Moments after a man was hacked to death on a street in London on Wednesday, one of two suspects in the attack approached a witness who was recording the scene on video and asked to make a statement.
Prime Minister David Cameron is trying to mend the damage as the right wing of his Conservative Party views him as too liberal, too metropolitan, too out of touch.
In a widely anticipated speech on Thursday, President Obama said he would impose a higher standard on the use of drone strikes, and he sought to renew his effort to close the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
A classic Patagonia skyline features some of the craggiest peaks in the world.
FRISCO — I missed my favorite Twitter chat last week, but got all giddy when I saw this week’s #FriFotos theme — peaks. I live amidst the splendor of the Rocky Mountains, and at least a third of the pictures in my ever-growing photo archives features peaks in all shapes and sizes. I’m looking forward to seeing great images of mountains from around the world. It’s easy to join the fun. Just upload your own favorite peak pictures, tag then with #FriFotos and post them to Twitter, share and comment.
The M/V Professor Molchanov at anchor near a remote peak in Antarctica.
Study in Alpine lakes traces 1,600-year of history climate change
Sediments in Austria’s Mondsee show more evidence of flooding during transitions to cooler climate phases.
By Summit Voice
SUMMIT COUNTY — While many recent research projects have highlighted the potential for more extreme weather as the planet warms up, a new study from the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences indicates that parts of the Alps saw more extreme flooding during periods of transition to cooler climatic conditions.
By studying sediment layers in the Mondsee, an Alpine lake near Salzburg, Austria, the researchers found evidence of flooding during the time of the Great Migration and the Early Middle Ages (AD 450-750), as well as the transition to the Little Ice Age (AD 1140-1520). In contrast, there was less flooding during the medieval warm phase (AD 1000-1140) and the coldest period of the Little Ice Age (AD 1600-1700). (more…)
Summit monument on popular peak threatens to topple
The summit cross on the 3,660-meter Grossvenediger in Austria recently threatened to topple over, as warming temperatures have melted the permanent snow and ice that held the monument in place for decades. Photo courtesy Bergrettung Prägraten.
By Bob Berwyn
FRISCO — In yet another sign of how quickly global warming is eating away at glaciers in the European Alps, the Austrian Alpine Club is reporting that the summit cross high on the 3,660-meter Grossvenediger in Austria came close to toppling off its podium this summer.
The permanent snow and ice that helped hold the monument in place for decades melted away in the summer heat, with several feet of ice vanishing just in the past few months. A mountain guide arriving at the summit last week discovered that the cross was close to falling over, with potential risks to summit visitors. (more…)
Attacks increase when temperatures climb and precipitation dwindles
By Summit Voice
SUMMIT COUNTY — Forests in the American West aren’t the only ones facing an increasing threat from tree-killing beetles. A European researcher recently studied the pattern and impact of outbreaks by the bark beetle in the southern Alps, measuring the size and distribution of the infested areas occurring along steep temperature gradients between 1994 and 2009 and matched the observations with climatic changes.
The results, published online in Springer’s Climatic Change, shows that there were more attacks by the spruce bark beetle on European Alpine spruce forests over a 16 year period, as temperatures rose and rainfall dropped, according to Lorenzo Marini, of the University of Padova in Italy. (more…)
The decline of Alpine wood grouse may be linked to growth in winter recreation. PHOTO BY RICHARD BARTZ VIA THE CREATIVE COMMONS.
Conservationists call for restrictions on winter recreation in core habitat areas
By Summit Voice
SUMMIT COUNTY — In research that might of interest to Summit County leaders as they mull over recreation and development plans, Swiss scientists say they have linked burgeoning winter recreation activities in the Alps with a severe decline of wood grouse populations.
The study, published in the journal IBIS, shows how the growth of human recreation may be a key factor in the rapidly declining population of these iconic alpine birds.
The wood grouse, sometimes called the Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus), is the largest member of the grouse family and is renowned for its mating display. It is most commonly found in the alpine regions of Germany and Switzerland.
“Alpine habitats across Europe remained relatively undisturbed until the beginning of the last century, but today human outdoor recreation areas coincide with the winter habitats of many shy and endangered species,” said lead author Dominik Thiel, of the Swiss Ornithological Institute. “The Western Capercaillie has suffered rapid population declines during recent decades. However, little is known about their susceptibility to human recreation activities.” (more…)
The majestic Aletsch Glacier, the largest in the European Alps, will probably lose about about 50 percent of its volume in the next few decades. PHOTO FROM THE WIKIMEDIA COMMONS.
Smaller glaciers will melt faster and fuel sea level rise
By Summit Voice
SUMMIT COUNTY — A new study by Canadian researchers suggests that smaller glaciers in mountain regions will be especially hard-hit by global warming, with many of them likely to shrink by 50 percent from their current ice volumes.
The melt-off from those glaciers will contribute to about 12 centimeters of sea-level rise by 2100, according to the University of British Columbia research published this week in Nature Geoscience.
“There is a lot of focus on the large ice sheets but very few global scale studies quantifying how much melt to expect from these smaller glaciers that make up about 40 percent of the entire sea-level rise that we observe right now,” said Valentina Radic, a postdoctoral researcher with the university’s department of earth and ocean sciences and lead author of the study. (more…)
Ibex, the Alpine mountain goats, are struggling to survive in some areas and global warming may be a factor in the decline. PHOTO VIA THE CREATIVE COMMONS.
Population threatened in Italy’s Gran Paradiso National Park
By Summit Voice
SUMMIT COUNTY — Ibex, the European mountain goats that roam the high peaks of the Alps, are dying out in part of Italy, and researchers think global warming may be a factor. Since 1963, the number of ibex in Gran Paradiso National Park has fallen by half, and while the same number of young are being born every year, about three-quarters of them are dying.
