Surprising Patterns Found in Glacial Melting

Posted on July 31, 2011 by Rashid Faridi

During the last prolonged warm spell on Earth, the oceans were at least four meters — and possibly as much as 6.5 meters, or about 20 feet — higher than they are now. Where did all that extra water come from? Mainly from melting ice sheets on Greenland and Antarctica, and many scientists, including University of Wisconsin-Madison geoscience assistant professor Anders Carlson, have expected that Greenland was the main culprit.

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Posted in climate change, Global Warming | Leave a comment

Doomsday Blogs

Posted on July 30, 2011 by Rashid Faridi

Guest Post by Melanie Slaugh

When faced with a conversation about Doomsday people are either really scared or really skeptical.  I think I fall in the latter of the two choices.  There are a lot of people out there talking about it though.  There have been so many dates given that were supposed to be the “End of the World”.  We’re still here.  I don’t believe we will have advance notice if and when the end does come, but check out these 20 blogs all about “Doomsday”.

  1. Blog.2012pro.com : This blog talks about sunspots being the evidence pointing to      Doomsday happening in 2012.       Next year we could all be dead.  That is definitely a very sad thought.  This site is not kept up and I      found the last post to be in Jan. so maybe the blogger already found his      doomsday?
  2. Ofsinitiate.blogspot.com: Following a rant about a show on the History Channel regarding      Doomsday 2012 she does get into some very interesting points about the end      times.  She points out a lot      of misinformation that has come and gone about Doomsday predictions.  Her dry sense of humor makes this      blog a fun read if you are into that sort of thing.  She has a lot of historical facts,      which lend credibility to what she’s saying.  She has been a blogger since 2005 so I think she is      here for the long haul.
  3. Survival-spot.com: In a funny and sarcastic way this blog lists 10 items you would need      to survive should the worst happen.       Many of the items say “nerd approved” so they seem to be poking fun      at themselves.  Yes, this      survival stuff exists and I have to say that if the worse did happen it is      probably going to be the people that are prepared that survive.  It would be a shame if all that      survived for the human race were weird, paranoid flakes.
  4. Blog.Endtimeclothing.com:      Containing an hour long video regarding proof that Islam is the “beast”      referred to in the book of Revelation regarding the “end times’ this blog      is an interesting one to check out.       It also talks about RFID implantations and there’s a 10 min. video      about how there will be no mandatory implantation of these devices.  Some feel that these RFID devices      will be the mark of the devil.
  5. Doomsdayblogger.blogspot.com: How many times has a “Doomsday” been predicted?  Many that I can remember and I      haven’t been listening all these years.  This blog touches on the many different Doomsday      predictions, books and movies.       This blogger tries to debunk some of the claims and makes fun of      others, but this really is a great collection of the many different claims      over the centuries.
  6. Opowell.wordpress.com : The Doomsday Blog is the name of this blog.  It’s filled with the back-story to      why the world is going to end on Dec. 21, 2012.  This date is the newest “Doomsday” date.  This blog talks about how the date      was determined.  This guy is      out there and discusses other interesting topics such as “Leathernecks”      and “Grand theft auto in Greenwich”.       An interesting read if nothing else.
  7. Gerrymaxeyworkshop.com: The Daily Grand and Sundry is the title of this very interesting      blog.  This blogger has done      his homework, but seems a bit torn in his views.  Perhaps, he is so knowledgeable that he just wants to      do three different blogs about Doomsday.  This blog is for futurists and concentrates on the      belief that humans will be extinct in 100 years and it’s all because we      are living very greedy lives and damaging the earth beyond the point that      we can fix it.
  8. Everydaychristian.com: Living like a Christian is one of the categories on this blog, but      discussion of Harold Camping’s prediction that the world would end on May      21st, 2010.       Obviously the day came and went and Camping caught a lot of flack      about being wrong.  This blog      is an interesting read.
  9. Theendtimesblog.blogspot.com: An in depth look at how the      end times (doomsday) relates to the bible and Christian beliefs.  An intriguing video laying out      some proof to back up a theory about what the end times will be like.  More articles detailing things      that are happening in the news today that relate to doomsday and close we      are getting to it.
  10. Endtimesprophecy.com: An      interesting compilation of end times or Doomsday articles and      stories.  Stories about dreams      and visions about the end times.       Scripture verses pulled and researched as to how and when the end      will come.  Various      testimonials regarding the end times are also available.
  11. Christianblogs.christianet.com: As you can imagine by reading the title of this blog, it delves deeply      in the Christian faith and how it relates to Doomsday.  There are a ton of references to      scripture verses and each one is analyzed as how it relates to the end      times.
  12. The-end-time.blogspot.com: With many videos regarding news events and other phenomena this blog      does a good job of laying out a huge amount of information regarding the      end times or Doomsday.  The      details of sinks holes, earth quakes, snow in the desert, eclipses and      more are quite and interesting read.
  13. Hatikvah1.com: This website centers      around the Jewish faith, but includes some Christianity as well.  It points out how God has big      plans for Israel during the end times because it is the “center of the      world”.  Many articles are      included on this blog to help teach and enlighten people about Judaism.
  14. Timesnear.com: Judgment day,      rapture, the second coming are all discussed on this blog.  Will we know when the end is going      to happen?  This blogger feels      that we will not know when the day is.  Great articles about whether the “Rapture” and the      “Second coming” will happen at the same time or not.
  15. Pbs.org: Now this isn’t your typical Doomsday blog, but NOVA did a great job on      describing the Doomsday asteroid that is to fall to the earth in      2012.  Funny how that      coincides with the other predictions about the end of the world.
  16. Lewrockwell.com: Or if you read this site the world could end due to an asteroid named      Apophis on April 13, 2036.       Currently the asteroid is not on a collision course with      earth.  However, on April 13,      2029 the trajectory of the asteroid could change.  It could change enough to hit the      earth 7 years later.
  17. Readyfordoomsday.com: An in depth look at the Mayan calendar.  This is the very old calendar that is being used and      has been used for centuries to predict “Doomsday”.  This blogger is taking the      description in bite-sized pieces to make it more palatable.  The Mayan calendar is nothing if      not complex.
  18. Ginandtacos.com: And if we hadn’t gotten bizarre enough on this set of blogs we have      this blog who delves into Doomsday cults and what they are up to.
  19. Democraticunderground.com: Prompting discussion about the blogger that predicted Doomsday and the      panic that ensued.  Apparently      cargo containers are what the survivors will live in during the end.  They are being retrofitted with      doors and air conditioning.       The most recent natural disasters are also being drawn into the      conspiracy.
  20. Bonfiresblog.wordpress.com: Another in depth look at the Mayan calendar.  This blogger identifies why the world will not end in      2012.  He details how the      ancient Hopi Indians prophesies that the world will end during the fifth world.  Every time earth has suffered a      devastating blow they count that as a world.  It’s all very interesting.

