If you have been unable to contact friends or relatives in Victoria, please call the Red Cross: 1800 727 077.

The Australian Red Cross Victoria Bushfires Appeal

You can donate money, clothing or household items to the Salvation Army, Australia

To help animals affected by the fires visit:-

Wildlife Victoria

Animal Aid

Help for Wildlife

Triple R Equine Welfare

International Fund for Animal Welfare

Australian residents can contact the following telephone numbers to offer aid to the bushfire victims (thanks to ABC, Melbourne):

Alpine Shire: 5755 0513
Baw Baw Shire: 1300 859 446
Cardinia Shire: 1300 787 624
City of Greater Bendigo: 03 5447 2248
City of Horsham: 03 5382 9794
Indigo Shire: 5728 8000
Latrobe City: 1800 017 777
Nillumbilk Shire: 9438 5299
Yarra Ranges: 1300 368 333
Murrindini Shire: 03 5772 0333
Mitchell Shire: 03 5734 6232
Wellington Shire: 1300 137 218
Whittlesea Shire: 9217 2170

Image courtesy of Help for Wildlife

Like RADARSAT-1 and RADARSAT-2, the Constellation will be designed to function day and night in all weather conditions. It will fully support the priorities of the government and enhance Canada's ability to ensure its sovereignty and security through space-borne maritime surveillance,including the Northwest Passage.

'The federal government is proud to support this innovative Canadian-made technology, which will enhance our ability to detect oil spills and monitor floods, landslides and eruptions - and do so in a more timely and comprehensive way than is currently possible,' said the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Industry.

'Today's announcement further reflects this government's commitment to innovation and technology. The possibilities of use for this sort of technology are many, and our investment in the RADARSAT Constellation Mission demonstrates our desire to remain at the forefront of scientific advancement,' said the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Public Works and Government Services.

'The development of this constellation will support the government in its efforts to assure sustainable development, manage natural resources, and exercise security and sovereignty, especially in the Arctic,' said Steve MacLean, President of the Canadian Space Agency. 'It will also allow Canada to continue to contribute significantly to global disaster management and rescue efforts.'

Under the contract, MDA will complete the preliminary design of the RCM satellite and ground infrastructure. While the initial mission includes three satellites, the Constellation is designed to grow to include up to six satellites. This will allow the system to address future requirements as they arise with greater flexibility.

The RADARSAT Constellation Mission will ensure C-band data continuity for RADARSAT users, as well as adding a new series of applications enabled through the constellation approach. The first satellite of the constellation will be launched to ensure that there is no data gap as RADARSAT-2 nears the end of its planned life. The main uses of RCM are expected to be in the areas of: maritime surveillance (ship detection, ice monitoring, and oil spill detection); disaster management; and ecosystem monitoring.

Established in 1989, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) coordinates all civil, space-related policies and programs on behalf of the Government of Canada. CSA directs its resources and activities through four key thrusts: Earth Observation, Space Science and Exploration, Satellite Communications, and Space Awareness and Learning. By leveraging international cooperation, the CSA generates world-class scientific research and industrial development for the benefit of humanity.

- courtesy of Canadian Space Agency

Image: RADARSAT-2; credit: Canadian Space Agency and MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates.

Results of the study appear online Nov. 3, 2008, in a paper in the journal Global Change Biology.

When the soil in these forests is warmed, fungi that feed on dead plant material, such as mushrooms, dry out and produce significantly less climate-warming carbon dioxide than fungi in cooler, wetter soil.

The finding came as a surprise to scientists, who expected warmer soil to emit larger amounts of carbon dioxide; extreme cold is believed to slow down the process by which fungi convert soil carbon into carbon dioxide.

'Although microbes such as fungi are among the smallest of life forms, they're also incredibly diverse and abundant,' said Matt Kane, program director in the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s Division of Environmental Biology, which funded the research. 'It's becoming increasingly apparent that our understanding of large-scale processes, such as how ecosystems respond to climate change, requires a greater comprehension of the biology of these small creatures.'

Knowing how forests cycle carbon is crucial to accurately predicting global climate warming. This is especially important in northern forests.

