My twins nephew was born on May 18th 2008
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Shorebirds' Migratory Wetland Habitat Declining Fast
ScienceDaily (Mar. 26, 2008) — A decline by more than 70 percent of several North American shorebird species since the early 1970s has brought state, federal and international concern about conservation efforts for these birds and their wetland habitat. Craig Davis, Oklahoma State University associate professor of wildlife ecology and management, is particularly interested in conservation measures aimed at slowing the decline. “Many shorebirds have become species of concern,” Davis said. “Their population has declined to the point where we would not want them to go any lower.”
Davis, a researcher and teacher in OSU’s department of natural resource ecology and management, explains that species of concern are not endangered but deserve the attention of biologists and wildlife agencies. “Collectively some species have probably declined 50 percent to 60 percent in the last 30 or 40 years. The precipitous decline is primarily due to wetland habitat losses,” Davis said. “Wetlands worldwide have seen great losses.”
Shorebirds stop over in Oklahoma to utilize wetlands and other waterways to rest and feed during both their spring and fall migrations. Davis said little is known about how landscape patterns and land use influence shorebirds migrating through the state.
Davis is directing a study about the distribution and ecological needs of shorebirds during their migration through Oklahoma’s Mixed Grass Prairie Region. Recently, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation awarded a grant through the State Wildlife Grant program to the NREM department and Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at OSU. The goal of the project is to provide conservation and management recommendations to ODWC and others.
“What is important about these birds, in terms of Oklahoma, is that a lot of these birds are Arctic breeders,” Davis said. “They actually nest in the Arctic – western sandpiper is an example – they nest in the tundra. They spend almost eight months of their annual life cycle migrating. Many migrate all the way to South America.”
From a migration standpoint, some of Oklahoma’s wetland areas are critical for the survival of these birds. “When they arrive up in the Arctic, often there is not food and they may encounter blizzards in a late winter,” he said. “They need to bring resources with them. Birds don’t use fat for insulation. What they use the fat for is energy to power their flight and for putting energy into their egg production.”
Davis likened the shorebirds loss of wetland areas along their migratory flyways is similar to motorists traveling in unpopulated areas without service stations: They have to be certain they have fuel to reach their destination. “When you start losing these wetlands, these birds have to use a lot more energy to get to the next one. They are going to be in poorer condition and it will affect survival,” he said. “The other issue related to wetlands specific to shorebirds is that those wetlands remaining are highly degraded.”
Davis hopes increased information about the various species migrating through the state will aid in improving conservation of many wetland areas on which the shorebirds rely. The NREM study, begun in July 2007, will conduct spring and fall shorebird migration surveys at sites throughout Alfalfa, Blaine, Canadian, Garfield, Grant, Kingfisher, Logan, Major, Oklahoma and Woods counties. Davis said the two-year study is using Geographic Information System data to determine how the landscape and variability of local factors in each area affect shorebird distribution, abundances and species compositions.
Davis, a researcher and teacher in OSU’s department of natural resource ecology and management, explains that species of concern are not endangered but deserve the attention of biologists and wildlife agencies. “Collectively some species have probably declined 50 percent to 60 percent in the last 30 or 40 years. The precipitous decline is primarily due to wetland habitat losses,” Davis said. “Wetlands worldwide have seen great losses.”
Shorebirds stop over in Oklahoma to utilize wetlands and other waterways to rest and feed during both their spring and fall migrations. Davis said little is known about how landscape patterns and land use influence shorebirds migrating through the state.
Davis is directing a study about the distribution and ecological needs of shorebirds during their migration through Oklahoma’s Mixed Grass Prairie Region. Recently, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation awarded a grant through the State Wildlife Grant program to the NREM department and Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at OSU. The goal of the project is to provide conservation and management recommendations to ODWC and others.
“What is important about these birds, in terms of Oklahoma, is that a lot of these birds are Arctic breeders,” Davis said. “They actually nest in the Arctic – western sandpiper is an example – they nest in the tundra. They spend almost eight months of their annual life cycle migrating. Many migrate all the way to South America.”
From a migration standpoint, some of Oklahoma’s wetland areas are critical for the survival of these birds. “When they arrive up in the Arctic, often there is not food and they may encounter blizzards in a late winter,” he said. “They need to bring resources with them. Birds don’t use fat for insulation. What they use the fat for is energy to power their flight and for putting energy into their egg production.”
Davis likened the shorebirds loss of wetland areas along their migratory flyways is similar to motorists traveling in unpopulated areas without service stations: They have to be certain they have fuel to reach their destination. “When you start losing these wetlands, these birds have to use a lot more energy to get to the next one. They are going to be in poorer condition and it will affect survival,” he said. “The other issue related to wetlands specific to shorebirds is that those wetlands remaining are highly degraded.”
