New blog: Cr!key Creek

Daniel Collins is now blogging at Cr!key Creek.

The sun sets on Down to Earth

I started Down to Earth back in May 2006 hoping I could improve environmental literacy. I think I achieved that goal. For example, one frequent commenter on similar blogs cited my post about media coverage of the potential climate change-hurricane link. However, based on all the scant evidence I have accrued thus far, the benefits of my blogging have been outweighed by the costs.

Blogging is a huge commitment. I have to think of what to write, write it, attend to email, monitor visits to the blog, follow other blogging activity, and maintain a presence in the blogging community. Even the bare bones blogging takes a lot of effort, and it doesn’t come naturally to me (I prefer other forms of educational outreach). Maybe things would be better if somehow Down to Earth became a hit, but it hasn’t.

While I have an important and uncommon blogging beat (water), I think I will serve humanity all the more for stopping blogging. Time would be better spent at this stage using my expertise and energy to solve problems directly on the ground, or to create new knowledge necessary to do so. What roles do different ecosystems and land uses play in providing ample and usable water? How do land use changes affect eutrophication? Can this knowledge be used to help developed nations control water quality problems, and allow developing nations to leapfrog our mistakes? And so on. It’s a long list – at the interface of ecology and hydrology.

All the resources that I’ve built up will remain. Some posts, in my opinion, are top notch – at least for freely available information. Here are my favourites:

Hydraulic redistribution
The curse of the One Rabbit: Tree rings corroborate Aztec folklore
Drought and pinyon pine populations
Insufficient water to meet needs
Reporting on hurricane-climate change connections
Protecting Oman's water resources heritage
Reading weeds
Afforestation erodes Japanese chopsticks

The comments will remain active for a short while, but in time commenting will be disabled, and my email will be removed. It probably won’t be too hard to track me down if so desired.

I may resume blogging in the future, if the conditions are right. I have learned many things while blogging these past months, and one of them is that blogging can be a potent scientific and educational tool. But it is now time to learn other things, and to solve other problems. Down to Earth has run its course, and so I leave you with one last stanza.

From cool springs seeping
To creeping golden shores
Does the river run.

Owens Valley gets it water back

Nearly a century ago, William Mulholland, then Los Angeles's water engineer, diverted water from Owens Valley to L.A., leaving a lot of people very angry. Roman Polanski turned the saga into a 1974 film, Chinatown, starring Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, and John Huston, which I highly recommend. A 1986 book by Marc Reisner, Cadillac Desert, covers land development and water resources in the U.S. West more broadly - also a good read.

But now, L.A. is returning Owens Valley's water. Listen and read the NPR coverage, then go rent Chinatown.

Carbon-negative biofuels

The graphic of this week's Science comes from a report by David Tilman, Jason Hill, and Clarence Lehman at the University of Minnesota entitled Carbon-Negative Biofuels from Low-Input High-Diversity Grassland Biomass. NPR covers the research with both text and audio.

"Biofuels derived from low-input high-diversity (LIHD) mixtures of native grassland perennials can provide more usable energy, greater greenhouse gas reductions, and less agrichemical pollution per hectare than can corn grain ethanol or soybean biodiesel. ... LIHD biofuels are carbon negative because net ecosystem carbon dioxide sequestration ... exceeds fossil carbon dioxide release during biofuel production ... . Moreover, LIHD biofuels can be produced on agriculturally degraded lands and thus need to neither displace food production nor cause loss of biodiversity via habitat destruction."

Philosophia Naturalis #4

Welcome to Philosophia Naturalis #4, a compilation of outstanding blogging on physical sciences and technology over the last month. Check out the carnival homepage to learn more and submit to up-coming carnivals, so you, too, can experience the centripetal acceleration, er... , be part of the physical revolution.

Here’s what we’ve got for you today...

Tech-Heavy Science

Chris Rowan, of Highly Allochthonous (and the next host of Philosophia Naturalis), highlights the use of nukes to study seismology.

At Geek Counterpoint we read about engineering design and failure rates in the context of NASA missions.

And if you approach Clifford Johnson, at Asymptotia, he’ll tell you about the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), which has high hopes of energy in the future.

