A new study of satellite data from the last 19 years reveals that fresh water from melting glaciers has caused the sea-level around the coast of Antarctica to rise by 2cm more than the global average of 6cm.

Researchers at the University of Southampton detected the rapid rise in sea-level by studying satellite scans of a region that spans more than a million square kilometres.

Icicles are formed by the melting of a glacier in west Antarctica. The melt here is rapid and has been accelerating, injecting greater quantities of freshwater into the ocean and raising sea levels.

The melting of the Antarctic ice sheet and the thinning of floating ice shelves has contributed an excess of around 350 gigatonnes of freshwater to the surrounding ocean. This has led to a reduction in the salinity of the surrounding oceans that has been corroborated by ship-based studies of the water. Read more

Nearly three quarters of our planet is covered with water. In spite of this, we know less about the oceans and their inhabitants than we do about the surface of the Moon.

After visiting our large aquariums and spectacular Oceanarium, the tour continues on the second floor. Planeta Aqua will help you discover many of the creatures that have adapted to the most diverse of aquatic environments: the bitter cold, the darkness of the deep, warm tropical waters. You can also admire the way different types of ray, such as freshwater stingrays and eagle rays, swim, thanks to an open tank containing 20,000 litres of water.

On Planeta Aqua’s circular mezzanine floor, you can observe living fossils and find out about phenomena such as camouflage, symbiosis, some secrets of oceanography and environmental issues. Through computer games, information panels, small aquariums and interactive elements, you can learn about the evolution of different mammals, reptiles and fish, which have all adapted to the marine environment. Read more

The Colorado River (seen here from Page, Ariz.) used to run all the way from Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado through four other states and parts of Mexico before emptying into the Gulf of California (a.k.a. the Sea of Cortez).

Today, the waters run dry long before they reach the historic river mouth, having been pulled and diverted by the states to grow crops, hydrate towns and cities, water lawns and fill up pools. Anything left over at the border between the United States and Mexico — and there rarely is much — is what’s left for Mexico. Read more

Do You think that a man of the future will catch up hot dogs at gas station? Absolutely not! He will refuel his car with simple bottled water. At worst he’ll do it with a very environmantal friendly fluid made from algae. And such an eco-man must live in a house which doesn’t consume enegry, but even produces it. Moreover, such cottage has been already invented.

First, fantastic projects. Representatives of the Japanese company Genepax claim that they are getting a patent for a car which can work on water. Just water, nothing else. The developers say that their car can drive 60 minutes with speed 80 kmph if the tank of the car is filled with 1 liter of any water (even rain water). Genepax says that they are negotiating with a large national concern, but details are not disclosed. Read more

Lake Chad

Lake Chad gives the Aral Sea a run for the money in the category of big-but-now-dry bodies of water. According to the United Nations, the lake has lost as much as 95 percent of its volume from 1963 to 1998.

The shallow lake (it’s only 34 feet deep when full and currently averages just less than five feet in depth) has been hit hard by changes in rainfall patterns, overgrazing, deforestation and increased demand by the surrounding populace. Read more