Tag Archives: moon

The Arctic Ice “Death Spiral”

by Myrna Posted on June 2, 2013

Despite what deniers claim, the volume of ice is going down, down, down.<!–more–> It’s no surprise to regular readers I am quite concerned about climate change. My concern on this issue is two-fold: one consists of the actual global consequences of the reality of global warming, and the other is the blatant manipulation of that reality by those who would deny it. These two issues overlap mightily when it comes to Arctic sea ice. The ice around the North Pole is going away, and it’s doing so with alarming rapidity. I don’t mean the yearly cycle of melt in the summer and freeze in the winter, though that plays into this; I mean the long-term trend of declining amounts of ice. There are two ways to categorize the amount of ice: by measuring the extent (essentially the area of the ocean covered by ice, though in detail it’s a little more complicated) or using volume, which includes the thickness of the ice. Either way, though, the ice is dwindling away. That is a fact. Of course, facts are malleable things when it comes to the deniosphere. One popular denier claim is that Arctic sea ice extent is higher in recent years than it was in 1989, therefore claims of it melting away are false. Click to read the full story at our partner Slate. Link:  The Arctic Ice “Death Spiral” ; ;Related ArticlesWould Hillary and Norgay Recognize Mount Everest?A Floating Wind Tower Is Launched in MaineGrindelwald Journal: In Swiss Alps, Glacial Melting Unglues Mountains ;

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The Arctic Ice “Death Spiral”

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NPR’s E15 article doesn’t pass the laugh test

by Posted on April 1, 2013

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NPR’s E15 article doesn’t pass the laugh test

Posted 1 April 2013 in

National

On April 1st, it’s usually a good idea to be skeptical of what you read in the news. After all, no one likes being taken for a fool. That’s why when we read this morning’s NPR story on renewable fuel, we thought they had to be joking. Here are some of our favorite laugh lines:

“Widespread support for ethanol, which is made from corn, appears to be eroding.”

To substantiate this claim, NPR quotes a single gas station owner, but unfortunately (for the oil companies), the plural of anecdote is not data. Instead, a recent poll of US adults found that 64 percent support the Renewable Fuel Standard, which calls for ethanol to be blended into the nation’s fuel supply.

“’The oil crisis is going away,’ Verleger says. ‘We have plenty of oil. We have too much oil.’”

If the oil crisis is going away, we imagine that consumers across the United States will take to the streets, rejoicing the end of high gas prices. Looking at recent trends, however, this does not seem to be the case.

“There is no guarantee that [E15] fuel will work properly in your vehicle.”

This quote comes directly from the Coordinating Research Council, an oil-funded group responsible for a series of “studies” purporting to show the dangers of E15. Here’s the reality: the EPA subjected E15 to over 6.5 million miles of testing, equivalent to 12 round trips to the moon, making it the most tested fuel, ever. By contrast, the CRC study doesn’t reflect a single mile driven, but rather, car components tested in isolation. Meanwhile, auto makers like Ford and GM have approved E15 for use in their new vehicles and some of the world’s most demanding cars and drivers at NASCAR use ethanol exclusively.

Here’s the lesson to be learned: as long as oil companies continue to rake in record profits, they’ll be able to keep distorting the news you read – even on days other than April 1st.

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NPR’s E15 article doesn’t pass the laugh test

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Eclipses Look Even More Gorgeous From Outer Space

by ghd12australia Posted on March 12, 2013

High in orbit above the Earth, the Solar Dynamics Observatory watches the Sun year-round, providing stunning stellar views that go unbroken except during a few special times each year. Because the SDO stays relatively fixed over one part of the planet in a geosynchronous orbit, the satellite goes through two annual “eclipse seasons.” For a few weeks twice each year, part of SDO’s view each day will be blocked by the Earth. And, three times a year, the Moon will get in the way.

Though a bit of a pain for the scientists trying to study the Sun, these orbital quirks provide some beautiful unintended consequences: gorgeous photos of an eclipse from space. Yesterday, NASA released photos and video of that day’s double whammy, a single day that saw both a terrestrial and lunar eclipse.

Earth passes in front of the Sun, from the perspective of the SDO satellite. Photo: NASA/SDO

One beautiful feature to notice is the apparent fuzziness of the Earthly eclipse. According to NASA, this is because of Earth’s atmosphere. The Moon, for the same reason, appears as a sharp disk.

When Earth blocks the sun, the boundaries of Earth’s shadow appear fuzzy, since SDO can see some light from the sun coming through Earth’s atmosphere. The line of Earth appears almost straight, since Earth — from SDO’s point of view — is so large compared to the sun.

The eclipse caused by the moon looks far different. Since the moon has no atmosphere, its curved shape can be seen clearly, and the line of its shadow is crisp and clean.

The Moon’s silhouette, by contrast, is much crisper. Photo: NASA/SDO

More from Smithsonian.com:

A Solar Eclipse, As Seen From the Surface of Mars

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Eclipses Look Even More Gorgeous From Outer Space

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AAA, EPA, GM trade barbs over ethanol

by Myrna Posted on November 30, 2012

AAA, EPA, GM trade barbs over ethanol

By Susie Cagle

Maybe it’s holiday stress, maybe it’s seasonal affective disorder, or maybe it’s just that the American Automobile Association is still really bitter that it lost on this issue in court in August.

AAA released a statement today calling for federal regulators to stop the sale of fuel that contains more than 10 percent ethanol. EPA-approved E15 — a mix of 85 percent gasoline and 15 percent ethanol — is supposed to only be used in vehicles made after 2000, but AAA says that it might still cause damage that warranties won’t cover, and that 95 percent of people don’t even know what E15 is.

The EPA was all, We’re trying! We’re making stickers!

General Motors called the EPA “irresponsible” (hee) and AAA “eloquent” (haa).

Then the Renewable Fuels Association was all:

If AAA weren’t so deep in the Big Oil politics, they would stop manufacturing concern about the efficacy of ethanol blend use and report enthusiastically about ethanol’s consumer gasoline price savings. Their misplaced concern today, that E15 should be further tested before being offered for sale reflects a pathetic ignorance of EPA’s unprecedented test program before approving E15 for commercial use. The fact is E15 has been the most aggressively and comprehensively tested fuel in the history of the Agency. The miles driven on E15 equate to 12 round trips to the moon and back without a single failure, unless you want to count the deer that was killed on the test track!

Considering that only about 10 stations in the country offer E15 and others aren’t jumping at the opportunity, maybe AAA will quit spinning its wheels on this issue soon. Just think of all the fuel it’s wasting …

Susie Cagle writes and draws news for Grist. She also writes and draws tweets for

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AAA, EPA, GM trade barbs over ethanol

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