Are monarchs endangered? Scientists debate as United States mulls protection
Jan. 8, 2021 , 3:00 PM
Last month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) declared that one of North America’s best known butterflies, the monarch, might be in trouble. But the agency put off protecting the insect under the federal Endangered Species Act. In the meantime, researchers are continuing to debate how best to gauge the health of monarch populations.
In recent months dueling preprints and publications have intensified the debate. In one camp: researchers who have documented drastic declines in the number of monarchs in Mexico and other areas where some butterflies spend the winter. They believe the species needs immediate help, particularly by protecting and expanding the milkweed-filled meadows where its larvae feed. In another: scientists who have tallied butterfly numbers in areas they occupy during the warmer months and concluded there is less cause for alarm. As a species, monarchs “d
Tension has been building along the San Andreas fault for centuries, and experts predict a ground splitting quake will strike when the fault line finally ruptures.
Experts have for some time been warning of the Big One – a huge earthquake measuring at least a magnitude 7.9, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
Now, experts are hoping to predict when the Big One might hit.
Previously, it has been impossible to predict when an earthquake might hit, but scientists want to change that.
California earthquake: Experts hoping to predict the next Big One (Image: GETTY)
California is no stranger to earthquakes (Image: GETTY)
Utilizing New Methods to Research Impacts on a Precious Waterway
Seafloor Systems was recently contracted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to develop two custom HydroCat-180 unmanned surface vessels (USVs) that will be used to monitor the impacts of saltwater intrusion from the Pacific Ocean into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in California. The subsequent research using the new autonomous vessels will provide new insights into maintaining balance within the complex ecosystem.
The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, commonly referred to as the California Delta, is the hub of the state’s water supply system and a teeming wetland bionetwork (Figure 1). About 500 plant and animal species call the area home, making it one of the largest estuaries in western North America. Two-thirds of California’s salmon pass through the delta on their way upstream to spawn, as well as half of the state’s migrating waterfowl.
Shipments of Portland and blended cement, including imports in the USA and Puerto Rico, increased by three per cent YoY to 9.8Mt in October 2020, accor.
| UPDATED: 23:41, Tue, Jan 5, 2021
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Speaking to Express.co.uk, Bill McGuire, professor of Geophysical & Climate Hazards at University College London (UCL), said he would not be surprised if a huge quake struck the US state this year as it has been a while . An estimated 234 earthquakes with magnitudes between 3.0 and 4.0 occur per year in California and Nevada, according to a recent three-year data sample. The latest quake was a magnitude 4.0 earthquake that was reported yesterday at 10.04am local time by the U