May 31 2010

Dust storms not sole reason for Phoenix air quality

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Under the Clean Air Act, states must develop State Implementation Plans (SIP) to convince the US EPA that they can meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQAS). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rejected Arizona's claim that dust storms caused the high pollution readings in Phoenix in 2008, a decision which could have significant implications for the State. Arizona is currently not meeting the NAAQAS for fine particulate matter, PM- 10 (one-seventh the width of a human hair). Major concerns for human health from exposure to PM- 10 include: effects on breathing and respiratory systems, damage to lung tissue, cancer, and premature death. The elderly, children, and people with chronic lung disease, influenza, or asthma, are especially sensitive to the effects of particulate matter.
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May 31 2010

Gulf Coast warned oil may leak until August

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U.S. government and BP officials are warning that the blown-out oil well causing an environmental disaster on the Gulf Coast may not be stopped until August as the company begins preparations on a new attempt to capture the leaking crude. The disaster, in its 42nd day on Monday, is already the largest oil spill in U.S. history and officials are calling it the country's biggest environmental catastrophe. In the wake of a devastating failure this weekend to plug the BP well with the tricky "top kill" operation, BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward said the Gulf of Mexico leak may not be stopped for two months.
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May 30 2010

“Top Kill” Fails, what now?

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BP Plc's "top kill" oil well plug failed on Saturday, practically killing any optimism among Gulf coast residents that the mammoth spill fouling their coast and fishing industry will end any time soon. Even U.S. President Barack Obama, hit with a tide of criticism that he is not sufficiently in command of the largest oil spill in U.S. history, has tried to lower expectations of a short-term fix. U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Mary Landry, standing by as a BP executive told the world that the tricky top kill procedure had failed, said they needed to manage people's expectations better for a crisis soon entering its seventh week.
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May 29 2010

What Will Olympic Peninsula Forests Look Like in 100 Years? John C. Pitcher helps us see.

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How can a painting help us understand the likely effects of a warming climate? It is perhaps the best way to do so, since an artist capable of creating highly realistic scenes can show us the species likely to be present in an ecosystem as its average and extreme temperatures change over time. "Climate Impacts on Olympic Peninsula Forests" vividly portrays the ongoing effects of climate change on our beautiful native plants and animals, through the interpretation of award winning fine artist of John C. Pitcher. John Pitcher can be reached at http://www.goldleafstudiosinc.com/ Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula contains several distinct ecosystems and supports biodiversity of species that are found nowhere else on the planet. Current scientific data suggests that forests in the Olympic Peninsula will experience a number of climate-related changes, including snowpack decline, increased tree establishment in meadows, threats to native species, and increased wildfire activity. Good Nature Publishing is proud to present the first edition poster of “Climate Impacts on Olympic Peninsula Forests.” Varying from the usual drastic-impact portrayals depicting piles of trash and helpless animals choking on cigarette butts, Pitcher relays an artist's impression of climate impacts based on best science available.
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May 29 2010

What Will Olympic Peninsula Forests Look Like in 100 Years? John Pitcher helps us see.

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"Climate Impacts on Olympic Peninsula Forests" vividly portrays the ongoing effects of climate change on our beautiful native plants and animals, through the interpretation of award winning fine artist of John C. Pitcher. John Pitcher can be reached at: goldleafart@myfairpoint.net May 17, 2010 – Washington State's Olympic Peninsula contains several distinct ecosystems and supports biodiversity of species that are found nowhere else on the planet. Current scientific data suggests that forests in the Olympic Peninsula will experience a number of climate-related changes, including snowpack decline, increased tree establishment in meadows, threats to native species, and increased wildfire activity. Good Nature Publishing is proud to present the first edition poster of "Climate Impacts on Olympic Peninsula Forests." Varying from the usual drastic-impact portrayals depicting piles of trash and helpless animals choking on cigarette butts, Pitcher relays an artist's impression of climate impacts based on best science available.
Categories: News
May 29 2010

Gulf oil spill hits Day 40 with no end in sight

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The worst oil spill in U.S. history hits its 40th day on Saturday with Gulf residents clinging to one tenuous hope: that BP's complicated "top kill" operation will plug the gushing well. Beleaguered Louisiana residents heard from President Barack Obama and BP CEO Tony Hayward on separate visits to the Gulf coast on Friday as they tried to get a handle on a crisis damaging the credibility of both the government and BP. Obama, facing criticism that he responded too slowly to the environmental catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, assured Louisianians during his five-hour visit that they "will not be left behind" and that the "buck stops" with him. Hayward, on a visit to the site of the April 20 rig explosion that killed 11 workers and unleashed the oil, said the energy giant needed up to two more days to determine if the top kill will stop the underwater gusher once and for all.
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May 28 2010

A Great Carbon Dioxide Burp

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There are many earth cycles. One is a cycling between warmer and colder periods which are commonly called ice ages. The causes of these cycles are complex and are related to how much sun radiation we get as well as some slight variation in the sun itself. Scientists have recently found a possible source of a huge carbon dioxide burp that happened some 18,000 years ago and which helped to end the last ice age.
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May 28 2010

Bangladesh—Eco Symbol?

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While Western policymakers direct their focus toward mitigating carbon emissions, Bangladesh is one of the few countries to accept the inevitability of climate change and start tackling adaption head-on. Once the very symbol of backwardness—an 'international basket case' in Henry Kissinger's infamous words—today's Bangladesh may well soon be leading the way into a shared future of climate insecurity. Saleemul Huq, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) in London, says Bangladesh, with its relatively high levels of education and a burgeoning awareness of climate change issues, was well placed to establish a 'comparative advantage' in adaptation research. 'Over the course of the next ten years, this is where the world will learn how to deal with climate change,' he says. 'This is ground zero.'
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May 28 2010

Sun May Soon Plunge Into Hot Cloud of Interstellar Gas

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Don't worry about stocking up on sunscreen, but our solar system may be headed for a celestial version of global warming. A new analysis suggests that in about 100 years the sun could plunge into a hot cloud of interstellar gas. The change should have no impact on our planet, but it could boost the amount of deadly radiation in space, making missions more challenging for future astronauts.
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May 28 2010

How to Kill a Well With Gravity

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Oil giant BP plc has a very long straw stuck 3048 meters into the Gulf of Mexico sea floor with oil and gas spouting out the top at several thousand pascals. How do BP engineers stop the flow when none of the control valves at the top is working and there's no way to put a stopper in the straw's end? The only option is using gravity, notes petroleum engineer Paul Bommer of the University of Texas, Austin.
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