Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Beloved, closely watched popularity competition for judging the stockiest ursine before hibernation under threat from shutdown A looming government shutdown threatens to claw its way into a crowd-pleasing Alaska tradition: Fat Bear Week. Alaska’s most-watched popularity contest, Fat Bear Week involves residents picking their favorite fat brown bear who’s been stocking up for winter by noshing on salmon in Katmai national park & preserve. Viewers of the bears vote online in tournament-style brackets for those they want to advance to the next round until a champion is crowned in the weeklong contest. Continue reading...

Perhaps it’s naive not to imagine that all of life itself is about accepting the fragility of how easily things break Vote in the Australian bird of the year poll Keep up with all our bird of the year coverage here Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast We turned off the highway, headed down the road which leads to the pub and saw the pink little fellow hovering near his mate, who was dead by the side of the road. Having moved to the country a little over a month ago, I was still getting used to the frequency of spotting creatures on the shoulders of western New South Wales’s arteries. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Rising temperatures could be passing tolerance threshold for endangered animals as Lake Tefé reaches 39C The sudden die-off of more than a hundred Amazonian river dolphins in recent days has prompted fears that rising global heat could be passing the tolerance threshold of species in vulnerable areas. The floating corpses of the endangered mammals, along with thousands of dead fish, have appeared at Lake Tefé where the temperature is now like a hot bath after a protracted drought has dried up most of the water. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed. You can read our latest full report on the flooding here: New York declares state of emergency amid heavy rainfall and flash flooding Governor Kathy Hochul’s office has issued the following steps to residents to remain safe amid the heavy rainfall and flooding: Develop a household disaster plan and know how to always contact family members. Identify an out-of-town friend or family member to be the “emergency family contact” and make certain all family members have the contact info Designate an emergency meeting spot - a familiar location where family can meet if the residence cannot be accessed Know hurricane and storm risks in your community If you live near coastal areas, learn about your area’s storm surge history and your community’s warning signals and evacuation plans, including safe routes inland and the location of official shelters Know where to relocate pets during a storm - most shelters will not allow pets Keep the following supplies on-hand: Enough non-perishable food and water supplies for 10 days Battery-operated radios and flashlights and an ample supply of batteries A first aid with supply of medicines Important documents: Insurance policies, medical records, bank account numbers, Social Security card, etc. in a waterproof container Cash, checkbook, credit cards and ATM cards An emergency contact list of people and organizations who may need to be called: schools, doctors, providers, and insurance contacts 1,426 large dump trucks 315 large loaders 81 chippers 80 wheeled and tracked excavators 28 traffic tower platforms 15 vacuum trucks with sewer jets 15 tree crew bucket trucks Continue reading...