[DIALOGnews] DIALOG/DISCCRS News 09/09/05
Susan Weiler
weilercs at whitman.edu
Fri Sep 9 15:13:15 CDT 2005
DIALOG and DISCCRS News
09/09/2005
************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS
RESOURCES
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) site on Katrina
http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/hurricanes/katrina/
Hurricane Visualizations from the Cutting Edge Science Education
Resource Center
http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/visualization/collections/
hurricanes.html
Digital Globe Satellite Imagery Of Post-Hurricane New Orleans,
Digital Globe
http://archive.digitalglobe.com/archive/showMetaMap.php?
catID=10100100047CEC05
Satellite images of New Orleans
http://www.digitalglobe.com/katrina_gallery.html
Comment Paper on Canada's Offset System for Greenhouse Gases
http://www.greenhousegasmeasurement.com/news_050831_OS1.html
Hurricanes and Climate Change
http://www.insnet.org/ins_headlines.rxml?
cust=2&id=1570&url=http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=05-
P13-00035&segmentID=3
NSF to support time sensitive research related to the Gulf Coast
disaster area and to capture data from the human aspects of Hurricane
Katrina.
http://www.nsf.gov
SCIENCE NEWS
City Awash In Toxic Waters, But Long-Term Impact Is Murky
http://tinyurl.com/ano58
Loss Of Soil Carbon 'Will Speed Global Warming'
http://tinyurl.com/8ptsc
Experts: Fetid Water No Risk To Lake
http://tinyurl.com/bxny3
Ancient Humans 'Altered' Climate
http://tinyurl.com/deuve
FORUM
Post-Katrina help for coastal and estuarine scientists
http://www.utmsi.utexas.edu or directly at http://
www.utmsi.utexas.edu/outreach/katrina.asp.
ESA has established a bulletin board on its website
http://www.esa.org/katrina
Aid for students at Nicholls State University
Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (LA) Washington Post Editorial -
Saving America's Wetland
http://www.washingtonpost.com
After Katrina: A Message from NSF
http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=pr05155
Editorial on Hurricane Katrina by Historian Ted Steinberg
http://chronicle.com/free/2005/09/2005090906n.htm
JOBS
Postdoc Research Position In Meteorology On "Global Modeling For
Palaeo-Weather"
Job opening for a Climate Economist Analyst at US EPA
***************************************************
Resources
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) site on Katrina
http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/hurricanes/katrina/
Hurricane Visualizations from the Cutting Edge Science Education
Resource Center
(from Geo-Ed, suggested by John McDaris, SERC), in response to
Hurricane Katrina, the SERC team has put together a collection of
links to visualizations of hurricanes. The collection is a resource
for geoscience educators looking for visual materials on Hurricane
Katrina and hurricanes in general for use in addressing these
important phenomena in their classes. The site includes links to NASA
and NOAA pages that contain a wealth of satellite imagery and video
as well as links to Weather Channel and CNN coverage of the storm and
its effects. http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/visualization/
collections/hurricanes.html
********************
Digital Globe Satellite Imagery Of Post-Hurricane New Orleans,
Digital Globe
(from Geo-Ed, suggested by Joseph Kerski, USGS), the site
features satellite imagery from 31 August of New Orleans. This
includes some pretty striking and grim imagery to share with your
students. One of my activities for years as part of my “Map
Mysteries” units is to have students examine topographic maps of New
Orleans and notice the contour lines to see how many of the lines are
actually -5 (below sea level). You could do the same thing using
topozone.com, terraserver-usa.com. buy some paper USGS topographic
maps, or for a GIS environment, get a DEM from the USGS and determine
how much land is underwater if the sea rose by 1 meter, by 2 meters,
by 3 meters, etc. http://archive.digitalglobe.com/archive/
showMetaMap.php?catID=10100100047CEC04
********************
Satellite images of New Orleans
The following web address provides the updated satellite images
of new orleasns and other impacted areas.
http://www.digitalglobe.com/katrina_gallery.html
********************
Comment Paper on Canada's Offset System for Greenhouse Gases
For your interest, we have recently posted a comment paper
regarding Canada’s newly announced Offset System for Greenhouse Gases.
See our website at http://www.greenhousegasmeasurement.com/
news_050831_OS1.html
This first article is written in lay-language for the general
audience, and offers some broad comments in response to the framework
and opportunities for carbon credits in Canada.
