[DIALOGnews] DISCCRS News 7/6/2007
Ruth Ladderud
ladderra at whitman.edu
Fri Jul 6 13:02:04 CDT 2007
DISCCRS News
7/6/2007
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
RESOURCES and FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Natural and social science Fellowships: Smith Fellows 2008 Call for
Proposals Announced
http://www.smithfellows.org/proposalguidelines.cfm
(see RESOURCES 1 below)
Global Science Gateway Now Open: WorldWideScience.org opens public
access to more than 200 million pages of international research
information
http://www.worldwidescience.org/ US contribution: http://
www.science.gov/
(see RESOURCES 2 below)
Applications wanted for studies that assess the socioeconomic impacts
of harmful algal blooms (HABs) on coastal communities and identify
opportunities to mitigate these impacts.
(see RESOURCES 3 below)
FORUM
Moving Beyond Kyoto - Op-Ed Contributor: Al Gore
(see FORUM 1 below)
Which City is Worse Off Today: New York or New Orleans? Fiddling
While America Sizzles
(see FORUM 2 below)
SCIENCE NEWS
Scorching Heat, Floods Wreak Havoc across Europe
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view_article.php?
article_id=73677
UK Public 'in denial' about climate change
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2007/07/03/
eawarm103.xml
Nuclear Energy Hot Topic Once Again
http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2007/07/01/
nuclear_energy_hot_topic_once_again/ Or: http://tinyurl.com/2mcfnx
(see NEWS 1 below)
Congress Strives to Increase Funding for NSF, NOAA, EPA, and USGS
(see NEWS 2 below)
Hurricanes Heal Reefs in Surprising Cases
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/07/070702-hurricane-
coral.html http://tinyurl.com/yqkerz
(see NEWS 3 below)
Scientists find clues to ice cap longevity: study
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070705/sc_nm/glacier_greenland_dc
(see NEWS 4 below)
UN climate change chief warns of impact on poverty, hunger
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/
unenvironmentclimate;_ylt=AhNLGUdd5onInVuWngBvH6Nhr7sF
(see NEWS 5 below)
Nearly half of electricity from renewable resources by 2030: Berlin
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/
germanyclimatewarmingeconomyenergy;_ylt=AkY0iGQIUPlw92LNczjKJw5hr7sF o
r http://tinyurl.com/24wuu8
(see NEWS 6 below)
Rich Nations Accused of Green Imperialism on Climate Change
http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=13019
(see NEWS 7 below)
SUMMER PROGRAMS, COURSES, INTERNSHIPS, MEETINGS, OPPORTUNITIES
Advanced Biology Training Course In Antarctica - January 2008
"Integrative Biology and Adaptation of Antarctic Marine Organisms"
http://antarctica.usc.edu/
(see PROGRAM 1 below)
JOBS
Post Doctoral Fellow – Reefbase Pacific, Penang (Malaysia)
http://www.worldfishcenter.org/resource_centre/Post%20Doc.%
20Fellow%20(27-June)_website.pdf
To conduct poverty and vulnerability analysis of small-scale
fisheries and coral reef resource dependent coastal communities in
developing nations of the Pacific region.
Postdoc - Physical Oceanographer - Norwegian Polar Institute – Tromso
(Norway)
http://www.jobbnorge.no/visstilling2.aspx?stillid=40122&lang=EN
(see JOB 1 below)
Assoc Prof/Prof - Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology -
Central European University – Budapest (Hungary)
(see JOB 2 below)
Policy Director - Environmental and Energy Study Institute -
Washington, DC (USA)
http://www.eesi.org/employment/policy_director_061707.html
(see JOB 3 below)
Post-doc - Crops and Climate Group of the Walker Institute for
Climate Systems Research - Departments of Meteorology & Agriculture -
Univ of Reading (UK)
(see JOB 4 below)
Post-doc - Modeling - "Remote impacts of West African and/or South
Asian monsoons" - CNRM, Météo-France in Toulouse (France).
(see JOB 5 below)
Post-doc - Ice sheet and earth system modelling. Free University of
Brussels (VUB) (Belgium)
(see JOB 6 below)
Post-docs: Geography/Climatology/Geomorphology - Univ of Lisbon
(Portugal)
http://www.eracareers.pt/opportunities/index.aspx?
task=showAnuncioOportunities&jobId=5985
(see JOBS 7 below)
Asst Prof - Environmental Studies - Ursinus College - Collegeville, PA
(USA)
(see JOB 8 below)
Post-doc - Spatial Vegetation Modeling and Landscape Ecology - Forest
Landscapes and Ecosystems Team, Ecosystem Processes Program - Pacific
Northwest (PNW) Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Corvallis,
Oregon (USA)
(see JOB 9 below)
Managing Editor - Climate and Energy Programme - Stockholm
Environment Institute (SEI) Stockholm (Sweden)
(see JOB 10 below)
Forwarded from the list serve climate-l
(see JOBS 11 below)
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Resources and Funding Opportunities
(RESOURCES 1) Natural and social science Fellowships: Smith Fellows
2008 Call for Proposals Announced
http://www.smithfellows.org/proposalguidelines.cfm
The Society for Conservation Biology is pleased to solicit
applications for the David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellowship
Program. These two year post-doctoral fellowships enable outstanding
early-career scientists to improve and expand their research skills
while directing their efforts towards problems of pressing
conservation concern for the United States.
Each Fellow is mentored by both an academic sponsor who
encourages the Fellow's continued development as a conservation
scientist, and a conservation practitioner who helps to connect the
Fellow and her/his research to practical conservation challenges.
Fellows will spend up to four weeks per year during their
fellowship attending orientation and training events. These offerings
provide opportunities to cultivate professional networks and to gain
better understanding of applied research needs. Fellows will
participate as a group in three or more of these Program-sponsored
meetings, conferences, or professional development events each year.
The Program especially encourages individuals who want to better
link conservation science and theory with pressing policy and
management applications to apply. We envision that the cadre of
scientists supported by the Smith Fellows Program eventually will
assume leadership positions across the field of conservation science.
Fellows are selected on the basis of innovation, potential for
leadership and strength of proposal.
The deadline for receipt of application materials is 28 September
2007. The Program expects to select four Fellows in January 2008 for
appointments to start between March and September 2008. Fellowship
awards include an annual salary of more than $38,000, benefits, and
generous travel and research budgets. For detailed proposal
guidelines, please visit http://www.smithfellows.org/
proposalguidelines.cfm.
Questions may be directed to Shonda Foster, Program Coordinator,
by emailing sfoster at conbio.org.
********************
(RESOURCES 2) Global Science Gateway Now Open: WorldWideScience.org
opens public access to more than 200 million pages of international
research information
http://www.worldwidescience.org/ US contribution: http://
www.science.gov/
WASHINGTON, DC--The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the
British Library, along with eight other participating countries,
today opened an online global gateway to science information from 15
national portals. The gateway, WorldWideScience.org http://
www.worldwidescience.org/, gives citizens, researchers and anyone
interested in science the capability to search science portals not
easily accessible through popular search technology such as that
deployed by Google, Yahoo! And many other commercial search engines.
"Scientific research results are archived globally in a plethora
of sources, many unknown and unreachable through usual search
engines," Dr. Raymond L. Orbach, DOE Under Secretary for Science,
said. "This international partnership will open up this vast
reservoir of knowledge in a rapid and convenient manner, something
that will add great value to our existing knowledge."
