Note: there is a great disturbance in the force today and our blog post could not be presented as originally intended; Cox and Forkum (and many others) were down today. We will blog it later.
Meanwhile, I read this terrific speech today, given by the eminently clever and intelligent Michael Crichton:
Aliens Cause Global Warming (PDF file)
Just read this in it’s entirety! It’s well worth the investment in time!
This article from Science Blog suggests that “human-induced climate changes” will affect tectonic plate activity. In the excerpt below, the authors frantically suggest that we will be experiencing unprecedented plate movement as a result of the evils of men:
The erosion caused by rainfall directly affects the movement of continental plates beneath mountain ranges, says a University of Toronto geophysicist — the first time science has raised the possibility that human-induced climate change could affect the deep workings of the planet.
From that description, one might expect that Earth may soon experience alternating earthquakes and hurricanes as mankind continues to cause devastation to the planet.
The article continues with more about the professor conducting the computer models:
“In geology, we have this idea that erosion’s going to affect merely the surface,” says Russell Pysklywec, a professor of geology who creates computer models where he can control how a range of natural processes can create and modify mountains over millions of years. Pysklywec conducts field research in the Southern Alps of New Zealand, where the mountains are high and geologically “young.” He found that when mountains are exposed to New Zealand-type rainfall (which causes one centimetre of erosion per year) compared to southern California-type rainfall (which erodes one-tenth of a centimetre or less), it profoundly changes the behaviour of the tectonic plates beneath the mountains. “These are tiny, tiny changes on the surface, but integrating them over geologic time scales affects the roots of the mountains, as opposed to just the top of them,” says Pysklywec. “It goes right down to the mantle thermal engine — the thing that’s actually driving plate tectonics. It’s fairly surprising — it hasn’t been shown before.”
Wait! Did he say “geologic time scales?” You mean this is going to take some time?
“As a concept, imagine blanketing the European Alps with a huge network of ordinary garden sprinklers. The results suggest that the subtle surface weathering caused by the light watering have the potential to shift the tectonic plates, although you would have to keep the water on for several million years.”
At this rate, we’re doomed to destroy our planet just in time for the Sun to blow up.
You may read the entire article: Climate change could affect tectonic plates
Also see Science Daily and the University of Toronto
Here’s an update on our reclusive crocodilian neighbor:
Sun’s out, and so are trappings of spring
The latest in the arsenal to try to catch Harbor City’s renegade alligator, an 8-by-3-foot metal trap, has been left at the shore by Los Angeles recreation and parks officials in recent days, carefully positioned on the far side of Machado Lake amid the thick, floating vegetation.
The trap sits in an area where the alligator, a former pet named Reggie, was last seen in October and is camouflaged, mostly hidden from public view.
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Read our previous alligator articles
Wednesday April 18, 1906 – 100 years ago today, a great earthquake occurred along the San Andreas fault, the epicenter of which was quite close to the City of San Francisco. More recently, other earthquakes have occurred in the same area: 1979 Coyote Lake, 1984 Morgan Hill and 1989 Loma Prieta earthquakes. All of these facts are well-known, and aren’t necessarily new news. Not until some recent work that is, by geologist David Wald and associates. The paper, entitled “Source Study of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake,” compares the events using data from a 100+ year old seismograph that just happened to record both earthquakes.
Below – This is the seismogram data showing both quakes:
One great value of old seismographs is that we can make quantitative comparisons of 1906 with the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Fortunately, the same seismograph instrument at Gottingen, Germany was operating during both earthquakes.
If the Loma Prieta (M~7.0) trace looks smaller, it is because the 1906 (M~7.8) earthquake released approximately 16 times more energy:
Because we have much more extensive information about the ground motion that accompanied the 1989 earthquake, we can work backwards and infer what the ground motions must have been like in 1906.
We expect that the shaking in the next 1906-type earthquake will probably not be much more intense than the shaking felt in 1989 near the epicenter of the Loma Prieta earthquake, but it will last longer — perhaps 45 to 60 seconds or more. Strong shaking in the Loma Prieta earthquake lasted only about 15 seconds. In a repeat of the 1906 earthquake, the region experiencing intense shaking will also be much more widespread than in the Loma Prieta event, affecting areas all along the rupture.
Studying the little Loma Prieta pips on the upper traces and recalling the massive travesty that was the 1989 event, makes one wonder how bad it will be if the energy of the 1906 event were to occur today. My estimation is that damage and casualties would be 100 times worse than 1989.
Now, I don’t want to get into predicting the future, but when (not if) this quake happens in San Francisco, and the devastation is on an order of magnitude to compare to New Orleans last year, just watch the weeping, wailing Friscoites blame the administration for everything that happened – that is, unless the administration happens to be a Democratic one.
Paraphrasing the Bard: “What fools these liberals be.”
Click on WikiPedia for more information about the 1906 event.
More and more evidence surfaces about the true nature of global warming. Real scientists looking at the hard evidence of the phenomenon, realize that claims of man-made greenhouse gasses causing warming are false.
Right: Current SOHO Sunspot Image.
Professor Bob Carter, a geologist at James Cook University, Queensland, who is engaged in paleoclimate research, wrote this excellent article addressing the “Man-made global warming” myth:
There IS a problem with global warming… it stopped in 1998
For many years now, human-caused climate change has been viewed as a large and urgent problem. In truth, however, the biggest part of the problem is neither environmental nor scientific, but a self-created political fiasco. Consider the simple fact, drawn from the official temperature records of the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, that for the years 1998-2005 global average temperature did not increase (there was actually a slight decrease, though not at a rate that differs significantly from zero).
Yes, you did read that right. And also, yes, this eight-year period of temperature stasis did coincide with society’s continued power station and SUV-inspired pumping of yet more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
NASA Shared this video of the solar eclipse today from Turkey. Check it out!
NASA Shares Solar Eclipse With the World
NASA gave people a front row seat to today’s total solar eclipse, thanks to a partnership with the University of California at Berkeley and the Exploratorium. A streaming webcast brought the eclipse — visible along a path from South America to Africa to Asia — to schools and museums and computer desktops worldwide.VIEW ECLIPSE VIDEOS: + Windows | + Real
The eclipse coverage was part of Sun-Earth Day, celebrated every year to help everyone better understand how our sun interacts with the Earth and other planets in the solar system. This year’s theme, “Eclipse: In a Different Light” shows how eclipses have inspired people to observe and understand the Sun-Earth-Moon system.
With spring approaching, flowers are in bloom, the mocking birds sing all night long and the alligators come out in Machado Park.
Reggie: Part II is expected to open at lake in April
The original Alligator Tale of Harbor City had quite a cast of characters, including Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin. The sequel is shaping up nicely.
Rise and shine.
It’s spring. The sun is shining and temperatures are climbing. The days are growing longer.
Can Reggie’s reawakening be far behind?
Harbor City’s elusive alligator hasn’t been seen since October, when a reptile’s normal winter hibernating season begins.
But Russ Smith, reptile curator for the Los Angeles Zoo, says the South Bay’s favorite watery beast should be stirring back to life any time now in Machado Lake, where he’s eluded capture since August after he was allegedly released illegally over the summer by his owners.
“It’s going to be soon,” Smith said of the alligator’s expected resurfacing. “I still think March would be a good possibility, but I imagine the (recent) cold weather probably pushed things back a little bit. It will probably be April now.”
Previous articles on Reggie:
Also for your amusement: Reggie not ready for close-up.
