Siri Jodha Singh Khalsa: An Earthzine Personal Profile

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Siri Jodha Singh Khalsa

The business of standards within the developing GEOSS community requires the commitment, expertise, and networking capabilities of a host of individuals. Foremost among these is Siri Jodha Singh Khalsa of the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), in Boulder, Colorado. Since receiving his B.A. in Physics from the University of California, Irvine, and his Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Washington, Seattle, Khalsa has been a major contributor to a variety of data programs. His activity in leading the IEEE effort in standards and interoperability for GEOSS is a natural extension of his work in these programs, albeit on a global scale.

A Look Back at Fifty Years of the Space Age

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The noted British astronomer Fred Hoyle predicted shortly after the launch of Sputnik in October, 1957 that when we humans could obtain a picture of Earth from deep space, life here would never be the same. This was a time in history when the average Westerner’s concept of the universe was hardly more sophisticated than “God in the heavens, man in the middle and everything else below.” That is to say that only a very few scientists had foresight as to the extent and complexity of the cosmos that would be revealed following the arrival of the space age and its modern technologies.

Are efficiency and technology the key to sustainable energy?

Paul RacetteEnergy

Experts call for the worldwide introduction of price signals for carbon emissions, the development of technologies for capturing and sequestering carbon from coal and other fossil fuels, and the acceleration of the development and deployment of renewable-energy technologies.  A doubling of public and private expenditure on critical energy technologies is also needed, along with cutting subsidies to established energy industries … Read More

Antarctic snowmelt progresses inland

Paul RacetteClimate

Using 20  years of data from satellite observations, NASA scientists have confirmed that snow has been melting further inland and at higher elevations in Antarctica. Warmer temperatures are probably responsible for these phenomena, says the team.

Atmospheric carbon dioxide increasing faster than expected

Paul RacetteClimate

A  new study performed by researchers working at the Global Carbon Project, at the University of East Anglia and the British Antarctic Survey, shows that the growth rate of carbon dioxide emissions has increased from 1.3% to 3.3% each year since 2000. The study shows that global carbon dioxide emissions from all human activities had increased   35% over  the … Read More

Drug-Resistant Staph Killed More Americans Than AIDS in 2005

Paul RacetteHealth

A study published in the “Journal of the American Medical Association” shows that infections caused by   anti-bacterial resistant staph infections are no longer confined to hospitals and are increasingly found in community settings such as schools and pose a major health threat.

U.S. Senators Propose Compulsory Greenhouse Gas Cuts

Paul RacettePolitics

A bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. Senate proposes mandatory, not voluntary, limits on greenhouse gases with the goal of reducing the nation’s emissions more than 60 percent by mid-century.     Is this too little? Too late?

Human Behavior, Global Warming, and the Ubiquitous Plastic Bag

Paul RacetteEconomy, Energy

Americans use 100 billion plastic bags a year that require an estimated 12 million barrels of oil to produce. What can be done to curb America’s insatiable desire to consume disposable waste products? I confess… I too fail to use alternatives when going to the store, although I usually decline and give back the plastic bags when I can carry … Read More

Grim Outlook for Polar Bears

Paul RacetteBiodiversity, Ecosystems

If emissions of greenhouse gases and resulting global and Arctic warming continue apace, the study said, two-thirds of the 22,000 or so bears will disappear by midcentury. Some bear experts see that prognosis as overly dire.