Ocean fallout from the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan last year made it all the way to the California coast line, according to information recently released from scientists at CSU. Kelp samples were collected off Orange County, Santa Cruz and other coastal areas after the 2011 accident and the samples all contained radioactive iodine. The largest concentration was about 250 times higher than levels normally found in giant kelp before the disaster in Japan.

Steven Manley, a biology professor who specializes in kelp, said that “kelp forests are some of the most productive ecosystems on Earth, and one thing about it is it has a large surface canopy which means it is continually exposed to the air and whatever contaminants are in it.”

In regards to the fish and other sea life that feeds on the kelp, he said that “if they were feeding on it, they definitely got dosed. We just don’t know if it was harmful. It’s probably not good for them. But no one knows. In the marine environment, it was significant, but probably not harmful at the levels we detected it, except it may have affected certain fish’s thyroid systems.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has not said whether or not they will consider monitoring kelp ongoing. They agency measured air and milk on the West Coast after Fukushima and concluded that “radiation levels remained well below any level of public health concern.”

France has temporarily banned the planting of Monsanto’s genetically modified corn, ominously called MON810.

“Due to the proximity of the planting season,” said Agriculture Minister Bruno Le Maire in a press release last week, the country has “decided to take a precautionary measure to temporarily prohibit the cultivation of maize MON810 on the national territory to protect the environment.”

All plantings of MON810, which goes by the brand name YieldGard, will become illegal on March 20, 2012.

Monsanto announced in early this year that they would no longer sell genetically modified corn in France because of the major public outcry and opposition.

Now more than ever, the need for renewable energy is paramount for the sustainability of the future. With the continuing flow of oil leaks, accidents and damage being done to the environment, more and more people are turning to renewable energy as a primary source for powering and heating their homes. In 2011 alone, the demand for renewable energy outstripped the need for any single fossil fuel. This may not seem too exceptional or significant, but this has never before happened in the history of fossil fuels. At the current rate of growth, analysts predict that the demand for renewable energy and renewable energy technology shall rise by 8% every year until 2030.

In a recent report published in January 2012, there was stated to be a total of $260 billion invested into renewable energy during 2011 in the United States. With energy suppliers now looking towards clean energy, the demand for trained installers and technicians has never been higher. Now more than ever, roofers across the United Kingdom are looking to branch out into the renewable revolution and become some of the select few qualified and experienced professionals in the industry. With training centres all over the country, including Ploughcroft Training Solar Renewable Centre of Excellence, it has never been easier.

One of the forerunners of renewable energy technologies is solar energy; many people have seen solar panels on the homes of other people, and are interested in having them installed in their own homes, but most people are unaware of how solar power works.

Photovoltaic panels, otherwise known as solar panels (or PV), work by absorbing the radiation emitted by the sun. This energy received by the panels is then sent to an inverter within the building, which then converts the energy to electricity. This electricity is then passed through into the house or is fed in to the national grid via a feed-in tariff. Most people assume that photovoltaic panels only work during the hottest days and during the summer. This is simply not true; as the United Kingdom receives 60% of the sunlight received on the equator, you do not have to live in the tropics to make Solar PV panels sustainable. Also, during winter, the panels still receive diffused radiation during cloud cover, which means that solar panels produce electricity during all types of weather.

It is a little known fact that solar energy is also lucrative to the people who have them installed on their homes. As already mentioned, any excess energy can be transferred to the national grid via a feed-in tariff. This means that solar panels can make you money, tax free and guaranteed for at least twenty-five years. As a typical 4kWp system can save the average household £980 (US$1,540) a year on bills, photovoltaic panels can pay for themselves over and over again during their twenty-five year lifespan.

All across the country there are specialized and approved training centers where experienced roofers, electricians and plumbers are able to go and train on a variety of solar energy courses. Here they can learn, and gain hands on experience in fitting, maintaining and caring for solar photovoltaic panels. Unlike other resources, the sun has no plans of running out anytime soon, and with all energy deriving from this one source, there really is no reason not to train in solar energy, today.

