Sonoma State University
Philosophy 200
Philosophical Issues in Global Climate Change
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NHNE Climate Change Reference Page http://www.nhne.com/climatechange/ CarbonCounter.org [Macromedia Flash Player] CarbonCounter.org is a "collaborative project between the Climate Trust, a pioneering non-profit organization that promotes climate change solutions, and Mercy Corps, a leading international relief and development agency with programs in over 30 countries around the world." Visitors can use the carbon counter to calculate how much carbon dioxide they emit over a year in their day-to-day use of cars, heat and air conditioning, etc. The counter provides two options: An estimate of CO2 emissions or a more exact calculation requiring detailed input. Once completed, visitors are solicited for donations for CO2 reduction programs, but you don't have to participate in this in order to use the counter. The site also presents a short movie about climate change, and the FAQ page is a good source for more detailed information. [RS] Global Warming: Undo It [Macromedia Flash Player, Real One Player] Global Warming: Undo It is a national campaign developed by Environmental Defense "to ramp up the fight against global warming, the most critical environmental issue we face." The Web site contains a multimedia tutorial of sorts, where users can learn more about global warming and lifestyle changes they can make cut down on their carbon dioxide production. The site also includes a multimedia gallery, with video clips of the campaign's television commercials, an interview with Environmental Defense president Fred Drupp and another with Senator John McCain, and more. Users may also choose to sign an e-petition to help get the McCain-Lieberman bipartisan Climate Stewardship Act passed in Congress. [RS] University of Wisconsin - Madison: Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences The Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Wisconsin ñ Madison created this website to present its research in climate systems, satellite and remote sensing, and weather systems using a combination of theory, modeling, and diagnostic assessments. Users can learn how the department is utilizing and creating radiation and remote sensing technology to improve radiative transfer models and to advance the understanding of the atmosphere. This expansive website provides links to many research groupsí homepages, current weather and forecast data, and radar and satellite images. Students and researchers can find out about seminars and talks as well as educational and employment opportunities. [RME] U.S. Global Change Research Information Office [pdf] "The US Global Change Research Information Office (GCRIO) provides access to data and information on climate change research, adaptation/mitigation strategies, and technologies, and global change-related educational resources." Users can learn about GCRIOís success in predicting El NiÒo and La NiÒa events, reducing the uncertainty of rainfall events in the tropics, creating maps to record the uptake of carbon by the ocean, and more. Researchers, students, and educators can find help locating information and data about global environmental change by visiting Doctor Global Change. The website features upcoming climate-related events hosted across the United States. [RME] The University of North Carolina: Weather and Climate http://www.unc.edu/courses/2003ss1/geog/011/001/Westerlies/Westerlies.htm Developed by the University of North Carolina as a supplement to an elementary college level class, this website provides online materials for all aspects of weather and climate. Visitors can find tutorials dealing with weather basics, forecasts, the atmosphere, flooding, and weather systems. The information is filled with helpful images, pictures, and diagrams to assist users with their understanding of the materials. Anyone looking for educational materials about the basics of meteorology will benefit from this website. [RME] Met Office: Weather and Climate http://www.met-office.gov.uk/weather/index.html The United Kingdom's MET office created this website to provide users with weather and climate information for the British Isles and the world. Travelers can find out the latest weather forecasts and general climate patterns for various cities and countries. Users can enjoy the satellite imagery of weather patterns for the continents and the earth. Residents can view animations of the latest rainfall in the United Kingdom. The website provides resourceful materials and illustrations on typhoons and hurricanes. Everyone can read about the latest, strange weather occurrences around the world. [RME] GeoWeb is part of SRI International's DARPA-sponsored Digital Earth Project. Drawing from search engines like Yahoo Maps, MapQuest, or TerraServer, the GeoWeb is "a vision for making all geographically referenced, or georeferenced, data available over the Web." The infrastructure allows for open, global, and scalable Internet searches associated with a specific latitude/longitude location. Clients can query the GeoWeb to "discover relevant metadata and use Web-based or peer-to-peer communications to retrieve the actual data." The data can be used, for example, with Internet- connected cell phones and car navigation systems. The website describes the project goals and work on building the standards, tools, browsers, and infrastructure necessary to develop GeoWeb. [VF] This site is also reviewed in the April 23, 2004 _NSDL MET Report_. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - CMDL: Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory [postscript, pdf] http://www.cmdl.noaa.gov/index.html "The Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory (CMDL) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration conducts sustained observations and research related to source and sink strengths, trends and global distributions of atmospheric constituents that are capable of forcing change in the climate of Earth through modification of the atmospheric radiative environment, those that may cause depletion of the global ozone layer, and those that affect baseline air quality." Students can find helpful descriptions and figures about climatic forces, greenhouse effect, and the carbon cycle. Researchers can find an abundance of climate-related data sets and lists of CMDL publications. The website presents clear descriptions and interactive tours of CMDL's worldwide facilities. Visitors can view near real-time and great archived images from the South Pole Live Camera. The site offers links to the homepages of CMDL research groups and observatories where users can obtain more in-depth information. [RME] Recent Scientific Reports Focus on Potential Climate Change in Europe and California Global Warming Clouds the Future http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/08/17/WARMING.TMP Europe 'must adapt on climate' http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3570602.stm Technology Already Exists to Stabilize Global Warming http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/08/040816091135.htm Emission Scenarios, Climate Change, and Impacts on California (2004) [pdf] http://www.atmosresearch.com/ EEA: Impacts of Europe's changing climate [pdf] http://reports.eea.eu.int/climate_report_2_2004/en Union of Concerned Scientists: Global Warming http://www.ucsusa.org/general/landing/page.cfm?pageID=1456 There is significant debate among scientists on the nature of global warming, with some pointing to increased temperatures as being merely indicative of long-range climatic change that has gone on for thousands and thousands of years across the planet. Others point to the disruptive effects that human activity has on the atmosphere, and continue to call for a global effort to mitigate the effects of these actions on the environment. As this debate continues to develop within the scientific community, two new reports were released this week that predict serious climate change in both Europe and California during the next one hundred years. A report issued by the European Environment Agency this week indicates that less than 50 years remain in which a concerted effort can be made by a variety of government institutions in order to mitigate the effects of this changing climate. The report also notes that the 2003 heat wave that struck Europe effectively melted the mass of Alpine glaciers by 10% and that harvests in many southern European countries were down by 30% in some areas. Another related report that was published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this week dealt with the potential effects of climate change in the state of California. The report was authored by nineteen scientists, who adapted two of the latest computer models of global change to examine how California might be affected under two varying scenarios for emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases. In its discussion of various related issues, the report also suggested that under the less-optimistic scenario that such climate change would have a devastating effect on some of California's signature industries, such as wine making and tourism. In terms of temperature change, the report noted that in 50 to 100 years "inland cities would feel like Death Valley does today". The report did not comment on what Death Valley would feel like in 50 to 100 years. [KMG] The first link leads to a news article from this Tuesday's San Francisco Chronicle that offers some discussion of the recent report on the potential effects of global climate change on California. The second link leads to a special online report from the BBC that reviews some of the findings offered by the recent climate study commissioned by the European Environment Agency. The third link, taken from Science Daily, talks about existing technology that could be used to stop the escalation of global warming. The fourth link leads to the homepage of ATMOS Research and Consulting, and contains the full-text of the recent study on the potential emissions scenarios affecting California and the potential long-term effects. The fifth link leads to the webpage of the European Environment Agency where visitors may download and peruse the complete report that discusses the impacts of Europe's changing climate. The sixth and final link leads to some proposed solutions to mitigate the effects of global warming offered by the Union of Concerned Scientists. [KMG] Feeling the Heat: Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss http://www.nature.com/nature/links/040108/040108-1.html Global warming is a sometimes heated debate between scientists as they seek to pinpoint causes and effects. This January 2004 article from _Nature_ seems to help clarify what the future may bring. Essentially, Chris Thomas of the University of Leeds and his colleagues posit that with the unstoppable rise in global temperature will come an unstoppable species extinction. As a result of the warming, species will either not have any remaining habitat or they won't have the means to find it. Depending on the criteria, 15-37% of the species examined in the study will be extinct by the year 2050. While a somewhat unsettling forecast, the authors note that with technical advances towards lessening human impact on global warming, fewer species may ultimately perish. This link leads to the article as well as a News and Views response to the article titled Ecology: Clouded Futures and written by J. Alan Pounds and Robert Puschendorf. [JPM] Institute of Global Environment and Society and the Center for Ocean- Land-Atmosphere Studies [Microsoft Word, pdf, gif, Java] http://grads.iges.org/home.html This website features the work of two groups: the Institute of Global Environment and Society (IGES) and the Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies (COLA). Both organizations were formed to improve the "understanding and prediction of Earth's climate variations and to share both the fruits of this research and the tools necessary to carry out this research with society as a whole." The Weather and Climate Data link features numerous maps and animations of the analyses of current conditions, weather forecasts, and climate outlooks for the world. Users can download GrADS, the interactive tool used to access, manipulate, and visualize earth science data. Researchers, educators, and students seeking meteorological information and maps dealing with topics such as soil moisture, pressure, and the maximum potential hurricane intensities will want to visit this website. JGOFS: Joint Global Ocean Flux Study [pdf] The Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS) examines the carbon exchange between the atmosphere and the ocean in order to understand the processes influencing the fluxes of carbon and associated biogenic elements and the exchanges among the atmosphere, sea floor and continental boundaries. The website discusses JGOFS's aim to achieve the ability to predict human impacts on climate change on a global scale. Visitors can find numerous datasets associated with JGOFS's core parameters and cruises for the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Southern Oceans. After downloading the Implementation Plan, scientists can find information about JGOFS's surveys, studies, data quality, and more. Researchers will also find various publications including the Report Series and Special Issues in Peer-Reviewed Journals. [RME] The ATSR Project [Macromedia Flash Player] http://www.atsr.rl.ac.uk/index.shtml By creating infrared images of the Earth with a spatial resolution of one kilometer, the Along Track Scanning Radiometer (ATSR) instruments are beneficial for land, atmosphere, water, and Cryosphere scientific studies. After learning about the sensitivities and accuracies of the ATSR instruments, students and educators can view a presentation describing the usefulness of the collected data. The website provides abundant information dealing with data products, documentation, calibrations, validations, and more. Researchers can discover how to obtain ATSR data and can view various Average Sea Surface Temperature (ASST) maps. Everyone can enjoy samples of images collected including the Grain Coast in Western Africa and cloud formations around the South Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic. [RME] Global Hydrology and Climate Center http://www.ghcc.msfc.nasa.gov/GOES/ This NASA website displays Interactive Global Geostationary Weather Satellite Images collected by GOES, GMS-5, and METEOSAT-7. Users can find captivating real-time images of visible, infrared, and water vapor for most areas of the world. Each image can be viewed as a single image or as an animation. Users not familiar with satellite images can find educational materials describing the unique features presented in each of the three types of images. The satellite composite images at the end of the website provide users with an overall sense of the weather patterns for large areas of the earth. [RME] World Bank Group: Climate Change [pdf] http://lnweb18.worldbank.org/ESSD/envext.nsf/46ByDocName/ClimateChange Located within the World Bank's Environment Department, the Climate Change team "provides resources and expertise for the World Bank's participation in international climate change negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and provides technical advice to the World Bank's Global Environment Facility Program." Understandably, the site contains a brief explication of the key themes surrounding contemporary concerns about climate change, along with offering a detailed discussion of the various programs and research projects with which the Climate Change group is engaged directly or in tandem with other related organizations and institutions. From the main page, visitors can read about the nature of