Steven B. Young, PhD, PEng
President
www.GreenhouseGasMeasurement.com
1-519-822-1660 sby at GHGm.com
********************
Hurricanes And Climate Change
MIT Professor Kerry Emanuel talks about his book “Divine Wind:
the History and Science of Hurricanes.” Emanuel’s latest research,
published in Nature Magazine, shows a startling global increase in
hurricane strength and duration.
http://www.insnet.org/ins_headlines.rxml?
cust=2&id=1570&url=http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=05-
P13-00035&segmentID=3
********************
NSF to support time sensitive research related to the Gulf Coast
disaster area and to capture data from the human aspects of Hurricane
Katrina.
The Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences
(SBE) at the National Science Foundation (NSF), through its Divisions
of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences and Social and Economic Sciences
will be accepting proposals from the research community to support
time sensitive research related to the Gulf Coast disaster area and
to capture data from the human aspects of Hurricane Katrina. The NSF
Human and Social Dynamics (HSD) Priority Area as well as the
individual disciplinary programs in Social, Behavioral and Economic
Sciences will be accepting proposals. Proposals should conform to
the rules for the Small Grants for Exploratory Research (SGER)
program and be submitted via FastLane. These funds will be used to
collect time-sensitive data at the levels of individuals and
organizations on the immediate aftermath of the hurricane. It is
expected that most funded proposals will be in the range of $10,000
to $80,000.
The number of awards will depend on the quality of proposals and
the availability of funds. Proposals shall be submitted via FastLane
in conformance the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (NSF 04-23). For full
consideration, proposals must be submitted by Sept. 23, 2005.
Prior to submission, the appropriate NSF/SBE Program Officer MUST
be contacted. For Human and Social Dynamics multidisciplinary
proposals, please contact Dennis Wenger (dwenger at nsf.gov) or Bob
O'Conner (roconnor at nsf.gov); HSD SGER proposals must conform to the
HSD requirements, specifically (1) at least three PIs, (2) at least
two disciplines, and (3) no individual can participate in more than
one HSD SGER proposal. Please consult the web site (www.nsf.gov) to
determine the Program Officers to contact for the SBE disciplinary
programs.
Rachelle D. Hollander
Senior Advisor
Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences
NSF 4201 Wilson Blvd. Rm. 905
Arlington, VA 22230
703-292-7272, fax-9083; rholland at nsf.gov
********************
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) site on Katrina
http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/hurricanes/katrina/
***************************************************
Science News
City Awash In Toxic Waters, But Long-Term Impact Is Murky
from San Francisco Chronicle
The dark waters now covering New Orleans constitute a nasty brew
of toxic chemicals and harmful bacteria, but the long-term
environmental effects of the city's inundation by Hurricane Katrina
remain unclear, scientists say.
Certainly, the Mississippi Delta and its environs hardly made up
a pristine Eden before the hurricane. The region supported one of the
great oil and gas extraction and petrochemical refining complexes on
the planet, and pollution has long been a hot-button issue there.
"This is an area known as Cancer Alley, and there's a good reason
for that," said David Lewis, the executive director of Save the Bay,
an Oakland environmental group that maintains a liaison with a
Louisiana wetlands preservation organization. "Contaminants were
already a problem (in local waters)." http://tinyurl.com/ano58
********************
Loss Of Soil Carbon 'Will Speed Global Warming'
from The Guardian (UK) via Sigma Xi Science in the News
England's soils have been losing carbon at the rate of four
million tonnes a year for the past 25 years - losses which will
accelerate global warming and which have already offset all the cuts
in Britain's industrial carbon emissions between 1990 and 2002,
scientists warn today.
The research dashes hopes that more carbon dioxide emissions might
mean more vegetation growth and therefore more carbon removed from
the atmosphere.
The unexpected loss of carbon from the soils - consistently,
everywhere in England and Wales and therefore probably everywhere in
the temperate world - means more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,
which means even more global warming, and yet more carbon lost from
the soil. http://tinyurl.com/8ptsc
********************
Experts: Fetid Water No Risk To Lake
from Newsday via Sigma Xi Science in the News
The health of Louisiana's Lake Pontchartrain is not at stake
despite 2 million gallons of fetid floodwaters being pumped per
minute into the vast inland body of water, experts said yesterday.
The Army Corps of Engineers is pumping the contaminated
floodwater into the lake, and its technicians are not adding chlorine
or other disinfectants.
