Cascadia Region Earthquake Workshop A very good example of a computer model.
Readiness for a potential magnitude 9.0 earthquake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone from Vancouver, BC down to Northern California along the I5 corridor and the Tsunami that would follow along the coastline of Hwy 101.
Aren't you glad somebody is on this?
http://www.daretoprepare.org/ stock up on gallons of water and don't tell your neighbors...
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Online Environmental Science Publications
Salon.com/Environment
Environment and Science: Reporting from Earth
It's your world, take care of it!
Grist
10 years of a beacon in the smog.
Portland Tribune: Sustainable Life
Portland Tribune Sustainable Life section of the local newspaper.
Environment and Science: Reporting from Earth
It's your world, take care of it!
Grist
10 years of a beacon in the smog.
Portland Tribune: Sustainable Life
Portland Tribune Sustainable Life section of the local newspaper.
Worst Science Job Ever...
From Craigslist:
Anatomy Laboratory Technician (Portland)
--------------------
Reply to: job-mycwk-1218052580@craigslist.org
Date: 2009-06-12, 9:11AM PDT
Anatomy Lab Technician
Join a rapidly expanding Portland business providing the medical community with anatomical specimens for research and education. Seeking a person with excellent understanding of human anatomy and ability to work in a fast paced environment.
Basic job duties include:
o Coordinating outgoing shipments
o Transportation of donors
o Procurement of anatomical specimens
o Basic laboratory sanitation and maintenance
Requirements:
o College degree with coursework in anatomy with human cadavers
o Good driving record
o Attention to detail
o Ability to lift and maneuver heavy objects
Anatomy Laboratory Technician (Portland)
--------------------
Reply to: job-mycwk-1218052580@craigslist.org
Date: 2009-06-12, 9:11AM PDT
Anatomy Lab Technician
Join a rapidly expanding Portland business providing the medical community with anatomical specimens for research and education. Seeking a person with excellent understanding of human anatomy and ability to work in a fast paced environment.
Basic job duties include:
o Coordinating outgoing shipments
o Transportation of donors
o Procurement of anatomical specimens
o Basic laboratory sanitation and maintenance
Requirements:
o College degree with coursework in anatomy with human cadavers
o Good driving record
o Attention to detail
o Ability to lift and maneuver heavy objects
Don't Worry, Be Happy!
The sky is falling...but NASA has it all under control...
Use of physical models to test computer models based on mental models:
Magnetic Shield Cracks Found: Big Solar Storm Predicted
NASA says huge solar particle buildup inside earth's magnetosphere could be from tears that, when the sun's polarity is aligned with earth's polarity, will allow a flood of solar particles inside that layer of earth's atmosphere where many communication satellites orbit, some solar flares may even reach the earth's surface damaging the electrical grid.
National Geographic Earth's Atmosphere
Layers of earth's atmosphere.
Video about Solar Particle Damage to communication Satellites
A video about exactly how solar particles could cause damage to communications satellites and earth's electricity grid.
NASA SORCE solar particle probe
NASA has a space probe named SORCE to detect solar particles headed toward earth.
Smart Grid Central/
Smart Grid Central about efforts to decentralize the world electricity grid so as to reduce dependence on communications satellites and earth based electric transformers.
PSU Smart Grid
PSU Seminar on Smart Grid
Use of physical models to test computer models based on mental models:
Magnetic Shield Cracks Found: Big Solar Storm Predicted
NASA says huge solar particle buildup inside earth's magnetosphere could be from tears that, when the sun's polarity is aligned with earth's polarity, will allow a flood of solar particles inside that layer of earth's atmosphere where many communication satellites orbit, some solar flares may even reach the earth's surface damaging the electrical grid.
National Geographic Earth's Atmosphere
Layers of earth's atmosphere.
Video about Solar Particle Damage to communication Satellites
A video about exactly how solar particles could cause damage to communications satellites and earth's electricity grid.
NASA SORCE solar particle probe
NASA has a space probe named SORCE to detect solar particles headed toward earth.
Smart Grid Central/
Smart Grid Central about efforts to decentralize the world electricity grid so as to reduce dependence on communications satellites and earth based electric transformers.
PSU Smart Grid
PSU Seminar on Smart Grid
Organizations Dedicated to Environmental Issues
Inspiring leadership for a sustainable world. Professional certification and recognition for environmentally sustainable construction, design and talent.
Environmentally Responsible Construction
Official alliance for energy contractors in Oregon to qualify for green rebates.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
George Taylor is NOT the Oregon State Climatologist
George Taylor, climate change skeptic, was never the "Oregon State Climatologist" as was widely reported, but was the manager of the Oregon State University "Oregon Climate Service". Due to his popular unconventional beliefs he was forced to resign in May 2008. .
