June 5-6, 2009 

Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Friday afternoon: 

Lihue, Kauai – 84
Honolulu, Oahu – 91
Kaneohe, Oahu – 82
Kahului, Maui – 85
Hilo, Hawaii – 83
Kailua-kona – 87

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountains…at 5 p.m. Friday evening:

Port Allen – 86F
Molokai airport – 78

Haleakala Crater    – 54  (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea summit – 41  (near 14,000 feet on the Big Island)

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of Friday afternoon:

0.16 Mount Waialaele, Kauai
0.19 Kaneohe MCB, Oahu
0.03 Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
0.17 West Wailuaiki, Maui
0.12 Pahoa, Big Island

Marine Winds – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map shows a 1026 millibar high pressure system to the northeast of the islands, with a ridge extending from the southwest flank of this high…into the area several hundred miles north and northwest of Kauai. The trade winds will remain active both Saturday and Sunday.

Satellite and Radar Images: To view the cloud conditions we have here in Hawaii, please use the following satellite links, starting off with the Infrared Satellite Image of the islands to see all the clouds around the state during the day and night. This next image is one that gives close images of the islands only during the daytime hours, and is referred to as a Close-up visible image. This next image shows a larger view of the Pacific…giving perspective to the wider ranging cloud patterns in the Pacific Ocean. Finally, here’s a looping IR satellite image, making viewable the clouds around the islands 24 hours a day. To help you keep track of where any showers may be around the islands, here’s the latest animated radar image. 

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcam on the summit of near 14,000 foot Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. The tallest peak on the island of Maui is the Haleakala Crater, which is near 10,000 feet in elevation. These two webcams are available during the daylight hours here in the islands…and when there’s a big moon rising just after sunset for an hour or two! Plus, during the nights and early mornings you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise too…depending upon weather conditions.

 Aloha Paragraphs

Talk about inviting…Makena Beach, Maui
 
 

Breezy trade winds will prevail through the upcoming weekend…easing up a little as we move into the first couple of days of the new week ahead.  Looking at this weather map Friday evening, we see the same 1026 millibar high pressure system to our northeast, that’s been there all this week. This high pressure cell has a ridge extending southwest from its center…which extends into the area northwest of Kauai. These trades remain strong enough to keep the small craft wind advisory alive in the windier locations around Maui and the Big Island, which will stay active through the weekend.

A high pressure ridge aloft over the islands will limit shower clouds through the weekend…with a possible increase along the windward sides starting off the new work week ahead. The leeward beaches will remain mostly dry, with lots of sunshine, right on into the afternoon hours for the most part. The forecast models continue to show a dry pattern holding firm through the upcoming weekend time frame. These same models want to back off on the trade winds a little after the weekend…as well as bring in an increase in windward biased showers for a couple of days. 

It’s Friday evening here in Kihei, Maui, as I begin writing this last section of today’s narrative.   I just walked outside, and it’s warm, although the trade winds, which were a bit gusty earlier in the afternoon, had calmed down. There are some clouds, punctuated by clear spots too. I would guess it was around 80F degrees at around 530pm. I expect a nice weekend, which should extend right on into the new week ahead. ~~~ I’m tired enough at the moment, that I’ll likely skip going to see a film, not that there was one that I found all that attractive. I may stop off someplace and pick up some dinner, and just head home and eat it out on my weather deck, while enjoying the sunset. ~~~ I’ll be back Saturday morning with your next new weather narrative, at which point I’m quite sure that I’ll be exclaiming about what a nice weekend that we will be having. I hope you have a great Friday night until then!  Aloha for now…Glenn.

Interesting: The El Nino weather pattern, which can bring global weather chaos such as droughts and floods, could develop within weeks, the Climate Prediction Centre in the United States said. El Nino is driven by an abnormal warming of the eastern Pacific and the forecaster said conditions were favorable for a switch to El Nino conditions during June to August 2009.

The forecast is the latest warning of the increased chances of El Nino developing after months of rising ocean temperatures in the tropical Pacific. Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said if recent trends in Pacific climate patterns held up, there was an above-50 per cent chance an El Nino event would be established by July.

El Nino occurs when the eastern Pacific Ocean heats up, with warmer, moist air moving east, leaving drier weather in the western Pacific and Australia and putting crops at risk of failure. The most devastating El Nino was in 1997/98, when it caused drought in Australia and Indonesia and floods in Peru and Ecuador.

El Nino can also bring wetter weather to parts of the United States and can affect the monsoon in India. The prediction centre, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said sea surface temperatures had risen for the fifth consecutive month in the equatorial Pacific. Sub-surface temperatures also continued to rise.

"These surface and subsurface oceanic anomalies typically precede the development of El Nino," the centre said. "Current observations, recent trends, and the dynamical model forecasts indicate that conditions are favorable for a transition … to El Nino conditions during June-August 2009."

Interesting2:  Flowering plants and hippo-like creatures once thrived in the Arctic, where the tundra and polar bears now prevail. New research, detailed in the June issue of the journal Geology, is shedding light on the lives of prehistoric mammals on Canada’s Ellesmere Island 53 million years ago, including how they survived the six months of darkness during the Arctic winter. Today, Ellesmere Island, located in the high Arctic (about 80 degrees north latitude), is a polar desert that features permafrost, ice sheets, sparse vegetation and a few mammals.

Temperatures there range from minus 37 degrees Fahrenheit in winter to plus 48F degrees in summer. It is one of the coldest and driest places on Earth. But 53 million years ago, the Arctic had a completely different look. The findings have implications for understanding how ancient animals dispersed across North America and what might lie in store for modern mammals that are moving northward because of climate change.

In 1975, researchers discovered that a surprising menagerie of Arctic creatures lived on Ellesmere during the early Eocene epoch (55 million to 50 million years ago). A team led by Mary Dawson of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh discovered fossil alligator jaw bones.

Since then, fossils of aquatic turtles, giant tortoises, snakes and even flying lemurs — one of the earliest forms of primates — have also turned up. The new research team analyzed the signatures of carbon and oxygen in the fossil teeth of three types of mammals that once dwelled in the Arctic — a hippo-like, semi-aquatic creature known as Coryphodon; a second, smaller ancestor of today’s tapirs (pig-like animals found in South America and Southeast Asia); and a third rhino-like mammal known as brontothere — to find out what the Arctic environment was like in the past.

The results point to warm, humid summers and mild winters with temperatures probably ranging from just above freezing to near 70 degrees F, said study team member Jaelyn Eberle of the University of Colorado at Boulder. The region was probably similar to swampy cypress forests in the Southeast United States today, Eberle said. Fossils of tree stumps as large as washing machines, can still be found there.

