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New Mission to Trace Mars’ Atmosphere for Clues to Life

Tom McFay — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 07:50:00 +0000

“The loss of Mars’ atmosphere has been an ongoing mystery.” Doug McCuistion, director of the NASA Mars Exploration Program The ExoMars Mars Climate Sounder instrument on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on a 2016 mission will map the vertical distribution of…

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New Mission to Trace Mars’ Atmosphere for Clues to Life

The Milky Way Orbit Biodiversity Link (A ‘Galaxy’ Most Popular)

Tom McFay — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 08:40:00 +0000

If future studies confirm a Milky Way galaxy-biodiversity link, it would force scientists to broaden their ideas about what can influence life on Earth. “Maybe it’s not just the climate and the tectonic events on Earth,” says UK paleontologist Bruce…

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The Milky Way Orbit Biodiversity Link (A ‘Galaxy’ Most Popular)

Hitchhiker’s Guide to Clouds of the Solar System

Tom McFay — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Scientists have observed Earth-borne bacteria surviving high in the clouds or in acidic environments, and the fact we haven’t seen both at the same time is only because Earth doesn’t have places like that. Some suggest that Venus’s conversion from…

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Hitchhiker’s Guide to Clouds of the Solar System

"The Earth Strain" -Spreading Life To The Stars

Tom McFay — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 07:50:00 +0000

When the Apollo 11 astronauts splashed down in the Pacific they were immediately whisked off into quarantine, spending three weeks in a rather unglamorous steel shell for fear that they’d contracted lethal space-plagues. A recent paper by Professor Cockell of…

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"The Earth Strain" -Spreading Life To The Stars

Dissecting Venus for Signs of Early Life

Tom McFay — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 07:40:00 +0000

Many astronomers believe that Venus was once inhabited by life. Some believe that life might even exist today high in Venus’s clouds. Scientists are now reproducing the environment of Venus so that they can better understand the climate systems of…

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Dissecting Venus for Signs of Early Life

Google Earth Map Now Highlighting Effects of Climate Change

Tom McFay — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 07:10:00 +0000

Using peer-reviewed science and Google Earth technology, a new map shows what will happen if the global average temperature goes 4°C above the pre-industrial average.The Foreign Office and the Department of Energy and Climate Change in the UK launched this…

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Google Earth Map Now Highlighting Effects of Climate Change

The Daily "140" Insight: Carl Sagan on Possibility of Extraterrestrial Life

Tom McFay — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 07:08:00 +0000

“The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” Carl Sagan

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The Daily "140" Insight: Carl Sagan on Possibility of Extraterrestrial Life

Prehistoric Fossils Point to Future Climate Change

Tom McFay — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 08:36:00 +0000

The first comprehensive reconstruction of an extreme warm period shows the sensitivity of the climate system to changes in carbon dioxide (CO2) levels as well as the strong influence of ocean temperatures, heat transport from equatorial regions, and greenhouse gases…

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Prehistoric Fossils Point to Future Climate Change

The World’s Largest Tropical Ice Field is Vanishing

Tom McFay — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 01:05:35 +0000

The Quelccaya Ice Cap in the heart of the Peruvian Andres, is the largest tropical body of ice in the world. The ice cap is at an average altitude of 5,470 meters (18,600 ft) and spans an area of 44 square kilometers (17 miles). As the ice cap is retreating, it is exposing almost perfectly preserved plant specimens dating back 5,200 year, indicating that it has been more than 50 centuries since the ice cap was smaller than it is today. According to recent research, one of the glaciers in this ice cap, the Peruvian Qori Kalis, like the snowfields of Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro, is rapidly melting and could soon vanish completely (comparisons with previous mapping showed 33% of Mount Kilimanjaro’s ice had disappeared in the last two decades – 82% since 1912). The icecap has lost approximately 20% of its area since 1978, and the current rate of retreat is increasing. Ice cores taken from Upper Fremont Glacier in Wyoming show an oxygen isotope profile similar to that of the Quelccaya ice cores at the end of the Little Ice Age, a period of cooler global temperatures between the years 1550 and 1850. The sudden alterations in the oxygen isotope ratio found in ice core samples from these two remotely located glaciers, provide evidence of a sudden global climate change in the mid-latitude regions of the planet. “I would not be surprised to see half of it disappear in this coming year,” said climatologist Lonnie Thompson, from Ohio State University. Thompson has been studying the Qori Kalis glacier since 1978. “In the first 10 years [that] we observed the glacier, it was retreating 6 meters (19.7 feet) every year,” Thompson said. “In the last few years, it has started retreating 60 meters (197 feet) every year – a 10-fold increase. On top of that you will have natural phenomena like El Nino, which release heat into the lower atmosphere,” he predicted. “The combination of those two things will have a big impact on glaciers throughout the tropics,” said Thompson. “No matter what we do, we are going to lose the glaciers on Kilimanjaro and the lower elevation glaciers in the Andes.” “Kilimanjaro could be gone by 2020,” he suggested. “In the Andes, some of the glaciers are bigger, but I think we are talking 30 to 50 years.” This will cause many problems for some of the poorest people on earth since they depend upon annual glacial melt to sustain their crops. Loss of these glaciers will cause a huge drought and crop failure. “These changes are going to take place and these people will be impacted,” observed Thompson. “They have to find ways to adapt.” Posted by Jason McManus. Related Galaxy posts: Monitoring Climate Change -Expert Says We Need Lunar Observatories Source Link

