[DIALOGnews] DIALOG and DISCCRS News 06/23/2006
Susan Bennett
bennetsk at whitman.edu
Fri Jun 23 15:36:43 CDT 2006
DIALOG and DISCCRS News
06/23/2006
************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS
RESOURCES
New Funding Announcements for FY07 from NOAA Coastal Ocean Program
(see below)
SCIENCE NEWS
Next Victim of Warming: The Beaches
(see below)
Human Activities In Arid Urban Environments Can Affect Rainfall And
Water Cycle
(see below)
Hurricanes And The U.S. Gulf Coast: Science And Sustainable Rebuilding
(see below)
Mapping A Glacial Path Of Destruction
(see below)
Where climate is made in a greenhouse world
(see below)
Hawaiian Marine Reserve To Be World's Largest
(see below)
Algae Aids And Abets Coral Killers
(see below)
Hope For Coral' As Oceans Warm
(see below)
JOBS
Post-doc at MPI for Biogeochemistry, Jena (Germany) Biospheric Theory
and Modelling
(see below)
Post-doctoral position: "Chemistry-climate Interactions" National
Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), New Zealand
(see below)
WRF Data Assimilation Scientist Positions at NCAR (USA)
(see below)
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Resources
New Funding Announcements for FY07 from NOAA Coastal Ocean Program
Announcements of Opportunity have been issued to submit proposals
to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Center for
Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research/Coastal Ocean Program under four
different program elements.
Proposals under a COASTAL HYPOXIA RESEARCH PROGRAM (CHRP) closes
3:00 p.m. EST September 11, 2006.
Proposals under MONITORING AND EVENT RESPONSE FOR HARMFUL ALGAL
BLOOMS (MERHAB) closes 3:00 p.m. EST October 2, 2006.
Proposals under CUMULATIVE IMPACTS OF MULTIPLE STRESSORS (Multi-
Stress) closes 3:00 p.m. EST October 23, 2006.
Proposals under CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEM STUDIES (CRES) closes 3:00
p.m. EST November 13, 2006.
The Federal Register Notice and full Announcement of Federal
Funding Opportunity can be accessed through the NOAA Center for
Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research/Coastal Ocean Program website at::
http://www.cop.noaa.gov/opportunities/grants/fundingarchive/
fy2007.html
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Science News
Next Victim of Warming: The Beaches
When scientists consider the possible effects of global warming,
there is a lot they don't know. But they can say one thing for sure:
sea levels will rise. This rising water will be felt along the
artificially maintained beaches of New Jersey, in the vanishing
marshes of Louisiana, even on the ocean bluffs of California.
According to a 2000 report by the Heinz Center for Science, Economics
and the Environment, at least a quarter of the houses within 500 feet
of the United States coast may be lost to rising seas by 2060. There
were 350,000 of these houses when the report was written, but today
there are far more.
And the remedies are not attractive, to say the least. Few
coastal residents want to see their towns walled off and surrounded
by water. And few want to elevate their houses by 20 feet or more, as
flooding experts are beginning to recommend in some coastal areas.
The approach favored by many scientists, a gradual retreat from the
coast, is a perennial nonstarter among real estate interests and
their political allies.
At present rates of sea level rise, Dr. Moore said, the computer
model she is using "suggests the barriers can maintain themselves, if
they are allowed to migrate." But if a sea wall or other
infrastructure is in the way, the island is pinned down. Sand that
would wash over is blocked as the island erodes. In time, rising
water meets the wall and drowns the beach. Meanwhile, storm waves
scour the wall's base and erode the underwater beach slope.
"Eventually the sea wall collapses because the situation is so extreme."
In research in Santa Barbara, Calif., that was reported in the
winter issue of the journal Shore and Beach, Jenifer E. Dugan and
David M. Hubbard of the University of California, Santa Barbara,
found that on armored beaches, there was much less accumulation of
seaweed and other drift material, far fewer insects and crustaceans
that feed on or in this wrack, fewer intertidal species like sand
crabs and clams, and fewer species of birds. Their conclusion? "The
combination of rising sea levels predicted by climate change models
and the increasing extent of coastal armoring will accelerate beach
loss and increase ecological consequences for sandy beach communities
and shorebirds in many regions."
