Migratory birds start arriving at Chilika,but the numbers are down- Source,The Hindu

• Migratory birds  arriving at the wetlands of Odisha's Chilika lake but not the usual number.
• This year however the winged visitors  have descended on the mudflats of the lake.
• Chilika is usually filled with cacaphony of birds.
• As acres of patches are still under water, birds are not descending on the lake.
• Usually one million birds congregate on the mudflats of the lake during winter.
• The lake has been designated Ramsar site ( a wetland of international importance) since 1981.
• One of the resaon behind  the low turnout is the flooding after incessant rain triggered by cyclone Titli that hit the Odisha coast.

Green roofs effective for adapting to climate change

A study headed by researchers of the Water and Environment Engineering Institute of Valencia's Polytechnic University (IIAMA-UPV) shows that green roofs are an effective measure to adapt to climate change in the Mediterranean, as they offer positive hydrological performance and reduce the creation of surface water runoff.

This is the main conclusion of the article "Hydrological Performance of Green Roofs at Building and City Scales under Mediterranean Conditions," published in Sustainability.

The research compared the hydrological performance of a green roof and a traditional roof under Mediterranean weather conditions at two different scales: at the building level and at the city level.

Different studies show that the performance of green infrastructure varies depending on its hydro-climatic exposure, specially regarding rain patterns (frequency, amount of rain) and the ground's humidity conditions, which made it necessary to quantify its performance in an area with a dry climate, such as the Mediterranean.

In fact, the IIAMA researcher recalls that the European Commission acknowledges the management of rainwater in cities as one of the most important challenges in the fight against climate change, where green roof are a type. 

Location of large mystery source of banned ozone-depleting substance uncovered

The compound, carbon tetrachloride, contributes to the destruction of the Earth's ozone layer, which protects us from harmful ultraviolet radiation.

As a result, the production of carbon tetrachloride has been banned throughout the world since 2010 for uses that will result in its release to the atmosphere. The global emissions have not declined as expected, with about 40,000 tonnes still being emitted each year. Alongside collaborators from South Korea, Switzerland, Australia, and the USA, researchers at the University of Bristol aimed to quantify emissions from eastern Asia.

To do this, they used ground-based and airborne atmospheric concentration data from near the Korean peninsula and two models that simulate the transport of gases through the atmosphere. Around half of the 'missing' global emissions of carbon tetrachloride originated from eastern China between 2009 and 2016.

The phase-out of carbon tetrachloride production for emissive use in 2010, found no evidence for a subsequent decrease in emissions. The monitoring of man-made ozone-depleting gases in the atmosphere is essential to ensure the continued success of the phase-out of these compounds.

Growing algae more sustainably for biofuel production

Because fossil fuels emit pollutants that are harmful to both the environment and public health, researchers are diligently exploring more sustainable alternatives. One of these alternatives is biofuels.

Biofuels are renewable energy sources created using plants like corn or switchgrass that can be grown as annual or perennial crops. Another source used to create biofuel is algae – both single-celled microalgae and macroalgae such as kelp. Though algal biofuels are a more sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, there remains room to improve the production of the algae used to create them.