Cosmoslogy

Charles Daney at Science and Reason (and the brain behind Philosophia Naturalis) removes a small thorn in the side of Big Bang Theory.

At Cosmic Variance, Sean Carroll explains how the recent discovery of 21 super-novae has helped understanding dark energy.

Meanwhile, Phil Plait, the host of the Bad Astronomy Blog (nominee of a science blog award), writes about NGC 1316, an elliptical galaxy on a collision course with…, well, read it.

Across Disciplines

Moving from big to small, Chad Orzel at Uncertain Principles highlights the incorporation of General Relativity into the study of protein folding.

And at Shtetl-Optimized, Scott Aaronson recalls what the major contributions of theoretical computer science in the last 30 years have been.

The Human Element

Moving to a lighter note, but one no less important, relax in the Lounge of the Lab Lemming with a phase diagram of pie crust pastry.

Last, but certainly not least, Sabine Hossenfelder at Backreaction discusses why we find images aesthetically pleasing.

But Wait, There’s More!

For the next edition of Philosophia Naturalis, and to submit and suggest posts of your own, pay a visit to Chris Rowan at Highly Allochthonous.

The Tangled Bank Survey #68: The Voyage of Discovery

In the spirit of the original Tangled Bank Survey, here is a review of the most recent science blogging.

1831 December 27- Navigating Scientific Uncertainty

We left Plymouth harbour this morning. As ship commander I made sure we had the most advanced nautical devices to date, to navigate uncertain seas. No messing about with Greek calculators [Salto Sobrius] for us. It was also crucial to understand the uncertainties of the weather [Backseat Driving], as well as risks to our personal health while at sea (to this end I commanded every sailor to have a talk with a health insurance specialist [RDoctor Medical Portal] prior to departure.)

1832 February 28 - South American Beauties

The assortment of life Darwin discovered upon reaching South America was dazzling: a false crocus geometer, a yellow-spotted salamander, a pallid bat, and a tiger moth [Living the Scientific Life]. They certainly inspired the imagination about how life forms, or biomorphs [Science Notes], come about.

1834 June 10 - A Closer Look

Today we passed through the Magdalen Channel into the Pacific Ocean. Darwin has been busy with his microscope, examining hard boiled eggs preserved in volcanic ash [Living the Scientific Life], and crawling cells [The Daily Transcript].

Mr. Darwin imagined a time when he could see the very structure of life itself, which is most assuredly complex [Genetics and Health], but which could offer a great depiction of the branching of life forms [Living the Scientific Life]. He hoped also to see how the action of Really Neat Advanced ideas (RNAi) could benefit human health []Living the Scientific Life], or to see how proteins are synthesised [BoingBoing].

1835 September 15 - To Live Forever or Die Trying

Once at the Galapagos archipelago, Mr Darwin collected a number of specimens. The tortoise he collected seemed of such age, that it prompted much contemplation of strivings to remain alive for a good many years. I could certainly do with finding the Fountain of Youth. I’m not getting any younger, you know.

Thoughts on the matter included cellular senescence [Ouroboros], supplemental melatonin [Ouroboros], and even engineering analysis [Fight Aging]. After a chat about life-extension in general [Pimm – Partial Immortalization] with one of the crewmen taking a leave from Cambridge University, it was refreshing to realise differences in opinion among researchers in the field have been progressively eliminated over time [Fight Aging].

An alternative approach to immortality would be to ask an esteemed novelist to immortalise oneself in a book or play - there are certainly too few scientists as characters in entertainment these days [Eastern Blot]. However, it is heartening to know of scientists, one phychologist in particular, who offer advice to playwrites [RDoctor Medical Portal].

1835 December 21 - Greener Pastures

H.M.S. Tangled Bank arrived at New Zealand, and anchored at a place called the Bay of Islands. The bright red flowers of the pohutukawa [Down to Earth] tree were a delight. The landscape has a very English feel to it, a fine opportunity for grazing cattle and sheep. I imagine the ingenious locals, with the no. 8 wire, could even develop some way of tapping the energy of cow manure [Science Sketches].

1836 January 12 - Australian Dreamtime

We anchored at Sydney Cove, and went to shore for a fine turkey meal. After dinner we wandered Sydney’s alleys, discussing how hunting or changing habitat have affected turkey population dynamics [Thoughts From Kansas].

