Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

Scientists monitoring the U.S. oil spill with the European Space Agency's Envisat radar satellite say that it has entered the Loop Current, a powerful conveyor belt that flows clockwise around the Gulf of Mexico towards Florida.
"With these images from space, we have visible proof that at least oil from the surface of the water has reached the current," said Dr Bertrand Chapron of Ifremer, the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea.

Dr Chapron and Dr Fabrice Collard of France's CLS have been combining surface roughness and current flow information with Envisat Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) data of the area to monitor the proximity of the oil to the current.

In the ASAR image above, acquired on 18 May, a long tendril of the oil spill (outlined in white) extends down into the Loop Current (red arrow).

"We performed advanced processing methods on the images to display surface features like variations in roughness and velocity, which provides insight into the spatial structure of the spill and its transport by surface currents," Dr Collard explained.

From the ASAR images of 12 May and 15 May, the oil spill was observed stretching increasingly closer to the Loop Current, raising concerns that it could reach the current and be carried south towards coral reefs in the Florida Keys.

"Now that oil has entered the Loop Current, it is likely to reach Florida within six days," Dr Chapron said. "Since Envisat ASAR, ERS-2 and other SAR satellites are systematically planned to acquire data over the area, we will monitor the situation continuously."

The scientists warn however that since the Loop Current is a very intense, deep ocean current, its turbulent waters will accelerate the mixing of the oil and water in the coming days.

"This might remove the oil film on the surface and prevent us from tracking it with satellites, but the pollution is likely to affect the coral reef marine ecosystem," Dr Collard said.

Combined efforts using satellite imagery and in-situ measurements of collected water samples will help to assess whether oil is in the deep waters of the ocean.

The Loop Current joins the Gulf Stream -- the northern hemisphere's most important ocean-current system -- sparking fears that oil could enter this system and be carried up to the US East Coast.

I hope you enjoy this article. The oil spill is clearly a very very dangerous thing as it kills wildlife and whats more? It is very hard to clear.

Source: www.sciencedaily.com

Recycling Cigarette Butts

A new study suggests expanding community recycling programs beyond newspapers, beverage containers, and other traditional trash to include an unlikely new potential treasure: Cigarette butts. Terming this tiny trash "one of the most ubiquitous forms of garbage in the world," the study describes discovery of a way to reuse the remains of cigarettes to prevent steel corrosion that costs oil producers millions of dollars annually. It appears in ACS' Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research.

Studies show that cigarette butts are more than an eyesore. They contain toxins that can kill fish and harm the environment in other ways. Recycling could solve those problems, but finding practical uses for cigarette butts has been difficult.

The scientists showed that extracts of cigarette butts in water, applied to a type of steel (N80) widely used in the oil industry, protected the steel from rusting even under the harsh conditions, preventing costly damage and interruptions in oil production. They identified nine chemicals in the extracts, including nicotine, which appear to be responsible for this anti-corrosion effect.

This is interesting!!!

Source: sciencedaily.com

Global Warming: Future Temperatures Could Exceed Livable Limits, Researchers Find

Researchers for the first time have calculated the highest tolerable "wet-bulb" temperature and found that this temperature could be exceeded for the first time in human history in future climate scenarios if greenhouse gas emissions continue at their current rate.

Wet-bulb temperature is equivalent to what is felt when wet skin is exposed to moving air. It includes temperature and atmospheric humidity and is measured by covering a standard thermometer bulb with a wetted cloth and fully ventilating it.

The researchers calculated that humans and most mammals, which have internal body temperatures near 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, will experience a potentially lethal level of heat stress at wet-bulb temperature above 95 degrees sustained for six hours or more, said Matthew Huber, the Purdue professor of earth and atmospheric sciences who co-authored the paper that will be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.


View this image: http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/2010/05/100504155413-large.jpg


Source: www.sciencedaily.com

Indoor Air Pollution: Look at the Causes and Solutions

According to the EPA, air pollution indoors is often two to five times worse than it is outside. In extreme cases, air pollution inside can be a hundred times worse than outside. The reason is partly because numerous chemicals, like cleaning supplies, hair sprays and perfumes, are used inside the home. Another part of the problem is that many items inside our homes and materials used in home construction are notorious for letting off poisonous gasses - for years. Carpets, shower curtains, paints, upholstery, plywood, particle board, cabinets, computers, and synthetic materials all let off poisonous gasses and chemicals. Because most homes are well insulated, it leaves those poisons trapped inside for us to breathe.

However, there's a solution and as with most problems, the solution comes from nature - and not from a chemical company. NASA studies show that having ample plants indoors can detoxify up to 85 percent of indoor air pollution.

Acting like a filter for the air, some plants mop up formaldehyde. Others remove benzene, carbon monoxide, and trichloroethylene.

I think that this articles is very interesting and very useful. We can help prevent harming ourselves by putting plants in our homes.

Source: naturalnews.com

How aerosol pollution interferes with thunderstorm activity

Aerosol is tiny fine particles that are suspended in the air or in liquid. They can either be man-made or natural.

Recent research has revealed that the tiny pollutants can either inhibit thunderstorms or make them stronger depending on wind shear conditions.
Their research strongly suggests that aerosol pollution may be changing local weather patterns, including the amount and rate of rainfall that occurs and the types of storms.
The winds that blow near the surface of the Earth have two beneficial effects: They provide a renewable source of clean energy and they evaporate water, helping rain clouds to build up. But aerosol's particles created from vehicle exhaust and other contaminants can accumulate in the atmosphere and reduce the speed of winds closer to the Earth's surface, which results in less wind power available for wind-turbine electricity and also in reduced precipitation, according to a study by Stanford and NASA researchers.


Source : http://www.naturalnews.com/ and http://www.sciencedaily.com/

Child Labour in India (Term2 ACE) MY perspective

Child Labour

My own perspective

Child labour is very cruel and I do not understand why people in India still use all kinds child labour. Maybe it is because of money or profit which is the most likely reason to me.

I think that child labour should be prohibited in all parts of the world. I know that this is quite nearly impossible but we can start bit by bit from now.

Firstly, I think that the Indian government should step in more in this situation of child labour. From what I have read so far, the Indian government only say and do not mean what they say. When they say something, I think it is only right to enforce it. Next, I do not think the Indian government really want to prohibit child labour in India.

The most likely reason is that without child labour in India, many of the large companies in India using child labour will lose a huge sum of profit and in the long run, India’s economy would most likely go down. I think that overall, the Indian government should step in this matter more. If the Human Rights and the Indian government were to cooperate together with the same aim to prohibit child labour in India, I think most likely in due time, child labour would be abolished.

JOHN LOH

Maybe I will post on how to connect to village by the sea and slumb dog millionairre later.
Although the infomation here is not enough please do your own research by this link or find them yourself and also share your views by commenting and if you have other information to add on please also comment. Thank You.

To view more on child labour, please go to this site :)
http://www.indiatogether.org/

Hello

Its been a long time since I last posted but I will post soon. Recently in LA class we learnt about letter writing. Informal and Formal. The next post will be on LA ACE on the topic Child Labour and on the 3 point perspective on child labour.
Enjoy your Good Friday.
:D