Geographical articles from August 2008

Geographical archives from August 2008

Bringing back the beasts.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... There's something very appealing--even romantic--about the reintroduction of species into areas from which they've disappeared. Doing so seems to fly in the face of the widespread destruction we're wreaking on the planet, giving us the illusion...

Where in the world?(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Identify this country using the following clues: * It meets 97 per cent of its electricity needs via natural gas * Each household has an average of six residents * Women comprise 70 per cent of its...

Robots to explore submarine volcanoes.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A team of scientists are undertaking an expedition to the submerged Mid-Atlantic Ridge in order to try to unlock the secrets of deep-sea volcanoes using robots. During a five-week expedition, 12 scientists from...

Britain claims huge area of Atlantic seabed.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Ahead of a 2009 deadline, the British government has submitted a claim to the UN for sovereignty over an expanse of South Atlantic seabed around Ascension Island. As the international race for ownership of mineral- and resource-rich...

Top 10 Olympic gold medal winners.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... TOP 10 OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL WINNERS (SUMMER GAMES 1896-2004) 1 USA 895 2 SOVIET UNION * 440 3 UK 180 4 FRANCE 173 5 ITALY 172 6 GERMANY ** 162 7 GERMANY (EAST)...

Peak district under threat from limestone quarrying.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A coalition of conservation groups has called on government ministers to intervene in limestone quarrying that they say threatens a Peak District beauty spot. Campaigners, including the Peak District National...

Biodiversity plummets as consumption soars.
August 1, 2008... Biodiversity around the world has plummeted by a third in 35 years, according to a new report from WWF, making it unlikely that a target set in 2002 to 'achieve by 2010 a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss' will be...

Fair weather anomaly helped historic Magellan voyage.(Ferdinand Magellan )
August 1, 2008... Unseasonably good weather may have helped Ferdinand Magellan and his fleet complete the first successful circumnavigation of the globe between 1517 and 1522, according to new analysis of historical accounts by archaeologists. In a paper...

The Tasmanian devil has been declared an endangered species because a fatal facial cancer has caused its population to decline by as much as 60 per cent.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... The Tasmanian devil has been declared an endangered species because a fatal facial cancer has caused its population to decline by as much as 60 per cent. Unless scientists can find a cure for the contagious disease--which prevents its victims...

The sustainable transport charity Sustrans is to lead a 150million [pounds sterling] project called Connect2 to introduce new walking and cycling routes to 79 communities across the UK.(Sustrans Ltd.)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... The sustainable transport charity Sustrans is to lead a 150million [pounds sterling] project called Connect2 to introduce new walking and cycling routes to 79 communities across the UK. Crossings and bridges will be created over busy roads,...

The electricity industry in New Zealand is asking households to cut their energy consumption as drought has reduced the capacity for hydroelectricity production.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... The electricity industry in New Zealand is asking households to cut their energy consumption as drought has reduced the capacity for hydroelectricity production. Two years of dry weather has seen levels fall in the lakes that drive the power...

Scientists have discovered a new species of bacterium that has survived for more than 120,000 years in a glacier on the Arctic island.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Scientists have discovered a new species of bacterium that has survived for more than 120,000 years in a glacier on the Arctic island. Scientists from Penn State University, USA, discovered the micro-bacterium, known as Chryseobacterium...

Public concern erupts after volcano dumps ash on South America.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] After more than 9,000 years of slumber, the Chaiten volcano in southern Chile awoke violently on 2 May, spewing out gas and tonnes of ash and molten rock debris for more than a month, and leading one academic to...

New maps identify England's noisiest urban areas.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Residents of 23 English towns and cities can now measure noise pollution from industry, road, rail and airports via a new interactive map system developed by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. [ILLUSTRATION...

Permafrost threatened by rapid retreat of Arctic sea ice.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Episodes of rapid sea ice loss could cause the rate of climate warming over northern Alaska, Canada and Russia to more than triple, spelling disaster for one of the world's most fragile ecosystems, according to a new...

Temperatures across Europe set to stabilise.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Rising temperatures across Europe are expected to stall during the next decade because an ocean current that usually brings warm water (and weather conditions) from the tropics is weakening, according to research published in the journal...

Atlantic puffins on the Isle of May, the largest puffin colony in the North Sea, have declined by 30 per cent during the past five years, according to the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Atlantic puffins on the isle of May, the largest puffin colony in the North Sea, have declined by 30 per cent during the past five years, according to the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. Researchers from the centre, which has been monitoring...

Japanese car manufacturer Honda has begun the first commercial production of a zero-emission, hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered vehicle, with the first cars to be unveiled during July in southern California, one of the few places in the world where hydrogen fuelling stations exist.(Honda Motor Company Ltd. )(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Japanese car manufacturer Honda has begun the first commercial production of a zero-emission, hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered vehicle, with the first cars to be unveiled during July in southern California, one of the few places in the world where...

Greenhouse gas emissions across the EU dropped by 7.7 per cent between 1990 and 2006, despite an increase in the use of coal, according to the European Environment Agency (EEA).(EU)
August 1, 2008... Greenhouse gas emissions across the EU dropped by 7.7 per cent between 1990 and 2006, despite an increase in the use of coal, according to the European Environment Agency (EEA). If the rate of decline continues, the EU will come close to...

The Western Isles have experienced their driest and warmest spring for years, according to the Met Office, resulting in water shortages in some of Scotland's most isolated communities and a halt in production at several whisky distilleries.(UK)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... The Western Isles have experienced their driest and warmest spring for years, according to the Met Office, resulting in water shortages in some of Scotland's most isolated communities and a halt in production at several whisky distilleries. A...

US waters fail the acid test.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... A survey of seawater off the Pacific coast of North America has found that it's considerably more acidic than expected, raising fears for the future of hundreds of the region's marine species. Scientists from the USA, Canada and Mexico took...

Comoros.(HOTSPOT)(Country overview)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In March, the federal government of the Comoros, assisted by African Union forces--principally from Senegal, Sudan and Tanzania--staged a dramatic amphibious assault of the island of Anjouan. Libya and France also...

North Pennines: Olivia Edward heads to the UK's second-largest AONB to discover how traditional cattle farming is helping to conserve Britain's hay meadows and why the area's peat moorlands are a vital weapon in the fight against global climate change.(AREA OF OUTSTANDING NATURAL BEAUTY)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I'm standing in a barn discussing Ajax's sex life. He'll apparently 'go' with five females this summer and could 'go' with 35 if it wasn't for concerns about sexually transmitted diseases. I look into Ajax's eyes to...

Geographical Young Geographer of the Year 2008: Sponsored by Dorling Kindersley: this year's Geographical Young Geographer of the Year competition attracted more than 1,800 entries from students all over the UK, who completed the task to 'Explore your world'.(COMPETITION)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 'In meeting the Young Geographers of the Year today, I had a glimpse into the future of geography, and I'm confident the future is bright--very bright,' said polar explorer Pen Hadow at the annual Young Geographer of...

The global food crisis: resolution will require a revolution.
August 1, 2008... It's official: food is scarce. While here in Britain we may not yet have reached the point where we will see the middle classes manning the barricades outside their local Waitrose or looting the nearest farmer's market, for many millions living...

A new face for old China.
August 1, 2008... An ancient empire of the last millennium, an emerging superpower of the next: China has inspired awe and fascination in equal measure for centuries. With the Olympics opening in Beijing this month and the international spotlight on the country...

Finding a way to give back to geography.(Royal Geographical Society)
August 1, 2008... Whether your interest in geography is professional, academic or purely for pleasure, the Society offers a range of membership benefits; not least becoming part of one of the largest communities of geographers in the country. Becoming a...

Joseph Banks's cooking equipment.
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Georgian naturalist and botanist Joseph Banks loved to collect animals, both for museums and for the cooking pot. On his famous voyage around the world with James Cook during the late 18th century, all sorts of...

Fringe dwellers.
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mangroves forests are found along the coastlines, lagoons, rivers and deltas of 124 tropical and subtropical countries, with Indonesia, Australia, Brazil, Nigeria arid Mexico together accounting for around half of...

The real SimCity: digital geographers are using computer models to test out the possible futures of conurbations such as London in the hope of improving how we plan and run our cities.
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 'This is the Notting Hill Carnival,' says Professor Mike Batty. But this isn't the West London street party with which most people are familiar--there are no high-volume sound systems, no food stalls selling jerk...

Headhunter heaven: Mark Eveleigh, author of Fever Trees of Borneo, returns to the centre of the great jungle island to report on how a mysterious and reclusive Dayak community are struggling to keep their way of life alive.
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It's hardly surprising that few outsiders have ever been to Rantau Bumbum. It has taken me five days and nights by cargo boat, another day by motor launch and two further days of jungle-trekking to get here. ...

The credibility gap.(gap years)
August 1, 2008... The gap year is now firmly established as a rite of passage for Britain's younger generation: even Harry and Wills have had a go. The UK's gap year industry is now worth a staggering 2.2billlion [pounds sterling], and it's growing rapidly. But...

Water world: Brazil is home to the world's largest reserves of renewable fresh water, but unfettered development is putting increasing pressure on this incredible storehouse. And remarkably, until recently, little information existed on water quality in Brazil's rivers. That was until Gerard and Margi Moss set out to sample all of the country's rivers using a specially adapted light plane.(Brazil's water resources)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 'The rain was lashing down all around us and it was very dark--we were caught in a storm above thick rainforest. We had to get out of it--fast. Suddenly, out of the darkness, we spotted a bright-yellow windsock and...

Bringing the wilderness back: centuries ago, the forests and glens of the Scottish Highlands were home to wolves, bears and wild boar, before deforestation and hunting drove them to extinction. Olivia Edward meets the owner of the 9,300-hectare reserve at Alladale, who plans to return the region's wildlife to its former glory.
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The man standing in front of me isn't your average Highland laird. He's a hyperactive, arm-waving, camomile-tea-drinking, jeans-wearing version whose eyes seem as if they're about to leap out of their sockets with...