international climate change (and its disproportionate effects on the developing world), peruse a list of relevant online publications, and read press releases from the Climate Change team. [KMG] Institute of Global Environment and Society and the Center for Ocean- Land-Atmosphere Studies [Microsoft Word, pdf, gif, Java] http://grads.iges.org/home.html This website features the work of two groups: the Institute of Global Environment and Society (IGES) and the Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies (COLA). Both organizations were formed to improve the "understanding and prediction of Earth's climate variations and to share both the fruits of this research and the tools necessary to carry out this research with society as a whole." The Weather and Climate Data link features numerous maps and animations of the analyses of current conditions, weather forecasts, and climate outlooks for the world. Users can download GrADS, the interactive tool used to access, manipulate, and visualize earth science data. Researchers, educators, and students seeking meteorological information and maps dealing with topics such as soil moisture, pressure, and the maximum potential hurricane intensities will want to visit this website. [RME] This site is also reviewed in the January 9, 2003 _NSDL Physical Sciences Report_. ICE Sat: The Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite [pdf] http://icesat.gsfc.nasa.gov/index.html "ICESat (Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite) is the benchmark Earth Observing System mission for measuring ice sheet mass balance, cloud and aerosol heights, as well as land topography and vegetation characteristics." Visitors can learn how the data being collected can assist in answering many climatic questions including the impacts ice sheets can have on sea level and the affects of polar clouds and haze on climate. The website discusses ICESat's Spacecraft and GLAS instrument, which is the first lidar apparatus created for continuous global observations of the Earth. Teachers and students will find many links to educational resource materials. Through the website, users can also submit their questions to the ICESat science team. [RME] Alaska Climate Research Center -- Contrails: improved forecasting technique [pdf] http://contrail.gi.alaska.edu/ Improved Contrail Forecasting Techniques is an Alaska Climate Research Center project investigating and forecasting aircraft contrail formations in Fairbanks, Alaska. By downloading the online comprehensive report, students and researchers can learn about the project's methods, findings, algorithms, and future work. Visitors will find graphs of temperatures and derived contrail layers from soundings at thirteen locals within this sub-artic region. The site also features thirty three-hour forecast loops and altitude animations of the contrail layers overhead the region. [RME] Canadian Institute for Climate Studies [Microsoft PowerPoint] The Canadian Institute for Climate Studies, created by the Meteorological Service of Canada and the Province of British Columbia, investigates the variability and potential change of climate systems and applies this knowledge to decision making in the public and private sectors. This expansive website illustrates the research pursuits of the four divisions: Climate Scenarios, Climate Applications, Management of Climate Related Research, and Outreach and Education Initiatives. Researchers can discover the Climate Research Network's efforts to develop computer models of climate systems that incorporate landscape effects and the role of clouds, aerosols, and radiation. Interested visitors can also learn about membership options and how to obtain Canadian climate data. [RME] The Younger Dryas Event 1 Younger Dryas http://www.worldhistory.com/wiki/Y/Younger-Dryas.htm 2 The Late Glacial and the Younger Dryas-Preboreal Boundary http://www.geol.lu.se/personal/seb/Late%20Glacial.htm 3 Virtual Field Trip of Nova Scotia http://www.gov.ns.ca/natr/meb/field/start.htm#start 4 Short Term Climate Variability in the Past [pdf] http://www.geosc.psu.edu/~kkeller/teaching/earth02/lecture23.pdf 5 High-Resolution Younger Dryas Environmental Variability: A comprehensive Assessment from Mid-North America Tree-Rings http://www.ltrr.arizona.edu/~sleavitt/YoungerDryasLink.htm 6 Abrupt Climate Change Presents Unappreciated Challenges to Society, Scientists Say http://www-news.uchicago.edu/releases/03/030327.climate.shtml 7 The Formation and Significance of a Moraine-Mound Complex (hummocky moraine) of Younger Dryas Age in Ennerdale, English Lake District [pdf] http://www-staff.lboro.ac.uk/~gydjg2/downloads/enner-poster.pdf 8 ITCZ Variability in the Tropical Atlantic During the Last Deglaciation [pdf] http://www.geo.umass.edu/climate/hadley/abstracts/hughen.pdf 9 Abrupt Climate Changes Revisited: How Serious and How Likely? http://www.usgcrp.gov/usgcrp/seminars/980217DD.html This topic in depth deals with the Younger Dryas event, a short period of extremely cold temperatures interrupting the current interglacial period. It is currently debated whether the Younger Dryas event occurred solely in parts of the North hemisphere or throughout the world. The first website, (1), created by World History, provides a short, concise summary of the Younger