Global warming is expected to hit northern latitudes hardest, raising temperatures between five and seven degrees Celsius by the year 2100.

'We don't get a vicious cycle of warming in dry, boreal forests, but instead, we get the reverse, where warming actually prevents further warming from occurring,' said Steven Allison, an ecologist at the University of California at Irvine (UCI), and lead author of the paper.

Soils in the far north contain carbon from dead grasses, trees and shrubs. Like humans, fungi and bacteria in soil use plant carbon as a food source and convert it into carbon dioxide.
__________________________________________

A warmer, drier climate may slow the release of carbon dioxide by fungi that produce mushrooms. Credit: Steven Allison, UCI
__________________________________________

Allison and colleague Kathleen Treseder, also an ecologist at UCI, sought to find out what happens to carbon dioxide levels when boreal forest soil not containing permafrost is warmed.

About one-third of the world's boreal forests do not contain permafrost, which is mostly located in Alaska, Canada, Western Siberia and Northern Europe.

The scientists conducted their experiment in a spruce forest near Fairbanks, Alaska. They built small greenhouses and identified similar unheated plots nearby to serve as controls. Both plots received equal amounts of water.

In mid-May when growing season began, air and soil temperatures were the same in greenhouses and control plots. When greenhouses were closed, air temperature rose about five degrees Celsius, and soil temperature rose about one degree.

The scientists took measurements in the greenhouses and unheated plots and found that by growing season's end in mid-August, soil in warmed greenhouses produced about half as much carbon dioxide as soil in cooler control plots.

A soil analysis found that about half as much active fungi were present in experimental greenhouse samples compared with samples from the controls. When fungi dry out, they either die or become inactive and stop producing carbon dioxide, the scientists said.

'It's fortuitous for humans that the fungi are negatively affected by this warming,' said Treseder. 'It might help offset a little bit of the carbon dioxide we are putting directly into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels. It's not so great, however, for the fungi.'

This work was also supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and a NOAA Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellowship.

- courtesy of National Science Foundation

Weather and Oceanographic News ]]> http://space.gs/news/?p=909/feed http://space.gs/news/?p=901 http://space.gs/news/?p=901#comments Sun, 02 Nov 2008 22:57:08 +0000 Space and Astronautics News http://space.gs/news/?p=901 Humanitarian aid workers responding to devastating flooding in Honduras have received assistance from space, with satellite images of affected areas provided rapidly following activation of the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters.

Tens of thousands of people have been displaced and 33 lives have been claimed by floods and landslides brought on by a tropical depression that hit the Central American country on 16 October.
On 27 October, the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT) asked the International Charter on 'Space and Major Disasters', referred to as 'The Charter', for support. Satellite images of the area acquired by ESA's Envisat were delivered the same day.

The Charter, founded in October 2000 by ESA, the French Space Agency (CNES) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), works to provide satellite data free of charge to those affected by disasters anywhere in the world.

With inundated areas typically visible from space, Earth Observation (EO) is increasingly being used for flood response and mitigation. One of the biggest problems during flooding emergencies is obtaining an overall view of the phenomenon, with a clear idea of the extent of the flooded area.
_______________________________________________

Aerial view of flooded areas in the locality of Reyes Caballero, Cortes Department, Honduras. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced and 33 lives have been claimed by floods and landslides brought on by a tropical depression that hit the Central American country on 16 October. Credit: AFP
_______________________________________________

The crisis image of the Cortes Department, one of the hardest hit areas, is comprised of two Envisat radar images - one acquired on 25 October and one on 20 September that was used as a reference. The blue and red colours indicate areas that are potentially flooded.

The flooding is being compared to the devastation left by Hurricane Mitch, which killed about 6,000 people when it ripped through Honduras a decade ago. Overall, Mitch claimed more than 10,000 lives across Central America.
_______________________________________________

Honduras has been affected by severe flooding and landslides since 16 October 2008. This map, over the Cortes Department, is comprised of two Envisat Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) images - one acquired before flooding (20 September 2008) and one acquired after flooding (25 October 2008). Black and white areas correspond to places where the radar signal did not change. Blue indicates areas where the radar signal dropped, and red indicates areas where the signal increased. Both blue and red colours indicate areas that are potentially flooded. Credit: ESA
_______________________________________________

In the wake of Hurricane Mitch, ESA, CNES and Spot Image worked to provide rapid and accurate EO-based maps of the area to emergency response teams. The reaction by the space community to the impact of Mitch is considered a precursor to the Charter.