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Erosion to devour 3,000 hectares of land on riverbanks of Ganga,Jamuna and Padma this year in Bangladesh

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Rashid Faridi

Around 2,428 hectares of cultivable land and 413 hectares of settlement on the banks of Jamuna, Ganges and Padma rivers will disappear due to erosion this year.Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) and Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS) have made the prediction through analysing satellite images.

BWDB has started protective works in several vulnerable areas on both banks of Jamuna, Ganges and Padma but river erosion has turned serious in many places including Sariakandi and Dhunat upazilas of Bogra district, said AKM Momtaz Uddin, executive engineer of BWDB, Bogra.cultivable land along with 50,339 hectares of settlement were eroded due to erosion by Jamuna, Ganges and Padma rivers during the period from 1973 to 2011.

In 2010, the rivers Jamuna, Ganges and Padma eroded more than 3,047 hectares of cultivable land and 332 hectares of settlements with 15 establishments including two health centres. At least 48 establishments including 35 educational institutions and two health centres are vulnerable to erosion along the Jamuna and Padma rivers. About 23,100 people on the riverbanks lost their shelter due to erosion in the last year, BWDB sources said.

BWDB and CEGIS predict that 24,270 people will become homeless and landless due to the erosion of the three rivers this year. The highest 18,000 people on the bank of the Jamuna will become landless and homeless this year.

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Cleveland volcano in Alaska Could Erupt at Any Moment

Posted on July 24, 2011 by Rashid Faridi

The Alaska Volcano Observatory has issued an eruption advisory for the 5,676 foot-tall Cleveland Volcano, located on the uninhabited island of Chuginadak in the Aleutian chain about 940 miles southwest of Anchorage.

The advisory was based on “thermal anomalies” detected by satellite, the observatory said . Those measurements indicate the volcano could erupt at any moment, spewing ash clouds up to 20,000 feet above sea level with little further warning, the observatory said.Recent satellite images of a remote Alaska volcano along a flight route for major airlines show it may be poised for its first big eruption in 10 years, scientists said.

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Posted in Remote Sensing 101, Satellites, Volcanoes | Leave a comment