Live From the Field - Earth Watch Expedition Info

In reading through the material, I may need to set up a separate blog for this - be on the look-out!

Please be sure that the questions you send me are related to the study they are doing and the specific research they are conducting.

The expedition's name is "Climate Change at the Arctic's Edge." Click on the links for "Meet the Scientist," "Photos & Multimedia," and "Briefings" (you don't need to read all of it, but do read about the scientists daily tasks).

From the site:

"Global warming is being felt first and most dramatically at the edge of the Arctic, where the world's peatlands run in a broad strip around the globe. These wetlands contain as much as 20 percent of the world's carbon, often locked in permafrost. If global warming thaws the permafrost, the decomposing peat could release carbon dioxide and methane, the most important greenhouse gases. What happens to the peat here will not only alter the local ecosystem, but could also have dramatic consequences for the ecology of the entire planet. "

This is what they are doing:

"In this inimitable Arctic landscape, [the scientists] will take measurements at study plots extending from the tundra into the forest to monitor changes affecting the carbon stores in these peat-rich ecosystems. . . [They'll] also live-trap small mammals, sample trees and shrubs to evaluate their growth rings, and monitor plant development. February teams offer a unique opportunity to experience the edge of the Arctic in its most dramatic season: winter. . . [They'll]classify ice crystals, measure snowpack thickness, density, hardness, and temperature. "

For the story of three high school students who took a year off school to travel the world and do science, read here - that could be one of you someday!

BTW - anyone see today's article about government scientists being pressured to downplay global warming?

Total Solar Eclipse - Egypt

Total solar eclipse (29/03/2006) as seen from Salum, Egypt. The pictures of the totality come from a video camera and from a sequence of images taken with a Canon 300D + Konus 500mm f/5.6@100ISO.

I Touched a Piece of History

This past Sunday, I had the pleasure of going to see the Titanic Artifacts exhibit at the Atlanta Civic Center. The Titanic has always fascinated me - even before the blockbuster movie. I remember as a child being utterly spell-bound by a picture in an encyclopedia of an iceberg and the ship - the story was so sad.

When you get to the exhibit, you are a given a boarding pass of a real Titanic passenger - at the end, you find out if your person survived or perished. I had Mrs. Edward Candee, an author and a first class passenger. Mr. Q had Mr. Thomas Everett, a British immigrant traveling third class.

When you enter the exhibit, it is very bright in the room, and old-fashioned music is playing. As you proceed through the exhibit, the rooms get darker and darker - eventually you end up in a room light only by "starlight." The sounds get eerie, too - as you move through you hear the thumping of huge engines and the creaking and groaning of a ship.

The artifacts were wide-ranging: glassware and china, leather goods, money, even perfume that still had a smell! The microbes and conditions at the bottom of the ocean destroy many things, but strangley enough, leather is minimally effected - there were wooden and paper objects that were protected and preserved.

Finally, you reach the end and find out what happened to your person. Mrs. Candee, a women traveling first class survived, as I suspected. Although there were not enough lifeboats, women and children, particularly those in 1st class, survived, because of the "women and children" first tradition. Mr. Everett, alas, was not as fortunate - 3rd class men and the crew were the bulk of the casualities.

For more information on the exhibit, click here.

For more on the Titanic, click here.

Animals in Captivity - Good or Bad?

Well, sad news (times two) from the Georgia Aquarium this past week. First, Gasper, the beloved Beluga whale rescued from a Mexican amusement park, succumbed to osteomyelitis, a bone disease. Then Ralph, one of the whale sharks, died of unknown causes. These two incidents have led people to question the humanity of keeping animals in captivity.

It's a tough question, because both of these animals made it to the aquarium as part of a rescue: Gaspar, from his cramped and noisy tank beneath a roller coaster, and Ralph, from a whaling boat where he would've ended up on someone's dinner table. The issue is further complicated when you consider the success of rare animal breeding programs like ZooAtlanta's pandas.

What do you think?

A Tourist in My Own City

Over Christmas break, I had the pleasure of showing my mother around our fine capital city. After searching for some sites to see on the internet, I found something called a "CityPass" - this was a ticket that for a set price got you into 6 attractions around the city - for about half the price of all the admissions!

It had its advantages and disadvantages - on the negative side, you had to use the tickets within a short period of time - 9 days. Also, you were limited to the 6 attractions that were included. However, the pros were very nice - the price and being able to bypass the admissions lines at most places.

So, where did we go?

The Georgia Aquarium - this was as amazing as I had heard - I loved the Belugas and the whale sharks, the penguins and the river otters. The tanks that were over my head were particularly impressive. The Deepo 4-D show was cute and fun - it was in 3-D with effects like bubbles, water sprays, and jellyfish tentacles going by. The crowds were HUGE, though, and that did take away some of the fun of the day. I would definitely go again, but at a less crowded time.

Fernbank Museum of Natural History - I always enjoy this, and what was really cool was that there was a special exhibit about ancient Rome - one of my mom's interests (unfortunately it ended on January 3rd). This was a choice ticket - I opted to go here instead of the Botanical Garden - also very nice, but it was a cold day.

The High Museum of Art - Very cool because the Louvre in Paris is sponsoring a 3 year rotation of some of its treasures - I stood face to face witha real Rembrandt - pretty awesome.

The Atlanta History Center - I had never been here, and I was really impressed! A lot to see and do. I thought it was going to be all about the Civil War and "Gone with the Wind" but it actually had some very cool exhibits. This was a choice ticket, too - we went here instead of the Zoo - the weather again was a factor - I showed my mom the PandaCam at home, though!

CNN Center - Interesting, but short. This is a 50 minute tour behind the scenes at CNN. We did get to see a live broadcast - that was cool.

World of Coke - One long Coke commercial...but a fun one, of course - especially trying the flavors from around the world - no, I did not try "Beverly" this time, but I have had it before. It was very crowded, too, but the CityPass let us pass right by the long line - that was great!

Overall, I enjoyed seeing Atlanta as a tourist, and it was fun to show my mom around. There were so many other places I would've liked her to see though...

What are some of your favorite places around town and why? Where do you like to take your family when they come to visit?

You Say You Want a Resolution?

Well, you know, as John Lennon said (the Beatles, back in the - gasp - 60s!), you gotta free your mind instead.

My resolutions are the usual - get organized; stop procrastinating (especially with my grading - yuck); watch less TV (unless it's educational, LOL); eat less and exercise more; save more and spend less - all the usual! And, it's January 2nd, and I haven't broken one - yet.

So, 'fess up - what are your resolutions? Study more? Goof off less? Actually turn your homework in on time?

BTW, the song was Revolution, not "Resolution" and was highly political - see lyrics here, if you're curious.