That night, we all slept well. I think it had something to do with the turkey. I learned later Darwin dreamed that his ideas about the diversity of life were proven wrong by a rabbit [Talking Squid]. I assured him it was merely a dream, or that he was in some sort of trance where people’s brains operate differently [Scientia Natura]. I suggested he try some mental exercises [SharpBrains] to recover his intellectual prowess.

1836 May 31 - Stowaways Discovered

Upon arrival at the Southern tip of Africa we noticed a great scurrying of rats off the ship. We wondered if they smelt some more appetising food ashore. They certainly have powerful senses of smell, so powerful, we thought, that the rats could be used to detect explosives in fields [Walking the Berkshires].

And while wandering around Cape Town, Mr. Darwin noticed a group of people arguing over some trees [Invasive Species Weblog]. Some people wanted the trees to stay, others wanted them gone. It seemed to Darwin that such an argument, if not based on facts, would just alienate people from one another.

1836 August 21 - Are We There Yet?

The seas were rough these past few days as we crossed the equator. The vigourous rocking back and forth made poor Mr. Darwin ill. During a serious bout of sickness he joked he would have to adapt to these cyclic environmental stimuli [A Blog Around the Clock] or perish. Later that night I heard him repeatedly chanting “om” to calm his nerves. Or was it “ome”? [A Blog Around the Clock]

When both seas and stomachs became calm again, there was a general thirst for land once more - to have a pint of beer and see friendly, pretty faces [The Skwib]. This aroused my attention, but I’m told women are aroused just as quickly [Science and Reason], nudge nudge, wink wink, know what I mean, know what I mean, say no more, say no more! A nod's as good as a wink to a blind bat!

Mr. Darwin, meanwhile, was contemplating his next challenge: how to explain his new theory of life’s diversity in the classroom [The Voltage Gate].

1836 October 2 - Epilogue

Today we reached our final destination. With the 68th voyage of the H.M.S. Tangled Bank now complete, be sure to board the ship again in a fortnight, with Captain Martin Rundkvist of Salto Sobrius at the helm. Submit proposals for scientific studies via The Tangled Bank shipyards.

Pohutukawa

Pohutukawa or New Zealand Christmas Tree (Metrosideros excelsa). Pohutukawa is the more common name (which is pretty typical for NZ plants and animals), a Maori word for "drenched in mist." The trees are native to coastal regions of the North Island, New Zealand, producing iconic red flowers at the end of December. They are a favourite food of the common bushtail possum – perhaps NZ’s most despised pest. In the tree’s shade are another iconic image of NZ – sheep. Photo © 2006 Daniel Collins.

Sherwood Boehlert's advice to scientists

Science has an interview with Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY), the outgoing chair of the house Science Committee (retiring from the House after 24 years) and self-proclaimed "cheerleader of science." I have great respect for this guy, and I know many others do too. He became firmly ensconced on my radar when he called Joe Barton's (R-TX) probe of climate change science's "hockey stick" a "misguided and illegitimate investigation."

In the interview, Boehlert offers advice to scientists hoping to get their messages
across:

"you have to prove to me that it has some public benefit besides a bunch of Ph.D.s sitting in a laboratory coming up with something that they can publish that no one can understand."

He wants scientists to do more advocacy, but not where they fundraise for candidates. He’d rather scientists invite their local representatives to their universities to discuss the science and it implications, in an accessible way.

"Why aren’t they visiting candidates and explaining to them, on their home turf at the university in their district, why they should be really interested in their agenda? I tell scientists that their new best friends should be these new congressmen. Don’t just visit them in Washington with a lobbyist. Invite them to come to the university in their district, not to a technical presentation that they probably can’t understand, but to a general discussion of what’s going on and what it means. … I think that the scientific community will be an abject failure if, when these new freshmen start campaigning for reelection, at least a few of them don’t have a science component in their platform."

Nobelity

Science recently reviewed an independent film by actor and filmmaker Turk Pipkin, entitled Nobelity. The film follows nine recent Nobel laureates discussing what they consider the major problems facing humanity as well as possible solutions.

