A solar-powered airplane finished crossing the United States on Saturday, landing in New York City after flying over the Statue of Liberty during its historic bid to circle the globe, the project team said. The spindly, single-seat experimental aircraft, dubbed Solar Impulse 2, arrived at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport at about 4 a.m. local time after it took off about five hours beforehand at Lehigh Valley International Airport in Pennsylvania, the team reported on the airplane's website. Such a pleasure to land in New York! For the 14th time we celebrate sustainability," said the project's co-founder Andre Borschberg on Twitter after flying over the city and the Statue of Liberty during the 14th leg of the trip around the globe. The Swiss team flying the aircraft in a campaign to build support for clean energy technologies hopes eventually to complete its circumnavigation in Abu Dhabi, where the journey began in March 2015. The solar cr...
Monitoring of seagrass meadows off the North Wales coast found areas damaged by the likes of boat moorings, anchors and vehicles crossing at low tide had reduced value to the ecosystem. Fewer species of fish were found where seagrass was degraded, according to research published in PeerJ journal. The seagrass studied was near the village of Porthdinllaen, in Gwynedd. Researchers at Swansea University studied areas with both high and low cover over a 28-hectare stretch of sea bed. They also sampled fish living in the underwater meadows of flowering plants.
However, despite this protection it was still being degraded, he said. "We have a lot of legislation in the UK already to conserve a lot of marine habitats but these mechanisms do not have enough financial clout," said Dr Unsworth.
Dr Jean-Luc Solandt of the Marine Conservation Society said the study reaffirmed that seagrass meadows are important habitats that should be protected. "This research shows that disturbance to seagrass beds negatively impacts on ecosystems, and the capacity for these habitats to support a wealth of species. "It is further evidence that protection measures are needed to preserve these diverse but fragile places."
Seagrasses are also found in several marine conservation zones off England. Some marine conservation zones have already designated, with others due for consideration next year. Conservation groups, backed by MPs, have been calling for a full network of protected zones to be created around the coastline of the UK.
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