[DIALOGnews] DIALOG and DISCCRS News 04/29/2005

Fri Apr 29 13:04:47 CDT 2005

DIALOG and DISCCRS News
04/29/2005
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
RESOURCES
The Art Of Communicating Effectively
    http://powerpointers.com/showarticle.asp?articleid=64
Arctic Climate in Historical Perspective: First International Polar  
Year 1881-1884
    http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/aro/ipy-1/
DIVERSITAS Science Plan and Implementation Plan is now on line
     
http://www.diversitas-international.org/core_ecoserv.html>http:// 
www.diversitas-international.org/core_ecoserv.html.
SCIENCE NEWS
Ozone Layer Most Fragile On Record
    http://tinyurl.com/77rx7
Oceans Tell the Story, Earth is Heating Up
    http://tinyurl.com/8hl3v
Scientists Confirm Earth's Energy is Out of Balance
      http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/environment/earth_energy.html
FORUM
NASA Moves Shortchange Earth Science, Panel Says
    
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal- 
te.nasa28apr28,1,7777174.story
SUMMER PROGRAMS, COURSES, INTERNSHIPS, MEETINGS
Workshop, The Ocean Carbon System: Recent Advances and Future  
Opportunities
    http://www.whoi.edu/sites/OCCC_workshop
JOBS

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Resources
The Art Of Communicating Effectively,
    Art Feierman, (suggested by Virginia Malone, Hondo, TX via Geo-ed,  
April 23, 2005), the site provides some good tips and reminders on  
creating and presenting PowerPoint presentations. This website should  
be useful for students learning to make presentations as well as  
instructors.  The big idea: keep it simple.  
http://powerpointers.com/showarticle.asp?articleid=64
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Arctic Climate in Historical Perspective: First International Polar  
Year 1881-1884
Contributed by ArcticInfo
    For the first time, historical arctic data and images from the  
explorers and scientists of the First International Polar Year are  
provided on a beautiful and comprehensive website at:  
http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/aro/ipy-1/
    The First International Polar Year was the first series of  
coordinated international expeditions to the polar regions ever  
undertaken, and was the antecedent for other international research  
programs such as the upcoming 4th International Polar Year, planned to  
begin in 2007. The extraordinary historical data sets and images are  
available on the website for browsing or download.
    The records of the First International Polar Year offer a rare  
glimpse of the circumpolar arctic environment as it existed in the  
past. These observations collected so long ago now hold the potential  
to improve our understanding of historical climate variability and  
environmental change in the Arctic.
    Initial comparison of First International Polar Year data with 20th  
century observations of climate and environmental change in the Arctic  
shows that surface air temperature and sea-level pressure observed  
during 1882-1883 were within limits of a recent 30-year climatology and  
were consistent with a positive phase of the Arctic Oscillation and  
North Atlantic Oscillation pattern of variability.
    Credits: The documentary data and image collection was supported by  
NOAA's Arctic Research Office and developed by Kevin R. Wood and James  
E. Overland at NOAA/PMEL.
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DIVERSITAS Science Plan and Implementation Plan is now on line
    DIVERSITAS is pleased to announce that the Science Plan and  
Implementation Strategy of the DIVERSITAS Core Project ecoSERVICES is  
now available online.
      Please follow the link  
<http://www.diversitas-international.org/docs/diversitas/ 
ecoSERVICES_FIN.pdf>http://www.diversitas-international.org/docs/ 
diversitas/ecoSERVICES_FIN.pdf to download the document.
      The ecoSERVICES Science Plan highlights the need to develop  
rigourous, fact-based science that advances current knowledge on the  
links between biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and ecosystem  
services. Its end goal is to provide policy-relevant advice to  
interested parties at local, regional and international levels. To meet  
these objectives, the ecoSERVICES Science Plan was built upon – and  
will be carried out through – interdisciplinary collaboration amongst  
natural and social scientists. The plan comprises three interrelated  
foci:
    * Linking biodiversity to ecosystem functioning
    * Linking ecosystem funtioning to provision of services
    * Human responses to changes in ecosystem services
ecoSERVICES aims to implement its Science Plan through the conduct of  
state-of-the-art assessments, the development of new modelling theories  
and methods, the promotion of experimental and theoretical research  
networks, the establishment of global databases and the undertaking of  
case studies. Finally the new knowledge will be used to build  
environmental policy mechanisms that adequately account for the value  
of biodiversity.
      For more information on the scientific programme and the  
activities of the DIVERSITAS Core Project ecoSERVICES, please follow  
this link:  
<http://www.diversitas-international.org/core_ecoserv.html>http:// 
www.diversitas-international.org/core_ecoserv.html.
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Science News

