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Science Picks - Hot News about Cool Science | |||||
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September 2009 Edition
Want the cold facts about melting
glaciers? How about details on a recent study finding mercury contamination
in fish nationwide? Or how you can wander New York on September 11 and
help find the city’s lost crickets? The answers are in this edition of
USGS Science Picks. In addition, find out about educational
resources for teachers, the power of small life forms, details on Cash
for Clunkers, and sewage in rivers. If you would like to receive Science
Picks via e-mail, would like to change the recipient or no longer want
to receive it, please e-mail kcapelli@xxxxxxxx.
September Highlights:
- The Cold Facts about Melting Glaciers
- Mercury Contamination in Fish Nationwide
- Help Find the Lost Crickets of New York City
- A+ Portal for Science Education Resources
- Smallest Life Forms, BIG Power
- The Nitty Gritty of Cash for Clunkers
- Yuck! Is there Sewage in the Rivers?
- Sea Otter Health, Pollution and Revealing Genes
- Tiny Satellite Technology Tracks Rare Kittlitz's Murrelet
- Women in Science: Mixing it up in the Wetlands
- Climate Change May Leave Early Birds Without the Worm
- Investigating Mysterious Bat Deaths
- Crayfish Don’t Rock and Roll to Heavy Metal!
- Hunting for Plant and Animal Information Just Got Easier
Leads (top news in natural science)
The Cold Facts about Melting Glaciers
Most glaciers in Washington and Alaska are dramatically shrinking in response to a warming climate. During the past 50 years, USGS scientists have measured changes in the mass (length and thickness) of three glaciers: Alaska’s Gulkana and Wolverine Glaciers and Washington’s South Cascade Glacier. These are the longest such records in North America and among the longest in the world. These three glaciers are known as benchmark glaciers because they are widely spaced, represent different climate regimes, and can be used to understand the thousands of other glaciers in nearby regions. In addition to these three glaciers, more than 99 percent of America’s thousands of large glaciers have long documented records that show an overall shrinkage as climate warms. You can watch a video of South Cascade Glacier from 1928–2006 at http://wa.water.usgs.gov/projects/glacier/video.html and listen to a podcast interview on this topic at http://www.usgs.gov/corecast/details.asp?ep=101. For more information, visit http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2009/3046/ or contact Jessica Robertson at jrobertson@xxxxxxxx or (703) 648-6624.
Mercury Contamination in Fish Nationwide
A USGS study found mercury contamination in every fish sampled in 291 streams across the country. About a quarter of these fish contained mercury at levels exceeding the criterion for the protection of people who consume average amounts of fish, established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. More than two-thirds of the fish exceeded the EPA level of concern for fish-eating mammals. To learn more about this USGS study, visit http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/mercury/ or contact Jennifer LaVista at jlavista@xxxxxxxx or (703) 648-4432.
Help Find the Lost Crickets of New York City
Remember Chester in The Cricket in Times Square? George Selden was inspired to write his classic children’s story after hearing chirps in the subway. Crickets and katydids are a vital part of the urban and suburban ecosystems and used to be an abundant force in NYC. Are these organisms still in the NYC area, and if so, where? You can help scientists from the USGS and other organizations find out by joining the first Cricket Crawl on Friday, September 11, between dusk and midnight. All you have to do is step outside and simply record what you hear using your cell phone as a tape recorder. You might even discover species that haven't been seen in years! For more information on how to get involved, check out http://www.discoverlife.org/cricket. There you can read about the different crickets and katydids and even practice listening to their different calls. The results from this audio survey will be presented on the Web in real time. For more information, contact Sam Droege at sdroege@xxxxxxxx or (301) 497-5840.
A+ Portal for Science Education Resources
Looking for natural science information that’s relevant, dependable and understandable? Check out the USGS Education Web site. Established originally for teachers and students, the site has grown to become a major portal through which the public can access USGS earth and biological science data. The main page is organized by topic and grade level, so information about earthquakes, for example, is easy to find for elementary, secondary or university grade levels. The site provides links to some of the USGS’s most popular sites, such as “Videos and Animations” or “The GPS Class,” and features topics of current interest in “What’s New, What’s Happening.” Also, you can learn about the newly released Earth Science Literacy Initiative, a national effort to improve earth science literacy and education, sponsored by the National Science Foundation. Visit the Web site at http://education.usgs.gov/, or find out more by contacting Robert Ridky at rridky@xxxxxxxx or (703) 648-4713.
