[DIALOGnews] DISCCRS News 6/8/2007
Ruth Ladderud
ladderra at whitman.edu
Fri Jun 8 13:19:39 CDT 2007
DISCCRS News
6/8/2007
************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS
RESOURCES and FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
New NSF Grant Proposal Guide - Please consult before writing
proposals to the U.S. National Science Foundation
http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf07140
NSF publication to help PIs identify and talk about NSF-related
broader impacts
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/gpg/broaderimpacts.pdf
Nature has opened a blog on climate change issues. To subscribe:
http://blogs.nature.com/climatefeedback/
FORUM
Negotiation in the Academic Workplace - Women Should Ask:
Negotiation in the Academic Workplace
(see FORUM 1 below)
Message from James Hanson regarding his comments about NASA
Administrator's 31 May NPR interview
(see FORUM 2 below)
SCIENCE NEWS
U.S. Compromise on Global Warming Plan Averts Impasse at Group of 8
Meeting
The U.S. agreed to “seriously consider” a European proposal to
combat global warming by halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/08/world/europe/08climate.html?
ex=1339041600&en=baccfbc81a8a0d9a&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=perma
link
UN Warning Over Global Ice Loss
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6713139.stm Or:
http://tinyurl.com/2nolk8
(see NEWS 1 below)
They Call This a Consensus?
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/financialpost/story.html?
id=c47c1209-233b-412c-b6d1-5c755457a8af Or: http://tinyurl.com/3a7b7s
(see NEWS 2 below)
Slump in NIH Funding Is Taking Toll on Research
(see NEWS 3 below)
Baghdad Burns, Calgary Booms
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070618/klein
(see NEWS 4 below)
Brazil Eyes Ethanol as Fast Track to Power
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0606/p06s02-woam.html Or: http://
tinyurl.com/2xm43j
(see NEWS 5 below)
China Unveils Climate Plan
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-
climate_tuesjun05,1,1267507.story Or: http://tinyurl.com/228csu
(see NEWS 6 below)
U.S. Space Monitoring of Warming Cut Back
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/
2003734645_warming05.html Or: http://tinyurl.com/2fprmn
(see NEWS 7 below)
Icy Island Warms to Climate Change - Greenlanders Exploit 'Gifts From
Nature' While Facing New Hardships
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/
2003739219_greenland08.htm Or: http://tinyurl.com/ywvahn
(see NEWS 8 below)
Carbon footprint' depends on where you live
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/promos/wirepicks/story/77224.html
(see NEWS 9 below)
The News item in The Samaj (Oriya daily) dated. 29.5.07
(see NEWS 10 below)
JOBS
Climate change adaptation analyst/policy analyst, Boulder, CO (USA)
http://www.stratusconsulting.com/Employment/CCPolicyAnalyst_tea.pdf
Post-doc - Marine Ecology - Norwegian College of Fishery Science -
University of Tromso (Norway)
(see JOB 1 below)
Post-doc - "Three-dimensional modelling of past and future trends in the
stratosphere" - McGill Univ (Canada)
(see JOB 2 below)
Asst. Prof - Physical Geography (tenure track) with specialisation in
the field of water/climate impact - Faculty of Science of the
University of Zurich (Switzerland)
(see JOB 3 below)
Communications Officer - IHDP Secretariat (part time: 60-80%) – Bonn
(Germany)
www.ihdp.org
(see JOB 4 below)
Nature Correspondent – reporter - Washington, D.C. (USA)
(see JOB 5 below)
Faculty Positions - Ocean Sensors - Scripps Institution of
Oceanography - University of California, San Diego (USA)
(see JOB 6 below)
Research scientist - Statistical analysis/spatial modeling - Climate
Department - Norwegian Meteorological Institute (Norway)
(see JOB 7 below)
***************************************************
Forum
(FORUM 1) Negotiation in the Academic Workplace - Women Should Ask:
Negotiation in the Academic Workplace
Submitted by Patricia Yager - From a recent political science
association posting:
A recent book by Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever suggests that
in business, men and women may negotiate differently, with important
consequences for their compensation and employment conditions (see
Women Don’t Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide, Princeton
University Press, 2003).
Do female and male faculty negotiate differently? If so, with
what consequences? Besides salary, new faculty need to negotiate
start-up packages, research support, teaching loads, spousal
accommodation, and the like. Continuing faculty may negotiate
promotions, outside offers, administrative appointments, and changing
professional needs. Anecdotal evidence suggests some differences in
negotiating style, and expectations exist between men and women in
political science. Further, women face inconsistency in gender
expectations and negative stereotypes if they are tough negotiators,
while driving a hard bargain is consistent with men and masculinity.
These factors led the Midwest Women’s Caucus for Political Science to
sponsor a panel on workplace negotiation in its continuing quest to
promote professional equity for women in the discipline.
Panelists included current or former academic administrators from
a variety of institutions: Georgia Duerst-Lahti (Beloit College),
chair; Susan Welch (Pennsylvania State University); Nancy McGlen
(Niagara University); Kay Lehman Schlozman (Boston College); Kristi
Andersen (Syracuse University); Lynn Maurer (Southern Illinois
University Edwardsville).
The following advice emerged from the panel:
• If you don’t ask for it, you probably won’t get it.