Dryas period. Users can find a brief statement about the prevailing theory of the cause of this event. Lund University offers an amazing image of a stratigraphic record illustrating the Late Glacial sequence at the second website (2). Users can view the impressive Younger Dryas sedimentation layer and also see an image of the flower, _Dryas octopetala_, which the event is named after. Next, the Department of Natural Resources for the Province of Nova Scotia supplies images of the geologic landscape of Nova Scotia (3). Students can find descriptions of the Younger Dryas event and other glacial features. The forth website (4 ), produced by Klaus Keller as part of his lecture materials for classes at Penn State, is an online document illustrating the abrupt changes experienced on earth during the Younger Dryas. This website discusses the theorized relationship between the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation (THC) and the event. Next, the University of Arizona discusses its research on the environmental changes in mid-North America over the last several millennia (5). Users can learn how the researchers are attempting to create the first high-resolution chronology of the transition from the Late Glacial to the Early Holocene. In the sixth website (6 ), the University of Chicago offers an online article addressing the unknowns in our current understanding of climate change. Users can learn how the abrupt climate changes in the past such as the Younger Dryas are still difficult to model. Next, David J. Graham from the University of Wales addresses the importance of examining the moraine morphology and sedimentology in order to gather more knowledge about the climatic and glacio-dynamic conditions that occurred during the Younger Dryas period (7 ). This online poster provides images, figures, and descriptions of the interpretations of the landform-sediment associations present in the upper Ennerdale. Konrad Hughen from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution summarizes his group's research which illustrates the effects the northern tropical regions of the Southern Hemisphere experienced during the Younger Dryas event (8). In this downloadable document, users can learn about his group's creation of high-resolution records of tropical vegetation change that demonstrate the synchronization between the climate changes in the high latitude North Atlantic region and in the tropical South America during the event. Lastly, the U.S. Global Change Research Program discusses the classification of an abrupt climate change, the rapidity of past climate change according to the paleoclimatic records, the causes of climate change, and its consequences (9). Visitors can learn about the swiftness of the Younger Dryas event and how another occurrence like this may affect our society and the natural world.[RME] Watching Brief: Ocean Carbon Sequestration - Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO [Microsoft Word, pdf] http://ioc.unesco.org/iocweb/co2panel/Sequestration.htm This website features the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission's (IOC) role to provide a summary of the current scientific and legal issues of carbon sequestration of CO2. Researchers can learn about carbon mitigation options and download summaries of the panel's assessment of climate change. Students and educators can learn how coastal and marine environments may be impacted by the climate changes. Visitors can find summaries of international laws dealing with ocean sequestration of carbon dioxide. The website also offers printer-friendly versions of the information provided. [RME] The Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Deep-Sea Sample Repository http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/res/fac/CORE_REPOSITORY/RHP1.html The Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Deep-Sea Sample Repository archives sediment and rock deep-sea core data for marine geology and oceanographic research and education. Students can learn about the process of taking the cores, the characteristics of the specimens collected, and their benefits. Researchers can search over 300 datasets for cores sites, mineralogy, micropaleontology, and other core data. Scientific investigators can find out how to obtain samples from the cores. This expansive website features a large variety of research projects including the influence of the sun on climate variability and the chemistry of the ocean based on the thickness of microfossil shell walls. [RME] OCMIP: Ocean Carbon-Cycle Model Intercomparison Project [postscript, Microsoft PowerPoint, pdf] http://www.ipsl.jussieu.fr/OCMIP/ The Ocean Carbon-Cycle Model Intercomparison Project (OCMIP) goal is "to develop an international collaboration to improve the predictive capacity and accelerate development of global-scale, three-dimensional, ocean carbon- cycle models through standardized model evaluation and model intercomparison." Visitors to the site can learn about the objectives, reports, and other details about the two finished phases, OCMIP-1 and OCMIP- 2, as well as details about the new phase, OCMIP-3. The website offers detailed information about data visualization and analysis tools such as Ferret. While a few links are intended for OCMIP participants, users