Interesting3:  A major source of air pollution in port areas comes from the giant vessels that tie up at their docks to load and unload cargo. That’s because the powerful diesel engines have to run continuously to keep the ships’ equipment and support systems operating. That also means continuous spewing of GHG and diesel particulate emissions into the local air.

A solution to this massive emissions problem has long existed but is not widely implemented because it involves expensive modifications both on-ship and to offshore facilities. It’s called shore power, which allows ships to shut down their diesel engines at berth and literally plug into the landside electricity grid, thus improving air quality.

But slow change is better than no change: BP America and the Port of Long Beach Wednesday opened the world’s first oil tanker terminal equipped with shore power plugs. The BP terminal on Pier T is actually Long Beach’s second dock equipped with shore power, but it’s the first such facility in the world for “liquid bulk” ships — vessels that transport large amounts of petroleum and related fuels. Reducing air pollution is a major component of the port’s Green Port Policy, adopted in 2005.

Also this week Long Beach issued a call for ideas to implement a zero-emission container movement system. The ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, along with the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority are seeking new technology to move cargo containers between docks and the Intermodal Container Transfer Facility near West Long Beach, potentially eliminating thousands of short-haul diesel truck trips each day and reducing air pollution.

Proposed technologies might include electric guide ways, zero-emission trucks, or electrified rail, all of which use electricity to power the movement of cargo, rather than diesel-fueled trucks. BP’s shore power installation delivers enough electricity to power about 5,500 homes — up to 8 megawatts at 6,660 volts.

The Alaska Tanker Company has equipped two vessels that regularly visit the port to be able to plug into the BP Terminal on Pier T, which supplies local refineries with crude oil. The joint project was completed at a cost of $23.7 million: $17.5 million from the port and $6.2 million from BP.

June 4-5, 2009 

Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Thursday afternoon: 

Lihue, Kauai – 85
Honolulu, Oahu – 90
Kaneohe, Oahu – 82
Kahului, Maui – 85
Hilo, Hawaii – 81
Kailua-kona – 86

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountains…at 4 p.m. Thursday afternoon:

Honolulu, Oahu – 88F
Hilo, Hawaii – 78

Haleakala Crater    – 57  (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea summit – 37  (near 14,000 feet on the Big Island)

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of Thursday afternoon:

0.26 Mount Waialaele, Kauai
0.89 Manoa Lyon Arboretum, Oahu
0.03 Molokai
0.14 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
0.81 Puu Kukui, Maui
1.02 Glenwood, Big Island

Marine Winds – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map shows a 1026 millibar high pressure system to the northeast of the islands, with a ridge extending from the southwest flank of this high…into the area northwest of Kauai. The trade winds will remain quite strong both Friday and Saturday.

Satellite and Radar Images: To view the cloud conditions we have here in Hawaii, please use the following satellite links, starting off with the Infrared Satellite Image of the islands to see all the clouds around the state during the day and night. This next image is one that gives close images of the islands only during the daytime hours, and is referred to as a Close-up visible image. This next image shows a larger view of the Pacific…giving perspective to the wider ranging cloud patterns in the Pacific Ocean. Finally, here’s a looping IR satellite image, making viewable the clouds around the islands 24 hours a day. To help you keep track of where any showers may be around the islands, here’s the latest animated radar image. 

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcam on the summit of near 14,000 foot Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. The tallest peak on the island of Maui is the Haleakala Crater, which is near 10,000 feet in elevation. These two webcams are available during the daylight hours here in the islands…and when there’s a big moon rising just after sunset for an hour or two! Plus, during the nights and early mornings you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise too…depending upon weather conditions.

 Aloha Paragraphs

A nice beach on the south coast of Maui
 
 

The trade winds strengthened right on schedule Thursday…which will remain breezy through the rest of the week.  Looking at this weather map Thursday evening, we see the same 1025 millibar high pressure system to our northeast, that’s been there all this week. This high pressure cell has a ridge extending southwest from its center…which extends into the area northwest of Kauai. These trades became strong enough during the day Thursday, to trigger a small craft wind advisory in the windier locations around Maui and the Big Island, which will stay active Friday into the weekend.

There will be a few showers around, although almost all of those will fall along the windward sides now…generally during the night and early morning hours. The leeward beaches will remain mostly dry, with lots of sunshine, right on into the afternoon hours for the most part. The forecast models continue to show a dry pattern holding firm through the upcoming weekend time frame. These same models want to back off on the trade winds some after the weekend…as well as bring in an increase in windward biased showers. 

The surf has dropped in size Thursday, and will remain generally smaller into the early weekend…then rise again later Saturday along our leeward beaches. This is the time of year when the southern hemisphere is heading towards winter. Thus, we find late autumn storms brewing downunder. These storms generate swells, which travel northward towards the Hawaiian Islands. We’ll see our next new south swell arriving later this Saturday, and then a second impulse later Sunday…followed by a third even larger swell around next Tuesday. Our local surfing community is getting excited by these new surf episodes!

We’re into a well established trade wind episode now, which will be increasing another notch over the next day or two. These cooling and refreshing breezes will take the edge off the daytime heat, although our high temperatures will still be rising well into the 80F’s during the days. It’s much easier to handle the tropical heat however, when the trade winds are blowing. We will see them prevailing through the rest of this week, although they may relax a little in speed as we move into next week. This time of year, it would be extremely unusual to have the trade winds stop altogether though.

It’s Thursday evening here in Kihei, Maui, as I begin writing this last section of today’s narrative.  Thursday was one of those days, that most everyone has been waiting for…a day filled with sunshine and breezy trade winds. I know that this summery reality took its time getting here, but I think that most folks would admit that it was worth waiting for. I foresee clear skies prevailing during the days for the most part, so that lots of good sunbathing will occur along our beaches. If you are going to bask in those sun rays, be sure to have some sort of protection from the UV rays! ~~~ Looking out the window here before I leave for the drive back upcountry to Kula, I see mostly sunny skies in just about all directions. There are those usual clouds hugging the slopes of the Haleakala Crater…which is par for the course. Using the words par and course, gets me thinking that I’ll go and do some more putting at the Spreckelsville golf club this weekend, which is fun! That of course, at the same time reminds me that I have my nice evening walk to do when I get home too, which I always enjoy very much. I love moving my body, it feels so good. Ok, this Maui weatherman is out of here, but I’ll be back online early Friday morning, here to bring you your next new weather narrative from paradise. I hope you have a great Thursday night until then! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Interesting:  Brutal heat continues in parts of India, with sweltering heat sweeping into Amritsar in Punjab at 111F. While Amritsar was hotter by nine degrees than normal, intense heat also prevailed in Ludhiana, which recorded a maximum of 109F. There was no respite for Patiala residents either where mercury shot to 110.3F well above average.

