Clues to Tokyo’s Great Quakes Uncovered

Japan’s Kanto region, which includes the city of Tokyo on the main island of Honshu, is one of the most seismically active areas on Earth. Situated near the triple junction of the Pacific, Philippine and Eurasian plates, the Kanto region lies along the famed Pacific Ring of Fire and has experienced more than its fair share of earthquakes and tsunamis.

Fish Farms at Sea: The Ground Truth from Google Earth

The fishing industry is notorious for underreporting the number of organisms that are being fished out of the world’s oceans every year. A study, published in the journal PLoS ONE, is the first to estimate seafood production using satellite imagery. Researchers used Google Earth to count and measure the number of coastal fish farms in 16 countries on the Mediterranean Sea.

Researchers Probe 200-Year-Old Shipwreck off Rhode Island Coast

For two centuries it rested a mile from shore, shrouded by a treacherous reef from the pleasure boaters and beachgoers who haunt New England’s southern coast. ow, researchers from the U.S. Navy are hoping to confirm what the men who discovered the wreck believe: that the sunken ship off the coast of Rhode Island is the USS Revenge, commanded by Oliver Hazard Perry and lost on a stormy January day in 1811.

Gabon: Tourism versus Oil Revenues

A decade ago Gabon set aside 10% of its land for national parks, to boost its economy by becoming Africa’s magnet for eco-tourists, and some, hoping that tourism can help Gabon reduce its long reliance on oil. Loango Park, called the ‘Land of surfing hippos’ held perhaps the greatest potential to lure tourists, given its rare wildlife and unusual coastal setting, but turning its natural assets into tourist cash has been tougher than expected.

Are Jellyfish Increasing in the World’s Oceans? A UCSB Study

Blooms, or proliferation, of jellyfish have shown a substantial, visible impact on coastal populations, clogged nets for fishermen, stinging waters for tourists, even choked intake lines for power plants, and recent media reports have created a perception that the world’s oceans are experiencing increases in jellyfish due to human activities such as global warming and overharvesting of fish.

100 Countries Back World Environment Agency: France

More than a hundred countries now support a French proposal to create a “World Environment Organisation” at the upcoming 20th anniversary conference of the Rio Summit, France’s ecology minister said.

Feds: Mid-Atlantic Wind Farms Take Step Forward

Offshore wind farms from New Jersey to Virginia took a big step closer to reality with the completion of a review that showed the renewable energy source would leave no major environmental damage.

Oil Spill Brings Attention to Delicate Gulf Coast

For decades, farmers and fishermen along the Gulf of Mexico watched as their sensitive ecosystem’s waters slowly got dirtier and islands eroded, all while the country largely ignored the slow, methodical ruin of an ecosystem vital to the U.S. economy…