 |
|
New earth observation centres announced
October 19, 2001Two new centres which will use satellites and models to help forecast earthquakes and the effects of carbon in climate change were announced (Wednesday 17 October) by Lord Sainsbury, Science & Innovation Minister.
Said Lord Sainsbury, " I am delighted to announce that the Natural Environment Research Council is establishing two new Centres of Excellence, specialising in earth observation. The Centre for Terrestrial Carbon Dynamics brings together a variety of experts who will harness information from space to achieve greater understanding of the Earth's carbon cycle. The centre will make a powerful contribution to understanding global warming brought about by greenhouse gases. Secondly, the Centre for Observation and Modelling of Earthquakes and Tectonics will use new satellite techniques to measure and predict movements in the Earth's crust. It will provide an invaluable service to help prevent loss of life in disasters brought about by tectonic activity."
About £4 million is being invested in these two Centres of Excellence. The carbon centre will be based at the University of Sheffield and the earthquake centre at the University of Oxford.
The Directors of the two new centres welcomed the announcement.
"Major earthquakes, like the one in India earlier this year, focus attention on the very high death tolls around cities and other densely populated areas in seismically active regions of the world... There is an urgent need to understand the physical changes in continents so that we are better able to assess the future risk of earthquakes in these areas," said Dr Barry Parsons, Director of the Centre for Observation and Modelling of Earthquakes and Tectonics (COMET).
Researchers at COMET will combine satellite radar images, measurements of earth movement from the GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites and physical models of earthquakes. Together they will provide comprehensive observations over long periods of time to determine the small rates of motion in the Earth's crust and to detect any possible patterns in the amount of strain upon the crust. The scientists will be searching for solutions to problems such as why a fault develops in the first place and what controls its growth.
Professor Shaun Quegan, Director of the Centre for Terrestrial Carbon Dynamics, is very pleased that efforts are being concentrated on the fundamental science underlying global warming brought about by greenhouse gases.
" The uncertainties in how terrestrial systems affect the overall carbon balance created many of the difficulties in accepting the Kyoto protocol," he said. "We know that vegetation can contribute to absorbing human carbon dioxide emissions. What we don't know is how, when or if vegetation and soil become sources of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere and actually enhance the greenhouse effect. This new centre will provide a fundamental attack on these uncertainties and will find ways to reduce them."
Professor Quegan and his colleagues are aiming to provide an understanding of the effects of changing land use, fire and the extent and quantity of vegetation on the global carbon balance. Trees and other plants are able to absorb more carbon dioxide in a warmer climate. Any significant reduction in plant numbers will have unwanted impacts. Forest fires, for example, contribute to an increase in carbon levels in the atmosphere by producing carbon dioxide while burning.
Using a combination of ecological models, advanced earth observation measurements and statistical techniques, the team expect to help inform the scientific debate on climate change and reduce some of the speculation relating to the Kyoto protocol.
-ENDS-
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
Earthquake News and Current Earthquake Events RSSSevere, acute maternal stress linked to the development of schizophrenia
Pregnant women who endure the psychological stress of being in a war zone are more likely to give birth to a child who develops schizophrenia.
Durham scientist explores Sichuan fault
Durham University expert, Alex Densmore, is to explore the fault lines that caused the May 12th earthquake in China that killed 69,000 people.
Hebrew U. archaeological excavations uncover Roman temple in Zippori (Sepphoris)
Ruins of a Roman temple from the second century CE have recently been unearthed in the Zippori National Park in Israel. Above the temple are foundations of a church from the Byzantine period. The excavations, which were undertaken by the Noam Shudofsky Zippori Expedition led by of Prof. Zeev Weiss of the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, shed light on the multi-cultural society of ancient Zippori.
Region hit hard by 1993 floods showed economic resiliency, study indicates
With the first wave of clean-up efforts behind them, residents of communities affected by this year's Midwest floods may find hope in a University of Illinois study on the economic impact of the 1993 flood that devastated much of the same region.
Chinese earthquake provides lessons for future
The May 12 Sichuan earthquake in China was unexpectedly large. Analysis of the area, however, now shows that topographic characteristics of the highly mountainous area identified the mountain range as active and could have pointed to the earthquake hazard. Topographic analysis can help evaluate other, similar fault areas for seismic risk, according to geologists from Penn State and Arizona State University.
Researchers distinguish waves from mine collapses from other seismic activities
Researchers have devised a technology that can distinguish mine collapses from other seismic activity.
NJIT architect professor advocates best-building practices for high wind regions
More than ever before, building design and construction can be significantly improved to reduce wind pressures on building surfaces and to help better resist high winds and hurricanes in residential or commercial construction, said NJIT architecture professor Rima Taher, PhD.
