News Archives

Week of May 2, 2004

More of "The Whale and the Supercomputer"

I missed linking to the last excerpt of "The Whale and the Supercomputer", thinking there were five parts when there were actually six. Here it is.

Part Six: Butchering and dividing meat from 50-ton whale is no easy task — Unusually warm May lends urgency to efforts.

Posted by Jennifer on Thursday, May 6 2004, 8:19 PM

More Climate News

Definitive proof of global warming?

Scientists have finally found proof of warming in the troposphere. The troposphere is the lowest level of the earth's atmosphere, and one anomaly in research on global warming has been the lack of evidence that the troposphere itself was warming. Many who dispute global warming have used this lack of warming to back up their beliefs. These latest findings, published in the journal Nature, provide what many believe is the last key piece of proof that global warming is real and happening now.


Bark beetles harming forests, is warming to blame?

This article in the LA Times (free reg. required) describes how forests in Arizona and other parts of the West are struggling with the results of global warming already, in the form of warmer temperatures, smaller snowpacks, and burgeoning populations of predatory insects.

For 14 years, Harte, an environmental science professor at the Berkeley, has artificially heated wildflowers and documented what warmer temperatures can do to them.

He has seen firsthand the Rocky Mountain snow melt earlier, felt the temperature warm, the soil dry and watched his wildflowers bloom earlier.

"We're projecting, from these experiments, there's going to be a tremendous decline in the abundance of the flowers," he said. "You think of meadows strewn with gorgeous flowers. Many of those flowering plants are going to be decimated."

Scientists say continued warming across the West will mean a smaller snowpack that could affect ecosystems that depend on stream flows and water temperature. Soils and vegetation will be drier, increasing fire risk and prolonging the fire season. Plants and trees will be able to grow at higher elevations, threatening ski resorts. Sea levels will continue to rise, putting beaches and cities at risk.

Capt. Mark Miller, his face caked with dirt and soot from battling the 10,500-acre Cerrito Fire in Riverside County, said Tuesday night that low humidity, high temperatures and erratic canyon winds had created a dangerous foe for firefighters.

"I'm a 25-year veteran and I'm seeing conditions like I've never seen before. It's like gasoline burning up there in these mountains," Miller said.

Posted by Jennifer on Thursday, May 6 2004, 6:02 PM

Look at Something New

A couple of wonderful visuals have come to my attention recently. The first one is the MIT hawkcam, which is the best bird watching cam I've seen to date. It's focused on the nest of two red-tail hawks on the MIT campus, and you can watch the chicks up close and personal. They're growing up fast, so watch while you can. The Hawkcam uses the Real Media Player, which is annoying but in this case worth it.

Another interesting visual treat comes to us courtesy of NASA, where researchers have come up with software that lets you fly over a 3D map of Central America, and view environmental conditions generated by daily satellite data. Central America is a rich ecological area, and information on conditions there has been jealously guarded in the past, and scientists hope this will help lead to a freer flow of information about the region.

Posted by Jennifer on Thursday, May 6 2004, 11:34 AM

Oops

I've been unexpectedly busy this week. I'll be back with some news later today. In the meantime, here are some Sally Lightfoot crabs, from the Galapagos Islands.

Posted by Jennifer on Wednesday, May 5 2004, 8:40 AM

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