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News Archives
Week of April 18, 2004
News of the Day
How tall can a tree grow?
 California sequoias (redwoods) are the tallest trees we know of, reaching heights of over 350 ft (120 m). Recently some researchers climbed five of these giants to study the tops of the trees more closely. In a study to be published in Nature (sub. only), the researchers describe conditions at the tips of the trees to be "desert like", and conclude that because of limits to how high te trees can pull water upwards, any tree's maximum height would be 400 ft (130 m).
More climate tidbits
I've posted recently about the importance of both carbon and iron in climate change cycles. Both minerals have been in the news again this week. The National Science Foundation has finished a study of carbon in the arctic ocean. They find that most of the dissolved organic carbon taken in by this ocean (approx. 28 million tons per year) is young carbon and not likely to affect warming and further melting of the arctic ice. However they also found that as the arctic melts, much of the ancient carbon now locked up in frozen soils could be released as carbon dioxide, contributing to further warming.
And over at the University of Illinois, researchers have been studying the role of polar clouds in removing atmospheric iron. Polar clouds are known to play a major role in the destruction of the ozone layer, and contribute to the ozone hole that appears above Antarctica. Using powerful ultraviolet lasers, scientists have been studying these clouds, and found that atmospheric iron clings to them at the edges, causing local depletion of iron around the clouds. The researchers hope that their work will contribute to further refinement of atmospheric models.
Posted by Jennifer on Friday, April 23 2004, 12:28 PM
Earth Day
Well it's Earth Day again, and I hope you find a little time to actually get outside and enjoy the earth around you. Here in Colorado it's rainy and a bit chill, and so I doubt I'll get any gardening time today. I did wander out to fill the bird feeder, so I at least have the house finches to watch while I write.
Our friends over at World Changing point us to a guest editorial by Denis Hayes, who wants us all to reclaim the spirit of the original Earth Day. Good reading for you today, whether or not it's raining in your corner of the planet.
Edit: and over at the SF Chronicle, Patrick Moore and Nick Schulz have an Earth Day critique of the environmental movement. They have some very good points about the ways in which newly developing countries may need entirely different standards than developed countries do, and charge environmentalists with impeding progress and even endangering lives. They make some good points.
You can share your Earth Day with us here.
Posted by Jennifer on Thursday, April 22 2004, 1:34 PM
Picture of the Day
While I finish up my report on the second National Coastal Conditions Report (it grew large enough that I needed to build a separate page for it), have a picture! This one is a Golden (or Goldentail) Moray Eel.
Photo © Corel Corp., used under license.
Posted by Jennifer on Tuesday, April 20 2004, 3:14 PM
More on Bush, Science, and the Environment
UCS responds to the Administration
You might recall when I posted that John Marburger, presidential science advisor, had responded to a report by the Union of Concerned Scientists which harshly criticized the Bush Administration's treatment of science in policy-making. Well, now the UCS has published a response to Marburger. They stand by their initial report, of course, but read it for yourself to get the details.
FWS director overrules his own science panel
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility reports that Steve Williams, director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, reversed findings by a scientific panel that he had convened, in order to allow continued hunting of rare trumpeter swans. Williams did not explain his reasons, but apparently rejected peer-reviewed findings in favor of non-peer-reviewed work, a direction violation of the Data Quality Act.
More stonewalling by the Administration
This time they are withholding evidence which could show or disprove that the defense industry and White House worked together to delay or kill a clean water assessment which would require costly drinking water cleanup. The Natural Resources Defense Council has brought a lawsuit charging that the Department of Defense and the EPA have refused to disclose documents related to perchlorate contamination in the nation's drinking water, and documents which would show how much the defense industry was involved in in the assessment. The chemical in question, perchlorate, is a byproduct of rocket fuel which harms the thyroid and is especially dangerous for infants.
EPA consulted with pesticide industry before publishing rat poison assessment
For the past six years, the pesticide industry has been fighting against two proposed EPA regulations which were designed to protect children and wildlife from rat poisons. Recently the EPA decided to dump the proposed regulations, and according to documents obtained by the NRDC, consulted heavily with the pesticide industry before toning down the risk assessment in their report.
Administration proposes to cut budget for lead poisoning prevention
The Bush administration is proposing to cut funds for lead prevention by 20% in the 2005 budget. The Children's Defense Fund protests this move, since children are disproportionately affected by lead poisoning. The CDF estimates that over 400,000 children in the U.S. have enough lead in their blood to have learning impairments.
Posted by Jennifer on Tuesday, April 20 2004, 10:05 AM
Climate Change in the News
A couple of articles related to climate change crossed my desk this weekend. First, in an article in the journal Science (available by subscription only) researchers report a slowing of the current in the North Atlantic. While it isn't known yet whether this is a natural change or in response to other climate changes, a slowing of the subpolar gyre current has been linked in the past to changes in the North Atlantic Oscillation (an atmospheric pressure system). The recent changes don't seem to be related to the NAO, however. Scientists think this change may indicate a reorganization of the ocean climate system, with unknown results.
In research on climate change in earlier ages, the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories have found that iron blown around the Southern Ocean was critical in controlling climate during past ice ages. Apparently, expanding deserts nearby allowed a surge of iron-rich dust to reach the ocean. This iron in return contributed to massive blooms of phytoplankton (algae), which then absorbed a great deal of carbon dioxide out of the air. This research is exciting because it seems to imply that by fertilizing parts of the ocean with iron, we could move large quantities of CO2 out of the atmosphere, where it is contributing to global climate change today. This research will also be presented in Science.
Posted by Jennifer on Monday, April 19 2004, 2:14 PM
Is environmentalism inevitably at odds with economic growth?
Earlier last week I posted links to a report about continuing deforestation in the Amazon rain forest. This week in the Economist, there's an analysis of the economic reasons behind the deforestation, with some discussion of whether environmentalism and economic growth can ever move in the same direction. The article is thoughtful, with details about Brazil's economy and the rainforests that I hadn't heard before. Do read it.
Comments? Click here.
Posted by Jennifer on Sunday, April 18 2004, 12:02 PM
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