27 Jan 2012
*NLM Technical Bulletin, Jan-Feb 2012, The National Library of Medicine TOXMAP and TOXNET Now Include 2010 EPA Toxics Release
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/jf12/brief/jf12_sis_toxmap.html
From: NLM New files for the week of Jan 23, 2012
More information is here at Toxmap News: http://toxmap.nlm.nih.gov/toxmap/news/2012/01/toxmap-now-includes-tri-2010-data.html
“Plan for U.S. Global Change Research Program Reviewed
The draft 10-year strategic plan for the U.S. Global Change Research Program is “evolving in the right direction,” but several key issues could strengthen these planning efforts, says a new report from the National Research Council.”
Source: What’s New at the National Academies, Jan. 9, 2012
The September 2011 issue of the NTIS Technical Reports Newsletter is now available from http://www.ntis.gov/pdf/NTRNews4-3.pdf. Previous issues are archived at http://www.ntis.gov/rss/NTRnews.aspx.
This current issue features papers on Energy and the Environment. If you want any report listed in the NTIS database, it may be available to you full text on the NTRL National Technical Reports Library to which Princeton subscribes. (Otherwise, you may ask for a librarian’s help or request reports through Interlibrary Loan.)
(NTIS = National Technical Information Service)
Date: Aug. 24, 2011
Climate Change and Extreme Hydrology
A “grand challenge” to understand the manifestation of change in floods and droughts faces climate and water science researchers, says a new report from the National Research Council based on proceedings from a workshop. A coherent picture of how these phenomena will shift due to changes in climate and land use has yet to emerge, but better understanding could be achieved through greater exchange of research findings among climate scientists, water scientists, and engineers.
May 12 Report Release
America’s Climate Choices
Keck Center
500 Fifth St., N.W.
Washington, D.C.
Speakers include host, Heidi Cullen, and Robert Socolow, Princeton University
For reports and videos visit: http://americasclimatechoices.org/
March 1, 2011 — “Geologic records that are millions of years old could hold clues to how the Earth’s future climate would respond in an environment with high levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases, says a new report from the National Research Council. Through a “deep-time” climate research program, these ancient rocks and sediments could enable scientists to better understand how climate behaved during past warm periods and major climate transitions.”
National Academies News 3/7/11
“EPA: Cleaning Up Our Land, Water and Air [pdf]
The Environmental Protection Agency has been cleaning up the nation’s land, water and air for four decades, and there’s still much work to be done. This homepage provides information about cleanups around the country, what citizens can do to help, and the EPA’s long-term stewardship programs. On the homepage, visitors can use a clickable map to learn about cleanup information by EPA region or program. Moving on, visitors can also read about available cleanup grants and funding opportunities in different communities. The site also contains a glossary of EPA terms, and helpful cleanup publications, such as newsletters, “FedFacs” newsletters, and waste management documents that cover Native American reservations. The site is rounded out by an “Other Publications” area that covers brownfields and the latest work on Superfund sites.”
Source: Scout Report, Univ. of Wisconsin, 3/4/11
“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
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
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.
