Pump large amounts of fluids — such as "produced water" from fracked oil and gas wells — down an injection well and into an existing fault. It happened at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, causing earthquakes in and around Denver back in the l960's. Geologists are concerned it could begin happening again, given the huge amount of shaleContinue reading “How to cause an earthquake: Inject fluids into a fault”
Author Archives: Kit Stolz
Hurricanes to be stronger AND more frequent: Emanuel
Kerry Emanuel, a leading analyst of hurricane behavior at MIT, has for years taken the position that hurricanes in the 21st century will be stronger, thanks to the global warming, but not necessarily more frequent. In fact, back in 2006, he published a paper arguing that no decadal shift could be detected in frequency ofContinue reading “Hurricanes to be stronger AND more frequent: Emanuel”
Proof of global warming in one graph: Ezra Klein
Eza Klein, maestro of Wonkblog, finds a graph that charts global temperature by decade, and promises "You can't deny global warming after seeing this graph." From those wild-haired radicals at the World Meteorological Association (pdf).
How to save the California condor: Earth Island Institute
Back in the 1980's, the population of the California Condor plummeted to a mere 22 birds. Wildlife advocates and officials had to make a choice: allow the population to wink out, or capture all the birds and put them in a breeding program. David Phillips, director of the Earth Island Institute, ruminates out loud aboutContinue reading “How to save the California condor: Earth Island Institute”
NASA researcher dreams of army of polar robots
NASA is testing a robot designed by students to explore Greenland called GROVER (For Greenland Remotely Operated Vehicle for Exploration and Research). Early results look promising: GROVER’s radar emits a signal that bounces off the different layers of the ice sheet, allowing scientists to study how snow and ice accumulates in Greenland. The team wantedContinue reading “NASA researcher dreams of army of polar robots”
No such thing as a benevolent dictatorship: Orwell
What does the overthrow of the elected government in Egypt by the military mean? Wouldn't it be interesting to hear what George Orwell had to say about it? This month the New York Review of Books helpfully publishes an old letter of Orwell's, to leading critic and thinker Dwight MacDonald, on a related subject: Dictatorship. Continue reading “No such thing as a benevolent dictatorship: Orwell”
A tragic consensus: Arizona Hot Shots died for houses
They say that newspapers are dead or dying, but the reporting on the death of nineteen brave wildland firefighters in Arizona has been absolutely top-notch. The LA Times has responded by sending a team of its best people, including Julie Cart from Idaho: BOISE, Idaho — Early morning is a frenetic time at a wildfireContinue reading “A tragic consensus: Arizona Hot Shots died for houses”
International Read Naked Day: A communion in Chicago
In Chicago, Valya Vupescu sounds enthralled by a reading and award show by the Naked Girls: "The ladies on the stage disrobed at the start of each of the three reading sessions of the night. They did it gracefully, naturally, comfortably, at home in their skin and on the stage. Then they breathed the storiesContinue reading “International Read Naked Day: A communion in Chicago”
In 1776, if Paul Revere were warning of climate change…
Scientists can be funny, and physicist Mark Boslough proves it with a column imagining how things might have been back in 1776 if Paul Revere had set out to warn the nation of climate change, instead of the arrival of the British. Boslough writes: "On this Independence Day, it is worth reflecting on the willingness ofContinue reading “In 1776, if Paul Revere were warning of climate change…”
New Mexico conifer forests gone by 2050: Scientist
The pine forests of New Mexico have been around since the Pleistocene, but they're not going to be around much longer, according to a scientist named Nate McDowell at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. For as long as there have been forests, there have been droughts,” [McDowell] said. “But the droughts we’re experiencing now areContinue reading “New Mexico conifer forests gone by 2050: Scientist”
Kit Stolz 