Thundersnow: The Sound And The Flurry
December 13, 2011 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments
[ By Steve in History & Trivia & Nature & Ecosystems & Science & Research. ]
Thundersnow… if there’s a more awesome-sounding meteorological phenomenon, then bring it on! While the name “Thundersnow” is eminently suitable for a Marvel superhero, a WWE wrestler or a heavy metal band, it’s actually an easily explainable (though rare and unusual) aspect of wild winter weather.
Thundersnow, The Other White Noise
(images via: To Be Sugarfree and Anokarina/Picasaweb)
Thundersnow is one of those odd occurrences that, while fully natural, just seem somehow “not right.” You’ve got your thunderstorms, which we associate with hot and humid summer days. You’ve got your snow, either blown forcefully by howling winter winds or delicately falling in silent flotillas of frilly flakes. But thunder? In my snowstorm? It’s not only less likely than you think, it’s not likely period.
(image via: Night Sky Hunter)
Not likely perhaps but far from impossible, when one considers the same basic “weather physics” that spawn thunder and lightning can occur any time of the year, in any temperature range. What’s required above all is a powerful storm system that features significant vertical mixing of air masses resulting in a separation of positive and negative electrical charges.
(images via: Rance Rizzutto and FamousDC)
Ice crystals are also seen as a catalyst for lightning formation; even in summer thunderstorms. A severe winter storm creates more than enough ice crystals to go around and their presence in cold-weather supercell systems may act to promote lightning strikes regardless of the lower degree (pun intended) of heat energy in winter storm clouds.
(images via: The Courier, Scientific American and IMWX)
Though thundersnow isn’t a component of every blizzard, the aforementioned conditions that are most conducive to thundersnow also frequently produce high winds, heavy snowfalls, severe drifting and whiteouts. If you can hear thundersnow, be thankful you’re indoors or feel anxious if you aren’t. An erstwhile cameraman from Dundee, Scotland managed to capture multiple thundersnow lightning strikes on a wind turbine outside the city’s Michelin works. Image at above top, video goodness below:
Dundee lightning strikes 28/11/10 11:45am, via Thegameof1
Shocks and Awe
(images via: Baird’s Travel, BolgerNow and Deadspin)
The fact that thundersnow often accompanies strong storms producing heavy snowfalls – up to 4 inches per hour in some cases – means that the phenomenon is occasionally observed inadvertently by weathermen (weatherpeople?) who are familiar with the phenomenon… or should we say, “should” be familiar.
(images via: Daily Mail UK)
Take Jim Cantore (above), for instance. The long-time Weather Channel on-air personality and storm tracker has acquired a reputation for really getting into his work, usually on live TV broadcasts. You’d think nothing weather-wise could faze Cantore but a 1996 thundersnow event in Worcester, MA, definitely threw him for a loop. It even made his “Best of Cantore” 25-year video retrospective. Here, check this out:
Jim Cantore: Thunder Snow, via Illinoisfury
(images via: CityRag and HipHopStan.com)
Fifteen years later, thundersnow still has the ability to astound the so-called “Thundersnow King” but Cantore’s thermodynamic theatrics aside, thundersnow is indeed rare if one goes by the official stats. A variety of sources referencing the NOAA note that between 1961 and 1990, only 375 occurrences of thundersnow were officially recorded with the state of Utah accounting for 36 of those events.
(image via: Zazzle)
Thundersnow’s rarity may be somewhat of an illusion, however. Meteorological research has uncovered the fact that falling snow acts as an acoustic suppressor. That is, sounds emanating from within or behind a curtain of snow are effectively muffled. It’s estimated that thundersnow can be heard up to 3 miles from an individual lightning strike while in run-of-the-mill rainy thunderstorms the hearing distance is roughly double. So then, if a lightning bolt falls from a winter thunderstorm and no one is within 3 to 6 miles to hear it, does it make a sound?
Thanks, It’s Been A Wintery Blast
(images via: NovelTP, Web2txt and BearsEatPeople)
“Thunder shook loose hail on the outhouse again…” The eerie opening lyric from Magazine’s disturbing 1979 track “Permafrost” may be the only musical reference to thundersnow, albeit indirectly as hail often falls during summer thunderstorms. What’s worse, sitting in an outhouse during a hailstorm or while thundersnow rattles the walls? Perhaps being in an outhouse in winter, under ANY circumstances, is frightening enough in itself.