Open all hours.(international trade of India and Afghanistan)
August 1, 2008... Trade has been bringing people together since the dawn of civilisation. It was initially a barter arrangement, where one possession was swapped for another; soon, however, goods were exchanged for currencies such as cowry shells, metal tools or...

The shock of the new.(The Discovery of Mankind: Atlantic Encounters in the Age of Columbus)(Book review)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Discovery of Mankind: Atlantic Encounters in the Age of Columbus by David Abulafia Yale University Press, hb, pp379, 25 [pounds sterling] Medieval Europe could never quite decide whether to fear or...

100 Natural Wonders of Norway.(Brief article)(Book review)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 100 Natural Wonders of Norway by Tom Schandy and Tom Helgesen Forlaget Tom & Tom, hb, pp208, 33.99 [pounds sterling] 'Some people,' the authors regret, 'are bound to feel that their own favourite...

Geographical classic #57.(Letters from Iceland )(Book review)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Letters from Iceland by WH Auden and Louis MacNeice First published in 1937. Most recent edition published by Faber and Faber, pb, pp2S3, 12.99 [pounds sterling] At the start of this epistolary...

Blood Ivory: The Massacre of the African Elephant.(Book review)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Blood Ivory: The Massacre of the African Elephant by Robin Brown The History Press, hb, pp235, 20 [pounds sterling] If you're interested in the fate of Africa's elephants but aren't too worried about...

Selling Your Father's Bones: The Epic Fate of the American West.(Brief article)(Book review)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Selling Your Father's Bones: The Epic Fate of the American West by Brian Schofield Harper Collins, hb, pp414, 20 [pounds sterling] Brian Schofield's dramatic approach to his narrative is clear from the...

Top 10 writer's reads.
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Alice Albinia spent two years working as a journalist in Delhi before returning to the UK to study South Asian history at the School of Oriental and African Studies. Her first book, Empires of the Indus, is out...

Edward Bawden in the Middle East.(Brief article)(Book review)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Edward Bawden in the Middle East by Nigel Weaver Antique Collectors' Club, hb, pp96, 25 [pounds sterling] Although best known for his pre-war work as an illustrator, Edward Bawden produced an incredible...

Fields of Fire: An Atlas of Ethnic Conflict.(Book review)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Fields of Fire: An Atlas of Ethnic Conflict by Stuart A Notholt Matador, pb, pp212, 17.99 [pounds sterling] Over the past two decades, there have been almost 100 wars and violent disputes with religious,...

Get your motor running: revving up a powerful bike and heading off into the sunset to the refrains of Born to Be Wild--that's the romantic image of motorcycle adventure, and the reality can be achieved on a modest budget. But choose the wrong machine or attire and you could be in for a rough ride.
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Palpitations and trepidation: these are my principal reactions when facing a river crossing on a motorcycle. No matter where you are in the world, once you venture off the beaten track, you can be certain of two...

Ten of the best.(Buyers guide)
August 1, 2008... Needless to say, motorcycling can be dangerous, whether on smooth highways or dirt tracks through the wilderness, so good protective gear is paramount--but you'll also need compact, light camping equipment for when you're not on the road ...

Bittersweet industry: while sugar--made from sugarcane in tropical climes and from sugar beet in temperate regions--is a staple food across the globe and a major source of biofuel, life is far from sweet for those who produce it. The European beet crop is being reduced in order to aid sugarcane farmers in developing countries, whose plantations are beset by low pay, forced labour and job losses.
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Scientists at the University of Toronto, Canada, have discovered that a 'sweet tooth' could be genetic: during a clinical trial, they found that a variant of a gene called GLUT2 was present in people who consume more...

On the beach: sun, sand and sea: all of the elements you need for both the perfect holiday and the perfect holiday photograph. But for the best results, all three have to be handled with care.(Geo photo)
August 1, 2008... Geo photo Summer's here, and all across Europe, millions of city dwellers are packing suitcases, loading up cars and queuing at airport check-in counters--on their way to their favourite stretch of beach for a sun-soaked vacation....

Bridge too far.(MAILBAG)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Many thanks for the interesting Archive, Building Society, in the June issue of Geographical. However, there is an error in the caption for the railway bridge in Yarmuk Valley, Syria. The suspension bridge may well...

Wold at heart.(MAILBAG)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Geographical's recent series of articles about Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) have been interesting and wide ranging. In the recent article about the Lincolnshire Wolds AONB (June 2008), however, there...

No surprise.(LETTER OF THE MONTH)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I always read Klaus Dodds's Hotspot with great interest; however, having read the July edition, I feel I must comment on the suggestion that the recent elections in Nepal were won 'unexpectedly' by the Communist...

The business of access.(MAILBAG)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2008... Your article Access all areas (Dossier, June 2008) didn't consider the impact on the vast array of businesses that occupy coastal land, nor the physical or legal reality. Most of the coast is already accessible by either footpath or permissive...

In conversation: Alex James.(Interview)
August 1, 2008... Alex James, 40, farmer, writer, broadcaster and former member of the band Blur, travelled to Burkina Faso with Christian Aid to help highlight the plight of farmers on the frontline of climate change in developing countries. As a working...