• Research the institution and department with which you
are negotiating. Panelists strongly cautioned against seemingly
unreasonable demands given the resources and norms of the
institution. Make sure that you are asking for things that they can
give you; making and sticking to demands that are unrealistic only
makes you look unprofessional and ignorant. For example, if a
university is governed by a union bargaining agreement, there may be
real constraints in terms of salary and leave. Other schools may have
much greater leeway.
• The AAUP publishes salary ranges by university that may
give you some insight into what’s possible, although overall ranges
can mask variation by discipline, especially if the university has a
law, business, or medical school. State schools often must make
salaries public, so they are particularly attentive to equity issues.
• Ask questions, especially of other junior female
colleagues, during the interview that will help you determine what
the norms are in terms of such factors as teaching load, research
support, and leave time.
• Know who the real decision makers are. Does the chair
have authority to provide salary increases, leave time, and other
support, or are these decision in the hands of the dean or provost?
• Negotiating on the basis of an outside offer can be
productive, but be careful. Be prepared to actually leave; otherwise,
you are not credible and/or might end up losing your appointment
altogether if your university chooses not to counter. Use outside
offers infrequently; if you go back time and again, administrators
may no longer be interested in countering. If you are seen as likely
to leave, there is less reason for the university to invest resources
in you.
• Know what you want and what your priorities are. Is
salary the most important issue, or is it research resources or time
off? Have a clear list of your needs, and present them to your chair
or other administrator all at once. Do not make your chair run back
to the dean multiple times with new requests.
• Explain/justify your request in terms of how it will
help you do your job better and, thus, benefit the department and
university. In the business world, most models of negotiating focus
on the threat (usually to leave), but in academia, such a threat is
not always credible. This frame helps administrators see why it is in
their interest to support you, even if you are not threatening them
with departure.
• Be flexible. For example, if a salary increase is not
possible, consider asking for summer salary for a set time.
• Be frank. If something is a deal breaker, say so. Don’t
waste people’s time.
• Be assertive, but not argumentative. Work with
administrators, not against them.
• Talk to your mentors about your offer, what to ask for,
how to ask, and what you should prioritize.
• Keep in mind that your initial negotiation is not your
last interaction with your chair and other administrators. Work to
establish a positive working relationship. Of course the exact
dynamics of any negotiation can vary by many factors such as the
gender, race, age, and subfield of both the job candidate and
administrator involved in the negotiation. It also varies greatly by
the type of institution and its norms. So, do your homework and
negotiate in good faith, with an eye toward the future.
**************************
(FORUM 2) Message from James Hanson regarding his comments about NASA
Administrator's 31 May NPR interview
Part A:
Several members of the public (politely or, mostly, impolitely)
inform me that my comments regarding NASA Administrator's 31 May NPR
interview were excessive. I note the following:
(1) Our junior high school English teacher (Steve J.: what was
her name?) admonished us that 'ignorant' was not a derisive word, it
means 'uninformed', not 'stupid'. Given that 15 years ago, under
George Bush the elder, the United States (and practically all other
countries in the world) signed and ratified the Framework Convention
on Climate Change, which calls for stabilizing climate, it seems that
'ignorant' or 'uninformed' is an appropriate adjective for describing
his remarks. Not to mention all the research results of NASA, other
agencies, the IPCC, etc.
(2) The other word that offended, 'arrogant', was an intentional
rebound of the adjective Administrator Griffin used for people who
suggest that rapidly changing climate is a danger. 'Arrogant', it
seems to me, fits humans who ignore destruction of other species when
that is convenient, fits the well-off people and nations who fail to
acknowledge their responsibility for climate change and thus their
greater obligation for actions to mitigate climate change, and fits
especially well those people who choose to remain ignorant and
uninformed.
The significance of the Administrator's remarks is the insight
it provides into the February 2006 massacre of the Earth Science
Research and Analysis budget (which funds NASA support of Earth
Science research at universities as well as NASA Centers, primarily
Goddard Space Flight Center), as discussed at http://www.columbia.edu/
~jeh1/worldwatch_nov2006.pdf
This was done via a stealth budgeting maneuver, a 20 percent
reduction in Earth Science R&A funding retroactive to the beginning
of the fiscal year, inserted at the time NASA delivered a mid-fiscal
year operating plan to Congress. By making the reduction
retroactive, the about-to-be-released budget for the next year, the
one that Congress pays attention to, appeared to show nearly flat
funding for Earth Science R&A.
In the same document, the NASA Mission Statement was revised
to drop the first line: "to understand and protect the home planet".
The Mission Statement had been developed by a committee with
representation from NASA Centers and communication with the NASA
troops. In contrast, the changes appeared with the submission of the
operating plan, which is a joint product of the Administrator and the
White House OMB, to Congress, without consulting or even informing
lower levels in the agency.
An interesting question is: was Congress explicitly informed
about these changes (Earth Science R&A budget and NASA Mission
Statement) when the Administrator presented the spending plan? Is
there a record of proceedings that would clarify the matter? Does
Congress, despite recent public attention to global warming, really
care about the topic, or about the fact that a unitary executive is
usurping their constitutional authority?
Part B:
"Climate change and trace gases" has been published on-line in Phil.
Trans. Royal Soc. http://pubs.giss.nasa.gov/abstracts/2007/
Hansen_etal_2.html
We are not writing a press release, as we just did one for the
"Dangerous" paper, the media must be saturated with our papers, and
there are only 24 hours in a day. However, in my opinion, among our
papers this one probably does the best job of making clear that the
Earth is getting perilously close to climate changes that could run
out of our control.
