Copernicus: Low Danube Levels in Hungary

Copernicus: Low Danube Levels in Hungary

Ongoing drought conditions and heat, aggravated by the climate emergency, have led to alarmingly low water levels in the Danube. Today’s Image of the Day from the EU’s Copernicus Earth observation programme, above, shows a year on year comparison from the Danube Bend in Hungary.

From the description:

Following a prolonged dry spell and intense summer heat, low water levels are being reported along the Danube River in northern Hungary. This reach forms part of the Danube Bend, where the river divides around a long, wooded island bordered by farmland and settlements. Low water levels also affected navigation and river tourism, with sightseeing services to northern Hungarian towns being suspended since mid-July. 

This comparison uses images acquired by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites on 14 July 2025 and 25 July 2026. The 2026 image shows exposed pale sediment bars along several bends. The surrounding landscape forms a patchwork of cultivated fields, built-up areas, and transport infrastructure on both sides of the river.

Copernicus satellite data help authorities map exposed riverbanks and track changes in surface-water extent during prolonged low-flow periods. The resulting information can support assessments of navigation conditions, freshwater habitats, and water management needs during low-flow periods.

Link.

NYT – Oil Firms Knew for Decades of Methane’s Danger to Planet, Documents Suggest (Gift Link)

NYT – Oil Firms Knew for Decades of Methane’s Danger to Planet, Documents Suggest (Gift Link)

Of course they did.

The oil and gas industry has known for decades that its wells were releasing far more planet-warming methane than companies acknowledged, according to industry documents identified by an environmental group.

In a report on the findings released on Monday, the Center for Climate Integrity cited, among other examples, a 1979 report commissioned by the research arm of the American Gas Association, an industry group. That report said that major gas fields in the United States could be releasing far more planet-warming gases than was being officially reported.

Link.

The report, ‘The Fraud of “Clean” Natural Gas: How Big Oil and Gas Created the Myth that Natural Gas is a Climate Solution’, is here.

France Wildfires live updates: France 24, the Guardian and The New York Times (Gift link)

France Wildfires live updates: France 24, the Guardian and The New York Times (Gift link)

The devastation continues. As of early this evening 197,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in southwestern France because of the unprecedented wildfires that continue to burn and spread near Bordeaux. More than 70,000 have been evacuated in Spain, mostly from villages west of Madrid.

Live coverage from France 24, The Guardian and The New York Times (Gift link).

Wildfires have ravaged nearly 98,000 hectares (242,000 acres) in France this year, an area nearly 10 times the size of Paris. A fourth heatwave in two months is expected to kick in by Wednesday 29 July.

T&E analysis: Charging infrastructure has far outpaced EV sales in all but one EU country

T&E analysis: Charging infrastructure has far outpaced EV sales in all but one EU country.

Good news for those of us with EVs in the European Union, from an analysis by Brussels-based advocacy organization Transport & Environment (T&E):

All but one EU country are meeting the bloc’s targets for EV charging infrastructure to keep pace with the number of EVs on the road, new research shows. The analysis by T&E also finds that most of the EU meets its goals for fast chargers to be located every 60 km along main roads. T&E said the network expanded in advance of strong electric car sales growth in 2025 and 2026, showing the charging targets are enabling the EV transition as intended.

Link.

Guardian: AI-altered images on birdwatching forums putting research at risk

Guardian: AI-altered images on birdwatching forums putting research at risk.

I see lots of this slop on Facebook and Instagram, encounters that result in an immediate block. If you use AI to enhance your wildlife photos, please stop.

From the story:

Scientists are appealing to birders to limit their use of AI when editing images over fears that it could undermine the credibility of popular citizen science platforms such as iNaturalist and Macaulay Library, which are routinely used in scientific research to monitor species’ habitat range.

The rise of generative AI platforms such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini has led to a sharp increase in fake and enhanced images of rare and celebrated birds across wildlife photography forums. Users can create high-quality fake images in seconds – or enhance a photograph by asking the AI to remove a branch or leaf that might be obscuring part of the subject, which can inadvertently introduce significant changes.

In a recent commentary in the science journal Nature, researchers warned that hundreds of fake images have already been discovered on popular databases for recording species. They said that the true scale of the issue is unknown – as many could go undetected – and could contaminate records collected by the public.

Link.

EOS – For the Birds: Solar Panels over Peatlands May Increase Avian Biodiversity

EOS – For the Birds: Solar Panels over Peatlands May Increase Avian Biodiversity.

A new study finds an unusual mix of bird species thriving in a German solar park built on degraded peatland. EOS, the news site of the American Geophysical Union, reports:

When Hanna Rae Martens visits the solar park she studies in northern Germany, she finds meadow pipits perched on the panels. They launch off to catch insects, then return, using the panels like tree branches.

This solar park, built on rewetted peatland, hosts a more diverse bird community than adjacent drained farmland, according to a new study in Ecological Solutions and Evidence. The findings suggest that combining peatland restoration with solar energy development could benefit birds.

And

The solar park attracted a mix of species, including some typically found in wetlands, wooded edges, and urban areas. “The presence of wetland species like reed bunting and the endangered meadow pipit shows that the solar park is truly rewetted,” Martens said. “But we also recorded species like Eurasian tree sparrow and tree pipit, which are not typically found in peatlands. They all appear to use the structure of the solar panels.”

Link.

The 19th: Trump dismantled a federal climate website. These women rebuilt it.

The 19th: Trump dismantled a federal climate website. These women rebuilt it.

A good piece on the three women who rebuilt Climate.gov after the Trump Administration took it offline. All three, Rebecca Lindsey, Anna Eshelman, and Mary Lindsey lost their jobs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) courtesy of Elon Musk’s DOGE slaughter of the US federal bureaucracy last year. Their site, Climate.us, went live on 22 June.

The venture came out of a need for more science-backed climate information. For decades, Climate.gov was the go-to resource that translated complex climate science data into accessible public information, sharing critical tips on everything from how to survive heat waves to explainers on El Niño’s impacts on hurricanes to over 15 million site visitors per year. Funding for climate communications used to come straight from the federal government and for that to just be “yanked away” was jarring, (Rebecca) Lindsey said.

“It’s not a pretty picture for climate communication and climate journalism right now,” Lindsey said. “We just felt like it was really important that there be a mature, robust, comprehensive online platform to serve as a hub. We felt that there needed to be a foundation, or cornerstone, that other people could build on and grow with.” 

Via Kottke.org.

Link.

Literary Hub: How—and Why—to Cull Your Book Collection

Literary Hub: How—and Why—to Cull Your Book Collection.

We made a cull about three months ago. And once the culled books are out of the way, we’ll have room for another.

Some good and practical steps and rationale is here, including, “Sometimes new information really can change my feelings about an author”, “The books to keep are the ones I keep revisiting”, and ”There will always be more books”.

Via Kottke.