Today, the Charter has 10 members, including ESA, CNES, CSA, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Argentine Space Agency (CONAE), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the British National Space Centre/Disaster Monitoring Constellation (BNSC/DMC), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

- courtesy of European Space Agency ]]> http://space.gs/news/?p=901/feed http://space.gs/news/?p=889 http://space.gs/news/?p=889#comments Wed, 29 Oct 2008 18:06:00 +0000 Space and Astronautics News http://space.gs/news/?p=889 The amount of methane in Earth's atmosphere shot up in 2007, bringing to an end approximately a decade in which atmospheric levels of the potent greenhouse gas were essentially stable. The new study is based on data from a worldwide NASA-funded measurement network.

Methane levels in the atmosphere have more than tripled since pre-industrial times, accounting for around one-fifth of the human contribution to greenhouse gas-driven global warming. Until recently, the leveling off of methane levels had suggested that the rate of its emission from Earth's surface was being approximately balanced by the rate of its destruction in the atmosphere.

However, the balance has been upset since early 2007, according to research published this week in the American Geophysical Union's 'Geophysical Review Letters.' The paper's lead authors, Matthew Rigby and Ronald Prinn of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, say this imbalance has resulted in several million metric tons of additional methane in the atmosphere.
_________________________________________

Global methane (CH4) concentrations rose in 2007. The red line shows the trend together with seasonal variations. The black line indicates the trend that emerges when the seasonal cycle has been removed. Credit: NOAA
_________________________________________

Methane is produced by wetlands, rice paddies, cattle, and the gas and coal industries. It is destroyed in the atmosphere by reaction with the hydroxyl free radical, often referred to as the atmosphere's 'cleanser.'

'This increase in methane is worrisome because the recent stability of methane levels was helping to compensate for the unexpectedly fast growth of carbon dioxide emissions,' said climate modeler Drew Shindell at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York.

'If methane continues to increase rapidly, we'll lose that offsetting effect. We will use NASA's climate modeling capability to improve our understanding of what is causing the increase and project future
methane levels.'

One surprising feature of this recent growth is that it occurred almost simultaneously at all measurement locations across the globe. However, the majority of methane emissions are in the Northern Hemisphere, and it takes more than one year for gases to be mixed between the hemispheres. Theoretical analysis of the measurements shows that if an increase in emissions is solely responsible, these emissions must have risen by a similar amount in both hemispheres at the same time.

The scientists analyzed air samples collected by the NASA-funded Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment ground network from 1997 through April 2008. The network was created in the 1970s in response to international concerns about chemicals depleting the ozone layer. It is supported by NASA as part of its congressional mandate to monitor ozone-depleting trace gases, many of which also are greenhouse gases. Air samples are collected and analyzed at several stations around the world.

According to the researchers, a rise in Northern Hemispheric emissions may be a result of very warm conditions over Siberia throughout 2007, potentially leading to increased bacterial emissions from wetland areas. However, a potential cause for an increase in Southern Hemispheric emissions is less clear.

An alternative explanation for the rise may lie, at least in part, with a drop in the concentrations of the methane-destroying hydroxyl free radical. Theoretical studies show that if this has happened, the required global methane emissions rise would have been smaller and more strongly biased to the Northern Hemisphere. At present, however, it is uncertain whether such a drop in hydroxyl free radical concentrations did occur.

'The next step to pin down the cause of the methane increase will be to study this using a very high-resolution atmospheric circulation model and additional measurements from other networks,' Prinn said. 'The key is to determine more precisely the relative roles of increased methane emission versus a decrease in the rate of removal. Apparently we have a mix of the two, but we want to know how much of each is responsible for the overall increase.'