Chandigarh recorded the season’s highest maximum so far as mercury here rose to 107F. In Haryana, Ambala experienced a hot day also at 107F while the high at Karnal settled at 107.2F. Jammu also braved a hot day recording a high of 109F. The heat is set to continue across the region.

Farmers in Vidarbha are worried that production of the famous Nagpur oranges might fall in the next season which begins in September due to the prevailing high temperatures coupled with water and electricity shortages. About 20% trees in orange orchards in the Nagpur and Amravati divisions in Vidarbha have dried up due to day temperatures ranging above 113F.

Interesting2:  Researchers have detected giant, fast-moving waves of air, caused by thunderstorms and other disturbances, above Poker Flat, Alaska, where a new radar is churning out the first three-dimensional images of upper atmospheric phenomena in the polar region. "People have been envisioning doing this project for 40 years," said Eric Donovan, an associate professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. "There’s just a lot going on in this region that we don’t understand." The radar combines 4,096 small antennas, each with its own transmitter, on a single instrument, rather than one giant dish equipped with one powerful transmitter. Rather than physically rotating the radar to point in different directions, the steering is done electronically by a slight phasing of each of the antenna elements differently.

Interesting3:  Green energy overtook fossil fuels in attracting investment for power generation for the first time last year, according to figures released today by the United Nations. Wind, solar and other clean technologies attracted $140bn compared with $110bn for gas and coal for electrical power generation, with more than a third of the green cash destined for Britain and the rest of Europe.

The biggest growth for renewable investment came from China, India and other developing countries, which are fast catching up on the West in switching out of fossil fuels to improve energy security and tackle climate change.

"There have been many milestones reached in recent years, but this report suggests renewable energy has now reached a tipping point where it is as important — if not more important — in the global energy mix than fossil fuels," said Achim Steiner, executive director of the UN’s Environment Program.

It was very encouraging that a variety of new renewable sectors were attracting capital, while different geographical areas such as Kenya and Angola were entering the field, he added. The UN still believes $750bn needs to be spent worldwide between 2009 and 2011 and the current year has started ominously with a 53% slump in first quarter renewables investment to $13.3bn.

Counting energy efficiency and other measures, more than $155bn of new money was invested in clean energy companies and projects, even though capital raised on public stock markets fell 51% to $11.4bn and green firms saw share prices slump more than 60% over 2008, according to the report, Global Trends in Sustainable Energy, drawn up for the UN by the New Energy Finance (NEF) consultancy in London.

Interesting4:  Millions of years ago, rivers ran in Antarctica through craggy mountain valleys that were strangely similar to the modern European Alps, Chinese and British scientists reported on Wednesday. In a study published by the British journal Nature, the scientists described a vast terrain that had been hidden beneath ice up to two miles thick for eons, until new imaging technology recently uncovered them.

"The landscape has probably been preserved beneath the ice sheet for around 14 million years," the paper said. The imaging revealed "classic Alpine topography" similar to Europe’s Alps, showing that rivers had once existed on Antarctica and had cut their way through the mountains. Later, these valleys were gouged and deepened by glaciers.

The research also looked at deep-sea isotope records and theorized there was a period of global cooling, called the Eocene, between 52 and 34 million years ago, that eventually led to the formation of the polar ice caps. Then came two progressively dramatic periods of cooling, which scientists have linked to a decline in naturally-produced greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere — the same gases that, now man-made, are blamed for global warming today.

Interesting5:  Brazil approved on Wednesday an environmental permit for a hydroelectric dam in the Amazon, an official said on Wednesday, advancing a project the government hopes will shore up power supplies but critics call an ecological disaster. The environmental agency Ibama granted a consortium including the French utilities giant Suez the license to build the Jirau dam on the Madeira River, an Ibama spokesman said.

The Jirau project and the nearby Santo Antonio dam are part of a plan to dam one of the Amazon river’s biggest tributaries to ensure Brazil’s economy will have sufficient energy supplies over the next decade.

The two dams, which together form the $13 billion, 6,450 megawatt Madeira River Hydroelectric Complex, will also create a waterway that would reduce shipping costs for Brazil’s agriculture exports.

Environmentalists say the dam could dramatically change the nearby ecosystem by flooding hundreds of thousands of hectares, and they insist the government has not provided enough safeguards to prevent ecological damage.

Interesting6:  The sea floor is strewn with raw materials that could be very important in the future: Manganese and iron, but also rarer and more precious elements such as cobalt, copper, zinc and nickel, are present in great quantities in the form of deep-sea nodules and crusts. The depositions of such materials from seawater and sediment, is the result of a process known as bio-mineralization.

Microorganisms such as bacteria and algae contribute to this process of nodule and crust accretion and catalyze the accumulation of metals, as has been shown by new research at the Institute of Physiological Chemistry and Patho-biochemistry at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz.

The new findings could, the scientists believe, contribute to an environment-friendly and sustainable use of valuable marine natural resources. Competition for the resources on the seabed has already begun; the industrialized countries have already staked their claims and marked off regions with large re-serves of raw materials.

"This is a potential source of international conflict," believes Professor Werner Müller of the University of Mainz. Once we understand exactly how the deep-sea nodules and crusts are created, we might perhaps in the not too distant future be in the position to develop strains of microorganisms that could very specifically "grow" important raw materials for us.

Interesting7:  Californians’ thirst for water has pushed salmon and other fish to the brink of extinction, a federal agency ruled on Thursday as it directed officials to cut water supplies to cities and farms to save several species. California’s rivers used to brim with trout, salmon, sturgeon and more, but the federal, state and local governments built a monumental system of dams and pipelines in the most populous state that turned a desert into productive farmland and left some rivers dry.

The state faces a water crisis and a third year of drought. Add climate change and a growing population to the mix, and the fate of some salmon runs looks untenable without change, the National Marine Fisheries Service said in a report ordered as part of a long-running court battle over the salmon. It called for a 5 percent to 7 percent cut in water diversions for cities and agriculture from key state and federal water suppliers.

Water conservation, recycling and groundwater use could offset the cuts, the report said, but water agencies described a tougher situation. That reflects a larger argument about whether the state can conserve its way out of crisis or should build more dams and canals to capture the last trickles that bypass the system.