Relying on a novel technology called federated search,
WorldWideScience.org gives science information consumers a single
entry point for searching far-reaching science portals in parallel,
with only one query, saving time and effort. As WorldWideScience.org
grows, it will capitalize on existing technology to search vast
collections of science information distributed across the globe,
enabling much-needed access to smaller, less well-known sources of
highly valuable science. Following the model of Science.gov, the U.S.
interagency science portal that relies on content published by each
participating U.S. agency, WorldWideScience.org will rely on
scientific resources published by each participating nation.
The U.S. contribution to WorldWideScience.org is Science.gov
http://www.science.gov/, the U.S. government's one-stop searchable
portal to major science databases of federal science agencies. In
addition to the U.S. and the U.K., the inaugural WorldWideScience.org
portal provides access to research information in English from
Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan and the
Netherlands. The intent is for WorldWideScience.org to become a
world-class Web facility that lets any scientist, any citizen,
anywhere, easily find the research results of any nation in any
language.
WorldWideScience.org was developed and is maintained by the
Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI), a program
within DOE's Office of Science. OSTI has extensive experience in
offering searching of distributed, deep Web databases, having played
a central role in the development of Science.gov and other Web
products that scientists and citizens access over 50 million times
per year.
DOE's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic
research in the physical sciences in the nation and helps ensure U.S.
world leadership across a broad range of scientific disciplines.
Additional information is available at the Office of Science http://
www.science.doe.gov/.
********************
(RESOURCE 3) Applications wanted for studies that assess the
socioeconomic impacts of harmful algal blooms (HABs) on coastal
communities and identify opportunities to mitigate these impacts.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
through the Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms (ECOHAB)
program, is seeking applications for studies that assess the
socioeconomic impacts of harmful algal blooms (HABs) on coastal
communities and identify opportunities to mitigate these impacts.
Risk communication specialists and others with an interest in the
human dimensions of coastal resource management are encouraged to
apply. The RFP can be found at http://es.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/
2008/2008_star_ecohab.html. The deadline is October 4th.
A recent report, Harmful Algal Research and Response: A Human
Dimensions Strategy, summarizes human dimensions research needs
(including risk communication) to support HAB mitigation. This
report can be found at: http://www.cop.noaa.gov/stressors/
extremeevents/hab/human_dimensions.html. It is a companion document
to the National HAB Plan - Harmful Algal Research and Response: A
National Environmental Science Strategy (HARRNESS) - which can be
found at: http://www.esa.org/HARRNESS/.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions. Marybeth
Bauer, Ph.D., Human Dimensions Research Coordinator, NOAA National
Ocean Service, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science Email:
marybeth.bauer at noaa.gov NCCOS Website: http://www.nccos.noaa.gov/
***************************************************
Forum
(FORUM 1 ) Moving Beyond Kyoto - Op-Ed Contributor: Al Gore
The New York Times - July 1, 2007
Nashville - WE — the human species — have arrived at a moment of
decision. It is unprecedented and even laughable for us to imagine
that we could actually make a conscious choice as a species, but that
is nevertheless the challenge that is before us.
Our home — Earth — is in danger. What is at risk of being
destroyed is not the planet itself, but the conditions that have made
it hospitable for human beings.
Without realizing the consequences of our actions, we have begun
to put so much carbon dioxide into the thin shell of air surrounding
our world that we have literally changed the heat balance between
Earth and the Sun. If we don’t stop doing this pretty quickly, the
average temperature will increase to levels humans have never known
and put an end to the favorable climate balance on which our
civilization depends.
In the last 150 years, in an accelerating frenzy, we have been
removing increasing quantities of carbon from the ground — mainly in
the form of coal and oil — and burning it in ways that dump 70
million tons of CO2 every 24 hours into the Earth’s atmosphere.
The concentrations of CO2 — having never risen above 300 parts
per million for at least a million years — have been driven from 280
parts per million at the beginning of the coal boom to 383 parts per
million this year.
As a direct result, many scientists are now warning that we are
moving closer to several “tipping points” that could — within 10
years — make it impossible for us to avoid irretrievable damage to
the planet’s habitability for human civilization.
Just in the last few months, new studies have shown that the
north polar ice cap — which helps the planet cool itself — is melting
nearly three times faster than the most pessimistic computer models
predicted. Unless we take action, summer ice could be completely gone
in as little as 35 years. Similarly, at the other end of the planet,
near the South Pole, scientists have found new evidence of snow
melting in West Antarctica across an area as large as California.
This is not a political issue. This is a moral issue, one that
affects the survival of human civilization. It is not a question of
left versus right; it is a question of right versus wrong. Put
simply, it is wrong to destroy the habitability of our planet and
ruin the prospects of every generation that follows ours.
On Sept. 21, 1987, President Ronald Reagan said, “In our
obsession with antagonisms of the moment, we often forget how much
unites all the members of humanity. Perhaps we need some outside,
universal threat to recognize this common bond. I occasionally think
how quickly our differences would vanish if we were facing an alien
threat from outside this world.”
We — all of us — now face a universal threat. Though it is not
from outside this world, it is nevertheless cosmic in scale.
Consider this tale of two planets. Earth and Venus are almost
exactly the same size, and have almost exactly the same amount of
carbon. The difference is that most of the carbon on Earth is in the
ground — having been deposited there by various forms of life over
the last 600 million years — and most of the carbon on Venus is in
the atmosphere.
As a result, while the average temperature on Earth is a pleasant
59 degrees, the average temperature on Venus is 867 degrees. True,
Venus is closer to the Sun than we are, but the fault is not in our
star; Venus is three times hotter on average than Mercury, which is
right next to the Sun. It’s the carbon dioxide.
This threat also requires us, in Reagan’s phrase, to unite in
recognition of our common bond.
Next Saturday, on all seven continents, the Live Earth concert
will ask for the attention of humankind to begin a three-year
campaign to make everyone on our planet aware of how we can solve the
climate crisis in time to avoid catastrophe. Individuals must be a
part of the solution. In the words of Buckminster Fuller, “If the
success or failure of this planet, and of human beings, depended on
how I am and what I do, how would I be? What would I do?”
Live Earth will offer an answer to this question by asking
everyone who attends or listens to the concerts to sign a personal
pledge to take specific steps to combat climate change. (More details
about the pledge are available at algore.com.)
But individual action will also have to shape and drive
government action. Here Americans have a special responsibility.
Throughout most of our short history, the United States and the
American people have provided moral leadership for the world.
Establishing the Bill of Rights, framing democracy in the
Constitution, defeating fascism in World War II, toppling Communism
and landing on the moon — all were the result of American leadership.
Once again, Americans must come together and direct our
government to take on a global challenge. American leadership is a
precondition for success.
To this end, we should demand that the United States join an
international treaty within the next two years that cuts global
warming pollution by 90 percent in developed countries and by more
than half worldwide in time for the next generation to inherit a
healthy Earth.
This treaty would mark a new effort. I am proud of my role during
the Clinton administration in negotiating the Kyoto protocol. But I
believe that the protocol has been so demonized in the United States
that it probably cannot be ratified here — much in the way the Carter
administration was prevented from winning ratification of an expanded
strategic arms limitation treaty in 1979. Moreover, the negotiations
will soon begin on a tougher climate treaty.
Therefore, just as President Reagan renamed and modified the SALT
agreement (calling it Start), after belatedly recognizing the need
for it, our next president must immediately focus on quickly
concluding a new and even tougher climate change pact. We should aim
to complete this global treaty by the end of 2009 — and not wait
until 2012 as currently planned.
If by the beginning of 2009, the United States already has in
place a domestic regime to reduce global warming pollution, I have no
doubt that when we give industry a goal and the tools and flexibility
to sharply reduce carbon emissions, we can complete and ratify a new
treaty quickly. It is, after all, a planetary emergency.