It is too early to tell whether this increase represents a return to sustained methane growth, or the beginning of a relatively
short-lived anomaly, according to Rigby and Prinn. Given that methane is about 25 times stronger as a greenhouse gas per metric ton of emissions than carbon dioxide, the situation will require careful monitoring in the near future to better understand methane's impact on future climate change.

- courtesy of Steve Cole, NASA Headquarters, Washington DC; Jen Hirsch, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge. ]]> http://space.gs/news/?p=889/feed http://space.gs/news/?p=888 http://space.gs/news/?p=888#comments Wed, 29 Oct 2008 11:55:24 +0000 Space and Astronautics News http://space.gs/news/?p=888 The thickness of sea ice in large parts of the Arctic declined by as much as 19 percent last winter compared to the previous five winters, according to data from ESA's Envisat satellite. Using Envisat radar altimeter data, scientists from the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling at University College London (UCL) measured sea ice thickness over the Arctic from 2002 to 2008 and found that it had been fairly constant until the record loss of ice in the summer of 2007.

Unusually warm weather conditions were present over the Arctic in 2007, which some scientists have said explain that summer ice loss. However, this summer reached the second-lowest extent ever recorded with cooler weather conditions present. Dr Katharine Giles of UCL, who led the study, said: 'This summer's low ice extent doesn't seem to have been driven by warm weather, so the question is, was last winter's thinning behind it?' The research, reported in Geophysical Research Letters, showed that last winter the average thickness of sea ice over the whole Arctic fell by 26 cm (10 percent) compared with the average thickness of the previous five winters, but sea ice in the western Arctic lost around 49 cm of thickness. Giles said the extent of sea ice in the Arctic is down to a number of factors, including warm temperatures, currents and wind, making it important to know how ice thickness is changing as well as the extent of the ice.
____________________________

Arctic sea ice extent as seen by Envisat's Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) sensor during mid-September 2007 and mid-September 2008. The Arctic sea areas covered by ice in September 2008, but ice-free in September 2007, are visible in blue. The Arctic sea areas covered by ice in September 2007, but ice free in September 2008, are visible in dark brown. The Arctic sea covered by ice both in September 2007 and September 2008 are visible in light brown. Credit: ESA
____________________________

'As the Arctic ice pack is constantly moving, conventional methods can only provide sparse and intermittent easurements of ice thickness from which it is difficult to tell whether the changes are local or across the whole Arctic,' Giles said. 'Satellites provide the only means to determine trends
and a consistent and wide area basis. Envisat altimeter data have provided the critical third dimension to the satellite images which have already revealed a dramatic decrease in the area of ice covered in the Arctic.' The team, including Dr Seymour Laxon and Andy Ridout, was the first to measure ice thickness throughout the Arctic winter, from October to March, over more than half of the Arctic. 'We will continue to use Envisat to monitor the evolution of ice thickness through this winter to see whether this downward trend will continue,' Laxon said. 'Next year we will have an even better
tool to measure ice thickness in the shape of ESA's CryoSat-2 mission which will provide higher resolution data and with almost complete coverage to the pole.'

- courtesy of European Space Agency ]]> http://space.gs/news/?p=888/feed http://space.gs/news/?p=885 http://space.gs/news/?p=885#comments Wed, 29 Oct 2008 10:51:00 +0000 Space and Astronautics News http://space.gs/news/?p=885 NOAA's Fisheries Service will increase its protection of threatened elkhorn
and staghorn corals in Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands
through a new rule to prohibit activities that result in death or harm to
either species. The new regulations take effect on Nov. 21.

Elkhorn coral; credit: NOAA

These corals provide the branching framework for reef creatures in search of
a safe place to live, eat, and grow. The preservation and recovery of these
threatened corals is essential to the conservation of an entire ecosystem.
Both elkhorn and staghorn corals were listed as threatened under the
Endangered Species Act in May 2006.

"These corals were once the major reef builders in Florida and the
Caribbean, but now more than 90 percent of their populations are lost," said
Roy Crabtree, NOAA's Fisheries Service's southeast regional administrator.
"That not only threatens their survival" it affects the entire ecosystem.
This rule will strengthen our efforts to recover these corals by allowing us
to address the human-induced threats affecting their status."

