Environment news

• FOUR days left to enter edie's Sustainability Leaders Awards

  08-09-2016 23:32
  
  Deadline day is fast approaching: individuals and organisations have until Tuesday, 13 September to get their entry in for edie's 2017 Sustainability Leaders Awards, which celebrate excellence within the green economy.
  
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• Gabon opposition leader challenges vote as mediation mission postponed

  08-09-2016 23:11
  By Gerauds Wilfried Obangome LIBREVILLE (Reuters) - Gabon's opposition leader lodged a constitutional court challenge on Thursday against a presidential election he narrowly lost, hoping to overturn a result whose validity has been questioned at home and abroad. Former foreign minister Jean Ping lost the Aug. 27 election to President Ali Bongo by fewer than 6,000 votes, an outcome that sparked days of riots in which at least six people were killed. Ping's spokesman said in a statement he would s
  
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• Decision by California panel leaves coastal land untouched

  08-09-2016 23:02
  
  NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (AP) — A long-awaited vote by a California panel will leave a vast, valuable stretch of oil land overlooking the Pacific Ocean virtually untouched for now and without an immediate plan to develop or preserve it.
  
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• Oil soars, Brent hits $50/bbl as U.S. Gulf imports hit record low

  08-09-2016 22:15
  By Scott DiSavino NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices surged over 4 percent on Thursday, with Brent briefly touching $50 (37.5992 pounds) a barrel for the first time in two weeks, after a surprisingly huge drawdown in U.S. crude stocks as Gulf Coast imports slumped to a record low. U.S. crude stocks dropped 14.5 million barrels last week to 511.4 million barrels, the biggest weekly drop in stockpiles since January 1999, according to government data. Imports into the U.S. Gulf Coast fell to 2.5 milli
  
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• California extends most ambitious US climate change law

  08-09-2016 21:10
  
  Gov. Jerry Brown extended the nation's most ambitious climate change law Thursday by another 10 years as California charts a new goal to reduce carbon pollution. The Democratic governor signed the legislation ...
  
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• Giraffe DNA study identifies four distinct species

  08-09-2016 20:24 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A study into the DNA of giraffes reveals they are not one species, but four.
  
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• Campus ought to be where the wildflowers live | Brief letters

  08-09-2016 20:22
  
  When Bill Shankly came knocking | University of Sheffield | Social mobility tsarBob Lamb’s letter (8 September) reminds me that my Auntie Jean, who lived in Allerton, recounted the arrival of unexpected guests at her door one day in the early 1960s. It was her cousin, Bill Shankly, with his friend, Matt Busby. “We need somewhere to talk,” said Bill. “Walls have ears at Anfield, you know.”
  Karen Lewton
  Newcastle upon Tyne• How sad to read that the University of
  
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• This invention by a British student could save millions of lives across the world

  08-09-2016 19:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A British student has invented a mobile fridge to transport vaccines on long journeys at the right temperature.
  
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• Oil jumps, nears $50 per barrel on large U.S. crude stock draw

  08-09-2016 19:32
  By Catherine Ngai NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices surged about 4 percent on Thursday after U.S. inventory data showed a surprisingly large drawdown in crude stocks as imports into the U.S. Gulf Coast slid last week due to Tropical Storm Hermine. U.S. crude stocks dropped 14.5 million barrels last week to 511.6 million barrels, the biggest weekly drop in stockpiles since January 1999, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. U.S. crude was up $1.83, or 4 percent, to $47.33 per bar
  
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• Global effort launched to preserve precious sites

  08-09-2016 19:23 via bbc.co.uk
  
  UK researchers launch a global effort to source photos of threatened or destroyed cultural landmarks and compile them into 3D reconstructions, housed within an online map.
  
