What you've missed this week

Internal exams are over - hoorah! - and you have a week of rest and recuperation - so what have you missed this week whilst revising?

Britain's largest wind farm was switched on - hear more at this link or fly over it by clicking this link.

The oldest and largest trees within California's world famous Yosemite National Park are disappearing - find out why by clicking this link.

Britain's beaches are getting dirtier - so look at the Marine Conservation Society web page to check out the quality of the beach you plan to go to.

Other than these it's been quite quiet!

Have a good half term.

Coral calamity

The world's most important coral region is in danger of being wiped out by the end of this century unless fast action is taken, says a new report.
The international conservation group WWF warns that 40% of reefs in the Coral Triangle have already been lost.
The area is shared between Indonesia and five other South East Asian nations and is thought to contain 75% of the world's coral species.

Read more on the BBC website

Can you tell what it is?

So what is this a picture of? Honey Comb, Peanut Brittle, or Bananas?

You've heard of "green" fuel. Now get ready for yellow as scientists have found a way to turn banana waste into a sustainable fuel source that could be relevant to many countries across Africa. The simple, low-tech idea, was developed by researchers at Nottingham University.
They used banana skins to create briquettes that can be burned for cooking, lighting and heating. It could alleviate the burden of gathering firewood, the dominant energy source in many parts of the continent. This would help reduce deforestation, which makes a significant contribution to global climate change.

This article was found on the BBC News Channel

Health and Climate

Climate change is "the biggest global health threat of the 21st Century", according to a leading medical journal.
The Lancet, together with University College London researchers, has published a report outlining how public health services will need to adapt.

To read their findings click this link to the Lancet

We're doomed, all doomed!!!

The collapse of a major polar ice sheet will not raise global sea levels as much as previous projections suggest, a team of scientists has calculated.
Writing in Science, the researchers said that the demise of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) would result in a sea level rise of 3.3m (10 ft).
Previous estimates had forecast a rise in the region of five to six metres.
However, they added, the rise would still pose a serious threat to major coastal cities, such as New York.

For more information click this link to the BBC or check out the article in Science.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to us,

Happy Birthday to us,

Happy Birthday to the Hulme Geog Blog,

Happy Birthday to us!
Just trips of the tongue?

Hard to believe but it's our first Birthday - and what a geographical year it has been, but what is in store for us in the future?

California Fires

This week fires have been raging north of Santa Barbara in California.

For detailed information and some amazing images click this link to the Santa Barbara News.

How do you miss 3000km?

The Great Wall of China is even greater than previously thought, according to the first detailed survey to establish the length of the ancient barricade.
A two-year government mapping study found that the wall spans 8,850km (5,500 miles) - until now, the length was commonly put at about 5,000km.

For more detail click this link.

Globalisation at its worse?

You will not have been able to avoid the headlines regarding the concern of "swine flu". This week the World Health Organisation (WHO) claimed that it would be of pandemic proportions and raised there level of concern to a grade 5.

As Geographers we study the spread of disease at A-level and so Swine Flu will be an excellent case-study to monitor.

Click this link to the BBC to watch the way the disease has spread and will spread.