In general, Mr. Wehrum said, it seemed quite likely that people
would want to protect developed areas and might be willing to let
undeveloped areas like wildlife refuges or coastal farms migrate.
Meanwhile, though, people like Ms. Winters and Dr. Williams watch
as, one by one, people make decisions that will collectively have big
implications for beaches.
Full article: http://www.climateark.org/articles/reader.asp?
linkid=57477
********************
Human Activities In Arid Urban Environments Can Affect Rainfall And
Water Cycle
In the past half-century, cities have begun to expand in some of
the Earth's most arid areas. While scientists have known for some
time that the so-called "heat-island" effect of large cities such as
Atlanta and Houston can affect their weather, they knew less about
this effect and other processes in arid cities, such as Phoenix,
which have experienced explosive population growth.
Now, a study by a climatologist in the department of geography at
the University of Georgia has shown, using a unique 108-year-old data
record and NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM)
satellite, that arid cities such as Riyadh in Saudi Arabia and
Phoenix have an effect on rainfall patterns around them. As
important, it appears that human activities such as land use,
aerosols and irrigation in these arid urban environments affect the
entire water cycle as well.
One of the most interesting findings in the new study was a 12-14
percent increase (which scientists call an anomaly) in rainfall in
the northeast suburbs of Phoenix from the pre-urban (1895-1949) to
post-urban (1950-2003) periods. A previous study first noted the
possible anomaly but focused only on the post-urban period, so it was
not clear whether the change was tied to post-1950 urbanization
around Phoenix. It is hypothesized that this anomaly is related to
urban-topographic interactions and possibly irrigation moisture.
Indeed, the role of irrigation in changing the weather of cities in
arid areas is one of the more intriguing findings, and one that will
bear more study.
"We think that these human activities can actually alter the
natural system and interact with monsoon flow and mountain
convection," said Shepherd. The weather in Phoenix, in fact, is
affected by both. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/
2006/06/060619222554.htm
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Hurricanes And The U.S. Gulf Coast: Science And Sustainable Rebuilding
The American Geophysical Union today published the report of a
Conference of Experts, intended to guide policy makers charged with
rebuilding areas affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The 20
scientists who participated in the conference looked at seven major
areas: hurricanes, storm surge and flooding, subsidence, climate
change, hydrology, infrastructure, and disaster preparedness and
response. For each topic, they assessed current understanding of the
phenomenon, near-term scientific needs, and longer-term directions.
Full Report: http://www.agu.org/report/hurricanes/
********************
Mapping A Glacial Path Of Destruction
The dangerous power of glacial outburst floods - or jokulhlaups -
will be easier to predict thanks to new models developed by a Leeds
researcher and presented at the International Glaciological Society
symposium in Iceland this Friday (June 23).
These spectacular outburst floods happen as dams of ice and earth
give way or, as from Vatnajokull in Iceland in 1996, when a volcano
erupts beneath a glacier. That outburst flood was 10km wide, swept
away a bridge and left behind icebergs 10m high.
"This is really important for hazard management and also because
flood size and frequencies will alter with climate change. In
particular, global warming will lead to changes in how fast glaciers
melt, and the mode by which meltwater is released." http://
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/06/060620082017.htm
********************
Where climate is made in a greenhouse world
New scientific results for the Late Cretaceous greenhouse
indicate radically different climatic mechanisms operating about
75-90 million years ago compared to the ones that control today's
climate. The study, published on 29 May 2006 in "Palaeogeography,
Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology" as part of a special issue on
"Causes and Consequence of Marine Organic Carbon Burial Through Time"
by Sascha Floegel from the IFM-GEOMAR in Kiel/Germany and Thomas
Wagner from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne/UK aims to identify
the main 'climate kitchen' in a world with about 5-9°C warmer global
temperatures than today.