(images via: Cerebraleye/DeviantArt, Everyday Odyssey and DatPiff)
Thundersnow, as awesome and unexpected as it is, surprisingly hasn’t made much impact on pop culture. When the writers of 1987′s The Running Man needed a name for an especially chilling villain, they picked Sub-Zero… isn’t that a refrigerator? Sub-Zero later inspired the creation of SubZero, who appears in the Mortal Combat universe.
(images via: Bat-Mania, FoodCourtLunch and Gothamist)
Even Batman blew it, bringing in Mr. Freeze when “Thundersnow!” was a much better bet to finally kick the Caped Crusader’s ice. Then there’s Thundersnow Ice Cream Cone Guy… talk about yer 15 seconds of fame.
(image via: Texas A&M News)
Perhaps thundersnow’s time to shine has yet to come. Weather channels the world over are pumping the Storm Chaser gig for all it’s worth, while at the same time the popularity of YouTube and the improving attributes of mobile phone cameras have turned almost anyone into an amateur weather reporter. With that said, thundersnow may indeed come out of the dark someday… but it’ll never come in from the cold.
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New 7 Wonders of Nature: The 28 Semi-Finalists
November 8, 2011 by admin · View Comments
[ By Steve in 7 Wonders Series & Geography & Travel & Nature & Ecosystems. ]
The New7Wonders of Nature campaign, organized by the New7Wonders Foundation in 2007, is a global poll whose purpose is to designate the world’s seven most outstanding natural wonders. The field has been narrowed from 440 down to 77 and now just 28 “Official Finalist Candidates” with voting scheduled to end on November 11th, 2011.
Amazon Rainforest
(images via: WcP Blog, Travel+Leisure and Wikipedia)
The Amazon Rainforest is the world’s largest contiguous tropical rainforest comprising approximately 5.5 million square kilometers (1.4 billion acres) and spreading over parts of 9 nations including (in order) Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. It’s estimated the Amazon Rainforest has existed for roughly 55 million years though its size has waxed and waned appreciably over that vast period of time.
(image via: UCLAST203-2010)
Approximately 10 percent of all the world’s animal species live in the Amazon basin with the number of insect species alone reckoned to be around 2.5 million. Both animal and plant life in the Amazon Rainforest are under threat, both by human activity and climate change. Though conservation measures have helped reduce the rate of deforestation by up to 60 percent, cumulatively the rainforest has lost about 10 percent of its former area.
Angel Falls (Venezuela)
(images via: New 7 Wonders, HelloTravel.com and Farzad-Jebreili)
Angel Falls is located in eastern Venezuela’s Canaima National Park where water pours off the Auyan-tepui mountain, dropping 3,212 ft (979 m) into the Kerep River. The falls were officially discovered in 1933 by Jimmie Angel, an American aviator hired to scout out metal ore deposits. Angel returned to the area in 1937 and attempted to land atop Auyan-tepui but his plane was damaged; the aircraft was not recovered until 1970 and is currently on display at nearby Ciudad Bolívar airport.
(image via: Bernard Sayers & Tom Sanders)
Venezuela’s outspoken president, Hugo Chavez, is known for his anti-American views and has long taken issue with the naming of Angel Falls. In 2009 Chavez stated, “This is ours, long before Angel ever arrived there… this is indigenous property.” Though he has not formally decreed that Angel Falls be renamed, Chavez continues to defend the use of its indigenous name, “Kerepakupai Vená”, which means “waterfall of the deepest place.”
Bay of Fundy (Canada)
(images via: New 7 Wonders, Webster’s Online Dictionary and All Things Cruise)
The Bay of Fundy partially divides the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia with a small portion of its outer shore edging into the American state of Maine. The bay’s roughly funnel-shaped bay concentrates tidal surges resulting in water level differentials as much as 53.5 feet (16.3 meters).
(image via: Famous Wonders)
Though many power-generation schemes have been proposed to try and exploit the massive movements of water in the bay, studies indicate interruptions to the tidal flow could have deleterious repercussions to the environment. In addition, the governments involved are cognizant of the Bay of Fundy’s worldwide fame and reap great economic benefits from travel and tourism.
