Inter5.Org Research » Earth http://inter5.org Information freedom for open source users. Thu, 09 Sep 2010 02:34:16 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 The State of Mapping APIs, 5 Years On http://inter5.org/archives/131200 http://inter5.org/archives/131200#comments Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:19:00 +0000 timothy http://slashdot.feedsportal.com/c/32909/f/530758/s/d8721de/l/0Ldevelopers0Bslashdot0Borg0Cstory0C10A0C0A90C0A70C23232490CThe0EState0Eof0EMapping0EAPIs0E50EYears0EOn0Dfrom0Frss/story01.htm macslocum writes “Map APIs took off in 2005, and during the ensuing years the whole notion of maps has changed. Where once they were slick add-ons, map functionality is now a necessary — and expected — tool. In this piece, Adam DuVander looks at the current state of mapping and he explains how mobile devices, third-party services and ease of use are shaping the map development world.”

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]]> http://inter5.org/archives/131200/feed 0 Yellowstone Hot Spot Shreds Ancient Pacific Ocean http://inter5.org/archives/130993 http://inter5.org/archives/130993#comments Sun, 05 Sep 2010 09:17:00 +0000 Soulskill http://slashdot.feedsportal.com/c/32909/f/530758/s/d707277/l/0Lscience0Bslashdot0Borg0Cstory0C10A0C0A90C0A50C0A2282320CYellowstone0EHot0ESpot0EShreds0EAncient0EPacific0EOcean0Dfrom0Frss/story01.htm jamie passes along this excerpt from DiscoveryNews: “If you thought the geysers and overblown threat of a supervolcanic eruption in Yellowstone National Park were dramatic, you ain’t seen nothing: deep beneath Earth’s surface, the hot spot that feeds the park has torn an entire tectonic plate in half. The revelation comes from a new study (abstract) in the journal Geophysical Research Letters that peered into the mantle beneath the Pacific Northwest to see what happens when ancient ocean crust from the Pacific Ocean runs headlong into a churning plume of ultra-hot mantle material.”

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]]> http://inter5.org/archives/130993/feed 0 China Plans To Mine the Yellow Sea Floor http://inter5.org/archives/130514 http://inter5.org/archives/130514#comments Sun, 29 Aug 2010 13:33:00 +0000 timothy http://slashdot.feedsportal.com/c/32909/f/530758/s/d3896f2/l/0Lnews0Bslashdot0Borg0Cstory0C10A0C0A80C290C1352210CChina0EPlans0ETo0EMine0Ethe0EYellow0ESea0EFloor0Dfrom0Frss/story01.htm eldavojohn writes “Details are limited but state media is reporting on $75 million being put into a new research facility in Qingdao, Shandong Province that will conduct research into mining the sea floor. From the article: ‘Scientists believe sea beds at a depth of 4,000 to 6,000 meters hold abundant deposits of rare metals and methane hydrate, a solidified form of natural gas bound into ice that can serve as a new energy source.’ The research center’s first goal is to do surveying and exploration with a new submersible named ‘Jiaolong’ (a mythical aquatic Chinese dragon). Hopefully these quests yield energy resources to meet growing demand for resources like liquefied coal in China.”

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]]> http://inter5.org/archives/130514/feed 0 MIT Unveils Oil-Skimming Robot Swarm Prototype http://inter5.org/archives/130414 http://inter5.org/archives/130414#comments Sat, 28 Aug 2010 19:06:00 +0000 timothy http://slashdot.feedsportal.com/c/32909/f/530758/s/d3473ea/l/0Lhardware0Bslashdot0Borg0Cstory0C10A0C0A80C280C18462430CMIT0EUnveils0EOil0ESkimming0ERobot0ESwarm0EPrototype0Dfrom0Frss/story01.htm destinyland writes “Today MIT reveals a swarm of autonomous floating robots that can digest an oil spill. The 16-foot robots drag a nanowire mesh that acts like a conveyor belt to soak up surface oil ‘like paper towels soak up water,’ absorbing 20 times its weight and then harmlessly ‘digesting’ the oil by burning it off. Powered by 21.5 square feet of solar panels, the ‘Seaswarm’ robots run on the power of a lightbulb, and with just 100 watts ‘could potentially clean continuously for weeks’ without human intervention, MIT announced. The swarm uses GPS data and communicates wirelessly to move as a coordinated group to ‘corral, absorb and process’ oil spills, and MIT researchers estimate that a fleet of 5,000 could clean up a gulf-sized spill within one month.”