"It is becoming increasingly more difficult to operate our projects," U.S. Bureau of Reclamation regional director Don Glaser, the top federal water planner in the area, said after the report was released. State and federal water projects this year have slashed deliveries to 40 percent of most requests, due to fish issues and drought, and agricultural losses are seen near $1 billion.

June 3-4, 2009 

Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Wednesday afternoon: 

Lihue, Kauai – 83
Honolulu, Oahu – 88
Kaneohe, Oahu – 84
Kahului, Maui – 88
Hilo, Hawaii – 86
Kailua-kona – 88

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountains…at 5 p.m. Wednesday evening:

Honolulu, Oahu – 84F
Lihue, Kauai – 80

Haleakala Crater    – 52  (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea summit – 39  (near 14,000 feet on the Big Island)

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of Wednesday afternoon:

0.03 Opaekaa Stream, Kauai
0.02 Makua Range, Oahu
0.01 Molokai
0.04 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
0.04 Hana, Maui
0.17 Waikii, Big Island

Marine Winds – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map shows a 1026 millibar high pressure system to the northeast of the islands, with a ridge extending from the southwest flank of the high…into the area northwest of Kauai. The trade winds will strengthen Thursday and Friday.

Satellite and Radar Images: To view the cloud conditions we have here in Hawaii, please use the following satellite links, starting off with the Infrared Satellite Image of the islands to see all the clouds around the state during the day and night. This next image is one that gives close images of the islands only during the daytime hours, and is referred to as a Close-up visible image. This next image shows a larger view of the Pacific…giving perspective to the wider ranging cloud patterns in the Pacific Ocean. Finally, here’s a looping IR satellite image, making viewable the clouds around the islands 24 hours a day. To help you keep track of where any showers may be around the islands, here’s the latest animated radar image. 

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcam on the summit of near 14,000 foot Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. The tallest peak on the island of Maui is the Haleakala Crater, which is near 10,000 feet in elevation. These two webcams are available during the daylight hours here in the islands…and when there’s a big moon rising just after sunset for an hour or two! Plus, during the nights and early mornings you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise too…depending upon weather conditions.

 Aloha Paragraphs

Hanalei Bay Hula…Kauai
 
 

A late season cold front moving by to our north, caused a slight weakening of our trade winds…although they will be strengthening again Thursday into Friday.  Looking at this weather map Wednesday evening, we see a high pressure system to our northeast, with its associated ridge to the northwest of Kauai. The relatively close proximity of this ridge weakened our local winds a touch, bringing our wind speeds down a notch. This slightly softer version of the trade winds won’t last long however, as they will strengthen again already Thursday. There’s a good chance that they will be strong enough to trigger a small craft wind advisory in the windier locations Friday into the weekend.

Any showers in our area will be limited by the nearby ridge of high pressure, and the generally dry and stable air mass surrounding the Hawaiian Islands now. The windward sides may see a few showers, as well as a few afternoon sprinkles Wednesday afternoon elsewhere. The leeward beaches will remain mostly dry, with lots of sunshine, especially during the morning hours. The forecast models don’t show any sign of change in this regard, so that we can expect a minimal amount of rainfall through most of the rest of this week. 

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of our local outdoor environment at this point…has been the surf breaking along our south facing leeward beaches. Actually, we had a couple of new swells, which brought larger surf to our north, west, and south facing shores. A storm far to our northwest in the Pacific several days ago, and another down in the southern hemisphere, near New Zealand about a week ago…were the source areas for these waves that arrived Wednesday. The north shore surf will drop rather quickly Thursday, but the leeward beaches will have a prolonged period of larger than normal surf breaking. 

It’s Wednesday evening here in Kula, Maui, as I begin writing this last section of today’s narrative.  As was the case on Tuesday, Wednesday started off in a really nice way. We found clouds forming over and around the mountains during the afternoons, which is actually quite common. The beaches remained mostly clear, locally partly cloudy all day however. Air temperatures in those sunny beach areas, reached well up into the upper 80F’s once again today. As we move into Thursday, the trade winds will be the major weather influence here in the islands…remaining that way through the foreseeable future. ~~~ There were a couple of sprinkles down in Kihei, Maui, when I left work, and found a few light drops once I get upcountry too. Actually, at around 735pm it started to rain quite nicely, what a glorious sound, those drops beating down…and the smell too! ~~~ I’ll be back early Thursday morning with your next new weather narrative. I’m very sure that I’ll be describing good weather coming our way too. I hope you have a great Wednesday night until then! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Interesting:  People with lower back pain are better off exercising more, not less. A University of Alberta study of 240 men and women with chronic lower-back pain showed that those who exercised four days a week had a better quality of life, 28 per cent less pain and 36 per cent less disability, while those who hit the gym only two or three days a week did not show the same level of change.

"While it could be assumed that someone with back pain should not be exercising frequently, our findings show that working with weights four days a week provides the greatest amount of pain relief and quality of life," said Robert Kell, lead author of the study and an assistant professor of exercise physiology at the University of Alberta, Augustana Campus.

About 80 per cent of North Americans suffer from lower back pain. Kell presented some of the findings May 30 at the American College of Sports Medicine conference in Seattle, Wash. In the study, groups of 60 men and women with chronically sore lower backs each exercised with weights in two, three or four-day weekly programs, or not at all.

Their progress was measured over 16 weeks. The level of pain decreased by 28 per cent in programs that included exercise four days a week, by 18 per cent three days a week and by 14 per cent two days a week. The quality of life, defined as general physical and mental well-being, rose by 28 per cent, 22 per cent and 16 per cent respectively.

Interesting2: A new University of Florida study shows mammals change their dietary niches based on climate-driven environmental changes, contradicting a common assumption that species maintain their niches despite global warming. Led by Florida Museum of Natural History vertebrate paleontologist Larisa DeSantis, researchers examined fossil teeth from mammals at two sites representing different climates in Florida: a glacial period about 1.9 million years ago and a warmer, interglacial period about 1.3 million years ago.

The researchers found that interglacial warming resulted in dramatic changes to the diets of animal groups at both sites. "When people are modeling future mammal distributions, they’re assuming that the niches of mammals today are going to be the same in the future," DeSantis said.

"That’s a huge assumption." Co-author Robert Feranec, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the New York State Museum, said scientists cannot predict what species will do based on their current ecology. "The study definitively shows that climate change has an effect on ecosystems and mammals, and that the responses are much more complex than we might think," Feranec said.