Black Forest (Germany)
(images via: New 7 Wonders, Soundwalk and City Baden-Baden)
The Black Forest (Schwarzwald, in German) is situated in Germany’s far southwestern corner and encompasses an area of approximately 4,600 square mi1es or 2,000 square kilometers. Its name harkens back over 2,000 years to when the area was part of Imperial Rome’s province of Germania Superior. The forest’s extensive conifer stands blocked sunlight from reaching the forest floor, prompting the Romans to dub the forest “Silva Nigra” (Black Forest).
The Black Forest region has resisted industrialization and today is a center of outdoor recreation and tourism. Famed for the elaborate Cuckoo Clocks carved by its inhabitants for centuries, the Black Forest also lends its name to flavorful smoked ham and delicious chocolate cherry cakes.
Bu Tinah (UAE)
(images via: Goumbook, Thinkup News and CDM-DNA UAE)
Bu Tinah island and its associated shoals and reefs are located in the Persian Gulf just off the western coast of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. As part of the Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve, Bu Tinah’s extensive network of shoals, reefs, lagoons and sandbars enjoy some degree of protection but remained threatened by rapid development in and around the UAE.
(image via: StanleyHartmann/Panoramio)
Bu Tinah’s coral reefs are distinctive in that the waters surrounding them are unusually warm and salty. As such, the reefs are extremely sensitive to climate change and act as a sort of a living laboratory where the effects of Global Warming can be monitored. In addition, the shallow lagoons offer hospital habitats to hundreds of endangered Dugongs, a type of sea mammal related to manatees.
Cliffs of Moher (Ireland)
(images via: Environmental Graffiti, Dan Heller Photography and Bubble Digital)
The spectacular Cliffs of Moher hug the western Irish coast and mark the western border of County Clare. Towering up to 702 feet (214 meters) above breaking Atlantic Ocean waves, the Cliffs of Moher are one of Ireland’s most popular tourist attractions and have been featured in films such as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, The Princess Bride, and many others.
(image via: Port Wallpaper)
The Cliff of Moher are crowned at their highest point by the small, cylindrical O’Brien’s Tower. Built in 1835 by Sir Cornelius O’Brien, the tower was meant to accommodate Victorian-era visitors to whom word of the area’s great scenic beauty had already spread. O’Brien was a pioneer in this respect, foreseeing that tourism could do much to help lift the area’s residents from poverty.
Dead Sea (Israel, Jordan, Palestinian Authority)
(images via: Atlas Tours)
The Dead Sea is the lowest lake on Earth and, unfortunately, it’s getting even lower. The lake, which was once much larger, is fed by rivers which have had some portion of their flow diverted for local agricultural irrigation. The reduced flow is now not enough to counteract water loss due to evaporation in the region’s hot, arid climate. Some studies have indicated the Dead Sea could dry up completely within just a few decades.
(image via: Fantom-XP)
The extreme salinity of the Dead Sea’s waters has the effect of increasing the buoyancy of swimmers to an astonishing degree. As well, the waters and mud in and around the Dead Sea carry a plethora of salts and minerals said to be beneficial to health. Even those who neither swim nor apply the mineral-rich mud to their skin can enjoy health benefits just by being at the Dead Sea – the low level of the lake results in the air having a higher concentration of life-giving oxygen.
El Yunque (USA, Puerto Rico)
(images via: MontriPhotography, GreenAnswers and PeterGreenberg.com)
El Yunque, located in central Puerto Rico, is the only tropical rainforest in the United States. Easily accessible and boasting an abundance of wildlife, El Yunque offers tourists the complete “rainforest experience” while maintaining convenience to first-world facilities. As such, El Yunque has emerged as a valuable educational resource where the rainforest ecosystem can be studied and enjoyed by everyone.
(image via: Atabey Tours)
El Yunque’s rough and mountainous geology helps ensure this essential environmental treasure poses no temptation to small farmers or large corporate plantations. In fact, the extensive botanical diversity exhibited by El Yunque has aroused interest from niche groups hoping to practice sustainable harvesting of exotic foodstuffs and medicinal plants.
Galapagos Islands (Ecuador)
(images via: WallpaperWeb, Destination360 and Galapagos & Ecuador Guide)
It can confidently be stated that Charles Darwin’s exploration of the Galapagos Islands in the 1830s paved the way for the publication of his monumental book on evolution, The Origin of Species, in 1859. The fertile yet separate islands in the Galapagos archipelago have acted, over time, to spur many evolutionary events which resulted in the creation of new species. Even today, new evolutionary discoveries such as the Pink Iguana (above right) are being made in the Galapagos Islands.