Davis hopes increased information about the various species migrating through the state will aid in improving conservation of many wetland areas on which the shorebirds rely. The NREM study, begun in July 2007, will conduct spring and fall shorebird migration surveys at sites throughout Alfalfa, Blaine, Canadian, Garfield, Grant, Kingfisher, Logan, Major, Oklahoma and Woods counties. Davis said the two-year study is using Geographic Information System data to determine how the landscape and variability of local factors in each area affect shorebird distribution, abundances and species compositions.
Birds Can Tell If You Are Watching Them -- Because They Are Watching You
ScienceDaily (May 5, 2008) — In humans, the eyes are said to be the 'window to the soul', conveying much about a person's emotions and intentions. New research demonstrates for the first time that birds also respond to a human's gaze.
Predators tend to look at their prey when they attack, so direct eye-gaze can predict imminent danger. Julia Carter, a PhD student at the University of Bristol, and her colleagues, set up experiments that showed starlings will keep away from their food dish if a human is looking at it. However, if the person is just as close, but their eyes are turned away, the birds resumed feeding earlier and consumed more food overall.
Carter said "This is a great example of how animals can pick up on very subtle signals and use them to their own advantage".
Wild starlings are highly social and will quickly join others at a productive foraging patch. This leads to foraging situations that are highly competitive. An individual starling that assesses a relatively low predation risk, and responds by returning more quickly to a foraging patch (as in the study), will gain valuable feeding time before others join the patch.
Responses to obvious indicators of risk -- a predator looming overhead or the fleeing of other animals -- are well documented, but Carter argued that a predator's head orientation and eye-gaze direction are more subtle indicators of risk, and useful since many predators orient their head and eyes towards their prey as they attack.
This research describes the first explicit demonstration of a bird responding to a live predator's eye-gaze direction. Carter added: "By responding to these subtle eye-gaze cues, starlings would gain a competitive advantage over individuals that are not so observant. This work highlights the importance of considering even very subtle signals that might be used in an animal's decision-making process."
Do these birds understand that a human is looking at them, and that they might pose some risk? As yet, this question has not been answered. But whether or not the responses involve some sort of theory of mind, and whether or not they are innate or acquired, the result is that starlings are able to discriminate the very subtle eye-gaze cues of a nearby live predator and adjust their anti-predator responses in a beneficial manner.
Read More..Thursday, May 29, 2008
Global Warming: Causes, Effects and Solutions
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published a series of reports in 2007 that set forth conclusions about the causes and effects of global warming as well as the costs and benefits of solving the problem.
The reports, which drew on the work of more than 2,500 of the world’s leading climate scientists and were endorsed by 130 nations, confirmed the consensus of scientific opinion on the key questions related to global warming.
Taken together, the reports are intended to help policymakers worldwide make informed decisions and develop effective strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and control global warming.
What is the Purpose of the IPCC?
The IPCC was established in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to provide a comprehensive and objective assessment of scientific, technical and socio-economic information that could lead to a better understanding of human-induced climate change, its potential impacts, and the options for adaptation and mitigation. The IPCC is open to all members of the United Nations and the WMO.
The Physical Basis of Climate Change
On February 2, 2007, the IPCC published a summary report from Working Group I, which confirms that global warming is now “unequivocal” and states with more than 90 percent certainty that human activity “very likely” has been the primary cause of rising temperatures worldwide since 1950.
The report also says that global warming is likely to continue for centuries, and that it is already too late to stop some of the serious consequences it will bring. Still, the report also says there is still time to slow global warming and to lessen many of its most severe consequences if we act quickly.
Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
The effects of global warming in the 21st century and beyond are expected to be disastrous, according to the summary of a scientific report issued on April 6, 2007, by Working Group II of the IPCC. And many of those changes are already under way.
The also makes it clear that while poor people worldwide will suffer most from the effects of global warming, no person on Earth will escape its consequences. The effects of global warming will be felt in every region and at all levels of society.
Climate Change 2007: Mitigation of Climate Change
On May 4, 2007, Working Group III of the IPCC released a report showing that the cost of controlling greenhouse gas emissions worldwide and avoiding the most serious effects of global warming is affordable and would be partially offset by economic gains and other benefits. This conclusion refutes the argument of many industry and government leaders who say that taking serious action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions would lead to economic ruin.
In this report, scientists outline the costs and benefits of strategies that could reduce global warming over the next few decades. And while controlling global warming will require significant investment, the consensus of scientists who worked on the report is that nations have no choice but to take immediate action.
“If we continue doing what we are doing now, we are in deep trouble,” said Ogunlade Davidson, co-chair of the working group that produced the report.
