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Tonight's editor: patrickz
All views expressed by today's editor do not necessarily represent those of eKos or eKos listed diarists.
In tonight's Editor's Choice, we have an excellent diary by Steven D in which he discusses the intentions of some of our newly minted - and science illiterate - congressional Republicans. Here is an excerpt from Jobs Hell! GOP Attacks Climate, Scientists and EPA:
Dear Republican voters: you got played. Republicans don't care about helping you find a job or reducing the deficit. What they do care about is helping the people who have the most to gain from attacking Climate Science and neutering the EPA. Namely, the oil and gas industry, the energy utilities and the profits of any other business that would rather poison our air and water rather than create new jobs by investing in, and providing incentives for, green technologies for renewable energy.
By looking 20,000 years into the past, scientists get a glimpse of a possible future:
ScienceDaily (Nov. 4, 2010) — Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona scientists have researched how ocean currents in the Atlantic were affected by climate change in the past. The study shows that there was a period when the flow of deep waters in the Atlantic was reversed. The results are relevant for the near future since similar changes are expected to occur in the course of climate warming over the next 100 years.
The Atlantic Ocean circulation (termed meridional overturning circulation, MOC) is an important component of the climate system. Warm currents, such as the Gulf Stream, transport energy from the tropics to the subpolar North Atlantic and influence regional weather and climate patterns. Once they arrive in the North the currents cool, their waters sink and with them they transfer carbon from the atmosphere to the abyss. These processes are important for climate but the way the Atlantic MOC responds to climate change is not well known yet.
(snip)
The study shows that the ocean circulation was very different in the past and that there was a period when the flow of deep waters in the Atlantic was reversed. This happened when the climate of the North Atlantic region was substantially colder and deep convection was weakened. At that time the balance of seawater density between the North and South Atlantic was shifted in such a way that deep water convection was stronger in the South Polar Ocean. Recent computer models simulate a reversal of the deep Atlantic circulation under such conditions while it is only now with the new data generated by UAB scientists and their colleagues from Seville and the UK that the details of the circulation reversal become apparent.
Plastic debris kills Loggerhead turtles in the Adriatic:
One in three loggerhead turtles in the Adriatic Sea has plastic in its intestine, according to researchers studying the impact of debris on marine life.
The shallow waters of the Adriatic are important feeding grounds for the turtles as they develop into adults.
But the sea-floor is one of the most polluted in Europe.
The team studied the bodies of dead sea turtles that had been stranded or accidentally caught by fishing vessels.
The impacts of debris on marine creatures are not entirely clear. But scientists have found that animals ranging from invertebrates to large mammals consume plastic waste and are concerned that it could damage their health.
For a turtle, just a few grams of debris can be fatal if it obstructs the gut.
Microbes and the sulfur cycle. This sounds like a pretty neat experiment; I highly recommend reading the whole article.
DMS is known to influence climate and is believed to be the largest natural source of sulfur to the atmosphere; when it moves from the ocean to the atmosphere as a gas, it oxidizes, forming cloud condensation nuclei which promote cloud formation over the ocean. These clouds reflect sunlight rather than allowing it to heat the Earth’s surface. This then has its effects on climate.
(snip)
In the latest research, the scientists injected different chemicals into the channels of the device in a way that mimicked the bursting of a microbial cell. Although they performed the tests using several substances, including DMS, the scientists focused primarily on DMSP, which is produced by some phytoplankton and released into the water when a cell explodes (dies). That DMSP can dissolve in the water or be transformed by other microbes into DMS, which also dissolves in the water before being released as a gas into the atmosphere.
(snip)
The team selected seven microbial species that are roughly analogous to plants, herbivores and predators in the animal kingdom: three photosynthetic types (phytoplankton), two types of bacteria that feed off the carbon produced by other microbes, and two microzooplankton that prey on other microbes.
Six of the seven microbial species tested were attracted to the DMSP in the microfluidic device; only one species — a phytoplankton — ignored it. Some of the species displayed the strongest swimming responses among any of the 100 or so cases yet tested by Stocker and Seymour in their research projects. This, Stocker said, is a clear indication that DMSP acts as a powerful chemical cue for a microbe and attracts the microbe to the food source.