(image via: ASA100)
Volcanic in origin, the Galapagos Islands have existed in relative isolation of the Pacific Ocean coast of Ecuador for many thousands of years. Once plundered by whalers and sealers in the 19th century, the islands’ odd menagerie of unique animals have made strong recoveries and now enjoy protection from human predation and exploitation.
Grand Canyon (USA)
(images via: Smithsonian, Bloggers Base and 7USA8)
The expression “you’ve gotta see it to believe it” was seemingly coined for the incredible vastness of the Grand Canyon. Carved out of the American Southwest’s thick layers of multicolored (but mainly red) sandstone by the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon is an “open book” displaying tens of millions of years of geologic history.
(image via: Fun On The Net)
The recent building of a horseshoe-shaped, glass-bottomed Skywalk allows visitors to test their tolerance for acrophobia while showcasing the rich beauty of the canyon from a previously unavailable point of view. Weather conditions are typically bright and sunny though the view has suffered in recent years from winds bring smog and pollution eastward from cities and industries on the California coast.
Great Barrier Reef (Australia)
(images via: Australia Travel Guide, Fun On The Net and Fallen Scoop)
Easily visible from orbit, the Great Barrier Reef hugs the eastern coast of Australia and is by far the Earth’s largest coral reef community. The ecosystem of the Great Barrier Reef supports countless plant and animal species from microscopic plankton up to the largest sharks and whales.
(image via: Beautiful Scenery)
Built up over thousands of years by colonies of coral, the Great Barrier Reef may be huge in size but at the same time, it’s profoundly sensitive to pollution, predation and climate change. Recent incidents involving cargo ships striking the reef and leaking fuel oil have dramatized the reef’s fragile beauty yet its exceptional length and breadth mean it’s virtually impossible to avoid similar accidents in the future.
Ha Long Bay (Vietnam)
(images via: TripAdvisor, Wikipedia and Fine Arts by Claudio Saes)
Situated in the northern part of Vietnam near the Gulf of Tonkin, Ha Long Bay has long astonished and delighted visitors with awesome scenic beauty photos can only barely capture. The otherworldly spikes and spires that surround the bay are formed of Karst limestone that has eroded in a distinct fashion over countless centuries.
(image via: TourismPICS)
Limestone slowly dissolves in the presence of mildly acidic rainwater and it erodes further thought the action of tree roots and plant growth cycles. In many respects, Ha Long Bay is a geologic “work in progress” where the dynamic forces of weathering and erosion my be observed and enjoyed… but for how long?
Iguazu Falls (Argentina, Paraguay)
(images via: BloggersBase and Tourism Central)
Iguazu Falls has got it all: height (200–269 ft or 60–82 meters), width (1.7 miles or 2.7 kilometers), rate of flow and the added attraction of being situated in lush, tropical surroundings. Nothing against North America’s famed Niagara Falls or Africa’s mighty Victoria Falls, but the hydrological spectacle that is Iguazu Falls takes the concept of waterfalls to a higher level entirely.
(image via: BloggersBase)
Situated on the border of Paraguay and Argentina in South America, Iguazu Falls marks the place where the Iguazu River pours over an erosion-resistant rock escarpment on the edge of the Paraná Plateau. Like Niagara Falls, the flow of water over the escarpment gradually wears away the underlying rock, thus pushing back the face of the falls incrementally over thousands of years.
Jeita Grotto (Lebanon)
(images via: New7Wonders and Notes from Noelle)
Jeita Grotto is one of the world’s largest and best explored cave systems. Situated in Lebanon, Jeita Grotto is also one of the world’s oldest tourist attractions and its existence adds a note of peace and beauty to a historically war-torn region.
(image via: RitaKML)
Cave systems are, by nature, exceedingly sensitive to contamination from polluted groundwater, acid rain and even the humid breath of tourists. The Jeita Grotto has managed to survive thousands of years of human activity in the region without suffering significant harm to either its appearance or the many highly adapted creatures that have made it their home. Recognition as one of the world’s New 7 Wonders will surely bring more attention to the Jeita Grotto, something that can bring both positive and negative effects.