The two sites in the study, both on Florida’s Gulf Coast, have been excavated quite extensively, DeSantis said. During glacial periods, lower sea levels nearly doubled Florida’s width, compared with interglacial periods.

But because of Florida’s low latitude, no ice sheets were present during the glacial period. Despite the lack of glaciers in Florida, the two sites show dramatic ecological changes occurred between the two periods.

Interesting3: Scientists have been studying the Dust Bowl phenomenon for decades, and until now the mechanisms that caused this exceptionally long period of drought have not been fully understood, as little information has been available on the atmospheric circulation. Stefan Brönnimann, Professor at the Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science at ETH Zurich, and his team have now used historical data to reconstruct and analyze the three-dimensional circulation during the Dust Bowl drought.

At the time of the drought, wind and temperature readings were already being taken using balloons and aircraft, initially at altitudes of three to eight kilometers, and later at much higher altitudes. These data have now been digitalized as part of a US project and a project undertaken by the Swiss National Science Foundation.

Based on these data, Brönnimann’s team used statistical methods to reconstruct the upper air circulation at an altitude of up to 15 kilometers. Based on computer models, researchers have up to now conjectured that unusual sea surface temperatures in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans would have altered the wind systems, thereby triggering the drought.

At the same time, the dying vegetation, the parched soil and the dust created by these conditions could have further intensified the drought. However, according to Brönnimann, observations to date have offered insufficient confirmation of these hypotheses based on simulated models. Summer soon begins in the Northern Hemisphere and, on June 1st, the Atlantic hurricane season kicks off.

What do Atlantic and Pacific Ocean surface temperatures and heights tell forecasters about what they can expect this season? Although peak hurricane time doesn’t arrive until late-summer and early fall, there are some oceanic signals that give a hint of coming activity and NASA satellites are helping to provide that data.

Interesting4:  The last few days have seen its hottest weather thus far over the British Archipelago. Of course, hot is relative in a region where cool and gray are more the rule than bright and sunny. For instance, normal high temperature in London at this time is 65 degrees F. Yet, as May ended and June began, readings soared well above normal throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland.

On Sunday and again on Monday, strong sunshine fostered by high pressure hiked temperatures right through the 70s and even above the benchmark — for Britain, anyways — 80-degree mark. Hottest on both afternoons was the town of Port Solent, Hampshire: Sunday had 80.4 F; Monday hit 81.0 F. Even normal cooler corners of the region warmed dramatically. At Glasgow, Monday’s high was a toasty 79.6 F.

This was also true on Tuesday, when the warm spot for the UK was reached in Northern Ireland: 79.5 F at Castlederg, in the county of Tyrone. The warmth, while welcome to sun lovers, also had down side. The unusual warmth together with direct heating of the sun could have buckled rails between Whitehaven and Carlisle, northwest England.

This was the site of a train derailing that happened on Monday. Expansion of steel induced by heating can buckle rails under some circumstances. On Sunday, authorities were made busy answering rescue calls as a several fun seekers, drawn to water by the hot sun, found them selves in trouble. There were a few instances of overturned boats and rafts drifting to sea.

Interesting5: A finely preserved skeleton of a mammoth, believed to be one million years old, has been uncovered near an archaeological site in eastern Serbia, local media reports. The skeleton was uncovered during ongoing excavations of the site at Viminacium, a Roman military settlement on the Danube river, said archaeologist Miomir Korac today. Zoran Markovic of Serbia’s Nature museum said the skeleton "is extremely well preserved, with only a slightly damaged skull". "We believe the skeleton is about one million years old, based on the layers of the grounds where it has been found," said Mr Markovic.

Experts estimated that the mammoth was over four metres tall, possibly weighing up to 10 tons. The animal could have died near the Danube on its way from northern Africa and to southern Europe, B92 reported. In 1996, fossil remains of a mammoth were found near the northern Serbian town Kikinda. The mammoth, believed to be about half a million years old, was named Kika and soon become a tourist attraction.

June 2-3, 2009 

Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Tuesday afternoon: 

Lihue, Kauai – 83
Honolulu, Oahu – 90
Kaneohe, Oahu – 82
Kahului, Maui – 88
Hilo, Hawaii – 84
Kailua-kona – 89

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountains…at 4 p.m. Tuesday afternoon:

Kapalua, Maui – 90F
Kaneohe, Oahu – 79

Haleakala Crater    – 59  (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea summit – 41  (near 14,000 feet on the Big Island)

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of Tuesday afternoon:

0.19 Mount Waialeale, Kauai
0.04 Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
0.00 Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
0.01 West Wailuaiki, Maui
0.04 Kamuela, Big Island

Marine Winds – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map shows a 1025 millibar high pressure system to the northeast of the islands, with a ridge extending from the southwest flank of the high…into the area northwest of Kauai. The trade winds will blow somewhat more gently Wednesday…before strengthening again Thursday onwards.

Satellite and Radar Images: To view the cloud conditions we have here in Hawaii, please use the following satellite links, starting off with the Infrared Satellite Image of the islands to see all the clouds around the state during the day and night. This next image is one that gives close images of the islands only during the daytime hours, and is referred to as a Close-up visible image. This next image shows a larger view of the Pacific…giving perspective to the wider ranging cloud patterns in the Pacific Ocean. Finally, here’s a looping IR satellite image, making viewable the clouds around the islands 24 hours a day. To help you keep track of where any showers may be around the islands, here’s the latest animated radar image. 

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcam on the summit of near 14,000 foot Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. The tallest peak on the island of Maui is the Haleakala Crater, which is near 10,000 feet in elevation. These two webcams are available during the daylight hours here in the islands…and when there’s a big moon rising just after sunset for an hour or two! Plus, during the nights and early mornings you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise too…depending upon weather conditions.

 Aloha Paragraphs

Hanalei Bay…Kauai
Artist Credit: Pierre Bouret
 
 

Light to moderately strong trade winds will prevail Tuesday and Wednesday…then surge forward Thursday through the rest of the week.  Looking at this weather map Tuesday evening, we see a high pressure system to our northeast, with its associated ridge near Kauai. The close proximity of this ridge may weaken our local winds Wednesday, bringing our wind speeds down a nortch…as a dissipating cold front passes by to our north. This slightly softer version of the trade winds won’t last long however, as they will strengthen again already by Thursday onwards. There’s a good chance that they will be strong enough to trigger a small craft wind advisory in the windier locations Friday into the weekend.