Read More..What is the Greenhouse Effect?
After 150 Years of Industrialization, Climate Change is Inevitable
The “greenhouse effect” often gets a bad rap because of its association with global warming, but the truth is we couldn’t live without it.
What Causes the Greenhouse Effect?
Life on earth depends on energy from the sun. About 30 percent of the sunlight that beams toward Earth is deflected by the outer atmosphere and scattered back into space. The rest reaches the planet’s surface and is reflected upward again as a type of slow-moving energy called infrared radiation.
As infrared radiation is carried aloft by air currents, it is absorbed by “greenhouse gases” such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, ozone and methane, which slows its escape from the atmosphere.
Although greenhouse gases make up only about 1 percent of the Earth’s atmosphere, they regulate our climate by trapping heat and holding it in a kind of warm-air blanket that surrounds the planet.
This phenomenon is what scientists call the "greenhouse effect." Without it, scientists estimate that the average temperature on Earth would be colder by approximately 30 degrees Celsius (54 degrees Fahrenheit), far too cold to sustain our current ecosystem.
How Do Humans Contribute to the Greenhouse Effect?
While the greenhouse effect is an essential environmental prerequisite for life on Earth, there really can be too much of a good thing.
The problems begin when human activities distort and accelerate the natural process by creating more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere than are necessary to warm the planet to an ideal temperature.
- Burning natural gas, coal and oil —including gasoline for automobile engines—raises the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
- Some farming practices and land-use changes increase the levels of methane and nitrous oxide.
- Many factories produce long-lasting industrial gases that do not occur naturally, yet contribute significantly to the enhanced greenhouse effect and “global warming” that is currently under way.
- Deforestation also contributes to global warming. Trees use carbon dioxide and give off oxygen in its place, which helps to create the optimal balance of gases in the atmosphere. As more forests are logged for timber or cut down to make way for farming, however, there are fewer trees to perform this critical function.
- Population growth is another factor in global warming, because as more people use fossil fuels for heat, transportation and manufacturing the level of greenhouse gases continues to increase. As more farming occurs to feed millions of new people, more greenhouse gases enter the atmosphere.
Ultimately, more greenhouse gases means more infrared radiation trapped and held, which gradually increases the temperature of the Earth’s surface and the air in the lower atmosphere.
The Average Global Temperature is Increasing Quickly
Today, the increase in the Earth’s temperature is increasing with unprecedented speed. To understand just how quickly global warming is accelerating, consider this:
During the entire 20th century, the average global temperature increased by about 0.6 degrees Celsius (slightly more than 1 degree Fahrenheit).
Using computer climate models, scientists estimate that by the year 2100 the average global temperature will increase by 1.4 degrees to 5.8 degrees Celsius (approximately 2.5 degrees to 10.5 degrees Fahrenheit).
Not All Scientists Agree
While the majority of mainstream scientists agree that global warming is a serious problem that is growing steadily worse, there are some who disagree. John Christy, a professor and director of the Earth System Science Center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville is a respected climatologist who argues that global warming isn’t worth worrying about.
Christy reached that opinion after analyzing millions of measurements from weather satellites in an effort to find a global temperature trend. He found no sign of global warming in the satellite data, and now believes that predictions of global warming by as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the 21st century are incorrect.
Read More..Top 10 Things You Can Do to Reduce Global Warming
1. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Do your part to reduce waste by choosing reusable products instead of disposables. Buying products with minimal packaging (including the economy size when that makes sense for you) will help to reduce waste. And whenever you can, recycle paper, plastic, newspaper, glass and aluminum cans. If there isn't a recycling program at your workplace, school, or in your community, ask about starting one. By recycling half of your household waste, you can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.
2. Use Less Heat and Air Conditioning
Adding insulation to your walls and attic, and installing weather stripping or caulking around doors and windows can lower your heating costs more than 25 percent, by reducing the amount of energy you need to heat and cool your home.
7. Use the "Off" Switch
Save electricity and reduce global warming by turning off lights when you leave a room, and using only as much light as you need. And remember to turn off your television, video player, stereo and computer when you're not using them.
9. get a report card from your utility company
Many utility companies provide free home energy audits to help consumers identify areas in their homes that may not be energy efficient. In addition, many utility companies offer rebate programs to help pay for the cost of energy-efficient upgrades.
10. Encourage Others to Conserve
Share information about recycling and energy conservation with your friends, neighbors and co-workers, and take opportunities to encourage public officials to establish programs and policies that are good for the environment.
Read More..
Do your part to reduce waste by choosing reusable products instead of disposables. Buying products with minimal packaging (including the economy size when that makes sense for you) will help to reduce waste. And whenever you can, recycle paper, plastic, newspaper, glass and aluminum cans. If there isn't a recycling program at your workplace, school, or in your community, ask about starting one. By recycling half of your household waste, you can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.