Jeju Island (South Korea)
(images via: Love These Pics, Hancinema and Chic Traveller)
Situated off the southern coast of the Korean peninsula, Jeju Island is South Korea’s largest island and boasts the country’s highest mountain, 6,400 ft (1,950 meter) Halla-san. The island’s volcanic origins are plainly visible, both through several spectacular craters and seaside formations of columnar basalt reminiscent of the famous Giant’s Causeway in reland.
(image via: Antique Alive)
Jeju Island has long been a popular vacation destination thanks not only to its unique scenic beauty, but also due to its warm temperatures and forgiving subtropical climate. The island’s relatively large size and rugged geography, especially toward the center where Halla-san is located, has helped preserve its exceptionally wide variety of ecologic habitats from extensive disturbance from human activity.
Mount Kilimanjaro (Tanzania)
(images via: National Geographic, Close Encounters and Smithsonian)
At 19,341 feet, (5,895 m), Kilimanjaro is Africa’s tallest mountain and is a product of East Africa’s volatile Rift Valley geologic zone. The mountain’s solitary existence surrounded by mainly flat savannah plains only adds to its imposing visual majesty. Early European explorers who reported extensive ice caps on the mountain (actually a long-dormant volcano) were disbelieved at first, as the idea of glaciers only a few degree’s from the Earth’s equator was deemed to be impossible.
(image via: PNAS)
Kilimanjaro’s glaciers and summit snowfields do indeed exist, but they have been steadily shrinking for decades along with most of the planet’s other tropical glaciers. Should they vanish completely, the effect on millions of people in Tanzania and Kenya who depend on Kilimanjaro’s glacial runoff for drinking and farming is incalculable.
Komodo National Park (Indonesia)
(images via: Bangpress’s Blog, Facebook/Vote Komomdo, Indonesia Travel and Twenty Ten)
Home to the world’s largest lizards, the Komodo Dragons, Komodo National Park in Indonesia also shelters a wide variety of island-adapted wildlife and unique plants that grow nowhere else. Tourism is permitted at the park and the sluggish, slow-moving “dragons” can easily be outrun if need be, but being bitten by one of the creatures is not a pleasant prospect: their saliva is loaded with pathogenic bacteria.
(images via: World Amazing Tourism)
Komodo Island is close to Flores Island, where fossil remains of the so-called “Hobbit” have been found. Thought to be an ancient offshoot of the human family tree, Homo Floriensis existed on Flores for hundreds of thousands of years and may have flourished on nearby islands as well. Imagine how formidable a Komodo Dragon would appear to a “hobbit”!
Maldive Islands
(images via: Facebook/Vote Maldives, Schiphaxa, Ark Royal and FaithfullyMe)
Set jewel-like into a shallow stretch of the Indian Ocean, the Maldives are the closest thing to paradise on the planet! Rising mere meters above the surface of the sea, the Maldives suffered great damage from the 2004 Christmas Day Tsunami that swept across them virtually unopposed.
Although populated for thousands of years, the Maldive Islands are under new threat from Global Warming. As the seas rise, the low-lying islands will be increasingly vulnerable to the effects of storms – which themselves are reckoned to become more powerful as the world’s oceans heat up.
Masurian Lakes (Poland)
(images via: Popular Tourism Place, FirstWorldWar.com and Wix.com)
Numbering in the thousands, the Masurian Lakes are one of Poland’s most prized vacation destinations. It wasn’t always so: a series of fierce battles took place in the region between Germany and Russia in the early weeks of World War I. The roar of artillery is but a distant echo nowadays, however, replaced by the buzzing of an occasional passing motorboat.
(images via: Derek Emson/Panoramio)
Their location in the north of Poland means the Masurian Lakes offer seasonal variations to tourists and vacationers. Whether your skis are designed for snow or water, you’ll find the Masurian Lakes an ideal place to unwind and enjoy all the beauty nature has to offer.
Matterhorn (Switzerland, Italy)
(images via: City Pictures and KayRush)
Situated on the border between Austria and Italy, the strikingly beautiful Matterhorn is known as Monte Cervino to Italian-speakers. First climbed in 1865, the peak offers mountaineers an imposing challenge though at “just” 14,692 feet (4,478 meters) it’s far from the world’s highest mountain. Indeed, it’s estimated that as many as 500 hikers have lost their lives on the mountain over the years.
