Latest news with #EU-funded
Leader Live
19 hours ago
- General
- Leader Live
Sea lamprey return to River Dee after Erbistock weir removal
Fisheries experts discovered 25 sea lamprey nests upstream of the former Erbistock weir on the River Dee. The finding comes one year after the EU-funded LIFE Dee River project, led by Natural Resources Wales (NRW), removed the weir last summer. Joel Rees-Jones, project manager for the LIFE Dee River scheme, said: "Seeing these redds above the Erbistock weir removal site is genuinely exciting. "It clearly shows that by reconnecting habitats and removing barriers like Erbistock weir, we're giving iconic species such as lamprey and Atlantic salmon a fighting chance to thrive and build healthy populations. "This is a huge win for biodiversity on the Dee, and demonstrates that ambitious river restoration like this can deliver immediate, measurable benefits for wildlife and improve the health of these vital ecosystems." Lamprey, a protected and ancient species, had been unable to pass the three-metre-high, 70-metre-wide Erbistock weir to reach upstream spawning areas. Salmon also faced delays and obstacles at the site, threatening their survival. The removal of the weir, which had blocked fish passage for nearly 200 years, has now opened up 4km of critical habitat and restored free movement for all fish species. Earlier this month, the project team captured drone footage of a lamprey nest just 40 metres downstream of Manley Hall gauging weir. However, the concentration of nests below this remaining barrier highlights that it too is restricting further upstream migration. READ MORE: Hundreds of volunteers praised as 'heart and soul' of Llangollen Eisteddfod The Ship Hotel named finalist as the Leader searches for 'Best Pub 2025' Mr Rees-Jones said: "While we're thrilled by what we've achieved so far, our surveys confirm that Manley Hall is the next major hurdle. "That's why we're already planning targeted works here for next year, aiming to improve passage and ensure the benefits of a free-flowing Dee are fully realised." The Erbistock weir removal, completed in 2024, is part of broader efforts by the LIFE Dee River project to restore the River Dee and Llyn Tegid Special Area of Conservation. More information about the project is available on its official webpage.
The Star
2 days ago
- Climate
- The Star
Extreme heat waves spark climate emergencies worldwide
BANGKOK (Xinhua): A new heat wave alert has raised the alarm worldwide as Europe and the Middle East battled an extremely scorching hot weather this week, prompting many countries to declare climate emergencies. According to Iran's national meteorological service, the country is sweltering through its hottest week of the year, with temperatures hitting above 50 degrees Celsius. In Tehran, the temperatures shot up to 40 degrees on Sunday. As the searing heatwaves persisted, Tehran's water authority had urged residents to cut down water consumption by at least 20 per cent, warning that reservoirs at the dams supplying water to the capital have sunk to "their lowest levels in a century." Some 3,500 km west of Tehran, the Greek capital of Athens is enduring its first prolonged heatwave of this summer as well. Hot air masses sweeping in from North Africa arrived earlier than usual and have formed a heat dome over Greece and the Balkans, pushing temperatures up to 10 degrees above the seasonal norm, said its National Observatory. With average highs forecast to reach 38 degrees this week and peak at 44 degrees in some areas. The National Herald, a Greek daily, described conditions as "hotter than hell." Such aridity, combined with gale-force winds, has put Greece under severe wildfire outbreaks. Firefighters on Thursday grappled with a blaze on the island of Crete that burned through forests and olive groves, forcing the evacuation of more than 1,000 people. In addition, a new outbreak of fire near Athens edged dangerously close to residential areas. Elsewhere, Türkiye recorded 761 wildfires in the 10 days following June 26. The fires flaring in and around the western Izmir Province have claimed the lives of an elderly man and a forest department worker. Across Europe, at least eight heat-related deaths have been reported in several countries, including Spain and Italy, as the continent baked in the heatwave. "We are currently under the influence of a strong high-pressure system; this is trapping hot air from northern Africa over the region. And as we can see, it's having a pretty big impact on what we are experiencing now," Clare Nullis, a World Meteorological Organisation spokesperson, said earlier. She noted that humans will have to learn to live with more frequent and intense heat waves as a result of climate change. The EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service said in a recent article that "damage to the built environment from extreme weather events is expected to increase tenfold by the end of the century due to climate change alone." Such widespread climate impacts highlight the importance of building greater resilience, it noted, calling for physical and technological measures such as water recycling, separation of rain and greywater, climate-resilient building design, risk mapping, and early warning systems. "Adaptation is required across all sectors and governance levels, and actions must address both current climate impacts and steps to protect against future risks," it said. -Xinhua
Kuwait Times
2 days ago
- Science
- Kuwait Times
From Antarctica to Brussels, hunting climate clues in old ice - Islam Al-Sharaa