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]]> http://inter5.org/archives/130414/feed 0 Fire and Explosion At Hydrogen Station Near Rochester Airport http://inter5.org/archives/130297 http://inter5.org/archives/130297#comments Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:13:00 +0000 timothy http://slashdot.feedsportal.com/c/32909/f/530758/s/d266787/l/0Ltech0Bslashdot0Borg0Cstory0C10A0C0A80C260C1946220A0CFire0Eand0EExplosion0EAt0EHydrogen0EStation0ENear0ERochester0EAirport0Dfrom0Frss/story01.htm

RossR writes “There was a hydrogen fire and explosion at a renewable fuel station used by government vehicles near Rochester’s airport. The nearby freeway and airport were closed resulting in diverted flights. This may the first major incident at a hydrogen vehicle refueling station. GM has their major fuel cell development center nearby, in the town of Honeoye Falls. The fire occurred when the 18-wheeler tractor truck was transferring hydrogen to the station. The airport press conference reported that airport firefighters responded first and initially waited on the scene deciding how to respond. No news yet if the hard to see flames of hydrogen combustion contributed to this delay. The fueling station is also adjacent to a NY State Trooper station, and a firefighting training facility is a few blocks away.” RossR also provides a Police/FD Radio transcript. Luckily, no one was killed, and only two injured, including the driver.

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]]> http://inter5.org/archives/130297/feed 0 New Jersey County Fights Landfill Odors Using Fragrant Spray Trucks http://inter5.org/archives/130149 http://inter5.org/archives/130149#comments Wed, 25 Aug 2010 21:10:00 +0000 samzenpus http://slashdot.feedsportal.com/c/32909/f/530758/s/d1de37f/l/0Lidle0Bslashdot0Borg0Cstory0C10A0C0A80C250C1623210A0CNew0EJersey0ECounty0EFights0ELandfill0EOdors0EUsing0EFragrant0ESpray0ETrucks0Dfrom0Frss/story01.htm Not to be outdone by the Chinese and their deodorant guns, Middlesex County, New Jersey has unveiled their secret weapon against landfill stink, a perfume spraying truck. The flatbed truck equipped with special nozzles now drives around the 200-plus acre landfill spraying hundreds of gallons of a soapy, slightly citrus-scented liquid. From the article: “‘It has a pleasant, showery smell,’ said Richard Fitamant, executive director of the Middlesex County Utilities Authority, which runs the landfill. ‘It’s not offensive and it’s not overpowering. It’s a light scent.’ Faced with a competing mandate to handle the loads of trash while curbing the stench, officials have turned to the roving, over-sized air freshener to control the smells wafting from the 200-plus acre landfill.”

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]]> http://inter5.org/archives/130149/feed 0 Smart Trash Carts Tell If You Haven’t Been Recycling http://inter5.org/archives/129905 http://inter5.org/archives/129905#comments Sun, 22 Aug 2010 18:53:00 +0000 samzenpus http://slashdot.feedsportal.com/c/32909/f/530758/s/d03bc94/l/0Lnews0Bslashdot0Borg0Cstory0C10A0C0A80C220C13462440CSmart0ETrash0ECarts0ETell0EIf0EYou0EHavent0EBeen0ERecycling0Dfrom0Frss/story01.htm

Starting next year Cleveland residents face paying a $100 fine if they don’t recycle, and the city’s new high-tech trash cans will keep track if they don’t. The new cans are embedded with radio frequency identification chips and bar codes which keep track of how often residents take them to the curb. If the chip shows you haven’t brought your recycle can out in a while, a lucky trash supervisor will go through your can looking for recyclables. From the article: “Trash carts containing more than 10 percent recyclable material could lead to a $100 fine, according to Waste Collection Commissioner Ronnie Owens. Recyclables include glass, metal cans, plastic bottles, paper and cardboard.”