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• Climate change made Louisiana's catastrophic floods much more likely

  08-09-2016 19:10
  
  Human-derived rising temperatures increased the risk of the natural disaster by at least 40%, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration study foundClimate change has radically increased the likelihood of the sort of torrential downpours that triggered ruinous floods in southern Louisiana last month, federal government scientists have said.
  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) said increasing global temperatures driven by human activity made the Louisiana floods, con
  
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• Gabon says African Union's mediation mission is delayed

  08-09-2016 18:45
  By Gerauds Wilfried Obangome LIBREVILLE (Reuters) - Gabon's political crisis deepened on Thursday after the postponement of a planned mission by the African Union (AU) to mediate between two opposing candidates who both claim to have won last month's presidential election. Election results announced last week showed incumbent Ali Bongo beating his main rival, Jean Ping, by fewer than 6,000 votes in the oil-producing West African nation, sparking days of riots in which at least six people were ki
  
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• Giraffe genetic secret: Four species of tallest mammal identified

  08-09-2016 18:24 via bbc.co.uk
  
  It is a famous, gentle giant of the African savannah, but the giraffe's genetics have only just revealed that there is not one species, but four.
  
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• National Flood Resilience Review: Government recruits business leaders to design new defences

  08-09-2016 18:03
  
  Defra is looking to take a cross-sector approach to protecting critical infrastructure through closer collaboration between water, telecoms and power companies, as the Government releases its much-anticipated National Flood Resilience Review.
  
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• 'Good riddance': moving on from the Boxing Day floods

  08-09-2016 18:01
  
  Residents in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire, didn’t need to be asked twice when the Environment Agency offered to buy their flood-ravaged housesEight-and-a-half months after the River Calder invaded his terrace with such force that the neighbouring travel agency collapsed into the water, Tony Kay was finally able to clear out the house on Thursday. “Good riddance,” he said, as he lugged bits of kitchen into the boot of his car on Burnley Road in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire.He coul
  
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• Researchers discover there are not one - but four species of giraffe

  08-09-2016 18:00
  
  Discovery of genetic differences, using DNA analysis, could boost efforts to save declining populationsResearchers have discovered there are not just one but four distinct species of giraffe, overturning two centuries of accepted wisdom in a finding that could boost efforts to save the last dwindling populations.
  Analysis of DNA evidence from all of the currently recognised nine sub-species found that there is not just one species of giraffe but enough genetic differences to recognise four disti
  
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• Humans have destroyed a tenth of Earth's wilderness in 25 years - study

  08-09-2016 18:00
  
  Experts warn there may be no unspoilt places left within a century as report shows an area twice the size of Alaska has been lost since 1993 Humans have destroyed a tenth of Earth’s remaining wilderness in the last 25 years and there may be none left within a century if trends continue, according to an authoritative new study.
  Researchers found a vast area the size of two Alaskas – 3.3m square kilometres – had been tarnished by human activities between 1993 and today, which exp
  
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• Humans have destroyed a tenth of Earth's wilderness in 25 years – study

  08-09-2016 18:00
  
  Experts warn there may be no unspoilt places left within a century as report shows an area twice the size of Alaska has been lost since 1993 Humans have destroyed a tenth of Earth’s remaining wilderness in the last 25 years and there may be none left within a century if trends continue, according to an authoritative new study.
  Researchers found a vast area the size of two Alaskas – 3.3m square kilometres – had been tarnished by human activities between 1993 and today, which exp
  
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• Oil jumps on large U.S. crude stock draw

  08-09-2016 17:48
  By Devika Krishna Kumar and Catherine Ngai NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices soared more than 4 percent on Thursday after U.S. inventory data showed a surprisingly large drawdown in crude stocks, driven by fewer imports into the U.S. Gulf Coast due to Tropical Storm Hermine last week. Brent crude oil rose $1.76 to $49.74 a barrel, a 3.67 percent gain, by 11:29 a.m. EDT (1529 GMT).
  
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• Hundreds of key sites in England at risk of floods

  08-09-2016 16:39 via bbc.co.uk
  
  As many as 530 key infrastructure sites across England are vulnerable to flooding, according to a government review.
  