Emphasis in this paper is on the Earth's history. I believe
that in the Plio-Pleistocene section we make clear why the
periodicity of ice ages shifted from 41 ky to ~100 ky about one
million years ago.
Abstract of the paper is below.
Jim
Abstract of "Climate Change and Trace Gases" follows:
Hansen, J., Mki. Sato, P. Kharecha, G. Russell, D.W. Lea, and M.
Siddall, 2007: Climate change and trace gases. Phil. Trans. Royal.
Soc. A, 365, 1925-1954, doi:10.1098/rsta.2007.2052.
Paleoclimate data show that the Earth's climate is remarkably
sensitive to global forcings. Positive feedbacks predominate. This
allows the entire planet to be whipsawed between climate states. One
feedback, the "albedo flip" property of water substance, provides a
powerful trigger mechanism. A climate forcing that "flips" the albedo
of a sufficient portion of an ice sheet can spark a cataclysm. Ice
sheet and ocean inertia provides only moderate delay to ice sheet
disintegration and a burst of added global warming. Recent greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions place the Earth perilously close to dramatic
climate change that could run out of our control, with great dangers
for humans and other creatures. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the largest
human-made climate forcing, but other trace constituents are
important. Only intense simultaneous efforts to slow CO2 emissions
and reduce non-CO2 forcings can keep climate within or near the range
of the past million years. The most important of the non-CO2 forcings
is methane (CH4), as it causes the 2nd largest human-made GHG climate
forcing and is the principal cause of increased tropospheric ozone
(O3), which is the 3rd largest GHG forcing. Nitrous oxide (N2O)
should also be a focus of climate mitigation efforts. Black carbon
("black soot") has a high global warming potential (~2000, 500, and
200 for 20, 100 and 500 years, respectively) and deserves greater
attention. Some forcings are especially effective at high latitudes,
so concerted efforts to reduce their emissions could still "save the
Arctic", while also having major benefits for human health,
agricultural productivity, and the global environment.
***************************************************
Science News
(NEWS 1) UN Warning Over Global Ice Loss
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6713139.stm Or:
http://tinyurl.com/2nolk8
BBC News Online - Hundreds of millions of livelihoods will be
affected by declining snow and ice cover as a result of global
warming, a UN report has warned. The risks facing people included
losing access to drinking water, and rising sea levels, the study
concluded.
The findings were published by the UN's Environment Programme
(UNEP). UNEP chief Achim Steiner said the report showed that time was
running out for political leaders to reach a global agreement on
curbing emissions.
..."The report underlines that the fate of the world's snowy and
icy places in a climatically challenged world should be cause for
concern in every ministry, boardroom and living room across the
world," he said.... The study warns of a range of threats that could
destabilise ecosystems around the world, with potentially devastating
consequences for hundreds of millions of people.
********************
(NEWS 2) They Call This a Consensus?
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/financialpost/story.html?
id=c47c1209-233b-412c-b6d1-5c755457a8af Or: http://tinyurl.com/3a7b7s
Financial Post (Canada) - "Only an insignificant fraction of
scientists deny the global warming crisis. The time for debate is
over. The science is settled."
So said Al Gore ... in 1992. Amazingly, he made his claims
despite much evidence of their falsity. A Gallup poll at the time
reported that 53 percent of scientists actively involved in global
climate research did not believe global warming had occurred; 30
percent weren't sure; and only 17 percent believed global warming had
begun. Even a Greenpeace poll showed 47 percent of climatologists
didn't think a runaway greenhouse effect was imminent; only 36
percent thought it possible and a mere 13 percent thought it probable.
Today, Al Gore is making the same claims of a scientific
consensus, as do the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change and hundreds of government agencies and environmental
groups around the world. But the claims of a scientific consensus
remain unsubstantiated. They have only become louder and more frequent.
********************
(NEWS 3) Slump in NIH Funding Is Taking Toll on Research
Washington Post - May 28, 2007 - Stanford University biochemist
Roger D. Kornberg won a Nobel Prize last year for work he began in
the 1970s, but he is pretty sure that if he had been born a
generation later, he never would have had the chance.
The scientist, 60, is convinced that his groundbreaking research,
in which he figured out how information in the DNA of a gene is
copied to provide instructions for building and running a living
cell, would never have gotten the necessary funding support in
today's tight budget environment at the National Institutes of Health.
"In the present climate especially, the funding decisions are
ultraconservative," he said in an interview. "If the work that you
propose to do isn't virtually certain of success, then it won't be
funded. And of course, the kind of work that we would most like to
see take place, which is groundbreaking and innovative, lies at the
other extreme."
Kornberg, who testified before a Senate committee this month, is
one of a growing number of high-profile biomedical researchers who
are buttonholing members of Congress, cajoling the Bush
administration and generally sounding the alarm over what they see as
a slump in NIH funding that is starving important projects of cash
and driving young scientists away from research careers. That, they
say, is undermining prospects for scientific breakthroughs of the
sort that have led to new treatments for cancer, heart disease and
diabetes, and raised hopes for tackling Alzheimer's disease and
spinal cord injuries.
"Unless we pursue these basic discoveries, we're going to really
miss fundamental understandings of disease processes," said Joan S.
Brugge, the head of the department of cell biology at Harvard Medical
School, who appeared in March before the Senate Appropriations labor,
health and human services subcommittee.