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]]> http://inter5.org/archives/129905/feed 0 Portugal Gives Itself a Clean-Energy Makeover http://inter5.org/archives/129049 http://inter5.org/archives/129049#comments Thu, 12 Aug 2010 04:38:00 +0000 samzenpus http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/32909/f/530758/s/cb9eedb/l/0Lhardware0Bslashdot0Borg0Cstory0C10A0C0A80C120C0A0A552250CPortugal0EGives0EItself0Ea0EClean0EEnergy0EMakeover0Dfrom0Frss/story01.htm daem0n1x writes “It appears that some countries in oil-poor Europe are making a successful transition to renewable energy at a fast and steady pace. This article talks about the small country of Portugal on the West Coast of Europe, known for its white sand beaches, oranges, fish, and wines. Portugal has no oil, but lots of sun and wind. Five years ago, the government decided, against many dissenting voices, to invest massively in taking advantage of the country’s natural resources in clean energy. The results are here. It used to be a heavy energy importer, but now it exports it.”

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]]> http://inter5.org/archives/129049/feed 0 Abandon Earth Or Die, Warns Hawking http://inter5.org/archives/128824 http://inter5.org/archives/128824#comments Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:46:00 +0000 CmdrTaco http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/32909/f/530758/s/ca66b6c/l/0Lnews0Bslashdot0Borg0Cstory0C10A0C0A80C0A90C13272510CAbandon0EEarth0EOr0EDie0EWarns0EHawking0Dfrom0Frss/story01.htm siliconbits writes “According to famed theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, it’s time to free ourselves from Mother Earth. ‘I believe that the long-term future of the human race must be in space,’ Hawking tells Big Think. ‘It will be difficult enough to avoid disaster on planet Earth in the next hundred years, let alone the next thousand, or million. The human race shouldn’t have all its eggs in one basket, or on one planet. Let’s hope we can avoid dropping the basket until we have spread the load.’”

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]]> http://inter5.org/archives/128824/feed 0 100-Sq.-Mile Ice Island Breaks Off Greenland Glacier http://inter5.org/archives/128697 http://inter5.org/archives/128697#comments Sat, 07 Aug 2010 22:11:00 +0000 kdawson http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/32909/f/530758/s/c9d20ed/l/0Lnews0Bslashdot0Borg0Cstory0C10A0C0A80C0A70C21392370C10A0A0ESq0EMile0EIce0EIsland0EBreaks0EOff0EGreenland0EGlacier0Dfrom0Frss/story01.htm suraj.sun sends word of a 100-sq.-mile (260-sq.-km) ice island that broke off of a Greenland glacier on Thursday. “The block of ice separated from the Petermann Glacier, on the north-west coast of Greenland. It is the largest Arctic iceberg to calve since 1962… The ice could become frozen in place over winter or escape into the waters between Greenland and Canada. … [NASA satellite] images showed that Petermann Glacier lost about one-quarter of its 70-km-long (43-mile) floating ice shelf. There was enough fresh water locked up in the ice island to ‘keep all US public tap water flowing for 120 days,’ said Prof Muenchow.” The Montreal Gazette has more details and implications for Canadian shipping and oil exploration, along with this telling detail: “the ice island’s thickness [is] more than 200 metres in some places… [or] half the height of the Empire State Building.” The NY Times has a good satellite photo of the situation.

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]]> http://inter5.org/archives/128697/feed 0 Radioactive Boar On the Rise In Germany http://inter5.org/archives/128161 http://inter5.org/archives/128161#comments Mon, 02 Aug 2010 16:14:00 +0000 samzenpus Germans who go out in the woods today are sure of a big surprise, radioactive boars. A portion of the wild boar population in Germany was irradiated after the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown, and the boars are thriving. In the last two years government payments to compensate hunters for radioactive boar have quadrupled. From the article: “According to the Environment Ministry in Berlin, almost €425,000 ($555,000) was paid out to hunters in 2009 in compensation for wild boar meat that was too contaminated by radiation to be sold for consumption. That total is more than four times higher than compensation payments made in 2007.” I think the Germans are overlooking just how much money there is to be made from regenerating bacon.

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]]> http://inter5.org/archives/128161/feed 0 Chernobyl Area Survey Finds Lasting Problems For Wildlife http://inter5.org/archives/128090 http://inter5.org/archives/128090#comments Sun, 01 Aug 2010 23:50:00 +0000 timothy ninguna writes “The largest wildlife census of its kind conducted in Chernobyl has revealed that mammals are declining in the exclusion zone surrounding the nuclear power plant. While some stories seem to indicate Nature recovering, the actual picture isn’t quite so great.”