George Taylor_(Oregon_State_University)
George Taylor_(Oregon_State_University)
Correction: Magnitude of Scale
In class we talked about the correlation of the circumference of the earth at approximately 25,000 miles to the moon at 250,000 miles away at an order of magnitude of about 10. This means that a physical model of a common globe of circumference of approximately 3 feet would have a corresponding moon a ball the size of the United States on the surface of that globe positioned about 30 feet away, an order of magnitude about 10.
I then said the distance to the sun would be an order of magnitude about 400. Actually, the distance from the earth to the sun would be about 93,000,000 miles, which would be an order of magnitude of 4,000. The sun has a circumference of approximately 2,713,406 miles around. That would correlate from a common globe to a ball about 300 feet around over 12,000 feet (2.25 miles) away.
So much space and such a tiny earth. The earth is a very special place.
I then said the distance to the sun would be an order of magnitude about 400. Actually, the distance from the earth to the sun would be about 93,000,000 miles, which would be an order of magnitude of 4,000. The sun has a circumference of approximately 2,713,406 miles around. That would correlate from a common globe to a ball about 300 feet around over 12,000 feet (2.25 miles) away.
So much space and such a tiny earth. The earth is a very special place.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Intro to Environmental Science
Concepts:
In this class we will go from approaching environmentalism from the global perspective, to the local level, to internalizing it all and forming a personal activism.
Water is the new oil.
Nature creates energy, people create power.
Consider the future of electronics waste.
Gardening is a great way to teach about science:
growing--biology
cooking--chemistry
soils-water--earth science
rain water--environmental science
What is "environmental science"?
Environmental science is the study and practice of the interaction between humans and the environment and how to make it mutually beneficial. It is human ecology.
Science is the active process of making models and testing them. It is the search for creative approach and solutions and the search for repeating patterns.
A scientific theory is an explanation, based on models, of how things work.
Examples of models are:
physical model: Biosphere II
mathematical model: String Theory
computer model: weather report (7 supercomputers in US)
Science is about:
what- empirical measurement, observation
why- philosophy, theory, models
A common model of the earth is a globe.
It is:
accurate- useful, sphere, tilted 23 degrees, land mass/water, topographical
inaccurate- political lines arbitrary, not flat at top and bottom, not wet, no atmosphere, much smaller than real earth.
On any common globe, the moon is approximately the same size as the United States.
The corresponding scale is:
earth- 25,000 miles circumference:: globe- approximately 3 feet circumference
moon- 250,000 miles away:: ball about 30 feet away
sun- approximately 100,000,000 miles away:: a ball about 12,000 feet away (more than 2 miles away from globe!)
The earth's ecosphere:
geosphere: 17,000 miles beneath the crust- land, rocks, minerals, core
atmosphere: 60 miles above the crust- air, gas
hydrosphere: water and ice on surface of earth
biosphere: surface of earth to 5 miles beneath crust- living things
The geosphere is by far the largest sphere, followed by the atmosphere, then the hydrosphere with the biosphere the smallest in scale.
The context of the earth is its connection to its parts, to us, and to the universe.
In this class we will go from approaching environmentalism from the global perspective, to the local level, to internalizing it all and forming a personal activism.
Water is the new oil.
Nature creates energy, people create power.
Consider the future of electronics waste.
Gardening is a great way to teach about science:
growing--biology
cooking--chemistry
soils-water--earth science
rain water--environmental science
What is "environmental science"?
Environmental science is the study and practice of the interaction between humans and the environment and how to make it mutually beneficial. It is human ecology.
Science is the active process of making models and testing them. It is the search for creative approach and solutions and the search for repeating patterns.
A scientific theory is an explanation, based on models, of how things work.
Examples of models are:
physical model: Biosphere II
mathematical model: String Theory
computer model: weather report (7 supercomputers in US)
Science is about:
what- empirical measurement, observation
why- philosophy, theory, models
A common model of the earth is a globe.
It is:
accurate- useful, sphere, tilted 23 degrees, land mass/water, topographical
inaccurate- political lines arbitrary, not flat at top and bottom, not wet, no atmosphere, much smaller than real earth.
On any common globe, the moon is approximately the same size as the United States.
The corresponding scale is:
earth- 25,000 miles circumference:: globe- approximately 3 feet circumference
moon- 250,000 miles away:: ball about 30 feet away
sun- approximately 100,000,000 miles away:: a ball about 12,000 feet away (more than 2 miles away from globe!)
The earth's ecosphere:
geosphere: 17,000 miles beneath the crust- land, rocks, minerals, core
atmosphere: 60 miles above the crust- air, gas
hydrosphere: water and ice on surface of earth
biosphere: surface of earth to 5 miles beneath crust- living things
The geosphere is by far the largest sphere, followed by the atmosphere, then the hydrosphere with the biosphere the smallest in scale.
The context of the earth is its connection to its parts, to us, and to the universe.
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