Earth Gauge

Power Down

gray — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:42:13 +0000

Small Electronics can Contribute to High Energy Bills

Keep Trees Alive

gray — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:40:59 +0000

Help Trees During Drought

Keep Your Body Warm

gray — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:38:43 +0000

Tips to Avoid Frostbite

Toss Don’t Flush

gray — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:37:38 +0000

Refrain from Flushing Tissues Down the Toilet

Severe Weather Awareness

gray — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:35:59 +0000

Keep Specific Items Handy In Case of Severe Weather

Calibrando La Tierra: El Compostaje de Invierno hace Centavos

espinoza — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:26:19 +0000

La mayoría de los hogares siguen produciendo desechos de jardín durante la temporada de invierno, que pueden ser reciclados en compostaje para su uso en los patios y jardines en la primavera. El uso de compostaje en el jardín mejora el perfil de nutrientes y la estructura del suelo y reduce las enfermedades y plagas. La salud del suelo y las plantas reducen la necesidad de agua, fertilizantes y pesticidas, lo que ahorra tiempo y dinero a los jardineros.

Consejos: Recoja los desechos de jardín durante la temporada de invierno y haga una pila de compostaje en un cubo de por lo menos un metro cúbico de tamaño. Un recipiente que esté lleno en el invierno debe terminar el proceso de compostaje en la primavera, a tiempo para su uso. Residuos adicionales, tales como las hojas caídas o hierba cortada, pueden ser recogidos y almacenados en un recipiente aparte, para ser utilizado en pilas de abono durante todo el año.

Esta información fue traída a usted por el Water Conservation Garden. Aprenda más en www.thegarden.org.

Número Climático: 2279 Años

espinoza — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:58:25 +0000

La sequía es definida como un período anormalmente seco que dura lo suficiente como para afectar a los cultivos, la fauna y la gente. Pero, ¿qué significa anormalmente seco? ¿Qué es la lluvia normal? Para responder a esto, los científicos tienen que saber cómo las lluvias han variado con el tiempo – no sólo en los últimos años, décadas o siglos, pero incluso en los últimos milenios y varios cientos de miles de años. Saber como era la precipitación de hace siglos es difícil, pero buenas suposiciones pueden hacerse con base en el análisis de anillos de los árboles. En regiones templadas como los Estados Unidos, los árboles tienen un período de crecimiento y un período de descanso. El período de crecimiento comienza en la primavera y es seguido por un período de rápido crecimiento que disminuye en el verano y el otoño. La diferencia en el color y el ancho entre la madera temprana que crece en la primavera y la madera tardía que crece en el verano y el otoño deja atrás la apariencia familiar de anillos en los árboles. La anchura de estos anillos, especialmente en la madera temprana, depende de una serie de factores, tales como la disponibilidad de humedad, la luz del sol, la ocurrencia de la última helada del invierno y la disponibilidad de nutrientes. En el suroeste de EE.UU., la disponibilidad de agua es el factor dominante para limitar el crecimiento del árbol, con árboles que crecen mucho más durante los años lluviosos. Análisis de la anchura de los anillos de árboles procedentes de colecciones de muestras de árboles vivos, así como troncos de árboles preservados y otras fuentes de madera, ha ayudado a los científicos ha establecer una cronología de las lluvias en las cabeceras del Río Grande que se remota a 268 AC – 2279 años atrás. Estas cabeceras se encuentran en las montañas de San Juan en Colorado, donde crecen muchos pinos de conos erizados. El análisis de estos anillos de los árboles demuestra que del año 1 a alrededor de 400 DC, la región experimentó una sequía de intensidad y duración mucho mayor a cualquier otra registrada en la región durante los últimos siglos.

(Fuente: Rouston, CC et al. “Second century megadrought in the Rio Grande headwaters, Colorado: How unusual was the medieval drought?” Geophysical Research Letters 38 (2011): L22703.)