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]]> http://inter5.org/archives/128090/feed 0 Fossil Fuel Subsidies Dwarf Support For Renewables http://inter5.org/archives/127935 http://inter5.org/archives/127935#comments Sat, 31 Jul 2010 12:18:00 +0000 Soulskill TravisTR sends word of research from Bloomberg New Energy Finance which found that direct subsidies for renewable energy from governments worldwide totaled $43-46 billion in 2009, an amount vastly outstripped by the $557 billion in fossil fuel subsidies during 2008.
“The BNEF preliminary analysis suggests the US is the top country, as measured in dollars deployed, in providing direct subsidies for clean energy with an estimated $18.2bn spent in total in 2009. Approximately 40% of this went toward supporting the US biofuels sector with the rest going towards renewables. The federal stimulus program played a key role; its Treasury Department grant program alone provided $3.8bn in support for clean energy projects. China, the world leader in new wind installations in 2009 with 14GW, provided approximately $2bn in direct subsidies, according to the preliminary analysis. This figure is deceptive, however, as much crucial support for clean energy in the country comes in form of low-interest loans from state-owned banks. State-run power generators and grid companies have also been strongly encouraged by the government to tap their balance sheets in support of renewables.”

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]]> http://inter5.org/archives/127935/feed 0 1-in-1,000 Chance of Asteroid Impact In … 2182? http://inter5.org/archives/127807 http://inter5.org/archives/127807#comments Fri, 30 Jul 2010 05:57:00 +0000 timothy astroengine writes “Sure, we’re looking 172 years into the future, but an international collaboration of scientists have developed two mathematical models to help predict when a potentially hazardous asteroid (or PHA) may hit us, not in this century, but the next. The rationale is that to stand any hope in deflecting a civilization-ending or extinction-level impact, we need as much time as possible to deal with the threatening space rock. (Asteroid deflection can be a time-consuming venture, after all.) Enter ‘(101955) 1999 RQ36′ — an Apollo class, Earth-crossing, 500 meter-wide space rock. The prediction is that 1999 RQ36 has a 1-in-1,000 chance of hitting us in the future, and according to one of the study’s scientists, María Eugenia Sansaturio, half of those odds fall squarely on the year 2182.”

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]]> http://inter5.org/archives/127807/feed 0 Thermosphere Contraction Puzzles Scientists http://inter5.org/archives/127202 http://inter5.org/archives/127202#comments Sat, 17 Jul 2010 16:40:00 +0000 Soulskill The thermosphere layer of earth’s atmosphere begins 80 to 90 kilometers above the surface and extends several hundred kilometers into the sky; it is the home to numerous satellites and the International Space Station. It is known that the thermosphere occasionally cools and contracts, but a recent study of satellite orbital decay (due to light atmospheric drag) found that the contraction during 2008 and 2009 was significantly more severe than expected, leaving researchers at a loss for how to explain it. From Space.com:
“This type of collapse is not rare, but its magnitude shocked scientists. ‘This is the biggest contraction of the thermosphere in at least 43 years,’ said John Emmert of the Naval Research Lab, lead author of a paper announcing the finding in the June 19 issue of the journal Geophysical Research Letters. ‘It’s a Space Age record.’ The collapse occurred during a period of relative solar inactivity — called a solar minimum from 2008 to 2009. These minimums are known to cool and contract the thermosphere, however, the recent collapse was two to three times greater than low solar activity could explain.”

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]]> http://inter5.org/archives/127202/feed 0 The Gulf’s Great Turtle Relocation Project http://inter5.org/archives/127185 http://inter5.org/archives/127185#comments Fri, 16 Jul 2010 22:50:00 +0000 timothy An anonymous reader writes “All along the Gulf Coast’s beaches it’s turtle-hatching season. Conservationists knew the poor hatchlings wouldn’t have a chance if they swam out into the oily waters of the Gulf, so they came up with an incredibly ambitious plan: they would dig up 70,000 turtle eggs, carefully raise them in a climate-controlled hanger at the Kennedy Space Center, and release the hatchlings into the clean Atlantic waters off Florida’s east coast. Now that project is well underway, and Discover Magazine has pictures of the first batch of hatchlings crawling towards the welcoming waves. But there’s a chance all this do-gooding won’t do any good. New Scientist found experts who argue that releasing them into the Atlantic rather than into the Gulf will screw up the turtles’ navigation systems, which will prevent them from following their normal migratory routes.”

