[DIALOGnews] DISCCRS News 5/11/2007
Ruth Ladderud
ladderra at whitman.edu
Fri May 11 14:28:07 CDT 2007
DISCCRS News
5/11/2007
************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS
RESOURCES and FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Exploring the Poles resources
http://www.phys.barnard.edu/~kay/exp/
(see RESOURCES 1 below)
A Leap for All Life: World's Leading Scientists Announce Creation of
"Encyclopedia of Life"
www.eol.org
(see RESOURCES 2 below)
Jim Hansen's presentation used as a witness for Vermont in its case
vs. auto makers:
http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/case_for_vermont.pdf (4.8 MB pdf
written declaration), http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/
vermont_slides.pdf (2.5 MB slide presentation) 10.1 MB PDF at
http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/vermont_slides.ppt
(see RESOURCES 3 below)
FORUM
Australian Drought - Book "The Road From Coorain"
http://www.amazon.com/Road-Coorain-Jill-Ker-Conway/dp/0679724362
(see FORUM 1 below)
SCIENCE NEWS
The Power of Green, by Thomas Friedman
http://www.disccrs.org/reports/PowerofGreen41507_Friedman.pdf
University of Colorado at Boulder researchers forecast one in three
chance of a record low Arctic Sea Ice cover in 2007
http://www.colorado.edu/news/releases/2007/158.html
Australia's water shortage: The big dry
http://www.economist.com/world/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9071007
(see NEWS 1 below)
South Pacific to Stop Bottom-Trawling
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6627425.stm Or:
http://tinyurl.com/2l7ytw
(see NEWS 2 below)
The Tragedy of the Commons
http://www.economist.com/daily/columns/greenview/displaystory.cfm?
story_id=9136122 Or: hhttp://tinyurl.com/ytppa2
(see NEWS 3 below)
Scientists Look High in the Sky for Power
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/05/07/
MNGNEPMD801.DTL&type=science Or: http://tinyurl.com/3dafzy
(see NEWS 4 below)
31 States Join Climate Registry
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-
te.greenhouse09may09,0,5927228.story Or: http://tinyurl.com/2pdsbd
(see NEWS 5 below)
Thinking Outside the Fox: Rupert Murdoch launches effort to green
News Corp.'s operations and programming
http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2007/05/09/murdoch/index.html?
source=daily
(see NEWS 6 below)
Understanding the global carbon budget -- Woods Hole Research Center
expert provides insights
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-05/whrc-utg050907.php
(see NEWS 7 below)
NASA study suggests extreme summer warming in the future
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NasaNews/
2007/2007050924907.html
(see NEWS 8 below)
Biofuel plantation threatens Ugandan forest
http://www.itv.com/news/world_85ec5ee877fef3bd6765daa0d6cf81a6.html
(see NEWS 9 below)
Ancient Gas "Burps" May Hold Future Climate Clues
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_5868582 Or: http://
tinyurl.com/2uzlps
(see NEWS 10 below)
JOBS
Post-doc - Climate change communication - newly formed Center of
Excellence in Climate Change Communication housed within the
Department of Communication - George Mason University – Fairfax, VA,
(USA)
(see JOB 1 below)
***************************************************
Resources and Funding Opportunities
(RESOURCES 1) Exploring the Poles resources
http://www.phys.barnard.edu/~kay/exp/
Profs. Stephanie Pfirman and Laura Key have developed a course
called "Exploring the Poles" for undergraduates, and the website used
to support the course is a treasure-trove of polar information,
resources (including books and films) and a framework that could
easily be customized for other education audiences, including middle
and high school.
