Potomac River wallpaper
Divers discover huge underground river
Stephen Bogaerts and Robbie Schmittner had spent four years exploring whether the Sac Actun system links to other cave networks before they made the final connection that revealed a single system that is 95 miles long.
[ ]…The 42-year-old explorer says that putting Sac Actun at the top of the global table of submerged cave systems is far from the end of the story. He and Mr Schmittner are working on exploring whether Sac Actun connects to a 58km-long system called Dos Ojos. It could yet prove to be the longest cave system of any kind – a record held by the 360-mile, dry Mammoth Cave system in Kentucky.
The Yucatán Peninsula – particularly the area running south from the resort city of Cancún, on the north-eastern tip, along what is known as the Riviera Maya – is full of holes, in large part because of the combination of porous limestone bedrock, rainforest cover and relative flatness.
Over the millennia the substantial amount of rain that falls here has meandered its way towards the sea, turning slightly acidic because of the dissolving rock, and carving out an extraordinary underground labyrinth. The caves are entered via open pools known as cenotes.
Just for comparison the Amazon, generally regarded as the world’s largest river ( if you include the entire basin) is 6,400 km ( 3997 miles) long, the Nile River in Africa is considered the longest at 6,695km (4,180 miles), and the Mississippi River is no small stream at 3733km (2320 miles) long.
Even beer drinking environmentalists can now imbibe with a clearer conscience, New Belgium Brewing’s Green Beer
The only thing “lite” about the full-bodied beers crafted by New Belgium Brewing is the environmental impact. By reducing the energy, water and waste involved in making its award-winning Fat Tire Amber Ale and other beers, the Fort Collins, Colo.-based brewery is proving that great taste and a clear conscience are both good for business. From hops in to beer out, practically every stage of New Belgium’s brewing process has been designed for greater efficiency. In the brew house, heat typically released as steam preheats incoming water. Temperature sensors automatically open windows to cool the building. Methane gas from an on-site wastewater treatment facility is piped to a generator, which produces enough electricity to cover 10 percent of the brewery’s needs. New Belgium purchases the remainder of its electricity from wind farms, and offsets some of its CO2 emissions by purchasing renewable energy credits on the Chicago Climate Exchange.
And for those tracking the honey-bee story: Losing Their Buzz
A decline in the numbers of Apis melllifera, the world’s most widely distributed semi-domesticated insect, doesn’t just mean a shortage of honey for toast and tea. In fact, the economic value of honey, wax and other bee products is trivial in comparison with the honeybee’s services as a pollinator. More than 90 crops in North America rely on honeybees to transport pollen from flower to flower, effecting fertilization and allowing production of fruit and seed. The amazing versatility of the species is worth an estimated $14 billion a year to the United States economy.
Approximately one-third of the typical American’s diet (primarily the healthiest part) is directly or indirectly the result of honey bee pollination. Production of almonds in California, a $2 billion enterprise, is almost entirely dependent on honey bees. Every year beekeepers transport millions of bees around the country to meet the ever-growing need for pollination services for almonds, apples, blueberries, peaches and other crops. This year it is possible that there won’t be enough bees to meet the demand for pollinators.
