 |
|
Scientists find formula to uncover our planet's past and help predict its future
May 27, 2009Studies of climate evolution and the ecology of past-times are often hampered by lost information - lost variables needed to complete the picture have been long thought untraceable but scientists have created a formula which will fill in the gaps of our knowledge and will help predict the future.
A novel method of reconstructing missing data will shed new light on how and why our climate moved us on from ice ages to warmer periods as researchers will be able to calculate lost information and put together a more complete picture.
Similarly they will be able to tackle ecological studies that are currently incomplete or distorted. Why do populations of animals like rabbits and foxes fluctuate so dramatically? Which factors most heavily influence population decline and, eventually, lead to extinction?
Published in the June issue of New Journal of Physics (co-owned by the Institute of Physics and German Physical Society) the paper 'Recovering "lost" information in the presence of noise: Application to rodent-predator dynamics' offers a solution to the problem of reconstructing missing or lost information in studies of dynamical systems such as the Earth's climate or animal populations.
It could potentially uncover new findings on topical scientific issues such as climate change and the extreme population fluctuations in some animal species.
By developing a novel Hamiltonian approach to the problem, using a mathematical algorithm, assuming the dynamics of each system has unknown parameters and that the data are distorted by random fluctuations, the researchers from California and Lancaster were able to successfully recreate measurements in a study on a vole-mustelid community.
Many small mammalian species have cyclic population dynamics, periodically oscillating between large and small communities, a behavioral phenomenon which has puzzled ecologists for decades. Reconstructed data on such predator-prey dynamics could now give new insight into why some species suddenly decline.
Climate evolution is subject to similar cyclical variations, which could be uncovered by applying the method to measuring the distribution of isotopes in sediments taken from the ocean floor, potentially giving further insight into the reasons behind climate change.
As the researchers write, "The method will also be applicable quite generally to cases where some state variables could not be recorded." These could include, not only climate change and ecology, but also contexts such as populations at risk from epidemics and rocket motors for new space crew exploration vehicles.
Institute of Physics
Published in the June issue of New Journal of Physics (co-owned by the Institute of Physics and German Physical Society) the paper 'Recovering "lost" information in the presence of noise: Application to rodent-predator dynamics' offers a solution to the problem of reconstructing missing or lost information in studies of dynamical systems such as the Earth's climate or animal populations.
It could potentially uncover new findings on topical scientific issues such as climate change and the extreme population fluctuations in some animal species.
By developing a novel Hamiltonian approach to the problem, using a mathematical algorithm, assuming the dynamics of each system has unknown parameters and that the data are distorted by random fluctuations, the researchers from California and Lancaster were able to successfully recreate measurements in a study on a vole-mustelid community.
Many small mammalian species have cyclic population dynamics, periodically oscillating between large and small communities, a behavioral phenomenon which has puzzled ecologists for decades. Reconstructed data on such predator-prey dynamics could now give new insight into why some species suddenly decline.
Climate evolution is subject to similar cyclical variations, which could be uncovered by applying the method to measuring the distribution of isotopes in sediments taken from the ocean floor, potentially giving further insight into the reasons behind climate change.
As the researchers write, "The method will also be applicable quite generally to cases where some state variables could not be recorded." These could include, not only climate change and ecology, but also contexts such as populations at risk from epidemics and rocket motors for new space crew exploration vehicles.
Institute of Physics
Basque Country University researchers publish two articles in Nature on latest discoveries on Venus
Nature journal has published a series of articles devoted to the new discoveries by the European Space Agency's (ESA) Venus Express space probe made on our neighbouring planet.
Mars Express mission extended
ESA's Mars Express mission has been extended by one Martian year, or about 23 months, from the beginning of December 2005.