(images via: Beautiful Places to Visit)
Carved by glaciers into a steep, four-sided pyramid, the Matterhorn’s sheer slopes rarely accumulate much snow and its glaciers arise at lower altitudes than others in the Alps. The mountain’s relative isolation also gives rise to unusual cloud formations called “banner clouds” that are caused by condensation on the peak’s lee side.
Milford Sound (New Zealand)
(images via: World’s Greatest Sites and NZ.com)
Milford Sound is one of the highlights of Fiordland National Park on New Zealand’s South Island. This idyllic “tropical fjord” is surrounded by jagged rock faces as much as 3,900 feet (1,200 meters) high and is home to a wide variety of marine life including seals, penguins, whales and dolphins.
(images via: Travel Destination Info)
The area around Milford Sound was used as a location setting by New Zealand-born director for the epic Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Visitors will note Milford Sound’s two permanent waterfalls but will be surprised and delighted by the appearance of dozens more following an average-to-heavy rainstorm.
Mud Volcanoes (Azerbaijan)
(images via: Azerbaijan24, Azerbaijan International and BBC)
Nearly 400 mud volcanoes comprising about half the world’s known total can be found in Azerbaijan, many within the boundaries of the Gobustan State Reserve. Mud volcanoes form when geothermal processes deep underground conspire to expel mixtures of fine silt and water onto the surface. An accumulation of mud volcanoes, such as can be found in Azerbaijan, can transform the landscape into something akin to the Voyager spacecraft’s observations of Jupiter’s tide-tortured moon Io.
(images via: Atlas Obscura)
Though mud volcanoes can be large (as much as 2,300 feet or 700 meters in height), they’re typically “cold” compared to more familiar volcanoes caused by upsurges of molten rock. With that said, many of Azerbaijan’s mud volcanoes are associated with the region’s copious oil and gas deposits, and have been known to burst into flame.
Puerto Princesa Underground River (Philippines)
(images via: New7Wonders.com, Pinoy Life and AsiaWonder)
Located near the northern coast of the Philippines’ far western province of Palawan, the Puerto Princesa Underground River stretches over 8 kilometers beneath the Saint Paul Mountain Range before flowing directly into the South China Sea. The river is fully navigable along nearly its entire length, allowing scientists and tourists to explore and enjoy this very rare natural phenomenon.
(images via: Barangay RP)
Like Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay, the Puerto Princesa Underground River owes its creation and character to being situated in a Karst limestone formation. The action of flowing water over the eons has not only hollowed out the river’s channel but also has created a number of associated caves and caverns complete with stalagmites, stalactites and a diverse range of highly adapted cave life.
The Sundarbans (India, Bangladesh)
(images via: Search Bangladesh, Birds of India and The Independent)
The Sundarbans is the world’s largest area of coastal mangrove forest. Constantly shaped and reshaped by seasonal monsoons, tides and frequent cyclonic storms, the Sundarbans is a rich yet precarious place for human habitation though animal life has adapted to its vicissitudes.
(images via: Mystic Musings)
The thick mangrove forests of the Sundarbans are an ideal habitat for the endangered Bengal Tiger. Approximately 500 tigers roam the Sundarbans, swimming from one island to another as needed and preying upon wild boars, monkeys, Chital deer and occasionally humans. It’s estimated that from 30 to 100 people are killed by tigers in the Sundarbans each year.
Table Mountain (South Africa)
(images via: TravelPod, Vote for Table Mountain and Capetown Travel)
South Africa’s preeminent landmark, Table Mountain, was first climbed (ironically) by a Portuguese sailor in the year 1503. The flat-topped mountain stands 3,558 feet (1,084.6 meters) tall and forms a dramatic backdrop to South Africa’s second-most populous city.
(images via: Hello Yebo)
Table Mountain is occasionally covered by clouds formed when moisture-laden winds are blown up and over the mountain’s sloping sides, condensing into the famous “table cloth”. The moisture helps support a surprisingly rich and diverse ecosystem, though the last leopards to live on the mountain were eradicated in the 1920s.
Uluru (Australia)
(images via: National Geographic and GOO)
Formerly known as Ayers Rock (though the feature was officially dual-named in 1993), this massive, isolated and extensively eroded sandstone rock formation has emerged as one of Australia’s most well-known symbols. The name “Uluru” has no particular meaning, it’s merely the name by which the local Pitjantjatjara people have always referred to it.
