Category Archives: Science

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DSCOVR:EPIC — Deep Space Climate Observatory

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earthOn Monday October 19, 2015, NASA told us about a satellite camera that will take pictures of the Earth from 1 million miles away every day and the images will be made available for all of us to see on their new website .

The camera is mounted on the satellite called Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR), a partnership between NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Air Force. Its primary mission,
according to NOAA, is to “maintain the nation’s real-time solar wind monitoring capabilities, which are critical to the accuracy and lead time of space weather alerts and forecasts from NOAA.”

The DSCOVR satellite performs important meteorological duties too, but NASA’s Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC), which will snap at least a dozen color images of the earth as it rotates, is stealing the show.  According to NOAA, each daily sequence of images will reveal “the whole globe over the course of a day.” Image sequences from previous days will also be archived on the site and can be searched by date and continent.

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The satellite is always located between the Sun and the Earth, so the pictures are always “in the sun”. Of course, it might be cloudy here on Earth, but the pictures will still be good!

Be sure to check out these amazing images at epic.gsfc.nasa.gov. The almost realtime pics even include a changing diagram that shows where the satellite is in relation to the Sun and the Earth.

This NASA/NOAA site is well worth your time.

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Plastic Problems

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We all know that plastics have become a major problem for the birds in the air and the fishes in the sea.  Plastics never deteriorate and tend to be colorful and attractive.  There are many sites around the planet where you can find lots more information about the negative aspects of plastics.  Following are my personal plastic pet peeves. 4 ps 🙂

A few years ago, I was walking on the Coast Guard Pier in Monterey and I saw a sea gull all tangled in some plastic wrapping, string-like stuff, possibly fishing line or soft-drink container material.  The bird could not get out of the stuff, it was behind a locked fence, and every time I tried to get close, it moved away.  There was nothing I could do, except feel sick.

I vowed to always cut any circles I find in plastics I use, to always pickup any loose fishing line I run into, and to never forget that image.

Time marches on.  One day two of my grand-daughters were visiting and we went out to lunch.  The waiter brought straws.  They had a fit, and said “No straws please”.  They reminded me that we only use straws once and then they get thrown away.  Most straws produced these days are plastic!  The lesson I learned from them is that things we use only one time should not be made of plastic!  And if they are, we should refuse to use them.  Here are a few of those items.

If the straws are made of paper, fine, use them. If made of plastic, speak up and say no.

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I love Starbucks coffee. But those damned stoppers are really just a one-time use, live-forever, kind of thing. What is even worse, if you get a coffee at the drive up window and the stopper is already in and you tell them to remove it, they will toss it in the garbage can! Please say “No stopper” when you order.

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Milk cartons have two types of opening: all carton, or with a plastic opener. Guess what — the plastic opener has a little pull-tab that has a ring on it. Small birds can get caught in that ring! Cut the thing.

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The other day, I bought a jar of relish. I wasn’t paying attention and grabbed the cheapest item on the shelf. When I got home, I realized the jar was made of plastic. Damn. I made a mental note to always buy the glass jars! They might cost a bit more, but so what. The savings just isn’t worth the potential harm the plastic jar will cause.

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Super Harvest Blood Moon, a Total Lunar Eclipse, Sept 27, 2015

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BloodMoon

from National Geographic

On the evening of September 27, three separate lunar events converge. The total eclipse coincides with the full moon nearest the fall equinox, known as the harvest moon. What’s more, the moon is at its closest approach to Earth for the year, making it also a supermoon or perigee moon. That’s why it’s being coined by some as a Super Harvest Blood Moon.

This confluence has happened only five times since 1900. According to NASA, the last time we saw this celestial triple combination was in 1982, and it won’t repeat until 2033.

The most spectacular part of the eclipse will be the totality phase, when Earth’s shadow completely covers the moon and turns it an eerie red. The moon will dip into the deepest and darkest part of Earth’s shadow, or umbra, during the totality phase, which lasts as long as 72 minutes.

This weekend’s blood moon will be the last in a series of four lunar eclipses, dubbed a tetrad, over the last two years. That pattern won’t repeat for another 20 years or so.

