IPY.ORG

Missatge 6: Agafant mostres al pou lunar

Sat, 10 May 2008 02:30 GMT

Hi ha un tipus de mostreig que no demana que ens posem ni la parca ni les botes ni el passamuntanyes, però sí caldrà que ens posem el salvavides. I és que aquest cop laigua lagafarem des de linterior mateix del vaixell. Voleu saber com?

Antarctic Temperatures Lower in Contrast to Climate Change Computer Models

Fri, 09 May 2008 12:53 GMT

In a recent paper published by researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, scientists report that computer models of climate change specific to the Antarctic may not be as accurate as they were originally believed. Computer models based on data of Earth’s climate help scientists make predictions of climate change over time. From these mathematical models, scientist run simulations based on data collected in order to assess potential outcomes such as warming or cooling trends around the Earth. While computer models representing climate in the other continents are accurately depicting the phenomenon of increasing temperatures, the models used in Antarctica inaccurately point to larger increases in temperatures than is actually being observed. (The models show an increase of 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit or 0.2 degrees Celsius in the Antarctic versus the actual increase of 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit or 0.75 degrees Celsius).

Why the discrepancy in the Antarctic? Scientists point to a number of reasons, all of which are excellent examples to show students the ongoing investigative nature of scientific study. For starters, the conditions in Antarctica make it difficult to take weather readings (or any kind of readings for that matter) in the first place. This recent report came as a result of improved measurements in the Antarctic region that will provide more accurate data in the future. Using ice core data samples and the increased ability to take actual climate observations and comparing these to the models gives scientists a better idea of how these data compare. That said, scientists still caution that the models used today still may not be as accurate as they are in other parts of the world. NCAR scientist David Schneider states, “The current generation of climate models has improved over previous generations, but still leaves Antarctic surface temperature projections for the 21st century with a high degree of uncertainty.”

Another factor in the discrepancy between models and actual data deals with the ozone hole over Antarctica. Because of the hole, the upper layers of atmosphere over Antarctica are cooler, creating cooler temperatures in the central part of the continent. This is in contrast to warming trends in other continents, as well as the warming trend in the Antarctic Peninsula. This cooler air reduces the amount of water vapor present, something that the computer models point to as a source of increase temperatures in the region that are in contrast to actual readings.

Scientist Andrew Monaghan, (along with Schneider who is a co-author of this recent report) states, “We can now compare computer simulations with observations of actual climate trends in Antarctica. This is showing us that, over the past century, most of Antarctica has not undergone the fairly dramatic warming that has affected the rest of the globe. The challenges of studying climate in this remote environment make it difficult to say what the future holds for Antarctica's climate.”

Dr. Monaghan will be featured in an article in the upcoming June issue of Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears.

The Antarctic artefact shuffle

Fri, 09 May 2008 09:03 GMT

One of the questions we often get asked is if we go out to the huts at Cape Evans and Cape Royds to work on the objects we are conserving. Much as we would love to work at the huts, we would find it impossible in the dark and frozen depths of winter. There is no road around the island to the Capes. Another way to get there is across the sea ice, but this won’t freeze up enough for safe vehicle travel until October, and even then it would be a five hour return commute. And aside from the expense, helicopters are no longer an option as they can only fly in daylight hours.

Those of you who have read the earlier posts on this blog may remember that the summer conservators (most recently John and Megan) spent part of their time in the field packing up artefacts from Scott’s Hut, which were then carefully (at no more than 12kph) transported back to Scott Base in a Hagglund.

These are stored in sea containers outside, ensuring that the artefacts remain frozen (ie in the same ambient conditions they experience at the huts). They are then brought inside for as brief a period of time as possible in order to conserve them, before being packaged for transport on their return journey across the sea ice.

The Antarctic Heritage Trust uses three of these sea containers for artefact storage at Scott Base © Antarctic Heritage Trust

Retrieving artefacts to work on is becoming more of a challenge as the daylight decreases and the weather worsens. If at all possible we wait for a day with low winds and plan to fetch in several crates at a time, which we store in a small shed directly outside the back door to the lab.

The shed, the shed, the lonely little shed © Antarctic Heritage Trust

This involves one, or more usually two of us suiting up in Extreme Cold Weather (ECW) gear, hopping into a Toyota 7 and driving several hundred metres to the sea containers.

There we wrestle with the frozen fittings on the doors, tying them in place if there is a lot of wind. With our head torches we search out the crate we’re looking for, load it into the back of T7 and drive it back to the Hillary Field Centre, park up the Toyota, take off the ECWs and open up that crate in the lab with a tremendous sense of anticipation: what will we find inside?

We’ll share some of those artefacts with you in upcoming posts.

Artefacts from Cape Evans in AHT2 awaiting treatment © Antarctic Heritage Trust

Polar News & Notes: Teacher-to-Teacher Summer Workshops

Fri, 09 May 2008 08:00 GMT

The U.S. Department of Education’s Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative has opened registration for its free summer workshops. The workshops will be held across the country starting June 18 and will target specific grade levels and content areas. Workshops for summer 2008 include:

Denver, Colorado (United States Mint) - June 18-19, 2008
Nashua, New Hampshire (Federal Aviation Administration) - June 25-26, 2008
Houston, Texas (NASA, Johnson Space Center) - July 1-2, 2008
New York, New York (National Park Service) - July 9-10, 2008
Newport News, Virginia (Department of Energy) - July 10-11, 2008
Forth Worth, Texas (Federal Aviation Administration) - July 15-16, 2008
New Orleans, Louisiana (Office of Charter Schools) - July 17-18, 2008
Washington, D.C. (Office of Charter Schools) - July 22-23, 2008
Lakewood, Washington (Department of Defense Education Activity) - Aug. 4-5, 2008
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (United States Mint) - August 7-8, 2008
Twentynine Palms, California (Department of Defense Education Activity) - Aug. 11-12, 2008
Los Angeles, California (Office of Charter Schools) - August 13-14, 2008

In each workshop, prominent teachers, principals, and district officials provide training sessions and share research-based practices they have successfully applied in their classrooms and schools. Reading, math, science and history will be the content focus as well as using data, differentiating instruction, Doing What Works, and technology to support student achievement. All workshops will also provide important resources from the National Math Panel.