In a small, refrigerated room at a Brussels university, parka-wearing scientists chop up Antarctic ice cores tens of thousands of years old in search of clues to our planet's changing climate. Trapped inside the cylindrical icicles are tiny air bubbles that can provide a snapshot of what the earth's atmosphere looked like back then. 'We want to know a lot about the climates of the past because we can use it as an analogy for what can happen in the future,' said Harry Zekollari, a glaciologist at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). Zekollari was part of a team of four that headed to the white continent in November on a mission to find some of the world's oldest ice -- without breaking the bank. Ice dating back millions of years can be found deep inside Antarctica, close to the South Pole, buried under kilometers of fresher ice and snow. But that's hard to reach and expeditions to drill it out are expensive. A recent EU-funded mission that brought back some 1.2-million-year-old samples came with a total price tag of around 11 million euros (around $12.8 million). To cut costs, the team from VUB and the nearby Universite Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) used satellite data and other clues to find areas where ancient ice might be more accessible. Belgian scientists handle a blue ice sample in a laboratory in Brussels. Belgian scientists holds blue ice samples in a laboratory in Brussels. Blue ice Just like the water it is made of, ice flows towards the coast -- albeit slowly, explained Maaike Izeboud, a remote sensing specialist at VUB. And when the flow hits an obstacle, say a ridge or mountain, bottom layers can be pushed up closer to the surface. In a few rare spots, weather conditions like heavy winds prevent the formation of snow cover -- leaving thick layers of ice exposed. Named after their coloration, which contrasts with the whiteness of the rest of the continent, these account for only about one percent of Antarctica territory. 'Blue ice areas are very special,' said Izeboud. Her team zeroed in on a blue ice stretch lying about 2,300 meters (7,500 feet) above sea level, around 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Belgium's Princess Elisabeth Antarctica Research Station. Some old meteorites had been previously found there -- a hint that the surrounding ice is also old, the researchers explained. A container camp was set up and after a few weeks of measurements, drilling, and frozen meals, in January the team came back with 15 ice cores totaling about 60 meters in length. These were then shipped from South Africa to Belgium, where they arrived in late June. Inside a stocky cement ULB building in the Belgian capital, they are now being cut into smaller pieces to then be shipped to specialized labs in France and China for dating. Zekollari said the team hopes some of the samples, which were taken at shallow depths of about 10 meters, will be confirmed to be about 100,000 years old. Climate 'treasure hunt' This would allow them to go back and dig a few hundred meters deeper in the same spot for the big prize. 'It's like a treasure hunt,' Zekollari, 36, said, comparing their work to drawing a map for 'Indiana Jones'. 'We're trying to cross the good spot on the map... and in one and a half years, we'll go back and we'll drill there,' he said. 'We're dreaming a bit, but we hope to get maybe three, four, five-million-year-old ice.' Such ice could provide crucial input to climatologists studying the effects of global warming. Climate projections and models are calibrated using existing data on past temperatures and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere -- but the puzzle has some missing pieces. By the end of the century temperatures could reach levels similar to those the planet last experienced between 2.6 and 3.3 million years ago, said Etienne Legrain, 29, a paleo-climatologist at ULB. But currently there is little data on what CO2 levels were back then -- a key metric to understand how much further warming we could expect. 'We don't know the link between CO2 concentration and temperature in a climate warmer than that of today,' Legrain said. His team hopes to find it trapped inside some very old ice. 'The air bubbles are the atmosphere of the past,' he said. 'It's really like magic when you feel it.'- — AFP
DW
3 days ago
- DW
Bear that killed runner in Italy moved to German sanctuary – DW – 07/20/2025
JJ4, the female bear that killed a jogger in Italy, has been relocated to a German wildlife sanctuary after months of legal battles. Previously, plans to euthanize her fueled intense public debate over animal welfare. A female brown bear, known as JJ4 or Gaia, that killed a jogger in Italy in 2023 has been relocated to a wildlife sanctuary in Germany. The move follows legal battles and protests, after the bear — originally set to be euthanized — became the center of a debate over human-wildlife conflict. The animal arrived early on Sunday morning at the Alternative Wolf and Bear Park in the Black Forest district of Freudenstadt. Staff at the sanctuary confirmed the bear, also known by the name Gaia, was transported from northern Italy overnight and appeared calm and in good condition upon arrival. "She has been cared for, has eaten and is behaving calmly," a park spokesperson said. JJ4 is expected to be moved into a secure pre-enclosure later in the day. JJ4 had been held at a wildlife holding facility near the city Trento in northern Italy since being captured last year. A search for the bear was launched after the body of 26-year-old Andrea Papi was found on April 6 in the woods of the Peller Mountain, where he had gone jogging. It was the first fatal bear attack in the country in modern history. After she was captured, Maurizio Fugatti, president of Trentino province, ordered her to be euthanized. However, legal challenges and protests from animal rights groups eventually led to a reversal of that decision. The German sanctuary agreed to take the bear under strict conditions. The transfer was kept secret until completion to avoid potential protests. The bear will live in a specially designed, one-hectare enclosure — surrounded by electric fencing and underground barriers. It was constructed at a cost of around one million euros (about $1.16 million), funded by private donations. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video JJ4 is expected to receive a new name, as "Gaia" is already assigned to another animal in the park. Park officials say surveillance systems will monitor the bear's activity as she adjusts to her new surroundings. Gaia's mother, Jurka, mother, has been housed at the animal sanctuary since 2010. The region of Trentino, once proud of its EU-funded "Life Ursus" reintroduction project, is now grappling with rising human-bear conflicts. In 2023, three bears were killed under new rules allowing targeted removals. The population has surged to around 100 since reintroduction efforts began near the turn of the millennium. JJ4 is the sister of "problem bear" Bruno (JJ1), shot in Bavaria in 2006, and of JJ3, killed in Switzerland. Though she had previously injured two people, courts had blocked efforts to remove her from the wild. After the fatal attack, courts repeatedly overturned orders for her euthanasia, allowing her to live.