NIH officials do not dispute that times are tough, especially in
light of rising federal deficits and spending on antiterrorism
efforts and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"The pot of discretionary funding is not very large, relatively
speaking, and there are a lot of competing priorities for it," said
Norka Ruiz Bravo, NIH deputy director for extramural research.
At the heart of the problem, scientists say, is not merely the
absolute level of funding for the NIH, the primary federal agency
sponsoring and conducting medical research. Rather, it is the way
funding levels have fluctuated dramatically -- with big increases
followed by periods of stagnation -- instead of climbing predictably
to allow for sound research planning.
Congress nearly doubled NIH's budget -- to $27.1 billion between
1998 and 2003 -- as officials sought to capitalize on new lines of
research opened up by the Human Genome Project. Medical schools and
other research institutions responded accordingly, adding faculty and
beginning construction on new facilities. At the same time, the
number of grant applications rose 44 percent, from 24,151 in 1998 to
34,710 in 2003.
But eventually the flood of new cash slowed to a trickle. At $28
billion, the NIH's fiscal budget for 2004 was only 3.3 percent higher
than the previous year's. President Bush has recommended $28.9
billion for fiscal 2008 -- $379 million less than the NIH got this
year, according to agency figures. Moreover, because the budget would
increase by $201 million the government's contribution through NIH to
an international AIDS fund, the reduction for research in 2008
actually would be more than $500 million.
A flat budget, plus rising demand for new research dollars,
equals plenty of angst in laboratories and science departments across
the country. Although the number of grant applications has continued
to rise, the percentage that win federal funding has shrunk from 32.1
percent in 2001 to 20 percent in 2006, according to NIH figures.
Researchers say the situation is worse than those figures
suggest. Many established scientists are having to submit grant
applications two or three times before getting an award, and success
rates for applications from younger researchers are in the single
digits.
"It is really a very scary, sad situation out here," said E.
Chester Ridgway, head of endocrinology at the University of Colorado
at Denver and Health Sciences Center.
Ridgway said a tenured professor in his mid-50s who directs a
training program in cancer pathology there recently learned that none
of the three NIH grants that support his research would be renewed.
"In previous years, he would have anticipated renewing all of
them," he said. "That's his only source of support. I don't know what
this guy is going to do."
In the endocrinology division, four young research fellows who
were unable to land a crucial first grant decided to abandon research
for careers in medicine or industry, Ridgway said. "They don't come
back after they do that," he said. "I was very distressed by that."
Ruiz Bravo, the NIH official, said the agency is trying to
mitigate the effects of a budget that has been "flat" since 2003 with
new programs that help first-time investigators get a shot at grants
and other initiatives to funnel funding to more established researchers.
"In terms of purchasing power of the dollar, it is in fact a
reduction in the overall NIH budget," she said. "That's just the
reality of it. So when investigators feel the pinch, it's a real pinch."
Of course, supporters of other federal agencies that could not
dream of having their budgets double over five years might wonder
whether the ruckus is an overreaction. Brent L. Iverson, a professor
of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Texas at Austin,
said it's not a fair comparison.
"Science and research and engineering research is different,
because that's the engine that drives the economy," Iverson said.
"Several billion more dollars spent on Medicare is not going to solve
the Medicare problem. But it is quite possible that that same amount
of money invested in medical research may create the breakthrough
which helps solve the Medicare problem."
Help may be on the way. In a March 6 hearing, Rep. David R. Obey
(D-Wis.), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, noted that
the Democratic-controlled Congress increased the NIH's fiscal 2007
budget by over $600 million more than Bush requested. He pledged to
increase it again for fiscal 2008, although he gave no specifics.
"I'd suggest that the investments that you're talking about in
this area are tremendously important -- not just to the public's
health, but also to the productivity of the economy," Obey said
during the hearing. "Healthy people are a whole lot more productive
than sick ones."
********************
(NEWS 4) Baghdad Burns, Calgary Booms
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070618/klein
The invasion of Iraq has set off what could be the largest oil
boom in history. All the signs are there: multinationals free to
gobble up national firms at will, ship unlimited profits home, enjoy
leisurely "tax holidays" and pay a laughable 1 percent in royalties
to the government.
This isn't the boom in Iraq sparked by the proposed new oil law--
that will come later. This boom is already in full swing, and it is
happening about as far away from the carnage in Baghdad as you can
get, in the wilds of northern Alberta. For four years now, Alberta
and Iraq have been connected to each other through a kind of
invisible seesaw: As Baghdad burns, destabilizing the entire region
and sending oil prices soaring, Calgary booms. (continued...)
********************
(NEWS 5) Brazil Eyes Ethanol as Fast Track to Power
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0606/p06s02-woam.html Or: http://
tinyurl.com/2xm43j
Christian Science Monitor - SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - Flying over the
heart of Brazil, a vast savannah known as the cerrado here, one could
be forgiven for mistaking the setting for Iowa, Kansas, or virtually
anywhere along the US farm belt.
Neat acres of cotton, corn, and soybean extend into the horizon,
and even American farmers have arrived to join a boom that over the
past few years has positioned Brazil to overtake the US as the
world's agricultural superpower.
Last year, Brazil surpassed the US as the largest exporter of
soybeans. That followed its scoring the No. 1 spot in beef exports in
2004. And now, as the high price of oil and concerns over climate
change spark global demand for alternative fuels, Brazil is aiming to
double its production of sugarcane for ethanol in the next decade. As
investors flock to this colossal country with its ideal growing
climate, Brazil is hoping ethanol will help speed its sluggish rise
as an economic power.