The researchers focus their interest on the causal relationships
and feedbacks between the tropics and higher latitudes. Using marine
geological records and data from global paleoclimate simulations they
identify a previously unrecognized link between higher latitude
climate dynamics and tropical African climate, the latter leading to
exceptionally high burial of organic carbon in the deep tropical
Atlantic. Marine geological record show that enhanced burial of
organic carbon in the deep sea was confined to short time envelops of
about 5 thousand years that reoccurred over millions of years at a
regular pattern (see Beckmann and co-workers, published 8 September
2005 in Nature 437). Climate modelling is one key technique to
identify and understand the larger-scale mechanisms that result in
geological evidence. By varying one of Earth's orbital parameters,
the precession of the equinoxes, the modelling setup used in this
study provides new insights to the dynamics of global climate during
past greenhouse conditions. Accordingly, changes in the amount of
energy approaching the top of the atmosphere, called "insolation",
finally triggered cyclic variations of the tropical water cycle in
tropical Africa. Periods of enhanced precipitation and freshwater
runoff then resulted in massive burial of organic carbon at the sea
floor suggesting that processes in the atmosphere drive changes in
the ocean. The remaining, fundamental question on the source area(s)
where cyclic fluctuations in tropical water cycling and marine carbon
burial were triggered was addressed using global climate simulation.
Applying four different orbital configurations of one complete
precession cycle the model identifies cross-latitudinal variations of
atmospheric pressure systems, fluctuations in the magnitude and
direction of surface winds, and associated precipitation and runoff
patterns. Previously unrecognized, the model identifies the strongest
variations in atmospheric pressure above the South Atlantic at mid-
southern latitudes between 25–55°S. Establishment of an atmospheric
teleconnection between this area and tropical Africa, however, is
limited to one specific orbital configuration, which lasted for about
5 thousand years and caused strongest climate contrasts in a seasonal
cycle.
These new results challenge current notions on role of the
tropics as main driver of Cretaceous climate. They rather support the
conclusion that tropical climate in a greenhouse world is ultimately
triggered by climate change at mid-southern latitudes, with
precipitation and river discharge being the transport mechanisms.
Today the tropics control a big fraction of Earth's climate. The
new findings reported here suggest that the mid-latitudes will have a
much stronger impact on low latitude climate system at predicted
future levels of atmospheric CO2. This conclusion has severe
consequences for the future low latitude water cycle and associated
nutrient and carbon fluxes to coastal areas. The latter fluxes from
the continent strongly influence surface ocean productivity, O2
consumption in the water column and thus marine ecosystems, and many
other processes affecting the global carbon balance. The broader
implications support substantial interaction between the water cycle
and atmospheric circulation on regional and hemispheric scales during
times of global warmth. As evident from this study we probably still
do not realise all the relevant processes that drive future global
warming. Knowing them, however, is critical to get prepared and
mitigate the effects for society and ecosystems. http://
www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-06/uonu-wci060106.php
********************
Hawaiian Marine Reserve To Be World's Largest
taken from SeaSpan
President Bush has designated an island chain spanning nearly
1,400 miles of the Pacific northwest of Hawaii as a national
monument, creating the largest protected marine reserve in the world.
Establishing the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands as a strictly
protected marine reserve could prove to be the administration's most
enduring environmental legacy. The roughly 100-mile-wide area
encompasses a string of uninhabited islands that support more than
7,000 marine species, at least a fourth of which are found nowhere
else on Earth. The islands include almost 70 percent of the nation's
tropical, shallow-water coral reefs, a rookery for 14 million
seabirds, and the last refuge for the endangered Hawaiian monk seal
and the threatened green sea turtle. The area also has an abundance
of large predatory fish at a time when 90 percent of such species
have disappeared from the world's oceans. Encompassing nearly 140,000
square miles, an area nearly the size of Montana and larger than all
the national parks combined, the reserve will just surpass
Australia's Great Barrier Reef Marine Park as the largest protected
marine area in the world. It will also, however, be one of the least
accessible. "This is a landmark conservation event," said Joshua
Reichert, who heads the Pew Charitable Trusts' environment programs
and had pushed to have the area designated as a marine sanctuary.