Whatever few showers that fall here in the Hawaiian Islands will be light…with most areas remaining totally dry for the time being. The windward sides will be where most of these few showers will land, generally during the night and early morning hours. The leeward beaches will likely as dry as they have been…as a stable and dry atmosphere remains in place. This is very normal for the month of June, which qualifies as the driest month of the year. The forecast models don’t show any sign of change in this regard, so that we can expect a minimal amount of rainfall through most of the rest of this week.

Other than a few windward showers, it appears very likely that we’ll remain in a pleasant late spring weather pattern, at least for the moment. The leeward sides of the islands are all set up for another nice day of beaching Wednesday. Speaking of the beaches, we have a couple of new swells that will bring rising surf to our north, west, and south facing shores. A storm far to our northwest in the Pacific, and another down in the southern hemisphere, near New Zealand…are the source areas for these new waves that will arrive going into Wednesday. It’s always a good idea to be careful in the waves, especially if you’re not used to their power.

It’s Tuesday evening here in Kula, Maui, as I begin writing this last section of today’s narrative.  Tuesday was another great day, a lot like the last several days have been, and probably very similar to what the next several days will be. Air temperatures, at least near sea level, will rise well up into the 80F’s, or perhaps flirt again with the 90 degree mark in those very warmest locations. The big city of Honolulu hit that degree of heat, as did Kapalua, Maui, later in the day Tuesday. The trade winds will remain active, although may slip just a touch on Wednesday. By the way, it looks like we have some high clouds coming our way, as you can see by viewing this looping satellite image. ~~~ I’m about ready to get out there for my early evening walk, and then it will be back out on my weather deck, to take in the sunset. I have a nice dinner planned, with organic bbq’d chicken, plated with a hefty amount of fresh picked salad greens out of the garden. I’ll be back here early Wednesday morning with your next new weather narrative from paradise. I hope you have a great Tuesday night until then! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Interesting: Researchers were stunned to discover recently that Earth is losing more of its atmosphere than Venus and Mars, which have negligible magnetic fields. This may mean our planet’s magnetic shield may not be as solid a protective screen as once believed when it comes to guarding the atmosphere from an assault from the sun.

"We often tell ourselves that we are very fortunate living on this planet because we have this strong magnetic shield that protects us from all sorts of things that the cosmos throws at us — cosmic rays, solar flares and the pesky solar wind," said Christopher Russell, a professor of geophysics and space physics at the University of California, Los Angeles.

"It certainly does help in some of those areas but … in the case of the atmosphere, this may not be true," he said. Russel and others came to this realization while meeting at a comparative planetology conference last month. "Three of us who work on Earth, Venus and Mars got together and compared notes," Russell told Discovery News. "We said, ‘Oh my goodness — what we’ve been telling people about the magnetic shield is not correct.’"

Interesting2: Climate change can have devastating effects on endangered species, but new mathematical models may be able to aid conservation of a population of bighorn sheep. The effects of a changing climate on a population of bighorn sheep can be mathematically predicted, as described in a recent paper recommended by Faculty of 1000 Biology members Barry Brook and Lochran Traill.

Researchers from Germany, the US, and Mexico studied a population of bighorn sheep introduced to Tiburon island, Mexico, in 1975. Here, the sheep are not at risk from disease or predators, and climate change is the only variable threat to the animals. In this new study, the researchers predicted the effect of climate change on the sheep population using a mathematical simulation.

The sheep appear to be vulnerable to increased drought in the area – a side-effect of global climate change. More severe drought will eventually lead to a decrease in the sheep population. Being able to predict the effect of climate change before it happens is of great importance to the conservation of endangered species. Brook and Traill point out that their calculations can be adapted to other species, in other regions: "The work is therefore an important contribution towards […] the continued conservation of small populations under global change."

Interesting3:  Biologists have for several years modeled how different species are likely to respond to climate change. Most such studies ignore differences between populations within a species and the interactions between species, in the interest of simplicity. An article in the June issue of BioScience, by Eric Post of Pennsylvania State University and five colleagues, shows how these limitations can be avoided.

Their approach, which relies on multi-stage analyses of how populations fluctuate over time, could allow biologists to model responses to climate change with improved accuracy. In particular, the approach could help identify regions where local populations are vulnerable to climate change, and it could elucidate species interactions that may not be obvious.

The article concentrates on recent analyses by Post and others of yellow-billed cuckoos, caribou/wild reindeer, elk and red deer, and wolves and moose. Continent-wide and hemisphere-wide responses depended both on local weather and on broader climate patterns, and all species showed marked variation among populations.

The pattern of responses, Post and colleagues report, "suggests a strong role for species interactions in buffering responses to climate." For example, local populations near the northern edge of a species’ range often seem to be more directly affected by climate than do populations near the southern edge, where biological interactions typically complicate responses to climate change.

The time series approach described by Post and colleagues is intended to supplement simpler methods rather than replace them. It can only be used on species for which there are detailed abundance records extending over, ideally, 25 years or more. Still, the authors note, refinements in statistical techniques are starting to allow more imperfect data to be analyzed, and data are accumulating, so the outlook for time-series analysis is promising.

June 1-2, 2009 

Air Temperatures – The following maximum temperatures were recorded across the state of Hawaii Monday afternoon: 

Lihue, Kauai – 84
Honolulu, Oahu – 88
Kaneohe, Oahu – 85
Kahului, Maui – 88
Hilo, Hawaii – 85
Kailua-kona – 87

Air Temperatures ranged between these warmest and coolest spots near sea level – and on the highest mountains…at 5 p.m. Monday evening:

Honolulu, Oahu – 86F
Hilo, Hawaii – 79

Haleakala Crater    – 55  (near 10,000 feet on Maui)
Mauna Kea summit – 43  (near 14,000 feet on the Big Island)

Precipitation Totals – The following numbers represent the largest precipitation totals (inches) during the last 24 hours on each of the major islands, as of Monday afternoon:

0.01 Mount Waialaele, Kauai
0.13 Oahu Forest NWR, Oahu
0.00 Molokai
0.00 Lanai
0.00 Kahoolawe
0.00 Maui
0.31 Mountain View, Big Island

Marine Winds – Here’s the latest (automatically updated) weather map shows a 1023 millibar high pressure system to the northeast of Hawaii, with its associated ridge just to the north and northwest of Kauai. This ridge is just far enough north of us now, that trade winds have returned to the state. An approaching cold front, which won’t reach the islands, will weaken the ridge just enough that trades will back off some Wednesday…and then strengthen again Thursday.