********************
(NEWS 6) China Unveils Climate Plan
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-
climate_tuesjun05,1,1267507.story Or: http://tinyurl.com/228csu
Chicago Tribune (Registration Required) - BEIJING -- With global
warming high on the agenda for the world's industrial powers
gathering this week in Germany, China staked out its position on
Monday by releasing its first national strategy on climate change, a
plan that promises to improve energy efficiency but rejects any
mandatory caps on greenhouse gas emissions.
The 62-page plan, two years in the making, served at least partly
as a rebuff to efforts by President Bush and European nations to draw
China and other developing countries into a commitment to reduce
emissions, which was expected to be a focal point at the summit
meeting of the Group of 8 industrialized nations, which begins
Wednesday.
China has resisted mandatory reductions in emissions, arguing
that it is still a developing country and needs to balance
environmental improvements with maintaining economic growth.
********************
(NEWS 7) U.S. Space Monitoring of Warming Cut Back
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/
2003734645_warming05.html Or: http://tinyurl.com/2fprmn
Seattle Times - WASHINGTON - The Bush administration is
drastically scaling back efforts to measure global warming from
space, just as the president tries to convince the world the U.S. is
ready to take the lead in reducing greenhouse gases.
A confidential report to the White House, obtained by The
Associated Press, warns that U.S. scientists will soon lose much of
their ability to monitor warming from space using a costly and
problem-plagued satellite initiative begun more than a decade ago.
Because of technology glitches and a near-doubling in the
original $6.5 billion cost, the Defense Department has decided to
downsize and launch four satellites paired into two orbits, instead
of six satellites paired in three orbits. ...The reduced system of
four satellites will now focus on weather forecasting. Most of the
climate instruments needed to collect more
precise data over long periods are being eliminated.
********************
(NEWS 8) Icy Island Warms to Climate Change - Greenlanders Exploit
'Gifts From Nature' While Facing New Hardships
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/
2003739219_greenland08.htm Or: http://tinyurl.com/ywvahn
QAQORTOQ, Greenland -- The biggest island in the world is a wind-
raked place, gripped by ice over four-fifths of its land, prowled by
polar bears, its coastlines choked by drifting icebergs and sea ice.
Many of its 56,000 people, who live on the fringes of its giant ice
cap, see the effects of global warming -- and cheer it on.
"It's good for me," said Ernst Lund, a lanky young man who is one
of 51 farmers raising sheep on the southern tip of Greenland. His
animals scramble over the cold granite hills of a dramatic fiord, his
farm isolated from the nearest town by a long boat ride threading
past drifting mounds of ice, followed by a jolting truck trip along
seven miles of gravel road.
"I can keep the sheep out two weeks longer to feed in hills in
the autumn. And I can grow more hay. The sheep get fatter," he said.
In few parts of the world is climate change more real -- and personal
-- than here. The Arctic is feeling the globe's fastest warming. At a
science station in the ice-covered interior of Greenland, average
winter temperatures rose nearly 11 degrees Fahrenheit from 1991 to
2003. Winters are shorter, ice is melting, and fish and animals are
on the move.
A rapid meltdown and fast-sliding glaciers in Greenland could
raise sea levels around the world and flood coastal cities and
farmland. The infusion of cold water could jolt the Gulf Stream,
alter weather throughout the Northern Hemisphere and scatter fish and
marine stocks.
Yet this sweeping reworking of humanity's global accommodations
will likely be fickle. While Greenland has many people who fear what
warming will bring, it has quite a few others who reckon they may do
quite well by it. (continued,,,)
********************
(NEWS 9) Carbon footprint' depends on where you live
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/promos/wirepicks/story/77224.html
After seeing Al Gore's documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth,"
Gregg Cawley used one of the calculators available online to
determine his "carbon footprint."
The University of Wyoming professor lives in a small one-bedroom
apartment in Laramie and drives a moderately efficient Subaru, so he
figured he contributes less to global warming than the average American.
Wrong. The calculations suggested Cawley produces more carbon
dioxide than most Americans. Even if he reduced his energy
consumption, the numbers hardly budged. Then he changed his home
state in the equation. He took out Wyoming and plugged in Washington
state.
"I came in way low. I said, 'That's the problem. I live in the
wrong … state.'"
(continued...)
********************
(NEWS 10) Coal mining digs Talcher into a hot spot - The News item in
The Samaj (Oriya daily) dated. 29.5.07
Talcher in India is situated at 20.57 North (latitude) and 85.16
East (longitude) and about 200 km away from sea shore i. e, Bay of
Bengal. The thermal power houses here burn everyday about 80,000 tons
of coal. Besides, this coal in open collieries also burn in tons
daily. The temperature of the area therefore maintain about 12°C
higher compared to other areas of the state. In earlier days the
temperature of the area used to be 35°C in summer days. Presently,
due to establishment of industries the temperature at Talcher is 48°C
today (28 May, 2007) and 50°C in colliery areas. Last year three
persons died due to heat stroke and many fell sick. About 70% of
ponds, water stream, tube well and open well have dried up and this
has created acute water shortage for about one lakh population. Now a
day’s water is supplied in water tankers.
We are aware that the increase in coal consumption and
establishment of industries in developing countries would add to
global warming.