are able to obtain lots of information about the project. [RME] University of Alaska: Atmospheric Science Group [jpeg] http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AtmosSci/ The University of Alaska created this website to present the work of the physicists, meteorologists, geologists, and chemists involved in the Atmospheric Science Group. Students and educators can discover the research interests and education opportunities in the atmospheric chemistry, atmospheric radiation, climate and global change, cloud and aerosol physics, mesoscale meteorology, and hydrometeorology subgroups. The website provides general information, specifications, and images of the lidar and radar equipment at the Artic Facility for Atmospheric Remote Sensing (AFARS). Users can find links to an album of atmospheric optical effects, forecast information, and other atmosphere-related information. Because of the group's wide range of research, everyone interested in atmospheric science will benefit by visiting the site. [RME] Dartmouth Flood Observatory [Macromedia Flash Player, jpeg, Microsoft Excel] http://www.dartmouth.edu/~floods/ The Dartmouth Flood Observatory website "is a research tool for detection, mapping, measurement, and analysis of extreme flood events world-wide using satellite remote sensing." Users can find data on flood damages, magnitudes, recurrence intervals, and more. The website discusses the Observatory's Wide Area Hydrologic Monitoring and Quickscat Wetlands Monitoring. In the World Atlas of Large Flood Events, students and educators can learn the causes, locations, and durations of floods. While the Observatory has attempted to collect data from 1985 to the present, the website does indicate that in recent years the reliability of the data has increased. [RME] Meteorological Research Institute [jpeg] http://www.mri-jma.go.jp/Welcome.html The Meteorological Research Institute (MRI) in Japan "is engaged in analyzing and predicting meteorological, geophysical, hydrological and oceanographic phenomena, as well as developing extensive related technology" in order to further understand global climate and natural disasters. The website features the Institute's nine research departments covering topics such as forecasting, seismology and volcanology, and oceanography. Within each research department, visitors can learn the details about numerous research projects. Users can also view abstracts of the institute's many meteorology and geophysics papers. [RME] University of Alaska: Atmospheric Science Group [jpeg] http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AtmosSci/ The University of Alaska created this website to present the work of the physicists, meteorologists, geologists, and chemists involved in the Atmospheric Science Group. Students and educators can discover the research interests and education opportunities in the atmospheric chemistry, atmospheric radiation, climate and global change, cloud and aerosol physics, mesoscale meteorology, and hydrometeorology subgroups. The website provides general information, specifications, and images of the lidar and radar equipment at the Artic Facility for Atmospheric Remote Sensing (AFARS). Users can find links to an album of atmospheric optical effects, forecast information, and other atmosphere-related information. Because of the group's wide range of research, everyone interested in atmospheric science will benefit by visiting the site. [RME] NASA Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Learning Center http://gcmd.gsfc.nasa.gov/Resources/Learning/ NASA Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Learning Center's website supplies data and information about global environmental change. Within the Data You Can Use link, visitors can find links to atmospheric data including ozone data, basic climate data, and CO2 records. Students and educators can find answers to common questions and contact information to ask new questions. Visitors can discover links to educational materials on land, water, and sky for people of all ages. The website also allows users to search for earth science-related curriculum support, interactive programs, and other educational services and resources. [RME] South Pole Observatory http://www.cmdl.noaa.gov/obop/spo/index.html The South Pole Observatory (SPO), one of NOAA's Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory's atmospheric baseline observatories, created this website to provide information about the science, life, and history of the South Pole. Users can take a tour of the atmospheric baseline observatory and the dome. The website features a live camera from the SPO. Users can find details descriptions of the International Geophysical Year, the ozone layer, and more. Everyone can enjoy the many images of the South Pole. [RME] BBC: Costing the Earth [RealOne Player] http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/costingtheearth_20030424.shtml At this website, BBC provides powerful stories which look "at man's effect on the environment and at how the environment reacts." Each Thursday, BBC creates a new article and on air show, which users can listen to at the website. Users can view numerous archived materials which discuss topics such as the energy supply, the salty soils of Australia, and the potential