Also, a discussion has started on the IPY website about age-
appropriate information about climate change for children, since the
topic can be overwhelming and depressing to young people and may risk
triggering "eco-phobia": http://www.ipy.org/index.php?/ipy/detail/
what_can_children_do_in_face_of_climate_change/
********************
(RESOURCES 2) A Leap for All Life: World's Leading Scientists
Announce Creation of "Encyclopedia of Life"
www.eol.org
A Leap for All Life Many of the world's leading scientific
institutions today announced the launch of the Encyclopedia of Life
( www.eol.org), an unprecedented global effort to document all 1.8
million named species of animals, plants, and other forms of life on
Earth. For the first time in the history of the planet, scientists,
students, and citizens would have multi-media access to all known
living species, even those that have just been discovered. The
Encyclopedia of Life is a collaborative scientific effort led by the
Field Museum of Natural History, Harvard University, Marine
Biological Laboratory, Missouri Botanical Garden, Smithsonian
Institution, and Biodiversity Heritage Library, a consortium
including the core institutions and also the American Museum of
Natural History (New York), Natural History Museum (London), New York
Botanical Garden, and Royal Botanic Gardens (Kew). The effort is
spurred by a $10 million grant from the John D. and Catherine T.
MacArthur Foundation and $2.5 million from the Alfred P. Sloan
Foundation. For more information, read the press release <http://
www.macfound.org/atf/cf/%7BB0386CE3-8B29-4162-8098-E466FB856794%7D/
EOL.PDF> .
ABOUT THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF LIFE: Over the next 10 years, the
Encyclopedia of Life will create Internet pages for all 1.8 million
species currently named. It will expedite the classification of the
millions of species yet to be discovered and catalogued as well.
The pages, housed at www.eol.org <http://www.eol.org/> , will provide
written information and, when available, photographs, video, sound,
location maps, and other multimedia information on each species.
Built on the scientific integrity of thousands of experts around the
globe, the Encyclopedia will be a moderated wiki-style environment,
freely available to all users everywhere.
********************
(RESOURCES 3) Jim Hansen's presentation used as a witness for Vermont
in its case vs. auto makers:
http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/case_for_vermont.pdf (4.8 MB pdf
written declaration), http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/
vermont_slides.pdf (2.5 MB slide presentation) 10.1 MB PDF at
http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/vermont_slides.ppt
My written declaration, with 48 charts, including ~ one paragraph
discussing each chart, is probably a clearer scientific summary than
my talks. So in response to requests from the public I now provide
this declaration (although there are a few updated charts in the
above) rather than the "annotated charts" from a solar energy
conference presentation.
It was quite an experience to see the way the team presenting the
Vermont case worked (David Bookbinder, Matt Pawa, et al.) – very
impressive in their dedication and skills. My guess/hope is that
they will win this case, but a ruling is not expected before late
summer. - Jim
***************************************************
Forum
(FORUM 1) Australian Drought - Book "The Road From Coorain"
http://www.amazon.com/Road-Coorain-Jill-Ker-Conway/dp/0679724362
Submitted by Sue Weiler
For those of you interested in what it was like during the
drought in the 1940's, I strongly encourage you to read the
biography, "The Road From Coorain" by Jill Ker Conway. She was raised
in the Australian outback and went on to be president of Smith
College in the U.S. It gives a personal perspective to the impact of
drought.
***************************************************
Science News
(NEWS 1) Australia's water shortage: The big dry
http://www.economist.com/world/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9071007
The Economist print edition - Apr 26th 2007 - MURRAY MOUTH, SOUTH
AUSTRALIA
-
Australia is struggling to cope with the consequences of a
devastating drought. As the world warms up, other countries should
pay heed
The mouth of the Murray-Darling river sets an idyllic scene.
Anglers in wide-brimmed sunhats wade waist-deep into the azure water.
Pleasure boats cruise languidly around the sandbanks that dot the
narrow channel leading to the Southern Ocean. Pensioners stroll along
the beach. But over the cries of the seagulls and the rush of the
waves, there is another sound: the mechanical drone from a dredging
vessel. It never stops and must run around the clock to prevent the
river mouth from silting up. Although the Murray-Darling is
Australia's longest river system, draining a basin the size of France
and Spain combined, it no longer carries enough water to carve its
own path to the sea.
John Howard, Australia's prime minister, arrived here in February
and urged the four states through which the Murray-Darling flows to
hand their authority over the river to the federal government. After
seven years of drought, and many more years of over-exploitation and
pollution, he argued that the only hope of restoring the river to
health lies in a complete overhaul of how it is managed. As the
states weigh the merits of Mr Howard's scheme, the river is
degenerating further. Every month hydrologists announce that its flow
has fallen to a new record low (see chart). In April Mr Howard warned
that farmers would not be allowed to irrigate their crops at all next
year without unexpectedly heavy rain in the next few months. A region
that accounts for 40% of Australia's agriculture, and 85% of its
irrigation, is on the verge of ruin.