A new treaty will still have differentiated commitments, of
course; countries will be asked to meet different requirements based
upon their historical share or contribution to the problem and their
relative ability to carry the burden of change. This precedent is
well established in international law, and there is no other way to
do it.
There are some who will try to pervert this precedent and use
xenophobia or nativist arguments to say that every country should be
held to the same standard. But should countries with one-fifth our
gross domestic product — countries that contributed almost nothing in
the past to the creation of this crisis — really carry the same load
as the United States? Are we so scared of this challenge that we
cannot lead?
Our children have a right to hold us to a higher standard when
their future — indeed, the future of all human civilization — is
hanging in the balance. They deserve better than a government that
censors the best scientific evidence and harasses honest scientists
who try to warn us about looming catastrophe. They deserve better
than politicians who sit on their hands and do nothing to confront
the greatest challenge that humankind has ever faced — even as the
danger bears down on us.
We should focus instead on the opportunities that are part of
this challenge. Certainly, there will be new jobs and new profits as
corporations move aggressively to capture the enormous economic
opportunities offered by a clean energy future.
But there’s something even more precious to be gained if we do
the right thing. The climate crisis offers us the chance to
experience what few generations in history have had the privilege of
experiencing: a generational mission; a compelling moral purpose; a
shared cause; and the thrill of being forced by circumstances to put
aside the pettiness and conflict of politics and to embrace a genuine
moral and spiritual challenge.
Al Gore, vice president from 1993 to 2001, is the chairman of the
Alliance for Climate Protection. He is the author, most recently, of
“The Assault on Reason.”
********************
(FORUM 2) Which City is Worse Off Today: New York or New Orleans?
Fiddling While America Sizzles
This piece was posted to EANTH news by Brian McKenna, with the
following preface: The author of today's piece (pasted below) is one
of the most brilliant environmental historians writing today. Worster
is also known for saluting James O'Conner, one of the most dazzling
theoretical thinkers in political ecology with his seminal "Natural
Causes (1998). I use his book in most every environmental class I
teach. See: http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Causes-Essays-Ecological-
Marxism/dp/1572302739
Counterpunch Weekend Edition - June 30 / July 1, 2007 - By DONALD
WORSTER
The United States is the richest, most powerful nation in history
-- this you have heard many times before. What you have not heard so
often is that America has also been, for nearly 200 years, the
safest, most secure nation ever. Far from being aware of that fact
and enjoying it, we have become a nation filled with fear and
anxiety. But we fear the wrong invader.
Not since the British burned our capital in 1814 has a foreign
army succeeded in invading our continental domain. Pearl Harbor lay
thousands of miles from our mainland homes. And the World Trade
Center bombing was no real invasion or victory of a foreign power,
but one act by a handful of fanatics, all killed. Their brothers are
hiding in caves along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, no more able
to invade America, if we keep our eyes open, than camels could take
over our national parks.
Yet a far more serious threat has appeared that our leaders are
ignoring. It is global climate change. And it has the potential to
bring the United States down economically, socially and
agriculturally, making us a much poorer and weaker nation.
In February the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
released its latest major report of scientific data. Based on the
greenhouse gases already affecting the atmosphere, and on expected
increases in those gases under various economic scenarios, the IPCC
projects – too cautiously, many say -- that the Earth's overall
surface temperature will rise 3 to 7 degrees by the end of this
century, and the sea may rise almost 2 feet.
In an April IPCC report, world policy-makers were told to expect
long-term flooding of coastal areas, more intense tropical storms,
increased drought in drought-prone areas, and a decline in crop
productivity with increased risk of hunger.
Here is where the danger comes to the United States: Not only may
we be forced to protect people on the coasts, or move them inland, we
will also be in great danger of losing our agricultural heartland --
the Corn Belt and the Wheat Belt. Today, half of our wheat crop goes
overseas. In a few decades we may not have enough food to support our
own population, let alone share with others.
And our Western cities may be paying a lot more for water, if
they can find any, than for the last drops of oil.
We are most threatened today, not by terrorists, but by
impersonal physical forces. And as the century goes on, that invasion
will gather speed and effect with biological threats like invasive
plants and malaria.
Such talk, we are told, is scare mongering. We also are told that
defensive measures would cost too much.
Yet which place is worse off today? New York, which lost two
major buildings and thousands of lives to terrorists? Or New Orleans,
which lost many lives as well and may never recover much of its
displaced population or destroyed territory after being hit by a
hurricane that drew its energy from warming gulf waters?
And how can we not afford to invest in conservation and
alternative energy sources to defend our own land against the ravages
of global climate change, but afford to fight wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan, which cost $120 billion a year? And pay four to five
times that, depending on the calculation, for the military as a
whole? And spend more than $40 billion more on the Homeland Security
Department?
All that money to defend a country that is the most secure and
safe in the world from outside human invasion!
Our homeland is facing a change of unprecedented danger, one that
we have helped create by wasteful consumption. This is likely to be
the greatest threat to security and prosperity in our history.
When will our leaders stop beating the drums about "a war on
terrorism" and start facing the real dangers we face? When will they
wake up and take action -- today, this year? Will they wait until
Washington is under water and the Great Plains are a burning desert?
Donald Worster is an environmental historian at the University of
Kansas. He is the author of Dust Bowl: the Southern Plains in the
1930s, Nature's Economy, and Rivers of Empire: Water, Aridity and the
American West.
***************************************************
Science News
(NEWS 1) Nuclear Energy Hot Topic Once Again
http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2007/07/01/
nuclear_energy_hot_topic_once_again/ Or: http://tinyurl.com/2mcfnx
Boston Globe (Registration Required) - BOSTON -- Thanks to global
warming, nuclear energy is hot again. Its promise of abundant, carbon
emissions-free power is being pushed by the president and newly
considered by environmentalists. But any expansion
won't come cheap or easy. The enormous obstacles facing nuclear power
are the same as they were in 1996, when the nation's last new nuclear
plant opened near the Watts Bar reservoir in Tennessee after 22 years
of construction and $7 billion in costs.
Waste disposal, safe operation and security remain major
concerns, but economics may be the biggest deterrent. Huge capital
costs combine into an enormous price tag for would-be investors.
There is also fervent anti-nuke opposition waiting to be re-stoked.
Jim Riccio of Greenpeace said nuclear advocates are exploiting
global warming fears to try to revive an industry that's too risky to
fool with. "You have better ways to boil water," Riccio said. But
environmentalists aren't in lockstep on the issue. Bill Chameides,
chief scientist for Environmental Defense, said anything that helps
alleviate global warming must be an energy option.
********************
(NEWS 2) Congress Strives to Increase Funding for NSF, NOAA, EPA, and
USGS
NCSE news - June 29, 2007 – Congress is making rapid progress on
appropriations bills that would provide substantial increases in
funding for the National Science Foundation, NOAA, EPA, and the U.S.
Geological Survey in fiscal year 2008. The bills are far from
complete and the President has announced his intention to veto some
of the appropriations bills that contain funding for science programs.
National Science Foundation. A House Appropriations panel
approved a bill that would increase funding for NSF by $593 million
or 10.0 percent to $6.51 billion in FY 2008. Not to be outdone, the
Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bill on June 28 that would
increase the NSF budget by $637 million or 10.8 percent to $6.55
billion. As part of his American Competitiveness Initiative,
President Bush proposed increasing the NSF budget by $513 million or
8.7 percent to $6.43 billion in FY 2008.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. On June 28, the
Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bill that would provide
$4.2 billion for NOAA in FY 2008, an increase of $137 million or 3.4
percent above the FY 2007 level and an increase of $405 million or
10.6 percent above the President's budget request. Sen. Barbara
Milulski (D-MD) said NOAA is "undervalued, underappreciated, and
underfunded." The Senate bill includes a total of $795 million to
implement the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative's recommendations for
ocean stewardship. It directs the Initiative to focus on research,
education, observation, and exploration. A corresponding bill is
pending before the House Appropriations Committee, but few details
about NOAA are available at this time.