Related article from the Statesman - TALCHER: With northwesterly
winds blowing since Monday the temperature in Talcher industrial belt
touched 46 degree Celsius today, the highest so far this summer,
bringing fears of a heat wave similar to 2005. After midday the
excessive heat and humidity forced most people to stay indoors giving
streets a deserted look. Temperatures hit 45 degrees on Tuesday and
44 degrees on Wednesday according to the local sub-collector's office.
As the temperature is always measured in the shade, it can be
expected to be two to three degrees above 46 degrees in the sun.
According to mining officials the heat inside the coal mines has
remained more than 50 degrees.
Northwesterly winds are always a matter of concern for local
residents as all the operating open cast coal mines are situated
either to the west or north of residential areas. The heat, dust and
smoke from the mines begin to blow towards the inhabited areas
causing temperatures to rise. The exposed coal bed of the mines,
spread over several kilometers, absorbs the heat in the daytime and
emits heat during the night. There are other contributing factors for
the abnormal temperature in Talcher. Angul, nearby, for example,
always remains two to three degrees lower.
For one thing, forest cover has almost been depleted in Talcher
due to coal mining and no effort has been made to reforest the area.
Although hundreds of crores of rupees have been deposited with state
forest department for compulsory afforestation they have yet to do
anything.
Mounds of earth resembling hills, created by coal mining
excavation in the area, are barren. There are about 20 of these earth
dumps. In addition, around 80,000 tons of coal is burnt everyday for
the boilers of the power plants and sponge units about 30 km away
from the town, also increasing the overall temperature. The 2000 coal
transporting heavy vehicles also add to the problem. In the past,
apart from Talcher achieving the status of being one of the 14 most
polluted spots in the country, it has also had the distinction of
being the one of the hottest spots.
***************************************************
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'
*******************
(JOB 1) Post-doc - Marine Ecology - Norwegian College of Fishery
Science - University of Tromso (Norway).
Application Deadline: Monday, 11 June 2007
http://csd.tamu.edu/news/news_item.2007-06-04.0844569332
The Norwegian College of Fishery Science (NCFS) at the University
of Tromso announces a three-year postdoctoral research fellow
position in marine ecology within the project "Climate variations and
planktonic foraminifera in the water column." The position is
affiliated with the Department of Aquatic BioSciences. The research
fellow will work on the research team of Professor Paul Wassmann and
the ARCTOS research network, which focuses on arctic and subarctic
marine ecosystems. A close collaboration with paleoceanographers at
the Department of Geology, University of Tromso is also expected.
The successful candidate will mainly study living planktonic
foraminifera and associate micro plankton in arctic and subarctic
seas, including transects between northern Norway-Svalbard and East
Greenland. The work tasks will include marine biological cruises with
collection of plankton samples, quantification and identification of
planktonic foraminifera and associated plankton, and stable oxygen
and carbon isotope analysis.
Applicants should have a PhD and be able to document knowledge in
marine biology and/or marine geology at a PhD level or equivalent.
Expertise in plankton ecology, oceanography, and statistics will be
acknowledged. The successful candidate must be willing to engage in
the ongoing development of the discipline and the university as a whole.
Applications are to be submitted electronically on the
application form available at: http://www.jobbnorge.no
********************
(JOB 2) Post-doc - "Three-dimensional modelling of past and future
trends in the
stratosphere" - McGill Univ (Canada)
The successful candidate will complete the development of a fast
chemistry scheme and use it in a three-dimensional chemistry-climate
model (CCM) to perform ensembles of multi-decadal simulations of
stratospheric ozone. Further information on the project can be found
at http://www.meteo.mcgill.ca/bourqui/postdocposition2007.pdf.
The successful candidate must have a PhD in atmospheric sciences
or in a related discipline awarded within the three years preceding
the start date of this postdoctoral fellowship. Preference will be
given to candidates with an experience in numerical modelling and/or
stratospheric chemistry.
The postdoctoral fellowship is for 17 months, starting as soon as
possible.
Review of applications will begin June 15, 2007 and will continue
until the position is filled.
The interested candidates should send a curriculum vitae, a list
of publications, a short research interest statement, and must
arrange for two recommendation letters to be sent separately to: Dr.
M. Bourqui, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, McGill
University, Burnside Hall, Office 815, 805, Sherbrooke Street W.
H3A 2K6 Montreal Fax: (514) 398 6115 Phone: (514) 398 5450
Email: michel.bourqui at mcgill.ca http://www.meteo.mcgill.ca/bourqui
********************
(JOB 3) Asst. Prof - Physical Geography (tenure track) with
specialisation in the field of water/climate impact - Faculty of
Science of the University of Zurich (Switzerland)
The successful candidate will have scientific expertise in the
field of climate impacts on the water cycle and the potential to
build up corresponding transdisciplinary research as part of national
and international programs. She or he will have the interest and
ability to measure and numerically model reactions of complex systems
(atmospheric, surface and subsurface water) under growing
disequilibrium in nature and increasing human demands.
The newly appointed professor will contribute to building up a
teaching program in climate-related hydrology at the undergraduate,
graduate and postgraduate levels and will lead one of the divisions
of the Department of Geography. Close collaboration within the
Department as well as with the ETH Zurich is expected. The Department
of Geography of the University of Zurich is the largest geography
department in Switzerland. Its Physical Geography chairs are well
established internationally and so far offer MSc and PhD
specialisations in glaciology, geomorphology, soil science and
biogeography. See also http://www.geo.uzh.ch and http://
www.geo.uzh.ch/phys.