"The government is saying in certain places, for certain reasons, it
is important to restrict activities that have the potential to damage
the marine environment, of which fishing is a big one."
Source: Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post,15 June 2006
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/14/
AR2006061402455.html?sub=new
Additional articles:
Andrew C. Revkin, The New York Times, 15 June 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/15/science/earth/15hawaii.html?
_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
Kenneth R. Weiss, L.A. Times, 15 June 2006
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-
hawaii15jun15,1,501585.story?coll=la-headlines-nation&ctrack=1&cset=true
Additional quote: "This is the best thing that President Bush has
done for the environment since he took office," said Elliott A.
Norse, president of the Marine Conservation Biology Institute.
"Having discussed this with him, I know that the president is
personally committed to this." Norse was one of the 50 guests who
witnessed Bush's excitement after the screening of Jean-Michel
Cousteau's "Voyage to Kure" in the White House.
********************
Algae Aids And Abets Coral Killers
From SeaSpan
Algae are often found growing where corals once lived. Most
researchers supposed that the algae simply moved in once corals were
already dead or dying. But a recent study (Science, 24 February 2006)
revealed that organic carbon--which often leaks out of some plants
and algae--promotes microbial activity that kills coral. To elucidate
a possible connection between algae, microbes, and corals, marine
ecologist Jennifer Smith of the University of California, Santa
Barbara, and colleagues brought samples of coral and algae back to
the lab from the Central Pacific. The team placed corals in tubs,
half of which also contained algae. A filter separated the algae from
the coral; it was fine enough to block bacteria and viruses, but
large enough to allow passage of dissolved compounds. Within 2 days,
all the corals with algae neighbors turned white and died, while all
the solo corals survived. Near the dying corals' surface, oxygen
levels had plummeted, and the energy molecule ATP spiked--both signs
of microbial activity. In repeated experiments, over 95% of corals
suffered to some degree from being near algae, the team (which
includes Pew Fellow Enric Sala) reports online 5 June in Ecology
Letters.
Source: Katherine Unger, ScienceNOW Daily News, 7 June 2006
http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2006/607/2?rss=1
Citation: Smith, J. E., M. Shaw, R. Edwards, D. Obura, O. Pantos,
E. Sala, S. Sandin, S. Smriga, M. Hatay and F. L. Rohwer. 2006.
Indirect effects of algae on coral: algae-mediated, microbe-induced
coral mortality. Ecology Letters 9: 835-845.
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.
1461-0248.2006.00937.x
********************
Hope For Coral' As Oceans Warm
From SeaSpan
Coral live in close partnership with algae, but lose the algae
when temperatures rise, causing death. Australian scientists have
discovered that coral may be able to exchange their algae for
varieties that can survive at higher temperatures. They say this
provides a "nugget of hope" for some reefs threatened by climate
change. "While this is likely to be of huge ecological benefit,"
write Ray Berkelmans and Madeleine van Oppen, "it may not be enough
to help these populations cope with the predicted increases in
average tropical sea temperatures over the next 100 years." Drs.
Berkelman and van Oppen, from the Australian Institute of Marine
Science (Aims) in Townsville, report their findings in the scientific
journal Proceedings B, published by the UK's Royal Society.