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The World’s Largest Tropical Ice Field is Vanishing

Is the World’s Largest & Deepest Lake, 25-million-Years Old, Threatened? – A Galaxy Update

Tom McFay — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 09:30:00 +0000

As the oldest, largest and deepest lake on planet Earth, ancient Lake Baikal is known as the “grand dame” of all lakes. UNESCO declared it a World Heritage due to its stunning bio-diversity. Most of its 2500 some odd plant and animal species, including the freshwater seal, evolved in pristine isolation and are found nowhere else on the planet. In late January, Russian police raided the offices of the Baikal Environmental Wave group after it criticized a plan to reopen a paper mill next to Lake Baikal in Siberia that had been closed since 2008 due to pollution fears. Russian PM Vladimir Putin decreed that the mill could reopen. The Baikalsk Paper and Pulp Mill is the biggest employer in Baikalsk, a town of 17,000. The mill is owned by Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska. Environmentalists have fought for years to keep the mill shut, arguing that it threatens the lake’s fragile ecosystem. The Siberian lake contains 20 percent of the entire world’s freshwater, and is large enough to hold all the water in the Great Lakes combined and then some. The lake has yielded many exciting aquatic wonders and likely holds many more undiscovered marvels in its incredibly deep waters. The 25 million year old lake predates the emergence of humans, but its splendor may not outlive us. Stephanie Hampton, the Deputy Director of the National Center for Ecological Analysis & Synthesis (NCEAS) who has been studying the lake shared with The Daily Galaxy what makes Baikal so exquisite. “Lake Baikal probably the most beautiful place I’ve ever been – I’m thinking especially right now of the day I spent on Olkhon Island when the wildflowers were spectacular and the serenity was awe-inspiring. It is the world’s most ancient lake with a proliferation of biodiversity that is breathtaking,” describes Hampton affectionately. “Where I would usually see 2 species of a particular type of crustacean (amphipods, in this case), instead, I see 344 species in all shapes and colors and sizes. Many of the unique fish in Baikal resemble deep-sea fishes rather than other freshwater fish that are more closely related to them – with big eyes and spindly bodies. Also, sponge forests are common. If you are surprised that I’m mentioning a sponge forest in a lake, it’s for a good reason: they are not that common in lakes!” Hampton notes with enthusiasm, “So here you are in this incredibly cold lake at fairly high latitude, and underwater, this sponge forest looks more like the Caribbean than the subarctic! It is really like a freshwater Galapagos in the midst of Siberia.” It doesn’t take much prodding to get information out of Hampton when it comes to the lake! Her abounding awe and reverence for one of Mother Nature’s most unique wonders is completely apparent. Unfortunately, according to Hampton and other experts, all this is about to change forever. Global warming has had a strong impact on the lake, and is threatening its incredibly unique life forms that evolved to live only in extreme cold. A multi-generational study involving careful and repeated sampling over six decades was recently reported in the journal Global Change Biology showing that the lake’s temperatures is rising dangerously fast. Hampton, who participated in the study, notes that the lake was expected to be among those most resistant to climate change, due to its tremendous volume and unique water circulation. But unfortunately, that does not appear to be the case. “So many organisms in and around Lake Baikal have evolved only in Lake Baikal, and they are very well-adapted to an extremely cold environment that is covered by ice for much of the year. More than half of the animals in Baikal are not found anywhere else! Lake Baikal has been around for 25 million years, so there has been plenty of time for organisms to evolve to its special environment – the warming associated with climate change is very abrupt, and it’s not clear whether or how these special organisms can adapt to a rapidly warming lake,” Hampton explains. Already there has been a rise in more common water organisms in the lake—a sight that does not bode well for the lakes original inhabitants. “We know that Siberia is one of the most rapidly warming regions of the world – the air temperature in Siberia has warmed at a rate that is about twice that of the average global rate of temperature increase. So when we approached this work with the Lake Baikal temperature data, we knew that the lake would have been exposed to a greater ambient temperature increase