The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on Thursday confirmed the presence of water ice on the Earth’s moon as well as its water cycle after nearly a year since the discovery of water molecules on the natural satellite.
“NASA has convincingly confirmed the presence of water ice and characterized its patchy distribution in permanently shadowed regions of the moon,” said Michael Wargo, chief lunar scientist at NASA.
The new data was uncovered by NASA’s Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LRCROSS) and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). It is a step forward by NASA to a better understanding of the solar system, its resources, origin, evolution and future.
The two missions found evidence that the lunar soil within shadowy craters is rich in useful materials, and that the moon has a water cycle and is chemically active. Scientists discovered that water was present in the form of mostly pure ice crystals in some places.
On October 9, 2009, both LCROSS and a companion rocket impacted the moon’s Cabeus crater lifting a plume of material that might have not been exposed to sunlight for billions of years. The plume traveled nearly 10 miles above the rim of Cabeus and instruments aboard LCROSS and LRO examined the debris and vapor clouds.
After the twin impacts, grains of mostly pure water ice were in the plume meaning that water ice was somehow delivered to the moon in the past or a chemical process caused ice to accumulate in large quantities.
“The diversity and abundance of certain materials called volatiles in the plume, suggest a variety of sources, like comets and asteroids, and an active water cycle within the lunar shadows,” said Anthony Colaprete, LCROSS project scientist.
Volatiles are compounds that freeze and are trapped in the cold lunar craters and vaporize when warmed by the sun. LCROSS and LRO determined that 20 percent of the materials in the plume were volatiles, including methane, ammonia, hydrogen gas, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.
In addition, relatively large amounts of light metals like sodium, mercury and silver were discovered. Scientists believe that the water and volatiles could have been left by a come impact. However, the volatile chemicals are also evidence of a cycle in which water ice reacts with lunar soil grains.
The proportion of volatiles to water in the lunar soil indicates a process called “cold grain chemistry” is taking place. This process could take hundreds of thousands of years and may occur in asteroids; the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, including Europa and Enceladus; Mars’ moons; interstellar dust grains floating around other stars and the polar regions of Mercury.
With this knowledge of the moon’s water cycle and processes, future mission planners could better determine locations with easily-accessible water. The existence of mostly pure water ice could mean future human explorers won’t have to retrieve the water out of the soil.
In addition, an abundant presence of hydrogen gas, ammonia and methane could be exploited to produce fuel.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
How Facebook, eBay Improve Energy Efficiency in Data Centers
Better airflow management helps improve energy efficiency and cut electricity costs in data centers according to one tip shared by Facebook and eBay, reports Computerworld.
Facebook and eBay shared some energy-saving tips at a recent panel session, “holistic approaches to reducing energy use,” at the Silicon Valley Leadership Group’s Data Center Efficiency Summit, reports Computerworld.
Jay Park, Facebook’s director of data center engineering, said during the panel session that the company cut its costs by $230,000 a year at a 56,000-square-foot data center in Santa Clara, Calif., thanks to better air flow management, along with a $294,000 rebate from its electric utiliy.
After a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis indicated that Facebook’s data center had warm air mixing with cold air above and around server aisles, the company chose a cold aisle containment project to make the cooling systems more efficient.
The project entailed closing the tops and ends of server aisles with fire retardant plastic to prevent cold air blowing up through perforated floor tiles from escaping, and allowed the company to shut down 15 of its computer room air handlers (CRAHs), reducing its energy draw by 114 kW, according to Computerworld. It also enabled it to raise the air temperature at the CRAH inlets from 72 degrees to 81 degrees F.
Facebook also worked with its vendor to reduce the fan speed in each of the servers via a firmware update, which saved 3 watts per server.
Facebook says it is currently building one of the most energy-efficient data centers to date in Prineville, Oregon. However, Greenpeace started a campaign in February to get Facebook to power the data center with renewable energy instead of coal.
EBay also conducted a CFD analysis for its data center and decided on a cold-aisle containment project for its 80,000 square foot facility in Phoenix, reports Computerworld. The company installed blanking panels to prevent cold air escaping from the server racks and variable-speed fans in its 86 30-ton CRAHs.
eBay also worked with its supplier of universal power supplies to reduce excess capacity in those systems.
Rick Rehyner, senior manager for eBay’s global data center operations, said in the article that eBay worked with the utility provider to get a rebate, “which made it worthwhile.”
Rehyner also noted that the project reduced total power consumption and carbon emissions at eBay’s data center by about 16 percent. Over the 18-month life of the project its total IT power load increased 50 percent because more servers were added, but the power load for the whole data center increased only 25 percent thanks to less power required for cooling, according to Computerworld.
In May, eBay opened its $287-million Topaz data center in Utah that the company says is 50 percent less expensive to operate than the average of all other data centers eBay leases thanks to many energy-efficiency features including a power usage effectiveness (PUE) rating of 1.4.
courtsey environmentalleader
Facebook and eBay shared some energy-saving tips at a recent panel session, “holistic approaches to reducing energy use,” at the Silicon Valley Leadership Group’s Data Center Efficiency Summit, reports Computerworld.
Jay Park, Facebook’s director of data center engineering, said during the panel session that the company cut its costs by $230,000 a year at a 56,000-square-foot data center in Santa Clara, Calif., thanks to better air flow management, along with a $294,000 rebate from its electric utiliy.
After a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis indicated that Facebook’s data center had warm air mixing with cold air above and around server aisles, the company chose a cold aisle containment project to make the cooling systems more efficient.
The project entailed closing the tops and ends of server aisles with fire retardant plastic to prevent cold air blowing up through perforated floor tiles from escaping, and allowed the company to shut down 15 of its computer room air handlers (CRAHs), reducing its energy draw by 114 kW, according to Computerworld. It also enabled it to raise the air temperature at the CRAH inlets from 72 degrees to 81 degrees F.
Facebook also worked with its vendor to reduce the fan speed in each of the servers via a firmware update, which saved 3 watts per server.
Facebook says it is currently building one of the most energy-efficient data centers to date in Prineville, Oregon. However, Greenpeace started a campaign in February to get Facebook to power the data center with renewable energy instead of coal.
EBay also conducted a CFD analysis for its data center and decided on a cold-aisle containment project for its 80,000 square foot facility in Phoenix, reports Computerworld. The company installed blanking panels to prevent cold air escaping from the server racks and variable-speed fans in its 86 30-ton CRAHs.
eBay also worked with its supplier of universal power supplies to reduce excess capacity in those systems.
Rick Rehyner, senior manager for eBay’s global data center operations, said in the article that eBay worked with the utility provider to get a rebate, “which made it worthwhile.”
Rehyner also noted that the project reduced total power consumption and carbon emissions at eBay’s data center by about 16 percent. Over the 18-month life of the project its total IT power load increased 50 percent because more servers were added, but the power load for the whole data center increased only 25 percent thanks to less power required for cooling, according to Computerworld.
In May, eBay opened its $287-million Topaz data center in Utah that the company says is 50 percent less expensive to operate than the average of all other data centers eBay leases thanks to many energy-efficiency features including a power usage effectiveness (PUE) rating of 1.4.
courtsey environmentalleader
U.S. Environmental Policy Part II: Policymaking Today
The policymaking process in the United States relies heavily on society’s desire for action. This point cannot be underemphasized. Without gaining public support for an issue, the legislature has little political incentive to develop a plan of action. The two primary ways of generating public support for an issue are 1) through organized groups who are able to educate others about the problem, and 2) through the media.
If an environmental campaign is successful, interest groups and elected officials will have the necessary information to both 1) understand the problem and 2) identify what policy measures will effectively fix it
In the U.S., a policy cycle begins with the creation of a course of action, followed by enactment of a law, and then actions that are designed to carry out that law successfully. Then, when any policy has been in place for a reasonable period of time, it should be re-evaluated to determine if it has achieved the original goals, what the costs were, and what changes, if any, need to be made. This was keenly pointed out by Vig and Kraft in their seminal book, Environmental Policy: New Directions for the Twenty-First Century, 2006).
While the job of writing effective environmental legislation falls to the Congress, the president – in this case President Obama — also has an important role to play. Beyond simply signing or vetoing a bill sent to him by the Congress, the president is involved in setting the policy agenda. For example, a president concerned with taxes, downsizing and meeting the needs of large businesses will likely have a very different set of goals he wants achieved during his term than will a president who wishes to put more emphasis on the environment and conservation of natural resources. With the right combination of public support, Congressional leadership, and bipartisanship, effective environmental regulations and laws can be made. By delegating staff and other experts to particular issues, and by working with Congress to reach a desired outcome, the White House can influence the shape of environmental laws. Of course, the process is often complicated by gridlock. Rarely – if ever – does a significant majority of legislators agree on anything. Bills may or may not even reach the floor for a vote, depending on the party in power, the ability to reach agreement, and seemingly inevitable gridlock due to stalling tactics.
In Washington, the actual job of carrying out the implementation of a policy falls on the different executive departments. While all departments are involved in environmental quality to varying degrees, major regulators include the EPA, Interior Department, the Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of Agriculture or USDA. And, as part of the balance of power in the U.S., the judiciary inevitably becomes involved in challenges to environmental policy.
Environmental law – checks and balances
Jurisdiction and the wording of the law are never crystal-clear. Legal challenges help to define boundaries on the reach of the regulatory agencies. A timely example of this policymaking process at work can be seen in the discussion of climate change and energy usage.
The climate change example breaks down like this: We’ve known for years that our current energy economy, based largely on fossil fuels, is unsustainable. Burning coal and oil to generate electricity, heat our homes, and fuel our cars not only pollutes the air and water but also adds staggering amounts of carbon to the atmosphere and oceans, which leads to climate change and the destruction of ecosystems. Yet, the United States has done little over the past few decades to curb energy use and carbon emissions. As a nation we’ve lacked the critical threshold of vocal citizens demanding change, and we’ve lacked political will to generate more enthusiasm for change. Only now are we beginning to see a possible shift in this state of mind. More people are concerned about energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and the science has improved to the point where there is very little doubt that humans are the driving force behind this phenomenon. Also, the current president (who campaigned on a desire to combat climate change) along with a relatively sympathetic Congress, United Nations, not to mention Corporate Leaders for Climate Change, share many similar policy goals. He has an easier time setting the agenda than if the party makeup of the House and Senate was more conservative, as it had been just several years ago.
While the political will for something like the Kyoto Protocol did not exist in the previous decade, we now are looking at a somewhat more favorable environment for that kind of legislation. The House recently passed the so-called Waxman-Markey bill, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, by a vote of 219 to 212 (Govtrack.us 2009). While the bill’s fate in the Senate is far from certain, clearly the right combination of attitudes and leadership exist to make this possible. Should climate legislation pass, the other steps in the policy cycle must also be seen through. Simply setting standards will not be enough.
In the final analysis, U.S. policy processes for environmental regulation do represent the American democratic process. An honorable legacy with our own children as well as our legacy as a nation is at stake. The hope is that this fair, reasonable democratic process will allow for suitable, correct action from policymakers with regards to this legacy.
COURTSEY. ENVIRONMENTAL LEADER
If an environmental campaign is successful, interest groups and elected officials will have the necessary information to both 1) understand the problem and 2) identify what policy measures will effectively fix it
In the U.S., a policy cycle begins with the creation of a course of action, followed by enactment of a law, and then actions that are designed to carry out that law successfully. Then, when any policy has been in place for a reasonable period of time, it should be re-evaluated to determine if it has achieved the original goals, what the costs were, and what changes, if any, need to be made. This was keenly pointed out by Vig and Kraft in their seminal book, Environmental Policy: New Directions for the Twenty-First Century, 2006).
While the job of writing effective environmental legislation falls to the Congress, the president – in this case President Obama — also has an important role to play. Beyond simply signing or vetoing a bill sent to him by the Congress, the president is involved in setting the policy agenda. For example, a president concerned with taxes, downsizing and meeting the needs of large businesses will likely have a very different set of goals he wants achieved during his term than will a president who wishes to put more emphasis on the environment and conservation of natural resources. With the right combination of public support, Congressional leadership, and bipartisanship, effective environmental regulations and laws can be made. By delegating staff and other experts to particular issues, and by working with Congress to reach a desired outcome, the White House can influence the shape of environmental laws. Of course, the process is often complicated by gridlock. Rarely – if ever – does a significant majority of legislators agree on anything. Bills may or may not even reach the floor for a vote, depending on the party in power, the ability to reach agreement, and seemingly inevitable gridlock due to stalling tactics.
In Washington, the actual job of carrying out the implementation of a policy falls on the different executive departments. While all departments are involved in environmental quality to varying degrees, major regulators include the EPA, Interior Department, the Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of Agriculture or USDA. And, as part of the balance of power in the U.S., the judiciary inevitably becomes involved in challenges to environmental policy.
Environmental law – checks and balances
Jurisdiction and the wording of the law are never crystal-clear. Legal challenges help to define boundaries on the reach of the regulatory agencies. A timely example of this policymaking process at work can be seen in the discussion of climate change and energy usage.
The climate change example breaks down like this: We’ve known for years that our current energy economy, based largely on fossil fuels, is unsustainable. Burning coal and oil to generate electricity, heat our homes, and fuel our cars not only pollutes the air and water but also adds staggering amounts of carbon to the atmosphere and oceans, which leads to climate change and the destruction of ecosystems. Yet, the United States has done little over the past few decades to curb energy use and carbon emissions. As a nation we’ve lacked the critical threshold of vocal citizens demanding change, and we’ve lacked political will to generate more enthusiasm for change. Only now are we beginning to see a possible shift in this state of mind. More people are concerned about energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and the science has improved to the point where there is very little doubt that humans are the driving force behind this phenomenon. Also, the current president (who campaigned on a desire to combat climate change) along with a relatively sympathetic Congress, United Nations, not to mention Corporate Leaders for Climate Change, share many similar policy goals. He has an easier time setting the agenda than if the party makeup of the House and Senate was more conservative, as it had been just several years ago.
While the political will for something like the Kyoto Protocol did not exist in the previous decade, we now are looking at a somewhat more favorable environment for that kind of legislation. The House recently passed the so-called Waxman-Markey bill, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, by a vote of 219 to 212 (Govtrack.us 2009). While the bill’s fate in the Senate is far from certain, clearly the right combination of attitudes and leadership exist to make this possible. Should climate legislation pass, the other steps in the policy cycle must also be seen through. Simply setting standards will not be enough.
In the final analysis, U.S. policy processes for environmental regulation do represent the American democratic process. An honorable legacy with our own children as well as our legacy as a nation is at stake. The hope is that this fair, reasonable democratic process will allow for suitable, correct action from policymakers with regards to this legacy.
COURTSEY. ENVIRONMENTAL LEADER
Maldives 'tourism boom' putting manta rays at risk
Despite its recent status as a Marine Protected Area (MPA), a popular tourist destination in the Maldives is facing a massive decline in wildlife and tourism unless proper management is put in place. Since being awarded MPA status in 2009 and receiving increased media interest, Hanifaru Bay in Baa Atoll has seen its tourism trade triple.But Guy Stevens, director of the Maldives Manta Ray Project, warns that without proper management this 'cannot go on', and suggests that in just 'five years we will see a massive decline in the number of animals that will come to Hanifaru'. Stevens says the area is 'failing as a Marine Protected Area', with no management or enforcing of regulations; he says it hasn't been a priority for the Maldives government and is just a 'paper park'. He adds that pressure is now on the authorities to 'sort it out' before the start of the next manta ray season.
Although the main area is only the size of a football pitch, Hanifaru is a world-famous feeding site for up to 250 manta rays, which have an average wingspan of 3m.
Stevens explains the problem is the 'sheer volume of people in the water' - he has seen as many as 13 boats and almost 200 people there at one time, inhibiting the animals' ability to feed: 'They just physically cannot swim through the water to feed on the plankton... The contact from people, touching, bumping into the animals disturbs their feeding behaviour.'
by ENN
Although the main area is only the size of a football pitch, Hanifaru is a world-famous feeding site for up to 250 manta rays, which have an average wingspan of 3m.
Stevens explains the problem is the 'sheer volume of people in the water' - he has seen as many as 13 boats and almost 200 people there at one time, inhibiting the animals' ability to feed: 'They just physically cannot swim through the water to feed on the plankton... The contact from people, touching, bumping into the animals disturbs their feeding behaviour.'
by ENN
Bangladesh, India most at risk from climate change
Bangladesh and India are the countries most vulnerable to climate change, according to an index on Wednesday that rates the Nordic region least at risk.
British consultancy Maplecroft said its rankings showed that several "big economies of the future" in Asia were among those facing the biggest risks from global warming in the next 30 years as were large parts of Africa.
It said poverty and large low-lying coastal regions prone to floods and cyclones were among factors making Bangladesh the most exposed country. India, in second place, was vulnerable because of pressures from a rising population of 1.1 billion.
Madagascar was in third place, followed by Nepal, Mozambique, the Philippines, Haiti, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Myanmar. Vietnam, in 13th place and flood-hit Pakistan in 16th were also in the most exposed group.
"Understanding climate vulnerability will help companies make their investments more resilient to unexpected change," wrote Matthew Bunce, principal analyst at Maplecroft, who noted that many Asian countries were attracting large investments.
Norway was bottom of the list of 171 nations, least vulnerable ahead of Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Sweden and Denmark -- all rich north European nations which may initially gain from factors such as longer crop growing seasons.
The ranking combined exposure to extremes such as droughts, cyclones and mudslides, sensitivity to damage tied to poverty, population, internal conflicts and dependence on agriculture, and the capacity of a country to adapt.
The U.N. panel of climate scientists says it is at least 90 percent likely that a build-up of greenhouse gases, mainly from human use of fossil fuels, is responsible for most warming in the past 50 years.
COURTSEY ENN
British consultancy Maplecroft said its rankings showed that several "big economies of the future" in Asia were among those facing the biggest risks from global warming in the next 30 years as were large parts of Africa.
It said poverty and large low-lying coastal regions prone to floods and cyclones were among factors making Bangladesh the most exposed country. India, in second place, was vulnerable because of pressures from a rising population of 1.1 billion.
Madagascar was in third place, followed by Nepal, Mozambique, the Philippines, Haiti, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Myanmar. Vietnam, in 13th place and flood-hit Pakistan in 16th were also in the most exposed group.
"Understanding climate vulnerability will help companies make their investments more resilient to unexpected change," wrote Matthew Bunce, principal analyst at Maplecroft, who noted that many Asian countries were attracting large investments.
Norway was bottom of the list of 171 nations, least vulnerable ahead of Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Sweden and Denmark -- all rich north European nations which may initially gain from factors such as longer crop growing seasons.
The ranking combined exposure to extremes such as droughts, cyclones and mudslides, sensitivity to damage tied to poverty, population, internal conflicts and dependence on agriculture, and the capacity of a country to adapt.
The U.N. panel of climate scientists says it is at least 90 percent likely that a build-up of greenhouse gases, mainly from human use of fossil fuels, is responsible for most warming in the past 50 years.
COURTSEY ENN
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Honda Crowned Greenest Automaker
The Union of Concerned Scientists released their annual "green" ranking of automakers, and for the fifth year in a row, Honda has taken top honors.
The study looked at 2008 models because that was the most recent year that had complete data from the EPA and Transportation Department. The group analyzed the top eight automakers selling cars in the U.S. on both fuel economy and emissions for the entire fleets. Good fuel economy and low emissions had to hold strong across all sizes of vehicles to get the best scores. Results were also weighted based on sales.
Behind Honda by only one point was Toyota in second place and then Hyundai in third. American automakers like Ford, GM and Chrysler made up the bottom three.
The group noted that the Prius is a major factor in Toyota's score. If the Prius was removed, it would rank fourth overall, but the efficiency and healthy sales of the car boosted its score.
The American automakers suffered because many of the hybrid models don't offer any significant fuel savings and larger vehicles are highly inefficient.
via NY Times
The study looked at 2008 models because that was the most recent year that had complete data from the EPA and Transportation Department. The group analyzed the top eight automakers selling cars in the U.S. on both fuel economy and emissions for the entire fleets. Good fuel economy and low emissions had to hold strong across all sizes of vehicles to get the best scores. Results were also weighted based on sales.
Behind Honda by only one point was Toyota in second place and then Hyundai in third. American automakers like Ford, GM and Chrysler made up the bottom three.
The group noted that the Prius is a major factor in Toyota's score. If the Prius was removed, it would rank fourth overall, but the efficiency and healthy sales of the car boosted its score.
The American automakers suffered because many of the hybrid models don't offer any significant fuel savings and larger vehicles are highly inefficient.
via NY Times
Kodiak Island Ditches Diesel, Digs Wind
Kodiak Island, Alaska is an isolated island off the south coast of the state and gets no power from the state's main grid. Like other isolated islands, Kodiak has relied upon diesel generators to provide a large chunk of their energy needs, but the island is starting to ditch the diesel and harness the wind.
Up until recently, the island got 80 percent of its energy from a two-unit hydroelectric plant and the other 20 percent from seven diesel generators. The island installed three 1.5-MW wind turbines atop Pillar Mountain last year and as of this past August, those wind turbines have replaced most of their need for diesel, with the oil only accounting for 7.7 percent of their energy.
The Pillar Mountain Wind Project will save over a million gallons of fuel a year. The Kodiak Electric Associaton (PDF) hopes to produce 95 percent of their energy through renewable sources by 2020 and they're already most of the way there.
While Kodiak Island only has a population of 12,000, it seems places like this are leading the way to a clean energy future.
via Earth Techling
Up until recently, the island got 80 percent of its energy from a two-unit hydroelectric plant and the other 20 percent from seven diesel generators. The island installed three 1.5-MW wind turbines atop Pillar Mountain last year and as of this past August, those wind turbines have replaced most of their need for diesel, with the oil only accounting for 7.7 percent of their energy.
The Pillar Mountain Wind Project will save over a million gallons of fuel a year. The Kodiak Electric Associaton (PDF) hopes to produce 95 percent of their energy through renewable sources by 2020 and they're already most of the way there.
While Kodiak Island only has a population of 12,000, it seems places like this are leading the way to a clean energy future.
via Earth Techling
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)