The drought knocked one percentage point off Australia's growth
rate last year, by the government's reckoning. It is paying out A$2m
($1.7m) a day in drought-relief to farmers. If mature vines and fruit
trees die in the coming months through the lack of water, the
economic fallout will be more serious and lasting. Most alarming of
all, the Murray-Darling's troubles are likely to worsen. As
Australia's population continues to grow so does demand for water in
the cities and for the crops that grow in the river basin. Meanwhile,
global warming appears to be heating the basin up and drying it out.
Although few scientists are confident that they can ascribe any
individual event—including today's drought—to global warming, most
agree that droughts like the present one will become more common.
********************
(NEWS 2)South Pacific to Stop Bottom-Trawling
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6627425.stm Or:
http://tinyurl.com/2l7ytw
BBC News OnlineA quarter of the world's oceans will be protected
from fishing boats which drag heavy nets across the sea floor, South
Pacific nations have agreed. The landmark deal will restrict bottom-
trawling, which experts say destroys coral reefs and stirs up clouds
of sediment that suffocate marine life.
Observers and monitoring systems will ensure vessels remain five
nautical miles from marine ecosystems at risk.
The South Pacific contains the last pristine deep-sea marine
environment. It extends from the Equator to the Antarctic and from
Australia to the western coast of South America. The high seas
encompass all areas not included in the territorial sea or in the
internal waters of a country.
******************
(NEWS 3) The Tragedy of the Commons
http://www.economist.com/daily/columns/greenview/displaystory.cfm?
story_id=9136122 Or: hhttp://tinyurl.com/ytppa2
The Economist - Property rights may be the way to preserve
forests. It is a truism that people and forests do not mix,
particularly in the tropics. But just how true is this truism? And to
the extent that it is true, what is its cause?
One hypothesis is that population growth is the underlying
problem. More people per square kilometre puts more pressure on the
land. Another theory is that forest loss is an example of "the
tragedy of the commons" – the idea that resources that do not
clearly belong to an individual or a group are likely to be
overexploited, since conserving them is in no individual user's
interest. That would be true regardless of population density, unless
it were very low indeed.
To distinguish between these hypotheses, a group of Swedish and
Malagasy researchers led by Thomas Elmqvist of Stockholm University
decided to try to correlate changes in Madagascar's forest cover with
local population densities and customary laws. Their results have
just been published in the Public Library of Science.
********************
(NEWS 4) Scientists Look High in the Sky for Power
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/05/07/
MNGNEPMD801.DTL&type=science Or: http://tinyurl.com/3dafzy
San Francisco Chronicle - Scientists are eyeing the jet stream,
an energy source that rages night and day, 365 days a year, just a
few miles above our heads. If they can tap into its fierce winds, the
world's entire electrical needs could be met, they say. The trick is
figuring out how to harness the energy and get it down to the ground
cost-effectively and safely.
Dozens of researchers in California and around the world believe
huge kite-like wind-power generators could be the solution. As
bizarre as that might seem, respected experts say the idea is sound
enough to justify further investigation.
The jet stream typically blows from west to east 6 to 9 miles
over the northern hemisphere at speeds up to 310 mph. By lofting
generators into the upper atmosphere, scientists theorize they could
capture the power of the jet stream and transmit the electricity
along cables back to Earth.
*****************
(NEWS 5) 31 States Join Climate Registry
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-
te.greenhouse09may09,0,5927228.story Or: http://tinyurl.com/2pdsbd
Baltimore Sun - Led by California and New England, 31 states
representing more than 70 percent of the U.S. population announced
yesterday that they will jointly track and measure greenhouse gas
emissions by major industries.
The newly formed Climate Registry is the latest example of states
going further than the federal government in taking steps to combat
global warming. State officials and some affected industries and
environmentalists say the registry is a crucial precursor to both
mandatory and market-based regulation of industrial gases that
contribute to warming.