eNCA
3 days ago
- Science
- eNCA
From Antarctica to Brussels, hunting climate clues in old ice
BRUSSELS - In a small, refrigerated room at a Brussels university, parka-wearing scientists chop up Antarctic ice cores tens of thousands of years old in search of clues to our planet's changing climate. Trapped inside the cylindrical icicles are tiny air bubbles that can provide a snapshot of what the earth's atmosphere looked like back then. "We want to know a lot about the climates of the past because we can use it as an analogy for what can happen in the future," said Harry Zekollari, a glaciologist at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). Zekollari was part of a team of four that headed to the white continent in November on a mission to find some of the world's oldest ice -- without breaking the bank. Ice dating back millions of years can be found deep inside Antarctica, close to the South Pole, buried under kilometres of fresher ice and snow. But that's hard to reach and expeditions to drill it out are expensive. A recent EU-funded mission that brought back some 1.2-million-year-old samples came with a total price tag of around 11 million euros (around $12.8 million). To cut costs, the team from VUB and the nearby Universite Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) used satellite data and other clues to find areas where ancient ice might be more accessible. - Blue ice - AFP | Nicolas TUCAT Just like the water it is made of, ice flows towards the coast -- albeit slowly, explained Maaike Izeboud, a remote sensing specialist at VUB. And when the flow hits an obstacle, say a ridge or mountain, bottom layers can be pushed up closer to the surface. In a few rare spots, weather conditions like heavy winds prevent the formation of snow cover -- leaving thick layers of ice exposed. Named after their colouration, which contrasts with the whiteness of the rest of the continent, these account for only about one percent of Antarctica territory. "Blue ice areas are very special," said Izeboud. Her team zeroed in on a blue ice stretch lying about 2,300 meters above sea level, around 60 kilometres from Belgium's Princess Elisabeth Antarctica Research Station. Some old meteorites had been previously found there -- a hint that the surrounding ice is also old, the researchers explained. A container camp was set up and after a few weeks of measurements, drilling, and frozen meals, in January the team came back with 15 ice cores totalling about 60 meters in length. These were then shipped from South Africa to Belgium, where they arrived in late June. Inside a stocky cement ULB building in the Belgian capital, they are now being cut into smaller pieces to then be shipped to specialised labs in France and China for dating. Zekollari said the team hopes some of the samples, which were taken at shallow depths of about 10 meters, will be confirmed to be about 100,000 years old. - Climate 'treasure hunt' - This would allow them to go back and dig a few hundred meters deeper in the same spot for the big prize. AFP | Nicolas TUCAT "It's like a treasure hunt," Zekollari, 36, said, comparing their work to drawing a map for "Indiana Jones". "We're trying to cross the good spot on the map... and in one and a half years, we'll go back and we'll drill there," he said. "We're dreaming a bit, but we hope to get maybe three, four, five-million-year-old ice." Such ice could provide crucial input to climatologists studying the effects of global warming. Climate projections and models are calibrated using existing data on past temperatures and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere -- but the puzzle has some missing pieces. By the end of the century temperatures could reach levels similar to those the planet last experienced between 2.6 and 3.3 million years ago, said Etienne Legrain, 29, a paleo-climatologist at ULB. But currently there is little data on what CO2 levels were back then -- a key metric to understand how much further warming we could expect. "We don't know the link between CO2 concentration and temperature in a climate warmer than that of today," Legrain said. His team hopes to find it trapped inside some very old ice. "The air bubbles are the atmosphere of the past," he said. "It's really like magic when you feel it."