Click the above link to learn even more about this unusual lunar event.

Below is the schedule for this eclipse in North America. Note that the moon doesn’t actually rise in the USA until after the eclipse has already started.

Pacific Zone
Begins: 5:11 pm
Moon Rise: 6:54 pm
Maximum: 7:47 pm
Ends: 10:22 pm

Mountain Zone
Begins: 6:11 pm
Moon Rise: 7:54 pm
Maximum: 8:47 pm
Ends: 11:22 pm

Central Zone
Begins: 7:11 pm
Moon Rise: 8:54 pm
Maximum: 9:47 pm
Ends: 12:22 am

Eastern Zone
Begins: 8:11 pm
Moon Rise: 9:54 pm
Maximum: 10:47 pm
Ends: 1:22 am

May you all have clear skys.

“It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” John Wooden

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Climate Change and Human Nature

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(Sunday morning and the moon is New and I can’t sleep)

It’s always confused me why climate change is difficult for myself and others to really come to grips with, why we find it hard to change our living style in the face of reality. (Yes, the big question.)

A post at the blog Savage Minds this morning pointed me to an article by a writer named Lisa Bennett who recently wrote an article for the blog Grist in which she listed “10 things you want to know about human nature if you’re fighting climate change“. Wow, that title seemed to really imply it had the answers that I too was looking for, so I had to go read the full article (not just the extraction in Savage Minds). You can find the full article too by clicking here.

You really need to read what Lisa Bennett wrote to really understand the depth behind her 10 items. I have listed them here as teasers for you to follow.

1. We are overly optimistic about the future — our future, that is.
2. We can be blasé about the most important issues in the world because the global perspective is way beyond ordinary human scale.
3. We are wired to refute imperatives.
4. We are vulnerable to peer pressure, especially about things that confuse us.
5. We shy away from topics that remind us of our mortality but can be motivated to take action on behalf of beings more vulnerable than us.
6. We perceive and respond to risks only when we feel them.
7. We are motivated more by hope than fear, at least in matters of social change.
8. We are more likely to take action when we know precisely what we can influence.
9. We need to believe our actions will make a difference.
10. We will continue to behave the same way we always have — even after we know it is problematic — until there is a realistic alternative.

Again, read the full article: Lisa Bennett in Grist. It is worth our time.

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No Coal

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Well hooray! The California legislature just passed a great law, which is expected to be signed by Governor Jerry Brown: SB185 requires the state’s two largest pension plans to divest their holdings in thermal coal as part of the push this legislative session has to address climate change.

“Coal is losing value quickly and investing in coal is a losing proposition for our retirees; it’s a nuisance to public health; and it’s inconsistent with our values as a state on the forefront of efforts to address global climate change,” the senate president pro tempore, Kevin de León, said in a statement. “California’s utilities are phasing out coal, and it’s time our pension funds did the same.”

See this article in The Guardian for a full write-up. no coal

Leave the coal in the hole!

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Trophy Hunting

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A dentist was recently in the news for killing Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe. The problem is that this dentist isn’t the first and probably won’t be the last. Trophy killing seems to be in our nature.

A study published in Science 21 August 2015 titled “The unique ecology of human predators” suggest that

humans function as an unsustainable “super predator”, which – unless additionally constrained by managers – will continue to alter ecological and evolutionary processes globally.

We are the only known predator to regularly kill the largest of our prey, which, in the long run, is not sustainable. The largest are the breeding population — kill the parents and you kill their future offspring.

As Science Insights said about this study:

There are three key insights. First, the hunting of large prey is deeply embedded in our identity and remains a powerful ecological and evolutionary force. Second, the ability to target mostly adult individuals across marine and terrestrial prey groups makes us unique among all other predators. And third, we have the unusual ability to analyze and consciously adjust our behavior to minimize deleterious consequences. This final point, I believe, will prove critical for our continued coexistence with viable wildlife population on land and in the sea.

Do us all a favor. If you have a need to hunt, just hunt for food, and target only juveniles. Let the “big buck” go so he can continue to generate the species. No more trophies, no more bodies mounted on the walls. Our cave-man days should be in the past.