(images via: Australian Geographic)
Uluru presents a variety of different “looks” from various angles on the ground and air, and depending on the time of day and the weather of the moment (or both) displays a surprising range of colors from vermillion red to glowing lavender. The rock stands 1,142 feet (348 meters) above the arid central Australian plains and, much like an iceberg, much of its bulk is hidden deep within the ground.
Mount Vesuvius (Italy)
(images via: Europe & Beyond, Top Yaps and Left Coast Guy in DC)
Mount Vesuvius is the only active volcano situated on the mainland of continental Europe, though it hasn’t had a significant eruption since 1944. That doesn’t mean one isn’t coming: Vesuvius has erupted rather frequently over the past two thousand years; roughly 40 notable eruptions have been recorded since its most famous (or infamous) blast in the year 79 AD buried the Roman towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
(images via: Stuck In Customs)
Though the immediate area around Vesuvius’ 4,202 ft (1,281 meter) high peak sports some scrub vegetation and not much more, the surrounding area including metropolitan Naples, Italy, today supports a population of around 3 million making it the world’s most densely populated volcanic region.
Yushan (ROC/Taiwan)
(images via: New Open World, Dreamstime and Taipei Times)
Yushan, also known as Jade Mountain, is the tallest peak in the Yushan Range and can be found in Taiwan’s Yushan National Park in Taiwan. At 12,966 feet (3,952 meters), Yushan is the tallest mountain east of the Himalayas and is the fourth-highest mountain on an island (after Indonesia’s Puncak Jaya, Hawaii’s Mauna Kea and Malaysia’s Mount Kinabalu).
(images via: Taiwan.gov)
Yushan has been called Taiwan’s “ark” due to the astounding level of biological diversity on and around the mountain. Protected by central Taiwan’s challenging topography and stratified into a large number of ascending biological zones, Yushan’s flora and fauna include some of the island’s rarest species and the peak’s environs are a bellweather for climate change. More prosaically perhaps, Yushan has been embraced by Taiwan’s people and government as a national symbol, appearing on the back of Taiwan’s NT$1,000 banknotes since the summer of 2005.
(images via: Pinas News Feed and Examiner)
Though only 7 of the 28 semi-finalists will officially be designated “Wonders of Nature”, I think we can all agree that 7 is an arbitrary number and that all 28 semi-finalists – in fact, ANY natural place, phenomenon or feature – is deserving of the term “wonder” and well worth enjoying, appreciating and above all, protecting.
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Title Recall: 10 Creatures with Doubly Descriptive Names
November 1, 2011 by admin · View Comments
[ By Steve in Animals & Habitats & History & Trivia & Nature & Ecosystems. ]
From Horseflies to Bull Elephant Seals and more, an abundance of animals bear the burden of doubly descriptive names. Does being twice-blessed in the naming department add depth to their description or merely sow confusion among those who would appreciate them? The animals aren’t saying so it’s up to us to decide.
Horsefly
(images via: TAMU, Luke Is Digging, Permatreat and Wikipedia)
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There are over 4,500 species of Horse Flies and they can be found anywhere on Earth except for the hottest deserts and coldest polar regions. Horse flies are big; well over an inch (25mm) long in many cases. Their bites can be very painful as they use their sharp, knife-like mandibles to slice open skin and draw blood. Why “horse flies”? Perhaps because of their large size, “as big as a horse”.
(image via: What’s That Bug?)
Only female horse flies bite, and they do indeed bite horses should the opportunity present itself. In some parts of Canada, the insects are dubbed Bulldog Flies as a nod to both their intimidating size, growling buzz when in flight and their dogged persistence when in search of a blood meal.
Mantis Shrimp
(images via: Aquatic Animals, eHow and British Marine Life Study Society)
“It’s a Mantis, it’s a Shrimp, it’s a…” actually, Mantis Shrimps are neither mantises nor shrimps… a double DOHse of name-dropping if there ever was! These reclusive, poorly understood creatures are actually Stomatopods, marine crustaceans that are related to lobsters and shrimp. Their claws are used to spear or stun prey, the former method utilizing wickedly barbed folding claws that to some eyes look rather Praying Mantis-like.
