erosion news from mongabay.com

Climate change doubles coastal erosion in Alaska over 5-year period

2009-02-18T17:10:00Z

Coastal erosion along a 64-kilometer (40-mile) stretch of Alaska's Beaufort Sea doubled between 2002 and 2007, report researchers, who link the development to "declining sea ice extent, increasing summertime sea-surface temperature, rising sea level, and increases in storm power and corresponding wave action."

Destruction of wetlands worsens global warming

2008-07-20T14:30:39Z

Destruction of wetland ecosystems will generate massive greenhouse gas emissions in coming years, warn experts convening at an international wetlands conference in Brazil.

Forests cover 1/3 of U.S. but are responsible for 2/3 of its water supply

2008-07-16T14:30:39Z

The single most important function of U.S. forests is their role in securing the country's freshwater supply at a time when water demand is surging but climate risks to forests are also increasing, say the authors of a new federal report released by the National Research Council.

Soil erosion: the future of Easter Island

2008-02-25T14:30:39Z

Today the saga that is Easter Island's past is well known. The tragic circumstances that led to the downfall of its early civilization through starvation and war are of epic proportions. Many scientists agree that the real life scenario born from this isolated island serves as a warning, about the interrelatedness between scarcity of natural resources and conflict, for all mankind. However, current natural resource practices suggest that this lesson has fallen on deaf ears.

Rising Population puts strain on Soil

2007-08-30T14:30:39Z

Soil degradation and vegetation loss may accelerate global warming, warned Iceland's President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson.

Pearl River Delta under Rising Water Threat

2007-08-30T14:30:39Z

1,153 square km (445 square miles) of land surrounding the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong Province, China may be engulfed by rising sea levels by 2050, reports Chinese state media. The cities worst affected will be Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, alongside Zhuhai and Foshan if nothing is done to combat the problem soon.

China to spend $2.1B to protect wetlands

2007-04-25T14:30:39Z

China says it will spend more than $2.1 billion (16.5 billion yuan) to protect and restore its highly endangered wetlands over the next five years.

Loss of topsoil a global problem for agriculture

2007-04-17T14:30:39Z

Throughout history civilizations expanded as they sought new soil to feed their populations, then ultimately fell as they wore out or lost the dirt they depended upon. When that happened, people moved on to fertile new ground and formed new civilizations.

Deforestation and erosion starving Malawi

2005-10-13T15:19:39Z

Forest loss and erosion could doom Malawi to perpetual food shortages as the country's fertile soil is literally swept down to its rivers and flushed out to sea.