A dust storm that hit China's Gobi Desert in early April was so severe that some of the dust has floated over the Pacific Ocean to the U.S. A sunny, clear day on the West Coast was dimmed by the dust, reducing visibility to a few miles.
The sky was so hazy over some U.S. national parks that visitors asked rangers whether there was a fire. By Wednesday, the dust had reached the Great Lakes region near Michigan. The storm in the Gobi Desert continues, and more dust is expected to drift around the world. Meanwhile, in Mexico, a volcano erupted, sending a cloud of ash more than two miles into the sky. Mount Popocateptl's (po-po-ca-TE-puh-tul) worst eruption occurred last year, and experts are worried that there will be more eruptions.
This week the skies over Denver, Colorado got a tad hazy. For some reason, the sky was just a bit darker than usual. Was it an eclipse? Was the sky falling? Volcanic ash? No. It was sand. That's right-SAND. Believe it or not, there was a sandstorm in Mongolia (that's all the way over there in Asia, by the way) so massive in scale that it tossed enough sand into the atmosphere to blacken the skies in parts of North America. Now that's a lot of sand.
A bank robber in California set a new standard in what not to do when robbing a bank. Now, as we've said before, it's NEVER a good idea to rob a bank-or anyone, but it's particularly ridiculous when you leave a copy of your resume at the scene of the crime, which is exactly what this guy did. Wonder if the police checked his references...
The U.S. court system is really going to the dogs. In a New York courtroom recently, a German Shepherd was summoned to the witness stand. Apparently, the judge wanted to get a better look at the injuries 5-year-old police dog Spike had suffered while "collaring" a suspect.
The windy British Isles are staking their energy future on offshore wind power. The Crown Estate recently released the names of 18 wind farm developers who have pre-qualified to obtain leases for development of offshore wind farms. The Crown Estate, in its role of landowner of the UK Territorial Seabed, has completed the processing of lease applications for sites a month ahead of schedule. Developers now can seek the legal consents, undertake the necessary technical and environmental studies, and begin public hearings required for offshore wind farm developments. The lease application process is structured to establish the financial and technical credentials of the applicant companies and to ensure that their proposed sites, as much as possible, do not conflict with other uses. Under the terms of a lease agreement, companies must gain all necessary statutory consents within three years. From October of this year all electricity companies will have a legal obligation to supply an increasing proportion of power from renewable sources of generation such as wind. Frank Parrish, Crown Estate Head of Marine Estates said, "This is a terrific start. If all of these sites were to go ahead, the power generated would be between 1,000 and 1,500 MW, enough to power over 1million households." If all projects go ahead, they will create at least 8,000 new jobs.
Most of the project areas are around four to five miles from the shoreline but will be barely visible from land. Each lease covers 3.8 square miles and can accommodate a maximum of 30 wind turbines. Friends of the Earth-UK warmly welcomed proposals for the new offshore wind farms, which the group says will cut emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, by more than 4.4 million tons. The UK's first offshore wind farm at Blyth Harbour in Northumberland was officially commissioned Dec. 7, 2000. The �4 million project is a landmark for both the UK and the wind energy industry. Using two of the largest machines erected offshore in the world, the project is the first to be placed in such a demanding position, subject to the full forces of the North Sea. Each Vestas wind turbine is capable of generating two megawatts of electricity and will provide enough electricity to power 3,000 households annually. Mark Johnston, climate campaigner at Friends of the Earth said, "This is the dawn of new erain energy and the beginning of a major new UK industry. At long last, wind energy's massive potential is being matched by the ambition and financial capital of major British companies. The employment opportunity, already at least 8,000 jobs, could increase further if the UK can attract one of the main turbines suppliers to manufacturer here." Wind power is a key element of the UK government's renewable energy strategy, which will place an obligation on electricity companies to source 10 percent of their supply from renewable technologies by 2010. Blyth Offshore is the first step in a new power generation industry in the UK, which is expected to contribute almost one-fifth of the government's 2010 target.