The position will commence in spring to autumn 2008. Applications
received by the 31st July 2007 will be guaranteed full consideration,
but the committee will be open to late applications of exceptional
quality and will search until the position is filled. Applications,
including a curriculum vitae, a list of publications and an outline
of current and future research plans should be sent to the Dean of
the Faculty of Science at the following address: Prof. D. Wyler,
Dean, Faculty of Science, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse
190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland. The full application package should
also be submitted in a single PDF file to jobs at mnf.uzh.ch.
All inquiries about this position should be directed to Prof.
Wilfried Haeberli, haeberli at geo.uzh.ch , Department of Geography,
University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich,
Switzerland. The University of Zurich is an equal opportunity
employer. Applications from women are particularly encouraged.
********************
(JOB 4) Communications Officer - IHDP Secretariat (part time: 60-80%)
– Bonn (Germany)
www.ihdp.org
The International Human Dimensions Programme on Global
Environmental Change is a joint programme of the
International Council for Science (ICSU), the International
Social Science Council (ISSC) and the United Nations University
(UNU). The IHDP Secretariat is administered and hosted by the United
Nations University at the United Nations Campus in Bonn, Germany.
IHDP Secretariat staff is employed by UNU and based in Bonn.
IHDP is an international, interdisciplinary science programme. It
promotes, co-ordinates and communicates research on the human
dimensions of global environmental change. This research focuses
on the ways human beings and societies (a) contribute to and drive
global environmental change; (b) are influenced by and
impacted upon by global environmental change, and (c) respond
to global environmental change. IHDP takes a social, human,
behavioural and economic science perspective and works at the
interface between science and practice. IHDP entertains a world-
wide network of distinguished scientists, runs and/or co-
sponsors about a dozen international science projects and
organizes capacity development and training activities. IHDP is a
member of the Earth System Science Partnership (ESSP). The IHDP
Secretariat is the central node of the programme's activities and is
mandated to oversee and implement its operations. It is administered
and hosted by the UNU at the UN Campus Bonn, which hosts a variety of
UN agencies working in the field of environment and sustainable
development. A team of professionals from different national
and academic backgrounds staffs the IHDP Secretariat. The main
working language of the IHDP is English.
The IHDP Secretariat is currently seeking to fill the position of
Communications Officer (CO). The position is central to the
Secretariat's goal of promoting, co-ordinating, and
communicating research, policy advice and capacity development. The
CO works closely with IHDP's Scientific and Programme Officers
and our International Project Offices and partner programmes,
and reports directly to the IHDP Executive Director. The CO is in
charge of a portfolio of ongoing and fast-track activities in the
area of public information, communication and outreach, and oversees
and/or conducts a number of publication and editing activities. He/
She contributes to programme planning, reporting, and the development
of new activities.
QUALIFICATIONS: 1) Advanced (post)graduate degree(s) preferably
in the communications and journalism disciplines. Some study
background or training in the environmental or social sciences. 2)
Demonstrated interest and/or experience in global environmental
change research and policy, knowledge of international scientific
collaboration and network development. 3) Significant
professional experience (3-5 years) in outreach, public
information and communication, press and media work, especially in
scientific contexts. 4) Excellent in spoken and written English.
Other languages desirable. Strong drafting, writing and editing
skills. Computer literate (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Website
design and maintenance - Html or other tools, CMS, Databases). 5)
Demonstrated ability to coordinate multiple tasks and prioritize job
functions. Able to work efficiently and exercise sound judgement
under minimal supervision. Able to supervise colleagues and able
to work effectively as a member of a team. 6) Willingness to travel
internationally and perform under time pressure.
Principal Responsibilities: 1. Act as the IHDP
Secretariat's key liaison to press, media, experts and the
public. Provide clearing house functions to various IHDP Science
Projects and joint research projects with partner programmes. 2.
Develop, organize, implement and monitor IHDP's various
publications, its public information and outreach strategies and
products. 3. Organize and oversee the Secretariat's web, reference
and database management. 4. Act as the programme's main spokesperson.
Individual Responsibilities 1. Design and implementation of
the IHDP communications strategy, including information and outreach
activities and production of relevant information material 2.
Editor-in-Chief of IHDP's scientific newsletter UPDATE, including
contacts to authors, editing and writing of texts, supervising layout
and distribution 3. Editor-in-Chief of IHDP's Annual Report,
supervising layout and distribution 4. Editor-in-Chief of IHDP's E-
zine, supervising layout and distribution 5. Acting as the
spokesperson of the IHDP SC Chair and the IHDP Executive Director
6. Drafting of IHDP Press Releases; organizing outreach and press
activities for IHDP and the core research projects 7. Editing of
IHDP Research Science Plans 8. Drafting and editing of IHDP
general information materials (for example project information
flyers, posters) and supervision of their production 9.
Representing IHDP at conferences, meetings and public events 10.
Managing and supervising the development and maintenance of IHDP's
website (www.ihdp.org) 11. Managing and supervising the development
and maintenance of the IHDP Database 12. Participating in the
activities of the communications team of the Earth System Science
Partnerships (ESSP, consisting of IHDP, IGBP, WCRP and DIVERSITAS)
13. Performing other duties as instructed by the IHDP Executive Director
The preferred starting date is 1 September 2007. Please submit
your full application (letter of motivation, CV, references, work
samples and salary expectations).
Deadline for application: 30 June 2007
The successful candidate will be based at the UN Campus
in Bonn. The position is initially meant to be filled on a
part-time basis. Weekly working hours can be discussed.
