Earthbytes

Earth Day 2013

Earth Day: Give Earth a Hand (video)

This is amazing...

 

USGS: Tiny Grazers Play Key Role in Marine Ecosystem Health

Tiny sea creatures no bigger than a thumbtack are being credited for playing a key role in helping provide healthy habitats for many kinds of seafood...

Gammarus mucronatus, an amphipod grazer that can promote healthy eelgrass beds. Copyrighted photo courtesy of Matthew Whalen/UC Davis. (High resolution image)

According to a recently published study by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and U.S. Geological Survey, tiny crustaceans like Gammarus mucronatus (see photo above) play a critical role to protect seagrasses from overgrowth by algae. By eating algae on seagrass, these small animals keep ocean environments healthy for native and economically important species.

“Inconspicuous creatures often play big roles in supporting productive ecosystems,” said the study'd lead author, Matt Whalen. “Think of how vital honeybees are for pollinating tree crops or what our soils would look like if we did not have earthworms. In seagrass systems, tiny grazers promote healthy seagrasses by ensuring algae is quickly consumed rather than overgrowing the seagrass. And by providing additional refuge from predators, fleshy seaweeds that drift in and out of seagrass beds can maintain larger grazer populations and enhance their positive impact on seagrass.”  

 USGS scientist Jim Grace, a study coauthor, says that seagrass habitats are also beneficial to people.

“Not only do these areas serve as nurseries for commercially important fish and shellfish, such as blue crabs, red drum, and some Pacific rockfish, but they also help clean our water and buffer our coastal communities by providing shoreline protection from storms,” Grace said. “These tiny animals, by going about their daily business of grazing, are integral to keeping healthy seagrass beds healthy.”

Comparison of algae fouling on eelgrass with and without grazers. Copyrighted photo courtesy of Matthew Whalen/UC Davis. Copyrighted photo courtesy of Matthew Whalen/UC Davis. (High resolution image)

Without these algae grazers, say the authors, algae could accumulate in a thick enough layer to block sunlight and prevent the seagrasses from photosynthesizing, which would kill them.  The decline of seagrass in some areas is partly the result of excess nutrients in water that stimulates excessive algal growth on seagrasses. 

J. Emmett Duffy of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, another coauathor of the study, says that coastal managers have been concerned for years about excess fertilizer and sediment loads that hurt seagrasses. Duffy sees study results as convincing field evidence that tiny animals that graze on algae can be just as important as good water quality to prevent algal blooms and keep seagrass beds healthy.

The study, “Temporal shifts in top-down versus bottom-up control of epiphytic algae in a seagrass ecosystem,” was published in the recent issue of Ecology, a journal by the Ecological Society of America.

Read more about seagrass:

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President Obama: Honor the treaties. Protect the sacred. Forward on Climate. No Keystone XL.

Thousands of citizens have gathered on the mall in DC today to ask President Obama to move forward on climate and energy policy. The activists involved represent different campaigns and strategies to protect the Earth and restore ecological balance. Today they all march as one.

For several months, First Nations citizens of Canada, Native American Nations and many non-Indigenous allies have worked to reaffirm unity of the human family and love for Mother Earth. Check out the video and other links below to explore the growing movement.

 

 

Related articles:

Sunday rally could tip balance against Keystone pipeline (Paul Koring, Globe and Mail, 2/17/13)

Harper government presses Obama to approve Keystone XL Pipeline (Yves Engler at rabble.ca, 2/17/13)

The best solution on climate change requires Congress to act (Bernie Sanders in The Guardian, 2/16/13)

A Presidential Decision That Could Change the World: The Strategic Importance of Keystone XL (Michael Klare, 2/10/13)

Four States Introduce Keystone XL Resolutions, Lifting Language From ALEC and TransCanada (Brendan Fischer, 2/16/13)

Why Organized Labor Must Stand Against the Keystone XL Pipeline (Mark Vorpahl, Occupy.com, 2/13/13)

Time for President Obama to Choose Sides on Keystone XL Jamie Henn, 350.org, 2/13/13)

 

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Thousands Converge: Demand Action from Obama to Avoid 'Climate Disaster'

Crowd gathers for Forward on Climate Keystone XL protest in Washington, D.C.: slideshow

Tens of thousands to rally against Keystone XL in Washington, organizers say

Wall asks U.S. ambassador to clarify Obama's Keystone comments

Earth Observatory Image of the Day: Appalachian Mountains

via earthobservatory.nasa.gov

I loved the article accompanying this photo because it has a great summary of the geologic and tectonic history of Laurasia, Gondwanaland and Pangea in relation to Appalachian mountain building:

The rocks that form this valley-and-ridge province, as it is known, are relatively old (540 to 300 million years old) and were laid down in horizontal layers when North America was attached to Europe in the ancient supercontinent of Laurasia. During this time Gondwanaland—an ancient supercontinent that included present-day Africa, India, South America, Australia, and Antarctica—was approaching Laurasia under the influence of plate tectonics. The northwest coastline of modern Africa was the section of Gondwanaland that “bumped up” against modern North America over a long period (320 to 260 million years ago).

