Green Man Blog - General

Cooling The Earth With Budyko’s Blanket?

nospam@example.com (Green Man) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:18:46 -0700

A large volcano eruption, such as the 1991 Mt. Pinatubo eruption, can eject enough sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere to measurably cool the Earth. Will sulfur dioxide be the answer to global warming?

In their book, Super Freakonomics, authors Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner highlight a conversation with the founder of Intellectual Ventures.

Intellectual Ventures is a think-tank company, and holder of over 20,000 patents of novel ideas such as using lasers to zap malaria carrying mosquitoes, and the Salter Sink, a device that floats on the ocean and re-circulates warm surface water to deeper, colder water, which, if placed in the path of an approaching hurricane would weaken its intensity.

Nathan Myhrvold is the founder of Intellectual Ventures, and he came originally from Microsoft. He has some ideas about curbing global warming: one of them is to build an 18 mile long flexible hose to spew sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere.

Why does he think this will work? According to Myhrvold, sulfur dioxide would absorb enough water vapor to form an aerosol cloud, blanketing the Earth and producing a cooling effect. He calls this cooling blanket Budyko’s Blanket, after the Russian scientist who first suggested the idea back in the mid 1970s.

How much sulfur dioxide are we talking about here?

About 34 gallons of sulfur dioxide per minute, discharged into the stratosphere, would be enough to effectively cool the entire Northern Hemisphere. Overall, it would take 100,000 tons of sulfur dioxide per year, a fraction of the 200 million tons that is already being discharged into the environment at ground levels.

Could this actually work? Myhrvold thinks so: he’d use helium balloons to raise the 18 mile long hose high into the sky, and small pumps spaced along its length would pump the sulfur dioxide along.

Critics say the plan is insane, and we need to concentrate on curbing emissions, not on “geoengineering.” Myhrvold counters that both approaches are needed; it is too late to think curbing emissions alone will be sufficient to reduce global warming.

Can We Stop This Fish Disease?

nospam@example.com (Green Man) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 10:16:08 -0700

This type of VHS isn’t a tape for your cassette player, but a fish disease that is rapidly spreading throughout the United States and the world.

Scientifically known as Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia, VHS was recently found in Lake Superior for the first time. The first Great Lake infection was found in 2003, and as of now every lake is infected. Large fish kills have been documented in lakes Ontario, Erie and Huron since 2005.

Worldwide, over 50 species of marine and freshwater fish carry the VHS virus. Because the virus normally can’t tolerate warmer waters— 59 degrees and up—scientists thought warm-water fish species were immune, but this has changed. Scientists now believe the virus is mutating into a new substrain that is infecting warm-water species, although as of yet no outbreaks have been reported in waters over 64 degrees.

The VHS virus affects fish differently worldwide. In Europe, for example, rainbow trout are highly susceptible, while North American rainbow trout seem to be immune. But overall, the list of infected species is growing and includes flounder, herring, salmon, whitefish, sea bass, cod, perch, crappie, bass, bluegill, and more.

The disease is highly contagious, and quarantines are the only effective way to control outbreaks. Unfortunately, oceans can’t be quarantined. No anti-viral agents or vaccines have yet been developed, and the outlook on stopping this disease is not promising. For now, scientists are concentrating on monitoring fish health and hatchery disinfection. Infected fish farms are being drained and treated while dry to kill the virus. But these methods are limited, and scientists are scrambling to find ways to better fight this disease as it continues to spread.

The Green Man Blog is written to spread environmental awareness and appreciation of the natural world around us. Thank you for visiting! Stay green, support the organic movement, and be sure to visit www.greenmantshirts.com or www.robjuszak.com for the best in organic cotton and bamboo t shirts!

California Brown Pelicans Hurt by Storms

nospam@example.com (Green Man) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:24:17 -0700

The recent California storms have caused extensive damage up and down the coast. Along with the mudslides, downed trees, and flooding, are the effects upon our wildlife.