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First Peoples

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PBS is starting a new series about prehistoric humans that will be starting June 24. I have already setup our DVR to record it. Around here it is on KQED-TV.

“See how the mixing of prehistoric human genes led the way for our species to survive and thrive around the globe. Archaeology, genetics and anthropology cast new light on 200,000 years of history, detailing how early humans became dominant.”

See more about it by clicking here

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The Papal Environmental Encyclical Is Online

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On Care For Our Common Home

Today Pope Francis officially released his Encyclical that is concerned with the environment and how we are not taking care of the earth as requested.  The point of this post is to help you find a copy, not to argue the points.  Yes, I agree with most of what he has said, but we’ll leave that for another day.

All of the encyclicals are online.  They can be found here: www.papalencyclicals.net

This unique paper, I call it the “warning encyclical” can be located directly by clicking here

I pulled a PDF copy of the 184 page document from the above site (by clicking on the small PDF icon in the first page of the document) and emailed it to myself, and then opened it in my iPad which then allowed me to save it to my iBooks on the iPad so I can read it fully at my leisure. I also saved a copy here to make it easier for you to get a copy. Download the PDF by clicking here

Of course, I wouldn’t be me without tossing out a few zingers from the document:

43. Human beings too are creatures of this world, enjoying a right to life and happiness, and endowed with unique dignity. So we cannot fail to consider the effects on people’s lives of environmental deterioration, current models of development and the throwaway culture.

and

53. These situations have caused sister earth, along with all the abandoned of our world, to cry out, pleading that we take another course. Never have we so hurt and mistreated our common home as we have in the last two hundred years. Yet we are called to be instruments of God our Father, so that our planet might be what he desired when he created it and correspond with his plan for peace, beauty and fullness. The problem is that we still lack the culture needed to confront this crisis. We lack leadership capable of striking out on new paths and meeting the needs of the present with concern for all and without prejudice towards coming generations. The establishment of a legal framework which can set clear boundaries and ensure the protection of ecosystems has become indispensable; otherwise, the new power structures based on the techno-economic paradigm may overwhelm not only our politics but also freedom and justice.

Before you let the political pundits and the fossil fuel industry tell you what you should think about it, why not give it a chance and read it for yourself. A quick scan won’t hurt, and it might help us all.

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Monterey Chapter of Climate Change Lobby meets March 31

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Last month, the first meeting of a newly formed Monterey chapter of the Citizen’s Climate Lobby (CCL) was held in Monterey, CA.. The first meeting was just to get the ball rolling, to find out if there was enough interest to move forward, etc. It was a success with over 30 people attending.

Citizens’ Climate Lobby is a nonprofit, non-partisan, grassroots advocacy organization focused on national policies to address climate change. Carbon Fee and Dividend is the policy proposal created by Citizens Climate Lobby to internalize the costs of burning carbon-based fuels.

CCL provides a path through which ordinary citizens who want to do more to solve the climate problem than just clicking online petitions can become involved. The group doesn’t require any special skills, just a desire to try and help grease the wheels for climate policy in the USA and Canada.

If you weren’t able to attend our inaugural meeting and are still interested in joining our chapter, please plan to attend our first chapter meeting on Tuesday March 31 at 6:00 pm at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in the Guide Lounge.

The Guide Lounge is across the street from the Aquarium in the building next to the drop-off area for tour buses, on the first floor beyond the front desk. Someone will be there to let you in. Feel free to bring something to eat and drink. Hope you can join us.

For more information about CCL in general, go here: citizensclimatelobby.org

I enjoyed this post by Carla Wise in “High Country News” about her CCL chapter:
www.hcn.org/articles/climate-change-activism-needs-anybody

CCL

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Megadrought?

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These quotes below are from an article found at Science Advances – 01 Feb 2015, a new journal of the AAAS American Association for the Advancement of Science.

You can also listen to a talk given on NPR’s Science Friday 13 Feb 2015 about this study, with Jason Smerdon, one of the authors. Click here => Science Friday – 13 Feb 2015

There is ≥80% chance of a multidecadal drought during 2050–2099 in the Central Plains and in the Southwest United States. … Ultimately, the consistency of our results suggests an exceptionally high risk of a megadrought occurring over the Central Plains and Southwest regions during the late 21st century.

