Environment

Climate change experts come in all shapes and colors. The Earth system is very complex and the climate on this planet is influences and can be understood from various perspectives. To get the whole picture we have to combine many different Earth science disciplines. One of the best talks I've heard in a very long time was given by Prof. emeritus Terrence Gerlach from USGS and the Cascades Volcanic Observatory presented his work: Volcanic Versus Anthropogenic CO2: An Example of the Importance of Geoscience Evidencehttp://www.agu.org/pubs/pdf/2011EO240001.pdf And for the record - I decided his…

Whatever people may ascribe the reason for the long age in Japan  I am of the  opinion that the  world must learn from Japan how to keep the environment clean and make healthy surroundings despite the  lack of space, heavily congested colonies and heavy industrialization. Even the smallest areas have gardens, in different levels. No rocks are cut to make sculptures and food is as near to nature as possible. Herbal medicines are matter of routine and as far as I have seen allopathic hospitals also have departments of Kampo medicine or Traditional medicine. A healthy…

This video has become quite popular the last few days, so if you've already seen it, my apologies. Nevertheless, I decided to post it here because it's just so darn pretty. It's a time lapse sequence of photographs taken by astronaut Ron Garan and his colleagues during a mission at the ISS.           Enjoy.     Earth | Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over | NASA, ISS from Michael König on Vimeo. What you see: 1. Aurora Borealis Pass over the United States at Night2. Aurora Borealis and eastern United States at Night3. Aurora Australis from…

The biodiversity of the ecological community may impact whether a species can evolve to survive climate change, according to a numerical model that simulates the effect of climate change on plants and pollinators. The study in Evolutionary Applications seeks to address a looming concern; whether species that have survived large climatic change in the past can survive future climate change. In the study, researchers used computer simulations to examine the effect of climate change on populations of flowering plants and their insect pollinators.  Ecologists have known for many years that…

_ NEXT GENERATION BIOFUELS DEALING WITH ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY   ＜Ashwani Kumar ＞ ＜  Department of Botany and Biotechnology, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, 302004, India＞ ＜ashwanikumar214@gmail.come＞ •      ＜Abstract＞Climate change is  taking place due to emissions of  greenhouse gases.    Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most important greenhouse gas. Photosynthetic organisms use solar energy to generate reducing equivalents and incorporate atmospheric CO2 into organic molecules. This helps in carbon…

Particulate organic carbon (or POC) is an important factor in the ocean’s carbon cycle. When these tiny particles hit the water, they sink and attract bacteria. These bacteria can feed on the particles, releasing carbon into shallow waters and the atmosphere. A new study has found that bacteria communicate about whether or not to begin feeding on the particles through quorum sensing (QS), simply put, a process where bacteria release signaling molecules, which, in turn can influence the activity of other bacteria. Or, in the authors’ words: Many bacteria use a cell-density dependent signaling…

We're hearing a lot about the failures of government and I am on that bandwagon - chronic runaway spending, the foolishness with Gibson guitars, delays for an energy project that helps poor people and lowers emissions, and I was one of only about four people critical of government bailouts but now a group of people on Wall Street have gotten downright conservative in their approach to what government should and should not be doing.  But because I like to stick a knife in all sacred cows, I have also been hard on environmentalists.  Unlike most independents who vote straight ticket…

Canola, a specific edible type of rapeseed developed in the 1970s, contains about 40 percent oil and became popular as a substitute for traditional cooking oils. The name is derived as “Can” (for Canada) and “ola” (for oil low acid) and Canola oil is the lowest in saturated fats of all commonly used oils.  While much is imported, North Dakota leads the U.S. in canola, approximately 92 percent of domestic production. Canola has been one of numerous genetic modification success stories but GMOS have been scrutinized far more extensively than the science claiming saturated fats were…

While concern about water is always real, scare tactics like virtual water do more harm than good for rational policy making. Objective analyses show we don't have a food issue looming that science and technology can't address. New research in Water International further says there is clearly sufficient water to sustain food, energy, industrial and environmental needs during the 21st century. We just need to be more efficient. Massive amounts of water flow through the breadbaskets of key river basins such as the Nile, Ganges, Andes, Yellow, Niger and Volta - the key reason why pseudoscience…

Climate change is real .One can see it happening. Mr Al Gore was awarded Nobel prize for his work on this . Simultaneously Heartland Institute reports were also shown on popular channel this week. The Heartland Institute predictions for 100 years from now that high temperatures and high CO2 could improve plant growth but who will live another 100 years to prove they are right or wrong? What we are facing each day is following: 1. Water bodies are drying. 2. Forests are vanishing in tropical areas 3. Storms Tsunami are more frequent 4. Floods and fires are more frequent. 5. Water tables are…