WarrenS made a New Year's Resolution to write a letter advocating climate action every day. The result is over three hundred letters to congresspeople, newspapers, President Obama, and more. Warren has even had letters published in the New York Times and the Boston Globe.
Learn Warren's letter writing technique here. Be sure to steal his stuffand visit his blog.
Month 11, Day 5: Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves
The New York Times notes that post-election, we’re likely to see more lawsuits challenging climate change laws at the state level, as corporate players are emboldened to act even more stupidly.
If the business community’s attention span was somewhat longer, many of the lawsuits aimed at neutralizing state climate change laws would be seen for what they are: desperate attempts to change the subject. The truth is simple: global warming is real and humans are responsible; the planet is already experiencing its effects everywhere from Moscow to Manhattan, and things are going to get worse before they get better no matter what we do. The orchestra of chaos is only tuning up, and if we don’t cut our carbon emissions drastically and immediately, we’re in for a world of hurt. Prioritization of short-term profits will play a major part in the demise of many corporate players over the coming decades. It is a sad commentary on our country when both the investment and manufacturing sectors have replaced fact-based institutional policy with petulant demands that reality be repealed.
WarrenS
Ghostly Cheetah by Britta Jaschinski, overall winner of Gallery European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2010
The rest of the winners can be seen at their website.
Drumming for the Planet is tomorrow:
One of the most exciting concerts this year! Enjoy an evening of kinetic grooves, dazzling virtuosity and daring improvisation as three great drumming traditions join together to draw attention to the global climate crisis. Featured artists include: the solo performance of Hindustani tabla virtuoso Akshay Navaladi, the traditional Ghanaian repertoire of the Agbekor Drum and Dance Society, and the legendary Jazz master Bob Moses. The music begins at 7:00 pm, at Emmanuel Church, 15 Newbury Street, Boston, MA. Tickets are $20; $15 students/seniors. All proceeds will go to the environmental organization www.350.org. For information, please call 781-396-0734 or go to the event website.
If you love the environment, and have a couple hours to spare... consider becoming an eKos editor!!
You can e-mail us at eKos350atgmaildotcom to let us know you're interested.
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(All times Eastern!)
eKos diaries from Friday, November 05, 2010 |
Diary | Author | Time (Eastern) | Tags |
Jobs Hell! GOP Attacks Climate, Scientists and EPA | Steven D | 11:10:12 AM | eKos, EPA, Mitch McConnell, Joe Barton, Darrell Issa |
Drumming For The Planet: MA Climate Action, 11/6/10 | WarrenS | 11:00:43 AM | benefit concert, eKos, 350, drumming, music |
Turning an Invasive Species into a Livelihood | NourishingthePlanet | 9:01:08 AM | Ekos, Nourishing the Planet, Innovation, Innovation of the Week, Village Volunteers |
Gulf Watchers Friday - Another Spill is Certain - BP Catastrophe AUV #420 | Lorinda Pike | 6:16:19 AM | Gulf Watchers, Oilpocalypse, BP, Deepwater Horizon, Macondo |
eKos diaries from Thursday, November 04, 2010 |
Diary | Author | Time (Eastern) | Tags |
They Hate You, Mr. President | FishOutofWater | 11:31:23 PM | Recommended, Barack Obama, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, eKos |
Politics: The Fashion Section (humor) | mwmwm | 9:39:53 PM | ecosystems, politics, fashion, ekos, dk-greenroots |
Texting on the Farm: Mobile Technology Provides Farmers with Useful Information in India | NourishingthePlanet | 8:18:21 PM | Agriculture, Disease Prevention, Drought, Education, Environment |
Coal Industry Continues its Shady Practices | Bruce Nilles | 2:47:57 PM | eKos, coal, Duke Energy, Kansas, Massey Energy |
It’s Not the Climate Bill, Stupid | Heather TaylorMiesle NRDC Action Fund | 2:28:24 PM | Clean Energy, Economy, Mid-Terms, ekos |
The F*** America Project: Climate Change Denial. | LaFeminista | 3:10:21 AM | Climate change, Tea party, GOP, Republicans, denial |