Dirección:

Climate Number: One Inch per Year

kraus — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:15:42 +0000

The extent of the Arctic sea ice, which is usually gauged by its annual minimum extent in September, has been declining by 11.2 percent per decade since 1979. Large-scale effects of this decline impact Earth’s climate, primarily through increased absorption of sunlight by the open oceans. Local effects have also been documented. As ice has melted, the number of open water days along the coasts of the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas around Alaska increased from an average of 45 days in the late 1970’s to about 95 days in recent years. This increased melt means there is less ice protecting and stabilizing the sea cliffs in the region, which has caused increased cliff erosion along these coasts. The sea cliffs are now retreating at a rate of 45 feet per year. Decreased Arctic sea ice has also made the waters in the Chukchi Sea and Pacific-Arctic Ocean choppier. Less ice means that there is a larger area in which waves can develop and a longer ice-free season, allowing for late fall and early winter storms to move over water instead of ice. These developments mean that the average surface wave heights are growing over the Chukchi Sea at a rate of 0.8 inches per year and over the Pacific-Arctic at a rate of one inch per year. In the Chukchi Sea, there were five events in the 2000s when surface wave heights exceeded 13 feet; during the 1990s, only two of these events occurred.

For comparison: Global sea level is rising at about 2.1 millimeters per year, or a little over one-sixteenth of an inch.

Seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

Sources: Overeem, I et al. “Sea ice loss enhances wave action at the Arctic coast.” Geophysical Research Letters 38 (2011): L17503 and National Snow and Ice Data Center: Arctic Sea Ice News and Analysis. Accessed Online 28 January 2011 and Francis, OP et al. “Ocean wave conditions in the Chukchi Sea from satellite and in situ observations.” Geophysical Research Letters 38 (2011): L24610.

Climate Number: 1.3 Petawatts

kraus — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:12:46 +0000

Discussions of climate and climate variability often focus on temperature trends at the Earth’s surface, which is where humans spend most of their time. But the atmosphere holds onto little energy compared to the oceans – the top few feet of the ocean holds as much heat as the entire atmosphere above it! Transfers and imbalances in ocean heat content drive weather variability on land. The long timescales involved in ocean heat transfer enable forecasters to make predictions on seasonal time scales, and trends in the ocean currents that move ocean heat around hold significant potential for enhancing such predictions. One of the strongest ocean currents is the Gulf Stream, which is part of the larger Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC), a system of poleward moving warm water at the surface and equatorward moving cold water at the depths from 4,000 to about 16,000 feet down. The AMOC system moves about 1.3 petawatts of heat northward, which helps to keep Europe warmer than other locations at its latitude. Variations in this heat transport, as illustrated by changes in the strength of ocean current flows, can be used to make predictions about future heat distribution patterns in the oceans and thus future weather pattern predominance. Between 2000 and 2010, the stream of cold, equatorward moving deepwater has weakened by about three Sverdrups (30 million cubic meters per second), which represents about a 20 percent decrease.

For comparison: Including energy for transport, manufacturing, heating and cooling, residential electricity, etc., it takes about 324 billion watts to power the United States. That is about 1/4000th of the 1.3 petawatts of power in the Atlantic Ocean’s northward heat transport.

Seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

Sources: Energy Information Administration. Annual Energy Review, 2010. Accessed Online 28 January 2012 and Send, Uwe et al. “Observation of decadal change in the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation using 10 years of continuous transport data.” Geophysical Research Letters 38 (2011): L24606.

World Wetlands Day

espinoza — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:20:16 +0000

Each year, World Wetlands Day is celebrated on February 2nd. Wetlands come in many forms and go by many names – estuaries, bogs, mangrove swamps, vernal pools, marshes, riparian wetlands, cypress swamps, playa lakes and more! Wetland areas improve water quality, provide flood protection and support tons of fish, wildlife and plants. If you’ve been hunting, clamming, crabbing, or enjoy eating salmon, you reaped the benefits of wetland ecosystems. Wetlands are some of the most important resources for migratory birds like ducks, geese and sandhill cranes, and also support moose, black bears, lynx, beavers and other wildlife. Cranberries and blueberries grow in bogs in the northern United States.

Despite their many benefits, the United States loses about 60,000 acres of wetlands each year. Compared to other coastal states, Florida, Texas, California and Louisiana have lost the most coastal marshland – California alone has lost more than 91 percent of its coastal wetlands and the Chesapeake Bay has lost 50 percent of its coastal marshes. Since the arrival of settlers, 70 percent of tidally influenced wetlands in Puget Sound have been lost. And, only about 40 to 50 percent of the prairie region’s original prairie pothole wetlands remain undrained today.