Environmental Protection Agency. Funding for EPA would increase
by $887 million to $8.1 billion in FY 2008 under the House
appropriations bill. The corresponding Senate bill would increase
EPA funding by $574 million to $7.8 billion. The President proposed
cutting EPA's budget by $526 million to $7.2 billion in FY 2008.
Funding for EPA's Science and Technology account would increase by
$55 million or 7.5 percent to $788 million under the House bill and
it would increase by $39 million or 5.3 percent under the Senate
bill. NCSE is playing a lead role in restoring funding for EPA's
Science to Achieve Results (STAR) programs. The House bill would
increase funding for EPA's STAR graduate fellowship program by $2.8
million to $11.2 million. The House Appropriations Committee also
emphasized the importance of EPA's STAR research grants program: "The
Committee continues to stress the importance of the STAR program and
has attempted to target increases to areas that will both expand
research and support the STAR program. Funding reductions to the
STAR program are not acceptable because such reductions ultimately
result in gaps in critical environmental research."
U.S. Geological Survey. The budget for the U.S. Geological
Survey would surpass $1 billion for the first time under legislation
that that passed the House of Representatives on June 27. The House
bill would increase funding for the U.S. Geological Survey by $50
million or 5 percent to $1.03 billion in FY 2008. The Senate
Appropriations Committee approved a bill on June 21 that would
provide $1.01 billion for the U.S. Geological Survey in FY 2008, an
increase of $27 million above the FY2007 enacted level. The
President's budget request proposed cutting the USGS budget $8
million to $975 million in FY 2008. Both the House and Senate
appropriations bills would restore proposed reductions to scientific
programs assumed in the President's budget request, including large
cuts in the Mineral Resources program and the Water Resources
Research Institutes. President Bush has announced his intention to
veto the Interior appropriations bill.
********************
(NEWS 3) Hurricanes Heal Reefs in Surprising Cases
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/07/070702-hurricane-
coral.html http://tinyurl.com/yqkerz
National Geographic News - Hurricanes may actually provide a
healing balm of sorts for dying coral reefs, a new study shows. By
mixing up cool deep layers of the ocean, a distant hurricane reduces
sea-surface temperatures by several degrees - enough to help heat-
stressed corals survive bleaching.
Bleaching occurs when sea temperatures warm, even slightly. This
causes corals to eject their symbiotic, food-producing algae known as
zooxanthellae (zoo-zan-thell-ay), leaving behind only the transparent
coral tissue and bone white skeletons.
"It is well known that hurricanes can be catastrophic for reefs,"
said study co-author Derek Manzello, a marine biologist from the
Cooperative Institute of Marine and Atmospheric Studies in Miami,
Florida. "[But] our results show that in [the study's Florida test
area] hurricanes may actually have been beneficial," he said.
********************
(NEWS 4) Scientists find clues to ice cap longevity: study
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070705/sc_nm/glacier_greenland_dc
LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists using DNA extracted from ice
buried deep below the surface have found evidence that a lush forest
once existed in southern Greenland, a finding that sheds light on how
climate change affects Earth's frozen areas.
The researchers analyzed ice cores 2-3 km below the surface from
several locations in southern Greenland and discovered what they
believe to be the oldest authenticated DNA ever recorded.
Eske Willerslev, a biologist at the University of Copenhagen in
Denmark, said scientists know very little about fossils hidden below
ice and glaciers -- which cover about 10 percent of the earth's
surface -- because usable DNA samples tend to be buried so deep and
are difficult to get.
"We have shown a principle and now you can move around to other
ice cores and try to do the same thing," he said in a telephone
interview. "We have limited knowledge about the Antarctic ice sheet
and the biology there."
Willerslev said drilling techniques developed over the past few
years allowed him and his colleagues to search far below the surface
to discover evidence of an ancient forest.
Writing in the journal Science on Thursday, they said their
research showed it was possible to explore and understand Earth's
vast frozen areas by sampling basal ice that sits far below the surface.
Basal ice is soil trapped at the bottom of ice and, because the
dirt holds on to biological material, offers a richer source of DNA
to study past life and climate change than clean ice near the top.
In southern Greenland they found a wide range of plant and insect
life, including pine, spruce and alder tries along with beetles,
flies, spiders, butterflies and moths, from 450,000 to 800,000 years
ago.
Scientists had thought the area was last ice-free about 120,000
years ago during the last interglacial but the study showed southern
Greenland was still covered in ice at that time.
This suggests the southern Greenland ice sheet is more stable
than thought and might not be as big a contributor to sea level rises
caused by rising temperatures, Willerslev said.
This does not change the view that climate change is problematic
but could force scientists to rethink their models looking at the
impact of warming temperatures, he said.
"If we have found evidence that the ice didn't melt away then
people have to take that into account when modeling how ice caps
might react in the future to climate change," he said.
********************
(NEWS 5) UN climate change chief warns of impact on poverty, hunger
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/
unenvironmentclimate;_ylt=AhNLGUdd5onInVuWngBvH6Nhr7sF
GENEVA (AFP) - The UN's top climate change scientist on Thursday
urged the world body to take greater account of the impact of global
warming on hunger and poverty.
Rajendra Pachauri, the chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change, said the world's poor would be the first to suffer
from predicted increases in global temperatures, rainfall and
extremes like drought and flooding.
"There'll be two types of impacts on poor and the hungry --
firstly the increases in temperature, because we've predicted an
increase in heatwaves. This increase has health implications," he
told journalists.
"The other major impact would be on agriculture -- and about two-
thirds of the world lives in rural areas and the bulk of them are in
developing countries," Pachauri added.
The Indian scientist underlined that even the most vulnerable in
European countries with well-developed health care systems had
struggled with heatwaves in recent years.
Meanwhile, the IPCC's predicted decline in rainfall in tropical
and sub tropical areas would affect the "very large majority" of
people in developing countries who depend on agriculture, he added.
In Africa, "we can project that there would be a decline in the
availability of water," Pachauri said.
Already sparse agricultural yields would be cut, food stocks
which are already vulnerable to flooding and drought would decline
further, while food prices would rise, he said.
Rising sea levels predicted by the IPCC also threatened coastal
areas.
One of the most vulnerable areas of the world will be the
megadeltas of Asia," Pachauri said. Those nine river deltas include
heavily populated and often impoverished areas like Bangladesh.
Pachauri took part in a meeting of the UN's Economic and Social
Council this week and also met UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in
Geneva on Thursday.
********************
(NEWS 6) Nearly half of electricity from renewable resources by 2030:
Berlin
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/
germanyclimatewarmingeconomyenergy;_ylt=AkY0iGQIUPlw92LNczjKJw5hr7sF o
r http://tinyurl.com/24wuu8
BERLIN (AFP) - Germany plans to boost the percentage of
electricity generated by renewable resources to 45 percent by 2030 in
a bid to curb global warming, environment minister Sigmar Gabriel
said Thursday.
Gabriel told reporters that a progress report on a renewable
energy law (EEG) passed in 2000 showed that the country had already
surpassed the quota of 12.5 percent set for 2010.
He said Berlin was now setting a more ambitious target to produce
at least 20 percent of electricity used in the country with renewable
resources such as wind and solar power by 2020 and 45 percent by 2030.
