The Chatter Box

MODIS Rapidfire For Citizen Scientists - #2This is part #2 of a brief explanation of the NASA/GSFC MODIS Rapid Response System - Rapidfire - together with a Howto for citizen scientists.  The first part was - MODIS Rapidfire For Citizen Scientists - #1A note on bookmarks

Clausewitz On ScienceClausewitz On War - yes.  But Clausewitz On Science?Carl Philipp Gottfried von Clausewitz is famous for his book Vom Kriege - On War.  In that book he is very specific in stating that there is no 'science of war'.In order for someone to state quite categorically that an area of study is not a science they must first know enough about science to be able to determine the matter scientifically.

MODIS Rapidfire For Citizen Scientists - #1A brief explanation of the NASA/GSFC MODIS Rapid Response System - Rapidfire - together with a Howto for citizen scientists.National Aeronautics and Space Administration / Goddard Space Flight Center Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer is a bit of a mouthful, so I'll just refer to it as Rapidfire from here on, if you don't mind.The MODIS Rapid Response System was developed to provide daily satellite images of the Earth's landmasses in near real time.  True-color, photo-like imagery and false-color imagery are available within a few hours of being collected, making the system a valuable resource ......

Arctic Summer 2010 - Hot Or Not?Will it get very warm in the Arctic this summer?It is already so warm in many parts of the Arctic that floes which would normally obstruct the free flow of ice for weeks or months are now surviving only days before breaking up.  That is abnormal.  The long term trend in summer peak temperatures shows little rise.  That is because most of the rise has occurred outside of the summer season.Before moving on, I have to give credit to Neven for the astute observation about summer temperatures.

Science 2.0 And Deepwater HorizonIn this age of rapid communication via the internet we have a golden opportunity to engage in synergy on a global scale to solve problems in science and engineering.Synergy, as I use the term here, is an emergent property of a cooperative human system.  A forum is established in which all legitimate participants have an equal opportunity to submit ideas relating to the solution of a problem.

BP, GIS and The Mysterious Vanishing Open LetterSubject: BP control of GIS dataRegarding the loss of an open letter from the web, from whatever cause.[EDIT]June 15 2010 - 00:23 BST.Important information has come to light which deserves prominence, hence this edit.I can confirm that the letter was written by Andrew Stephens and Devon Humphrey.I have been led to understand that the open letter was taken downbecause some web sites were reading more into the letter than was clearly stated.The letter has now been replaced with a note:

Perfidious AlbionCaution:  unmitigated whimsy alert!________________________________Perfidious Albionorwhat our literary heritage might have been if we had learned earlier in our history to sue each other.            ______________________________________All rights hereinunder are hereby acknowledged by the author, printer and publisher , all relevant statutory fees are hereby certified to have been paid, all necessary permissions and waivers have been sworn in the Royal Courts of Libel.

Finger RaftingNo, it's not a new sport.  It's one of many ways in which ice consolidates.In order to more fully understand what is happening to the Arctic climate we need to understand how sea ice is formed and consolidated, and how it is dispersed and melted.There are very many ways in which two or more units of ice or freezing water can combine.  Five come readily to mind: hail, snow, frost, freshwater ice, sea ice.  Let's focus on ice formation in water.

Green Pastures And Still WatersThe most fascinating episode in my entire life was the day I witnessed ice growing from needle-like frazil through all phases into white ice.  There had been no snow, and I had seen no ice elsewhere that day.  The location was a canal in the English countryside.  There was a classic stone arch bridge, a gentle cold breeze and a venturi effect. 

Unfitted Up ?This article starts off with some serious points about science and law.It will become apparent soon enough why I have posted this under 'humor'.Please bear with me.Unfitted up?Being 'fitted up' means being 'framed' - being on the receiving end of criminal charges founded on false evidence.It occurs to me that if a person is acquitted through the framing of a defence based on false evidence, or the bad 'framing' by the judge of good evidence then the expression 'unfitted up' might be apt.Means, motive, opportunity + ?actus non facit reum nisi mens sit rea

Is Eyjafjallajökull Playing Possum?Since the April and early May grounding of aircraft in much of Europe, the Eyjafjallajökull eruption has been producing - relatively - much less plume and appears to be dying down.  It is natural to ask: is Eyjafjallajökull playing possum, or does the volcano still pose a risk to European airspace?Southern Iceland. Part of MODIS/ Terra image:http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?subset=Arctic_r01c03.2010153...

NASA Goes To The ArcticNASA is sending a team of scientists to study the Arctic at close quarters.  I guess it's pretty hard to sample phytoplankton with a satellite.NASA Icebreaker Voyage To Probe Climate Change Impact On Arctic WASHINGTON -- NASA's first dedicated oceanographic field campaign goes to sea June 15 to take an up-close look at how changing conditions in the Arctic are affecting the ocean's chemistry and ecosystems that play a critical role in global climate change.