Spanish Scientists Think They have Found Fuel of the future
Posted: March 31, 2011 Filed under: Alternative Energy, BIODIVERSITY, inventions Leave a comment »
In a forest of tubes eight metres high in eastern Spain scientists hope they have found the fuel of tomorrow: bio-oil produced with algae mixed with carbon dioxide from a factory.Almost 400 of the green tubes, filled with millions of microscopic algae, cover a plain near the city of Alicante, next to a cement works from which the C02 is captured and transported via a pipeline to the “blue petroleum” factory.The project, which is still experimental, has been developed over the past five years by Spanish and French researchers at the small Bio Fuel Systems (BFS) company.
The microalgae reproduces at high speed in the tubes by photosynthesis and from the CO2 released from the cement factory.Every day some of this highly concentrated liquid is extracted and filtered to produce a biomass that is turned into bio-oil.The great advantage of the system is that it is a depollutant — it absorbs the C02 which would otherwise be released into the atmosphere.
Source:AFP
Let’s save water..!!
Posted: March 31, 2011 Filed under: Environment, Reblogged, water Leave a comment »Dear Readers
Found this post and found it interesting.
I am reblogging it to share it with you all.
Enjoy
Rashid
via Window to Nature
Indian Remote Sensing satellites under-utilised: CAG
Posted: March 29, 2011 Filed under: India, Remote Sensing 101, Satellites 1 Comment »Three of the seven remote sensing satellites of India, engaged in collective thematic data used for planning in disaster management and areas like agriculture, have underperformed, according to a report by Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).CAG claimed that satellites were launched without any planning, leading to a lot of wastage. It criticised the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) for not making any assessment of the data needed.
The auditors have recommended that NRSC should increase the price of the data and scrap its outdated policy on the use of the archived data. The report found that the NRSC is still reluctant to sell the out dated data. Several institutions need such material for training purposes. It has also been asked to prepare a marketing policy to sell its products and plan according to the needs of private users so that some returns were ensured.
Seven remote sensing satellites in operation during 2003-08 include: IRS-1C, IRS-P3, IRS 1D, Oceansat 1 P-4, Resourcesat-1-P6, Cartosat 1-P5 and Cartosat-2 P7. Out of these IRS-P3, 1C and P4 remained under utilised by as much as 50 per cent. The financial loss is big considering the fact that more than INR 2,000 crore were spent on these satellites. In its defence, NRSC claimed that P3 was only an experimental satellite while P4 had witnessed “onboard spacecraft power constraints”, a technical defect.
Apart from the government, the remote sensing images are also sold to private entities. But the revenue through these sales was not able to grow as customer base was not expanded. The report claimed that the data was not being sold at international rates.
The seven indigenous satellites were not the only source for data for NRSC, it also relies on foreign satellites like Landsat, NOAA, ERS and Quick Bird of the US, the report observed.
Source(s):
Geospatial World, New Indian Express
Arctic sea ice ties for smallest ever
Posted: March 26, 2011 Filed under: climate change, Global Warming, oceans Leave a comment »
Even at its biggest, Arctic sea ice extent this winter was among the smallest ever seen, apparently tying with 2006 for the least amount of ice covering the region around the North Pole, U.S. researchers reported.
Sea ice on the Arctic Ocean usually starts growing in September and hits its maximum area in February or March; this year, the maximum appeared to occur on March 7, when ice stretched over 5.65 million square miles (14.64 million square km), according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.
That area of ice-covered water is 471,000 square miles (1.2 million square km) below the average maximum ice extent observed by satellites from 1979 to 2000, the center said in a statement.This thin ice is sensitive to weather, which can make it move or melt quickly, and it often stays around the maximum for days or weeks, as it has done this year.
Links and Source:
ENN ,Reuters
Matter Spotted a Millisecond Away from Black Hole
Posted: March 26, 2011 Filed under: Space Leave a comment »
The European Space Agency’s Integral gamma-ray observatory has spotted extremely hot matter just a millisecond before it plunges into the oblivion of a black hole. But is it really doomed? These unique observations suggest that some of the matter may be making a great escape.
read here
Forests are Expanding in the Northern Latitudes
Posted: March 24, 2011 Filed under: BIODIVERSITY, climate change, earth, Ecosystem, Environment Leave a comment »
According to a recent United Nations report, forested areas in Europe, North America, the Caucasus, and Central Asia have grown steadily over the past two decades. While tropical areas have steadily lost their forests to excessive logging and increased agriculture, northern areas have seen increases caused by conservation efforts. However, the long-term health and stability of northern forest lands may be imperiled by the effects of climate change.
