Officials warn of rip currents, man o’ wars at Brevard beaches – Video

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Officials warn of rip currents, man o #39; wars at Brevard beaches
Beach safety officials warn of rip currents and man o #39; wars in Brevard County. Dan Billow (@DanBillowWESH) has the story. Subscribe to WESH on YouTube now for more: http://bit.ly/1dqr14j ...

By: WESH 2 News

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Officials warn of rip currents, man o' wars at Brevard beaches - Video

Scotland's beaches littered with wet wipes

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Beaches surveyed in the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) Great British Beach Clean last September showed Scotland's shores were covered with highest levels of bathroom waste - including cotton buds, condoms, tampons, nappies and, increasingly, wet wipes - of any of the home nations.

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A total of 14 per cent of litter on Scottish beaches was so-called sewage-related debris - "stuff people put down the toilet but shouldn't" - nearly double the 2013 figure of 7.4 per cent and more than two-and-a-half times the level on the beaches of the UK's next worst-affected nation, Wales.

Of the 14 per cent, some 34 per cent was wet wipes - more than treble the amount in 2013, the highest increase anywhere in the UK.

Campaigners say it is clear that more Scots are using the toilet as a watery dustbin.

MCS Scotland Programme Manager Calum Duncan said wipes, often described as flushable, were being put down the loo instead of thrown in the bin.

He said: "Our sewerage systems weren't built to cope with wet wipes. When flushed they don't disintegrate like toilet paper, and they typically contain plastic so once they reach the sea, they last for a very long time. They can cause blockages in our sewers, and then everything else that has been flushed down the loo can either back up into people's homes, or overflow into rivers and seas.

"Overflows also happen during excessive rainfall, or if the plumbing hasn't been connected up properly meaning the wrong pipes are heading straight to the sea. That's when we find sewage related debris, including wet wipes, on the beach."

The data showed sewage-related debris is higher in estuaries throughout the UK, including the Firth of Forth.

When non-bathroom waste is included in the figures, however, Scotland's beaches came out significantly cleaner than England's.

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Scotland's beaches littered with wet wipes

Beaches littered with wet wipes flushed down toilet

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The UK's beaches are becoming increasingly littered with wet wipes that people are flushing down the toilet, conservationists have warned.

The number of wet wipes found in the Marine Conservation Society's annual ''Great British beach clean'' increased by some 50% in a year as more people use them instead of traditional toilet paper, to remove make- up and to apply fake tan, the charity said.

The annual survey also revealed a 6.4% increase in overall beach litter between 2013 and 2014, prompting the charity to call on the Government to do more to tackle rubbish in the country's seas and on its beaches.

More than 300 beaches around the UK were cleaned and surveyed by 5,349 volunteers over a weekend last September, with 2,457 bits of litter collected for every kilometre of coastline cleaned - up from an average of 2,309 in 2013.

The most commonly-collected type of rubbish was pieces of plastic, while 10% of the litter collected was plastic drink bottles and aluminium drinks cans and 11% was related to commercial and recreational fishing.

Volunteers also found some unusual items including a colostomy bag, a plastic hand, a piping gun nozzle, a bra strap and, on one beach, nine pairs of shoes of various sizes.

An average of 35 wet wipes, which do not disintegrate when flushed down the toilet, were found for every kilometre of beach cleaned in 2014, up from 23 of the little square cloths per kilometre the previous year.

MCS beachwatch officer Charlotte Coombes said the UK's sewers were not built to cope with wet wipes - which have also been causing a problem elsewhere in the world.

''When flushed they don't disintegrate like toilet paper, and they typically contain plastic so once they reach the sea, they last for a very long time.

''They can cause blockages in our sewers and then everything else that has been flushed down the loo can either back up into people's homes, or overflow into rivers and seas.

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Beaches littered with wet wipes flushed down toilet

Beaches littered with wet wipes flushed down the toilet

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The UK's beaches are becoming increasingly littered with wet wipes that people are flushing down the toilet, conservationists have warned.

The number of wet wipes found in the Marine Conservation Society's annual ''Great British beach clean'' increased by some 50% in a year as more people use them instead of traditional toilet paper, to remove make- up and to apply fake tan, the charity said.

The annual survey also revealed a 6.4% increase in overall beach litter between 2013 and 2014, prompting the charity to call on the Government to do more to tackle rubbish in the country's seas and on its beaches.

More than 300 beaches around the UK were cleaned and surveyed by 5,349 volunteers over a weekend last September, with 2,457 bits of litter collected for every kilometre of coastline cleaned - up from an average of 2,309 in 2013.

The most commonly-collected type of rubbish was pieces of plastic, while 10% of the litter collected was plastic drink bottles and aluminium drinks cans and 11% was related to commercial and recreational fishing.

Volunteers also found some unusual items including a colostomy bag, a plastic hand, a piping gun nozzle, a bra strap and, on one beach, nine pairs of shoes of various sizes.