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• 《卫报》为何要用中文报道大象的生存危机？

  08-09-2016 16:18
  
  在接下来的一年，英国《卫报》将与中外对话联合推出大象保护与拯救的系列报道。翻译：金枝 (中外对话/chinadialogue)从早先欧美的象牙收藏热，到近
  
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• Why the Guardian is publishing its elephant reporting in Chinese

  08-09-2016 16:16
  
  A new partnership with chinadialogue will bring a year of in-depth reporting, expert opinion and features to a crucial audience of consumers and readers ChinaWave after wave of elephant slaughter, driven first by European and US ivory collectors and more recently by demand in Asia, has brought the African elephant to its knees. A catastrophic decline in the past decade is primarily due to poaching to feed a continuing passion for ivory. The poachers are mainly Africans, but their clients are oft
  
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• Saudi, Algeria oil ministers to meet OPEC head in push for output deal

  08-09-2016 15:58
  By Lamine Chikhi ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algeria's energy minister will meet his Saudi counterpart and OPEC's secretary-general in Paris on Friday as part of moves towards clinching a global deal on stabilising crude output to support oil prices, an Algerian official and OPEC sources said. Algeria will host the informal meeting with Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih and OPEC's Mohammed Barkindo, said the Algerian official, who asked not to be identified. A source at the Organization of the Petro
  
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• Oil rises on expectations of big U.S. crude stock draw

  08-09-2016 15:57
  By Devika Krishna Kumar NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose nearly 2 percent on Thursday after U.S. industry data showed a large drawdown in crude stocks, reflecting the impact of an Atlantic storm that led to production shut-ins in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. U.S. crude stocks fell by 12.1 million barrels last week, data from the American Petroleum Institute showed after the market settled on Wednesday, compared with expectations for an increase of about 200,000 barrels. If confirmed by data from
  
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• Forget Loch Ness — Storr Lochs Monster Ruled Ancient Scotland

  08-09-2016 15:38
  
  Move over, Nessie! There's a new ancient sea monster in town: the Storr Lochs Monster, a fierce, dolphin-like predator that lived 170 million years ago, during the age of dinosaurs. Found on a beach in 1966 near the SSE Storr Lochs Power Station by the facility's manager, Norrie Gillies, the fossil is the most complete skeleton of a Jurassic-era, sea-living reptile that has ever been found in Scotland. "Ichthyosaurs like the Storr Lochs Monster ruled the waves, while dinosaurs thundered across t
  
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• Greening the Apple: How sustainable is the new iPhone 7?

  08-09-2016 15:16
  
  It features a longer battery life, is more energy-efficient, and a waterproof  design will prevent damaged products going straight to landfill. But the ditching of the headphone jack could itself open up an e-waste black hole. So just how sustainable is Apple's new iPhone 7?
  
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• DfT trials highlight economic and environmental upside of longer lorries

  08-09-2016 14:06
  
  The introduction of longer semi-trailer (LST) goods vehicles could saved operators £33m in transport costs, with carbon savings anticipated to reach 3,000 tonnes over the course of a 10-year trial, the Department for Transport (DfT) has revealed.
  
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• Air pollution costs trillions and holds back poor countries, says World Bank

  08-09-2016 14:01
  
  Study finds dirty air takes huge economic toll on poor countries and costs the world more than $5tn annually in lost work days and welfare costs Air pollution costs the world trillions of dollars a year and severely impedes development in many countries, according to the World Bank.In a major study (pdf) of the economic costs of indoor and outdoor pollution, the bank found that in 2013 – the year from which the latest available estimates date – China lost nearly 10% of its GDP, India
  
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• Tropics told to ban coral-killing sunscreen

  08-09-2016 13:57 via feedproxy.google.com
  Tropical island nations should team up to ban coral-killing sunscreen products, following the example of Hawaii, a conference has heard. Chemical compounds in sunscreen lotions cause irreparable damage to reefs, which are crucial to the livelihoods of 500 million people in the tropics, scientist and policymakers said at the IUCN World Conservation Congress on 3 September. Hawaii is leading a legistlative effort to ban the use of sunscreen that contains oxybenzone or similar harmful agents a
  
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• Dong installs world’s largest wind turbines off UK coast

