Making a splash

This is not so much about the environment, but about the state of science and its reporting.

Last night I watched a doco on a tsunami that was supposed to have happened in the Cro-Magnon era of human existence in the Mediteranean.

Seems a slab of Etna on Sciliy may have slid down and sent out a wave a 100' high that washed the East shores clear.

And I recall a similar recent progamme about the Caanry Islands whereby the US eastern seaboard is soon to be wiped out.

Now, I am all for awarness and preparation, but I do rather wonder what, other than getting some worried, such as the latter really achieves.

But I also wonder about the science. In both shows, the most telling demo is when a slab of material is rushed down a slope in a lab to impact a model of a water feature. Sure enough, by the end a dirty great wave was impacting the other end.

Thing is, whilst accpeting the sheer power of the forces, but I do have to wonder about the relative sizes we're talking about here. A small section of an island in an entire ocean does not seem comparable. Nor does the 'route' being a narrow channel constrained by perspex. The energy disapation in a radial manner over tens of thousands of square miles would surely absorb a heck of a lot?

However, when an entire undersea shelf drop/rise over multiple miles takes place, as it did with the Boxing Day tragedy, that is a different kettle of fish.

Watching the box

I don't sense the main thrust is enviro, but this may be worth following:

The Box takes off on global journey

2 B or nt 2 B?

Texting is doing for our bees?

Electronic smog 'is disrupting nature on a massive scale'

Worth noting that a lot of what 'we' do/demand/expect in our modern lifestyles can adversely affect nature.

Now, the odds of many, especially vocal eco-types (esp. yoof), giving up their moblys...?

Green tops

I'm sure that it has been/will be mentioned (I usually get a PR from them on everything), but this is so far how I came by some not insignificant Green political news of note:

Ch4 - GREENS PICK FIRST LEADER
The Greens have elected their first outright leader, after many years getting by with mystifying multiple arrangements. Caroline Lucas MEP.

There were always passionate defences of the old system, but it did seem to have problems. Will be interesting to see how it pans out.