All agree the most important part of the new registry is that the
emissions statistics that are collected will be subjected to third-
party verification, unlike a Bush administration program that does
not require verification. "You have to be able to count carbon
pollution in order to cut carbon pollution," said Frances Beinecke,
president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental
group.
********************
(NEWS 6) Thinking Outside the Fox: Rupert Murdoch launches effort to
green News Corp.'s operations and programming
http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2007/05/09/murdoch/index.html?
source=daily
Today, the fast-growing cadre of corporate leaders pressing for
climate action welcomes a new member: Rupert Murdoch, CEO of News
Corporation, the media empire that encompasses Fox News, 20th Century
Fox, HarperCollins, MySpace.com, and dozens of newspapers in
Australia, the U.K., the U.S., and beyond.
At an event held this morning in midtown Manhattan and webcast to
all News Corp. employees, Murdoch launched a company-wide plan to
address climate change that includes not only a pledge to reduce the
company's emissions (which has come to be expected at such biz-
greening events) but also a vow to weave climate messaging into the
content and programming of News Corp.'s many holdings.
"The challenge is to revolutionize the [climate change] message,"
Murdoch told the crowd. He emphasized the need to "make it dramatic,
make it vivid, even sometimes make it fun. We want to inspire people
to change their behavior."
*******************
(NEWS 7) Understanding the global carbon budget -- Woods Hole
Research Center expert provides insights
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-05/whrc-utg050907.php
As climate change becomes more and more a central issue in local,
national, and international discussions, understanding the global
carbon budget, and how it influences trends in global warming, will
become increasingly crucial. The carbon cycle is related to climate
and climatic change because it controls carbon dioxide, the most
important of the greenhouse gases. One of the world’s preeminent
experts on the topic, Dr. R. A. Houghton, has authored a synthesis
paper on the topic, summarizing what is known about the global carbon
budget and why it is important. The work is featured in the current
issue of the Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Science.
In the paper, Dr. Houghton emphasizes that the key issue is to
understand the processes responsible for adding carbon (sources) to
the atmosphere and for removing it (sinks). Such understanding should
lead to more accurate predictions of future concentrations of CO2 and
more accurate predictions of the rate and extent of climatic change.
The recent past may be insufficient for prediction, however. Oceanic
and terrestrial sinks that have lessened the rate of growth in
atmospheric CO2 until now may diminish as feedbacks between the
carbon cycle and climate become more prominent.
Dr. Houghton comments, "Figuring out where all the carbon emitted
from burning fossil fuels ends up is surprisingly difficult,
especially when one recognizes that there are only three places it
can go: the atmosphere, the oceans and land (plants and soil). The
long-time effort to understand this distribution of carbon is giving
way to a related question of whether and how the distribution of
carbon will change as more carbon dioxide is added to that atmosphere
and as the earth warms. The natural processes on land and in the
ocean that have removed carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for the
last century may be starting to weaken. The oceans are becoming more
acidic, and we see more fires in both tropical and northern forests.
If these natural sinks for carbon diminish, global warming will occur
more rapidly than predicted, and efforts to manage it will become
that much more difficult."
***************
(NEWS 8) NASA study suggests extreme summer warming in the future
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NasaNews/
2007/2007050924907.html
A new study by NASA scientists suggests that greenhouse-gas
warming may raise average summer temperatures in the eastern United
States nearly 10 degrees Fahrenheit by the 2080s.
"There is the potential for extremely hot summertime temperatures
in the future, especially during summers with less-than-average
frequent rainfall," said lead author Barry Lynn of NASA's Goddard
Institute for Space Studies and Columbia University, New York.
The research found that eastern U.S. summer daily high temperatures
that currently average in the low-to-mid-80s (degrees Fahrenheit)
will most likely soar into the low-to-mid-90s during typical summers
by the 2080s. In extreme seasons – when precipitation falls
infrequently – July and August daily high temperatures could average
between 100 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit in cities such as Chicago,
Washington, and Atlanta.
To reach their conclusions, the researchers analyzed nearly 30 years
of observational temperature and precipitation data and also used
computer model simulations that considered soil, atmospheric, and
oceanic conditions and projected changes in greenhouse gases. The
simulations were produced using a widely-used weather prediction
model coupled to a global model developed by NASA's Goddard Institute
for Space Studies.
