Tropical fish invade the Mediterranean Sea

The phenomenon is known as "tropicalization" and changing the census of the Mediterranean Sea. Researchers at the Oceanographic Center of the IEO Baleares have detected the presence of 38 new tenants in its waters. These exotic species from the Atlantic and Indian Ocean that have reached the Mare Nostrum attracted by rising water temperatures that has occurred in recent years. The Strait of Gibraltar is the entrance door of the new neighbors.

"The study is focused on the fish fauna. We found that during the second half of the twentieth century into tropical and subtropical species in the western Mediterranean and among the causes would be a change in climatic conditions," said Enric Massutí, one of the authors of the research.
However, "these changes do not occur only effects of weather. They also influence the variations that occur in habitats. Each species must find suitable conditions of temperature, salinity, etc.".

They have also detected changes in the populations of some native fish. While some thermophilic species such as amberjack ( 'Seriola dumerili') are more abundant now, as the boreal fish goby ( 'Aphia minute') or sprat ( 'Sprattus sprattus') are scarce.

The study is part of a volume that takes stock of the situation throughout the Mediterranean and biologists who contributed Italian, Turkish, Israeli, Greek and French. The book is called 'Fish Invasions of the Mediterranean Sea: Change and Renewal (' invasions of fish in the Mediterranean Sea: change and renewal ') and its authors find a similar situation in all Mediterranean regions. The effect is more pronounced on the east coast, for there more species have come from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal.

The earthquake in Chile reduced the duration of the day and shifted the axis of the Earth

The earthquake of 8.8 degrees on the Richter scale occurred on Saturday in Chile, which has left at least 700 dead, very slightly reduced the length of day and shifted the axis of the earth in eight centimeters, according to agency data Space Administration (NASA).

In an article published in 'Business Week, the Geophysical Laboratory in Pasadena, California, Richard Gross, said that earthquakes can move hundreds of kilometers of rock in very confined spaces, which changes the distribution of mass on the planet, affecting Earth's rotation.

This small change is enclosed "in larger changes due to other causes, such as air mass moving over the Earth," the dean of Geophysics, National Central University in Taiwan, Benjamin Fong Chao.
Based on calculations made using computerized methods, NASA has found that because of the earthquake in Chile, the Earth's axis has moved three inches and that "the day length should be shortened 1.26 microseconds (millionths of second).

It is not the first time that similar changes are detected after an earthquake. The day fell by 6.8 microseconds in late 2004 because of the 9.1-degree earthquake registered off Sumatra that caused the biggest 'tsunami' of history.
The effect of ice skater

David Kerridge, at the helm Geological Survey Edimburgoe UK British Geological Survey in Edinburgh, explains: "When a skater goes up their arms when turning to go get more and more speed. It's the same idea: Earth is spinning and if you change the distribution of mass, time of rotation changes.
According to Professor at the University of Liverpool Andreas Rietbrock, who has been studying the area where the earthquake hit Chile, the island of Santa Maria, near Concepcion (second largest city and one of the most damaged by the earthquake) could have been raised about two meters due to the tremor.

It could also be true. According to CNN collected, based on scientific estimates, if the Three Gorges Dam in China was filled, adding 40 cubic kilometers of water, produce, due to their weight, an increase in day length of 0.06 microseconds.

The EC adopted for the first time in 12 years a GM crop

The European Commission has approved the cultivation of genetically modified potatoes. This is the first authorization in the last twelve years in the European Union.

Brussels has also accepted the marketing in Europe of three varieties of GM maize from Monsanto's MON 863 maize, according to a statement by the EU executive.

The real novelty is the authorization Amflora potato, a tuber designed by BASF for the industrial use of animal feed. The European Commission gave its green light to GM crops in Europe since 1998.

Palm oil 'burn' the forests of Indonesia

Palm oil is not good news. Each year, millions of hectares of forest and forest are destroyed to cultivate oil palm, with terrible consequences for the environment. Furthermore, it is a little healthy oil because of its high content of saturated fatty acids.

Despite its bad reputation, the production of this plant is key to the economy of many tropical countries, who this week defended their crop during the International Environment Forum held in Bali.Indonesia is the world's largest producer of palm oil and also the country with the highest rate of deforestation of the planet. In the ranking of nations that emit greenhouse gases, the China ranks third, behind China and USA.

Thus, while some western countries their culture is perceived as one of the causes that contribute to climate change, this tropical plant in Indonesia is considered a "blessing of nature that employs three million people and contributes to the eradication of poverty ", as stated this week in Bali Gatot Irianto, one of the officials of the Ministry of Environment of the country.
Widely consumed in Europe

Its bad reputation contrasts with the high consumption of palm oil in many European countries, including Spain. Because, although you do not have in your pantry, probably consume many products that do contain it. Palm oil is used to make cosmetics (creams, soaps, shampoo, toothpaste) in the food sector (industrial pastries, chocolates, preserves, margarine, etc..) And other products such as candles, paint, detergents or shoe polish.