Remember the BP Oil Spill? Malformed Fish Do. “Three years ago, the blowout at BP’s Macondo well spewed more than five million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Despite attempts to recover it, much of that oil made it into sediments. And new tests show that such oiled sediments are bad for Gulf fish. The research is in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.”

Esa approves Biomass satellite to monitor Earth’s forests. “The spacecraft will carry a novel radar system that is able to sense the trunks and big branches of trees from orbit. Scientists will use Biomass to calculate the amount of carbon stored in the world’s forests, and to monitor for any changes over the course of the five-year mission. The satellite’s data should help researchers understand better the role trees play in the cycling of carbon on Earth and, by extension, the influence this has on the planet’s climate.”

Toxic caterpillars to be targeted by helicopter. “Aerial spraying is to be used for the first time to target caterpillars of the oak processionary moth. They feed on oak trees and their hairs contain a toxin that can cause itchy rashes, eye and throat irritations. Experts will spray Herridge’s and Broom copses near Pangbourne and a privately-owned block of trees nearby . They will use a bacterial agent that occurs naturally in soil and is authorised for the operation by Natural England, the government’s advisor on the natural environment.”

10 Key Findings From a Rapidly Acidifying Arctic Ocean. “As predicted by chemistry, change in the Arctic Ocean is accelerating as temperatures warm faster than the global average, as the sea ice melts, as northern rivers run stronger and faster, delivering more fresh water farther into the northernmost ocean, and as we continue blasting an ever increasing quantity of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The Arctic Ocean Acidification Assessment, a new report from the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP), presents these 10 key findings.”

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