 |
|
Flowerpots go overboard for climate change
August 23, 2004And win Chris Watson from Tasmania, Young Scientist of the Year and a UK visit, courtesy of the British Council.
TWO plastic flowerpots trailing behind a fishing boat in Bass Strait are playing a crucial role in measuring climate change.
"Sealed inside the flowerpots are sophisticated devices that are part of an international effort to ensure accurate measurements of global sea level change," said Chris Watson, a scientist from the University of Tasmania and CSIRO Marine Research team.
The flowerpot buoys - affectionately known as B1 and B2 - have been deployed under the flight path of two satellites, TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason-1. The satellites continuously measure ocean height as they orbit high above the Earth.
Dr John Church, from CSIRO Marine Research and a lead author on the report on sea-level rise for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said the satellites have revolutionised the way we observe the oceans and monitor sea level change.
"Keeping the satellites in check is a top priority for climate change research," Dr Church said. "By comparing the sea level measured from the buoys with the sea level measured from satellites, our team can check the accuracy and stability of the satellite system."
Data from the instruments inside the flowerpots is used to calculate the location and height of each buoy every second. "Our system is accurate to about the diameter of a 10 cent piece - some 20 kilometres out to sea," Mr Watson comments.
The $20 flowerpots make an unlikely match for the sophisticated $40,000 Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers sealed inside. "The flowerpots were a perfect fit for our satellite antennae," says Mr Watson. "They're tough enough to withstand Bass Strait and don't get sea-sick like their operators."
By comparing the Bass Strait results with those from Northern Hemisphere sites in the Mediterranean Sea and near California, the scientists have uncovered small discrepancies in the orbit of the satellites.
Chris Watson's news story about his work has won him the 2004 Young Scientist of the Year award.
As part of his prize Chris will work as a journalist with The Australian and one of News Limited's London newspapers.
Read more of his story online at www.scienceinpublic.com
Science in Public
The flowerpot buoys - affectionately known as B1 and B2 - have been deployed under the flight path of two satellites, TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason-1. The satellites continuously measure ocean height as they orbit high above the Earth.
Dr John Church, from CSIRO Marine Research and a lead author on the report on sea-level rise for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said the satellites have revolutionised the way we observe the oceans and monitor sea level change.
"Keeping the satellites in check is a top priority for climate change research," Dr Church said. "By comparing the sea level measured from the buoys with the sea level measured from satellites, our team can check the accuracy and stability of the satellite system."
Data from the instruments inside the flowerpots is used to calculate the location and height of each buoy every second. "Our system is accurate to about the diameter of a 10 cent piece - some 20 kilometres out to sea," Mr Watson comments.
The $20 flowerpots make an unlikely match for the sophisticated $40,000 Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers sealed inside. "The flowerpots were a perfect fit for our satellite antennae," says Mr Watson. "They're tough enough to withstand Bass Strait and don't get sea-sick like their operators."
By comparing the Bass Strait results with those from Northern Hemisphere sites in the Mediterranean Sea and near California, the scientists have uncovered small discrepancies in the orbit of the satellites.
Chris Watson's news story about his work has won him the 2004 Young Scientist of the Year award.
As part of his prize Chris will work as a journalist with The Australian and one of News Limited's London newspapers.
