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Sunday, March 23, 2025

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https://nordictimes.com/environment/nordic-sea-rescue-tour-to-reduce-plastic-in-the-ocean/

Environment

Nordic sea rescue tour to reduce plastic in the ocean

Published 2 May 2024
– By Editorial Staff
Litter left behind by humans harms the ocean and the animals that live there.
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The Nordic organizations, including Keep Sweden Tidy (Håll Sverige Rent), want to draw attention to the littering of the oceans. On May 3, the Nordic tour will start in Finland and then visit the rest of the Nordic countries.

Plastic is the most common type of litter in the oceans and on beaches, both worldwide and in the Nordic countries. Cigarette butts and snuff make up 15% of all litter on Nordic beaches, while food packaging makes up 14%. However, the largest proportion, 36%, is unidentified plastic.

Keep Sweden Tidy, together with its nordic sister organizations Keep Norway Tidy, Keep Denmark Tidy, Keep the Archipelago Tidy (Finland & Åland), World Wide Friends (Iceland), CSR in Greenland and Rudda Føroyar in the Faroe Islands, organizes the Sea Rescue Tour to make a joint effort against marine litter.

– Much of the litter in bathing areas and on beaches is what we humans have eaten, drunk or otherwise consumed, including cigarette butts and plastic packaging. Now we hope that even more people will choose to do their bit for the ocean this summer and holiday season. Just take a bag to the nearest beach and pick up the litter you see. It will help the sea and all the animals that live there, and it will also make the holiday experience more pleasant for more people, says Johanna Ragnartz, CEO of Keep Sweden Tidy, in a press release.

The tour will stop in all countries, with Finland being the first on May 3, followed by Denmark and Norway on May 4. The Sea Rescue Tour will come to Sweden on June 8 in connection with World Oceans Day. The litter picks will be organized as part of the Kusträddarna (Coast savers) campaign, in which everyone is welcome to participate.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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https://nordictimes.com/environment/cougars-adapt-their-circadian-rhythm-to-cope-with-human-presence/

Environment

Cougars adapt their circadian rhythm to cope with human presence

Published 7 March 2025
– By Editorial Staff
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Cougars actively avoid contact with humans, a US study shows. In areas of high human activity, cougars became more nocturnal, while in remote regions they were more often active during dawn and dusk.

In Los Angeles, mountain lions live in several natural areas that also attract many people to the outdoors. In a study published in the scientific journal Biological Conservation, researchers tracked 22 mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains with GPS between 2011 and 2018. The aim was to investigate how cougars’ activity patterns adapt to increased human presence. The study was conducted by the University of California, Davis, Cal Poly Pomona and the National Park Service.

The movement patterns of the cougars were compared to a comprehensive database of human GPS-tracked activities in the area. The results showed that cougars in areas of high human activity adapted by becoming more nocturnal, instead of being active at dawn and dusk, which is their natural activity time.

– The study also continues to drive home the amazing fact that a population of a large felid predator persists in one of the largest urban areas in the world. That would not be possible if mountain lions weren’t able to adjust to human activity in ways like this, said Seth Riley, wildlife division chief at the National Park Service, in a press release.

“Coexistence is happening”

Cougars in areas with less human activity were more active at dawn and dusk, according to the study. In general, females showed greater activity closer to sunrise and during daylight hours compared to males.

– They are flexible in the timing of their activity. Coexistence is happening, and it’s in large part because of what mountain lions are doing, says lead author Ellie Bolas, a doctoral student in the UC Davis Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology.

The researchers emphasize that humans must also contribute to coexistence, both to protect themselves and the cougars. Residents in areas with cougars are urged to exercise caution at night, especially when driving, and to be aware that cougars are often active at dawn and dusk.

Previous studies in Norway have also shown that wolves avoid humans as much as possible, according to a report by Norwegian state broadcaster NRK. In the study, conducted at the University of Innlandet, all wolves that participated fled when humans approached or stayed hidden.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/environment/worlds-oldest-shrub-found-in-finland/

Environment

World’s oldest shrub found in Finland

Published 2 March 2025
– By Editorial Staff
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Italian scientists have discovered a juniper bush in northern Finland that could be the oldest in the world. It is estimated to be 1,647 years old.

