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NASA Satellites Reveal Major Shifts in Global Freshwater Updated June 2020

In June 2020, NASA provides an updated report on fresh water availability: "Of all of the water on Earth, 97% is saltwater, leaving a mere 3% as freshwater, approximately 1% of which is readily available for our use. The world’s population is becoming more and more reliant on this precious resource for power, irrigation, industrial practices, and daily consumption."  The report is available at: https://earthdata.nasa.gov/learn/toolkits/freshwater-availability

In a first-of-its-kind study, scientists have combined an array of NASA satellite observations of Earth with data on human activities to map locations where freshwater is changing around the globe and to determine why.

The study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, finds that Earth’s wet land areas are getting wetter and dry areas are getting drier due to a variety of factors, including human water management, climate change and natural cycles.

A team led by Matt Rodell of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, used 14 years of observations from the U.S./German-led Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) spacecraft mission to track global trends in freshwater in 34 regions around the world.


Global Innovation Exchange Co-Created by Horizon International, USAID, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Others

Horizon International co-created the Exchange alongside USAID and organizations from across government, business, academia, and NGOs who believe that together we can tackle humanity’s greatest challenges.  The Exchange is providing over 300 summaries of resources from Horizon’s Solutions Site with links to the full articles and case studies and anticipates to soon have over 600 posts from the Solutions Site’s 1,500 plus resources.  Explore resources on the Exchange from Horizon International at http://www.globalinnovationexchange.org/resources/organization/3013.

 

 

 

 

 

U. S. Land and Sea Now Protected by President Obama Increased to 265 million acres

Efforts on every scale from international to local, cooperatively and individually, are increasingly responding to this stark reality by setting aside land and regions of the seas as preservation areas which are now being protected to various extents. President Obama has taken again this past week action to invest and conserve America's natural treasures. President Barack Obama commented on the 12th of February 2016 upon designation of millions of acres in three new national monuments in the California desert to bring the land and sea he has protected to 265 million acres.


Climate Change Adaptation Investments Can Help Promote Livelihoods of 65% of Africans According to Report

The report, “Investment in Climate Change Adaptation Can Help Promote Livelihoods of 65% of Africans,” provides a snapshot of current and predicted future impacts of climate change on livelihoods, agriculture, and human and ecosystem health in Africa.


EnviroAtlas Ecosystem Mapping Tool Launched by US EPA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on 6 May 2014 released EnviroAtlas, a web-based interactive tool that integrates over 300 separate data layers, helps decision makers understand the implications of planning and policy decisions on our fragile ecosystems and the communities who depend on goods and services from these ecosystems. EnviroAtlas is available to the public and houses a wealth of data and research.


The Effects of Population on the Depletion of Fresh Water

This article compares quantitative estimates for groundwater loss and glacier recession and considers the significance of their relative magnitudes. It concludes that the effect of food and agriculture, hence of population, may be significantly greater than that attributable to the global warming caused by industrial production and transport.


Jaguar Given New Protection: Belize and Panthera Sign Critical Conservation Agreement

A trilateral agreement pledges collaborative implementation of science-based conservation initiatives that secure and connect jaguars and their habitats in Belize and beyond its borders, facilitate land development that is both ecologically sustainable and economically profitable, and mitigate human-jaguar conflict throughout the country.


Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve In Mexico Hailed a Model for Sustainable Development

Martha Isabel Ruiz Corzo, credited with securing the future of one of Mexico's most critical ecosystems, Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, and supporting the livelihoods of disadvantaged rural communities, received a UN 2013 Champions of the Earth award. The Reserve is home to more than 110 species of mammals 334 bird species, and 2,308 plant species. 


George Schaller’s Wildlife Conservation Journeys in Tibet Wild

George B. Schaller shares special moments throughout his book Tibet Wild: A Naturalist's Journeys on the Roof of the World, and tells of his connections with animals in ways that can benefit others in their pursuit of animal preservation. There are more than 20 game reserves around the world stemming from Schaller’s work.


Tropical Forest Carbon Sink Hinges On Unique Housing Arrangement Between Trees And Bacteria

A unique housing arrangement between a specific tree species and carbo-loading bacteria may determine how well tropical forests can absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, says new research from 16 September 2013 in an advance online publication of the journal Nature.


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