  08-09-2016 13:54
  Dong Energy has installed the first of the world's largest wind turbines, which are taller and wider than the London Eye, at its Burbo Bank windfarm off the coast of Britain in the Irish Sea, it said on Thursday. The largest turbines currently installed, at Dong's Westermost Rough wind farm off the Yorkshire coast, in the North Sea, have a 6 MW capacity and are around 177 metres tall. Britain is seeking new electricity generation to replace its aging coal and nuclear power stations and has said
  
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• Overview: a stunning new perspective of Earth from space – in pictures

  08-09-2016 13:30
  
  The overview effect is the transformative experience astronauts feel on seeing Earth from space and mankind’s place and impact upon it. Images from a new book, Overview: A New Perspective, by Benjamin Grant display the beauty and fragility of our planet and its natural resourcesContinue reading...
  
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• Opponents of Gabon's Bongo face deadline for poll challenge

  08-09-2016 13:11
  By Gerauds Wilfried Obangome LIBREVILLE (Reuters) - Gabon's opposition faced a legal deadline on Thursday to seek a vote recount in an election they say was stolen by President Ali Bongo, whose family has ruled the oil-rich OPEC member state for about half a century. Results last week showed Bongo, 57, beat his main rival Jean Ping, a veteran diplomat, by fewer than 6,000 votes in the Aug. 27 poll, prompting days of violent riots during which at least six people died. Bongo has rejected accusati
  
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• European Commission funds WRAP's £2.7m London-wide food waste reduction plan

  08-09-2016 12:49
  
  WRAP has launched a new London-wide behaviour change initiative that aims to prevent food waste in the capital as well as promoting best practice measures for recycling unavoidable food waste.
  
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• Flooding: UK government plans for more extreme rainfall

  08-09-2016 12:14
  
  National review prompted by severe flooding in recent winters anticipates 20-30% more extreme downpours than beforeThe UK’s new flood defence plans anticipate significantly higher extreme rainfall, after new research was published as part of the government’s National Flood Resilience review. The government, which had been criticised for not taking full account of the impact of climate change in driving up flood risk, will now plan for 20-30% more extreme downpours than before.Continu
  
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• Climate change and other human activities are affecting species migration | John Abraham

  08-09-2016 12:00
  
  Humans have an impact on species migration both through climate change and by changing the landscape.
  One of the reasons climate change is such an important topic is that it will affect (and already is affecting) the natural biological systems. Both plants and animals will have to respond to the changing climate. In some cases, this means adapting to higher temperatures. In other cases, the changes may be alterations in the precipitation, length of growing season, availability or resources, or o
  
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• Astronomers search for the vanishing star

  08-09-2016 11:55 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Astronomers at St Andrews university have observed tantalising glimpses of how our own planet may have been born
  
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• Father of former Nigeria militant dies following military incursion - residents

  08-09-2016 11:18
  The father of a former Nigerian militant leader has died from injuries suffered during a government military campaign in the oil-producing Delta region, a family spokesman said, raising the possibility of an inflaming of hostilities. Chief Thomas Ekpemupolo, the 84-year-old father of rebel leader Government Ekpemupolo, died at a hospital in Warri from injuries sustained during military incursions into his community, Paul Bebenimibo, a spokesman for the son, known as Tompolo, said. Tompolo was a
  
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• Ian McEwan and others criticise UEA for 'thuggish' development plans

  08-09-2016 10:58
  
  Ian McEwan and Andrew Motion among those opposed to University of East Anglia’s rugby and parking development on wildflower meadowsA university with an international reputation for environmental science has been criticised by alumni including Ian McEwan and Andrew Motion for seeking to build a car park and rugby pitch on wildflower meadows. The University of East Anglia’s (UEA) plans have been branded “crude” and “thuggish” by McEwan, while Motion, the former
  
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• Oil extends gains after big U.S. crude stock draw

  08-09-2016 10:35
  By Christopher Johnson LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices rose more than 1.5 percent on Thursday after U.S. industry data showed a large drawdown in crude stocks, reflecting the temporary impact of an Atlantic storm. U.S. crude stocks fell 12.1 million barrels last week, data from the American Petroleum Institute showed after the market settled on Wednesday, compared with expectations for an increase of around 200,000 barrels. U.S. light crude was up 90 cents at $46.40 a barrel, having ended the prev
  