Viewer Tip: No matter where you live, chances are there’s a wetland nearby. Development that occurs on or nearby wetlands can lead to loss of habitat, changes in water flow, polluted runoff and other impacts. Try these tips to protect your local wetlands:

Keep lawns and driveways free of pet waste, fertilizers and motor oil. These pollutants can wash into storm drains and eventually reach a wetland.
Choose native species when planting trees, shrubs and flowers to preserve the ecological balance of local wetlands.
Use non-toxic products for household cleaning and lawn and garden care. Never spray lawn and garden chemicals outside on a windy day or on a day when it might rain and wash the chemicals into local waterways.
Many exotic animals are introduced into wetlands by homeowners and hobbyists, where they can harm native wildlife. If you have a home aquarium with exotic saltwater or freshwater fish or raise non-native amphibians or reptiles, do not release them into the wild.
Volunteer to help monitor local wetlands near you. Visit water.epa.gov/type/watersheds/monitoring/vol.cfm for more information!

(Sources: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Wetlands”, http://water.epa.gov/type/wetlands/index.cfm; “Volunteer Monitoring”, http://water.epa.gov/type/watersheds/monitoring/vol.cfm; “American Wetlands Month,” www.epa.gov/wetlands/awm/; Izaak Walton League of America, “Wetlands Sight and Sounds Series,” http://www.iwla.org/index.php?id=353; National Biological Information Infrastructure Digital Image Library, http://life.nbii.gov/index.php; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Digital Library System, http://images.fws.gov/)

Calibrando La Tierra: La Verdadera Historia de la Marmota

espinoza — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:36:58 +0000

Punxsutawney Phil puede que salga de su guarida a “predecir” el tiempo, pero sus compañeros marmotas salen en esta época del año con un propósito diferente – ¡cita rápida! Los científicos siguieron a las marmotas durante varios años y encontraron que después de tres meses de hibernación, las marmotas varones despiertan en febrero para hacer un balance de las hembras disponibles en su terreno. Un varón visita y pasa la noche con dos o tres hembras, frotando sus narices para conocerse mejor. Luego regresa a su propia guarida, donde duerme hasta marzo cuando comienza la temporada de apareamiento.

Más datos divertidos sobre marmotas:

Las marmotas son parte de la familia de las ardillas y son muy vocales – su repertorio incluye silbidos, chillidos, ladridos, gruñidos y castañeteo de dientes.
Las marmotas son verdaderos hibernadores. Durante la hibernación, la temperatura corporal de las marmotas desciendo a cerca de 40 grados Fahrenheit y ¡los latidos del corazón bajan de 100 latidos por minuto a 4!
Las madrigueras de las marmotas son elaboradas. Pueden ser de 20 a 30 pies de largo e incluyen un nido, viveros, letrina, y mirillas.

(Fuentes: Danielle Brigida, National Wildlife Federation. “The Real Reasons for Groundhog Day,” http://blog.nwf.org/wildlifepromise/2009/02/the-real-reasons-for-groundhog-day/; y “Groundhog Day Trivia,” http://blog.nwf.org/wildlifepromise/2008/02/groundhog-day-trivia/)

Saving Water on a Budget

espinoza — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:01:10 +0000

Much of the southern U.S. is experiencing drought conditions. Conserving water at home can help! If you want to save water but don’t have the budget for a bathroom makeover or landscaping redesign, follow these steps to stop pouring money down the drain.

Trash your tissues. Don’t flush them—one less flush per day can save nearly 1,300 gallons of water over the course of a year. That’s enough to wash about 32 loads of laundry!
Lighten your number of loads. Did you know washing clothes is the second largest use of indoor water? Combine small loads to eliminate one load per week, and you’ll save 2,100 gallons of water per year.
Keep your (water) cool. Fill your water glass with cool water from a pitcher in the fridge. This way the water goes in your glass, not down the drain.

This information is provided by the U.S. EPA’s WaterSense program. Learn more at www.epa.gov/WaterSense/.

Calibrando La Tierra: Riego de Invierno

espinoza — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:40:17 +0000

La sequía continuará presente en Texas, Oklahoma, Nuevo México y muchos otros estados entrando al 2012. Aunque el riego de invierno usualmente no es una necesidad, si las temperaturas locales permanecen por encima de 40 grados por más de una semana y no ha llovido en meses, regar puede ser una buena idea.