Feeds (science updates and happenings)
Smallest Life Forms, BIG Power
You’d be surprised by the power packed in some of the smallest life forms on Earth. Some are pathogens and can cause human health risks by contaminating drinking water. Others can cause West Nile Virus in bird species or plague in Black-Footed ferrets. Microorganisms can even be even potential sources of alternative energy. Some scientists are studying the possibility for converting microbial biomass to electricity, while other researchers are working to discover if bacteria could be used in a fuel cell to convert waste to electricity. These wee little things are also impacted by climate change. For example, changes in temperature can alter their habitat and result in the spread of diseases or loss of some microbial communities. USGS scientists are involved in a wide range of microbiology research to understand these issues and help mitigate negative scenarios. The new USGS microbiology site is a one-stop shop for studies about microbiology and the environment. Check it out at http://microbiology.usgs.gov/. For more information, contact Kay Briggs at kmbriggs@xxxxxxxx or (703) 648-4046.
The Nitty Gritty of Cash for Clunkers
The government-run “Cash for Clunkers” did much more than just stimulate the economy and raise awareness of carbon emissions. It also caused demand for a little known and little used mineral compound called sodium silicate. The program required that buyers of clunkers immediately kill the engine of the car — a task most efficiently done by running the engine with sodium silicate. When a vehicle runs for a few minutes with this compound in place of engine oil, the engine seizes, and it cannot be reused. The other parts of the vehicles, however, can be recycled. Sodium silicate, the only soluble silica compound, is made by fusing two industrial minerals, high-purity silica sand with soda ash. The USGS has been an authoritative source for U.S. and global nonfuel mineral production data, including silica sand, soda ash, and 80 other mineral commodities, for more than 130 years. For more on sodium silicate or any other minerals, check out http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/ or contact Joyce Ober at jober@xxxxxxxx or (703) 648-7717.
Yuck! Is there Sewage in the Rivers?
Whether you fish in them or float on them, have you ever wondered what’s in the rivers? In South Carolina, the USGS is experimenting with monitoring sewage spills in real-time on the Saluda River near Columbia. Over the last several years, there have been multiple sewage spills that have increased the health risk to kayakers, fisherman and swimmers. This monitoring device will measure sewage spill according to the river’s specific conductance. Specific conductance indicates the water’s ability to conduct electricity, and a high conductivity value would suggest an increased level of dissolved solids (i.e., sewage spills). With this real-time alert system, public safety is increased and the potential for health hazards is minimized. For more information, including water quality and streamflow data, visit the USGS South Carolina Water Science Center Web site at http://sc.water.usgs.gov/. You can also contact John Shelton at jmshelto@xxxxxxxx or (803) 750-6112.
Sea Otter Health, Pollution and Revealing Genes
Recovery of the threatened southern sea otter of California has been sluggish, and scientists are trying to understand why. The USGS is studying how sea otter health is impacted by pollution from urban and agricultural sources as well as what role genes might play in revealing a sea otter’s exposure to harmful chemicals. You are invited to learn more about this research at two upcoming USGS public lectures held on October 1 in Santa Cruz, CA. They are titled, “Big Sur vs. Monterey: Understanding Human Impacts on Sea Otter Population Health” and “The Doctor is In: Using Human Medicine to Diagnose What Ails the Sea Otter.” These presentations are part of the observation of Sea Otter Awareness Week from September 27 to October 3, and more information is available at http://www.defenders.org/seaotter/awareness. To listen to a three-part USGS podcast series on sea otters, visit http://www.werc.usgs.gov/otters/. You can also contact Tim Tinker at ttinker@xxxxxxxx or (831) 459-2357, or Keith Miles at keith_miles@xxxxxxxx or (530) 752-5365.
Tiny Satellite Technology Tracks Rare Kittlitz's Murrelet
The world’s smallest satellite
tags have been attached to members of the rare and rapidly declining Kittlitz's
Murrelet seabirds. Most of these birds are found in remote, glaciated regions
of Alaska, but their wintering grounds have long been unknown. Thanks to
tiny solar-powered satellites tags that can be attached
to small seabirds, researchers from the USGS and U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service can now study their nesting, foraging and migration ecology. This
new technology is even capable of operating successfully in the most extreme
subarctic marine environment. Data collected from these tags may help inform
conservation strategies for this rare species. Scientists report all tags
are functioning and they expect to see birds migrate soon to their wintering
grounds. For more information, contact John Piatt at jpiatt@xxxxxxxx
or (360) 774-0516.