"We can and must raise the bar for 2020 to generate at least 27
percent of all the electricity used with renewable resources,"
Gabriel said.
"This is the only way we can make a significant contribution to
reaching our ambitious EU goals that we passed under the German
presidency in March."
Berlin held the rotating EU presidency for the first six months
of this year and made curbing climate change one of its top priorities.
The European Union set a goal in March of a 20-percent cut in
greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 compared with 1990 levels, but
Germany is aiming to cut up to 40 percent.
Gabriel said Germany had prevented 100 million tonnes of carbon
dioxide from being spewed into the atmosphere last year thanks to
renewable energy sources, adding that there were now 214,000 jobs in
fields such as wind and solar power.
Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday at a meeting of political
officials, industry representatives and environmental campaigners
that Germany would seek to increase energy efficiency by three
percent a year until 2020.
She cited fuel-efficient cars, houses with innovative heating
systems and energy-saving household appliances as areas the
government wanted to see developed.
********************
(NEWS 7) Rich Nations Accused of Green Imperialism on Climate Change
http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=13019
SINGAPORE -- Rich countries are being hypocritical in criticizing
China's greenhouse gas emissions while using the country's cheap
labor in industries that pollute, Asian business and government
leaders said Monday.
"This is green imperialism," Nor Mohamed Yakcop, Malaysia's
deputy finance minister, told a panel discussion on global warming at
the World Economic Forum on East Asia, a two-day conference that
ended Monday. The next meeting will be held in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia's main city, in June 2008.
China has come under increasing pressure from the United States
in particular to take more forceful measures to curb carbon dioxide
emissions. China relies on coal, among the dirtiest fuels, to provide
two-thirds of its energy.
Asian leaders also criticized the U.S. and Australia for not
signing the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which caps the amount of carbon
dioxide and other heat-trapping gases that can be emitted in
industrialized countries.
China signed the treaty but is exempt from emission reductions
because it is considered a developing country, a situation often
cited by the U.S. and Australia for rejecting the treaty.
Nor Mohamed said there was no point singling out one country when
climate change is a global problem.
"Companies that are polluting in China are owned by American,
European, Japanese and others. They are benefiting from the cheap
labor, from the resources and at the same time accusing China of
pollution," the Malaysian official said.
"Let's take the hypocrisy out of the equation," he said.
Addressing another session, Carlos Ghosn, the chief executive of
Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co., said the private sector must play a
leading role in addressing climate change while governments take
their time formulating laws to limit carbon dioxide emissions.
The industry has to make technically sophisticated cars that are
less polluting, he said.
"You cannot forget the fact that when someone's going to go and
buy a car, you want him or her to be relieved of the guilt of
emitting CO2, and that's something that we need to address."
China overtook the United States in carbon dioxide emissions by
about 7.5 percent in 2006, according to the Netherlands Environmental
Assessment Agency's report. While China was 2 percent below the U.S.
in carbon dioxide emissions in 2005, voracious coal consumption and
increased cement production caused the numbers to rise rapidly, the
agency said.
China also uses other numbers to contend that it is not the worst
offender: With 1.3 billion people, China spews about 10,500 pounds of
carbon dioxide per person, while the United States releases nearly
42,500 pounds per person, about four times as much.
Chen Feng, the chairman of China Hainan Airlines, said now was
not the time to assign blame but to create an international solution,
saying developed nations were the original polluters.
"So the way I see it is, you were bandits before you became right-
minded people," he said.
President Bush recently proposed a meeting of the 15 biggest
emitters of greenhouse gases to set an emissions goal. Japan's
environment minister called the proposal "significant" but said it
was crucial that the top emitters participate.
"Without the participation of United States, China and India _
the main emitters _ we will not stop global warming," Masatoshi
Wakabayashi said.
Ralph R. Peterson, the chairman of a U.S. management, design and
construction firm, said Asia's economic growth path appears
unsustainable because of high and inefficient energy consumption that
contributed to pollution.
He said Southeast Asian nations produce 11 percent of global
output and use 21 percent of world oil. China's output is 5.5 percent
of world gross domestic product while it uses 15 percent of global
energy. India's energy efficiency is one-tenth the global average,
while China's water use per unit of GDP is four times the world's
average.
"If it takes much more energy to produce one unit of GDP in Asia,
then we have a problem," he said.
***************************************************
Summer Programs, Courses, Internships, Meetings, Opportunities
(PROGRAM 1) Advanced Biology Training Course In Antarctica - January
2008 "Integrative Biology and Adaptation of Antarctic Marine Organisms"
http://antarctica.usc.edu/
This National Science Foundation sponsored course will be held in
Antarctica at the United States' McMurdo Station for one month,
starting January 2008. This is an international course, open to all
nationalities. Applications are invited from graduate students
currently enrolled in a PhD program, postdoctoral fellows, and
faculty-level research scientists who are interested in the study of
extreme environments and the biology of Antarctic organisms. The
course will accommodate up to 20 students. Full scholarships are
available for each student accepted into the course to cover the cost
of travel from home institution to Antarctica, and room and board
while in Antarctica. The emphasis of the Antarctic Biology Course is
on integrative biology, with laboratory- and field-based projects
focused on adaptations in an extreme polar environment. A diverse
teaching faculty will offer students the opportunity to study a wide
range of Antarctic organisms (bacteria, algae, invertebrates, and
fish), as well as studying several different levels of biological
analysis (molecular biology, biomechanics, physiological ecology,
species diversity, and evolution). Deadline for receipt of completed
applications is August 15, 2007.
***************************************************
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'
********************
(JOB 1) Postdoc - Physical Oceanographer - Norwegian Polar Institute
– Tromso (Norway)
http://www.jobbnorge.no/visstilling2.aspx?stillid=40122&lang=EN
The Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI), Polar Climate Program,
invites applications for a 2.5-year postdoctoral research position in
physical oceanography.
The successful applicant will conduct research on the role of
fresh water in the dynamics of the Nordic Seas. The research will
mainly focus on the fate of arctic freshwater exported through Fram
Strait and will be based on analysis of data from moorings and recent
cruises. The position is part of iAOOS-Norway, an IPY project running
through 2010. The candidate must be willing to participate on
scientific cruises and fieldwork in the Arctic.
NPI seeks candidates with good knowledge of Nordic Seas
properties and their role in the climate system. The applicant must
hold a PhD or possess equivalent experience within physical
oceanography. Experience from cruises and/or oceanographic data
analysis is an asset. The candidate will start as soon as possible.
Female candidates are encouraged to apply for the position.
The application should include a CV, name of referees, list of
publications, and details of relevant qualifications and experience.
NPI prefers that an electronic application be submitted at: http://
www.jobbnorge.no/visstilling2.aspx?stillid=40122&lang=EN
Paper copies may be submitted to: Norwegian Polar Institute,
Polar Environmental Center, 9296 Tromso, Norway
Applications must be received by Wednesday, 25 July 2007.
Applicants should not submit original documents as enclosures will
not be returned. For more information contact: Edmond Hansen, Phone:
+47-77-75-05-36 E-mail: edmond.hansen at npolar.no or contact:
Nalan Koc, Phone: +47-77-75-06-54 E-mail: nalan.koc at npolar.no
********************
(JOB 2) Assoc Prof/Prof - Department of Sociology and Social
Anthropology - Central European University – Budapest (Hungary)
Central European University (www.ceu.hu) is a graduate research-
intensive university specializing primarily in the social sciences,
located in Budapest, Hungary and accredited in the United States and
Hungary. CEU's primary mission is to promote academic excellence,
state of the art research and civic commitment, so as to contribute
to the development of open societies in Central and Eastern Europe,
the former Soviet Union, and other emerging democracies. CEU offers
both master's and doctoral programs, and it enrolls about 1000
students from more than 60 countries, including all former communist
countries. The teaching staff consists of around 100 faculty members
from more than 30 countries. The language of instruction is English.
CEU promotes a comparative, interdisciplinary scholarly approach
that integrates the Central and Eastern European region and the
former Soviet Union into a wider, global perspective. CEU faculty
members are encouraged to engage in high-level research and the
university supports such research through appropriate institutional
mechanisms. Paying systematic attention to the policy implications of
the research conducted at CEU is also encouraged.
The candidates for this position should be dynamic international
scholars with an outstanding record of publication and teaching in
sociology and/or social anthropology. They should have thought
critically and reflexively about the current state of anthropology
and sociology in relation to each other in terms of theory and
methods and they should be eloquent in placing their specialization
in the broader context of the social sciences. We particularly
welcome applicants with a strong profile in historical comparative
research. Thematic specialization is open but should reflect, in
approach and priorities, current global realities. Inclusion of non-
European subjects/areas is seen as an advantage. The ideal candidate
connects local and global perspectives and easily straddles the
divides between anthropology and sociology. In addition to an
excellent record of refereed publications in scholarly journals and
with recognized academic publishers, the candidates are expected to
have a recognized international profile. A record of research
projects and grants is an advantage.
The initial appointment is for 4 years and is renewable. The
teaching load is 12 credits (1 credit equals 12 classroom hours) a
year plus supervision of MA theses and doctoral dissertations. Salary
and benefits are dependent upon qualifications and experience. The
compensation package is subject to Hungarian taxation regulations.
The university assists its employees who are not citizens or
permanent residents of Hungary in order to obtain a work permit. The
position is open from August 2008.
Please send applications to Rector of CEU, c/o dr. Judit Pallos,
Human Resources Office, Central European University, H-1051 Budapest,
Nádor u. 9., Hungary (Fax: + 36 (1) 235-6135, e-mail:
recruitment at ceu.hu). The application package should include: C.V., a
list of publications, a sample publication, a short statement of the
applicant's vision of shaping the research and graduate teaching
environment at CEU, and the names and addresses of at least three
referees.
The deadline for applications is August 31 2007.
For queries of an academic nature please contact Prem Kumar
Rajaram (rajaramp at ceu.hu)
********************
(JOB 3) Policy Director - Environmental and Energy Study Institute -
Washington, DC (USA)
http://www.eesi.org/employment/policy_director_061707.html
Position open until filled.
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) in
Washington, DC is accepting applications for the position of Policy
Director. EESI is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting
environmentally sustainable societies. EESI believes meeting this
goal requires transitions to social and economic patterns that
sustain people, the environment, and the natural resources upon which
present and future generations depend. EESI produces credible, timely
information and innovative public policy initiatives that lead to
these transitions. These products take the form of publications,
briefings, workshops, and task forces.
Major responsibilities of the Policy Director position include:
- Develop and manage an Institute-wide effort to contribute to the
design and adoption of policies that control U.S. greenhouse gas
emissions, with a focus on the contribution that green buildings and
energy efficient/renewable energy technologies can play. The
applicant will provide strategic direction to a multi-disciplinary
team of associates, analysts, and others working on U.S. climate policy.
- Develop and implement a Congressional strategy and engage with
senior legislative staff as well as members of Congress to achieve
desired federal policy outcomes. The applicant will also work with
other stakeholders to design and help implement climate and energy
policies. The applicant will be called on to provide media
interviews, as well as represent EESI in meetings with government
officials, industry representatives, and others in the policy
community. It is essential that the Policy Director be able to engage
different constituencies and views with clarity and good humor.
- EESI holds several briefings a year on various green building,
renewable energy, energy efficiency and environmental topics, which
are timely to policymakers. The Policy Director will be responsible
for helping to develop the briefing panels, writing related
materials, and performing outreach and follow-up for the briefing.
- Give presentations at conferences, workshops, and other events
related to U.S. climate policy, green buildings, and other energy
efficiency and renewable energy technologies.
- Build, maintain, and update the green buildings network, including
Congressional contacts.
- Help set research and analysis agenda.
- The Policy Director will be responsible for helping draft proposals
and reports to funders and will be responsible for handling other
duties as assigned.
- Responsibilities may shift depending upon organizational resources
and priorities and obligations to funders.
Qualifications for the position include:
- advanced degree in public policy, law, economics, environmental
policy, political science, public administration, natural sciences,
engineering, or related field;
- 5-8 years work experience, with minimum of 2 years direct policy
experience at the federal or state level;
- knowledge of U.S. government, including familiarity with Capitol
Hill and federal executive agencies;
- sound understanding of and demonstrated interest in climate change
and energy policy;
- efficient, accurate, and timely research for program information
and interest in being a public spokesperson on EESI's activities;
- strong and demonstrable writing, quantitative, and analytical
skills, including the ability to design and write original policy
research;
- strong communication skills and a demonstrated ability to work
effectively in teams and independently from staff and consultants; and
- self-starter, flexible, able to manage multiple tasks, and ability
to think strategically and creatively to help further EESI's mission.
Applications must consist of a cover letter explaining interest
and experience with U.S. climate policy, green building, renewable
energy and energy efficiency technology; current resume and list of
publications, if applicable; two- to five-page writing sample; list
of references; and salary history/requirements. Please reference
"Policy Director Position" in the subject field of an e-mail and
submit the above materials to: jobs at eesi.org.
********************
(JOB 4) Post-doc - Crops and Climate Group of the Walker Institute
for Climate Systems Research - Departments of Meteorology &
Agriculture - Univ of Reading (UK)
Closing Date: 31/07/2007 Reference Number: R0732
Contact Details: Further information and application forms are
available at www.reading.ac.uk/Jobs or telephone 0118 378 6771
(voicemail).
We are seeking a dynamic Postdoctoral Research Fellow to join the
Crops and Climate Group of the Walker Institute for Climate Systems
Research.
You will research the global scale impacts of climate change
using crop simulation models as part of a recently-awarded project
under the NERC QUEST 3 programme.
You will have: 1) A PhD, or submitted PhD, in meteorology,
physics or mathematics; or in agricultural / ecological science with
a very strong quantitative modelling 2) component. 3) Drive and
enthusiasm for research 4) The ability to work in a research team
5) The ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing
6) Research experience that demonstrates your ability to work across
different scientific disciplines would be an advantage.
Applications forms from http://www.rdg.ac.uk/humanresources/ ,
or email humanresources at rdg.ac.uk
For enquiries please contact Dr Tim Wheeler. Tel +44(0)118 378
8495 or email t.r.wheeler at reading.ac.uk
********************
(JOB 5) Post-doc - Modeling - "Remote impacts of West African and/or
South Asian monsoons" - CNRM, Météo-France in Toulouse (France).
A research post-doctoral position is offered jointly by CNRM and
CERFACS at the Météo-France campus in Toulouse (France). It is funded
by the French ANR project IRCAAM (Influence Réciproque des Climats
d'Afrique de l'Ouest, du sud de l'Asie et du bassin Méditerranéen)
coordinated by CNRM. The deadline for application is 20 August 2007.
Job description:
The Météo-France research institute, CNRM, and CERFACS are
recruiting a post-doc scientist. The task will be the design and
analysis of original global atmospheric simulations devoted to the
understanding of the reciprocal influence of the West African and
South Asian monsoons at the intra-seasonal to seasonal timescales,
and of their possible remote impacts particularly on the
Mediterranean basin. The original experiment design will be based on
a regional nudging technique in which the Arpège-Climat AGCM is
relaxed towards the ERA40 reanalyses (grid-point nudging of U, V and
T) over a specified 3D monsoon domain. Besides control experiments
with prescribed SSTs and interactive soil moisture, sensitivity
experiments will be also conducted in which the AGCM is coupled to a
mixed layer ocean model (addition of the SST feedback) or relaxed
towards its own soil moisture climatology (suppression of the land
surface feedback). Particular attention will be paid to the
occurrence of extreme climate events, their potential sensitivity to
the monsoon diabatic forcing, their potential predictability at the
sub-seasonal to seasonal timescale, and their potential amplification
through SST or soil moisture feedbacks. Besides idealized experiments
with climatological SSTs, case studies will also be used to explore
the relative contribution of observed SSTs and observed West African
or South Asian monsoon variability to global climate anomalies,
especially those found in the free monsoon domain and over the
Mediterranean basin. The first task will be to conduct idealized
global atmospheric experiments using a regional nudging technique in
which the model is relaxed towards the ECMWF reanalysis over a
limited tropical domain. These experiments are aimed at answering
the following questions:
- What is the reciprocal influence of, and the Mediterranean response
to, the diabatic heating associated with the annual cycle of the
South Asian and West African monsoon climates ?
- What is the reciprocal influence of, and the Mediterranean response
to, the interannual variability of the monsoon climates ?
- What are the respective roles of intra-seasonal and interannual
modes of variability in the apparent teleconnections ?
The second step will be the coupling of Arpège-Climat with a mixed
layer ocean model provided by CERFACS. The objective is to study the
potential contribution of the SST feedbacks to the global atmospheric
response to the monsoons' annual cycle and intra-seasonal/interannual
variability. It will be conducted at CERFACS in close collaboration
with CNRM.
Required qualifications:
- Ph.D thesis in atmospheric sciences or equivalent, at the time of
selection jury
- experience in atmospheric numerical modelling
- communication and team work abilities
- familiarity with Unix systems or equivalent, and Fortran language
- good English language level (written and spoken)
- previous knowledge and experience on West African and/or South
Asian monsoon intra-seasonal and/or interannual variability would be
an advantage.
The selection of candidates will be based on the above elements,
with particular emphasis on scientific competence, publication
record, and technical competence.
Please send CV, list of publications, letter of intent, two
letters of recommendation plus any relevant document, until 20 August
2007, to: Hervé Douville, Météo-France, CNRM/GMGEC/UDC 42 Avenue
Coriolis 31057 Toulouse cedex 01, France e-mail:
herve.douville at meteo.fr
as well as a copy to: Christophe Cassou, CNRS-CERFACS, 42
Avenue Coriolis, 31057 Toulouse (FRANCE) email:
christophe.cassou at cerfacs.fr
Application by e-mail is encouraged !
CNRM (http://www.cnrm.meteo.fr/) is an associated laboratory of
the CNRS (French Centre National de Recherches Meteorologiques).
********************
(JOB 6) Post-doc - Ice sheet and earth system modelling. Free
University of Brussels (VUB) (Belgium)
The Ice and Climate Group of the Department of Geography at the
Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) invites applications for a research
position in ice sheet and earth system modeling in the framework of
the project ASTER (Assessment of modelling uncertainties in long-term
climate and sea-level change projections) funded by the Belgian
Federal Government Science Policy Office.
The job entails numerical studies with LOVECLIM, a newly
developed global Earth System Model of intermediate complexity
including the atmosphere, oceans, and ice sheets, with the main
objective to improve climate and sea level projections over the next
millennia validated by a large number of ensemble simulations
covering the whole Holocene. The project is part of a collaborative
effort with groups at the Université catholique de Louvain (Thierry
Fichefet) and the Université de Liège (Anne Mouchet).
At the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, the successful applicant will
be responsible for the cryospheric component of LOVECLIM. This will
entail (i) refinements of the ice-sheet model components and its
coupling procedure, (ii) the conduct and analysis of numerical
experiments focusing on the behaviour of the Greenland and Antarctic
ice sheets, and (iii) the coupling of a northern hemisphere ice sheet
model component to improve insight in the 8.2 kyr abrupt cooling event.
The desired qualifications are a degree in earth or physical
sciences, excellent programming skills in a Fortran/Unix-type of
environment including familiarity with graphics tools ( e.g. GMT),
and good communication skills, both orally and in writing. Previous
experience with the operation of large-scale ice-sheet and/or climate
models would be beneficial. Candidates will be considered at either
the postdoctoral level or at the PhD level with relevant experience
and the right qualifications.
The position is funded until the end of 2009 subject to a project
review after 6 months and forms part of a long-term research effort
by the Belgian Federal Government Science Policy Office under their
Global Change/ Plan for Sustainable Development Research Programme.
Applicants should email a cover letter and a Curriculum Vitae to
Philippe Huybrechts, Vrije Universiteit Brussel,
phuybrec at vub.ac.be http://homepages.vub.ac.be/~phuybrec/
Applications will be evaluated on an ongoing basis until the
position is filled.
********************
(JOBS 7) Post-docs: Geography/Climatology/Geomorphology - Univ of
Lisbon (Portugal)
http://www.eracareers.pt/opportunities/index.aspx?
task=showAnuncioOportunities&jobId=5985 Job/Fellowship Reference:
C2007-UL-334-CEG
Job summary:
The Centre of Geographical Studies opens a search for five PhD
researchers (Geography or related research fields, including
CLIMATOLOGY), with a minimum of postdoctoral three years experience
(in exceptional cases, candidates with less than three years research
experience might be considered eligible), to develop research on the
following areas: 1) Environmental Change and Spatial Vulnerability;
2) Demographic Ageing, International Migration and Social Cohesion;
3) Cities, Innovation, Creativity and Territorial Governance; and 4)
Economic Integration and Regional Development.
********************
(JOB 8) Asst Prof - Environmental Studies - Ursinus College -
Collegeville, PA
(USA)
Ursinus College invites applications for a tenure-track assistant
professor of environmental studies to begin in fall 2008. A Ph.D. in
environmental studies or a related field is expected by the start of
employment. Applicants are welcome from all areas of environmental
research and pedagogical interests within environmental studies.
Prior experience teaching in an interdisciplinary environmental
program is highly desirable. Teaching responsibilities will include
core courses in environmental studies and courses in the candidate's
area of expertise. The successful candidate must demonstrate a strong
commitment to undergraduate teaching in a liberal arts setting and
will be expected to participate in the College's interdisciplinary
liberal studies freshman seminar, mentor student research, oversee
campus sustainability projects, implement a program of scholarly
activity, and participate in the continuing development of our
thriving Environmental Studies Program.
Send letter, c.v., undergraduate and graduate transcripts, copies
of original teaching evaluations, statement of teaching philosophy,
research plan (including student involvement), and three letters of
recommendation (at least one of which must address teaching) to
Richard L. Wallace, Chair, Environmental Studies, Ursinus College,
P.O. Box 1000, Collegeville, PA 19426. To ensure full consideration,
applications must be received by Oct. 1, 2007. For inquiries contact
Dr. Wallace at rwallace at ursinus.edu (no e-mail applications, please).
For more information on the Ursinus Environmental Studies Program,
please see http://academic.ursinus.edu/env/.
