Greenland is losing ice – at an alarming rate!

September 7th, 2011

Guest post by Darshane Hines

A dramatic event has shocked the Arctic… and the scientists who study the area! A block of ice four times the size of Manhattan has split off from a Greenland glacier and they worry that another, even larger, is preparing to break off.  A recent article in the NY Times drew such immediate interest that a hearing in Congress was held to address the issue – global warming and rising ocean temperatures. 

Top: An aerial view of the Petermann Glacier front taken on Aug. 5, 2009 Bottom: Another taken two years later on July 24, 2011

Scale is always hard to judge in the treeless landscape of Greenland. The cliff walls visible in the photograph are roughly 3,000 feet high, or about three times as high as the Eiffel Tower.

Is Science being censored?

September 7th, 2011

Guest post by Blake Wright

Most people think of censoring science as a concept of the past, something only done to protect the church before church and state were separate, however the reality of the situation is censoring still occurs.  Perhaps the church no longer has power in the United States, but money does, more specifically, oil money. This censorship focuses on diverting attention from global warming and discrediting scientists who have any facts that may hurt profits and bring public attention to a human impact on global warming. This can be seen back in 2008 as well as in the still ongoing issue with the ‘poster child’ of global warming, the polar bear drownings. However, this problem does not simply stop with global warming, but can be seen with the current issue of ‘fracking’, which has very evident side affects to water and the environment but is still being fought over by regulators and the energy industry.

Lessons from Easter Island ignored?

July 19th, 2011

Marcus Stephen wrote an Op-Ed piece in today’s NYTimes that his tiny Pacific Island nation, Nauru, may not exist in another century.

Are anti-bacterial soaps safe?

August 13th, 2009

Triclosan, the active ingredient in most anti-bacterial soaps, is being detected in human breast milk and urine.  It is not clear how serious this problem is, but it could be problematic.  Over 75% of all liquid soaps used in the US contain this potentially harmful chemical. Link.

Poisoned Waters

April 22nd, 2009

Dead FrogsAn excellent show about water contamination in the two major estuaries of the US.  Raises a lot of very interesting questions.  Highly recommend it. Link

    India Study Abroad 2010
    VMV & TJC Road Trip to India in Summer 2008
    Water Research at Francis Marion National Forest
    Geochemistry Fieldtrip to Dixie Plantation
    Fieldtrip to Congaree National Park