers finance options with new units

Industrial construction and engineering company provides services for large projects in southern california

Save Water: Our solution provides for a portable caddy/stand, adjustable for precise watering with a stand base designed with stabilizers to accommodate flat surfaces or to grip on hillsides.

It’s the lack of clarity that makes one wonder if the note was a knee-jerk reaction, or a well-thought-out strategy.

In the U.S., there are at least 25,000 cases across all 50 states, plus Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Washington D.C. At least 323 have died from the virus.

Phase II of the improvements called for in the South Rim Visitor Transportation Plan/Environmental Assessment (Transportation Plan) is now substantially complete; and Mather Point and the Visitor Center plaza areas have reopened for public use. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/2011-01-06_phaseii.htm

Vegetation Program to Apply Herbicide within Developed Areas of Grand Canyon National Park https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/vegetation-program-to-apply-herbicide-within-developed-areas-of-grand-canyon-national-park.htm

Starting in May and continuing through September, the National Park Service will be applying herbicide to targeted, high priority, invasive plant species as part of an ongoing invasive plant management program in Grand Canyon National Park. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/2012-04-24_herbicide.htm

Throughout the upcoming field season, National Park Service staff will be applying herbicide to targeted high priority invasive plant species in Grand Canyon National Park’s developed areas. Developed areas of the park have increased levels of human disturbance, which contribute to the high concentration of invasive plants in these areas. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/national-park-service-staff-to-apply-herbicide-within-developed-areas-of-grand-canyon-national-park.htm

Throughout the upcoming field season, National Park Service staff will be applying herbicide to targeted high priority invasive plant species in Grand Canyon National Park's developed areas. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/herbicide-to-be-applied-within-developed-areas-of-grand-canyon-national-park.htm

From Tuesday, May 16 to Wednesday, May 17 the Grand Canyon National Park Division of Science and Resource Management (SRM) will apply minor spot spray treatments of herbicide around the Grand Canyon Lodge and campground in the North Rim Developed Area to aid in the control of an especially invasive grass species for which mechanical removal is ineffective. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/grca-apply-herbicide-on-nr-2019.htm

Over the past 30 years, the Pacific Northwest Interagency Natural Areas Committee has promoted the establishment and management of natural areas in Oregon and Washington--protected areas devoted to research, education, and conservation of biodiversity.

Cities have become more committed to ecological restoration and management activities in urban natural areas.

By Kristie Auman-Bauer Penn State News Climate change is causing glaciers to shrink, temperatures to rise, and shifts in human migration in parts of the world, according to a Penn State researcher. Brian Thiede, assistant professor of rural sociology, along … Continue reading →

By Sci Dev Net Advances in printed solar cell technology promise clean renewable energy, opening possibilities for 1.3 billion people still without electric power in developing countries. The technology, which only requires the use of existing industrial-size printers, can produce … Continue reading →

A display apparatus includes a lower substrate, an upper substrate, a spacer and an image display layer. The spacer includes a main spacer, a first sub-spacer and a second sub-spacer. The main spacer has a height greater than that of the first and second sub-spacers. The second sub-spacer has an area wider than that of the main spacer and the first sub-spacer.

A hairpiece or wig is formed of a substrate having at least two layers or sets of fibers. The hairpiece has a wig cap section which forming the core of the hairpiece to be placed on the head of an individual. The wig cap may be formed of a plurality of selectively-deformable rings adapted to adjustably conform to a head of an individual. A mesh section of the wig cap may adorn the portion of the wig cap corresponding to the forehead of the individual. The mesh section may have opposing parting areas on the left and right anterior portions of wig cap formed by recesses extending into the deformable ring portion of the wig cap. Hair strands extending from each parting area may have different shades and/or colors from one another and/or any hair strands extending from the deformable ring portion of the wig cap.

An apparatus for shot peening blade mounting areas on a disc of a rotor includes a peening nozzle unit which streams shot peening media along a longitudinal axis. The unit includes a nozzle outlet which extends at least partially in a circumferential direction of the unit, and a deflection arrangement with a deflection area for the media. The deflection area is at least partially cone or half-hyperboloid shaped, such that the media passes the nozzle outlet over an angle range in circumferential direction after being deflected by the deflection arrangement. A method for shot peening the blade mounting areas positions the unit in a slot profile of a blade mounting area, and guides the unit along the contour of the slot profile with the nozzle outlet facing the contour of the slot profile to approximately uniformly peen the contour of the slot profile.

