[DIALOGnews] DISCCRS News 3/16/2007
Ruth Ladderud
ladderra at whitman.edu
Fri Mar 16 13:47:11 CDT 2007
DISCCRS News
3/16/2007
************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: DISCCRS SYMPOSIUM
DISCCRS Interdisciplinary Climate Change Symposium, Hawaii, Sept.
10-17, 2007.
http://www.disccrs.org
April 30th is the deadline for applications to DISCCRS III for new
Ph.D. graduates (April 1, 2004 - March 31, 2007). Airfare, room &
board are fully paid for 36 accepted candidates. Social scientists
are especially encouraged to apply!
RESOURCES and FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
“State of the Ocean's Animals” - A New Episode of the PBS Series
Journey To Planet Earth - March 28, 2007 AT 8 P.M. ON PBS
Educational materials available at http://www.pbs.org/
journeytoplanetearth/
Downloadable photos from past programs are available at www.pbs.org/
pressroom
FORUM
California Climate Forum – Live Webcast Monday, Mar 19, 2007 2 to
5pm PDT
http://www.bren.ucsb.edu/events/climate_forum.htm Directions for
the webcast are at the bottom of the page.
Anyone who is interested in what California is doing in the
Climate Policy arena will want to watch a webcast involving top
policymakers in the state. There will be an opportunity for posing
questions directly to the panelists. The webcast will also be
archived for viewing at a later time. Keep in mind that the US will
be on daylight savings time (summer time) on March 19.
American Generations and adapting the educational system to the
millenium generation
Submitted by Cecile Mioni - I have attended a conference for
student success and retention few weeks ago and I really enjoyed the
talk given by Neil Howe. I think that some DIALOG/DISCCRS
participants that are presently teaching might be interested in his
books about American generations and how that the educational system
should adapt to the new millenium generation, Some information is
available on this website: www.lifecourse.com
SCIENCE NEWS
California: The Energy Miser?
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/
2003609253_california09.html Or: http://tinyurl.com/39lsm5
(see NEWS 1 below)
Polluted air 'triggering drought' in northern China
http://www.scidev.net/news/index.cfm?
fuseaction=readnews&itemid=3469&language=1
(see NEWS 2 below)
Peru's Alarming Water Truth
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6412351.stm Or: http://
tinyurl.com/3689s2
(see NEWS 3 below)
Getting Closer to the Mystery of Deep-Sea Life
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/03/13/
CABLE.TMP Or: http://tinyurl.com/23p5lx
(see NEWS 4 below)
This Was World's Warmest Recorded Winter
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?
chanID=sa003&articleID=D5EB74205AAD313DD6361A1089C4E424 Or: http://
tinyurl.com/2mrrhp
(see NEWS 5 below)
Antarctic Glaciers' Sloughing Of Ice Has Scientists at a Loss
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/15/
AR2007031501063.html (registration required)
(see NEWS 6 below)
SUMMER PROGRAMS, COURSES, INTERNSHIPS, MEETINGS, OPPORTUNITIES
Ethnoecology and climate change symposium –12-13 April 2007
- Environmental Change Institute
- University of Oxford - Oxford (UK)
http://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/news/events/070412conference.php
JOBS
PhD and postdoc’s - mineral aerosols/biogeochemistry/climate
interactions - Cornell University – Ithica NY (USA)
(see JOBS 1 below)
Social Scientist – Economics - IIASA: Adaptation, Risk Management,
Financial Instruments - Laxenburg (Austria)
http://www.iiasa.ac.at/Admin/PE/Jobs/2007-02-rav-rs.html
(see JOB 2 below)
Postdoctoral Positions - Ecological Genomics - Kansas State Univ./
Yale/Colorado State Univ – (USA)
(see JOBS 3 below)
Lecturer - Geography - School of Resources, Environment & Society -
Australian National University, Canberra (Austrailia)
http://info.anu.edu.au/hr/Jobs/Academic_Positions/_FS3908.asp
(see JOB 4 below)
Postdoc Research Fellow - Climate Change Ecology - Dept. of
Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA (USA)
(see JOB 5 below)
Postdoc - Climate change/warming effects on arctic/alpine ecosystem
vegetation and function - Florida International University – Miami,
FL (USA)
(see JOB 6 below)
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Science News
(NEWS 1) California: The Energy Miser?