Satellite and Radar Images: To view the cloud conditions we have here in Hawaii, please use the following satellite links, starting off with the Infrared Satellite Image of the islands to see all the clouds around the state during the day and night. This next image is one that gives close images of the islands only during the daytime hours, and is referred to as a Close-up visible image. This next image shows a larger view of the Pacific…giving perspective to the wider ranging cloud patterns in the Pacific Ocean. Finally, here’s a looping IR satellite image, making viewable the clouds around the islands 24 hours a day. To help you keep track of where any showers may be around the islands, here’s the latest animated radar image. 

Hawaii’s Mountains – Here’s a link to the live webcam on the summit of near 14,000 foot Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. The tallest peak on the island of Maui is the Haleakala Crater, which is near 10,000 feet in elevation. These two webcams are available during the daylight hours here in the islands…and when there’s a big moon rising just after sunset for an hour or two! Plus, during the nights and early mornings you will be able to see stars, and the sunrise too…depending upon weather conditions.

 Aloha Paragraphs

Visions of paradise…the Big Island
Artist Credit: Pierre Bouret
 
 

After a long spell of lighter than normal winds, the trade winds are about to encompass the entire island chain…having already arrived over the Big Island, Maui, and Oahu during the day Monday. Looking at this weather map Monday evening, we see a high pressure system to our northeast, with its associated ridge far enough north of Kauai…that light to even moderately strong trade winds have returned to most of the Hawaiian Islands. These trade winds will continue blowing through the rest of the week ahead, lasting into next week. The computer models suggest that these trade winds will become strong enough…that small craft wind advisories will be necessary in those windiest areas later in the second half of this week.

As the trade winds fill back in now, we’ll begin to see the return of a few windward biased showers going forward too. Already, some areas along the windward side of the Big Island, have started to see some showers falling.  Case in point, Mountain View, on the Big Island of Hawaii, received .31" during the last 24 hours…which was the largest precipitation total in the Aloha state. The overall weather pattern will be a dry one however, so that we’ll see lots of sunshine during the days.

It’s Monday evening here in Kula, Maui, as I begin writing this last section of today’s narrative.  Monday was a good example of what returning trade winds can do for the islands. They quickly put an end to the hazy conditions, taking the edge off the high heat of the light wind regime, bringing whatever showers that around…back over to the windward sides. Those sultry conditions that we have been putting up with lately, will soon be forgotten…as the trade winds take control through most of the upcoming summer season. ~~~ Speaking of seasons, today is the first day of our 2009 hurricane season here in the central north Pacific. The Atlantic Ocean is expecting an above active season, while here in our part of the Pacific basin, we’re looking for an average to below average number of tropical cyclones. ~~~ As we head through the last few days of this late spring season, we will generally be discussing the trade winds, more specifically…how strong they will be getting, not whether or not they will be blowing. Most days will find moderately strong trades blowing, with those windier spots around Maui and the Big Island, finding stronger gusts locally. ~~~ I’ll be back early Tuesday morning with your next new weather narrative, I hope you have a great Monday night until then! Aloha for now…Glenn.

Interesting: The U.S. market for small wind turbines grew 78% last year, highlighting heightened interest in, demand for, and use of distributed alternative and renewable power systems. A total 17.3 megawatts worth of new small wind turbines–defined as wind turbines with generation capacities of 100 kilowatts and less–was installed in 2009, according to a report by the American Wind Energy Association released May 28.

"Consumers are looking for affordable ways to improve their energy security and reduce their personal carbon footprint," said Ron Stimmel, AWEA’s Small Wind Advocate. "Small wind technology can be an answer to that search. As government policies have caught up with consumer interest, we’re seeing people all across the U.S. take advantage of this abundant, domestic natural resource and U.S. manufacturers have been able to meet this increasing demand."

What’s even more encouraging is that U.S. manufacturers–such as Mariah Wind profiled here on 3P–accounted for about half of total worldwide small wind turbine sales. U.S. market share made up $77 million of the $156 million global total (38.7 MW), according to the AWEA.

Increased private investment has enabled manufacturers to increase production volumes and lower costs, particularly in the market’s commercial segment–systems that range between 21 and 100 kW. Residential small wind turbines–between 1 and 10 kW– remains the largest market segment was similarly driven by new investment and the subsequent realization of greater economies of scale. Rising residential electricity prices added to the impetus, according to the AWEA’s report.

Like sectors across the economy, AWEA members are looking to additional federal stimulus and renewable energy stimulus and incentives to keep the ball rolling and growing. "The U.S. wind industry is a growing bright spot in our domestic economy, and the small wind sector is no exception," said AWEA CEO Denise Bode.

"Strong federal policies like the federal investment tax credit for small wind are critical to future growth, just as adoption of a federal renewable electricity standard (RES) is essential to growth in the utility-scale market." Small wind manufacturers polled by the AWEA project a 30-fold increase in the U.S. small wind market within as little as five years, that despite a global recession. "Much of this estimated growth will be spurred by the new eight-year 30% federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) passed by Congress in October 2008 and augmented in February 2009," the AWEA report states.

Interesting2:  Climate change is turning the oceans more acid in a trend that could endanger everything from clams to coral and be irreversible for thousands of years, national science academies said on Monday. Seventy academies from around the world urged governments meeting in Bonn for climate talks from June 1-12 to take more account of risks to the oceans in a new U.N. treaty for fighting global warming due to be agreed in Copenhagen in December.

"To avoid substantial damage to ocean ecosystems, deep and rapid reductions of carbon dioxide emissions of at least 50 percent (below 1990 levels) by 2050, and much more thereafter, are needed," the academies said in a joint statement. The academies said rising amounts of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas emitted mainly by human use of fossil fuels, were being absorbed by the oceans and making it harder for creatures to build protective body parts.

Interesting3:  The Gulf of Mexico contains very thick and concentrated gas-hydrate-bearing reservoir rocks which have the potential to produce gas using current technology. Recent drilling by a government and industry consortium confirm that the Gulf of Mexico is the first offshore area in the United States with enough information to identify gas hydrate energy resource targets with potential for gas production.

Gas hydrate, a substance comprised of natural gas and water, is thought to exist in great abundance in nature and has the potential to be a significant new energy source to meet future energy needs. However, prior to this expedition, there was little documentation that gas hydrate occurred in resource-quality accumulations in the marine environment.

“This is an exciting discovery because for the first time in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, we were able to predict hydrate accumulations before drilling, and we discovered thick, gas hydrate-saturated sands that actually represent energy targets,” said U.S. Geological Survey Energy Program Coordinator Brenda Pierce.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS) and a group of U.S. and international energy industry companies under the management of Chevron were responsible for conducting this first ever drilling project with the goal to collect geologic data on gas-hydrate-bearing sand reservoirs in the Gulf of Mexico.