The rule will prohibit the import, export, take, and all commercial
activities involving elkhorn and staghorn corals, including:

* collection or any activities that result in the corals' mortality or
injury,
* anchoring, grounding a vessel, or dragging any other gear on the species;
* damaging the species' habitat;
* discharging any pollutant or contaminant that harms the species.

Species listed as "endangered" under the ESA are covered by a suite of
protective measures and prohibitions in the law. However, for species listed
as "threatened," such as elkhorn and staghorn corals, these same measures
and prohibitions do not automatically apply. NOAA's Fisheries Service has
developed a separate rule under section 4(d) of the ESA that identifies the
prohibitions necessary to conserve elkhorn and staghorn corals.

Staghorn coral; credit: NOAA

The rule will not prohibit scientific research and enhancement activities or
restoration activities carried out or permitted by authorized agencies.

"We received a lot of input from our partners and constituents during the
development of this rule," said Jennifer Moore, a biologist for NOAA's
Fisheries Service. "That information helped shape a rule that will provide
benefits and protections to maintain these corals for future generations."

NOAA's Fisheries Service also received 30 written comments during a 60-day
comment period for the proposed rule, which was published in the Federal
Register on Dec. 14, 2007.

In a related step toward conserving elkhorn and staghorn corals, NOAA's
Fisheries Service is finalizing the package that designates critical habitat
for the species. A separate rule is expected to be issued that will require
federal agencies to scrutinize whether their activities will destroy or
adversely modify areas designated as critical habitat for threatened corals.

- courtesy of NOAA ]]> http://space.gs/news/?p=885/feed http://www.space.gs/weathernews/08/15-oct-2008-noaa.htmlhttp://space.gs/weathernews/08/15-oct-2008-noaa.html Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:00:00 +0000]]>The combined global land and ocean surface average temperature for September 2008 tied with September 2001 as the ninth warmest since records began in 1880, according to an analysis by NOAA's National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. - NOAA ]]> NOAA: Ninth Warmest September for Global Temperatures

The combined global land and ocean surface average temperature for September 2008 tied with September 2001 as the ninth warmest since records began in 1880, according to an analysis by NOAA's National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C.

Temperature Highlights

• The combined global land and ocean surface temperature for September was 59.79 F - this is 0.79 degree F above the 20th century mean of 59.0 degrees F.

• Separately, the global land surface temperature was 54.50 F - this is 0.90 degree F above the 20th century mean of 53.6 degrees F, tying September 2004 as 11th warmest on record.

• The global ocean surface temperature of 61.86 F tied September 2001 as seventh warmest on record and was 0.76 degree F above the 20th century mean of 61.1 degrees F.

Global Highlights for September

• Arctic sea ice coverage during September was at its second lowest extent since satellite records began in 1979, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. Average ice extent during September was 1.80 million square miles, which is 34 percent below the 1979-2000 average and is part of an 11.7 percent decline in extent per decade over the past 30 years. The record lowest extent, set in 2007 was 1.65 million square miles.

• In early September, Hurricane Gustav impacted the Caribbean. Flooding associated with Hurricane Hanna claimed more than 500 lives in Haiti. In the middle of the month, Hurricane Ike claimed about 145 lives, many in Haiti. Near the end of September, Hurricane Kyle brought torrential rain and flooding to Puerto Rico and Hispaniola before heading north. It made landfall in Nova Scotia, Canada as a Category 1 hurricane.

• In the Pacific, Typhoon Sinlaku brought flooding to the Philippines before striking Taiwan and Japan. Parts of Taiwan received more than 40 inches of rain. Then, Typhoon Hagupit hit the Philippines and Taiwan before making landfall in southeastern China with winds of 121 mph. Other typhoons included: Super Typhoon Jangmi, which made landfall in Taiwan, with 130 mph winds. Jangmi was the most intense tropical cyclone and first Category 5 storm in any basin during 2008. 