Story Seeds (points to ponder or investigate)
Women in Science: Mixing it up in the Wetlands
The science fields can be strengthened by a diversity of approaches and ideas, but diversity is often limited due to the current disproportionate number of males to females in upper level positions. To promote diversity in the wetland science community, a USGS scientist who is also a member of the Society of Wetland Scientists initiated the Women in Wetlands program. This program is part of the society and offers symposiums and mentors for women and minorities. The mentors are senior society members, many of which are also USGS scientists, and they work directly with students and young professionals by providing advice and career guidance. For more information, visit http://www.sws.org/sections/wiw/index.mgi or contact Karen L. McKee at mckeek@xxxxxxxx or (337) 266-8662.
Climate Change May Leave Early Birds Without the Worm
Climate change may affect critical water resources that support prey for 75 migratory bird species in the Great Basin. A new five-year study by USGS and World Wildlife Fund scientists will examine the effects of climate change on waterbirds in this area. As climate change either freshens wetlands or drier weather makes them saltier, the distribution and availability of waterbird prey species may impact which waterbirds can use the wetlands and when. Scientists will use new genetic tools and climate models to examine past and present distributions of prey species to predict potential changes in their distribution. Results will have implications for evaluating future water needs for urban communities, agricultural irrigation, grazing plans and waterbird conservation. To learn more about USGS conservation genetics research, visit http://fresc.usgs.gov/research/StudyDetail.asp?Study_ID=656 or http://fresc.usgs.gov/conservationgeneticslaboratory/. For more information, contact Susan Haig at susan_haig@xxxxxxxx or (541) 750-7482.
Investigating Mysterious Bat Deaths
Bat populations have been declining at an alarming rate in the northeast and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. Since 2007, hundreds of thousands of hibernating bats in nine states have died from a disease called white-nose syndrome, involving an invasive white fungus. Wildlife specialists are concerned about the devastating threat that white-nose syndrome could pose on bat communities in other regions of the world. A new USGS fact sheet, “Investigating Bat White-Nose Syndrome,” highlights USGS progress in addressing issues pertinent to the syndrome. In 2008, USGS scientists and partners isolated and identified Geomyces destructans, the fungus associated with the syndrome. New studies have been initiated, including a rapid detection test for G. destructans and a method to identify how the fatal fungus is transmitted. Study results will help forecast the spread of white-nose syndrome and determine if and how bats survive exposure to the disease. For more information, visit http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/publications/fact_sheets/pdfs/2009-3058_investigating_wns.pdf or contact David Blehert at blehert@xxxxxxxx or (608) 270-2466.
Crayfish Don't Rock and Roll to Heavy Metal!
Crayfish are not only considered good eating in some places, but they also appear to be a good barometer of how heavy-metal mining activities affect aquatic ecosystems. In the Ozarks, USGS scientists found that crayfish numbers were reduced directly downstream of lead and zinc mines. As metal concentrations increased in water, sediment and the leafy material that crayfish eat, their survival rates plummeted. The absence or reduced abundance of crayfish may harm ecosystem processes, such as nutrient and energy cycling in Ozark streams, not to mention that smallmouth bass and other sport fish might go hungry as they depend on crayfish as a primary food source. Results show that crayfish may be useful indicators for assessing and monitoring the effects of mining in aquatic ecosystems. For more information, contact Ann Allert at aallert@xxxxxxxx or (573) 876-1903.
Hunting for Plant and Animal Information Just Got Easier
Do you want an easy, efficient way to sift through massive amounts of online information about plants and animals? A new search engine from the USGS National Biological Information Infrastructure is just the ticket. The NBII has always been a comprehensive source for information on the nation’s plants and animals. Now, its revamped search engine offers a variety of new features, including the ability to search multiple databases at the same time and the ability to return results that arrive in “clusters,” or automatically generated categories associated with the search topic. For example, a search on “grizzly bear” turns up cluster topics like “endangered species,” “park science” and “grizzly bear management planning” that point to new areas of inquiry. To try the search engine yourself and get a sense of its power, visit http://www.nbii.gov. For more information, contact Jim Erwin at jerwin@xxxxxxxx or (703) 648-4283.
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