Author Archives: Louise Deis

About Louise Deis

Science & Technology Reference Librarian Emerita Princeton University

NOAA’s Lophelia II — See/read her exploration accounts

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“NOAA Ocean Explorer: Lophelia II 2010: Oil Seeps and Deep Reefs [pdf, Flash Player]

http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/10lophelia/welcome.html

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has been documenting the field mission of its ship, the Lophelia II, since 2001. In the fall of 2010, the Lophelia II went to cruise around the Gulf of Mexico conducting important experiments and analyses looking into the world of the deep-water coral communities there. The NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement sponsored the project. On the site, visitors can read their exploration and research logs, take a look at their mission plans, and also view a slide show of images from their work. In the November 3rd log, visitors can read about the final dive of this expedition, which took the scientists over to an area near the site of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. The site is rounded out by the “Ask an Explorer” section, which features answers to questions posed by curious visitors to the site. [KMG]

To find this resource and more high-quality online resources in math and science visit Scout’s sister site – AMSER, the Applied Math and Science Educational Repository at http://amser.org.“

Source: The Scout Report, Univ. of Wisconsin, 2/4/11

Cognitive Barriers to Environmental Action: Problems and Solutions

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Cognitive Barriers to Environmental Action: Problems and Solutions

January 23, 2011 18:13

Cognitive Barriers to Environmental Action: Problems and Solutions

Source: Harvard Business School Working Papers

We highlight three cognitive barriers that impede sound individual decision making that have particular relevance to behaviors impacting the environment. First, despite claiming that they want to leave the world in good condition for future generations, people intuitively discount the future to a greater degree than can be rationally defended. Second, positive illusions lead us to conclude that energy problems do not exist or are not severe enough to merit action. Third, we interpret events in a self-serving manner, a tendency that causes us to expect others to do more than we do to solve energy problems. We then propose ways in which these biases could actually be used to our advantage in steering ourselves toward better judgment. Finally, we outline the key questions on the research frontier from the behavioral decision-making perspective and debunk the myth that behavioral and neoclassical economic perspectives need be in conflict.

+ Full Paper (PDF)

Source:[DocuTicker] Newsletter 165, Jan. 25, 2011

Alternative Energy eTrack — New Database at Princeton

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Alternative Energy eTrack

“Statistical reports on alternative power sources including wind, hydro, solar, geothermal, bio, ocean, transportation biofuels, fuel cells along with energy storage, efficiency, and infrastructure; and carbon. Also includes electricity power prices.”
Source: Dirag Committee & Bobray Bordelon
Taken from our Articles & Databases listings.

Environmental Science & Technology (ACS) — special issue

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“Environmental Science & Technology special issue on environmental policy now online – 06 Jan 2011

A special edition of the American Chemical Society journal, Environmental Science & Technology (ES&T), is available now for a limited time online without charge. The special edition will be accessible free during 2011, when the world celebrates the International Year of Chemistry.

Entitled ‘Environmental Policy: Past, Present, and Future’, the special issue of ES&T recognises closure of a ‘green’ decade in which people became more aware of environmental issues, and society marked the 40th anniversaries of Earth Day, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Topics range from the mysterious disorder decimating honey bee colonies to ways to choose and manage energy sustainably. Those marked “Feature” are written in a less technical style and suitable for general readers, including students and non-scientists.

In addition to scientific research articles and features, the issue will include articles on policy analysis and critical reviews on environmental science and engineering. It will also review the history and directions of environmental policies.”

Source: Knowledgespeak Newsletter of Jan. 6, 2011

Climate-L.org becomes Climate Change Policy & Practice

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The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is pleased to announce the renaming of Climate-L.org as Climate Change Policy & Practice.

Climate Change Policy & Practice is a knowledge management project carried out by the International Institute for Sustainable Development Reporting Services (IISD RS) in collaboration with the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination. The features of our website remain unchanged and include:

  • news on UN and intergovernmental activities addressing the climate change challenge;
  • an iCal of upcoming climate change events;
  • guest articles by key figures of the climate community and UN leaders; and
  • policy updates

We are also continuing to produce the Climate Change Daily Feed, which delivers to our readers’ email boxes the latest news on climate change meetings, projects, publications and statements.

Our previous URL https://lists.iisd.ca/t/1066123/161501/1015/0/ will automatically re-direct you to the new URL for Climate Change Policy & Practice https://lists.iisd.ca/t/1066123/161501/2755/0/

To sign up to receive the Climate Change Daily Feed and to subscribe to the CLIMATE-L community listserve, please click here > https://lists.iisd.ca/t/1066123/161501/2756/0/

To subscribe to our free iCal of climate change events, please click here > https://lists.iisd.ca/t/1066123/161501/2757/0/

Please also visit the sister sites of Climate Change Policy & Practice:

SIDS Policy & Practice (https://lists.iisd.ca/t/1066123/161501/2758/0/

Biodiversity Policy & Practice (https://lists.iisd.ca/t/1066123/161501/2759/0/

Verbatim from Fred Stoss for CHMINF-L . Change was announced December 6th.

Rare Earth Elements in U.S. Not So Rare

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November 25, 2010 18:47

Source: [DocuTicker] Newsletter 158

Rare Earth Elements in U.S. Not So Rare
Source: U.S. Geological Survey

Approximately 13 million metric tons of rare earth elements (REE) exist within known deposits in the United States, according to the first-ever nationwide estimate of these elements by the U.S. Geological Survey.

This estimate of domestic rare earth deposits is part of a larger report that includes a review of global sources for REE, information on known deposits that might provide domestic sources of REE in the future, and geologic information crucial for studies of the availability of REE to U.S. industry.

The report describes significant deposits of REE in 14 states, with the largest known REE deposits at Mountain Pass, Calif.; Bokan Mountain, Alaska; and the Bear Lodge Mountains, Wyo. The Mountain Pass mine produced REE until it closed in 2002. Additional states with known REE deposits include Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

+ Full Report

Nature interview with Phil Jones (“Climategate”)

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“The climate scientist at the centre of last year’s media storm over stolen documents received 200 abusive or threatening e-mails. In an extensive interview with Nature to mark the anniversary of the Climategate affair, Phil Jones of the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, discusses the personal abuse he received, his treatment by colleagues and his regrets — or lack of them.”

Access the News Feature free online.

News item email from Nature Publishing Group [Nature.Publishing.Group@ealert.nature.com] Nov. 18, 2010

What Would You Sacrifice for a Secure Future? Worldwatch Inst.

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A new book, (Firestone GE170 .E5774 2010) The Environmental Politics of Sacrifice, challenges the widely held assumption that people will not sacrifice for environmental goals. In his own take on the topic, Worldwatch senior researcher Erick Assadourian observes that even the word “sacrifice” has become taboo – associated more with violent rituals (think Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) than with its root meaning, “to make “sacred.”

Read: What Would You Sacrifice for a Secure Future? by Erik Assadourian

Source: Worldwatch Institute mailer, Oct. 7, 2010

Worldwatch Institute – 1776 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036 USA

– has a newsfeed, a Facebook page and a Twitter account, and is a very enlightening resource.

Sustainable Table, a website

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I ran into Sustainable Table via Eating Alaska, the noteworthy film about “sustainable eating”, a vegetarian woman moving to Alaska and marrying a hunter/fisherman.

I’ve marked the introduction page, which offers answers to many questions about sustainability and food-related issues.

Crude Oil and Dispersants Added to the Hazardous Substances Data Bank

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September 10, 2010 [posted]

NLM® Resource Update: Crude Oil and Dispersants Added to the Hazardous Substances Data Bank

[Editor’s Note: This is a reprint of an announcement published on NLM-Tox-Enviro-Health-L, an e-mail announcement list available from the NLM Division of Specialized Information Services. To subscribe to this list, please see the NLM-TOX-ENVIRO-HEALTH-L Join, Leave, or Change Options page.]

The National Library of Medicine® (NLM) Division of Specialized Information Services has added crude oil and dispersant records to the Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB®).

In response to the 2010 Deep Water Horizon oil spill, the HSDB development team and the HSDB Scientific Review Panel (SRP) compiled and reviewed data for crude oil, Corexit 9500, and Corexit 9527 records. Although many dispersants exist, the two selected were most widely used during recent oil clean up efforts in the United States Gulf area and are on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) list of authorized dispersants for use on the National Contingency Plan (NCP) Product Schedule.

The HSDB records include data on human health effects, animal toxicity studies, environmental fate and exposure, and hazard information.

Source: NLM Technical Bulletin 2010 Sep-Oct;(376):e4.