On Tuesday, an enormous solar flare erupted from our sun and expanded as it moved away from the surface and rushed outwards. The charged particles from the flare are flying at 4 million miles per hour, and they smacked into Earth today. Scientists were concerned that the storm could disrupt electrical systems and global positioning technology, but as of this afternoon, nothing major has been reported by NASA.

Joe Kunches, a scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center, said that “we’re not out of the woods. It was a good start. If I’m a power grid, I’m really happy so far.”

He was careful to mention that the storm orientation is changing, saying that “it could flip-flop and we could end up with the strength of the storm still to come.”

This solar storm is just a normal part of the sun’s 11-year storm cycle, which will reach a peak in 2013. A solar storm doesn’t post any danger to people, but a big enough one could pose a threat to some of our satellite dependent technologies.

According to a scary new report from NASA, the oldest and thickest Arctic sea ice is melting away at a more rapid rate than the thinner ice at the edges of the Arctic ice cap. In the study, which was led by Joey Comiso, senior scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Comiso says:

“The average thickness of the Arctic sea ice cover is declining because it is rapidly losing its thick component, the multi-year ice. At the same time, the surface temperature in the Arctic is going up, which results in a shorter ice-forming season,” Comiso said. “It would take a persistent cold spell for most multi-year sea ice and other ice types to grow thick enough in the winter to survive the summer melt season and reverse the trend.”

The team discovered that this perennial ice is disappearing at a rate of -12.2% per decade, while its area is declining at a rate of -13.5% per decade. The study was recently published in Journal of Climate.

Three Canadians are safe and sound in Hawaii Thursday after a giant container ship rescued them from the pacific during a raging storm the night before.

Brad James, 32, his nine-year-old son West and Brad’s brother, Mitch, were all rescued 450 kilometers northeast of Hilo, Hawaii traveling from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on their sailboat named Liahona. In the storm their engine failed and their mast broke leaving them stranded.

“I’m great, just incredible,” Brad James told CBC news. “There was a while there we didn’t think we’d step foot on land and we’re here now.”

A large container ship, the Horizon Reliance, was located roughly 240 kilometres away and was calling in by the Coast Guard. The company that owns the vessel, Horizon Lines, is a member of a voluntary program that provides help to distressed boats and ships that become stranded at sea.

“Capt. James Kelleher and the crew of the 893-ft. Horizon Reliance container ship were directed by the U.S. Coast Guard to alter course at full speed to assist the 33-ft. sailboat and its crew of three,” Horizon Lines said in a news release.

The container ship arrived at about 2:30 a.m. and the crew managed to pull one of the older men to safety but when the huge container ship approached the small sailboat the two ended up colliding, sending the remaining two on board into the water.

Commander Mark Morin of the U.S. Coast Guard said: “They were maneuvering to pick up the passengers and as it became closer to the sailing vessel, they collided somehow. All three people ended up in the water.”

Luckily the young boy and one of the older men had on life jackets with strobe lights so the crew of the container ship were able to locate them in the dark.

By 3:20am, the remaining two Canadians were also brought to safety.

Christie’s is set gearing up for April 11, when they will begin to host their annual green auction in support of four environmental charity groups – The Natural Resources Defense Council, Oceana, the Central Park Conservancy and Conservation International.

All proceeds from the third annual green auction will go to the charities in support of their Bid to Save the Earth collaboration. Over the past two years they raised nearly $5 million.

Co-chair of the event, Susan Rockefellar, expressed that the auction delivers a message to everyone about the relevance and necessity to conserve the planet’s finite resources. “We must all take responsibility to protect the natural world for future generations,” she said. Actress Salma Hayek, David Rockefeller and Vanity Fair Editor Graydon Carter are other co-chairs of the auction.

Christie’s explained that all the money raised from the green auction will be donated towards water-conservation projects that each of the charities are working on.

“Our ocean waters, which cover 70 percent of this blue planet, are hovering on the brink of an irreversible collapse, with 90 percent of the ocean’s big fish gone,” said Oceana CEO Andrew Sharpless. “Luckily, history and science show us that our oceans can rebound if we put in place and enforce sensible policies,” he added.