Researchers have been studying the population decline and suspect that changes in vegetation are stressing the young animals. Just like in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, spring is coming earlier and the plants are growing more quickly and drying out sooner — out of synch with the life cycle of the ibex.
Once the kids are weaned, they aren’t finding lush green grash, but only dried and fibrous plants that are much lower in nutrition. Declining winter snows may also be a factor. Researchers say those conditions favor survival of the older animals.
A pathogen may also be a factor, though researchers haven’t been able to pinpoint any specific disease yet.
Whatever the reason, the ibex population in the Italian national park is now seriously at risk.
Wildlife biologists estimate that the Alps could provide habitat for about 1,000 bears. PHOTO COURTESY WWF.
Habitat destruction, poaching and historic hunting are pressuring bear populations in most parts of the world
By Summit Voice
SUMMIT COUNTY — While we here in Colorado are busy trying to educate the public about how to reduce unwanted and potentially dangerous bear encounters, the animals are facing much bigger problems in other parts of the world. Take Europe, for example, where bears are nearly extinct in many countries.
England’s last bears were killed 2,000 years ago, and France, according to recent reports, only has a population of eight wild bears left in the Pyrenees, hardly a sustainable population. Spain, a country that still has large undeveloped areas, has a population of only 80 bears in the Cantabrian Mountains. Germany”s last native bears were killed about 170 years ago, and when an unfortunate bear wandered from Italy into Germany a few years ago, it was shot. (more…)
Researchers are investigating the cause of a dwindling moose population in the Jackson Hole area. PHOTO COURTESY THE COLORADO DIVISION OF WILDLIFE.
147 avalanche deaths in the Alps
We’re starting this week’s mountain news roundup in the Alps, where PlanetSki reports that 147 people died in avalanches this past winter. It may sound like a high number compared to the totals in Colorado and the U.S. but it’s fairly close to average for a European winter. The biggest number of avalanche deaths for the season, 37, well above the average annual death toll of 26. In Switzerland, 28 people died in avalanches. One trend that bears watching is the increased number of avalanche deaths among ski professionals. An unusual number of guides and rescue workers were caught in slides in the Alps this winter, according to PlanetSki.Get more details here.
100 years of yodeling
On a happier Alpine note, PlanetSki is also reporting that the Swiss yodeling Association is celebrating its centennial this year. There will be yodeling festivals and competitions, no doubt, and while the very thought of yodeling is annoying to some people, to others, it’s an indispensable part of Alpine folklore. And if the traditional version of yodeling doesn’t do it for you, the Swiss band Sonalp incorporates an updated brand of the ululating vocalization in its World Music repertoire.Check out the PlanetSki story here and watch this YouTube video for some Swiss folk-punk, which includes Alphorns being played like didgeridoos.
Retreating glaciers
The latest reports are in and they show that 91 percent of Austria’s glaciers retreated last year, with some of them receding as much as 150 feet. Some of the biggest shrinkages occurred in the Tyrolean mountains, where glaciers are an iconic part of the cultural landscape. Austrians have taken climate change very seriously for quite a while, knowing that some their essential cultural fabric is based on a connection with the mountains. Rising summer temperatures are cited as the main cause for the glacier retreat. Read more …
Much more, including news about skiing in Bulgaria and dwindling moose populations in Jackson Hole, after the break …(more…)
Swiss researchers are studying melting permafrost that has resulted in more frequent rockfalls on the famed Matterhorn. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ZERMATT TOURIST OFFICE.
Telluride announces Bluegrass lineup, Aspen locals debate pass prices and Scottish skiers set a record for kilt (not kite) skiing …
Swiss debate avalanche penalties
We start our weekly mountain news roundup with a trio of stories from PlanetSki, a Euro-based web site reporting with excellent reporting from the Alps. A PlanetSki correspondent based in Zermatt reported that Swiss authorities are considering pressing charges against off-piste skiers who triggered avalanches that subsequently ran across marked ski trails. According to the story, Swiss law already includes provisions for prosecuting skiers in those situations.
Two recent avalanche incidents prompted renewed discussion about the measures in the Swiss media. The first was at Anzere, near Crans Montana, where a party of three off-piste skiers triggered a slide that hit two other skiers on a marked trail. They were unhurt. Most recently, a group of snowboarders in Zermatt triggered a slide that ran from outside the ski area boundary back on to a marked trail. In both cases, the off-piste skiers have been questioned by police.
Kilted at Cairgorn PlanetSki is also reporting that a group of 235 kilt-wearing skiers at Scotland’s Cairngorn resort set a new record for the largest number kilted skiers and snowboarders to gather together for a run. Check out the post, which includes some great pictures and video. The gathering was to help celebrate the best conditions Scotland ski areas have seen in quite some time, and to raise money for charity and school ski program.
Read the rest of our roundup after the break. (more…)
WASHINGTON—A day after she refused to answer questions at a congressional hearing, Lois Lerner was replaced Thursday as director of the Internal Revenue Service division that oversaw agents who targeted tea party groups.
Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee cancelled his appearance at the 2013 Denver Comic Con, news that will leave most fans feeling like they were punched in the gut by one of Doctor Octopus' tentacles.
Denver Water has some good news for customers worried about the cost of keeping their lawns green: The Denver Water Board of Commissioners voted at their meeting Wednesday to delay drought
Secretary of State Gessler filed paperwork to run for governor on Thursday, two days after reimbursing the state nearly $1,300 for a political trip to Florida last year.
Denver radio personality Peter Boyles was involved in a "heated exchange" that apparently escalated to a physical encounter with a producer Thursday morning during the broadcast on Clear
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