********************
(JOB 9) Post-doc - Spatial Vegetation Modeling and Landscape Ecology
- Forest Landscapes and Ecosystems Team, Ecosystem Processes Program
- Pacific Northwest (PNW) Research Station, USDA Forest Service,
Corvallis, Oregon (USA)
Research Ecologist, GS-408-11 or -12, salary range $52,912 - $63,417
Location: Forest Landscapes and Ecosystems Team, Ecosystem
Processes Program, Pacific Northwest (PNW) Research Station, USDA
Forest Service, Corvallis, Oregon.
Start Date: October 1, 2007 (negotiable).
Application Closing Date: August 2, 2007.
The Position: The Forest Landscapes and Ecosystems Team seeks a
motivated individual to pursue research in spatial vegetation
modeling and landscape ecology. The position is with the PNW Research
Station at the Forestry Sciences Lab in Corvallis, Oregon. The
researcher also will be a member of the Landscape Ecology, Modeling,
Mapping, and Analysis (LEMMA) team (http://www.fsl.orst.edu/lemma),
comprised of two other scientists and three Faculty Research
Assistants from PNW and Oregon State University. At least two years
of funding are available, with the possibility of extension up to two
more years given additional funding. The position will support a
national pilot study to develop novel methods for k-nearest-neighbor
(kNN) mapping of forest vegetation and landscape pattern. The kNN
method of predictive vegetation mapping uses statistical or gradient
models to integrate detailed data on vegetation composition and
structure collected on field plots with spatial data from satellite
imagery, climate and topographic models, and other sources. Resulting
maps are used regionally in landscape scenario analysis; wildland
risk assessment for fire, insects and diseases, and climate change;
land management planning; and biodiversity assessment and
conservation planning. The national pilot will evaluate kNN for seven
ecoregions across the United States, in collaboration with scientists
from other regions. This position will be responsible for three
western ecoregions. The kNN methods developed in this study
ultimately will be applied nationally, to develop maps and related
products for a variety of applications. The national pilot is a
collaborative and jointly-funded effort among Forest Service
Research, State and Private, and National Forest Systems. The
scientist will be responsible for original research related to the
project, including study design, data analysis, and oral and written
communication of research findings to a variety of audiences.
Research questions may address alternative methods for spatial
modeling of plant communities and land cover, spatial scaling issues
in mapping vegetation and landscape pattern, monitoring landscape
change, methods for spatial accuracy assessment, or other topics
within the scientist's areas of interest and expertise.
Qualifications:
* Ph.D. in ecology, geography, remote sensing, forestry, or related
field.
* Knowledge of methods and software for quantitative ecology,
gradient analysis, spatial modeling, and statistics.
* Demonstrated ability to manipulate and analyze a variety of large,
complex spatial and relational databases.
* Experience with geographic information systems (GIS) analysis and
software.
* Knowledge of remote sensing, vegetation sampling designs and data
formats, and biogeography of plant communities of the Pacific
Northwest are desirable.
* Demonstrated scholarship through peer-reviewed publications and
presentations.
* Ability to work relatively unsupervised, plan work, achieve
results, and meet deadlines.
* Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment.
To Learn More About the Position: Contact Janet Ohmann, e-mail
johmann at fs.fed.us.
To Apply: By August 2, 2007, send electronic (preferred) or
printed copies of: (1) statement of interest describing your
qualifications and experience and availability dates; (2) complete
curriculum vitae with dates of employment, hours per week worked, and
descriptions of duties; (3) transcripts from graduate and
undergraduate study (unofficial copies are OK); (4) names, e-mail
addresses, and telephone numbers of three references; (5) reprints of
up to five publications; and (6) Federal Application OF 612
(available at http://www.opm.gov/forms/html/of.asp) to Janet Ohmann,
Forestry Sciences Laboratory, 3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR
97331, johmann at fs.fed.us. Incomplete applications will not be
considered.
********************
(JOB 10) Managing Editor - Climate and Energy Programme - Stockholm
Environment Institute (SEI) Stockholm (Sweden)
http://www.sei.se/index.php?page=jobitem&item=5613
Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) is currently looking for a
Managing Editor to work with the Climate and Energy Programme on the
launch of a new academic journal, as well as on several other
publications aimed at both researchers and policymakers. The Climate
and Energy Programme engages in research, communication and capacity-
building in the fields of energy access, bio-resources and
climatepolicy to support decision-making at all levels.
The tasks and responsibilities of the Managing Editor will include:
· Day-to-day management of the new journal Climate and Development,
which will be published by Earthscan and complement its existing
journal Climate Policy. This task will involve initiating and
maintaining contact with authors, reviewers, editors and the
publisher; screening submitted papers and editing accepted papers;
and maintaining the journal website. The technical production of the
journal will be the responsibility of Earthscan.
· Coordinate thematic syntheses on climate change research for
development targeted at policy and decision makers
· Assume editorial responsibility for newsletters, policy briefs and
the website of the Stockholm-based Climate and Energy Programme.
· Provide editorial support in producing research reports.
· Assist in developing a long-term communication strategy for the
Climate and Energy Programme.
The successful applicant will have an affinity with climate,
energy and development issues and be a native English speaker (or
have similarly strong command of written English). S/he will have
been exposed to different international audiences, including from
developing countries. In addition, the successful applicant will have:
· Excellent skills in editing scientific writing in English
(technical editing and copy-editing).
· Strong organisational and motivational skills.
· Experience with synthesising scientific information for a non-
expert audience.
· Experience with or interest in web publishing.
· Ability to work independently as well as in a team.
· Ability to travel occasionally.
The position is available immediately; the appointment will be
until the end of 2009, with possibility of renewal.
Applications, including a cover letter describing yourself and
highlighting relevant skills and experience, a CV and up to three
samples of previous work, should be written in English and arrive at
SEI as soon as possible but no later than 20 July 2007. They should
be sent by e-mail to Karin Schéle, Human Resources Manager
( karin.schele at sei.se). Attachments should be sent as PDF files only.
Further details are available from the Climate and Energy Group
Leader, Richard Klein (richard.klein at sei.se). The SEI Academic Union
Club representative is Charmaine Poutiainen
(charmaine.poutiainen at sei.se).
********************
(JOBS 11) Forwarded from the list serve climate-l
Anthropology, University of Kent - Stockholm Environment Institute,
Oxford, UK http://www.sei.se/
CASE funded PhD post for independent research and policy advice-
http://www.sei.se/index.php?page=jobitem&item=5612
Duty Station: Oxford, UK
Deadline: 9 July 2007 - Online Application form
http://records.kent.ac.uk/external/admissions/pg_application.php
****************
Stockholm Environment Institute - http://www.sei.se/
Managing Editor - http://www.sei.se/index.php?page=newsitem&item=5615
Duty Station: Stockholm, Sweden
Deadline: 20 July 2007 - Karin Schéle, Human Resources Manager,
karin.schele at sei.se
*****************
Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia) Center -
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia
Finance and Administrative Service Division Manager -
http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/propertyvalue-26655.html
Duty Station: Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila,
Philippines
Deadline: 25 July 2007, 5:00pm, Manila time - Ms. Agatha Diaz <
adiaz at adb.org>, REFERENCE: Finance and Administrative Service Division
Manager
*******************
World Resources Institute - www.wri.org
Senior Associate / Director of U.S. Climate Policy -
http://www.wri.org/joblist/job.cfm?jid=256
Duty Station: Washington DC, USA
Deadline: none - Seth Ort, sort at wri.org
*******************
World Resources Institute - www.wri.org
Senior Associate / Deputy Director of Business, Engagement, Climate and
Energy Program - http://www.wri.org/joblist/job.cfm?jid=255
Duty Station: Washington DC, USA
Deadline: none - Seth Ort, sort at wri.org
**************************************************
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
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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