Consejos: Las personas en climas secos riegan durante el invierno, aunque menos veces que en otras temporadas. Por ejemplo, en el Centro de Flora Silvestre Lady Bird Johnson en Austin, los jardineros riegan las plantas nativas una vez a la semana o menos mientras que la sequía continúe. Si vives en climas más fríos y lluviosos, mientras menos riegues mejor. Cuando riegues, el suelo debe estar húmedo, no empapado. Dale tiempo a que el suelo se seque entre riegos. Con suelos especialmente secos, se recomienda remojar el área antes de regarla de nuevo para permitir que el agua llegue a las raíces de las plantas. No riegues cuando las temperaturas estén gélidas, pero ten en mente que regar las plantas antes de una helada ayuda a las raíces.

Esta información es provista por el Centro de Flora Silvestre Lady Bird Johnson. Aprende más en www.wildflower.org.

Backyard Bird Buffet

espinoza — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:31:35 +0000

Many birds stick around for the winter and feeding them at backyard feeders is a fun way to interact with them. Frequent winter visitors to feeders in the Great Lakes Basin include black capped chickadees, wood peckers and as the weather warms a bit, cardinals. These birds nutritional needs change with the seasons. During the coldest parts winter, seeds, nuts, suet and other high-fat foods provide energy to keep birds’ small bodies warm.

Viewer tip: Encourage birds to gather in your yard by offering them a diversity of food options. Placing feeders near branches and shrubs keeps them safe from predators. And, consider keeping a log who visits your feeder! Comparing which birds visit and when, is one way that scientists study winter bird populations and climate change.

For more information about feeding the birds in your neighborhood, check out Audubon’s Bird Feeding Basics website at web4.audubon.org/bird/at_home/bird_feeding/index.html or ask your local birding store for advice.

This information is provided by Great Lakes Aquarium. Learn more at www.glaquarium.org.

Bald Eagles

espinoza — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:22:27 +0000

Bald eagles are found throughout North America, and the Northern Mississippi Valley is a great winter viewing spot. Up to 5,000 bald eagles winter on the Mississippi River between Cairo, IL and St. Paul, MN. Bald eagles prefer habitats near open water where there is an abundance of fish, as well as old-growth forest and mature trees for perching, roosting and nesting.

Viewer Tip: Bald eagle watches occur along the Mississippi throughout January and February, and eagles can be seen into early March. Watches occur at the Mississippi River Visitor’s Center in Rock Island, IL on weekends through mid-February and watches take place on Saturday, January 28 in Quincy, IL and Muscatine, IA. When viewing eagles, it is important to stay in your car unless you’re visiting a manned eagle observation deck. A car acts as an excellent blind, whereas walking around or toward a perched eagle will chase it off its roost.

Learn more about eagle watches at www.mvr.usace.army.mil/missriver/Eagle%20Watching/Eagle%20Main.htm.

This information is provided by Living Lands and Waters. Learn more at www.livinglandsandwaters.org.

(Sources: Bald Eagle Viewing Directory, http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/eagle/eagle1.html; Mississippi River Project, http://www.mvr.usace.army.mil/missriver/MRVC/MRVC.htm)

This information is provided by Living Lands and Waters. Learn more at www.livinglandsandwaters.org

Car Idling

espinoza — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:56:57 +0000

For every two minutes a car idles, it uses about the same amount of fuel it takes to drive one mile. While it may be tempting to idle your car for a few minutes to “warm it up” during winter, 30 seconds is plenty of time to get going. Tailpipe emissions from cars contain pollutants that impact human health and the environment.

Viewer Tip: If just 10 percent of the estimated 65 million garage-owners in the United States cut idling by five minutes per day, we’d save about 84.5 million gallons of gas in a year! Remember that driving your car is the best way to warm it up. Excessive idling can actually damage your car’s engine, but frequently restarting the engine has little impact. Cut-down on idling even more by turning off the engine if you are sitting in a drive-through or school pick-up line for more than 10 seconds – 10 seconds of idling uses more fuel than restarting the engine.

This information is provided by Living Lands and Waters. Learn more at www.livinglandsandwaters.org.

(Sources: California Energy Commission Consumer Energy Center: Should I Shut off the Motor When I’m Idling my Car? 2006-2011. http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/myths/idling.html; Rogers, Elizabeth and Thomas M. Kostigen. The Green Book. 2007.)

Gauging Rain

espinoza — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:38:19 +0000

Installing a rain water gauge on your property will help you determine how many inches of rain have fallen. Knowing the average weekly precipitation amount helps gardeners apply the correct amount of water with automatic irrigation systems. Drought stress can hurt landscape plants, but over-watering can also kill plants by depriving the roots of oxygen.