The UN says that forests in these areas have grown by 25 million hectares in the last 20 years.
These forests play a great role in the world’s carbon cycle, acting as a repository for carbon dioxide, a primary greenhouse gas. Northern forests account for about 40 percent of the world’s forest according to the UNECE. They are generally classified as boreal or temperate. The 25 million hectares which these forests have increased is slightly larger than all of the United Kingdom, and accounts for 8 percent of all the forest in the region. Most of the increase has occurred on the Eurasian continent; North America accounts for only a fifth of the growth.
Links and Sources:
Korean peninsula moved 5 cm according to GPS survey by KASI
Posted: March 24, 2011 Filed under: earth, GPS, Japan Tsunami, News, seismic activities 1 Comment »The Korean Peninsula has moved a 5 centimetres to the east due to the massive quake that rocked Japan. The Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) said that based on detailed global positioning system (GPS) data, the peninsula moved between 1 cm to 5 cm depending on the location, with Ulleung Island and nearby Dokdo islets in the East Sea being most affected.
The south-western part of the country and Jeju Island off the peninsula’s southern coast moved far less.
Ulleung and Dokdo are the closest South Korean territories to the epicentre of the 9.0 magnitude tremor that devastated the north-eastern part of Honshu Island .
The epicentre was located 130 kilometres east of Sendai city under the Pacific Ocean.
The institute, said that the Japan moved roughly 2 meters to the east.
Source: The Hindu
Good News:Japan sees some stabilization in nuclear crisis
Posted: March 19, 2011 Filed under: Alternative Energy, Environment, Japan Tsunami, News Leave a comment »One of Japan’s six tsunami-crippled nuclear reactors appeared to stabilize on Saturday but the country suffered another blow after discovering traces of radiation in food and water from near the stricken power plant.
Fire trucks sprayed water for nearly half a day on reactor No.3, the government said, cooling overheating nuclear fuel rods considered the most dangerous in the ravaged Fukushima Daiichi complex because of their use of highly toxic plutonium.
“The situation there is stabilizing somewhat,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told a news conference.
But traces of radiation exceeding government limits were found in milk from a farm about 30 km (18 miles) from the plant in Fukushima prefecture and spinach grown in neighboring Ibaraki prefecture.
Tiny levels of radioactive iodine were also found in tap water in Tokyo, one of the world’s largest cities about 240 km (150 miles) south, where many tourists and expatriates have already left and where many residents are staying indoors.
Siting of Nuclear plants and seismic zones in India
Posted: March 18, 2011 Filed under: Alternative Energy, Countries, India, seismic activities Leave a comment »Dear Readers
Found this article and a very good map here . I am reproducing it. Read it and Think. I found it very relevent in the wake of recent happenings in Japan.
FoThe massive earthquake in Japan and the subsequent nuclear crisis has triggered fears of nuclear security across the world, including India.
Most of India falls in the moderate risk to very high risk seismic zones and so do a majority of India’s nuclear reactors. While there are no nuclear projects in Zone V (seismic intensity of 8 and above), the proposed Jaitapur Nuclear Power plant falls in Zone IV on the earthquake hazard zoning map. The map plots India’s nuclear power plants on a seismic map.
NASA’s Aqua Satellite Spots Rare Southern Atlantic Sub-Tropical Storm Arani
Posted: March 16, 2011 Filed under: Natural Calamities, News Leave a comment »
NASA’s Aqua satellite spotted some strong convection in a recently formed low pressure area that strengthened into Sub-Tropical Storm Arani in the South Atlantic. Arani formed near the coast of Brazil and is now moving away from it. Tropical cyclones in the Atlantic are a rare occurrence and since 2004 there have only been three of them, Arani being the third.
On March 14, 2011 at 1553 UTC (11:53 a.m. EST) the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument that flies aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite captured an infrared image of Sub-Tropical Storm Arani moving away from the Brazilian coast. Most of the convection and thunderstorms were limited to the eastern half of the storm at the time of the image. The strong areas of convection (rapidly rising air that condenses and forms the thunderstorms that power a tropical cyclone) appeared on the imagery as a sideways boomerang, and were off-shore, paralleling the coast.