For example, the California Brown Pelican, an animal only just removed from the endangered species list, has struggled to survive the storms.

It seems odd to think wildlife isn’t equipped to handle nature, but in the pelicans’ case it’s the urban runoff from the storms that hurts them. The runoff is polluted with oil, grease, and other gunk that gets over the birds and mats down their feathers. The pelicans lose the insulating barrier that the feathers usually give them, and hypothermia sets in. Once wet and cold, the birds’ suffer from failing immune systems and get sick.

Brown Pelicans normally weigh up to 10 pounds, and stand about 4 feet. Their wingspans cover 7 feet. Sick birds have been found by the dozens along the coast and wildlife groups are collecting them for treatment.

Pelican covered in oil and grease.

The birds are dried, warmed up, and fed. As they recover they undergo a bath using liquid dish soap to remove the filth from their feathers.

The whole process takes a week, and costs about $500.00 per bird.

The pictures shown are from Marie Travers at the International Bird Research Rescue Center

After his bath, ready to go!

Organic Farming And The Swath of Death

nospam@example.com (Green Man) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 02:48:00 -0700

The future of organic farming may be playing out in a tiny town in California.

Alan Bornt farms organic spinach on 450 acres near the town. He uses no pesticides or herbicides.

The problem? Gnats.

Gnats, average size of 1/16 to 1/8 inch long, black bodies, clear wings, are a type of very small fly.

The 550 residents of Jacumba say the gnat population is out of control. Millions of the intensely irritating creatures swarm the town and surrounding areas. They make life miserable, flying into eyes, ears, swarming around everything. Sitting outside to relax and read the paper, or to sip a beer, is impossible, the residents claim.

The residents place the blame squarely on Bornt and his organic farm.

One of California’s major universities studied the problem and concluded that Bornt’s farm was responsible for more than 80 million gnats. The county required him to place over 1,000 gnat traps, but the traps haven’t worked as well as expected.

Now a new plan has been formulated: alternating rows of alfalfa and corn forming a 100-ft “swath of death” for the gnats. The alfalfa and corn will adjoin the organic spinach crop. But they will be sprayed with conventional pesticides. The alfalfa and corn will lure the gnats and the pesticide will kill them.

The plan was conceived by James Bethke, who serves as a farm adviser with the University of California.

For Bornt, the stakes are high. If the plan doesn’t work, the county is threatening to shut down his organic farm for good.

Eels Gone From The Thames?

nospam@example.com (Green Man) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 08:20:11 -0700

Where have the Thames eels gone?

The Thames River at one point was full of eels. The eels originate from the Sargasso Sea, and then migrate to European rivers like the Thames. They spend 20 years in the rivers before returning to the Sargasso Sea to spawn and eventually die.

Scientist regularly trapped 1,500 or more Thames eels in yearly studies. But last year, only 50 eels were caught. The eel population, according to the scientists, has dropped 98% in the last 5 years.

The migrating eels are either not coming to the Thames anymore, or are not surviving once they arrive. Scientists are not sure which, but either way the absence of the eels could have a disastrous effect on other species that depend on them as food.

The Thames Estuary was considered a “biological dead zone” in the 1960s, but has made a comeback. It now supports over 120 species of fish, 350 species of invertebrates, plus hundreds of thousands of migrating wildfowl each year. The North Sea fishery depends upon the estuary as an important nursery ground for many species.

Knocking out the eels from the food chain might start a chain reaction with other species. In fact, when the Thames estuary was first coming back to life in the 1960s, it was the eels that were first to re-colonize the waters.

To explain the eels’ disappearance, scientists are looking at possible changes in oceanic currents, man-made structures such as dams, and perhaps the presence of diseases and parasites.

Last Decade Was Warmest On Record

nospam@example.com (Green Man) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:54:54 -0700

We’ve had a hot start to the new millennium, researchers say. Years 2000 through 2009 made up the hottest decade on record. The second warmest decade, in case you were wondering, was the previous decade: 1990 through 1999.