Researchers from the University of Padua discovered a dead juniper bush during a visit to the Kevo Subarctic Research Institute in Utsjoki, Lapland, in 2021. Initial analysis of the annual rings dated the bush to 1,242 years.

A new analysis of the tree rings in 2024 showed that the shrub is 1,647 years old. Scientists estimate that it started growing around 260 AD and died in 1906, but it is possible that it is even older as it is difficult to count all the years accurately.

– Juniper is the most widespread woody species in the world. It is found from sea level to the upper limits of vegetation, from Alaska to Etna, from Japan to Scotland. It is an extremely eclectic species, capable of tolerating scorching temperatures and aridity, such as in sandy dunes, or, conversely, in freezing environments near glaciers. Today, this record is joined by that of being the world’s oldest shrub, said the leader of the research group, Professor Marco Carrer of the University of Padua in a press release.

The shrub is the oldest ever dated by tree rings and the oldest woody plant in Europe determined by this method. Previously, other old junipers have also been found in Finland.

– The oldest juniper and the oldest woody plant in Finland was a 1,070-year-old specimen found in Lemmenjoki before this discovery. The age record of Finnish junipers has now been improved by almost 600 years, says Otso Suominen, Director of the Kevo Subarctic Research Institute.

In addition, four other juniper trees were found in Utsjoki that were over a thousand years old.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/environment/poorer-air-quality-in-finland-and-sweden/

Environment

Poorer air quality in Finland and Sweden

Published 28 February 2025
– By Editorial Staff
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Air quality has deteriorated in some parts of Finland and Sweden in recent days. In Finland, the levels of microparticles are the highest measured in the last ten years.

Next year, the EU will introduce a limit of 50 micrograms of microparticles per cubic meter, which means that the public must be warned if this limit is exceeded. On Monday, a daily average of almost 40 micrograms of microparticles per cubic meter was measured in Finland.

In Sweden, there have been locally high levels in several parts of the country for most of February. Levels have been particularly high on Gotland, and on Wednesday as many as 997.4 microparticles per cubic meter were measured in Visby, according to preliminary figures from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. According to the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute’s (SMHI) air web, however, the levels have fallen during the night, but also showed unhealthy levels on Thursday morning. Gävle also showed high levels in the morning.

Measured pollution in Visby during the morning. Photo: facsimile/SMHIAccording to the Finnish state broadcaster Yle, the deterioration in air quality is due to the introduction of large amounts of microparticles into the air mass from Central and Eastern Europe. It is also reported that it may worsen in the coming days.

Pollution measured during the morning. Photo: facsimile/SMHI

Poor air quality affects people with conditions such as asthma and cardiovascular disease, as well as older people and children, but can also affect healthy people. For example, eyes, nose and throat can be irritated by microparticles in the air. According to Yle, you should stay indoors if you experience symptoms.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/environment/nanoplastics-spread-to-remote-mountain-peaks/

Environment

Nanoplastics spread to remote mountain peaks

Published 16 February 2025
– By Editorial Staff
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Researchers from Norway, among others, have discovered nanoplastics in the snow in the Alps. The particles were found at over 3,100 meters altitude.

Previous studies have detected microplastics in remote locations, including mountainous areas. Therefore, researchers from the University of Leipzig in Germany, the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands and NILU in Norway also investigated the presence of nanoplastics – plastic particles smaller than 1 micrometer (μm) – in high-altitude glaciers.

In the study, published in Scientific Reports, the researchers hired experienced mountaineers to collect snow samples in the Alps. The samples were taken from 14 sites in the French, Italian and Swiss parts of the mountain range, 13 of which were above 3100 meters above sea level.

According to the study, nanoplastics were found at five of the sites examined. Levels ranged from 2 to 80 ng/mL of snow. The most common plastic particles came from car tire wear, but polystyrene and polyethylene were also found.

– Our findings merely show that plastic pollution on a micro- and nano scale may be more widespread than earlier assumed. Due to their minuscule size, these particles have large potential to be transported through the atmosphere over long distances, contributing to global pollution, said NILU researcher Nikolaos Evangeliou in a press release.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com
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