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• Brexit is 'opportunity to rethink flood protection'

  08-09-2016 10:15
  
  Former floods minister Richard Benyon says leaving EU will allow UK to pay farmers to hold back flood water Brexit could help tackle flooding by allowing farmers to be paid to hold back flood water under a new rural payments system, according to former floods minister Richard Benyon.Speaking before Thursday’s publication of the government’s report into the response to flooding in Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire last December, Benyon predicted that more resources would be made avail
  
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• Business leaders call for 'green growth narrative' to support climate action

  08-09-2016 10:00
  
  Green business leaders from a range of industries have unanimously called for a narrative of "green growth" to be adopted by policymakers and the private sector alike, in an effort to ramp up climate finance and accelerate the shift towards a global low-carbon economy.
  
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• Beauty and power: how Norway is making green energy look good

  08-09-2016 10:00
  
  On the edge of a forest in northern Norway, an unusually handsome hydroelectric plant is generating a buzzOvre Forsland is a big departure from the hulking power stations that traditionally served our energy needs. It looks more like an elegant, custom‑built home from TV show Grand Designs.Located in the Helgeland district in northern Norway, it’s a small hydroelectric power station capable of supplying 1,600 homes with power. Continue reading...
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn's energy manifesto: 'wishful thinking' or a welcome change from 'incompatible' climate commitments?

  08-09-2016 09:30
  
  Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn has unveiled his Party's energy and environment manifesto that aims to accelerate renewables generation, ban fracking and end fossil fuel reliance. But would a Labour Government really strengthen EU-driven policies or instead become a naive and short-sighted regime?
  
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• 400 acres donated to Yosemite National Park

  08-09-2016 09:23
  
  FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Robin Wainwright could have cashed-in on pristine grassland and forest he owned along the border with Yosemite National Park — building an upscale resort for a few fortunate guests.
  
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• Hackney Council welcomes pop-up Litter Lounge to tackle chewing gum waste

  08-09-2016 09:00
  
  A corner of Hackney has been transformed into the UK's first "Litter Lounge", a new behavioral change concept that calls on passing consumers to drop chewing gum into a pop-up living room.
  
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• EnQuest lowers production guidance after slow oil field start-up

  08-09-2016 08:32
  North Sea-focused oil producer EnQuest lowered its full-year production guidance on Thursday after initial output at its new Alma/Galia field was less than expected. The London-listed company also said it had reduced gross capital expenditure on its Kraken field in the North Sea by $150 million (112.38 million pounds) to $2.6 billion, squeezing costs to contend with low crude prices. EnQuest also reported a 51 percent rise in first-half profit before tax and net finance costs to $150 million, he
  
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• California panel rejects major coastal development

  08-09-2016 08:27
  
  A California panel has overwhelmingly rejected a plan to build nearly 900 upscale homes and a hotel on a valuable stretch of Southern California coastline that has long been the site of oil drilling and ...
  
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• California to extend most ambitious US climate change law

  08-09-2016 08:24
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — California Gov. Jerry Brown is set to extend the nation's most ambitious climate change law by another 10 years, charting a new goal to reduce carbon pollution.
  
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• DNA confirms cause of 1665 London's Great Plague

  08-09-2016 08:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  DNA testing has for the first time confirmed the identity of the bacteria behind the Great Plague of London.
  
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• How rail-to-trail cycling projects are proving their worth

  08-09-2016 08:00
  
  Around the UK, abandoned railway lines are being turned into world-class cycling and walking trails that are boosting local tourism and recreation When the time came for my family’s first ever multi-day cycle tour, the Devon coast-to-coast ticked all the boxes. The 102-mile route, from Ilfracombe in the north to Plymouth in the south, is 70% traffic-free and passes through some beautiful landscapes. We began in Barnstaple, rolling along the salt marshes of the river Torridge, up to Dartmoo
  
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