"You can't chlorinate the water going into the lake," said Edward
Bouwer, a professor of environmental engineering at Johns Hopkins
University, "because that would create other problems" that could
possibly damage the lake's health and alter its ecosystem, he said.
http://tinyurl.com/bxny3
********************
Ancient Humans 'Altered' Climate
from BBC News Online via Sigma Xi Science in the News
Humans were influencing the climate long before the Industrial
Revolution, new research suggests.
Levels of methane rose steadily in the atmosphere in the first
millennium, according to an analysis of gases trapped in ice beneath
Antarctica.
Much of the greenhouse gas came from huge fires lit by humans as
they cleared land for settlements and farming, researchers report in
Science.
But natural climate change would have contributed to the
emissions, they say. http://tinyurl.com/deuve
***************************************************
Forum
Post-Katrina help for coastal and estuarine scientists
by Linda Schaffner, ERF President
During the past week, the human suffering and destruction along
the Gulf Coast of the U.S. caused by Hurricane Katrina has been
almost unimaginable. The Federation has gotten calls and e-mails
from members who are concerned about our colleagues and their
families in the affected region. In many cases, we still do not know
how they fared. We remain hopeful that everyone is safe.
Many of those affected will be in a state of shock for weeks as
they attend to the immediate needs within their families. Donations
to organizations such as the Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity will
help meet the tremendous need for food, shelter and health care. I'm
sure many of you have already given generously to these organizations.
Soon our colleagues will need other resources to help put their
professional lives back together. Many individuals in our community
have already expressed their willingness to host students and
colleagues in labs, to provide temporary housing, or provide help in
myriad other ways. Thank you for your generosity. The challenge now
is to match resources with those who need them.
The University of Texas Marine Science Institute, in partnership
with the National Association of Marine Laboratories (NAML), has
created a clearinghouse for offers from other labs to help the
faculty, students and staff of the damaged labs. The site is at
accessible through the home page at: http://www.utmsi.utexas.edu or
directly at http://www.utmsi.utexas.edu/outreach/katrina.asp.
The Southeastern Universities Research Association also has a
created a website with some news of efforts to assist with the
recovery through charitable endeavors. The site is accessible from
their home page: http://www.sura.org or directly at http://
www1.sura.org/2000/2000_KATRINA.html
Please distribute this information widely. We hope that it will
reach those in need.
In addition to the short term, practical responses above, the
Federation's leaders are discussing ways we can contribute our
members' expertise to greater public understanding of coastal
ecosystems. Accurately predicting such events and their
environmental and human consequences is becoming easier, but remains
a scientific challenge. Communicating such knowledge in a way that
decision makers and the public can embrace it is also a challenge.
In coming days and weeks we will be exploring ways that ERF can
assist our members who are in need. We will post additional
information as it becomes available.
Sincerely,
Linda Schaffner
ERF President 2003-2005
********************
ESA has established a bulletin board on its website (http://
www.esa.org/katrina) to facilitate assistance to ecological and
environmental science colleagues in the Gulf Coast region. You can
help in two ways:
If you have contact with colleagues in the affected areas, please
alert them to this site as a place to seek help and find assistance
ranging from relocation to laboratory equipment.
Visit the site frequently to post offers of assistance or to
respond to specific requests.
********************
Aid for students at Nicholls State University
Submitted by Allyse Ferrara
I would like to ask DIALOG/DIACES participants for assistance for
Nicholls State University students that have suffers losses due to
Hurricane Katrina. I participated in the 2002 DIACES symposium. I
am presently an assistant professor in the Department of Biological
Sciences at Nicholls State University. An estimated 1000 to 2000
Nicholls students may have lost everything they own to Katrina. The
Nicholls campus suffered minor damage from Katrina and classes
resumed today, even though there are approximately 1,400 evacuees and
national guard troops on the Nicholls campus. We are committed to
educating and caring for our students and community. Monetary
donations can be made to assist Nicholls students including visiting
students from colleges and universities in New Orleans who suffered
losses from Hurricane Katrina. Checks can be made to the NSU
Foundation, P.O. Box 2074, Thibodaux, LA, 70310. Please write
"Student Disaster Recovery Fund" in the memo field. Please contact
me if you need further information. My deepest thanks for your
attention and contributions.
