Japan's quake may impact daylight savings time

A man draws the Japanese flag on the asphalt in central Bucharest March 25, 2011, during an event paying tribute to the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.Credit: Reuters/Bogdan Cristel

Japan's cataclysmic earthquake and tsunami, which shattered towns and altered its coastline, may also have an impact on time in the country.

Japan may shed its decades-old allergy to daylight savings time in an effort to cut down electricity usage as it struggles to cope with a drop in power output after the strongest earthquake in its history on March 11 triggered a huge tsunami that knocked out a nuclear power plant.

The magnitude 9.0 quake was so powerful it shifted the coastline eight feet to the east around its epicenter in the northeast, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano (right) said Friday the government would begin estimating the impact and cost of adopting daylight savings and how much support it would get from the private sector.

Japan has had to implement rolling blackouts after the double disaster crippled the Fukushima Daiichi (after earthquake and tsunami on left) nuclear plant near the epicenter. The mismatch between supply and demand is set to widen in Japan's summer when electricity usage traditionally peaks with the use of air conditioners.

Clocks are set one hour ahead in daylight savings time to give the day more natural daylight, thus helping to alleviate the need for artificial lighting. The sun appears to rise one hour later in the morning and set an hour later in the evening.

Daylight savings, briefly introduced in Japan during the U.S. occupation after World War Two, has had a handful of advocates, but until now no serious government consideration.

Opponents have cited various reasons, ranging from fears that setting the clock forward in the spring and back in the autumn would result in something akin to jet lag, to union concerns it would lead to longer job hours, given unspoken workplace practices that frown on going home before dark.

Another hurdle is lingering bad memories after it was implemented during the Occupation with almost no preparation, resulting in mass confusion and dislocation.

Tokyo Electric Power Co, which supplies the greater Tokyo area, said Friday power demand would exceed supply by 8.5 million kilowatts, or about 18 percent, at the end of July. A company spokesman said that the firm had yet to estimate how much power could be saved.

"At this point we are trying to see whether the plan would be feasible or not and if it will actually be effective. We cannot come up with concrete estimates at this stage," he said.

A group of lawmakers advocating daylight savings estimated in 2008 it would save 930,000 kiloliters of crude oil -- equivalent to all the electricity used by Japan's railroads for about 10 weeks.

In the United States, estimates suggest that a one-hour change in time can save up to 5 percent of daily power consumption in large cities. Other studies, however, show that the one-hour change has but a negligible effect on energy demand and at times may increase it.

Source:
Reuters,"Japan's quake may impact daylight savings time ",accessed March 28, 2011

Great Lakes barrier may be too weak to stop carp

Voltage coursing through electrical barriers designed to keep invasive Asian carp (left) out of the Great Lakes may need to be raised to keep out juvenile fish, U.S. officials said on Friday.

The Army Corps of Engineers has mounted a multi million-dollar effort to keep voracious Bighead and Silver Carp that now infest the Mississippi River Basin out of the Great Lakes, where scientists predict they could decimate the lakes' $7 billion fishery.

"The current barrier operating parameters are effective for fish as small as 5.4 inches in length," the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said in a news release.

"The research published in this report suggests that slightly higher operating parameters than those currently in use may be necessary to immobilize all very small Asian carp, as small as 1.7 to 3.2 inches in length."

Juvenile carp can swim 37 miles by the time they reach 6 inches in length.

Environmentalists and several state governments have fought to create a permanent ecological separation between the Mississippi River basin and the Great Lakes.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, other federal agencies and Chicago-area governments have joined commercial shippers, sightseeing operators and recreational boaters in an bid to keep the waterways open.

For now, officials say smaller, juvenile carp are well downstream from the three electrical barriers (right: how electric barriers work) on the canal that links the river system to the Great Lakes, so the two-volt current laid down by the barriers will be maintained.

The best estimate of a potentially reproducible population of Bighead carp is 25 miles downstream from the barriers, Charles Wooley of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said.

Lock and dam structures have impeded the carp's progress, Wooley said, and agency crews will be vigilant during the summer spawning season to kill carp in the pools between dams.

A U.S. study to be completed this spring will determine the impact on barges and barge operators if the voltage in the barriers is raised to 2.3 volts, which laboratory tests show is sufficient to repel the juvenile carp.

Army Corps Major General John Peabody stressed that the voltage impact on the juvenile carp was measured in a laboratory, and "needs to be validated" in the field.

Source:
Reuters,"Great Lakes barrier may be too weak to stop carp", by Andrew Stern , accessed March 25, 2011

First North Pole Ozone Hole Forming?

Spawned by strangely cold temperatures, "beautiful" clouds helped strip the Arctic atmosphere of most of its protective ozone this winter, new research shows.

The resulting zone of low-ozone air could drift as far south as New York, according to experts who warn of increased skin-cancer risk.