Monthly remuneration shall be tax-free and commensurate with the
incumbent's relevant experience and academic qualification.
Please address your application BY POST OR EMAIL to:
Dr. Andreas Rechkemmer, Executive Director IHDP,
UN Campus, Hermann-Ehlers-Str. 10, D-53113 Bonn, Germany,
Tel.: + 49 (0) 228-815 – 0602, Fax: + 49 (0) 228-815 – 0609.
Email: siklossy at ihdp.unu.edu.
********************
(JOB 5) Nature Correspondent – reporter - Washington, D.C. (USA)
Nature is looking for a full-time reporter to join its office in
Washington DC. This position requires flexibility in covering a range
of areas from policy issues to developments in various research
communities to major scientific discoveries. Key areas of
responsibility include climate/energy/environment issues and US
science policy. To apply, send three to five clips, a résumé and a
covering letter explaining your interest in and qualifications for
the position, by 15 June to: admin at natureny.com. Please put 'News
Correspondent' in the subject line.
********************
(JOBS 6) Faculty Positions - Ocean Sensors - Scripps Institution of
Oceanography - University of California, San Diego (USA)
The Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) (http://
scripps.ucsd.edu) at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD)
invites applications to fill one or more positions at the Assistant
(tenure-track), Associate or Full Professor (tenured) levels in
fields related to the research on, and development of, ocean sensors,
with particular emphasis on sensors for biological and chemical
variables. We seek an innovative individual who will establish a
vigorous independent research program that complements established
capabilities at Scripps.
The successful candidate will be expected to teach graduate level
courses, and will be encouraged to participate in undergraduate
teaching at UCSD. The position requires a Ph.D. degree and a
competitive record of publication as well as evidence of the ability
to conduct and fund an active research program and, for more senior
candidates, of the ability to mentor graduate students and junior
colleagues. The salary will depend on the experience of the
successful applicant and will be based on the University of
California pay scale.
Review of applications will begin July 16, 2007, and will
continue until position(s) are filled. Applicants should submit their
CV, a letter including descriptions of research interests and
teaching interests/experience, a list of publications, immigration
status, and the names of at least five potential referees, along with
their complete institution address, email address, phone and fax
numbers, to: Chair, Ocean Sensors Search Committee, 0208, Scripps
Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego,
La Jolla, CA 92093-0208, USA. Please clearly label applications
"Ocean Sensors Search". Applicants are welcome to include in their
cover letter a personal statement summarizing their contributions to
diversity.
*******************
(JOB 7) Research scientist - Statistical analysis/spatial modeling -
Climate Department - Norwegian Meteorological Institute (Norway)
The Norwegian Meteorological Institute ( met.no) provides public
meteorological services for both civil and military purposes. The
main activities of the institute are to issue weather forecasts, risk
management, climate monitoring and also research and development
within meteorology, climatology, and oceanography.
The Climate Department has as its main objective to provide the
society with best information about the Norwegian climate for the
present, past and the future, and to conduct general climate and
applied research. The department has the responsibility for the
Institute's climate data base, data processing for further use in
information and research activities, establish climate services, and
products for general users based on the climate data base. The
department also participates in national and international scientific
collaboration. The department has at the present 39 members of staff,
and is organised into three sections and one secretary unit.
A main objective at the Climate Department is to utilize
meteorological data to describe the spatial distribution of various
climate elements. In order to strengthen this effort there is a
vacancy of a permanent position as research scientist at the climate
research section. The focus area for this position will be to take
part in developing methodology for deriving high resolution spatially
distributed climate datasets by developing and applying advanced
analysis tools in a GIS (Geographical Information System)
environment. The objective is to utilize meteorological observations,
remote sensed data and information from numerical weather prediction
models.
Working Area: 1) Statistical analysis of relations between
geographical parameters and various climate elements. 2) Spatial
modelling (mapping) of climate elements using GIS-tools or
equivalent. 3) Study relations between atmospheric circulation
patterns and spatial distribution of climate elements. 4)
Operationalisation and implementation of production lines to
establish gridded climate datasets. 5) Develop and implement
database solutions for spatially distributed climate information.
6) Apply gridded datasets in quality control routines and for
interpolation of meteorological data. 7) Participate in national and
international research on spatial distribution of climate elements.
Qualifications: 1) University degrees (cand.scient, M.Sc, PhD
or equivalent) within climate science, meteorology, hydrology,
geophysics or equivalent; 2) Experience within research and
development and with the use of geographical information systems. 3)
Knowledge to climatology and climate data. 4) Broad knowledge in data
handling, programming, statistical analysis tools, databases. 5)
Systematic, reliable and result oriented; 6) Team working, skills,
yet able to work independently as well as in groups; 7) Good oral
and written communication skills in Norwegian and/or English.
Working conditions: 1) Friendly working environment 2) Scientific
challenges in a modern technological environment 3) Good
opportunities for self development 4) Salary as 1108 researcher or
1109 researcher depending on qualifications; 5) Membership in the
Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund; 6) Six months mutual trial
period.
According to our policy, we aim at a staff complement that
reflects the population of Norway with respect to gender as well as
cultural diversity. The institute employs researchers from a number
of different nations.
For further information, please contact section leader Inger
Hanssen-Bauer or senior scientist Ole Einar Tveito, tel: +47 22 96 30
00.
Applications must be submitted electronically, see "Vacancies" at
http://met.no/english
Closing date: 15.June 2007.
**************************************************
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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