Archive for September, 2006



Habitable Planet Signposts Astronomers are looking for habitable planets in our neighbourhood. The understanding of our Planet’s history helps to determine the state of a remote planet by analysis of its light spectrum.

Is it just born or full of life? Are there intelligent lifeforms or is it an ice planet. (more…)

Speech was hold September 18, 2006 at NYU School of Law, Tishman Auditorium, Vanderbilt Hall and is also available as pdf or webcast (Al Gore starts at 25:00)

… After all, many Americans are tired of borrowing huge amounts of money from China to buy huge amounts of oil from the Persian Gulf to make huge amounts of pollution that destroys the planet’s climate. Increasingly, Americans believe that we have to change every part of that pattern. … (more…)

Satellite pictureA new report by the Center for Environment and Population (CEP) demonstrates the relationship between national population trends, resource consumption, and environmental degradation.

Quoted from Introduction:

Global environmental changes are occurring in ways fundamentally different than at any other time in our history. Experts tell us that virtually all of the Earth’s ecosystems have been signifi cantly transformed through human actions, and that 60% of the Earth’s ecosystems have been degraded or used unsustainably. These changes have been especially rapid in the past 50 years, and are expected to continue into the foreseeable future. (more…)

Satellite picture With a fast Internet connection these ~90MB animations from the SeaWIFS Instrument provide a great view at the seasons of our Planet.

Starting from Sep 1997 you’ll see eight years with phytoplankton blooms and El Niños oscillating with temperature, nutrient availability, rainfall, and other environmental factors.

Animation for Europe, America and Asia, Australia.

Satellite pictureAccording to NASA’s CloudSat satellite Helene, a CAT3 hurricane, is more than 1000 km across. Latest forecast do not expect a landfall, direction northeast is assumed within 3 days. Photo taken by Daily Terra, 2006-09-19 14:15 UTC.

Satellite picture Large wildfire located between Stauffer and Fillmore. Smoke captured by Daily Terra, 2006-09-13.

University of Berkeley has recently opened the Center of Fire Research and Outreach and helps homeowners, researchers and decision-makers with a toolkit to determine where wildfires occur and how to protect homes.

kyotoplusHeinrich Böll Stiftung organizes KyotoPlus happening in Germany, Berlin, EnergieForum Sep 28/29 2006. (more…)

Satellite pictureGoogle Satellite database is updated with new highres pictures. Picture shows Woudsend in the Netherlands, which are now completly captured. This is the place I lossed my glasses once into the canal while sailing. (well, no chance to find them now :)

Breathing Earth Shockwave application showing in simulated real time human birth and death rates and the amount of emmited carbon dioxyd. Numbers are presented per country and global. While writing this 350,000 tonnes have been added to the atmosphere.

Corals spongesBruce Lieberman, Union Staff writer, reports about acidification of the oceans caused by human activities in the SignOnSanDiego.com science section.

Though using only 15% total capacity today most carbon dioxide has been absorbed from the upper oceans. (more…)

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