The stratosphere's global blanket of ozone—about 12 miles (20 kilometers) above Earth—blocks most of the sun's high-frequency ultraviolet (UV) rays from hitting Earth's surface, largely preventing sunburn and skin cancer. (Right: regions of atmosphere - click on image for larger view)

But a continuing high-altitude freeze over the Arctic may have already reduced ozone to half its normal concentrations—and "an end is not in sight," said research leader Markus Rex, a physicist for the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven, Germany.

Preliminary data from 30 ozone-monitoring stations throughout the

The position of the polar vortex on March, 14th, 2011. Air masses exposed to ozone loss are colored in red.

Arctic show the degree of ozone loss was larger this winter than ever before, Rex said.

Before spring is out, "we may even get the first Arctic ozone hole ... which would be a dramatic development—one which would make it into coming history books," he said. "It's too early to call, but stay tuned."

Atmospheric chemist Simone Tilmes, who wasn't part of the study, agreed.

"We do not know at the moment how large the ozone hole in the Arctic will grow, because the thinning of the ozone layer is happening right now," said Tilmes (right), of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado.

Full confirmation may require computer simulations and satellite measurements, which study leader Rex said would "be very useful to provide an independent view of the ozone loss this year."

An ozone hole is an area of the ozone layer that is seasonally depleted of the protective gas—such as the well-known hole over Antarctica.

"Beautiful" Clouds Harbor Ozone-Fighting Chemicals

In the 1980s scientists realized chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other ozone-depleting chemicals—then widely used in aerosol hairsprays and refrigerants, for example—were degrading the ozone layer.

The 1987 Montreal Protocol initiated a global phase-out of CFCs, replacing them with alternatives that don't destroy ozone. However, CFCs can persist for decades in the stratosphere—the Antarctic ozone hole is still there, though it's expected to grow smaller in coming decades.

Once in the upper atmosphere, CFCs break down into chlorine atoms, which, when activated by sunlight, destroy ozone molecules.

Cold temperatures speed up this process through polar stratospheric clouds, "beautiful" and still little understood formations that occur once stratospheric temperatures drop to at least -108 degrees Fahrenheit (-78 degrees Celsius), Rex noted.

The clouds provide "reservoirs" for inactivated byproducts of chlorine. On the surface of the cloud, these byproducts react with each other and release "aggressive" chlorine atoms that attack ozone molecules.

The whole process stops as soon as it gets warmer and the so-called Arctic polar vortex breaks up, Tilmes said.

At about 6 million square miles (15 million square kilometers), or 40 times the size of Germany, the Arctic polar vortex (left) is a frigid air mass that circles the North Pole in winter.

Both the North and South Poles are affected by a polar vortex. The polar vortex is a persistent large-scale cyclonic circulation pattern in the mid- to upper- troposphere and stratosphere, centered over the pole. The Arctic polar vortex is not symmetrical and features an elongated area of low pressure, called a trough, which extends over eastern North America.

Warming Link to High-Altitude Cold Snap?

The cold snap is no coincidence, research leader Rex added. "This is the continuation of a long-term tendency that the cold Arctic winters have become colder," Rex said.

And global warming may drive this trend, he added. As greenhouse gases trap heat in the lower levels of the atmosphere, the higher levels tend to cool, he said.

Of course, the "process is more complicated than this simple explanation"—there may be many ways in which greenhouse gases influence high-altitude temperatures, he added.

Low-Ozone Air to Fly South for Spring?

Any spike in UV radiation can impact both the Arctic ecosystem and human health, research leader Rex noted. For instance, more sunlight can slow the growth of certain species of ocean algae that provide food for larger organisms—and whose absence can have reverberations up the food chain.

More worrisome, Rex said, is that ozone-depleted air can catch a ride south to more highly populated areas with the Arctic polar vortex.

Low-ozone air is often pushed southward to 40 or 45 degrees latitude by natural atmospheric disturbances, Rex said. A low-ozone air mass's southern "excursions" can take it as far as northern Italy in Europe or New York or San Francisco in the United States, he said.

The rapidly shifting vortex might last into April, when people are starting to spend more time outside, NCAR's Tilmes noted.

"A good message for people [is] to just be aware that this is a year where ozone will be likely thinner this spring. You should watch out for your skin and put on your sunscreen."

Rex noted that, however, that since the mass is constantly moving, low-ozone episodes would only last a few days in a given region.

Rex also said this winter's decline in ozone doesn't mean that the Montreal Protocol isn't doing its job. "People could mistake that and say we have banned CFCs and [it] doesn't seem to work," he said. "That's not the case. It's just the timescale—CFCs take so long to disappear from the atmosphere."