A world novelty for an improved tsunami early warning
After completing their simulation component in the German-Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System (GITEWS), the team for tsunami modelling of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association has presented the currently leading software system for tsunami events with the potential for catastrophe.
A stress meter for fault zones
For the first time, scientists from Rice University, the Carnegie Institution of Washington, and the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have measured - in the field rather than in the laboratory - how changes in stress in rocks affect changes in the speed of seismic waves at depths where earthquakes begin.
Geologists study China earthquake for glimpse into future
The May 12 earthquake that rocked Sichuan Province in China was the first there in recorded history and unexpected in its magnitude. Now a team of geoscientists is looking at the potential for future earthquakes due to earthquake-induced changes in stress.
More Earthquake News Articles
 | The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why by Amanda Ripley It lurks in the corner of our imagination, almost beyond our ability to see it: the possibility that a tear in the fabric of life could open up without warning, upending a house, a skyscraper, or a civilization. Today, nine out of ten Americans live in places at significant risk of earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, terrorism, or other disasters. Tomorrow, some of us will have to make... |
 | Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner Jennifer Weiner, whose novels Good in Bed and In Her Shoes earned her a place among women's book club aficionados everywhere, proves she still has the touch with Little Earthquakes, a tale of love, heartbreak, redemption, and friendship. Weiner's novel centers around four new mothers, all of whom must learn to adjust their lives and their marriages to deal with the challenges of raising children.... |
 | Earthquake in the Early Morning (Magic Tree House #24) (A Stepping Stone Book(TM)) by Mary Pope Osborne The year is 1906, the place is San Francisco. Annie and her brother, Jack, have just traveled here in their magic tree house, on a mission from Morgan le Fay, the mysterious magical librarian from King Arthur's time. In an effort to save Camelot, the children have already found three special kinds of writing for Morgan's library: something to follow (Civil War on Sunday), something to send... |
 | Amazing Grace by Danielle Steel On a warm May night in San Francisco, the Ritz-Carlton ballroom shimmers with crystal and silver as a glittering, celebrity-studded crowd gathers for a charity dinner dance. The evening is perfect–until, just minutes before midnight, the room begins to sway. Glass shatters. And as the lights go out, people begin to scream….In the earthquake’s aftermath, the lives of four... |
 | Dynamics of Structures (3rd Edition) (Prentice-Hall International Series in Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics) by Anil K Chopra Designed for senior-level and graduate courses in Dynamics of Structures and Earthquake Engineering. The text includes many topics encompassing the theory of structural dynamics and the application of this theory regarding earthquake analysis, response, and design of structures. No prior knowledge of structural dynamics is assumed and the manner of presentation is sufficiently detailed and... |
 | A Crack in the Edge of the World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906 by Simon Winchester Geologically speaking, 1906 was a violent year: powerful, destructive earthquakes shook the ground from Taiwan to South America, while in Italy, Mount Vesuvius erupted. And in San Francisco, a large earthquake occurred just after five in the morning on April 18--and that was just the beginning. The quake caused a conflagration that raged for the next three days, destroying much of the American... |
 | Nature in a Nutshell for Kids: Over 100 Activities You Can Do in Ten Minutes or Less by Jean Potter Make bubbles that bounce! Stir up a tornado in a jar! Make elastic from a dandelion! Predict weather from cloud formations! Discover the beauty and wonder of nature all year round with these quick, easy experiments and activities from Jean Potter. You can complete each activity in ten fun-filled minutes or less, and the clear step-by-step instructions and illustrations help you get it right every... |
 | Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883 (P.S.) by Simon Winchester It may seem a stretch to connect a volcanic eruption with civil and religious unrest in Indonesia today, but Simon Winchester makes a compelling case. Krakatoa tells the frightening tale of the biggest volcanic eruption in history using a blend of gentle geology and narrative history. Krakatoa erupted at a time when technologies like the telegraph were becoming commonplace and Asian trade... |
 | The House of Power (Atherton, Book 1) by Patrick Carman Edgar, a gifted climber, secretly scales the treacherous walls separating the three worlds of Atherton: the humble grove that is his home...a mysterious highland realm of untold beauty and sinister secrets ...and a vast wasteland below, where a monstrous danger lurks that could destroy them all. While searching the forbidden cliffs for a treasure lost in his faded memory, Edgar discovers the... |
 | The Doors of the Sea: Where Was God in the Tsunami? by David Bentley Hart As news reports of the horrific tsunami in Asia reached the rest of the world, commentators were quick to seize upon the disaster as proof either of God's power or of God's nonexistence. Expanding on his short piece in the Wall Street Journal, "Tremors of Doubt," David Bentley Hart clarifies the biblical account of God's goodness, the nature of evil, and the shape of redemption. Hart incisively... |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |