tagged w/ Baltic Sea
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Finnish rally driver and four time world champion Juha Kankkunen has set a new world record on ice after surpassing a speed of 300kmh on the frozen Baltic Sea. He was driving a Bentley Continental supersport and broke his own record of 2007.
This was confirmed by the officials of the Finland Traffic Police. Here you check out the video footage of that mind boggling speed.
http://funnyandspicy.com/juha-kankkunen-has-set-a-new-world-record-on-iceFinnish rally driver and four time world champion Juha Kankkunen has set a new world... more
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The potentially toxic bloom, covering 377,000 sq km, could pose a risk to marine life in the region, warn scientists. A lack of wind and prolonged high temperatures had triggered the largest bloom since 2005.
The affected area stretches from Finland in the north to parts of Germany and Poland in the south.
The image, captured earlier this month, was recorded by a camera on the European Space Agency's Envisat satellite.
Researchers monitoring the spread of the blue-green algae said such blooms had spread over the Baltic Sea each summer for decades.
They added that fertilizers from surrounding agricultural land were being washed into the sea and exacerbating the problem.
This has led to a process called eutrophication, in which the additional nutrients stimulate rapid growth of phytoplankton - microscopic free-floating marine plants.
This accelerated growth also reduces the amount of oxygen available to other plant and animal species in the affected area; raising fears that it could destabilize fragile marine ecosystems.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-10740097The potentially toxic bloom, covering 377,000 sq km, could pose a risk to marine life... more
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Russia's navy has been deployed to find a ship reportedly hijacked three weeks ago in the Baltic Sea.
It has a 15-strong Russian crew and was reportedly taking timber worth $1.5m (£900,000) from Finland to Algeria when it was boarded by gunmen on 24 July.
Maltese authorities have said it has not passed through the Straits of Gibraltar, suggesting the vessel remains in the Atlantic.Russia's navy has been deployed to find a ship reportedly hijacked three weeks... more
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Nine Baltic sea states all scored failing grades in an annual WWF evaluation of their performance in protecting and restoring the world’s most damaged sea.
The assessment, presented today at the Baltic Sea Festival, graded the countries on how well they are doing in six separate areas - biodiversity, fisheries, hazardous substances, marine transport and eutrophication - and on how they have succeeded in developing an integrated sea-use management system.
The best grade (an F for just 46 per cent) was received by Germany, followed by Denmark (41 per cent) and the worst were Poland (25 per cent) and Russia (26 per cent).
Behind the bad overall scores there were some rays of hope. Germany received an A on the biodiversity score for their protection of marine areas with around 40 per cent of the country’s sea areas protected.
Latvia and Lithuania have taken measures to combat illegal fishing of cod, partly by giving inspectors the mandate to impose sanctions on site. Estonia has a narrow lead in lowering the impact of hazardous substances.
Also at the festival WWF awarded Tarja Halonen, president of the Republic of Finland, with the Baltic Sea Leadership Award for “her persistent efforts to unite groups and encourage cross-border discussions on the future of the Baltic Sea”.
Finland is the only country in the region that has developed a cross-sectoral marine policy and several other countries are now taking steps to review their marine management.
The poor state of the Baltic Sea environment has received attention this summer because of the extensive algal blooms caused by eutrophication and for recent scientific reports on the vast “dead zones” on the sea bottom. Seven of the world’s 10 biggest dead zones, where nothing can survive due to lack of oxygen, are found in the Baltic Sea.
Nine Baltic sea states all scored failing grades in an annual WWF evaluation of their... more
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After 15 years of squabbling, Germany and Denmark will sign an agreement next week to build a bridge that will significantly expedite travel and trade between Scandinavia and the European mainland.
After fighting over who was going to pay for it for over 15 years and more than a year after hammering out the text of an agreement, Germany and Denmark are finally going to sign a treaty next week to build an enormous bridge between their countries by 2018.
Germany's Transport Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee and his Danish counterpart Carina Christensen are scheduled to meet next Wednesday in Copenhagen to sign the treaty allowing the construction of the €5.6 billion ($8.2 billion) bridge that will span the 19-kilometer (11.8-mile) divide between Puttgarden on the German island of Fehmarn and Rødby on the Danish island of Lolland. Both islands are in the Baltic Sea.
Once the treaty is signed, it will still need the approval of the Danish and German parliaments.
The bridge will significantly speed rail traffic and reduce driving times between Hamburg and Copenhagen from the current approximately four hours to about three. It will also make trade between northern Scandinavia and the European mainland much easier as it will complement the 17-kilometer (10.5-mile) Oresend Bridge completed in 2000 between the Swedish city of Malmo and Copenhagen.
(continued at link)After 15 years of squabbling, Germany and Denmark will sign an agreement next week to... more
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