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By carefully selecting which varieties of
food crops to cultivate, much of Europe and North America could
be cooled by up to 1ºC during the summer growing season say
researchers from Bristol University. This is equivalent to an
annual global cooling of over 0.1ºC, almost 20% of the total
temperature increase since the Industrial Revolution.
The growing of crops already produces a
cooling of the climate because they reflect more sunlight back
into space, compared with natural vegetation. Different
varieties of the same crop vary significantly in their solar
reflectivity (called ’albedo’) so selecting varieties that are
more reflective will enhance the cooling effect.
The University team argue that we should
select crop varieties in order to exert a control on the
climate, in the same way that we cultivate specific varieties to
maximise and fine-tune food. They emphasise that unlike growing
biofuels, such a plan could be achieved without disrupting food
production.
 The
Dojo Loach, a small yellowish fish from East Asia, was first
discovered in the Ebro Delta, Spain in 2001, but has now become
well established, and the spread of this oriental fish contrasts
starkly with the decline of native fish in the rivers and
wetlands throughout the Iberian Peninsula where 80% of the
species are threatened.
The introduction of species from different
areas is one of the most serious threats to the preservation of
Biodiversity. Nowadays, the majority of river basins throughout
the Iberian Peninsula contain more foreign species of fish than
native ones. Researchers believe that the Dojo Loach first
appeared in the Ebro delta after some escaped from a tropical
fish distribution facility, and that such Centres that breed and
maintain exotic fish pose a serious danger, and are an epicentre
of the biological invasion process’.
An amateur photographer, Sandra Critelli,
captured some amazing pictures of Cow-nose Stingrays in The Gulf
of Mexico, one of which is shown at right.
There are around 70 species of stingrays in
the world’s oceans, but these cow-nosed rays have distinctive
high domed heads, giving them a curiously bovine appearance.
Measuring up to 6ft 6in across, these rays
migrate in groups of up to 10,000 following a clockwise current
from Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula to western Florida. Heading
north in late spring and south in late autumn. Sharks are their
main predators, but they can fight back for they have a very
poisonous sting in the tail. The sting is a razor sharp spine on
the whip like tail which can be 15 inches in length and carries
a deadly dose of venom. It was a similar stinger that killed the
hugely popular Australian naturalist Steve Irwin in 2006.
 A
rare Wrinkled Swimming Crab,
Liocarcinus corrugatus,
was found trapped in a prawn pot at 27
metres in the River Fal in February, and was
taken alive to the Blue Reef Aquarium, Newquay, much to the
delight of the curator, for it is so rare that the last record
for this species in Cornish waters was 1984, and only 11 have
ever been recorded, nine of which were pre 1907. The carapace is
distinctive with bold transverse ridges bearing fringes of small
bristles.
There were 6
reports of Bottlenose Dolphins during February, 5 of the pod of
about 8 in the St Ives area and a pair seen off Lamorna on the
22nd. There were also 6 reports of Harbour Porpoises, all
between Porthgwarra and The Brisons.
Of two Basking
Shark reports, one was off Pendeen on the 11th and three were
seen heading slowly east together on the surface off Battery
Rocks on the 20th. 2 Risso's Dolphins were seen off Gwennap Head
on 14th, a Grey Seal off Tater du on 15th, and 2 Fin Whales off
The Isles of Scilly on 24th.
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