The Air We Breathe

Anyone who lives in metro Phoenix has seen the brown cloud that drapes the horizon on a still day.

The pollution is more than what can be seen. Valley air carries bits of dirt, toxic metals, ammonia from farm fertilizer, ozone that irritates nasal tissues. Freeways spew a mix of exhaust and dust, putting anyone who lives nearby at an increased risk.

A day with bad air takes its toll first on those who are already ill. A heavily polluted day sends children to emergency rooms. People with respiratory problems are forced indoors. But a lifetime with bad air takes a toll on each one of us. People who live in bad air live shorter lives.  http://www.azcentral.com/news/air-quality/

Article courtesy of The Republic by Mark Henle

Quasar discovery a milestone that revealed a violent universe

Saturday marks the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the quasar — an extremely bright object powered by matter falling into a super-massive black hole lying in the heart of a galaxy.

First found in 1963, these strange sources of radio waves initially stumped astronomers: They shone as sharply and intensely as nearby stars, but they appeared to be moving away from Earth far too fast to be in our own Milky Way. Scientists called them quasi-stellar radio sources — or quasars for short.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-quasar-anniversary-20130316,0,968215.story

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Amina Khan

Study: Plankton's absorption of CO2 higher than assumed

A study into the chemical composition of marine plankton is challenging a long-held assumption on how much carbon dioxide the organisms consume.

The study, published online Sunday in Nature Geoscience, calls into question the textbook ratio of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous contained in all plankton. This so-called "Redfield ratio," named for oceanographer Alfred Redfield, holds that those compounds are fixed at 106:16:1 units respectively.  http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-plankton-carbon-ratio-20130315,0,78136.story

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times -Science Now- bly Monte Morin

California may start huge water project before knowing if it'll work

The goal is to partially restore the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta environment and stop waterexports from shrinking. But uncertainty over how much water the delta can spare is likely to last years.  http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-delta-plan-20130315,0,2729393.story

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Bettina Boxall

 

 

EPA threatens to sue fuel-storage facility in San Pedro

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has notified the owners of a 40-year-old San Pedro tank farm, which has up to 25 million gallons of highly flammable butane, that it is prepared to sue to ensure compliance with federal law.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-epa-suit-20130318,0,5593381.story

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Louis Sahagun

GREEN TIPS

By making simple changes in our everyday lives, we can improve the planet we all share. To help, EarthShare provides free green tips, categorized by season. EarthShare offers these green action tips as a public service to individuals and companies interested in finding ways to protect the Earth.

http://www.earthshare.org/green-tips.html#tp

Article courtesy of EarthShare

 

Two new solar power plants approved for federal land in California

Salazar announced two solar projects in California — the 750-megawatt McCoy Solar Energy Project and 150-megawatt Desert Harvest Solar Farm, both in Riverside County. Interior also approved the 200-megawatt Searchlight Wind Energy Project in Clark County, Nevada. 

The McCoy project, near Blythe, would occupy 4,394 acres and would be the world's largest, in terms of power production. Desert Harvest, six miles north of Desert Center, would occupy 1,208 acres. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-renewable-energy-20130313,0,3126195.story

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times –Science Now –by Julie Cart

 

 

Coastal panel rejects Navy's plan to boost underwater blasts

SAN DIEGO — Citing the danger to whales and other sea life, the California Coastal Commission voted unanimously Friday to reject the Navy's plan for increased use of sonar and underwater explosives for training off Southern California.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-navy-whales-20130309,0,1038169.story

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Tony Perry

NASA probes find new radiation belt circling Earth

A pair of NASA probes has discovered a previously unknown ring of radiation blanketing the Earth, upending a long-standing scientific theory about how charged particles coalesce around the planet, scientists reported Thursday.

Just four days after the twin Radiation Belt Storm Probes were launched in August, NASA scientists looked on in amazement as instruments revealed a third belt of high-energy particles between the planet's inner and outer radiation belts, known as the Van Allen belts. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-earth-radiation-belt-20130301,0,7766658.story

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Joseph Serna

Imperial County betting its future on renewable energy

Spurred by a state mandate that requires utilities to get a third of their electricity from green sources by 2020, renewable energy companies are leasing or buying thousands of acres in Imperial County to convert to energy farms providing power for coastal cities — bringing an estimated 6,000 building jobs and billions in construction activity to the county.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-imperial-energy-20130227,0,497876.story

Article courtesy of The Los Angles Times by Shan Li

Sahara Desert dust affects California water supply, study finds

High-altitude dust blown thousands of miles across the Pacific from Asian and African deserts can make it rain and snow in the Sierra Nevada, according to new research that suggests tiny particles from afar play a role in California's water supply.

The study, published Thursday in the online edition of the journal Science, grew out of researchers' questions about two similar Sierra storms in winter 2009. Even though the storm systems carried the same amount of water vapor, one produced 40% more precipitation than the other. When scientists analyzed ground samples of the rain and snow dropped by the wetter storm, they found an abundance of Asian dust.  http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-water-dust-20130301,0,4934653.story

Article courtesy of the Los Angeles Times by Bettina Boxall