Sincerely, Allyse Ferrara
********************
Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (LA) Washington Post Editorial -
Saving America's Wetland
Date: 12/08/2004 Submitted by Allyse Ferrare: I know I have
bombarded you with pleas for money and materials on coastal land loss
but this editorial should be re-read in the wake of Katrina.
OP- ED: Governor Blanco's Opinion Editorial in the Washington Post
Saving America's Wetland
By Kathleen Babineaux Blanco
Wednesday, December 8, 2004; Page A31
washingtonpost.com
My state dodged a massive natural disaster in September when
Hurricane Ivan, which seemed on course to hit New Orleans, veered
away at the last minute.
The near miss was a dramatic reminder that we continue to face
the possibility of a man-made catastrophe.
Had Ivan hit New Orleans, the toll in lives lost and property
destroyed would have rivaled anything in recent U.S. history. With
barrier islands and thousands of square miles of marsh lost to
erosion, there was little left to buffer Ivan's winds and waves. Even
with the massive evacuation, thousands could have died in the storm
surge, trapped in a city that is largely below sea level.
No government has the power to stop-or turn-even a small
hurricane. But in Louisiana's case, government does have the power to
reverse federal policies that have led to the loss of our coastline.
This coast protects many towns and cities, and it plays an important
role in the nation's economy.
Ivan destroyed some of our few remaining barrier islands. But
even without a hurricane's ravages, much of our state is washing away
day by day, posing a threat to our lives and to the nation's economy.
And, of course, it is not just Louisiana's problem; it is a national
problem requiring a national solution. This is America's Wetland.
Louisiana's coast is the nursery to the Gulf of Mexico's thriving
marine fisheries. Equally important, a major segment of the country's
oil and gas industry is based on this threatened ground. About $100
billion of energy infrastructure, including critical oil reserves, is
linked to the coast of Louisiana. Cities and ports in south Louisiana
support and supply the rigs working the gulf's massive oil and gas
fields. Ivan reminded us what this offshore production means to the
nation: Even the short interruption of supply caused by the hurricane
forced a spike in already-high oil prices.
These wetlands protect thousands of miles of pipelines carrying
oil and gas from offshore rigs along with interstate pipelines
supplying consumers of every stripe and size across the nation.
Allowing the erosion to continue would first constrict, then
strangle, this flow of energy to homes, cars and businesses.
The picture is bleak, but not hopeless. The roots of the erosion
problem lie in the unintended consequences of federal efforts to
provide for the nation's needs. High, strong levees were built to
keep commerce flowing on the Mississippi River and to protect
residents in its broad, rich valley from floods. Navigation canals
were cut through marsh and swamp to allow development of oil and gas
reserves. Unfortunately, levees kept silt-laden floods from
replenishing the land, and canals channeled damaging saltwater into
fragile freshwater marshes.
We've closed some abandoned navigation canals to blunt saltwater
intrusion. We're planting new vegetation-sprout by sprout-to
strengthen barrier islands and marshes. We're using rock dikes and
soil from dredging operations to protect and expand the few remaining
barrier islands.
Other measures are more complicated, and expensive. Working with
the Army Corps of Engineers, we've built two freshwater diversion
projects on the Mississippi River levee downstream from New Orleans.
These structures divert silt-laden river water into wetlands that
need the fresh water that nourishes marsh grasses and the sediment
that replenishes the land.
We know that mimicking the river's natural hydrology is a
delicate balancing act, but the more we learn, the better we perform.
Two projects diverting river water into the marshes are only a start;
we continue research and testing to find the best methods and apply
new technologies to stem the erosion.
Over the past 14 years, we've learned to work with a network of
five federal agencies, from the Corps of Engineers to the Commerce
Department's National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.
We know that the past approach of a project here and an effort there
will not work. Only a comprehensive effort across all our diverse
coastline will succeed.
More federal help is needed. Louisiana asked for $1.2 billion in
the pending Water Resources Development Act to begin coastal
protection. Unfortunately, this federal funding is tied up in the
U.S. Senate. But even if the act passes with money for Louisiana
intact, it's only an authorization. The source of real money to help
stop the loss of America's Wetland lies offshore. Securing our fair
share of federal proceeds from oil and gas produced on the outer
continental shelf off the Louisiana coast would provide a continuing
and dependable investment in projects to help stem the ongoing loss.
Oil and gas production off Louisiana's coast pumps an average of
$5 billion into the federal treasury. Dedicating just a fraction of
the federal revenue from Louisiana offshore production could stop the
loss of this regional wetland. This is a potential national disaster
that need not happen.
