Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

Environment

Microseismic Emission Precursors

This may be of particular interest to those of us living near seismically active areas. Interpretation of microseismic emission precursors may represent a possible breakthrough on earthquake prediction:

Prelude to an Earthquake?

A geophysicist from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has identified possible seismic precursors to two recent California earthquakes, including the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake that wreaked havoc throughout the Bay Area.

After sifting through seismic data from the two quakes, Valeri Korneev found a spike in the number of micro-earthquakes followed by a period of relative calm in the crust surrounding the quakes’ epicenters — months before the quakes occurred. Although more work needs to be conducted to determine whether other large quakes are foreshadowed by a similar rise and subsequent decline in small-magnitude tremors, Korneev’s analysis suggests that these peaks may be indicative of the total set of geological stresses that affect the timing and location of large earthquakes. Understanding this total stress picture may eventually make it be possible to predict destructive earthquakes within a much shorter time frame than currently possible.

Photo: 1989 Quake Damage to Interstate 880 – S.F. Chronicle

Peaks in seismic activity in the crust surrounding a fault could help signal the arrival of large earthquakes,” says Korneev of Berkeley Lab’s Earth Sciences Division. “These peaks may be a good mid-term precursor and allow authorities to declare alerts several months before earthquakes.”

Read the rest of the article at Science Blog: Prelude to an Earthquake?

09 Dec 2005 by California Environment Science

Sundown over the Pacific

Not much to say about this, other than I drove out of my way going home this evening to get this shot from Hermosa Beach.

Update: What I wouldn’t do for art! My detour made me late for happy hour with Damsel . . . I think it was worth it.

08 Dec 2005 by California Environment Photography

SOHO Marks 10th Year

One of my top 10 things to be thankful for is technology, which gives mankind insights into the unknown. One of these technological wonders is SOHO, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory Satellite located at Earth’s inner Lagrangian point.

From SpaceWeather.com:

10 YEARS OF SOHO: Where would we be without SOHO? The orbiting Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) keeps a ’round-the-clock eye on the sun and is crucial to space weather forecasting. Thousands of our readers have witnessed auroras only because SOHO spotted an incoming CME [coronal mass ejection] in time for us to issue an alert.

So it is with pleasure and appreciation that we wish a happy 10th anniversary to the SOHO team, whose spacecraft was launched on Dec. 2nd, 1995. Originally planned as a two year mission, SOHO is now entering its second decade. Amazing.

And an article from Astronomy Picture of the Day indicates that operations are planned to continue until 2007, at which time SOHO will have been in position to observe a complete 11-year solar cycle (which, as we all know, is responsible for climate change and other phenomena – not the puny efforts of mankind who the moonbat left blame for the mythical global warming).

01 Dec 2005 by Aerospace Astronomy Environment Global Warming Rocket Science

Hurricanes on Jupiter Must be the President’s Fault

How long before the Democrats blame this on George Bush‘s reluctance to sign the insane Kyoto Pact?

Jupiter’s Massive Winds Likely Generated From Deep Inside Its Interior, Scientists Report

A new computer model indicates Jupiter’s massive winds are generated from deep within the giant planet’s interior, a UCLA scientist and international colleagues report in the journal Nature.

This image shows results from a computer simulation of Jupiter’s winds. The color contours show wind speed with red representing eastward flows and blue representing westward flows. (Credit: Dr. Moritz Heimpel, University of Alberta, Department of Physics)

Jupiter’s powerful winds are very different from those on Earth. They continually circle the planet, and have changed very little in the 300 years that scientists have studied them. Massive east-west winds in Jupiter’s equatorial region reach approximately 340 miles per hour — twice as rapid as winds generated by strong hurricanes on Earth. At higher latitudes, the wind pattern switches to alternating jets that race around the planet.

See “Jupiter’s Massive Winds Likely Generated From Deep Inside Its Interior, Scientists Report” from Science Daily for the complete article.

And, by the way, mankind is not the cause of Global Warming.

16 Nov 2005 by Astronomy Environment Satire Science Whacko Politics

Alligators in the Sewers, Part V

The story surrounding Reggie, the alligator in Harbor Regional Park, keeps getting stranger and stranger.

From the Daily Breeze: The alligator is still at large, but T-Bone isn’t

Sometimes you’re the hunter and sometimes you’re the prey.

Thomas “T-Bone” Quinn, the colorful New Orleans man who tried — and failed — last month to catch a defiant alligator loitering in a Harbor City lake, has himself been captured and shipped back home, court records show.

Quinn was arrested by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies Oct. 20 and extradited to Louisiana Nov. 5. Quinn’s mother said he was trying to start a new life in Los Angeles when he was nabbed for outstanding warrants related to probation violations. It seems Quinn was on parole, after serving time in prison for writing bad checks, said Sandy Quinn Barton from her home in Augusta, Ga. “He knew he was going to get picked up,” she said. “He’d have to know that. This is not his first rodeo.”

Photo: Thomas “T-Bone” Quinn – Brad Davison/Daily Breeze

Read the entire story.

13 Nov 2005 by California Environment

Alligators in the Sewers, Part IV

I think this is just a publicity stunt by Steve Irwin, Australian celebrity reptile expert, who thinks it’s OK to dangle his infant child in the proximity of a dangerous crocodile.

See my previous post on Alligators
.
From the Daily Breeze: Reggie faces trouble from Down Under croc-catcher

“Crikey, mate!” That Reggie better watch his back now.

TV’s famous Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, came to town Tuesday and spent nearly two hours poking around Reggie’s watery digs in Harbor City’s Machado Lake.

Looking ready for action in his trademark khaki shorts and boots, the celebrity known for his fearless and often zany antics in stalking and capturing all manner of dangerous snakes, crocodiles and alligators gazed calmly across the lake under gloomy, overcast morning skies, in search of the elusive 6-foot alligator.

From the Sydney Morning Herald: Steve Irwin baby concerns prompt law change

Photo: Steve Irwin feeds a croc whilst holding on to his baby.

Steve Irwin’s decision to hold his baby son near a crocodile has sparked a review of Queensland Government crocodile enclosure guidelines.

The State Government yesterday released the new rules prohibiting children and any untrained adult from entering crocodile enclosures.

In January last year, Mr Irwin, known as the Crocodile Hunter, held his baby son Bob close to a crocodile at his Australia Zoo on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

The incident was captured by television cameras, sparking an international outcry and a review of crocodile handling practices.

This doofus just happens to be in town to appear on Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien shows. Hollywood Access apparently tipped Irwin about Reggie, and (of course) he jumped at the chance.

11 Nov 2005 by California Degenerates Environment People

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