effects of climate change on the Norfolk Broads. Visitors can take part in the Radio 4 Science message board. Each week's topic also contains numerous links to outside sources where users can find more information about the presented material. [RME] http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/worldbalance/ Taking as its focus the deceptively simple questions, How has the worldís population changed over time? and How will it change in the future?, this engaging website (designed as a companion to the television program) developed by NOVA explores both of these queries through a set of interviews, interactive features, and additional resources, such as weblinks and guides for teachers. The interviews are enlightening, and feature transcripts of conversations with Ding Yihui on climate change in China, Geeta Rao Gupta on the status of women in India, and Lester Brown on population growth. The section on population control campaigns and family planning are particular nice, as they profile, through brief essays and posters, the attempts of India, China, and Kenya to promote these policies. As mentioned, the interactive features are very well-though out, and allow visitors to examine the growth of the human population from the year zero to 2050 and to take a quiz on population trends and environmental challenges. [KMG] GISS: Goddard Institute for Space Studies at Columbia University in New York [tar, pdf] NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) presents its work in the prediction of climatic and atmospheric changes in the 21st century. Users can learn about GISS's many research projects in Global Climate Modeling, Planetary Atmospheres, Atmospheric Chemistry, and more. The website provides news releases of its work for the general public. Visitors can download many software packages including the latest GISS coupled atmosphere ocean model, called ModelE. Researchers can find a wide range of data sets of earth observations, climate forcing, global climate modeling, and radiation. The Publications link offers almost 1500 citations and abstracts as well as over four hundred online publications. Students can discover how to become involved with GISS's research activities. [RME] The University of Birmingham - Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Research: Earth Surface Systems http://www.gees.bham.ac.uk/research/surfacesystems/ The University of Birmingham introduces the goal of its department of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences' (GEES) research to link climate, hydrology, geomorphology, and ecology studies in order to build integrated models of fluvial systems. Users can find ample information about the goals and significance in its many projects which include riparian hydroecology, hydrology of cold environments, hydrogeomorphology, and channel sedimentation dynamics. Most of the materials contain an abundance of links to help users fully understand the Earth Surface Systems research. Along with the research of the staff, the site supplies introductions to many of the PhD research students' work. [RME] NOAA Paleoclimatology Program http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/paleo/paleo.html The study of paleoclimatology is an activity that goes on all around the world, in large part because such a vast undertaking entails collecting scientific data from many different sites. As such, this site has a great deal to offer both scientists working in the field and the layperson who may be interested in learning more about the world of paleoclimatology. One area that may be of particular interest to scientists is the World Data Center for Paleoclimatology, which provides many types of climate proxy data gathered from thousands of locations around the world. The Paleo Perspectives area of the site is quite helpful, as it explains how this scientific area informs the general understanding of climate change and global warming. The Education & Outreach area of the site is, likewise, quite useful, as it contains a basic introduction to paleoclimatology and a climate timeline. The site is rounded out by a section that talks a bit about the goals of the group's work and various funding opportunities. [KMG] National Center for Atmospheric Research: Geophysical Statistics Project http://www.cgd.ucar.edu/stats/index.shtml Housed at the Climate and Global Dynamics Division (CGD) of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), the Geophysical Statistics Project seeks "to encourage the application and further development of statistical analysis to the problems faced in the Earth sciences." The GSP website seeks to accomplish some of this goal by offering all sorts of related information for interested visitors. Included are links to the project's research information, including numerous reports and publications (such as the 2004 article in _Technometrics_ titled, Wavelet-Based Estimation for Seasonal Long-Memory Processes), explanation of current projects, as well as software and data used. Also of interest to researchers and students may be the sections on postdoc opportunities as well as profiles of the researchers at the project. [JPM] The Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research http://www.met-office.gov.uk/research/hadleycentre/ As part of the