The net result of the tectonic collision was the building of a major mountain chain, much higher than the present Appalachian range. In the process, the flat-lying rock layers were crumpled up into a series of tight folds, at right angles to the advance of Gondwanaland. The collision also formed the singular supercontinent of Pangaea. Over the following 200 million years, Pangaea broke apart; the modern Atlantic Ocean formed; and erosion wore down the once-high mountains. What is left 200 million years later are the coastline of North America and the eroded stumps of the relatively low, but visually striking mountain chain.

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Astronauts take a picture of Appalachian Mountains

Earth Observatory Image of the Day: Gas Drilling, North Dakota

acquired November 12, 2012 download large image (4 MB, JPEG, 6000x6000)

acquired November 12, 2012 download GeoTIFF file (14 MB, TIFF)

acquired November 12, 2012 download Google Earth file (KML)

Northwestern North Dakota is one of the least-densely populated parts of the United States. Cities and people are scarce, but satellite imagery shows the area has been aglow at night in recent years. The reason: the area is home to the Bakken shale formation, a site where gas and oil production are booming.

On November 12, 2012, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite captured this nighttime view of widespread drilling throughout the area. Most of the bright specks are lights associated with drilling equipment and temporary housing near drilling sites, though a few are evidence of gas flaring. Some of the brighter areas correspond to towns and cities including Williston, Minot, and Dickinson.

The image was captured by the VIIRS “day-night band,” which detects light in a range of wavelengths from green to near-infrared and uses “smart” light sensors to observe dim signals such as gas flares, auroras, wildfires, city lights, and reflected moonlight. When VIIRS acquired the image, the Moon was in its waning crescent phase, so the landscape was reflecting only a small amount of light.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, natural gas production from the Bakken shale has increased more than 20-fold between 2007 and 2010. Gas production averaged over 485 million cubic feet per day in September 2011, compared to the 2005 average of about 160 million cubic feet per day. Due to the lack of a gas pipeline and processing facilities in the region, about 29 percent of that gas is flared.

Learn more about the VIIRS day-night band and nighttime imaging of Earth in our new feature story: Out of the Blue and Into the Black.

• References

• NASA (n.d.) Suomi NPP. Accessed Nov. 29, 2012.
• U.S. Energy Information Administration (2011, Nov. 23) Over One-Third of Natural Gas Produced in North Dakota is Flared or Otherwise Not Marketed. Accessed Nov. 29, 2012.

1. Further Reading

2. Lee, T. (2006, Feb). The NPOESS VIIRS Day/Night Visible Sensor. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.
3. Miller, S. (2012, Aug. 10). Suomi Satellite Brings to Light a Unique Frontier of Nighttime Environmental Sensing Capabilities. Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences.
4. NASA (n.d.) Suomi NPP. Accessed Nov. 29, 2012.

NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, using VIIRS Day-Night Band data from the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership. Suomi NPP is the result of a partnership between NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Department of Defense. Caption by Adam Voiland.

Instrument: 

Suomi NPP - VIIRS

via earthobservatory.nasa.gov

The "landman" cometh: Promised Land

All of a sudden some movies that I really want to see are opening soon. Here's one of them:

 

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NASA Image: "Super Typhoon" Bopha

Here's a NASA image of Super Typhoon Bopha -- or, "Pablo", as people in the Philippines are calling it:

This still image of Super Typhoon Bopha was taken by Expedition 34 Commander Kevin Ford on Sunday, Dec. 2 from the International Space Station, as the storm bore down on the Philippines with winds of 135 miles per hour. Parts of the orbital outpost are seen in the picture -- the Permanent Multipurpose Module on the left, and Mini-Research Module 1 on the right. Image and caption credit: NASA

Also check out this 3-D analyzation of Bopha provided by NASA's TRMM satellite, and related article linked below.

Some of the hashtags being used on Twitter are #Pablo, #PabloPH, #Bopha, and #Philippines. I found many good informational links being shared there, as well as wishes from people around the world for the well-being of survivors.

Please visit www.ifrc.org for more information from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. They also have some photos of the damage from Bopha on their Flickr photostream.

And please don't forget people here in the United States impacted by Sandy. Here are some recent links:

Hurricane Warning Definition Modified by NHC in Wake of Sandy

Sandy Clean-up Could Lead to Illness , Litigation for Workers

Hurricane Sandy in the Age of Disposability and Neoliberal Terrorism (Henry A Giroux)

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NASA compiles Typhoon Bopha's Philippines Rainfall totals from space

NASA satellites see Super-Typhoon Bopha closing in on the Philippines

Brook Meakins: An Inside Look at the First Village Forced to Relocate Due to Climate Change

Interesting article about a community that has contributed very little to climate change, but are feeling the effects in profound ways.

For the most part, many people still experience climate change on an academic rather than a personal level. But for the villagers of Vunidogoloa on Vanua Levu, Fiji’s second largest island, climate change has become a daily intrusion on every day life. The villagers of Vunidogoloa are currently relocating to drier and higher land because of sea level rise, erosion, and intensifying floods. I had the opportunity to visit the village midway through this process – one of the very first village relocation projects in the world – and spoke with people young and old about their upcoming move.

Read more at www.alternet.org

Economic Hitmen (video)

John Perkin's view of a "mutant viral capitalism" and how it operates to oppress people and nature.

 

Bill Chameides: Obama's Energy Plan by the Numbers

Here's a companion word analysis of the Obama Administration's energy plan using the Wordle app (see the Romney-Ryan plan in the previous post).

Read Bill's analysis at www.huffingtonpost.com