Sunset over the Pacific at Arica, Chile. Image courtesy of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) in Boulder, CO.
When it comes to teasing out the factors affecting Earth’s climate, the Sun is a compelling character. A rare breed of enthusiasts got pretty vocal about the Sun in the past year, when the great orb stayed quiet about a year longer than expected between the end of Solar Cycle 23 and the beginning of Solar Cycle 24, which has now begun — maybe. More about that in a minute.
The “enthusiasts” I mean are the ones who suspect that natural factors (e.g., not human-caused carbon emissions) are major players in any warming or cooling trends on Earth. They point to the Maunder Minimum in the 17th Century, when a lull in solar activity (as measured by sunspots) was linked with cooling in parts of the globe, especially Europe. Some members of the “global warming is a hoax” camp even latched onto the idea that if we were to succeed in reducing our carbon emissions, we could actually sabotage a sort of blanket that would help insulate us should the Sun stay mum. Sounds to me like a cop out — a cheap way to avoid cleaning up our act. Chances are we won’t get to find out if they’re right anyway, because the Sun appears to be ramping up toward another maximum around 2013.
Regardless, the Sun’s power to influence Earth’s climate is highlighted anew in a Science study this week.
The new study is suggesting a sun-climate connection that’s disproportionately large given the small overall variation in the Sun’s output (up to a tenth of one percent) during different parts of its cycle. And Earth’s response isn’t all about temperature, the authors report. Their models reveal a three-way interaction between the Sun, the atmosphere and the ocean, such that a peak in solar activity results in more precipitation over the western tropical Pacific, and cooler, drier conditions over the equatorial eastern Pacific.
(more…)
Top row, from left: Jim Mimiaga, Suzie Lechtenberg and Michael Kodas. Bottom row: Anne Minard (that's me), Robert Frost (emeritus?) and Laura Frank. Photo by Dona Olivier.
I couldn’t have known how weird it would be to return to the classroom. It’s only been about nine years, after all, since I left it. It hit me when I was standing in the school supplies aisle at the supermarket yesterday, because I realized I should have a notebook, one with multiple sections for the different subjects. I hadn’t shopped for such a thing in a long time, and I found myself befuddled: recycled, or sturdy and divided? How much money should I spend on a notebook? How much writing space will I really need? The purchase took a silly amount of time.
As Ted Scripps Fellows at CU Boulder, we don’t get credit for the courses. We audit classes that we hope will deepen our knowledge of environmental issues and support a major journalistic work of our choosing (we were selected in part on the project idea). Because of that, and because I’ve been out in the working world for a while, my approach is different than it was when I was a credit-seeking student. I’m really here to learn. Before classes started, I understood that in my business (science and environmental journalism), knowledge makes for better stories because it allows for deeper understanding of the science and the issues surrounding the science.
What I didn’t realize until I started reading for these classes, and then visiting them for the first time today, is that they’re going to give me (and my writing) something else: new perspectives. It’s already started. I’m blown away by this realization, and unspeakably excited.
(more…)
Magnificent Desolation, the new autobiography by Buzz Aldrin
I very much enjoyed chatting with Buzz Aldrin a couple of weeks ago, for some National Geographic News stories leading up to the 40th anniversary of the July 20, 1969 Apollo 11 landing on the moon. I found him honest, personable and generous with his time.
But when his publicist offered to send a copy of his new book, “Magnificent Desolation,” I didn’t set my expectations too high. I didn’t know what to make of an autobiography by a retired Air Force pilot and astronaut. Doesn’t that history put the “Rocket Hero” pretty squarely in the category of techie or a jock — a non-writer type?
Well, color me impressed. The book arrived late last week, and I turned the last page this morning — looking for more to read!
Note: This review is cross-posted at Universe Today.
(more…)
Date posted: July 12, 2009
Written by: Anne Minard
Posted in:
Uncategorized
I’ve been busily working on some last stories before the 9-month freelancing hiatus I’ll take as a fellow. That’s not the WHOLE reason I haven’t been blogging much lately, though. Fact is, I’ve found Boulder quite entertaining in other ways! I’ve met some new friends, joined a Scrabble Club, and enjoyed a resurgence of interest in all three triathlon sports. So besides running, I’ve been back at the pool, and starting to push the cycling beyond commuter riding. To add fuel to this rekindled fire, I watched part of a triathlon this morning out at the Boulder Reservoir. When I first got there, I was greeted by these hot air balloons firing up and getting ready to go. What a lucky sighting! Apologies for the slowdown in science, but I hope you enjoy the pretty colors.
(more…)
When the researcher sent the link to thise image for a Universe Today post, my jaw dropped. Absolutely incredible view of a sunspot, by researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), in my new town of Boulder.
You can read more about it in the UT story, or get the full scoop at the NCAR website. Or simply enjoy it here, for as long as you dare!
©UCAR, image courtesy Matthias Rempel, NCAR
More about the image: It’s the interface between a sunspot’s umbra (dark center) and penumbra (lighter outer region) shows a complex structure with narrow, almost horizontal (lighter to white) filaments embedded in a background having a more vertical (darker to black) magnetic field. Farther out, extended patches of horizontal field dominate.
Page 2 of 26 « 1 2 3 4 5 » ... Last »