Source:
National Geographic,"First North Pole Ozone Hole Forming?",accessed March 25, 2011

Arctic sea ice ties for smallest area this winter

The 2011 Arctic sea ice extent maximum that marks the beginning of the melt season appears to be tied with that for 2006 for the least amount of ice ever measured by satellites, say scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder's National Snow and Ice Data Center.

Sea ice on the Arctic Ocean usually starts growing in September and hits its maximum area in February or March. The CU-Boulder research team believes the lowest annual maximum ice extent of 5,650,000 square miles (14.64 million square km) occurred on March 7. The maximum ice extent was 463,000 square miles below the 1979-2000 average, an area slightly larger than the states of Texas and California combined. The 2011 measurements were tied with those from 2006 as the lowest maximum sea ice extents measured since satellite record keeping began in 1979.

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.

The seven lowest maximum Arctic sea ice extents measured by satellites all have occurred in the last seven years, said CU-Boulder Research Scientist Walt Meier (left) of the National Snow and Ice Data Center, who participated in the latest study. "I'm not surprised by the new data because we've seen a downward trend in winter sea ice extent for some time now."

As of Tuesday, March 22, the extent of the ice had shrunk for five straight days, but there is a chance it could expand again, the center said.

"Sea ice extent in February and March tends to be quite variable, because ice near the edge is thin and often quite dispersed," the statement read.

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.

Arctic sea ice extent -- the area the ice covers in summer and winter -- is one measure scientists use to track changes in global climate. Virtually all climate scientists believe shrinking Arctic sea ice is tied to warming temperatures in the region caused by an increase in human-produced greenhouse gases being pumped into Earth's atmosphere. Because of the spiraling downward trend of Arctic sea ice extent in the last decade, some CU scientists are predicting the Arctic Ocean may be ice free in the summers within the next several decades.

Scientists believe Arctic sea ice functions like an air conditioner for the global climate system by naturally cooling air and water masses, playing a key role in ocean circulation and reflecting solar radiation back into space, said Meier. In the Arctic summer months, sunlight is absorbed by the growing amounts of open water, raising surface temperatures and causing more ice to melt.

"I think one of the reasons the Arctic sea ice maximum extent is declining is that the autumn ice growth is delayed by warmer temperatures and the ice extent is not able to 'catch up' through the winter," said Meier. "In addition, the clock runs out on the annual ice growth season as temperatures start to rise along with the sun during the spring months."

Since satellite record keeping began in 1979, the maximum Arctic sea ice extent has occurred as early as Feb. 18 and as late as March 31, with an average date of March 6. (At left: 2011 Greenland ice) Since the CU-Boulder researchers determine the maximum sea ice extent using a five-day running average, there is small chance the data could change.

In early April (approximately the second week of April) CU-Boulder's National Snow and Ice Data Center will issue a formal announcement on the 2011 maximum sea ice extent with a full analysis of the winter ice growth season, including graphics comparing 2011 to the long-term record.

Source:
Reuters,"Arctic sea ice ties for smallest area this winter", accessed March 24, 2011
RedOrbit, "Arctic Sea Ice Loss Continuing", accessed March 25, 2011

Hawaii wildfire threatens protected rainforest

Specialized firefighting teams Wednesday battled a remote wildfire touched off by the eruption of the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii's Big Island, which has burned some 2,000 acres of national park land.

The fire threatens a fragile, protected rain forest, officials said.

Authorities do not know when they will be able to contain the spreading fire, which was being fanned by strong, gusty trade winds, said Gary Wuchner, a spokesman for the National Park Service.

"It's a very remote fire," he said. "We just can't get to it."

Specialized firefighting teams from western U.S. states arrived to battle the blaze, some to rappel into fire-stricken areas and others to fight the fire on the ground along its perimeters, he said.

Firefighters also dropped water on hot spots from helicopters, Wuchner said.

The wildfire was caused by lava from the March 5 eruption of the volcano's Kamoamoa fissure, (left) and is burning about seven miles southeast of the Kilauea Visitor Center, located on the volcano's east rift in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Authorities hope to protect a lowland rain forest on the east rift that is home to endangered Hawaiian bats, happy face spiders, carnivorous caterpillars and Hawaiian honeycreepers, all found only in Hawaii, the park service said.

Because of the rain forest, firefighters have opted not to let the fire simply burn itself out, Wuchner said.

"It's a remnant forest and if we lose it, it's gone forever," Wuchner said. The wildfire is only about three-quarters of a mile from the forest boundary, he said. "It's pretty close," he said. The fire has burned about 2,000 acres, Wuchner said.

Kilauea is one of five volcanoes that formed the Big Island, officially known as the island of Hawaii. Periodic eruptions of the volcano have destroyed 213 homes since the volcano emerged from a period of dormancy in 1983.

The latest episode began with the collapse of the floor of the Pu'u O'o crater and opening of the 535-yard-long Kamoamoa fissure on March 5.


Source:
Reuters,"Hawaii wildfire threatens protected rainforest", accessed March 22, 2011

Mauritania, Kuwait, Jordan water said least secure

Mauritania, Kuwait and Jordan have the least secure water supplies, according to a ranking on Tuesday that says shortages in the Middle East and North Africa might cause political tensions and even higher oil prices.

The list, by British risk analysis group Maplecroft, said businesses needed to take more account of water security in investment decisions due to rising demand from a growing population and other impacts such as climate change.

Maplecroft said Mauritania in West Africa had the least secure supplies of about 160 nations reviewed, followed by Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, Israel, Niger, Iraq, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. The Senegal River is the only year-round water source running through Mauritania; the country is dry except for it.

"Extreme water security risks across the Middle East and North Africa may lead to further increases in global oil prices and heightened political tensions in the future," Maplecroft said in a statement. (Right: Senegal River Basin between Senegal and Mauritania)

Many OPEC oil producers, including Saudi Arabia in 13th place, faced stresses on supplies.

Water from aquifers is often injected into oil reservoirs, for instance, to raise pressure and enhance oil recovery. As aquifers are depleted, water shortages could push up oil prices, Maplecroft risk analyst Tom Styles said. Water from desalination plants or water piped from the sea would be more expensive, he said.

Mauritania was top since it has only one year-round river, the Senegal, and "aside from a small number of oases and wadis, the country is almost entirely dry," the report said. Population growth was forecast at 3 percent a year, boosting demand.

At the other end of the list, Sweden, Guyana, Canada and Russia are among those with the most secure supplies.

The ranking seeks to quantify factors such as population growth, dependence on supplies from abroad and current water intensity in the economy. March 22 is World Water Day in the U.N. calendar.

It noted efforts by businesses such as water recycling by Devon Energy in North Texas, low-water factories by retailer Marks & Spencer or targets for limiting water use by miner Rio Tinto.


Source:
Reuters,"Mauritania, Kuwait, Jordan water said least secure", by Allistir Doyle, accessed March 23, 2011
IOL Scitech, "OPEC nations facing water shortages", accessed March 23, 2011

Wolves could be removed from endangered species list

The U.S. government said on Friday it had struck a deal with wildlife advocates to remove some 1,200 wolves in Idaho and Montana from the endangered species list.

Federal protections could be lifted from the wolves if a federal judge signs off on a settlement agreement filed on Friday in U.S. District Court in Montana.

The wildlife groups had sued to keep roughly 1,600 wolves in the Northern Rockies on the endangered species list.

Under the proposed agreement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and 10 conservation groups, the estimated 1,200 wolves in Idaho and Montana would be delisted and management of the animals, including target population numbers and hunting quotas, would be handed back to those states.

The government in 2009 approved wolf-management plans by Idaho and Montana and removed federal protections in those states, which established public hunts.

But the Fish and Wildlife Service declined delisting in Wyoming because its plan would have allowed most wolves to be shot on sight.

A U.S. District Court ruling in 2010 relisted wolves in Idaho and Montana. The federal judge in the case sided with 14 conservation groups, which had argued wolves in the Northern Rockies were part of a single population and that protections could not be left intact in Wyoming while they were lifted in the other two states.

Ten of the 14 conservation groups behind that legal action are now seeking to settle with the Fish and Wildlife Service, opening the way for licensed hunting in Idaho and Montana.

Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer (right) on Friday hailed the move, calling it "a significant step forward."

"We need the authority to respond to the challenges wolves present every day," he said in a statement.

But it is by no means clear if the proposed agreement - even if the federal judge approves it - will give Montana and Idaho that authority.

Four of the 14 conservation groups have not agreed to settle, which could mean more legal filings to come.

Wolves were hunted, trapped and poisoned to near extinction in the Northern Rockies before being added to the endangered species list.

Federal protection of wolves has been especially controversial since they were reintroduced to the wilds of central Idaho in the mid-1990s over the strong objections of ranchers and hunting outfitters, two powerful constituencies in the West.

Wolf foes say the animals are a constant threat to livestock and to big-game animals like elk.

Mike Clark, head of Greater Yellowstone Coalition, said that conservation group and nine others hope the settlement will provide relief in a region where anti-wolf sentiments have been running high.

"It's a way for people to accept that wolves are here to stay and to find a permanent way to manage them," he said.

The proposed agreement comes as a host of U.S. senators and representatives from Western states have pushed to delist wolves through congressional action, which would be unprecedented in the history of the Endangered Species Act.

Idaho officials said they were still reviewing the legal filings and would not be prepared to comment until next week.

Representatives of the four conservation groups that have not signed onto the settlement could not immediately be reached for comment.

Source:
Reuters,"Wolves could be removed from endangered species list",accessed March 21, 2011