Ozone Layer Most Fragile On Record
from The Guardian (UK) via Sigma Xi Science in the News
    The protective ozone layer over the Arctic has thinned this winter  
to the lowest levels since records began, alarming scientists who  
believed it had begun to heal.
    The increased loss of ozone allows more harmful ultraviolet light to  
reach the earth's surface, making children and outdoor enthusiasts such  
as skiers more vulnerable to skin cancer - a disease which is already  
dramatically increasing.
    Scientists yesterday reinforced the warning that people going out in  
the sun this summer should protect themselves with creams and hats.
http://tinyurl.com/77rx7
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OCEAN TELLS THE STORY: EARTH IS HEATING UP
from San Francisco Chronicle via Sigma Xi Science in the News
    New temperature readings from the deep ocean trace a clear warming  
trend
that seems impossible to turn around any time soon, scientists reported
Thursday, promising a steadily warming world and raising the odds of a
catastrophic sudden change marked by rising seas and melting icecaps.
    Researchers led by James Hansen, one of NASA's top climatologists,  
looked at
the planet's "energy imbalance" -- the difference between the amount of  
heat
absorbed by Earth and the amount radiated out into space -- and compared
those results with predictions of leading climate models.
    They concluded that the unusual magnitude of the warming trend could  
not be
explained by natural variability, but instead fit precisely in line with
theories suggesting that human activity -- the dominant "forcing agent"
driving the computerized climate models -- is responsible.
http://tinyurl.com/8hl3v
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SCIENTISTS CONFIRM EARTH'S ENERGY IS OUT OF BALANCE
NASA Press Release RELEASE: 05-111
      Scientists have concluded more energy is being absorbed from the  
sun than is emitted back to space, throwing the Earth's energy "out of  
balance" and warming the globe.
      Scientists from NASA, Columbia University, New York, and Lawrence  
Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, Calif. used satellites, data  
from buoys and computer models to study the Earth's oceans. They  
confirmed the energy imbalance by using precise measurements of  
increasing ocean heat content over the past 10 years.
     The study reveals Earth's energy imbalance is large by standards of  
the planet's history. The imbalance is 0.85 watts per meter squared.  
That will cause an additional warming of 0.6 degrees Celsius (1 degree  
Fahrenheit) by the end of this century.
      To understand the difference, think of a one-watt light bulb  
shining over an area of one square meter (10.76 square feet). Although  
it doesn't seem like much, adding up the number of feet around the  
world creates a big effect. To put this number into perspective, an  
imbalance of one-watt per square meter, maintained for the past 10,000  
years is enough to melt ice equivalent to one kilometer (.6 mile) of  
sea level, if there were that much ice.
      "The energy imbalance is an expected consequence of increasing  
atmospheric pollution, especially carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, and  
black carbon particles. These pollutants block the Earth's heat  
radiation from escaping to space, and they increase absorption of  
sunlight," said Jim Hansen of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space  
Studies, New York. He is the lead author of the new study, which is in  
this week's Science Magazine Science Express.
      As the Earth warms it emits more heat. Eventually the Earth will  
be back in balance, if the greenhouse gas emissions are kept at the  
same level of today. Scientists know it takes the ocean longer to warm  
than the land. The lag in the ocean's response has practical  
consequences. It means there is an additional global warming of about  
one degree Fahrenheit that is already in the pipeline. Even if there  
were no further increase of human-made gases in the air, climate would  
continue to warm that much over the next century.
      Warmer world-wide water temperatures also affect other things.  
"Warmer waters increase the likelihood of accelerated ice sheet  
disintegration and sea level rise during this century," Hansen said.  
Since 1993, sea levels have been measured by satellite altimeters. Data  
has shown they have risen by approximately 3.1 centimeters or 1.26  
inches per decade.
      Although 3.1 centimeters is a small change, the rate of increase  
is twice as large as in the preceding century. There are positive  
feedbacks that come into play, as the area of ice melt increases. The  
researchers agree monitoring ice sheets and sea level is necessary to  
best ensure the system is in balance.
      For more information and images about this story on the Internet,  
visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/environment/earth_energy.html

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Forum
NASA MOVES SHORTCHANGE EARTH, SCIENCE PANEL SAYS
from The Baltimore Sun (Registration Required) via Sigma Xi Science in  
the News
      NASA has cut spending on Earth science to the point where the  
network of
satellites that observe the planet "is at risk of collapse," a National
Research Council panel said yesterday.
      The group called the trend "alarming" and said it threatens  
advances in
understanding the changing nature of the planet.
      In a document released yesterday, the 18-member panel urged NASA  
to revive
and launch some missions that have been canceled, delayed or scaled  
back as
the space agency shifts priorities to fulfill President Bush's "vision"  
for
sending astronauts to the moon and Mars.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal- 
te.nasa28apr28,1,7777174.story

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Summer Programs, Courses, Internships, Meetings
Workshop, The Ocean Carbon System: Recent Advances and Future  
Opportunities
    A website has just been opened for the The Ocean Carbon System:  
Recent Advances and Future Opportunities. This is an Ocean Carbon and  
Climate Change (OCCC) Workshop, You can register and request lodging,  
travel support, etc. if you are interested in participating.  
http://www.whoi.edu/sites/OCCC_workshop
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Jobs


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This newsletter has been developed by C. Susan Weiler to distribute  
information of potential interest to recent PhDs engaged in  
interdisciplinary aquatic science or climate-change research, and to  
build an international sense of community among recent grads. It  
provides an international forum for the exchange of information and  
opinions regarding research, professional and social issues. The views  
and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the funding  
agencies or sponsoring societies. Dr. Weiler reserves the right to edit  
or reject material submitted to the list.
        Please submit announcements of interest to recent PhDs to  
phd at whitman.edu.  Send a short message in the body of an e-mail  
message, and link to any appropriate websites. Do not send attachments.
        Moving? Send address changes to dialog at whitman.edu or  
disccrs at whitman.edu
**********
C. Susan Weiler, Ph.D.          
Office for Earth System Studies    Tel:   509-527-5948          
Whitman College                          Fax:  509-527-5961
Walla Walla, WA 99362
    weiler at whitman.edu    
    Programs for Recent PhDs                 http://aslo.org/phd.html
    DIALOG poster        http://www.aslo.org/phd/dialogposter.pdf
    DISCCRS poster       http://www.aslo.org/phd/disccrsposter.pdf 
Workshop Report, Meeting the Needs of Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Graduates  
in a Changing Global Environment
http://marcus.whitman.edu/~weilercs/biocomplexity/              
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