Think climate change and global warming isn't real? Think again

Dr. James Balog and the Extreme Ice Survey (EIS) have provided the world with the most irrefutable proof yet.  If you can watch his TED talk and still have doubts...  Well, I can't see how that is possible.  

Here are 2 photos, taken by EIS of the exact same glacier from the exact same place by the exact same camera just 6 months apart.

April 2006

October 2006

The film documenting his work, Chasing Ice, was released in 2012 and provides the full documentary of his and his team's work.  You can see the trailer by clicking on the image below.  You can watch the full movie on Netflix.

You can also rent or purchase the movie on Amazon.com.

Find more information: Chasing Ice and EIS.

Indigenous and Dominant Cultures will clash over what happens with Mother Earth

The mountain-top battle over the Thirty Meter Telescope

Alexandra Witze (2015)

Plans to build one of the world's biggest telescopes on Mauna Kea in Hawaii are mired in conflict. Four people involved in the fight explain their diverse views.

A sacred place for Indigenous Hawaiians

A great view for astronomers

There must be a position of balance between belief and science.

Read the full article here (opens in a new window)

This kind of fight is well-known to my people as we continue to fight for our He Sapa (Black Hills).  Our origin stories and our beliefs make the He Sapa the center of our universe and the most sacred of places for the Lakota people.  Imagine your most sacred cathedral....

Many Sioux tribe members insist that the 1877 act of Congress that removed the Sioux from their home in the Black Hills of South Dakota (above) was invalid and a scam. It was not agreed to by enough tribal members and the land was not for sale. (Photo courtesy of Jason Riedy/Flickr)

Read the full article here (opens in a new window)

Our sacred place has been and is being torn apart.  In this publication by the U.S. Geological Survey, you can see a listing of all the mines in the He Sapa.  

photo by Kevin Eilbeck, Rapid City, SD

"Homestake Mine Pit" by Rachel Harris - originally posted to Flickr as Gold mine in Lead, SD. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Commons 

The health impacts of early humans living in caves

This makes perfect sense when you think about it.  I just never thought about it until I read this article!

Earliest evidence of pollution by heavy metals in archaeological sites (Monge et al., 2015)

See full article here (opens in new window)

Abstract

Homo species were exposed to a new biogeochemical environment when they began to occupy caves. Here we report the first evidence of palaeopollution through geochemical analyses of heavy metals in four renowned archaeological caves of the Iberian Peninsula spanning the last million years of human evolution. Heavy metal contents reached high values due to natural (guano deposition) and anthropogenic factors (e.g. combustion) in restricted cave environments. The earliest anthropogenic pollution evidence is related to Neanderthal hearths from Gorham's Cave (Gibraltar), being one of the first milestones in the so-called “Anthropocene”. According to its heavy metal concentration, these sediments meet the present-day standards of “contaminated soil”. Together with the former, the Gibraltar Vanguard Cave, shows Zn and Cu pollution ubiquitous across highly anthropic levels pointing to these elements as potential proxies for human activities. Pb concentrations in Magdalenian and Bronze age levels at El Pirulejo site can be similarly interpreted. Despite these high pollution levels, the contaminated soils might not have posed a major threat to Homo populations. Altogether, the data presented here indicate a long-term exposure of Homo to these elements, via fires, fumes and their ashes, which could have played certain role in environmental-pollution tolerance, a hitherto neglected influence.

The wide-reaching impact of human trash and waste-disposal methods.

Anthropogenic debris in seafood: Plastic debris and fibers from textiles in fish and bivalves sold for human consumption (Rochman et al., 2015)

See Full Article here (in a new window)

Abstract

The ubiquity of anthropogenic debris in hundreds of species of wildlife and the toxicity of chemicals associated with it has begun to raise concerns regarding the presence of anthropogenic debris in seafood. We assessed the presence of anthropogenic debris in fishes and shellfish on sale for human consumption. We sampled from markets in Makassar, Indonesia, and from California, USA. All fish and shellfish were identified to species where possible. Anthropogenic debris was extracted from the digestive tracts of fish and whole shellfish using a 10% KOH solution and quantified under a dissecting microscope. In Indonesia, anthropogenic debris was found in 28% of individual fish and in 55% of all species. Similarly, in the USA, anthropogenic debris was found in 25% of individual fish and in 67% of all species. Anthropogenic debris was also found in 33% of individual shellfish sampled. All of the anthropogenic debris recovered from fish in Indonesia was plastic, whereas anthropogenic debris recovered from fish in the USA was primarily fibers. Variations in debris types likely reflect different sources and waste management strategies between countries. We report some of the first findings of plastic debris in fishes directly sold for human consumption raising concerns regarding human health.

To Fly on the Wings of an Eagle

On March 14, 2015, a new world record was set for the highest recorded bird flight from a man-made structure.  The structure:  the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world at 829.8 m (2717 ft) tall.  The location: Dubai, an emirate within the United Arab Emirates.  The reason:  to bring attention to the desperate need to protect the world's species and to the programs of Save our Species (SOS).

Darshan is an Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca) and serves as an ambassador for threatened animals with the SOS Freedom Program.  This magnificent raptor species is listed as a Vulnerable Species on the IUCN's Red List, Appendix I of CITES, and Appendices I and II of the CMS.  It is not the first flight he has made with a camera mounted on his back.  In November 2014, to promote the opening of Here Today, an art exhibition supporting the 50th anniversary of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, Darshan toured London by air, flying over the Tower Bridge, St. Paul's Cathedral, and Olympic Park.

The views Darshan captured as he flew in Dubai and London are absolutely amazing.  What really impressed me was that his flight was so incredibly smooth - the camera hardly jiggled.  When he approached his trainer, you can see him fold his wings and dive until close enough to open his wings, slow down, and gently land on his trainer's arm.

SOS is a global partnership launched in October 2014 who's goal is to raise funds to support front-line, threatened-species conservation projects world wide.  The founding partners are the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and the World Bank.  Freedom - An Eagle Takes Flight is an international multimedia conservation project of SOS and tells the fictional story of Roi, the last White-Tailed Eagle in the wild, and Kaaba, a White-Tailed Eagle who has spent much of its life in captivity.  It is a fictional story now, but could be a glimpse into our future if we do not act now and forcefully to preserve all of Earth's creatures.  Victor, a White-Tailed Eagle, and also an SOS Ambassador, took flight from the top of the Eiffel Tower September 28, 2014, to publicize the release of Freedom - An Eagle Takes Flight.

You can support SOS and its program by direct donation, joining its community on Facebook and Twitter, subscribing to its newsletter, and buying children's wear from coqenpate editions.

Happy Birthday, Alfred Wegener!

You changed geology forever - THANK YOU!

http://education.nationalgeographic.com/thisday/nov1/happy-birthday-alfred-wegener/#