Wangari Maathai (Peace, 2004): persistence, deforestation, and erosion.
Joseph Rotblat (Peace, 1995): clean water.
Amartya Sen (Economics, 1998): hunger, over population, and experiential education.
Richard Smalley (Chemistry, 1996): nuclear disarmament.
Desmond Tutu (Peace, 1984): "The sea is actually made up of drops of water. What you do, where you are, is of significance."
Harold Varmus (Medicine, 1989): disease and health disparities.
Steven Weinberg (Physics, 1979): climate change and global warming - "the burden of proof should be not to prove that it is happening but that it isn't."
Jody Williams (Peace, 1997): land mines.
Ahmed Zewail (Chemistry, 1999): education to build understanding between cultures.

(NB. I wonder if Science got the themes of Rotblat and Smalley round the wrong way.)

The reviewer writes, “the sincerity of the Nobel laureates makes this film a uniquely intimate though sobering effort by these individuals to express themselves outside of research labs or scientific journals.” Proceeds will go to projects working on solutions to humanity’s problems.

Ecological Society of America blog

The Ecological Society of America (ESA) has started a blog: ESA News and Views (plus a new web interface to boot, which looks inspired by standard blog formats). Is this the first professional academic society to start a blog? I don’t know, but I’m sure it will be a model of such ventures. ESA is pretty innovative when it comes to increasing the circulation of knowledge. The blog coordinators invite contributions to supplement their own posts. A recent post wonders how blogging will improve academic publication.

EPA libraries closing

I recently learned some oldish news that EPA libraries are being closed, or their hours reduced, as a cost-cutting measure. Five libraries have already been closed to date, their resources being digitized, dispersed, or disposed of. Unions representing EPA employees have complained that the closings would hamper their work. Senators have questioned the funding cut that prompted the closings, claiming that the libraries more than pay for themselves. House Dems have asked the GAO to examine the library closure plan. And the Union of Concerned Scientists is encouraging action, with more information than you’ll find in any news piece.

Exodus from a floodplain

Hamilton is on the move. A town of roughly 300 people, 80 miles northeast of Seattle, WA, is drawing up plans to move a mile north to escape repeated flooding by the adjacent Skagit River.

The New York Times’s William Yardley describes the situation in the wake of yet more flooding (“After More Than a Century of Soaking, Washington Town Mulls Move to Higher Ground”).

The long history of flooding along the Skagit Valley has instilled residents of Hamilton with a very religious response to such “acts of God.” They roll up their rugs, empty their kitchen cabinets, move good furniture to the second floor, and ascend to higher ground and the shelter of the church on the other side of the highway. Damage over the years has exceeded $10 million.

Now there’s a plan to shift Hamilton’s residents to the other side of the highway on a permanent basis, out of harm’s way. The major hurdle is that people don’t have the money to move. A recent downturn in the local timber industry has led to economic hardship for many residents. A large proportion of Hamilton’s households have been classified as low- to moderate-income (their total income is 80% or less of the median Skagit County income). This has made the low-cost housing in the floodplain particularly attractive.

To solve the financial hurdle, the Hamilton Public Development Authority was created. No one would be forced to relocate, but the development authority would shoulder much of the financial burden of moving the 400 residential homes. An estimated $4 million lies in buying up the new land alone.

Supporters of the move say it would improve the residents’ quality of life, as well as improve habitat for bald eagles and six species of salmon. With warnings of contaminated groundwater following these floods, I expect the move would benefit downstream communities too.

To paint a fuller picture of the town and its woes here are some doctored images from Google Earth and the Washington Military Department Emergency Management Division. The presence of old meander bends is evidence of the valley’s on-going flooding. I’ve highlighted one to help you orient the lower aerial photo. I've also marked what I'm guessing is the boundary of the floodplain, outside of which flood risk is largely eliminated.


Before last week, the last major flood in the valley occured in 2003. Courtesy of the USGS, here's a record of the height of the Skagit River at Concrete, upstream from Hamilton. It looks like the 2003 flood was worse than last week's, but not by much.



I would be keen to know whether forestry operations in the Skagit's catchment have affected flood occurrence in any way. But this wouldn't be as important as the basic question of where to situate your community. If the economics agrees, moving to higher ground looks to be a smart move. I know Stevie agrees.