France prepares to drain alpine lake
PARIS, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- French engineers say they've begun an operation to drain a hidden like under a glacier on Mont Blanc that threatens to flood a valley.
The lake above the Saint Gervais Valley, which is believed to contain 2.3 million cubic feet of water, was discovered last month during routine checks, BBC News reported Wednesday.
Water from an underground lake flooded the same valley in 1892 killing 175 people, the BBC said.
Engineers are drilling through the ice of the glacier and will pump the water away, they said.
Saint Gervais Valley is a popular tourist area and home to some 3,000 permanent residents.
The hidden lake beneath the Tete-Rousse glacier holds enough water to form a torrent that could flood the valley in 15 minutes, potentially affecting 900 families, authorities said.
"The town didn't want to wait for a catastrophe -- we are taking action to prevent one," Jean-Marc Peillex, the mayor of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, said.
A cold snap was blamed for creating the lake by freezing the natural drainage routes under the glacier, the BBC said.
Groups urge Serengeti protection
LONDON, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- British wildlife groups say they are urging the government of Tanzania to reconsider plans to build a highway through the heart of Serengeti National Park.
The Wildlife Conservation Society and the Zoological Society of London recommend that alternative routes be used that can meet the transportation needs of the region without disrupting the greatest remaining migration of large land animals in the world in world's best-known wildlife sanctuary, a WCS release said Wednesday.
At issue is the proposed Arusha-Musoma highway slated for construction in 2012 that would bisect the northern portion of the park and jeopardize the annual migration of wildebeest and zebra, a spectacle comprising nearly 2 million animals.
"The Serengeti is the site of one of the last great ungulate migrations left on Earth, the pre-eminent symbol of wild nature for millions of visitors and TV viewers, and a hugely important source of income for the people of Tanzania through ecotourism," Dr. James Deutsch, Executive Director of the WCS's Africa Program, said.
"To threaten this natural marvel with a road would be a tragedy. We implore the Tanzanian government -- known around the world for its commitment to conservation -- to reconsider this proposal and explore other options."
Scientists describe 'new' El Nino pattern
PASADENA, Calif., Aug. 25 (UPI) -- A new type of El Nino phenomenon with its warmest waters further west is becoming more common and progressively stronger, a study by U.S. researchers says.
Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle say the new El Nino has its warmest waters in the central-equatorial Pacific Ocean rather than in the eastern-equatorial Pacific, a JPL release said Wednesday.
"These results suggest climate change may already be affecting El Nino by shifting the center of action from the eastern to the central Pacific," NOAA's Michael McPhaden said. "El Nino's impact on global weather patterns is different if ocean warming occurs primarily in the central Pacific, instead of the eastern Pacific."
"If the trend we observe continues," McPhaden said, "it could throw a monkey wrench into long-range weather forecasting, which is largely based on our understanding of El Ninos from the latter half of the 20th century."
The El Nino effect can influence global weather patterns and the occurrence and frequency of hurricanes, droughts and floods.
"It is important to know if the increasing intensity and frequency of these central Pacific El Ninos are due to natural variations in climate or to climate change caused by human-produced greenhouse gas emissions," JPL researcher Tong Lee said.
U.K. wind farms deny causing seal deaths
LONDON, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- British wind farm developers have strongly denied allegations their construction ships are responsible for a recent rash of seal deaths, authorities said.
Scientists investigating the killing of at least 33 seals whose mutilated bodies have washed ashore in Norfolk and the surrounding coastline say they believe the deaths were caused by a vessel with a ducted propeller that has caused "corkscrew-style" mutilations on the seals' bodies, BusinessGreen.com reported Tuesday.
A scientist at St. Andrews University Seal Mammal Research Unit says vessels operating between the Sheringham Shoal wind farm and Wells Harbor in North Norfolk might be the cause.
"Wind farms per se are not to blame," Callan Duck said. "It's possible that some of the vessels involved in wind farm construction might be responsible, but we do not know that for sure."
Engineering firm Scira, Sheringham Shoal's main contractor, denied the allegations.
"Both Scira and the police have checked all equipment on vessels operating at the site and found no connection," the company said in a statement.
Wells Harbor authorities issued a statement arguing the boats accused of causing the injuries could not have been responsible.
"These seals began to be found in December 2009 but the fast supply boats using Wells to service the wind farm did not start operating from Wells until April 2010," the company said.
Harbor officials said they had been operating boats with ducted propellers "for many years with no such problems reported."
