Late Blight — Irish Potato Famine Fungus — Attacks U.S. Northeast Gardens And Farms Hard

Posted on July 6, 2009 by Rashid Faridi

Late blight — a destructive infectious disease that caused the Irish potato famine in the 1840s — is killing tomato and potato plants in gardens and on commercial farms in the eastern United States. In addition, basil downy mildew is affecting plants in the Northeast.

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Disappearing Seagrass Threatening Future Of Coastal Ecosystems Globally

Posted on July 6, 2009 by Rashid Faridi

An international team of scientists warns that accelerating losses of seagrasses across the globe threaten the immediate health and long-term sustainability of coastal ecosystems. The team has compiled and analyzed the first comprehensive global assessment of seagrass observations and found that 58 percent of world’s seagrass meadows are currently declining.

The assessment, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows an acceleration of annual seagrass loss from less than 1 percent per year before 1940 to 7 percent per year since 1990. Based on more than 215 studies and 1,800 observations dating back to 1879, the assessment shows that seagrasses are disappearing at rates similar to coral reefs and tropical rainforests….

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Natural deep earth pump fuels earthquakes

Posted on July 5, 2009 by Rashid Faridi
A rock sample of less than 1 mm that was deformed in the middle crust of the earth. Its porosity is highlighted in red.Photo by: Dr Florian Fusseis, University of Western Australia

A rock sample of less than 1 mm that was deformed in the middle crust of the earth. It's porosity is highlighted in red.Photo by: Dr Florian Fusseis, University of Western Australia

For the first time scientists have discovered the presence of a natural deep earth pump that is a crucial element in the formation of ore deposits and earthquakes.The process, called creep cavitation, involves fluid being pumped through pores in deformed rock in mid-crustal shear zones, which are approximately 15 km below the Earth’s surface.

The fluid transfer through the middle crust also plays a key role in tectonic plate movement and mantle degassing.The discovery was made by examining one millimetre sized cubes of exposed rock in Alice Springs, which was deformed around 320 million years ago during a period of natural mountain formation.

The evidence is described in a paper published in the latest edition of Nature entitled Creep cavitation can establish a dynamic granular fluid pump in ductile shear zones.

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New Digital Elevation Model Covers 99 Percent of the Earth

Posted on July 3, 2009 by Rashid Faridi

Dear readers,found this good news on map room recently and thought of sharing with the world.Click here to read this interesting post.

Posted in GIS, map making | Leave a comment