Antarctica and climate change - representatives of 32 nations decide on research focus programmes for the exploration of Antarctica
Antarctica and climate change - representatives of 32 nations decide on research focus programmes for the exploration of Antarctica
More Climate Evolution Current Events and Climate Evolution News Articles
 |
The Ascent of Mind: Ice Age Climates and the Evolution of Intelligence by William Calvin (Author) Daniel C. Dennet’s description of this scientist’s travelogue: “How did the mind evolve? It takes a scientist of extraordinary breadth who is also a master storyteller to sketch the boundaries of this mega-narrative, and William Calvin has once again given us a feast of new perspectives, enriching the vision of our future as much as our past.” |
 |
The Evolution of the Oil Industry Experience the American Journey through our country's visual heritage in this historical recording provided by the National Archives of the United States.From the U.S. Bureau of Mines.This historical recording from the National Archives may contain variations in audio and video quality based on the limitations of the original source material.The content summary for this DVD is adapted from an historical description provided by the government agency or donor at the time of production release. This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply. |
 |
Antarctic Climate Evolution, Volume 8 (Developments in Earth and Environmental Sciences) by Fabio Florindo (Editor), Martin Siegert (Editor) This is the first book dedicated to the developing knowledge on how the world's largest ice sheet formed and changed over its 34 million years history. In explaining the story of Antartica, information on terrestrial and marine geology, sedimentology, glacier geophysics (including airborne reconnaissance), shipborne geophysics, and numerical ice sheet and climate modelling, will be interwoven within eleven chapters, each deling with an important historical theme. The approach will be to first 'set the scene', involving chapters dedicated to how ice sheets and their glacial history can be measured. This opening section will provide information necessary to comprehend the latter section of the book, in which five chapters will related the glacial and climate evolution of Antartica during... |
 |
Landscape Evolution: Denudation, Climate and Tectonics over Different Time and Space Scales - Special Publication no 296 by K. Gallagher (Author), K. Gallagher (Editor), S. J. Jones (Editor), J. Wainwright (Editor) The morphology of Earth's surface reflects the interaction of climate, tectonics and denudational processes operating over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. These processes can be considered catastrophic or continuous; depending on the timescale of observation or interest. Recent research had required integration of historically distinct subjects such as geomorphology, sedimentology, climatology and tectonics. Together, these have provided new insights into absolute and relative rates of denudation, and the factors that control the many dynamic processes involved. Specific subject areas covered are sediment transport processes and the timescales of competing processes, the role of the geological record and landscapes in constraining different processes, the nature of landscape... |
 |
Global Warming and Global Cooling, Volume 5: Evolution of Climate on Earth (Developments in Earth and Environmental Sciences) by O.G. Sorokhtin (Author), Leonid F. Khilyuk Ph.D. Ph.D. (Author), G.V. Chilingarian (Author) The theory of the Earth's climate evolution based on universal chemical-physical laws of matter-energy transformation is presented in the book. It shows how the process of Earth's core separation has led to formation and evolution of the hydrosphere and atmosphere. Having analyzed the processes of heat transfer in the atmosphere, the writers developed the adiabatic theory of the greenhouse effect, which was applied for analysis of climatic changes on the Earth. The influence of changes in climate on formation of mineral deposits and development of life on Earth was considered and presented based on modeling of typical climatic regimes. It shows that the anthropogenic effect on the Earth's global temperature is negligible in comparison with the effect of global forces of nature. ... |
|
The Evolution of Climate by C. E. P. Brooks [Charles Ernest Pelham Brooks] (Author) Discussion of climatology, with emphasis on glacial eras (Ice Age). | |
 |
Crisis as Opportunity: Living Better on a Hotter Planet Dr. Elisabet Sahtouris, internationally acclaimed evolution biologist, futurist, speaker and author, introduces her Sound and Slide Show on Crisis as Opportunity: Living Better on a Hotter Planet. This show may be viewed on Macs and PCs or shown to audiences by digital projection. Additional Feature: a 30 minute video Interview. Dr. Sahtouris sees globalization as a natural evolutionary process in forming global family and the oncoming Hot Age as our greatest opportunity for living better cooperatively. She is author of EarthDance: Living Systems in Evolution. |
|
Some Remarks upon Matthew's "Climate and Evolution." With Supplemental Note by W. D. Matthew. b | |
![Analysis of late Palaeozoic glacial to postglacial sedimentary successions in South Africa by geochemical proxies - Response to climate evolution and sedimentary ... Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/516708A3WQL._SL160_.jpg) |
Analysis of late Palaeozoic glacial to postglacial sedimentary successions in South Africa by geochemical proxies - Response to climate evolution and sedimentary ... Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology] by K. Scheffler (Author), D. Buehmann (Author), L. Schwark (Author) This digital document is a journal article from Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, published by Elsevier in 2006. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Description: Records of incisive climate changes during the late Palaeozoic Era are best documented in sedimentary basins of South Africa. Glacial (Upper Carboniferous-Early Permian Dwyka Group and equivalents) and postglacial deposits (Early to Middle Permian Ecca and Beaufort Groups) are known from the Main Karoo Basin in South Africa, from the Kalahari Basin (Namibia and Botswana) and other late Palaeozoic Basins of south Gondwana. Glacial deposits comprise diamictites and tillites followed by... |
 |
Ice Age: Only the Bible Explains It How many ice ages have there been in earth's history? When was the last one? How does an ice age start? How did the global flood of Noah's day contribute to the Ice Age? These and many other questions are addressed in this enlightening DVD. Meteorologist Michael Oard examines the physical evidence, scrutinizes the secular theories, and shows that only the Bible sufficiently explains the mechanism necessary to produce and sustain the Ice Age. |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |