Gulf of Mexico's 'dead zone' close to record size >>Source: Washington Post
The "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico, an area on the seabed with too little oxygen to support fish, shrimp, crabs and other forms of marine life, is nearly the largest on record this year, about 8,000 square miles, researchers said this week. Only the churning effects of Hurricane Dolly last week, they said, prevented the dead zone from being the largest ever.
Live fish caught at record depth >>Source: BBC News
A live deep-sea fish has been caught at a record depth of 2,300m on the hot vents of the mid-Atlantic Ridge. Three shrimp species were also pulled to the surface, researchers report in the journal Deep-Sea Research. Scientists have engineered a new device that allows recovery of live animals under their natural pressure at greater depths than previously achieved.
Bangladesh landmass 'is growing' >>Source: BBC News
New research shows Bangladesh may not be as vulnerable to rising sea levels caused by climate change as previously feared, scientists in Dhaka say. They say satellite images show the country's landmass is actually growing because of sediment dumped by rivers.
New rainforest species discovered >>Source: BBC News
An expedition to the rainforests of Guyana has discovered species new to science. A team of researchers and wildlife film-makers spent six weeks searching the pristine forest as part of a BBC documentary. The group believes it has revealed two fish species, one frog species and a number of bat flies that have not been described previously.
Congo launches review of logging contracts >>Source: Reuters
Congo, home to the world's second largest tropical forest, launched a review of all timber contracts on Wednesday in an effort to clean up a business rife with corruption and to recoup millions of dollars in lost taxes.
Spain aiming for 1m electric cars by 2014 >>Source: Gas2.org
Once again boosting their reputation as a country intent on helping the environment, Spain has announced that they intend to put 1m electric cars on their roads by 2014. This will be part of the Zapatero government's plan to reduce their use of energy and increase the countries overall energy efficiency.
Utah's solar-fired furnace to power California for less than the cost of coal or gas >>Source: Celsias.org
In an arid region of the western US known as the Great Basin, the desert floor has recently been reaching temperatures in excess of 1,300F (704C). No, this isn't due to global warming, but perhaps part of the solution to it. A Utah based company called IAUS has developed a solar lens technology that transmits solar energy with an efficiency of 92%.
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