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/
2003609253_california09.html Or: http://tinyurl.com/39lsm5
Seattle Times - At the height of the 1973 energy crisis, Arthur
Rosenfeld had a revelation. Disturbed about having to spend half an
hour in line at a gas station one Friday night, the particle
physicist calculated that keeping his floor of offices brightly lit
all weekend as usual would consume the equivalent of five gallons of
gasoline. So Rosenfeld took what then seemed like a bold step: He
turned off the lights.
For 30 years, Rosenfeld has been one of the forces guiding
California on a mission of conservation. And today the state uses
less energy per capita than any other state in the country, defying
the international image of American energy gluttony. Since 1974,
California has held its per-capita energy consumption essentially
constant, while energy use per person for the United States overall
has jumped 50 percent.
California has managed that feat through a mixture of mandates,
regulations and high prices. The state has been able to cut
greenhouse-gas emissions, keep utility companies happy and maintain
economic growth. Now California is pushing further in its effort to
cut automobile pollution, spur use of solar energy and cap greenhouse
gases.
********************
(NEWS 2) Polluted air 'triggering drought' in northern China
http://www.scidev.net/news/index.cfm?
fuseaction=readnews&itemid=3469&language=1
Science 315, 1396 (2007) - Air pollution in the mountains of
northern China is significantly reducing rainfall and causing
drought, according to research published in Science this week (8 March).
Researchers, from Israel's Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the
Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, analysed long and short-
term changes in precipitation using 50 years of rainfall records from
the top of Mount Hua in China's northwestern Shaanxi province.
They found that on hazy days, precipitation in the region is cut
by up to 50 per cent. There was also a smaller reduction in rainfall
in the lowlands.
Since 1950 the volume of rain and snow at the top of the mountain
has decreased by 20 per cent.
The researchers suggest an increase in air pollution ― which
affects the formation of cloud droplets ― has triggered the shift.
Data collected locally shows that average visibility in 1950
stood at 30 kilometres ― twice that of today. Daniel Rosenfield,
lead researcher on the study, says this indicates the a greater
presence of aerosols.
Aerosols are tiny particles suspended in the atmosphere. Some
occur naturally, but they are also generated by human activities such
as the burning of fossil fuels.
In this kind of high-altitude rainfall, known as orographic
precipitation, moist air is deflected upwards by the mountain. This
cools the air and causes the moisture in clouds to condense and form
droplets, which then merge to create raindrops.
Cloud droplets form around aerosols. According to Rosenfield, the
higher number of aerosols in polluted air divide cloud droplets into
smaller ones, which slows the formation and fall of rain.
"This is the first time a direct link between increasing
pollution and decreasing precipitation has been observed," he said.
"The finding is important since precipitation is one of the main
sources of water in northern China."
Yao Zhanyu, co-author of the paper, told SciDev.Net that of all
the natural disasters in China, droughts are the most serious. "In
the western region, the annual average precipitation is about a
fourth that of the world's average," he said.
Yao and Rosenfeld may soon be collaborating in a similar study to
be conducted in Mount Lu in East China's Jiangxi Province.
********************
(NEWS 3) Peru's Alarming Water Truth
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6412351.stm Or: http://
tinyurl.com/3689s2
BBC News Online - Oscar-winning Al Gore chose to call his film
about global warming An Inconvenient Truth. But for Peru it is more
like an alarming reality. Government officials, water experts and
environmentalists agree the rapid melting of the spectacular Andean
glaciers featured in the film is threatening the long-term economic
and human development of what is South America's most "water-
stressed" country.