Past Green Auctions have included a day with Bill Clinton, backstage meetings with Lady Gaga and works of art by prominent artists. Of course with any Christie’s auction the bids are substantial, in the past green a bidder paid as much as $100,000 for the day with former President Bill Clinton.

All fees are waived for the green auction event.

Just after noon Saturday British Columbia was struck with a 5.7 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Vancouver Island. The epicenter was about 170km west of Ucluelet and 337km west of the capital of Victoria on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Tanja Arsenault, a Ucluelet resident living near the beach, said she felt minimal shaking saying “it was really tiny but I felt something.” The United States Geological Survey reported the quake at 12:05pm local time. They stated “the magnitude is such that a tsunami is not expected.” Mayor Perry Schmunk of Tofino, a town close to Ucluelet, said he was on a beach when the earthquake struck but didn’t feel anything.

According to the early information from the U.S. Geological Survery, the earthquake was at a depth of 12.8km. This quake was much tamer compared to one that struck in September, 2011 where many local residents reported feeling the shacking it produced.

National Resources Canada’s website also confirms the quake.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is heading for China with four cabinet ministers and seven MPs Monday. Since Harper took office in 2006 it will only be his second visit. Not only did he meet with his holiness, the Dalai Lama, which angered the Chinese government, but Harper also did not attend the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Now why would Prime Minister Harper all of a sudden have a change of heart? He did state that his reason for not attending the Beijing Olympics was because he did not think Canadians wanted to see the government sell out over the “almighty dollar.” So it couldn’t possibly be because of the Northern Gateway pipeline that would send Alberta oilsands crude oil through my backyard of British Columbia’s coast over to Asia.

It surely couldn’t be any talks on human rights issues, we all know where China stands on that; no voting, no free media, object anything and be imprisoned. No, surely no talks on human rights.

China’s interest in the Arctic perhaps? China’s ambassador to Canada has already stated that China would like to be an observer on the Arctic Council. Maybe, but still wouldn’t get me on a plane all the way to China, especially on a Monday.

Yes, of course there will be talks of investment and trade with China being Canada’s second-largest trade partner. In 2010 Canadians bought toys, electronics, clothing, machinery, shoes, tupperware and everything in their junk drawer from China, totaling $44.5 billion. Not quite the same going the other way but Canadians still sold back to China $13.2 billion in natural resources from wood pulp, mineral ores, oil and gas.

Still not satisfied though. There must be something more to entice this visit. It can’t just be the hope to sell a measly extra $5 to $10 billion in crude oil. It’s not like Canada needs the extra business, not while deals for the Trans Canada Keystone XL pipeline to the US are running along so smoothly. Sure the U.S. President Barack Obama unfortunately had to delay approvals, but it’s gonna happen.

So what does China have that the US doesn’t? Pandas! Cute, cuddly, panda bears. Let’s be honest for a second here, who doesn’t want a panda bear to call their own. So what if it takes a little dirty crude oil from Alberta to get it. You try and say no to those big eyes and that soft fir. I for one say let’s give Prime Minister Harper a round of applause. If the Chinese government wants to use a panda bear as a gift to promote diplomatic relations, who are we to stop them.

When Harper finally does meet Canada’s new furry mascot, I hope he remembers the wise words of his spokesman when he told reporters: “I wouldn’t wear your bamboo undershorts.”

Code Orange. Its the alert level just below Code: Red – and its where Alaska’s remote Cleveland Volcano now sits classified. Cleveland is a 5,675-foot mountain on an uninhabited island 940 miles southwest of Anchorage. Scientists recently noticed that a new lava dome had begun forming, which is a major indicator that the mountain is very possibly ready to erupt at any moment. The mountain is quite far from any towns, but the resulting ash cloud would be very hazardous for airplanes.

The Alaska Volcano Observatory raided the alert status yesterday, saying that the color label means that the area is “exhibiting heightened or escalating unrest with increased potential of eruption, timeframe uncertain, OR eruption is underway with no or minor volcanic-ash emissions,” according to the observatory.

An eruption a decade ago produced ash clouds as high as 39,000 feet, which would most definitely interrupt air travel for thousands of miles. The standardized USGS alert-notification system for volcanic activity was designed to be useful to people on the ground and to those in aviation.