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]]> http://inter5.org/archives/127185/feed 0 BP Claims Gulf Well Has Been Stopped http://inter5.org/archives/126737 http://inter5.org/archives/126737#comments Thu, 15 Jul 2010 21:52:00 +0000 timothy An anonymous reader writes with word that BP has announced the Gulf oil spill has been stopped.

Another reader adds more detail: “The last valve on the new cap has been closed, and the flow of oil and gas into the sea has stopped. That doesn’t mean it’s over. It is unclear whether the steel casing deep in the well can contain the pressure. The risk is that it could burst, which would eventually cause a rupture on the sea floor that would make things much messier to deal with. However, they’re monitoring the pressure buildup carefully and if the pressure holds over the next 48 hours (indicating there is no leak below the sea floor), they’ll assess what to do next. If it doesn’t hold at the expected readings, then they’ll re-attach the pipe used for producing to the surface and start collecting again. Regardless of what happens the relief well still has to be completed to permanently plug the well with cement, which could take a couple more weeks.”

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]]> http://inter5.org/archives/126737/feed 0 Nuclear Power Could See a Revival http://inter5.org/archives/126469 http://inter5.org/archives/126469#comments Wed, 14 Jul 2010 07:34:00 +0000 kdawson shmG writes “As the U.S. moves to reduce dependence on oil, the nuclear industry is looking to expand, with new designs making their way through the regulatory process. No less than three new configurations for nuclear power are being considered for licensing by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The first of them could be generating power in Georgia by 2016.”

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]]> http://inter5.org/archives/126469/feed 0 The Search For the Mount Everest of Caves http://inter5.org/archives/126224 http://inter5.org/archives/126224#comments Sun, 11 Jul 2010 23:40:00 +0000 kdawson NoMeansYes writes “An interview with James Tabor, author of the new best-selling book Blind Descent, introduces a pair of accomplished scientists — American Bill Stone and Ukranian geologist Alexander Klimchouk — who are the two most prominent figures in extreme caving. Both have figured prominently in the ongoing quest to discover the deepest cave on earth. Tabor describes what conditions are like inside supercaves like Cheve (-4,869 feet) and Krubera (-7,188 feet), before discussing Stone and his far-reaching technological innovations. These include the Posideon Discovery Rebreather and NASA’s ENDURANCE. Extreme caving probably won’t remain underground (so to speak) much longer, however. The article notes that James Cameron is planning to release a 3D film next year about extreme cave divers.”

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]]> http://inter5.org/archives/126224/feed 0 Climategate and the Need For Greater Scientific Openness http://inter5.org/archives/126212 http://inter5.org/archives/126212#comments Sun, 11 Jul 2010 17:22:00 +0000 Soulskill The Guardian follows up on the recent news that CRU climate scientists were cleared of scientific misconduct with an article that focuses on how the controversy could have been avoided, and public trust retained, had the scientists made more of an effort to be open about their research. You may recall our discussion of a report from Pennsylvania State University; that was followed by another review with similar conclusions. Quoting:
“The review, led by Sir Muir Russell, does not mention the media. Instead, it examines the reaction of the scientists at the UEA’s Climatic Research Unit (CRU) to the pressure exerted by bloggers: ‘An important feature of the blogosphere is the extent to which it demands openness and access to data. A failure to recognize this and to act appropriately can lead to immense reputational damage by feeding allegations of cover-up.’ The review adds: ‘We found a lack of recognition of the extent to which earlier action to release information might have minimized the problems.’ Pressure on the scientists, whose once esoteric work creating records of past temperatures had gained global significance, was intense. In 2005, CRU head Phil Jones replied to a request: ‘We have 25 or so years invested in the work. Why should I make the data available to you, when your aim is to try and find something wrong with it?’ But, the review implies, the more they blocked, the more the Freedom of Information requests flooded in.”

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