"Global warming for us is not just about the environment," warns
Julio Garcia of Peru's National Council on the Environment, Conam.
"It's more about how on earth we can develop Peru in a sustainable
way over the coming years."
Peru's water problem lies in part in the peculiar geography of
the country. Most of the Pacific coast would be desert if it were not
for the water flowing down from the Andes. Seventy per cent of the
population live along the coast, where less than 2% of the country's
water resources are found. In contrast, the Atlantic side of the
Andes has 98% of the water and about a quarter of the population.
********************
(NEWS 4) Getting Closer to the Mystery of Deep-Sea Life
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/03/13/
CABLE.TMP Or: http://tinyurl.com/23p5lx
San Francisco Chronicle - The first stage in building an undersea
research observatory on the floor of Monterey Bay will begin today
when a power cable 32 miles long is emplaced on and under the seabed,
where scientists will deploy a set of unique oceanographic
instruments to monitor the deep-water environment and study its
varied marine life.
Long in planning and led by researchers and engineers at the
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, the project is due to start
this morning when a 478-foot ship named the Global Sentinel will
begin laying the cable from Moss Landing out to sea.
At completion -- researchers have a target date of March 31 --
the cable will circle in a wide loop around the deepest parts of
Monterey Canyon, and its terminal will lie on Smooth Ridge, a broad
plateau at a depth of about 3,000 feet 18 miles northwest of Monterey.
The cable includes both copper wire to power the instruments
planned for the project and fiber-optic strands to carry scientific
data back to the research institute. It will also serve as a model
for other observatories planned on both U.S. coasts, institute
officials say.
********************
(NEWS 5) This Was World's Warmest Recorded Winter
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?
chanID=sa003&articleID=D5EB74205AAD313DD6361A1089C4E424 Or: http://
tinyurl.com/2mrrhp
Scientific American - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - This has been the
world's warmest winter since record-keeping began more than a century
ago, the U.S. government agency that tracks weather reported on
Thursday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said
the combined global land and ocean surface temperature from December
through February was at its highest since records began in 1880. A
record-warm January was responsible for pushing up the combined
winter temperature, according to the agency's Web site, http://
www.noaa.gov.
"Contributing factors were the long-term trend toward warmer
temperatures as well as a moderate El Nino in the Pacific," Jay
Lawrimore of NOAA's National Climatic Data Center said in a telephone
interview from Asheville, North Carolina.
********************
(NEWS 6) Antarctic Glaciers' Sloughing Of Ice Has Scientists at a Loss
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/15/
AR2007031501063.html (registration required)
Washington Post (registration required) - Some of the largest
glaciers in Antarctica and Greenland are moving in unusual ways and
are losing increased amounts of ice to the sea, researchers said
yesterday.
Although the changes in Greenland appear to be related to global
warming, it remains unclear what is causing the glaciers of frigid
Antarctica and their "ice streams" to lose ice to the ocean in recent
years, the researchers said.
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Jobs
Planktonnet: Great listserv for aquatic-science jobs
To subscribe to the list, send an empty email to:
planktonnet-subscribe at yahoogroups.com
Or, visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/planktonnet/ and click on
'Join this group'
********************
(JOBS 1) PhD and postdoc’s - mineral aerosols/biogeochemistry/
climate interactions - Cornell University – Ithica NY (USA)
Multiple funded PhD and postdoctoral positions are available
focusing on understanding the exciting and quickly evolving area of
aerosol interactions with biogeochemistry and climate.
Successful applicants will work on projects with
interdisciplinary interactions that are relavant for predicting human
impacts on biogeochemistry and climate, and improved predictions of
future climate. The work will involve naturally and anthropogenically
emitted desert dust aerosols, and other aerosols carrying important
micronutrients. In addition, there is one position available in
fire interactions with the carbon cycle through atmospheric feedbacks
of aerosols and chemistry.
