Latest news with #collisionrisk
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Big question remains over wind farm 'risk' as major projects begin in Australia
As Australia prepares to massively expand offshore wind farms across six priority zones, a group of researchers is racing to unlock the mystery of how much of a risk their blades pose to migratory seabirds. During high winds, 100 to 200-metre-long wind farm blades can rotate at 290km/h, theoretically making mincemeat out of anything that collides with them. While this sounds alarming, it's not known whether seabirds are actually flying at the height they operate at. Monash University's Dr Mark Miller and his team studied how high, fast and at what time of day iconic migratory species like albatrosses, petrels, shearwaters and storm-petrels tend to fly. And while there's still more work to be done, their newly published study indicates the risk could be low. 'These offshore wind turbines are huge, and the distance between the bottom of the blade and the sea surface is around 35 metres. So if you could say all the birds fly under 35 metres, then that's mitigating a lot of the collision risk,' he told Yahoo News. 'What the evidence is telling us is that seabirds fly quite low to the water, but the point is that the evidence is very limited.' If it's confirmed that all birds in their path fly low to the water, then raising the height of turbines could provide a simple solution that reduces collision risk. But more research would be required to better understand the flight paths of other birds, like the critically endangered orange-bellied parrot and swift parrot, which migrate from Tasmania to the mainland. The impact of turbines is likely to be lower than other threats like plastic ingestion, commercial fishing, habitat destruction and climate change, which are thought to be contributing to the deaths of over a million seabirds a year. But migratory seabirds cannot afford to face any new dangers. Around a third are threatened with extinction, and populations have reduced by 70 per cent in just 50 years. Not only is seabird flight data limited, but so is information about how many birds offshore wind farms kill. 'Onshore, if something gets hit, you have people doing surveys. But at the moment, if a bird collides with an offshore turbine, it falls in the sea, and you have no evidence of that mortality,' Miller said. While there are plans to install cameras on offshore turbines, once the farms are installed it will be too late to modify them. And they'll sit in place for 20 to 40 years. 🏡 Ominous sign for Australia's cities after deadly discovery in New Zealand ⛏️ Reason tradies faced 'absolute challenge' fixing deceptively simple old hut 📸 Rare colour footage of extinct Australian animal seen again after 90 years The Monash team is hoping their study, which was published in the Journal of Applied Ecology will help guide policymakers and the wind farm industry before construction begins. Study co-author Associate Professor Rohan Clarke said it's possible to ensure that new renewable energy projects are good for both humans and wildlife. 'One of the key challenges we face is what's known as the 'green-green dilemma', where initiatives designed to reduce environmental impact, such as renewable energy development, can unintentionally harm other ecological values,' he said. 'But we must identify evidence-based solutions to these competing priorities, because climate change remains the single greatest threat to biodiversity. The energy transition isn't optional, it's essential, and finding solutions that support both climate goals and nature is critical.' Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
New asteroid as big as The Gherkin added to Earth threat-list
The European Space Agency has identified another asteroid as a potential collision risk for Earth, placing it in the top three hazards for the planet. 2025 FA22 is 656 feet or 200 meters in diameter - as tall as The Gherkin in London or New York's Trump Tower - and will approach Earth on September 19, 2089. The asteroid was found by the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System 2 (Pan-STARRS 2) in Hawaii on March 29 and has been assigned a rating of above -3 on the Palermo Scale. The Palermo Technical Impact Hazard Scale is used by astronomers to assess the risk of an asteroid or comet impacting Earth. It combines both the probability of impact and the potential energy of the impact to provide a single risk score. The asteroid's score means 'not currently concerning'. It has a Torino Scale score of close to 1, meaning 'no cause for concern'. READ MORE: People who leave Fairy Liquid next to kitchen sink given warning READ MORE: Beckham family 'done with Nicola Peltz' as truth behind David's party snub exposed FA22 will make a relatively close pass on September 18, 2025 before returning in 2089. After the close pass, scientists will have a better idea of the asteroid's make-up and trajectory. There are 1,782 objects on the ESA 'watchlist' as potential threats to Earth. 2025 FA 22 is currently third on that list, after 2023 VD3 - due between 2034 and 2098, and 2008 JL3 - due between 2027 and 2122. None of the asteroids has a high potential of hitting the planet at present. An asteroid named Apophis, officially designated 99942 Apophis, is due to pass closer to the Earth than some satellites orbit on April 13, 2029. Apophis was discovered on June 19, 2004, by astronomers at Kitt Peak National Observatory, Arizona. It is 340 meters (1,100 feet) in diameter - large enough to cause major regional damage if it hit Earth - and has been named after Apophis, the ancient Egyptian god of chaos. In late 2004, astronomers calculated a relatively high probability (up to 2.7%) that Apophis could impact Earth on April 13, 2029 — an unprecedented concern for an object of its size. It briefly reached a level 4 on the Torino Scale — the highest ever recorded. (Level 4 means it merited attention from astronomers and potentially civil authorities.) Impact has been ruled out for the foreseeable future, but it will pass just 19,000 miles from the Earth making it visible to the naked eye. The asteroid 2024 YR4 recently garnered significant attention due to initial assessments suggesting a potential impact with Earth. Early observations indicated up to a 3.1% chance of Earth impact on 22 December 2032, the highest ever recorded for an asteroid of this size (40 to 100 meters). The impact risk has been downgraded to nearly zero, and the asteroid has been removed from ESA's risk list.