********************
(NEWS 9) Biofuel plantation threatens Ugandan forest
http://www.itv.com/news/world_85ec5ee877fef3bd6765daa0d6cf81a6.html
Ugandans who make a living from the abundant Mabira Forest fear
they will lose their livelihood when bulldozers come to destroy one
of country's last patches of rainforest. The Ugandan president
Yoweri Museveni wants to hand over a quarter of the 32,000 hectare
forest, home to hundreds of tree species, rare monkeys and the prized
Tit-hylia bird, to sugar producers. The land is the target of the
Sugar Corporation of Uganda, which wants to expand production to cash
in on the booming global market in sugar for biofuels.
Uganda has suffered violent protests in recent weeks over government
plans to give at least 17,500 acres of the forest, a nature reserve
since 1932, to a sugar cane company. Critics say razing the
rainforest could devastate a fragile environment, spark soil erosion,
dry up the climate and remove a buffer against pollution for Lake
Victoria. Ugandans living near the forest - used to accessing its
abundant resources - fear a collapse of their way of life.
In a study last year, the National Forest Authority (NFA) warned that
the proposal threatened wildlife, including rare monkeys and birds.
Nine species found only in Mabira and surrounding forests - the Tit
Hylia bird, six butterflies, a moth and a shrub used to treat malaria
- risked extinction. As opposition to the sugar plantation grows,
with local press saying 80 per cent of parliamentarians would vote
against it, Mr Museveni has dug his heels in. He argues Uganda must
balance the need to protect eco-systems with the need to industrialise.
****************
(NEWS 10) Ancient Gas "Burps" May Hold Future Climate Clues
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_5868582 Or: http://
tinyurl.com/2uzlps
Denver Post - Thousands of years ago, Earth's oceans burped twice
- releasing great masses of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into
the air and warming the planet up after the ice age, according to a
new study.
A shift in deep currents probably caused the oceanic belches
about 13,000 and 18,000 years ago, scientists concluded. That may
mean today's oceans - which absorb carbon dioxide - are, under some
conditions, also capable of releasing the gas.
"With global warming, it's likely that deep-water circulation
will slow down at least slightly, even in this century," said the
University of Colorado's Tom Marchitto, an author of the new study in
the current issue of Science. "What impact that has on the carbon
cycle is very uncertain, but the type of evidence we get from this
study will help us understand the natural system better."
***************************************************
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) Post-doc - Climate change communication - newly formed
Center of Excellence in Climate Change Communication housed within
the Department of Communication - George Mason University – Fairfax,
VA, (USA)
The newly formed Center of Excellence in Climate Change
Communication housed within the Department of Communication at George
Mason University is seeking to hire a Post-Doc researcher as a Term
Assistant Research Professor to begin as soon as possible, but no
later than Fall semester, 2007. The Center will include investigators
from various schools and departments across the university including
communication, psychology, ecology, public policy, sociology,
management, public and international affairs, earth science and
climate dynamics.
Specifically, we are seeking post-doctoral applicants who have
strong training in at least two of the following three forms of
research -- qualitative/ethnographic research, survey research,
experimental message testing research -- and who have a strong
interest in climate change mitigation and/or sustainability issues.
The applicant may have a PhD in any relevant social/behavioral
science discipline including but not limited to communication,
psychology, sociology, political science, or marketing research.
The initial appointment will be for a term of 1 year, with
options for annual renewal. NIH post-doctoral salary scale will apply
to this position (see the NIH website for details: http://
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-07-057.html ).
There is no deadline for applications, but the position will be
filled as soon as a suitable candidate is identified. George Mason
University, which is located in Fairfax, Virginia is within easy
access to Washington, DC.
To apply for this position (position number: F9024z) you must
submit your cover letter, CV, and reference information on-line at:
https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Inquires about the position may be directed to
Gary Kreps, PhD (gkreps at gmu.edu) and Edward Maibach, MPH, PhD
(emaibach at gwu.edu).
George Mason University is an innovative, entrepreneurial
institution with national distinction in a range of academic fields.
Enrollment is 30,000, with students studying in 148 degree programs
at campuses in Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William.
**************************************************
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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