These positions will start Fall, 2007 in Natalie Mahowald's group
at Cornell. PhD positions require undergraduate coursework in math
and physics and an interest in using models and data to understand
earth system interactions, while postdoctoral positions require a PhD
in a relevant area. The projects involve researchers at multiple
institutions and disciplines, and will have the possibility of travel
for collaborations and field work.
For more information on Dr. Mahowald's research, please see:
http://www.cgd.ucar.edu/tss/staff/mahowald.
Applicants for graduate study should apply for PhD program at
Cornell: http://www.eas.cornell.edu/ by March 20, 2007 for
preferential consideration.
Applicants for postdoctoral positions should send an email
directly to Mahowald at ucar.edu. ********************
(JOB 2) Social Scientist – Economics - IIASA: Adaptation, Risk
Management, Financial Instruments - Laxenburg (Austria)
http://www.iiasa.ac.at/Admin/PE/Jobs/2007-02-rav-rs.html
IIASA is seeking a scientist for conducting socio-economic
research on adaptation to climate change, disaster risk management
and financial instruments.
Closing date for applications: 30 March 2007.
Contact person: Reinhard Mechler: mechler at iiasa.ac.at
More information on research on risk and adaptation at IIASA: http://
www.iiasa.ac.at/Research/RAV/
Tasks 1) Develop models and interactive tools for assessing
vulnerability, risk and the benefits of adaptation, involving
economic modeling and statistical analysis; 2) Carry out quantitative
risk and vulnerability assessments; 3) Publish in relevant journals/
books and other media (e.g., press, internet); 4) Present research
results in international fora; 5) Prepare research proposals.
Applicants should have a master's degree (or PhD or equivalent)
in the social sciences, preferably economics, as well as exposure to
international research projects and fora. Knowledge of both
quantitative (e.g., statistics, modeling, risk analysis, stochastic
simulation) and qualitative research methods is essential. Also
desirable is an understanding of the current literature and issues
related to disaster risk management, development economics and
vulnerability to climate and global change. Strong English
communication and writing skills are necessary. Refereed publications
relevant to risk and vulnerability will greatly enhance the application.
********************
(JOBS 3) Postdoctoral Positions - Ecological Genomics - Kansas State
Univ./Yale/Colorado State Univ – (USA).
Three positions at the postdoctoral research associate level are
currently available. The postdoctoral research associates will work
as part of an interdisciplinary team in an exciting research
initiative, "Bridging the Divide: Linking Genomics to Ecosystem
Responses to Climate Change." This DOE-funded project focuses on the
linked study of gene expression and physiological responses in two
dominant tallgrass prairie plant species to simulated climate change.
The postdoctoral research associates will be responsible for
screening DNA libraries for candidate genes, gene expression analyses
using microarrays and real-time PCR, and for gene characterization
(including AFLP analyses) in natural populations of the two grasses
Andropogon gerardii and Sorghastrum nutans.
This is a collaborative project between Yale University, Kansas
State University, and Colorado State University. The postdoctoral
research associates will interact with a team of researchers with
expertise in ecology, physiology, and genomics. The field component
of the research is conducted at Konza Prairie Biological Station, a
NSF Long Term Ecological Research site (http://www.konza.ksu.edu).
Genetic and gene expression analyses will be conducted at the KSU
Gene Expression Facility (http://www.ksu.edu/gene-exp) or at Yale
University. This project benefits from interactions with a community
of researchers working in ecological genomics as part of the Kansas
Ecological Genomics Initiative (http://www.ksu.edu/ecogen).
A Ph.D. degree in plant molecular biology or a related field is a
requirement for the positions. Experience in recombinant DNA
techniques is required and experience in gene expression analysis,
AFLP analysis, plant physiology or biochemistry, and an interest in
ecology are desirable. Salary will be commensurate with experience.