• Heavy rain across southern Chile spawned flooding and mudslides that claimed four lives and damaged more than 10,000 homes. Severe storms in the United Kingdom brought widespread flooding that forced the evacuation of thousands of residents and claimed six lives.  Heavy downpours across northern Iraq and Iran destroyed several hydroelectric facilities and claimed 16 lives. And more than 200 fatalities were associated with flooding from monsoonal rains across Malaysia, Thailand, and India.

• With just 0.47 inch of rain, Melbourne, Australia had its driest September since records began in 1855, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. The states of South Australia and Victoria had their eighth driest September on record.

• Fast-moving wild fires raged across parts of southern Africa during the first week in September. The fires claimed 89 lives in Mozambique, Swaziland, and South Africa, and killed hundreds of livestock.

- courtesy of NOAA; image credit: NOAA

View Full Story...

- courtesy of NOAA National Hurricane Center; image credit: NOAA

]]> Space and Astronautics Newsglobal warmingclimate change NOAAEarthtemperaturesoceanArcticsea iceoceanographyweathermeteorologysevere weathertropical stormhurricanetyphoondroughtWeather and Oceanographic News http://www.space.gs/weathernews/08/07-oct-2008-envisat.htmlhttp://space.gs/weathernews/08/07-oct-2008-envisat.html Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:30:00 +0000]]>The 2008 ozone hole - a thinning in the ozone layer over Antarctica - is larger both in size and ozone loss than in 2007, but is not as large as in 2006. Ozone is a protective atmospheric layer found in about 25 kilometres altitude that acts as a sunlight filter shielding life on Earth from harmful ultraviolet rays, which can increase the risk of skin cancer and cataracts and harm marine life. This year the area of the thinned ozone layer over the South Pole reached about 27 million square kilometres, compared to 25 million square kilometres in 2007 and a record ozone hole extension of 29 million square kilometres in 2006, which is about the size of the North American continent. - European Space Agency ]]> Envisat: Ozone Hole Now Larger Than in Previous Year.

The 2008 ozone hole - a thinning in the ozone layer over Antarctica - is larger both in size and ozone loss than in 2007, but is not as large as in 2006.

Ozone is a protective atmospheric layer found in about 25 kilometres altitude that acts as a sunlight filter shielding life on Earth from harmful ultraviolet rays, which can increase the risk of skin cancer and cataracts and harm marine life.

This year the area of the thinned ozone layer over the South Pole reached about 27 million square kilometres, compared to 25 million square kilometres in 2007 and a record ozone hole extension of 29 million square kilometres in 2006, which is about the size of the North American continent.

The depletion of ozone is caused by extreme cold temperatures at high altitude and the presence of ozone-destructing gases in the atmosphere such as chlorine and bromine, originating from man-made products like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which were phased out under the 1987 Montreal Protocol but continue to linger in the atmosphere.

Depending on the weather conditions, the size the Antarctic ozone hole varies every year. During the southern hemisphere winter, the atmosphere above the Antarctic continent is kept cut off from exchanges with mid-latitude air by prevailing winds known as the polar vortex - the area in which the main chemical ozone destruction occurs. The polar vortex is characterized by very low temperatures leading to the presence of so-called stratospheric clouds (PSCs).

As the polar spring arrives in September or October, the combination of returning sunlight and the presence of PSCs leads to a release of highly ozone-reactive chlorine radicals that break ozone down into individual oxygen molecules. A single molecule of chlorine has the potential to break down thousands of molecules of ozone.

Julian Meyer-Arnek of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), which monitors the hole annually, explained the impact of regional meteorological conditions on the time and range of the ozone hole by comparing 2007 with 2008.

"In 2007 a weaker meridional heat transport was responsible for colder temperatures in the stratosphere over the Antarctic, leading to an intensified formation of PSCs in the stratosphere," Meyer-Arnek said. "Therefore, we saw a fast ozone hole formation in the beginning of September 2007."

"In 2008 a stronger-than-usual meridional heat transport caused warmer temperatures in the Antarctic stratosphere than usual, reducing the formation of PSCs. Consequently, the conversion of chemically inactive halogens into ozone-destroying substances was reduced. As a result in the beginning of September 2008, the ozone hole area was slightly smaller than average," he continued.