Learn more about the Teacher-to-Teacher workshops and register online. The Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative supports teachers' efforts in the classroom through professional development workshops and digital workshops and by sharing relevant information through email updates.

Zondag 11 mei: Pool documentaire op Holland Doc

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:52 GMT

Zondagavond om 21.00 uur bij de NPS op Radio 1: Het eerste deel van de lange documentaire Het Laatste Grote Avontuur van Marwil Straat en Margot Minjon. Het Laatste Grote Avontuur gaat over een krankzinnige tocht door sneeuw en ijs die Minjon en Straat met hun tienerdochters per auto maken door winters Canada, van Vancouver in het zuiden naar de inuitnederzetting Tuktoyaktuk in de poolcirkel.

CCOM SEMINAR SERIES: Fri, 09 May 2008 02:00:00 P.M.

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:00 GMT

Current Lidar Research in CCOM

For location and more details, please see the CCOM seminars page

All are welcome to attend!

En mai, ne te découvre pas d'un fil

Fri, 09 May 2008 04:18 GMT

Jean-Claude Gascard, le coordinateur du projet européen Damocles pour lequel nous travaillons, est à bord de Vagabond pour une semaine. La veille de son arrivée, nous profitions encore d'un splendide soleil de minuit... La météo est malheureusement bien mauvaise depuis 4 jours, neige et vent nous bloquent à l'intérieur du bateau, impossible de poursuivre les mesures sur la banquise pour le moment. Alors nous examinons les dernières données recueillies et les comparons avec celles engrangées depuis 4 ans. C'est passionnant de découvrir avec lui des phénomènes inédits, inexpliqués à ce jour.

Jean-Claude Gascard, coordinator of the European project Damocles we are working for, is on board Vagabond for one week. The day before his arrival, we were still enjoying a beautiful midnight sun... Unfortunately, the weather has been bad for the last 4 days, snow and wind are keeping us inside the boat, impossible to carry on sea ice measurements for now. So we are looking at last data collected, and we are comparing them with those gathered during the last 4 years. It is exciting to discover with him some original events, unexplained so far.

World of Imagination

Fri, 09 May 2008 04:00 GMT

Children's author Nancy Etchemendy, known for spinning science fiction and horror tales for young adults, hopes to tell the story of an Antarctic science expedition to the Weddell Sea through her own self-described "gothic sensibilities," as well as through the words of a curious boy named Gib Finney.

Polar News & Notes: Climate Scientist Says Scientists Are Obligated to Defend Good Science

Thu, 08 May 2008 14:00 GMT

In an opinion piece published in the May issue of Australasian Science, a climate scientist urges his fellow researchers to stand up to those who deny climate change and do more to explain good science to the public. Barry Brook, director of the Research Institute for Climate Change and Sustainability, at the University of Adelaide, points out that those who disseminate disinformation, doubt and unscientific nonsense are able to “leverage the widespread lack of public appreciation of how science operates.”

Noting that some attempt to deny science’s findings for political or ideological reasons, and in doing so “besmirch science’s public image,” Brook admits that the deniers have become so good at this they can exert influence on policy. He reminds his readers that “the scientific process of theoretical postulates, hypothesis testing, critical evaluation (and re-evaluation) of ever accumulating empirical evidence, model validation and peer review is inherently complex and often technical.”

“Active and forthright public communication of science is not only an obligation of scientists, but a critical necessity,”Brook wrote, and warned: “This is especially true for climate change and environmental sustainability, where we are perilously close to running out of time.”

Polar News & Notes: A Cure More Dangerous Than the Condition?

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:37 GMT

Climate scientists are leaving few stones unturned as they look for ways to offset global warming, including geoengineering–the deliberate modification of the environment on a large scale. One widely discussed geoengineering idea for cooling the planet has recently been judged to have some potentially harmful side effects.

The idea was to regularly inject large amounts of sun-blocking sulfate particles into the stratosphere. The goal would be to cool earth's surface, much as sulfur particles from major volcanic eruptions in the past have resulted in reduced surface temperatures.

Simone Tilmes of the National Center for Atmospheric Research and a team of researchers looked at the potential impact on ozone over the poles. They found that artificial injections of sulfates would destroy much of the ozone layer about the Arctic and would also delay the expected recovery of the ozone hole over the Antarctic by about 30 to 70 years.

To determine the relationship between sulfates and ozone loss, the researchers used a combination of measurements and computer simulations. They then estimated future ozone loss by looking at two geoengineering schemes–one that would use volcanic-sized sulfates and a second that would use much smaller injections.

Tilmes and others caution that the actual impacts on ozone could be somewhat different than estimated if atmospheric changes led to unusually warm or cold polar winters. They also warn that a geoengineering project could lead to even more severe ozone loss if a major volcanic eruption took place at the same time.