Climate warming affects entire lakes
EDMONTON, Alberta, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- Canadian scientists in a University of Alberta study indicate global warming is producing major ecological changes in remote arctic lakes at an alarming rate.
The research is said to be the first to demonstrate a whole lake biological response to warming in the arctic.
Neal Michelutti, a post-doctoral science fellow, said even in the most remote, pristine parts of the Earth -- far from the direct influence of human activities -- changes are occurring in entire ecosystems.
He and his research team used a technique called reflectance spectroscopy to allow them to "see" in wavelengths that the human eye cannot -- the chemical composition of the sediment in six lakes on Baffin Island.
They found major increases in chlorophyll-a concentrations, a good indicator of overall ecosystem production.
What alarms the researchers is the magnitude and timing of the changes. "For the last several thousand years, chlorophyll-a concentrations in our study lakes were very low and showed little variability, until approximately 150 years ago when chlorophyll-a increased rapidly and reached unprecedented levels. The timing of these changes corresponds to the start of the Industrial Revolution," said Michelutti.
The research appears in the current issue of Geophysical Research Letters.
Europe's Venus Express is ready for launch
LONDON, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- Scientists say the Venus Express spacecraft, Europe's first mission to the planet Venus, may reveal more information about Earth's global warming.
The Venus Express is scheduled for launch next week, with one of its primary goals being an understanding of the intense greenhouse effect heating Venus, the Independent reported Tuesday.
Scientists involved in the $245 million mission hope to gain insight into global warming on Earth by studying the Venus environment.
Venus, the second planet from the sun, is shrouded in dense, impenetrable clouds of sulfuric acid, although it was formed at the same time as Earth and from the same sort of material.
It is also about the same size, mass and density as our planet, but with average temperatures hovering around 867 Fahrenheit because the intense Venusian greenhouse effect, the atmosphere traps the sun's energy before it can be reflected from the planet's surface back into space.
Despite many reasons for believing Venus is Earth's twin, scientists say they are still not sure why the two planets differ so widely in their respective greenhouse effects, the Independent said.
New Haven: a city that 'really got it.'
NEW HAVEN, Conn., Oct. 18 (UPI) -- New Haven, Conn., may become a model for other U.S. cities wishing to lower their energy costs as natural gas, oil and electricity prices soar.
Conservation consultants John Pierson and Parthiban Mathavan saved New Haven's public schools $1.1 million in energy costs during last fiscal year by such simple ideas as not running full-blast heat or air conditioning at each school, regardless of the day's specific temperatures, the Christian Science Monitor reported Tuesday.
"We are always dreaming up ways to be more efficient," Pierson told the Monitor. "A lot of it is common sense."
Efficient street lights and bulk purchases of natural gas have given the city such lower energy bills, New Haven could become a model for other municipalities across the country.
"New Haven is a leader in this area. It is a city that has committed right at the top levels to look at efficiency and clean energy," Susan Coakley, executive director of the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships in Lexington, Mass., told the Monitor "It is a great example of a city that really got it."
Britain urged to end its astronaut ban
LONDON, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- The Royal Astronomical Society is urging the Britain to begin funding its own astronaut program to advance the human exploration of space.
Current British policy allows public money to be spent only on robotic space missions, which means Britain, although a member state of the European Space Agency, provides no funding for ESA's astronaut corps, the BBC reported Tuesday.
English astronauts have been forced to acquire U.S. citizenship and train with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
The RAS report warns Britain is risking being denied scientific, educational and economic benefits that accrue from the human exploration of space, the BBC said.
Panel member Ken Pounds, a University of Leicester professor, said, "It is hard to imagine that the U.K., one of the world's leading economies, would not be fully involved in a global scientific and technology endeavor with such strong potential to inspire."
The panel said the industrial and educational rewards from joining other nations on manned space missions beyond low-Earth orbit could be huge.
"Surveys have shown a significant economic multiplier from investment in space projects, with an additional overall gain in competitiveness," the panel reported.
CIA invests in no-fuel power generators
ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 18 (UPI) -- The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency is reportedly investing in a power unit that can generate substantial electrical energy without using any fuel.
The units manufactured by a small Virginia start-up company -- SkyBuilt Power Inc. -- are so rugged they can be dropped by parachute from an airplane and operate so simply, two people could have a unit running in just a few hours, the Christian Science Monitor reported Tuesday.
The generators are fueled by solar and wind energy, with a battery backup for use during the night or when winds are calm. And the units are designed to run for years with little maintenance, the newspaper said.
Depending upon its configuration, SkyBuilt's Mobile Power Station can generate up to 150 kilowatts of electricity.
And now privately owned, SkyBuilt has a new investor -- In-Q-Tel -- a venture capital firm owned by the CIA. The "Q" in In-Q-Tel is a reference to the fictional character "Q" who supplies James Bond with scientific gadgets.
Although no models for homes are yet available, SkyBuilt says its mobile power station can help meet critical power needs, such as during disasters, terrorist attacks, military operations or meteorological emergencies.
