Environment Week 2011
Celebrate Earth Day with Britannica!
As people around the world honor Earth Day, Britannica invites you in this post to explore the encyclopedia's related content. Read the rest of this entry »
Grand Canyon and Kamchatka (Celebrating National Park Week)
Grand Canyon National Park is vast—and daunting, pointing out our smallness and brief time on Earth. So is the Kamchatka Peninsula, with which we pair Grand Canyon in this finale to our celebration of National Park Week. Read the rest of this entry »
John Muir: A Lifetime of Conservation
John Muir, born April 21, 1838, was one of America's most inspirational and influential advocates of forest conservation. Here, in a collection of photos, Britannica celebrates Muir's life and the majestic natural places he defended. Read the rest of this entry »
Point Reyes, the Indiana Dunes, and the Central Alps (Celebrating National Park Week)
The U.S. national park system includes numerous lakeshores and seashores. Two of my favorites are Point Reyes National Seashore, in California, and Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in Indiana. As Leonardo da Vinci divined, the Alps once lay alongside ancient seas, so we'll pair the two with Swiss National Park, which showcases the Central Alps. Read the rest of this entry »
Vicksburg, Central High, and West Lake (Celebrating National Park Week)
Vicksburg, Mississippi, saw some of the most terrible fighting of the American Civil War. Central High School, in Little Rock, Arkansas, gave rise to some of the most memorable scenes of the struggle for civil rights a century later. Both places are part of the American national parks system. Read the rest of this entry »
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: One Year Later (Picture Essay of the Day)
A year after BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded (April 20) and sank (April 22) in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana, the heady fumes of politics and petroleum continue to rise from the Gulf and the states surrounding it. British oil giant BP, having lost nearly a quarter of its market value, has spent over $40 billion in its efforts to rectify the damage caused by the spill. The company has reimbursed the U.S. government for the millions spent in coordinating these efforts and continues to disburse payments to affected citizens and governments from the $20 billion compensation fund established last year. Read the rest of this entry »
The Incredible Shrinking Aral Sea
The Aral "Sea," lying between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan was once a large saltwater lake that covered some 26,300 square miles (68,000 square km) and was the fourth largest inland body of water in the world. But, in the last 50 years, as the waters of the Syr Darya and Amu Darya rivers were diverted for irrigation purposes, the lake has almost totally dried up, increasing salinity and spreading toxic substances on the now exposed soil. Read the rest of this entry »
Endangered Estuaries
Estuaries are places where rivers meet the sea, and within them, organisms from two very different aquatic worlds often find themselves alongside one another. But these amazing habitats are under serious threat from pollution and other consequences of human activity. Read the rest of this entry »
Shenandoah and the Lake District (Celebrating National Park Week)
The Shenandoah River is not long, but it has been hugely important to American history. The national park surrounding a long stretch of its length is one of the most heavily visited in the United States, but for all that it remains wild and spectacularly scenic. We pair it with England's Lake District National Park, another place of vast historical and scenic value. Read the rest of this entry »
Environment Week 2011 on the Britannica Blog
Join the Britannica Blog this week as we celebrate World Habitat Awareness Month and Earth Day! Read the rest of this entry »
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