We have demonstrated that the mean state of drought in the late 21st century over the Central Plains and Southwest will likely exceed even the most severe megadrought periods of the Medieval era in both high and moderate future emissions scenarios, representing an unprecedented fundamental climate shift with respect to the last millennium.

Our results point to a remarkably drier future that falls far outside the contemporary experience of natural and human systems in Western North America, conditions that may present a substantial challenge to adaptation. ….. And, perhaps most importantly for adaptation, recent years have witnessed the widespread depletion of nonrenewable groundwater reservoirs, resources that have allowed people to mitigate the impacts of naturally occurring droughts. In some cases, these losses have even exceeded the capacity of Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the two major surface reservoirs in the region. Combined with the likelihood of a much drier future and increased demand, the loss of groundwater and higher temperatures will likely exacerbate the impacts of future droughts, presenting a major adaptation challenge for managing ecological and anthropogenic water needs in the region.

Do listen to the NPR podcast linked above. It isn’t as technical as reading the article.

Huge water shortages are coming. The probability of a huge megadrought goes above 80%! Should we move? These are personal questions. On-the-ground stake holders have serious question to ask. It is going to become more expensive to live in California! The rains of the AT&T Pro AM may indeed be a thing of the past.

The problem with moving away from these areas is that, as more and more of these studies come out, people all around us will begin to move. This drought is going to be with us no matter what we do. Planning where to move that will give one a “good life” will become more and more difficult. Northern California or perhaps SW Canada is looking more and more inviting! We don’t need to rush, sometime in the next 15 years would be good. We just need to be ahead of the collapsing land values. 🙂

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Start Research On Climate Engineering

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From Nature Magazine – 5 Feb 2015

Climate engineering — cooling Earth intentionally by modifying its radiation balance — worries many people. We know little about the effectiveness of these technologies or their side effects. The unintended consequences could be profound.

As the consequences of climate change become starker, public calls for interventions may grow. Governments or companies may try climate engineering to reduce the severe impacts predicted by 2050.

The article recommends that government agencies and scientists should begin climate-engineering research now.  You can read the full article through the above link. The line that woke me up is “public calls for interventions may grow.”  My grandkids will be part of the “public” in 2050.

I finally see how this climate change issue may play out.  The fossil fuels lobbies will continue to use mass mind control to obfuscate the issues (disinformation) until the weather itself convinces the populace that something must be done.  It will be too late to stop major catastrophes, and we will want to “engineer” our way out of the mess.  Finally, the public calls for interventions will grow.  

We need to help our Congress understand that we should act now so we don’t have to wait for the above scenario to happen.

“Fossil fuels lobby” is the umbrella term used to name the paid representatives of large fossil fuel (oil, gas, coal) and electric utilities corporations who attempt to influence governmental policy. So-called Big Oil companies such as ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, BP, Total S.A., Koch Industries, Chevron Corporation, and ConocoPhillips are amongst the largest corporations associated with the energy lobby. General Electric, Southern Co., First Energy, and the Edison Electric Institute are among the influential electric utilities corporations. Both electric companies and big oil and gas companies are consistently among the ten highest-spending industrial lobbyists.

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Weather Words

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“Global Warming” refers to an increase in the average temperature near the Earth’s surface.

“Climate Change” refers to the broader set of changes that go along with global warming, including changes in weather patterns, the oceans, ice and snow, and ecosystems; both caused by homo sapiens causing rising levels of greenhouse gases.

“Anthropocene” epoch refers to the Age of Man, relating to or denoting the current geological age, viewed as the period during which human activity has been been the dominant influence on climate and the environment.

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The World is getting hotter

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This post is serving 2 purposes: First purpose is to display a link to a graphic created by Bloomberg that shows how the average yearly temperatures have been increasing during the last 135 years.  See here

http://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2014-hottest-year-on-record/

Bloomberg Hottest Year

Second purpose is to test this system to see how adding links works!  (grin)

Reminder to self: just pasting the link doesn’t cut it (like the first one above). To force it to open in a new tab, you need to use html and add target=blank.