environment
jtoney | March 17, 2011
Source.
In a matter of hours, it will be exactly one week since the devastating earthquake struck Japan (Friday, March 11, 2011 at 12:46:23 AM (EST)). In honor of the victims and their families, let's think Japanese and offer whatever we can to help them through this tragedy so that they can emerge strong and resilient.
Each of us has our own way to extend our thoughts to those in need. I have included below a number of ways, including the chant of Nichiren Buddhism (in the spirit of "think Japanese") that has touched my life, as well as a number of practical ways to give.
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jtoney | March 16, 2011
Radiation levels at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant have been reported to significantly increase on Tuesday during a fire near reactor No. 4. Fortunately, these levels dropped rapidly after the fire was extinguished. The measured unit, in millisieverts, is difficult to put into perspective in our daily lives. How do these levels compare to a whole body CT scan?
In an article in The New York Times {graphic above} today, these levels are put into perspective.
As you can see, there is only one data point significantly above 10 millisieverts (per hour), the amount equivalent to a whole…
jtoney | March 16, 2011
Photograph of the Chornobyl environment in the former "Red Forest" region, taken in June 1998, some 700 meters west of Reactor 4 in an area remediated by removal and burial of top soil and dead pine trees. Radiation in this region today is 2-4 millirems per hour at a height of 1 meter.
Decades after the infamous Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster, some surprises have emerged: their wildlife seems to be thriving, with little evidence of increased mutation rates. NPR aired a fascinating interview with biologist Robert Baker. What are the implications for Japan?
Robert Baker is:
a…
jtoney | March 15, 2011
Following the news about the damage and explosions at the Fukushima nuclear power plants has been distressing and confusing. Major news media outlets report high levels of released radiation, while nuclear engineers have a different opinion. Who's right?
According to The New York Times report (Mar. 15): {my emphasis}
At least 750 workers evacuated on Tuesday morning after a separate explosion ruptured the inner containment building at reactor No. 2 at the Daiichi plant, which was crippled by Friday's earthquake and tsunami. The explosion released a surge of radiation 800 times more…
esiegel | March 14, 2011"You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake." -Jeannette Rankin
As you all surely know, an 8.9 magnitude earthquake just struck Japan, devastating the island of Honshu.
Before and after images link at abc.net.au.
Ask a geologist, and they'll rightly tell you about plate tectonics, subduction zones, fault lines, and much, much more. But there's a simple physics reason that they happen underlying all of it.
Image credit: Jean Anastasia.
The Earth is built like a giant, spherical layer cake. The inner core -- made up of mostly iron and nickel -- is the densest of all the layers…
jtoney | March 14, 2011
Magnitude of earthquakes (M5-6=small yellow circles, M6-7 orange circles, M7+ large red circles) off the coast of Honshu, 9-14 March.
Geologist Chris Rowan's Scientific American article, "Japan earthquake: The explainer" clarifies some very important points about Japan's earthquakes {highly recommended reading.} Can we learn from this?
Take a look at these data of foreshocks and aftershocks. It tells an extraordinary story: on March 9, there was an earthquake of magnitude greater than 7.0, followed by dozens of weaker events (magnitude 5 to 6) over the next 48 hours, just before the major…
jtoney | March 14, 2011I've been thinking a lot about how to support victims and their families in Japan since the earthquake and tsunami struck last Friday.
Ben Parr at Mashable gives us some simple, concrete ways we can help in his article, "Japan Earthquake & Tsunami: 7 Simple Ways to Help." Please do what you can.
1. Text to Donate
The American Red Cross has once again launched a texting campaign to raise money for relief efforts in the Pacific region. Last year, the Red Cross was able to raise over $20 million for Haiti relief through simple text donations.
If you would like to donate to the American Red…
mikethemadbiologist | March 14, 2011In light of the nuclear power plant partial meltdowns in Japan, there are calls for not expanding the U.S. nuclear power plant capacity, and even shutting down existing plants. What bothers me about this is that there is no discussion of how we make up the energy production shortfall--I'll get to energy conservation in a bit. As the U.S. begins the 21st century, we still are generating most of our power by lighting things on fire: oil, gas, and coal. While renewable energy (which despite its name still has some CO2 footprint) could pick up some slack, given our dysfunctional political…
jtoney | March 12, 2011
Lady Gaga just announced to her close to 9 million Twitter followers that she has designed a "Prayer bracelet" to raise funds for Japan.
What a brilliant way for a celebrity to raise funds for an important humanitarian project. Go "little monsters"!
You can order one, or more, here.
Why the connection to Japan?
UPDATE MAR. 17:
>$250,000 raised from Lady Gaga's bracelets!
@ladygaga Lady Gaga
Monsters: in just 48 hrs you've raised a quarter of a million dollars for Japan Relief. RT: http://bit.ly/f0aYwZ. It's important we help. X
On Friday, along with a purchase link and photo of the…
jtoney | March 12, 2011
Google has launched a Person Finder for anyone looking for someone affected by Japan's 2011 Tsunami, or anyone with information about someone there.
As of this moment, this site is tracking close to 60,000 records. Importantly, you can find at a single website emergency telephone numbers and message boards, including the most current information about transportation in Japan.
I hope that you find this resource useful as Japan begins its recovery from this devastation.