Read more of his story online at www.scienceinpublic.com
Science in Public
Science Research Departments
Earth Science
Alternative Energy | Anthropology and Archaeology | Earthquakes and Volcanoes | Environment and Nature News | Global Warming | High-Energy and Particle Physics | Ozone Hole | Scientists Slow Light | Tsunami
Space Science
Astronomy and Space News | Black Holes | Chandra X-Ray Observatory | Extrasolar Planets | Hubble Telescope | International Space Station | Jupiter Galileo Mission | Jupiter Cassini Mission Flyby | Mars Exploration | Mars Odyssey 2001 | Mars Global Surveyor | Mars Polar Lander | Mars Climate Orbiter | Mars Pathfinder | Meteors and Asteroids | Mir Space Station | NEAR Asteroid Probe Mission | Pluto Planet Debate | Search for Extraterrestrial Life | Space Shuttle Program | Space Shuttle Mission: STS-102 | Space Weather
Life Science
Animal News | Biotechnology and Genetics | Brain Research | Human Cloning | Dinosaur and Fossil Discoveries | Endangered Species | Gene Therapy | Genetically Modified Food | Stem Cell Research | Whales and Whaling
 | The Everything Kids' Science Experiments Book: Boil Ice, Float Water, Measure Gravity-Challenge the World Around You! (Everything Kids Series) by Tom Robinson Science has never been so easy - or so much fun! With The Everything Kids' Science Experiments Book, all you need to do is gather a few household items and you can recreate dozens of mind-blowing, kid-tested science experiments. High school science teach Tom Robinson shows you how to expand your scientific horizons - from biology to chemistry to physics to outer space. You'll discover... |
 | Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting by Fil Hunter, Steven Biver, Paul Fuqua An amazing (and some would say magical) resource on photographic lighting that has been talked about in the community and recommended for years. This highly respected guide has been thoroughly updated and revised for content and design - it is now produced in full color! It introduces a logical theory of photographic lighting so if you are starting out in photography you will learn how to... |
 | Principles of Environmental Science by William Cunningham, Mary Ann Cunningham Rather than the 25 to 30 chapters found in most environmental science textbooks, the authors have limited Principles of Environmental Science: Inquiry and Applications to 15 chapters--perfect for the one-semester, non-majors environmental science course. True to its title, the goal of this concise text is to provide an up-to-date, introductory view of essential themes in environmental science... |
 | The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2008 (The Best American Series) "The articles . . . draw the reader more tightly into the web of the world. They forge links in unexpected ways. They connect us to nature and to each other, and those connections nourish the intellect and uplift the spirit."—Jerome Groopman, M.D., editorThis year's Best American Science and Nature Writing offers another rich assortment of "fascinating science and impressive journalism" (New... |
 | On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen by Harold McGee Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking is a kitchen classic. Hailed by Time magazine as "a minor masterpiece" when it first appeared in 1984, On Food and Cooking is the bible to which food lovers and professional chefs worldwide turn for an understanding of where our foods come from, what exactly they're made of, and how cooking transforms them into something new and delicious. Now, for its... |
 | Science Fair by Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson Grdankl the Strong, president of Kprshtskan, is plotting to take over the American government. His plan is to infiltrate the science fair at Hubble Middle School, located in a Maryland suburb just outside Washington. The rich kids at Hubble cheat by buying their projects every year, and Grdankl's cronies should have no problem selling them his government-corrupting software. But this year, Toby... |
 | Influence: Science and Practice (5th Edition) by Robert B. Cialdini Influence: Science and Practiceis an examination of the psychology of compliance (i.e. uncovering which factors cause a person to say "yes" to another's request). Written in a narrative style combined with scholarly research, Cialdini combines evidence from experimental work with the techniques and strategies he gathered while working as a salesperson, fundraiser, advertiser, and in other... |
 | Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences by Frederick J Gravetter, Larry B. Wallnau By far the best-selling introduction to statistics for users in the behavioral and social sciences, this book continues to offer straightforward instruction, accuracy, built-in learning aids, and real-world examples. The goal of STATISTICS FOR THE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES, 8th Edition is to not only teach the methods of statistics, but also to convey the basic principles of objectivity and logic that... |
 | The Science of Psychology: An Appreciative View by Laura King Why Things Go Right. The Science of Psychology: An Appreciative View by Laura King (University of Missouri at Columbia) is the first text to bring a truly appreciative view of psychology-as a science and for exploring behavior-to introductory students. It is built around the idea that students must study the discipline of psychology as a whole, that the sub-disciplines are intricately connected,... |
 | The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles A simple way to create wealth and happiness in your... |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |