Environmental

Recent Posts

How does one assess the amount of carbon stored in a forest? Lidar
Posted on 26 Jun 2011 by Thomas H. Clarke, Jr.

Calibrating measurements from study teams on the ground with the results of a readouts from "light detection and ranging" instrumentation (LIDAR), Arbonaut, a Finnish natural resources management firm, has created the technology to product 3... Read More

Some aircraft designers think outside the box to improve efficiency
Posted on 24 Mar 2011 by Thomas H. Clarke, Jr.

Concern has been expressed in recent years over the contribution of aircraft to GHG emissions. Some airlines have gotten favorable publicity for experimenting with bio-derived fuels. But, what if aircraft were to target reducing fuel consumption by half... Read More

Human impacts on the climate preceded the dawn of the petroleum age
Posted on 26 Jun 2011 by Thomas H. Clarke, Jr.

Prior posts, occasionally with tongue planted firmly in cheek, have noted that human impact on carbon loading in the atmosphere goes back to well before the industrial era. A recent assessment has calculated that over the eight millennia before 1850... Read More

Arctic salt clouds are reducting the impact of Global Climate Change on the Arctic region
Posted on 15 May 2011 by Thomas H. Clarke, Jr.

Prior posts have noted both the various impacts of Global Climate Change ("GCC") on various aspects of the Earth and its atmospheric systems, as well as the failure of many/most models to include such impacts within their parameters. For example... Read More

Natural gas development poses a risk of enhancing GHG emissions due to "leakage", note new studies
Posted on 11 Apr 2011 by Thomas H. Clarke, Jr.

Several prior posts have noted the greenhouse impact of methane (aka natural gas); it has many times the warming effect as carbon dioxide (CO2), which seems to be the focus of so much discussion about global warming. The posts have focused on the numerous... Read More

Smoke from fires can travel thousands of miles impacting weather, climate, and air quality
Posted on 4 Apr 2011 by Thomas H. Clarke, Jr.

Prior posts have noted the impact of fires in Southeast Asia on air pollution throughout the region. While it has been known for decades that large wildfires can create or enhance thunderstorm clouds, leading to what are called pyrocumulonimbus clouds... Read More