The Daily Croissant

Eclectic Perambulations in the Noosphere

  • Beyond the Gardens : The Millennium Seed Bank

    • 3 Apr 2012
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    • April 03 2012 Conservation Film Shorts Kew Gardens Millennium Seed Bank Natural Resources
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    Media_httpwwwkeworguc_vmgsb

    "Camassia leichtlinii (great camas) Great camas is a bulbous plant native to North America, with broader leaves than other species of this genus, that bears many star-shaped blue or whitish flowers in early summer."

    "The Millennium Seed Bank Partnership  is the largest ex situ plant conservation project in the world. Our focus is on global plant life faced with the threat of extinction and plants of most use for the future. The seeds we save are conserved outside their native habitat.

    Working with our network of partners across 50 countries, we have successfully banked 10% of the world's wild plant species. With your help, we are going to save 25% by 2020. We target plants and regions most at risk from climate change and the ever-increasing impact of human activities."

    via vimeo.com

     

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  • not all forms of biochar are the same

    • 26 Mar 2012
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    • Agriculture Ecology Gardening March 26 2012 Natural Resources
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    Media_httpwwwfuturity_rjuwc

    "Making charcoal may sound like a strange way to boost crop production, but the concept was proven more than 2,000 years ago in South America, where native farmers added charcoal to the poor soils of the Amazon rainforest to create a rich, fertile soil known by the Portuguese name "terra preta," or black earth."

    “When it’s done right, adding biochar to soil can improve hydrology and make more nutrients available to plants,” says Rice University biogeochemist Caroline Masiello, the lead researcher. To make the soil additive biochar, charcoal must reach at least 450 degrees Celsius to ensure that water and nutrients get to plants.

    via futurity.org

     

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  • Story of Bottled Water

    • 21 Mar 2012
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    • Ecology Film Shorts March 21 2012 Natural Resources Pollution Water
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    Media_httpdevstoryofs_hipyx
    via storyofstuff.org

     

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  • Disappearing Aral Sea--A Hell Good Intentions Created

    • 11 Mar 2012
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    • Aral Sea Desertification Man-made Disasters March 11 2012 Natural Resources Pollution Soviet Union
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    Media_httpearthobserv_fmfvh

    Watch time-series images of the the Aral Sea over the past decade.

    It was once the fourth largest lake in the world. Fed primarily by snowmelt and precipitation from faraway mountains, the Aral Sea supported extensive fishing communities and a temperate oasis in a mostly arid region of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. 
    But in the 1950s and 60s, the government of the Soviet Union launched projects that diverted the region’s two major rivers—the Syr Darya and the Amu Darya. The dams, canals, and other water works were built in order to transform the desert into agricultural fields for cotton and other crops. The Aral Sea has been slowly disappearing ever since.

    via earthobservatory.nasa.gov

     

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  • Waterproof Sand Could Green the Deserts

    • 24 Jan 2012
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    • Irrigation January 24 2012 Nanotechnology Natural Resources Water desert
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    "Global freshwater use tripled during the second half of the twentieth century as population more than doubled and as technological advances let farmers and other water users pump groundwater from greater depths and harness river water with more and larger dams. As global demand soars, pressures on the world’s water resources are straining aquatic systems worldwide. Rivers are running dry, lakes are disappearing, and water tables are dropping. Nearly 70 percent of global water withdrawals from rivers, lakes, and aquifers are used for irrigation, while industry and households account for 20 and 10 percent, respectively" World's Water Resources Face Mounting Pressure 

    "When regular desert sand lies beneath, water bleeds endlessly downward leaving roots dry until the next watering.

    With new hydrophobic sand in place, traditional watering of desert plants five or six times a day can be reduced to one watering, saving 75 per cent more water, a precious resource that is dwindling...

    One of the advantages of the hydrophobic sand... is that while it allows aerobic activity to move upward from the soil, it prevents underground desert salinity deposits from passing through to plant roots above; salt is corrosive and kills plants." 

    via nextbigfuture.com

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  • Every Drop Counts

    • 14 Nov 2011
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    • 13November11 Conservation Infographic Natural Resources Water
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    Media_httpdailyinfogr_cghaf
    "The average American family of four can live on 3 gallons of water a day, yet 400 gallons is closer to the daily usage. We can blame faulty faucets leaks and inefficient toilets, or we can start taking small steps to decrease our consumption. The infographic gives some simple ideas on how to start like turning off the tap water while brushing and only showering for 10 minutes (darn, they had to mention the showers)..."
    via dailyinfographic.com

     

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  • The Apocalyptic Landscapes of Alberta’s Oil Sands

    • 11 Nov 2011
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    • 10November11 Aquifer Canada Controversy Enviroment Natural Resources Oil Pipelines
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    Media_httpwwwwiredcom_qyeca
    "Running to the Gulf of Mexico from Alberta's oil fields, the pipeline would cut through the Great Plains and threaten oil spills into the Oglalla aquifer, the single largest source of fresh water in the United States. Though federal permits haven't yet been granted, landowners on the pipeline's path have been threatened with eminent domain land seizures; the federal review process has been corrupt, steered by oil company executives with insider connections and industry-hired consultants."
    via wired.com

     

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  • The Un-damming of the White Salmon

    • 4 Nov 2011
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    • 03November11 Dams Demolition Ecology Fisheries Natural Resources
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    "The Condit Dam in Washington State has been dramatically dismantled, to restore a salmon stream for the first time in a century.  

    For 98 years, the 125-foot high Condit Dam in southeastern Washington State held back the White Salmon River, creating a serene lake, but choking off the waterway to salmon. In an historic effort, the dam was dramatically breached. Ecologists hope the increased flow of water will restore the waterway to fish and other aquatic organisms, as well as the birds and mammals that rely on them."

    via news.nationalgeographic.com

     

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  • U.S. Oil Consumption

    • 2 Nov 2011
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    • 01November11 Consumption Ecology Natural Resources Oil
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    Media_httpdailyinfogr_piabd
    via dailyinfographic.com

     

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  • The Bloody Beaches of the Faroes

    • 1 Nov 2011
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    • 31October11 Beaches Death Enviroment Islands Natural Resources Whales
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    Media_httpwwwenvironm_pjugi
    "The sea is stained red with blood – the blood of hundreds of pilot whales, flowing into the waters off the Faroe Islands as the sea creatures are slaughtered. The small-toothed whales have been rounded up and beached in shallow waters, and now the whalers wield knives while children play close-by. Later, the meat will be divided amongst the people, either to be frozen or preserved by more traditional means – salting or air-drying. First, though, there is the butchery to deal with."
    more via environmentalgraffiti.com

     

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