An apparatus for assigning a plurality of access nodes of a wireless communication network to control areas includes a processing apparatus. The processing apparatus is configured to assign each access node in the plurality of access nodes to a control area of a plurality of control areas and to determine a first control phase. The first control phase is a period of time during which the assignment of access nodes to control areas remains constant. The processing apparatus is configured to, when changing from the first control phase to a following second control phase, reassign at least a subset of access nodes which were assigned during the first control phase to a first control area to a second control area and reassign at least a subset of access nodes which were assigned during the first control phase to a third control area to the first control area.

The Census Bureau says it is continuing the gradual relaunch of limited field operations for the 2020 census next week in nine states where the coronavirus pandemic forced the hand-delivery of paper forms in rural areas to be suspended in mid-March. On May 13, some local census offices in Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington are scheduled to restart that fieldwork, according to an updated schedule the bureau published on its website Friday. All workers are expected to be trained in CDC guidance in preventing the spread of COVID-19, and besides a new reusable face mask for every 10 days worked and a pair of gloves for each work day, the bureau has ordered 2 ounces of hand sanitizer for each census worker conducting field operations, the bureau tells NPR in an email. The announcement means more households that receive their mail at post office boxes or drop points are expected to find paper questionnaires left outside their

A team of marine scientists are on a mission to preserve biodiversity in oceans around the world. To do it, they need accurate maps that will help them identify areas in need of protection. There are several ongoing projects to create these maps. But they’re led by different groups, using different methods that can produce conflicting results.

The Census Bureau says it is continuing the gradual relaunch of limited field operations for the 2020 census next week in nine states where the coronavirus pandemic forced the hand-delivery of paper forms in rural areas to be suspended in mid-March. On May 13, some local census offices in Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington are scheduled to restart that fieldwork, according to an updated schedule the bureau published on its website Friday. All workers are expected to be trained in CDC guidance in preventing the spread of COVID-19, and besides a new reusable face mask for every 10 days worked and a pair of gloves for each work day, the bureau has ordered 2 ounces of hand sanitizer for each census worker conducting field operations, the bureau tells NPR in an email. The announcement means more households that receive their mail at post office boxes or drop points are expected to find paper questionnaires left outside their

The Census Bureau says it is continuing the gradual relaunch of limited field operations for the 2020 census next week in nine states where the coronavirus pandemic forced the hand-delivery of paper forms in rural areas to be suspended in mid-March. On May 13, some local census offices in Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington are scheduled to restart that fieldwork, according to an updated schedule the bureau published on its website Friday. All workers are expected to be trained in CDC guidance in preventing the spread of COVID-19, and besides a new reusable face mask for every 10 days worked and a pair of gloves for each work day, the bureau has ordered 2 ounces of hand sanitizer for each census worker conducting field operations, the bureau tells NPR in an email. The announcement means more households that receive their mail at post office boxes or drop points are expected to find paper questionnaires left outside their

The Census Bureau says it is continuing the gradual relaunch of limited field operations for the 2020 census next week in nine states where the coronavirus pandemic forced the hand-delivery of paper forms in rural areas to be suspended in mid-March. On May 13, some local census offices in Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington are scheduled to restart that fieldwork, according to an updated schedule the bureau published on its website Friday. All workers are expected to be trained in CDC guidance in preventing the spread of COVID-19, and besides a new reusable face mask for every 10 days worked and a pair of gloves for each work day, the bureau has ordered 2 ounces of hand sanitizer for each census worker conducting field operations, the bureau tells NPR in an email. The announcement means more households that receive their mail at post office boxes or drop points are expected to find paper questionnaires left outside their

The Census Bureau says it is continuing the gradual relaunch of limited field operations for the 2020 census next week in nine states where the coronavirus pandemic forced the hand-delivery of paper forms in rural areas to be suspended in mid-March. On May 13, some local census offices in Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington are scheduled to restart that fieldwork, according to an updated schedule the bureau published on its website Friday. All workers are expected to be trained in CDC guidance in preventing the spread of COVID-19, and besides a new reusable face mask for every 10 days worked and a pair of gloves for each work day, the bureau has ordered 2 ounces of hand sanitizer for each census worker conducting field operations, the bureau tells NPR in an email. The announcement means more households that receive their mail at post office boxes or drop points are expected to find paper questionnaires left outside their

Nationals MP Wendy Duncan says the State Government is paying the price for the shortage of doctors in regional Western Australia. She says the Commonwealth should fund efforts to attract doctors to regional areas.

Wheatbelt nickel miner Western Areas says it is pleased with its quarterly results, despite seeing small drops in production and sales and higher costs.