“We have also found gas hydrate in a range of settings, including sand reservoirs, thick sequences of fracture-filling gas hydrates in shales, and potential partially saturated gas hydrates in younger systems,” said USGS Scientist Timothy Collett. “These sites should provide a wealth of opportunities for further study and data collection that should provide significant advances in understanding the nature and development of gas hydrate systems.”

Interesting4:  Densely packed wildebeests flowing over the Serengeti, bison teeming across the Northern Plains—these iconic images extend from Hollywood epics to the popular imagination. But the fact is, all of the world’s large-scale terrestrial migrations have been severely reduced and a quarter of the migrating species are suspected to no longer migrate at all because of human changes to the landscape.

A recently published research paper highlights this global change and presents the first analysis of the dwindling mass migrations. "Conservation science has done a poor job in understanding how migrations work, and as a result many migrations have gone extinct," says Grant Harris of the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation at the American Museum of Natural History, first author of the paper in Endangered Species Research.

"Fencing, for example, blocks migratory routes and reduces migrant’s access to forage and water. Migrations can then stop, or be shortened, and animal numbers plummet." Migrations of large-bodied herbivores (also called ungulates) occur when animals search for higher quality or more abundant food. Ecologically, there are two primary drivers of food availability.

In temperate regions of the world, higher-quality food shifts predictably as the seasons change, and animals respond by moving along well-established routes. For savannah ecosystems, rain and fire allow higher-quality food to grow. This is a less predictable change that animals must track across expansive landscapes.

Human activity now prevents large groups of ungulates from following their food. Fencing, farming, and water restrictions have changed the landscape and over-harvesting of the animals themselves has played a role in reducing the number of migrants.

Interesting5: Large bombardments of meteoroids approximately four billion years ago could have helped to make the early Earth and Mars more habitable for life by modifying their atmospheres, suggests the results of a new study. When a meteoroid from space enters a planet’s atmosphere, extreme heat causes some of the minerals and organic matter on its outer crust to be released as water and carbon dioxide (as a meteor burning up in the atmosphere) before it breaks up and hits the ground (and becomes a meteorite).

Researchers suggest the delivery of this water could have made Earth’s and Mars’ atmospheres wetter. The release of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide could have trapped more energy from sunlight to make Earth and Mars warm enough to sustain liquid oceans.

In the new study, researchers from Imperial College London analyzed the remaining mineral and organic content of fifteen fragments of ancient meteorites that had crashed around the world to see how much water vapor and carbon dioxide they would release when subjected to very high temperatures like those that they would experience upon entering the Earth’s atmosphere.

The researchers used a new technique called pyrolysis-FTIR, which uses electricity to rapidly heat the fragments at a rate of 20,000 degrees Celsius per second, and they then measured the gases released. They found that on average, each meteorite was capable of releasing up to 12 percent of the object’s mass as water vapor and 6 percent of its mass as carbon dioxide when entering an atmosphere.

They concluded that contributions from individual meteorites were small and were unlikely to have a significant impact on the atmospheres of planets on their own. The researchers then analyzed data from an ancient meteor shower called the Late Heavy Bombardment (LHB), which occurred 4 billion years ago, where millions of rocks crashed to Earth and Mars over a period of 20 million years.

Using published models of meteoritic impact rates during the LHB, the researchers calculated that 10 billion tons of carbon dioxide and 10 billion tons of water vapor could have been delivered to the atmospheres of Earth and Mars each year. This suggests that the LHB could have delivered enough carbon dioxide and water vapor to turn the atmospheres of the two planets into warmer and wetter environments that were more habitable for life, say the researchers.

Interesting6:  Boots and training shoes are not the first things that spring to mind when you think about the causes of rainforest destruction and climate change, but just because the connection isn’t obvious doesn’t mean it isn’t realm, says Greenpeace in a new report, "Slaughtering the Amazon". But it’s not only shoes.

Products as diverse as handbags and ready meals, and companies as big as Tesco, BMW, IKEA and Kraft also rely on Amazon leather. Practically all Western world consumers have some by-product of Amazon destruction in our homes somewhere, whether we like it or not.

Effectively, these brands are driving this destruction by buying beef and leather products from unscrupulous suppliers in Brazil points out the Greenpeace report. The report says the cattle industry is the single biggest cause of deforestation in the world as trees are cleared to make way for ranches.

And the Brazilian government is also fuelling the process by offering billions of dollars in loans to support the expansion of the cattle industry. President Lula de Silva has pledged to double his country’s share of the global beef market by 2018. The report contrasts these investments with Lula da Silva’s recent promise to cut deforestation by 72% by the same date and to set up an international fund for protecting the Amazon.

A new study by Harvard Law School’s Environmental Law & Policy Clinic and sponsored by Manko, Gold, Katcher & Fox, a Philadelphia law firm, says that green building raises a number of liability questions. What if the building set out to meet LEED certification or other government green-building standards, but falls short, for example?

What if it fails to garner expected tax breaks from the government for building green? Already, according to Robert Fox, a managing partner with the Philadelphia firm, a number of legal disputes have arisen in the area of green building. "We’re seeing the litigation starting now, and my sense is that there will be more as the government is imposing this as a requirement," he said, referring to increasing mandates or incentives by governments at all levels to encourage green building practices.

Interesting7:  Some details about lightning strikes in civil aviation:

—Lightning strikes on passenger airliners occur daily, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere and the equatorial belt where massive thunderstorms are frequent throughout the year.

—Each large passenger jet — such as the Airbus A330 is struck by lightning about once every three years on average, according to international aviation incident statistics.

—Regional aircraft are hit about once a year because they cruise at much lower altitudes where there’s a greater possibility of strikes.

—With approximately 25,000 commercial jets in service with the world’s airlines, there are statistically about three dozen lightning strikes occur each day.

—The overwhelming majority of such incidents ends with no damage or only superficial damage to the airframe, such as small dents.

—Most airliners — such as the A330 — are built mainly of aluminum, which is very good at dissipating the energy contained in a lightning bolt, which can be in excess of 300,000 amps.

—Composite components on some newer models are not as good at shedding electrical energy and are particularly prone to damage from lightning strikes. —There have been only a handful of accidents in the past 50 years in which lightning may have played a contributory role.

—The deadliest occurred on Dec. 8, 1963, when lightning ignited the vapors in the fuel tanks of a Pan American World Airways Boeing 707 flying over Maryland. All 81 people on board died. Immediately after, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered that all commercial airliners be equipped with electrical discharge wicks.