The writer, a Democrat, is governor of Louisiana.
********************
After Katrina: A Message from NSF
http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=pr05155
********************
Editorial on Hurricane Katrina by Historian Ted Steinberg
This week the *Chronicle of Higher Education* ran a piece written
by historian Ted Steinberg. II encourage you all to read it. Sue Weiler
Opinion: A Natural Disaster, a Man-Made Catastrophe, and a Human
Tragedy http://chronicle.com/free/2005/09/2005090906n.htm
***************************************************
Jobs
Postdoc Research Position In Meteorology On "Global Modeling For
Palaeo-Weather"
at the University of Mainz (Institute for Atmospheric Physics)
A Postdoc research position is available at the Institute of
Atmospheric Physics of the University of Mainz starting immediately.
The position is funded by the Excellence Cluster "Geocycles", which
is currently being established at the University of Mainz. Funding is
guaranteed until the end of 2007, but an extension may be possible
upon successful evaluation. Salary is according to the German BAT
IIa. Consideration of applications will start in late September and
continue until the position is filled.
The work is part of an interdisciplinary effort to understand
strong local climate fluctuations on a time scale of decades to
centuries during the past ice age. Such fluctuations have recently
been observed by one group in the Excellence Cluster. The successful
candidate will make extensive use of the operational global model of
the German Weather Service (DWD) as part of a model hierarchy.
Prescribing the surface conditions the model shall be run in
different modes of complexity. This, in combination with a nested
regional model provided by other members of the group, will provide
insight into the impact of the surface on atmospheric dynamics and
the hydrological cycle in the past at very high spatial resolution.
Specific analysis methods shall be applied to extract the information
relevant for the interpretation of the bore hole measurements.
Applicants should have a PhD in meteorology, a keen interest in
past climates, and experience with meteorological modeling and/or
data analysis. Expertise in FORTRAN programming and familiarity with
UNIX/LINUX as well as some high-level graphics software are highly
desirable. More information is available from Prof. Wirth (address
below).
If interested, please submit your application including CV and
the names of two referees to Prof. Dr. V. Wirth, Institute for
Atmospheric Physics, University of Mainz, Becherweg 21, 55099 Mainz,
Germany. E-mail: vwirth at uni-mainz.de.
********************
Job opening for a Climate Economist Analyst at US EPA
Background: The Economic Analysis Branch (EAB) of the Climate
Change Division of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S.
EPA) has one available position for a climate change economic
analyst. The EAB is responsible for informing climate policy makers
regarding the economic implications of policies to reduce the
greenhouse gas intensity of the U.S. economy. In addition to
conducting quick-turnaround analyses of specific policy proposals,
the EAB develops strategies and analytical tools to address a variety
of types of climate change policies, and initiates basic economic
research to broaden the state of knowledge of the implications of
climate change economics.
This job opening is for an economist/policy analyst who can
contribute to assessing climate change mitigation policy options.
Most of the incumbent's time will be spent managing and overseeing
the development of large scale economic models that seek to examine
the impacts of greenhouse gas mitigation measures. As the focus of
this position is the use of large-scale economic modeling to conduct
research and analysis, some previous exposure to economic modeling
would be preferable.
The incumbent should be a self-motivated analyst capable of
contributing to the design of a research program that meets the
analytical needs of the EAB. Strong communication skills are
necessary to facilitate interactions with other modelers,
stakeholders, and contractors. Excellent writing skills are required
to communicate the results of research and analysis. The applicant
will be required to work in a team and multi-disciplinary setting.
Qualifications Needed
It is preferred that the person that fills this position should
have an advanced degree (M.A., A.B.D. or PhD) in economics or public
policy with significant exposure to environmental, energy economics
and public policy. Understanding of quantitative skills such
mathematical economics, econometrics, and statistics is required
Contact
For more information, send a cover letter and resume to Dr.
Michael Shelby at shelby.michael at epa.gov . NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.
EPA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Selection for these
positions will be based solely on merit without regard to race,
color, religion, age, gender, national origin, political affiliation,
disability, sexual orientation, marital or family status, or any
other non-merit factors. U.S. citizenship is required.
This is not an official job application process, but a
solicitation for resumes. The job will be announced through EPA's EZ
hire employment system in the future.
**************************************************
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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