than lakes in other regions, but I certainly will admit to being surprised that the lake had warmed so rapidly since 1946. Why is it warming so much faster than the air? The answer probably involves ice,” Hampton explains. “Ice is a very prominent feature of life on Lake Baikal. Ice normally starts taking over the lake in January and it doesn’t leave until May or June – so, life goes on in Lake Baikal under ice for nearly half the year! The top predator in the lake, the Baikal seal, raises its pups on ice in the winter in snow caves, fishing for food in the lake water by using holes in the ice. Under the ice, algae (the microscopic plants at the base of the food web) that are found only in Lake Baikal, are well-adapted to achieve their greatest productivity while there is still thick, but clear, spring ice on the lake. So, both the top and the bottom of the food web in Baikal are very well adapted to long icy winters – this dependence on ice by the top and bottom of the food web is not common in lakes.” She continues, “We know from previous work, published by other researchers, that the ice is staying on the lake for a shorter time period now than it used to. When ice lasted longer in the past, it kept the lake insulated from air temperature changes for a longer portion of the year. Now that there is less ice, the water is warming faster. This is what other researchers also found on Lake Superior just last year. So, we can expect the lake to get warmer and warmer, as the ice lasts for a shorter time each year.” But what about the humans in the region? Even if the aquatic resident’s of Lake Baikal can’t thrive in the warmer weather, aren’t the nearby human settlements looking forward to a respite from the bitter cold that global warming may offer? Again, Hampton explains that the issue is a lot more complicated than most of us realize. “Some of the harshest winters of the century occurred within living memory for many Siberians, and it is easy to understand why Russians might welcome a longer growing season in Siberia. However, one big concern, as the air temperature increases, will be the deterioration of infrastructure as permafrost melts and the ground shifts under buildings and around pipes or other structures laid in the ground,” she explains, “Also, there are villages around Lake Baikal that can only be reached by water during the summer and by travel over the ice in winter – when ice is too thin for travel, but too thick for a boat, those villages are cut off from each other and from the main roads, so there will be societal impacts for some of these isolated villages where winter is already a pretty tough time of year.” In other words, climate change will likely have a negative impact on the human population as well. As far as the lake itself goes, Hampton points out that she’s not alone in her concern. “Russia, and many people are concerned for its welfare. A conservation organization called the Baikal Environmental Wave received a prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize this year, and there has been good community involvement in environmental issues surrounding the lake in recent years.” But awareness alone can’t save the grand dame’s biodiversity, nor other fragile habitats around the globe. It will take action too. But what can we ordinary people do to make any kind of real difference? Climate change expert Thomas Reichler, who was not involved in the study, told The Daily Galaxy that combating global warming starts with simple daily choices that everyone makes. You don’t have to change the world all by yourself, just change your own actions and let your example inspire other to do the same, he says. Things as simple as choosing to “drive smaller cars, drive less, and insulate your house well. Things like this can make a difference.” Posted by Rebecca Sato. If you liked this article, please give it a quick review on Digg , Reddit , or StumbleUpon .Thanks! Related Galaxy posts: The Crisis is Coming: How Peak Water Could Reshape Civilization The “Little Ice Age” Argument Makes a Comeback: Abrupt Climate Change Goes Both Ways, Warns Scientist Ancient Antarctic Lake Exploration Reports Warn that Climate Change & Eco-migration Could Lead to Increased Warfare Are Global Warming Models Accurately Predicting Our Future? New Study Reveals the Answer—A Galaxy Interview World’s Oldest Living Microbes May Cast Light on Aging & Life on Mars Ancient Antarctic Microbes Revived in Lab “Hunt for the Red October” Revives -Russia Challenges West Under Arctic Ice National Science Foundation Link: http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111511&org=olpa&from=news

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Is the World’s Largest & Deepest Lake, 25-million-Years Old, Threatened? – A Galaxy Update