An average of 35 wet wipes, which do not disintegrate when flushed down the toilet, were found for every kilometre of beach cleaned in 2014, up from 23 of the little square cloths per kilometre the previous year.

MCS beachwatch officer Charlotte Coombes said the UK's sewers were not built to cope with wet wipes - which have also been causing a problem elsewhere in the world.

''When flushed they don't disintegrate like toilet paper, and they typically contain plastic so once they reach the sea, they last for a very long time.

''They can cause blockages in our sewers and then everything else that has been flushed down the loo can either back up into people's homes, or overflow into rivers and seas.

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Beaches littered with wet wipes flushed down the toilet

'50% rise' in wet wipes littering Britain's beaches

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ITV Report 19 March 2015 at 5:19am Britain's beaches are becoming increasingly littered with wet wipes. Credit: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire

Britain's beaches are becoming increasingly littered with wet wipes that people are flushing down the toilet, conservationists have warned.

The number of wet wipes found in the Marine Conservation Society's annual "Great British beach clean" increased by some 50% in a year as more people use them, the charity said.

The annual survey also revealed a 6.4% increase in overall beach litter between 2013 and 2014, prompting the charity to call on the Government to do more to tackle rubbish in the country's seas and on its beaches.

300

beaches around the UK were cleaned and surveyed.

2,457

bits of litter were collected for every kilometre of coastline cleaned.

2,309

The average bits of litter found in 2013.

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'50% rise' in wet wipes littering Britain's beaches

March Astronomy Madness: A Total Solar Eclipse And A Supermoon For The Spring Equinox

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A total solar eclipse, a supermoon and the spring equinox take place Friday. Reuters

The first day of spring will be a bit more special this year. For the spring equinox there will be a total solar eclipse and a supermoon. Friday's new moon will be at perigee -- the closest point to Earth -- but don't expect to see much of the "black supermoon."

Friday's total solar eclipse, on the other hand, will be a visual treat for those living in Europe, North Africa and North Asia. The total solar eclipse will be visible in the north Atlantic and the Faroe Islands while a partial eclipse will be visible for the three previously mentioned locations. Astronomer and enthusiasts are heading north to catch the rare solar event.

Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago, will be a popular location for solar eclipse observers, but they may be facing more challenges than protecting their eyes during the event.Christin Kristoffersen, mayor of Longyearbyen, Svalbard's largest settlement, has issued polar bear warnings ahead of Friday's event, Reuters reported. Kristoffersen said he expects around 1,500 tourists -- compared with 2,500 residents of Longyearbyen -- that may not be expecting frigid temperatures or the threat of bears.

"Safety comes first, even before the eclipse. We need to take care of people. It's terribly cold in March and we have the challenge with polar bears," Kristoffersen toldReuters.

In Britain, the partial solar eclipse will be visible around 8:45 a.m. local time, with the peak around 9:31 a.m., theBBC reported. The next partial solar eclipse in Britain will take place in 2026 while the next total solar eclipse will be in 2090.

As for the spring equinox supermoon, it will not be a full moon and won't have the same visual appeal as the supermoon that will rise Aug. 29. While there is nothing apocalyptic about a supermoon, Friday's new moon will slightly affect the tides. Britain's National Oceanography Center said the tides will be a few centimeters above last year's maximum while France'sNavy Oceanic and Hydrological Service said it expects to see fast tides rushing off the coast of Normandy and Mont Saint-Michel, Agence France-Presse reported.

This week has been a pretty special one, astronomically speaking. Sunday saw a pair of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) that grazed Earth on Tuesday and led to a spectacular St. Patrick's Day aurora. Friday's supermoon and total solar eclipse fall on the spring equinox -- when the sun crosses the plane of the equator -- at 6:45 p.m. EDT.

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March Astronomy Madness: A Total Solar Eclipse And A Supermoon For The Spring Equinox

Street Performer and Astrophysicist | Billions Cobra | TEDxYouth@Toronto – Video

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Street Performer and Astrophysicist | Billions Cobra | TEDxYouth@Toronto
Awash with flames, the Billions Cobra show features amazing acts of body contortion and precision whip cracking, but how did this become the calling of an astro physics major? One man #39;s story...

By: TEDx Talks

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Street Performer and Astrophysicist | Billions Cobra | TEDxYouth@Toronto - Video

12 Risks that threaten Human civilisation. Which risk will end the world? – Video

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12 Risks that threaten Human civilisation. Which risk will end the world?
A research report prepared by The Global Challenges Foundation and Oxford University is giving list of 12 risks that threaten human civilisation. Few of the threats are "exogenic", arising...

By: Rajamanickam Antonimuthu

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12 Risks that threaten Human civilisation. Which risk will end the world? - Video

Artificial Intelligence: Threat to survival of the human race? – Video

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Artificial Intelligence: Threat to survival of the human race?
Artificial Intelligence: Threat to survival of the human race? ... A group project for the Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT) Topic : Societal Issues - "Artificial Intelligence: Threat to...

By: Rory Nee

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Artificial Intelligence: Threat to survival of the human race? - Video