Met Office for the meteorological sciences, the Hadley Centre is devoted to the study of the "scientific issues associated with climate change." The site is packed full of great climate related information including information on news and publications as well as research reports and staff information. Links within the site take visitors to information about the many climate change datasets and models used at Hadley as well as an interesting feature about the new film, The Day After Tomorrow. Also of note are the climate change brochures offered for download from the site. [JPM] International Research Institute for Climate Prediction: ENSO Web http://iri.ldeo.columbia.edu/outreach/education/enso/ "Sure has been a warm winter," or "It's kind of been a cool spring, don't you think?" is the kind of weather-related smalltalk humans have grown to love. But with these anecdotal statements comes science and the ENSO Web site is just the place to go to better understand the El NiÒo-Southern Oscillation, or ENSO. As the site states in The Simple Picture section, ENSO "is a system of interactions between the equatorial Pacific Ocean and the atmosphere above it...El NiÒo is when the equatorial Pacific is warmer than average, and La NiÒa is when it is cooler than average." This site, part of the International Research Institute for Climate Prediction is located at the Lamont-Doherty campus of Columbia University, provides a lot of great information for the curious climate enthusiast, educators searching for reliable teaching information, or students researching climate-related information. [JPM] Boston University: Climate and Vegetation Research Group [pdf] Hosted by Boston University, this website presents Geography Professor Ranga B. Myneniís Climate and Vegetation Research Group. The website links to publications about various research projects in the areas of Climate and Vegetation, and Remote Sensing of Vegetation. Some of the Groupís specific research areas include Terrestrial Carbon Cycle, Global Vegetation Mapping, Clouds & Atmospheric Radiation, Modeling, and more. The site also offers downloadable files for many research publications from 1997 to the present. In addition, the site provides a page of related links as well as information about Research Group members, grants, resources, and MODIS and MISR research. [NL] Development Gateway: Climate Change [pdf] http://www.developmentgateway.org/node/130685/special/climate-change/? One of the primary goals of the Millennium Development plan articulated by the United Nations is climate change "to ensure environmental sustainability as a poverty reduction measure." To that end the Development Gateway website has set up this special set of webpages dedicated to exploring this pressing issue. The site contains material on global efforts to forge international cooperation in governance, donor aid, and policy implementation aimed at reducing the impact of climate change in the developing world. Topically, the site is divided into a number of specific content areas, such as urban development, water resource management, and business environment. Visitors can also peruse materials created in preparation for World Environment Day 2004, which was held in June 2004 in Barcelona. Finally, visitors with an interest in this topic will want to take a look at the expert perspective provided by Motoharu Yamazaki, who serves as head of the Climate Change Programme in Hungary's Regional Environmental Center. [KMG] Climatepredication.net "The climateprediction.net experiment should help to 'improve methods to quantify uncertainties of climate projections and scenarios, including long- term ensemble simulations using complex models,' identified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2001 as a high priority." The website presents the objectives, experiments, and the results of the project, managed by the University of Oxford, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, and the Open University. Visitors can learn how to help this project by allowing the organization time on their computers. Teachers and students can find many educational materials including an interactive glossary, climate modeling information, and experiment strategies. [RME] National Academies: The Hydrogen Economy http://www4.nationalacademies.org/news.nsf/isbn/0309091632 This news release from the National Academies reviews findings on the challenges and opportunities for a Hydrogen Economy. According to the report, "A transition to hydrogen as a major fuel in the next 50 years could significantly change the U.S. energy economy, reducing air emissions and expanding domestic energy resources, but technical, economic, and infrastructure barriers need to be overcome." A link to the full report online includes chapters on: A Framework for Thinking About the Hydrogen Economy, The Demand Side: Hydrogen End-Use Technologies, Transportation, Distribution, and Storage of Hydrogen, Supply Chains for Hydrogen and Estimated Costs of Hydrogen Supply, Implications of a Transition to Hydrogen in Vehicles for the U.S. Energy System, Carbon Capture and Storage, Hydrogen Production Technologies, and Crosscutting Issues. The Executive Summary includes some implications for policy. [VF]
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