Source: Richard Black, BBC News website, 7 June 2006
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5053812.stm
Citation: Berkelmans, R. and van Oppen, M. J. H. 2006. The role
of zooxanthellae in the thermal tolerance of corals: a ‘nugget of
hope’ for coral reefs in an era of climate change. Proceedings of the
Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. FirstCite Early Online Publishing.
http://www.journals.royalsoc.ac.uk/(kjj1ky31m3emqb45ax2b3vz2)/app/
home/contribution.asp?referrer=parent&backto=searcharticlesresults,6,32;
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Jobs
Planktonnet: Great listserv for aquatic-science jobs
To subscribe to the list, send an empty email to:
planktonnet-subscribe at yahoogroups.com
Or, visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/planktonnet/ and click on
'Join this group'
Post-doc at MPI for Biogeochemistry, Jena (Germany) Biospheric Theory
and Modelling
The Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena, Germany,
invites applications for a postdoctoral scientist in the Biospheric
Theory and Modelling Group.
The successful candidate will participate in the development and
application of an Earth system model of intermediate complexity and
apply the model to topics related to the role of the biosphere in
Earth system science and evolution. Particular topics of interest
include: optimum vegetation and land surface functioning, testing for
optimality using observations; vegetation-aerosol-cloud interactions;
nutrient cycling; Earth's entropy budget; Maximum Entropy Production;
paleoclimatology.
A PhD degree in Earth system science or related fields is
required. Preference will be given to candidates with a proven
publication record and experience in vegetation/land surface/climate
system modeling. Excellent programming skills in FORTRAN 90 and
knowledge of the Unix environment are required as well as fluent
proficiency of the Eng-lish language.
The position is available as soon as September 1, 2006. The
position is available for three years and is similar to a civil
service position (TVöD E13/E14, level according to experience)
including extensive social security plans and generous funds for
equipment, publications, and travel. An extension of the position is
possible. The conditions of em-ployment, including upgrades and
duration follow the rules of the Max Planck Society for the
Advancement of Sciences and those of the German civil service. The
Max-Planck-Society seeks to increase the number of female scientists
and encourages them to apply. Handicapped persons with comparable
qualifications receive preferential status.
For best consideration, please submit your application, including
a clear statement of your interest in this position, a curriculum
vitae and the contact details of two academic referees before August
1st, 2006 in electronic form to Axel Kleidon.
Further information about our research group can be found on the
group's web page at http://www.bgc-jena.mpg.de/~akleidon.
********************
Post-doctoral position: "Chemistry-climate Interactions" National
Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), New Zealand
A post-doctoral researcher is required to join our global climate
and atmospheric chemistry modelling group starting 1 July 2006 or as
soon as possible thereafter. This group conducts a wide range of
modelling activities including climate modelling and coupled-
chemistry climate modelling. The primary tool used for this research
is the UKMO Unified Model (UM) which is run on our Cray T3E
supercomputer. The responsibilities of the post- doc could span both
activities but with a focus on atmospheric chemistry modelling and in
particular studying the evolution of the ozone layer in a changing
climate. Initial activities would include participating in the
ongoing development of our coupled chemistry-climate model UMETRAC
(Unified Model with Eulerian TRansport and Chemistry), using UMETRAC
to decompose the feedbacks between the chemical composition of the
stratosphere and the climate, and validation of the model through
comparison with measurements (supporting our participation in the
CCMVal activity). Additional work would include participation in the
development and running of UMeth (Unified Model with Methane), a
version of the UM including emission and transport of methane
isotopic species, and destruction by hydroxyl and chlorine sinks.
The chemistry-climate modelling research is based at NIWA's
research facility at Lauder while the climate modelling research is
based at NIWA's Greta Point campus in Wellington. UMeth work is
carried out at both sites. The expectation is that the post-doc would
be based at Lauder but would spend some fraction of time working in
Wellington. Travel between the two centres will be paid for by NIWA.
On site accommodation in one of the four houses on the Lauder
research station will be provided at very inexpensive rates (approx.
140 New Zealand dollars/month, including electricity usage and phone
rental).
The Lauder research station is in a sparsely populated region of
Central Otago, chosen for its clean air and cloudless skies to
facilitate the measurement programme. Central Otago provides
excellent opportunities for outdoor pursuits including mountain
biking, kayaking, cross-country skiing in winter, rock climbing etc.