2. Use Less Heat and Air Conditioning
Adding insulation to your walls and attic, and installing weather stripping or caulking around doors and windows can lower your heating costs more than 25 percent, by reducing the amount of energy you need to heat and cool your home.
Turn down the heat while you’re sleeping at night or away during the day, and keep temperatures moderate at all times. Setting your thermostat just 2 degrees lower in winter and higher in summer could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide each year.
3. Change a Light Bulb
Wherever practical, replace regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. Replacing just one 60-watt incandescent light bulb with a CFL will save you $30 over the life of the bulb. CFLs also last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, use two-thirds less energy, and give off 70 percent less heat.
Wherever practical, replace regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. Replacing just one 60-watt incandescent light bulb with a CFL will save you $30 over the life of the bulb. CFLs also last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, use two-thirds less energy, and give off 70 percent less heat.
If every U.S. family replaced one regular light bulb with a CFL, it would eliminate 90 billion pounds of greenhouse gases, the same as taking 7.5 million cars off the road.
4. Drive Less and Drive Smart
Less driving means fewer emissions. Besides saving gasoline, walking and biking are great forms of exercise. Explore your community’s mass transit system, and check out options for carpooling to work or school.
Less driving means fewer emissions. Besides saving gasoline, walking and biking are great forms of exercise. Explore your community’s mass transit system, and check out options for carpooling to work or school.
When you do drive, make sure your car is running efficiently. For example, keeping your tires properly inflated can improve your gas mileage by more than 3 percent. Every gallon of gas you save not only helps your budget, it also keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
5. Buy Energy-Efficient Products
When it's time to buy a new car, choose one that offers good gas mileage. Home appliances now come in a range of energy-efficient models, and compact florescent bulbs are designed to provide more natural-looking light while using far less energy than standard light bulbs.
When it's time to buy a new car, choose one that offers good gas mileage. Home appliances now come in a range of energy-efficient models, and compact florescent bulbs are designed to provide more natural-looking light while using far less energy than standard light bulbs.
Avoid products that come with excess packaging, especially molded plastic and other packaging that can't be recycled. If you reduce your household garbage by 10 percent, you can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.
6. Use Less Hot Water
Set your water heater at 120 degrees to save energy, and wrap it in an insulating blanket if it is more than 5 years old. Buy low-flow showerheads to save hot water and about 350 pounds of carbon dioxide yearly. Wash your clothes in warm or cold water to reduce your use of hot water and the energy required to produce it. That change alone can save at least 500 pounds of carbon dioxide annually in most households. Use the energy-saving settings on your dishwasher and let the dishes air-dry.
Set your water heater at 120 degrees to save energy, and wrap it in an insulating blanket if it is more than 5 years old. Buy low-flow showerheads to save hot water and about 350 pounds of carbon dioxide yearly. Wash your clothes in warm or cold water to reduce your use of hot water and the energy required to produce it. That change alone can save at least 500 pounds of carbon dioxide annually in most households. Use the energy-saving settings on your dishwasher and let the dishes air-dry.
7. Use the "Off" Switch
Save electricity and reduce global warming by turning off lights when you leave a room, and using only as much light as you need. And remember to turn off your television, video player, stereo and computer when you're not using them.
It's also a good idea to turn off the water when you're not using it. While brushing your teeth, shampooing the dog or washing your car, turn off the water until you actually need it for rinsing. You'll reduce your water bill and help to conserve a vital resource.
8. Plant a Tree
If you have the means to plant a tree, start digging. During photosynthesis, trees and other plants absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. They are an integral part of the natural atmospheric exchange cycle here on Earth, but there are too few of them to fully counter the increases in carbon dioxide caused by automobile traffic, manufacturing and other human activities. A single tree will absorb approximately one ton of carbon dioxide during its lifetime.
If you have the means to plant a tree, start digging. During photosynthesis, trees and other plants absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. They are an integral part of the natural atmospheric exchange cycle here on Earth, but there are too few of them to fully counter the increases in carbon dioxide caused by automobile traffic, manufacturing and other human activities. A single tree will absorb approximately one ton of carbon dioxide during its lifetime.
9. get a report card from your utility company
Many utility companies provide free home energy audits to help consumers identify areas in their homes that may not be energy efficient. In addition, many utility companies offer rebate programs to help pay for the cost of energy-efficient upgrades.
10. Encourage Others to Conserve
Share information about recycling and energy conservation with your friends, neighbors and co-workers, and take opportunities to encourage public officials to establish programs and policies that are good for the environment.
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