Viewer Tip: Install a rain gauge on your property in an open area away from trees, buildings and other structures to record the amount of rainfall supplied by nature. Irrigation should only be used to make up the difference of what is still needed by your plants.

For more information on installing and using a rain gauge, visit: www.uri.edu/ce/healthylandscapes/raingauge.htm.

This message is brought to you by the Water Conservation Garden. Learn more at www.thegarden.org.

Winter Tree Celebration

espinoza — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:30:00 +0000

Native trees beautify landscapes while providing shelter for birds and other wildlife. They also provide shade that lowers home heating costs, as well as fruits, nuts and berries. Whether you want to replace a favorite oak in the near future or learn to care for trees you have, you can learn more about trees that are native to your region and often require less care than non-native trees.

Viewer Tip: On Saturday, January 28, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin is providing Tree Talk Winter Walk, a free event celebrating the value of native trees. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., enjoy an exhibit of historic Texas trees photographed by Ralph Yznaga and hear him talk at noon in the Auditorium. Attend guided walks and talks by Texas tree experts and choose from a selection of hardy potted native trees and shrubs for sale.

For more information about Tree Talk Winter Walk, visit the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Website at www.wildflower.org, or call 512-232-0100.

Climate Fact: East African Rains and the Tropical Pacific

kraus — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:03:14 +0000

In Brief: The recent weakness in the East African long rains has been linked to persistently elevated temperatures in the western tropical Pacific.

Rains in East Africa primarily fall during the long rains (March through May) and the short rains (October through December). Understanding how climate and climate change influence these rains is particularly important for predicting drought in the region. Conditions in the tropical Pacific affect weather throughout the world and the tendency for the tropical Pacific to persist in either cool La Niña phases or warm El Niño phases enable forecasters to predict whether seasonal temperatures or precipitation levels will be above or below average. In addition to local Indian Ocean sea surface temperatures, the short rains in East Africa are strongly influenced by conditions in the tropical Pacific, with La Niña phases leading to reduced precipitation. How the tropical Pacific affects the long rain season, on the other hand, is harder to identify. Recent work shows that since 1999, the long rains have been consistently weak and unable to compensate for reduced short rain precipitation during La Niña phases, leading to drought conditions like those experienced in 2011. Also since 1999, there has been a pattern of consistently elevated sea surface temperatures in the western tropical Pacific and consistently high rainfall levels in that region. The tendency of ocean surface temperatures to remain in particularly warm or cool conditions for relatively long periods of time, coupled with what is known about the atmospheric links between the western tropical Pacific and East Africa, enables forecasters to better understand and predict droughts there.

Seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

Source: Lynn, B and DeWiltt, DG. “A recent and abrupt decline in the East African long rains.” Geophysical Research Letters 39 (2012): L02702.

Climate Fact: NPGO Controls Central California Current Upwelling

kraus — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:01:39 +0000

In Brief: Variability in North Pacific atmospheric circulation systems affects the timing and strength of the upwelling that occurs along the California Coast, impacting the productivity of the waters there.

Earth’s ocean is mixed by a complex system of currents. Downwellings occur when currents move water from the surface to the depths and upwellings occur when nutrient-rich waters are pulled from the depths to the surface. Upwelling areas are some of the most productive waters in the world, including the California Coast where part of the California Current System upwells. The waters along the California Coast are more or less productive during some years, based on the strength and timing of this upwelling. Waters are less productive during years when the winter upwelling is delayed and weaker. This upwelling strength is indexed by the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation (NPGO) – in positive NPGO years, the upwelling starts about six weeks earlier than negative NPGO years. The NPGO is an expression of the variability in the pressure difference between a high pressure center located near Hawaii and a low pressure center in the Gulf of Alaska. This variability leads to changes in the strength and position of the winds that run along the California Coast and work to “pull” a current of water from the depths. Compared to negative NPGO years, average end of winter water conditions during positive NPGO years feature nitrate concentrations that are about 25 percent higher, chlorophyll concentrations about 15 percent higher and zooplankton numbers that are about 20 percent higher. These nutrients and zooplankton feed commercially-important fish species and seabirds.

Seasons: Winter, Spring

Sources: Chenillat, F et al. “North Pacific Gyre Oscillation modulates seasonal timing and ecosystem functioning in the California Current upwelling system.” Geophysical Research Letters 39 (2012): L01606 and Di Lorenzo, E et al. “North Pacific Gyre Oscillation links ocean climate and ecosystem change.” Geophysical Research Letter 35 (2008): L08607.