News in brief: 14th - 20th September 2020

UK river water quality worsens

The Environment Agency has recently announced that water quality levels in rivers have not improved since the last monitoring figures were released; although water quality has not declined, it is thought that chemicals from farming, sewage discharge, and industries were still higher than desirable and need to be reduced in order to make rivers cleaner for plants and wildlife

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Siberian permafrost thaws out
Areas of Siberian ground that are normally permanently frozen (permafrost) are beginning to thaw out according to scientists who are monitoring the area; as the ground thaws, the soil shifts downwards leaving the landscape covered in lumps and bumps called thermokarsts where water can pool and form lakes

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Greenland ice shelf shatters

A piece of a large ice shelf in Greenland has broken off and shattered into many pieces; the section is thought to be 110 km squared in size and is yet another piece of evidence of rapid climate change in the area which is thought to have warmed by around 3 degrees since 1980

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News in brief: 24th - 30th August 2020

Storm Francis causes widespread flooding

Strong winds and heavy rain brought by Storm Francis has caused widespread flooding across large parts of the UK and particularly Wales; the Met Office put out extreme weather warnings and evacuated people from some areas as wind speeds reached up to 75mph

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Poor wheat harvest pushes up bread prices

The price of bread may rise after the worst wheat harvest in the UK in 40 years; extreme weather has affected crop growth, with flooding causing problems with sowing last autumn and dry spells in the summer limiting nutrient uptake

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Protest over Mauritius oil spill

Thousands of people have gathered to march in protect about the large oil spill off the coast of Mauritius last month; it is thought that around 1,000 tonnes of oil have been spilt into a precious wildlife area, and that the government has done little to clean up the spill or prevent it from happening in the first place
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A good season for butterflies

All the warm weather over spring and summer this year has made it an excellent season for a number of butterfly species; lots of British native species have been seen in abundance although there are still several that are in decline overall
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News in brief: 17 February - 23 February 2020

Flooding worries continue
The UK is not experiencing any let up in flooding concerns as heavy rain and wind continues to sweep across the country; heavy overnight rain has meant that residents of towns in the Yorkshire Dales had to be evacuated from their homes overnight

Controversy over domestic fuels
The UK is introducing a ban on coal and wet wood (wood that has not been seasoned or dried for 1-2 years) being used in homes for domestic fires; the trend for log burners in homes is leading to a reduction in air quality and it is thought by controlling the type of fuel used it may make it more environmentally friendly

Rise in blue whale population
The number of blue whales spotted near Antarctica has risen dramatically according to recent observations; a 23-day survey carried out recorded seeing 55 animals, an amazing number considering the area was an epicentre for whaling in the early 20th century

Greta Thunberg to visit Bristol
The Swedish environmental activist is to visit Bristol next week for a youth climate protest; Bristol has previously received an award for being a European Green Capital in 2015 and has backed a commitment to being carbon neutral by 2030

Is spring arriving early?
Weather watchers and nature lovers are noticing that spring has arrived incredibly early this year with daffodils and snowdrops flowering as early as the end of January; in some places, flowers are coming out all at once instead of being staggered throughout the spring

In pictures - Storm Dennis

The River Ouse bursts its banks due to heavy rainfall from Storm Dennis (Image credit: AFP)

>> What can be done to prepare better for floods? Do you think they are preventable or a result of our changing climate?

News in brief - Tuesday 3rd September

Devastation in the trail of Hurricane Dorian
Hurricane Dorian has taken around 24 hours to move over the islands of the Bahamas, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake; 5 people are known to have died, with many further casualties feared as help is slow to reach those affected

Unblock rivers to save UK fish
Scientists are advising that increasing numbers of weirs, sluices and dams in UK rivers are harming wildlife by creating barriers; species such as salmon are unable to migrate upstream and become isolated and weakened as a result

The impact of climate change on bananas
Research has shown that changes in global temperatures and rainfall patterns may affect the success of dessert banana crops in the future; countries like Brazil, Costa Rica, Colombia and India may see a significant drop in production after 2050

News in brief - Tuesday 19th March

Flooding in Mozambique
Cyclone Idai has caused huge areas of Mozambique to become submerged underwater; around 1,000 people are thought to have died after strong winds and heavy rainfall struck the coastal areas at the weekend

Risk of UK water shortages
The Environment Agency is warning that the UK could run out of water within the next 25 years; pressure is being placed on resources because of rising population levels and declining supply due to climate change

The benefits of offshore wind farms
Offshore wind technology in the UK is becoming more cost efficient as turbine designs have rapidly improved; there are currently a significant number of offshore wind farms in shallow seas, but the next step is to look at floating wind farms

News in brief - Monday 18th March

UK flood warnings
Several places around the UK are experiencing rising flood waters after heavy rain at the weekend; people living near the River Ouse and River Dee were advised to check warnings before travelling

Whale found to have eaten 40kg of plastic
A whale in the Philippines was found dead and with 40kg of plastic within its stomach; the plastic was made up of rice sacks and shopping bags, and the incident is being used by conservationists to further highlight the problem of plastic waste in our oceans

School climate strikes spread globally
Around 1.4 million people are thought to have taken part in recent global climate change rallies and protests; more and more people are realising the potential future impacts of global warming and are pressuring governments to take action

News in brief - Thursday 7th March

UK to increase wind power generation
A new deal between the government and wind industry will mean that 30% of the UK's electricity will come from offshore wind farms by 2030; this will create new jobs in areas of coastline such as Norfolk and the north of Scotland, but environmentalists are concerned about where the other 70% of energy will come from and whether it will be environmentally-friendly

Rainfall in Greenland
Scientists have found that increasingly frequent rainfall in Greenland due to a warmer climate is having a detrimental impact on the surface ice; the rain (which should be falling as snow in the Artic winter) is melting the ice and thereby adding to sea level rise, rather than adding to the land ice store as it normally would

The spread of microplastics 
Recent studies have shown that microplastics have now spread to every continent and can be found in oceans, rivers, and even groundwater stores and tap water; this plastic can cause harm to animals and humans if ingested, but a greater worry now is the bacteria carried on the plastic itself, which can cause infections such as gastroenteritis 

In pictures - flooding in the Mekong Delta

Aerial view of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam - an area that is experiencing increasing flooding due to climate change (Image credit: Copernicus Data)

>> Draw an annotated fieldsketch of this delta area