To apply, please email a letter of application, CV, contact
information for three professional references, and information about
timing of availability to the following three addresses: Dr. Karen
Garrett (kgarrett at ksu.edu), Dr. Melinda Smith
( Melinda.Smith at yale.edu), and Shauna Dendy (sdendy at ksu.edu). Please
include 'Job Application: Ecological Genomics' in the subject of your
e-mail to make sure your application is received. Review of
applications will begin immediately and continue until the position
has been filled.
********************
(JOB 4) Lecturer - Geography - School of Resources, Environment &
Society - Australian National University, Canberra (Austrailia)
http://info.anu.edu.au/hr/Jobs/Academic_Positions/_FS3908.asp
The School of Resources, Environment and Society is seeking to
make an appointment in Asia-Pacific geography. The successful
applicant is expected to focus their teaching and research on the
relationship between people and environment, and the associated
issues of resource use and sustainable development.
The successful candidate will be committed to establishing a
strong research program, to the supervision of research students, and
to delivering high-quality teaching at undergraduate and graduate
levels. The appointees’ undergraduate teaching will involve
delivering a first-year introductory human geography course with a
regional focus on Asia-Pacific and a successor later year course on
people-environment relationships in the context of sustainable
development in Asia-Pacific.
Closing Date: 30 March 2007
********************
(JOB 5) Postdoc Research Fellow - Climate Change Ecology - Dept. of
Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA (USA)
We anticipate hiring a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to integrate
data from a large-scale snow manipulation experiment with Life Table
Response Experiment models (LTREs), and Dynamic Global Vegetation
Models (DGVMs). The overall goal of the project is to better
understand how climate change will impact plant recruitment and
ecotonal shifts for snow-dominated arid ecosystems. The successful
candidate will work in collaboration with Michael E. Loik (UC Santa
Cruz), Daniel F. Doak (Univ. Wyoming) and Ronald P. Neilson (US
Forest Service, PNW Research Station).
The succesful candidate will be based in Santa Cruz, CA; the
position will require extensive travel between Santa Cruz, Mammoth
Lakes CA, Laramie WY, and Corvallis OR. Experience with programming
in C required. Prior experience in population biology, biogeographic
modeling, or climate change ecophysiology would be valuable. The
earliest anticipated start date is 1 July 2007, and could potentially
continue for 2.5 years.
To apply please send an application letter with professional
interests, research experience and goals, CV, reprints, and names,
addresses, and E-mail addresses of three references to Dr. Michael E.
Loik, Dept. of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa
Cruz, CA 95064. The position is contingent upon final approval of
funding.
********************
(JOB 6) Postdoc - Climate change/warming effects on arctic/alpine
ecosystem vegetation and function - Florida International University
– Miami, FL (USA)
We are seeking a full time postdoctoral research associate with
interests and expertise in biogeochemical cycling, isotope analysis,
plant ecology, or plot level remote sensing. The position will focus
on cross-site comparisons of ecosystem function and vegetation change
at ongoing International Tundra Experiment (ITEX, www.geog.ubc.ca/
itex/) warming sites as part of a NSF funded International Polar Year
project.
The successful applicant must be capable of working independently
with good time management, communication, and organization skills.
Specific responsibilities will include collecting and processing
trace gas samples for isotope analysis, collecting and processing
samples for nutrient analysis, conducting plot-level remote sensing
measurements, assisting in organization of synthesis workshops, and
taking the lead in key project publications. The position will be
based at Florida International University, the public university in
Miami, Florida, but will involve extensive interaction with
collaborators from participating ITEX sites and intensive fieldwork
during the short growing seasons.
Applicants must hold a Ph.D. in botany, ecology, biology, earth
sciences, or a related field and have a strong record of scientific
publication. This position may entail moderately strenuous fieldwork.
Application review has begun and will continue until a suitable
candidate is identified and the position filled. Applications and
inquiries should be sent to Steve Oberbauer (oberbaue at fiu.edu)
Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University,
Miami, FL 33199. Applications should include a cover letter,
curriculum vitae, statement of research interests and expertise, and
full contact information for three references.
********************
**************************************************
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
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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