View Full Story...

- courtesy of European Space Agency; image credit: KNMI/ESA

]]> Space and Astronautics Newsozone holeAntarcticaoceansoceanographystratosphereAntarcticatmosphereEarthESAEnvisatclimate changeenvironmentozonesatelliteglobal warmingEuropean Space AgencyweathermeteorologyWeather and Oceanographic News http://www.space.gs/weathernews/08/06-oct-2008-usgs.htmlhttp://space.gs/weathernews/08/06-oct-2008-usgs.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 22:30:00 +0000]]>Most glaciers in every mountain range and island group in Alaska are experiencing significant retreat, thinning or stagnation, especially glaciers at lower elevations, according to a new book published by the U.S. Geological Survey. In places, these changes began as early as the middle of the 18th century. - US Geological Survey ]]> USGS: Most Alaskan Glaciers Retreating, Thinning, Stagnating.

Most glaciers in every mountain range and island group in Alaska are experiencing significant retreat, thinning or stagnation, especially glaciers at lower elevations, according to a new book published by the U.S. Geological Survey. In places, these changes began as early as the middle of the 18th century.

Although more than 99 percent of Alaska's large glaciers are retreating, a handful, surprisingly, are advancing.

The Glaciers of Alaska, authored by USGS research geologist Bruce Molnia, represents a comprehensive overview of the state of the glaciers of Alaska at the end of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st century. Richard Williams Jr., an emeritus senior research glaciologist with the USGS, said the 550-page volume will serve as a major reference work for glaciologists studying glaciers in Alaska in the years and decades to come.

The report uses a combination of satellite images, vertical aerial photographs (black-and-white and color-infrared photos taken from airplanes, looking straight down), oblique aerial photographs (color photos taken from the air at an angle, such as most regular photos), and maps, supported by the scientific literature, to document the distribution and behavior of glaciers throughout Alaska.

The author concludes that, because of the vast areas encompassed by the glacierized regions of Alaska, satellite remote sensing provides the only feasible means of monitoring changes in glacier area and in position of termini - the end of a glacier - in response to short- and long-term changes in the marine and continental climates of Alaska.

Alaskan glaciers are found in 11 mountain ranges, one large island, one island chain, and one archipelago. Details about the recent behavior of many of Alaska's glaciers are contained in this richly illustrated book, with multiple photographs and satellite images, as well as hundreds of aerial photographs by Molnia, taken during his more than four decades of work in Alaska.

Three other USGS glaciologists authored two sidebar sections of the book: Columbia and Hubbard Tidewater Glaciers, by Robert M. Krimmel; and The 1986 and 2002 Temporary Closures of Russell Fiord by the Hubbard Glacier, by Bruce F. Molnia, Dennis C. Trabant, Rod S. March, and Robert M. Krimmel. A third section, Geospatial Inventory and Analysis of Glaciers: a Case Study for the Eastern Alaska Range, was authored by William F. Manley, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR), University of Colorado.

This professional paper (USGS Professional Paper 1386-K) is available in print and online at http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/p1386k/. It is the 8th volume to be published in the Satellite Image Atlas of Glaciers of the World series; the other seven volumes are available in print and online at http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2005/3056/ More than 100 glaciologists from the United States and other nations have collaborated with the USGS to produce these 11 volumes.

View Full Story...

- courtesy of US Geological Survey; image credit: Bruce Molnia, USGS

]]> Space and Astronautics NewsUSGSglaciersclimate changeenvironmentAlaskasatelliteglobal warmingweathermeteorologyWeather and Oceanographic News ]]>Horrific and inhumane methods of bile extraction have been developed by the bear farming industry. With your support, WSPA aims to stop the farming of bears for bile extraction and body parts across Asia. - World Society for the Protection of Animals]]> http://www.petitiononline.com/bears/petition.htmlhttp://petitiononline.com/bears/petition.htmlFri, 01 Aug 2008 12:00:00 +0000Space and Astronautics News Weather and Oceanographic News - Space.gs
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