Most of the people working at Lauder live in Alexandra, 30 minutes
drive from Lauder and an hour's drive from Queenstown.
The NIWA campus on the foreshore in Wellington houses
approximately 260 people working on a wide range of atmospheric and
oceanographic research programmes. The campus is close to the city
centre, and the many lively cultural activities that Wellington
provides.
The appointment will be for 2 years on the salary range of
approximately 52000 New Zealand dollars per year. The applicant
should have a PhD in atmospheric physics, atmospheric chemistry or a
related field, a working knowledge of Fortran, and preferably some
experience working with general circulation models. Knowledge of the
UM and previous work with climate models would be advantageous.
Applications, comprising a curriculum vitae, a list of publications
and the names and addresses of two referees should be sent (ideally
electronically) to:
Dr. Greg Bodeker
NIWA
Private Bag 50061
Omakau
Central Otago
New Zealand
email: g.bodeker at niwa.co.nz
Closing date is: 1 July 2006 but I will continue to accept
applications until a suitable candidate has been found.
Please email me at g.bodeker at niwa.co.nz if you require additional
information.
********************
WRF Data Assimilation Scientist Positions at NCAR (USA)
The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is a National
Science Foundation (NSF) federally funded research and development
center, based in Boulder, Colorado, USA.
NCAR's Mesoscale and Microscale Meteorology Division and Research
Applications Laboratory currently have a number of openings for
modelers with experience in atmospheric data assimilation. The
jobholders' role will be to contribute towards research, further
development, and applications of the WRF three/four dimensional
variational (3/4D-Var) data assimilation system (WRF-Var). The
positions focus on a number of areas including a) Polar Data
Assimilation, b) Forecast Error Covariances Via Coupled EPS/DA, and
c) Testing/tuning of Real-Time DA systems.
The deadline for application is June 30, 2006.
For further information, please visit the UCAR job opportunities
website at:
http://www.fin.ucar.edu/hr/careers/uco_jobList_ext.cfm or click
on the direct links below.
Project Scientist I - Job # 6124
http://www.fin.ucar.edu/hr/careers/uco.cfm?
do=jobDetailExt&job_ID=677
Associate Scientist III - Job # 6125
http://www.fin.ucar.edu/hr/careers/uco.cfm?
do=jobDetailExt&job_ID=678
Project Scientist I - Job # 6128
http://www.fin.ucar.edu/hr/careers/uco.cfm?
do=jobDetailExt&job_ID=680
Associate Scientist III - Job # 6129
http://www.fin.ucar.edu/hr/careers/uco.cfm?
do=jobDetailExt&job_ID=681
**************************************************
This newsletter has been developed by C. Susan Weiler to distribute
information of potential interest to recent PhDs engaged in
interdisciplinary aquatic science or climate-change research, and to
build an international sense of community among recent grads. It
provides an international forum for the exchange of information and
opinions regarding research, professional and social issues. The
views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the
funding agencies or sponsoring societies. Dr. Weiler reserves the
right to edit or reject material submitted to the list.
Please submit announcements of interest to recent PhDs to
phd at whitman.edu. Send a short message in the body of an e-mail
message, and link to any appropriate websites. Do not send attachments.
Moving? Send address changes to dialog at whitman.edu or
disccrs at whitman.edu
**********
C. Susan Weiler, Ph.D.
Office for Earth System Studies Tel: 509-527-5948
Whitman College Fax: 509-527-5961
Walla Walla, WA 99362
weiler at whitman.edu
Programs for Recent PhDs http://aslo.org/phd.html
DIALOG poster http://www.aslo.org/phd/dialogposter.pdf
DISCCRS poster http://www.aslo.org/phd/disccrsposter.pdf
Workshop Report, Meeting the Needs of
Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Graduates in a
Changing Global Environment
http://marcus.whitman.edu/~weilercs/biocomplexity/
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