Below is an overview; the live links can be found at the Google Person Finder site here. It is available in both English…
pharyngula | March 12, 2011Lately, I've completely given up on giving any credit to the Rethuglican party at all — where once I could have grudgingly admitted that perhaps some conservative policies were sensible, the current party is no longer conservative, but simply insane. As an example, I give you The Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011, a Republican-sponsored, Republican-promoted exercise in outright science denial blessed by Koch Industries.
To amend the Clean Air Act to prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from promulgating any regulation concerning, taking action relating to, or…
jtoney | March 11, 2011
Uploaded by NOAAPMEL on Mar 11, 2011
Propagation of the March 11, 2011 Honshu tsunami was computed with the NOAA forecast method using MOST model with the tsunami source inferred from DART® data. From the NOAA Center for Tsunami Research, located at NOAA PMEL in Seattle, WA. See http://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/honshu20110311
Amidst the flurry of our 24 hour news cycle, with the pettiness of the U.S. National Football League clashes {is it not a game, after all?}, and intense debates on union rights in Wisconsin, it's time for some perspective: we are all connected, and "mother nature" does not…
jtoney | March 11, 2011
NOAA just released this graphic displaying their best estimates of how far and high high the tsunami waves will travel after Japan's devastating earthquake yesterday. How far, how high will it go?
Tsunami Wave Height Model Shows Pacific-Wide Impact
Model runs from the Center for Tsunami Research at the NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory show the expected wave heights of the tsunami as it travels across the Pacific basin. The largest wave heights are expected near the earthquake epicenter, off Japan. The wave will decrease in height as it travels across the deep Pacific but grow…
jtoney | March 11, 2011
Photo source (MSNBC).
With the terrible news of an earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan this morning, my thoughts are with the victims and their families. Is this more evidence of "Global Weirding?
TOKYO -- A magnitude 8.9 earthquake slammed Japan's northeastern coast Friday, unleashing a 13-foot tsunami that swept boats, cars, buildings and tons of debris miles inland and prompting a "nuclear emergency."
At least 40 people were killed and there were reports of several injuries in Tokyo, hundreds of miles away, where buildings shook violently through the main quake and the series…
jtoney | March 9, 2011
Juvenile Cowfish
Photograph by Chris Newbert, Minden Pictures
A photographer's strobe gives a violet sheen to this translucent juvenile roundbelly cowfish off the coast of Kona, Hawaii. Also known as the transparent boxfish, the roundbelly cowfish has two short horns in front of its eyes.
Stunned by the beauty of these photographs of translucent undersea creatures by National Geographic, I would like to share a few of my favorites.
Pelagic Octopus
Photograph by Chris Newbert, Minden Pictures
A pelagic, or open-ocean, octopus gives off a neon glow in Hawaii. Most species of octopus have…
jtoney | March 8, 2011
The Pacific Decadal Oscillation, or PDO, affects sea surface temperatures and wind flow in the North Pacific. This graphic from NASA shows sea surface temperature departures from average, as well as wind anomalies (arrows), for different phases of the PDO. Credit: NASA JPL.
The Bering Sea, west of Alaska, gives us yet another example of "Global Weirding" - not Global Warming, with some of the coldest temperatures on record in the past four years. Chinook salmon yields have "jumped" recently in Oregon and Washington, with the third-highest recorded in 2010. Pacific Northwest salmon thrive…
jtoney | March 4, 2011
SAF Troop Deployments on the volatile North/South Border.
Of all of the research that scientists do, this is an example of how we can make a difference. In this case, actor and activist George Clooney facilitates data collection on an important human rights issue in Darfur.
From Nicholas D. Kristof, reporter from The New York Times:
My old traveling buddy George Clooney took an unusual approach to his humanitarian work in Sudan: he invested in a monitoring capability with satellite photos. Now the resulting sat photos show villages that appear to have been burned near Abyei, the…
jtoney | March 3, 2011
BP's just released 2010 Annual Report to shareholders is proforma, with the exception of a detailed section titled "Gulf of Mexico Spill." (p.34; you can read the full report here.)
No bonuses for the top Executives this year, but rewards for "good business results." Something to think about the next time you fill up your tank!
Below are some selected highlights from the 2010 Annual Report:
BP's estimates of the impact of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill:
Compensation of top Executives: (p. 112) (my emphasis)
While the tragedy of lost lives and environmental damage remains foremost in…
jtoney | March 1, 2011Teaser for "Black Beach" from Fourth World Media, LLC on Vimeo.
Video.
I recently wrote about "oil-eating microbes" and the lack of evidence that they will offer a solution to cleaning up the environmental nightmare that began last April after the BP oil spill.
What will BP's "black beach" burden become?
I believe that new technologies will guide us towards a solution and hope that it will provide enduring lessons that will prevent such an environmental disaster from ever happening again. As is now commonplace in regions in crisis, online social networking can serve as a powerful tool in…
jtoney | February 28, 2011
Hexaplex trunculus Linnaeus, 1758
Please allow me to clear something up right away: I loathe to mention science and religion in the same breath. But this story is sufficiently compelling to evoke such blaspheme. How can a humble snail bridge the gap?
An analytical chemist Zvi C. Koren specializing in ancient coloring agents, has identified a very special blue dye from the secretions of a common snail found in Israel, Murex trunculus, that scholars believe represents the original hue intended for "tekhelet," used in Jewish prayer {reported in The New York Times today.}
How special is…