In 2009 global temperatures were 1.01 degree above average, which tied for the fifth warmest ever. Overall, the last decade averaged .96 degrees hotter than normal.

2005 was 1.11 degrees above normal.

In the United States during the last year the temperature averaged .3 degrees above normal. It was also the 18th wettest year on record, averaging nationwide 33.8 inches.

Other U.S records were set this decade, including:

1) A 10th consecutive summer of above normal temperatures in the Northwest

2) A record winter drought in Texas

3) The most active tornado season in Louisiana and Alabama

4) New snowfall records for Spokane, Washington, and International Falls, Minnesota.

The Green Man Blog is written to spread environmental awareness and appreciation of the natural world around us. Thank you for visiting! Stay green, support the organic movement, and be sure to visit www.greenmantshirts.com or www.robjuszak.com for the best in organic cotton and bamboo t shirts!

Dolphin Slaughter in Japan

nospam@example.com (Green Man) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 19:45:39 -0700

The photo at right is from the movie, The Cove. The water you see is not colored by dye. It is colored by the blood of dead and dying dolphins: speared, slashed, and beaten to death by fishermen.

The Cove documents the annual brutal slaughter. For years, the Japanese in the town of Taiji have attempted to hide this from the public. Now the world knows.

Dolphin meat, unfit for human consumption because of its high mercury content, was nonetheless sold to an unsuspecting public as a delicacy.

The Japanese government repeatedly lied to its own people and to international organizations about what was happing in Taiji.

More information about this issue can be found at: http://www.thecovemovie.com/

The movie is well worth watching, but we have to warn you: it is graphic and there are scenes that will alternately horrify you and break your heart.

The Population Growth

nospam@example.com (Green Man) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 05:31:00 -0700

Look at the chart at right: the U.S population has grown by half again every thirty years.

If this trend continues, in another thirty years we’ll have a population exceeding 450 million people.

And that’s a conservative estimate. Experts say we’ll pass the half-billion mark by then. Are we prepared for this? How do we house, clothe, and feed a half-billion people? What demands upon our resources will be made?

And if our resources are not sustainably managed, what then?

Upcycling?

nospam@example.com (Green Man) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 07:50:00 -0700

We have all heard of recycling, but what is upcycling?

It’s a new term used to describe the process of recycling materials to make something more valuable than the initial materials.

For example, a scientist from Argonne Labs has developed a way to make a component of lithium-ion batteries from ordinary plastic bags. These components, called carbon nanotubes, are a critical part of the batteries which are now used to power everything from cell phones, laptop computers, and even cars.

The process involves “cooking” the bags at over 700 degrees Celsius. Combined with cobalt acetate, this process causes the carbon in the bags to grow as nanotubes on the cobalt particles.

One plastic bag creates enough nanotubes to power an ordinary cell phone.

The Green Man Blog is written to spread environmental awareness and appreciation of the natural world around us. Thank you for visiting! Stay green, support the organic movement, and be sure to visit www.greenmantshirts.com or www.robjuszak.com for the best in organic cotton and bamboo t shirts!

Conserving Public Lands

nospam@example.com (Green Man) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 09:18:23 -0700

Many states have set aside substantial portions of their land for public enjoyment. For example, New Hampshire has set aside 30% of its land, and Vermont 22%. A few years back, Maine had 6% of its land set aside, but has now tripled that to 18%.

These lands are set aside and protected from future development, and serve as a wilderness haven for wildlife and enjoyed by avid outdoorsmen (and women).

This growing trend reflects the publics’ interest in preserving at least part of the land that, in theory, belongs to all of us. Overall, 15% of the land in the United States is under some type of conservation program.

The Nature Conservancy works worldwide to protect and conserve our remaining wilderness and wildlife. For information about its work in the United States, click here.