(image via: Rapture of the Deep)
Mantis Shrimp can grow up to 15 inches (38cm) in length but size isn’t their weapon, their stunning claws are. That’s “stunning” as a verb, not a mark of beauty: mantis shrimps can snap their claws as quick as a .22 caliber bullet in flight, producing a shock wave that’s been known to shatter glass aquarium walls. Mantis Shrimp are also notable for their stalked eyes, believed to be the most complex ocular sensors in the entire animal kingdom.
Wolf Fish
(images via: Deep Down, Annabel Chaffer and AT S, AM B)
There are five separate species of wolf fish (or wolffish), with the Atlantic Wolf Fish (Anarhichas Lupus) being the only one that incorporates Lupus, the Latin term for “wolf”, into its taxonomic name. Though fearsome to look at, wolf fish are actually quite shy and pose no threat to humans. Clams and other bottom-feeders DO need to worry, however, as the wolf fish’s wolfish teeth are designed to pierce, puncture and crush shellfish shells. Maybe the wolf fish need to worry too, as Annabel Chaffer (“Where the Cognoscenti love to shop”) is selling Spotted Wolf Fish Leather Wallets. That bites.
(image via: Science Daily)
Wolf fish are rarely seen in the flesh as they are deep-water dwellers and most divers never visit their stomping grounds 2,000 feet (600 meters) below sea level. Just as well… wolf fish have been known to grow as much as 6.6 feet (2.2 meters) in length.
Cowbird
(images via: We Saw That, Fat Finch, Alan Lenk and Birdorable)
Doubtless you’ve watched nature programs in which birds casually ride on the backs of cattle, plucking and parasites they might find. Those aren’t Cowbirds, regardless of that being a better name than “Cattle Egret”. Cowbirds are insect eaters, however, and they have been known to shadow herds of herbivores, and one alternate name for the Brown-headed Cowbird is the Buffalo Bird.
(image via: BirdForum)
Cowbirds are the New World counterpart to the Cuckoo in that both birds lay their eggs in other bird species’ nests, leaving the feeding duties to the foster parents. The Brown-headed Cowbird is the best-known of the five recognized Cowbird species, with the the others being the Shiny Cowbird (above), the Giant Cowbird, the Bronzed Cowbird and the Screaming Cowbird. “Great screaming cowbirds, Batman!”… sorry, couldn’t resist.
Kangaroo Rat
(images via: ElyWoody/Panoramio, Animals, Animals, Animals and Science Photo Library)
Kangaroo Rats are big-eyed, long-tailed rodents but they are not specifically rats. They hop around much like kangaroos but they’re native to western North America, not Australia. That said, Kangaroo Rats do have fur-lined pouches – not for their young, but for storing the seeds the find on food-gathering missions.
(image via: Arkive)
There are 19 known species of Kangaroo Rat and all have six toes. There are also two related species of Kangaroo Mice, though a fuller description of them must wait for a follow-up post on double-named creatures.
Raccoon Dog
(images via: Kathy Pippig Harris)
Raccoon Dogs look a lot like those masked woodland critters familiar to North American suburbanites but their roots are firmly in the Dog family. There are major differences between Raccoon Dogs and man’s best friend, however. Raccoon Dogs enjoy a mixed diet of meat and vegetables, whereas your dog only wants steak.
(image via: FactZoo)
Raccoon Dogs are native to East Asia; in Japan they’re known as “tanuki”. They are also hunted and trapped for their fur… that new parka of yours with the fur-rimmed hood? Uh huh, likely Raccoon Dog. In the wild, these curious creatures hibernate during cold winters, and are the only Canids to do so.
Elephant Seal
(images via: Point Reyes Weekend, Ugly Animals and WonderClub)
If the name “Elephant Seal” already combines two different animal names, consider the dominant males: yes, Bull Elephant Seals. How’s that for a triple play on words? Elephant Seals are divided into northern and southern species with the southerners generally being larger in size… must be all that fried food.
(image via: Grant Dixon Photography)
Not all Elephant Seals are elephantine, specifically referring to the trunklike proboscis exclusive to males. Their floppy, fleshy noses assist the males in roaring but also serve a more important purpose: they help recover moisture from the seal’s breathing. During the mating season, high-ranking males rarely leave the beach to eat as they’re occupied in guarding their harems. They run a real risk of dehydration – to maintain all those brides, they’ve gotta pay through the nose.
Bearcat
(images via: TEAK, Gina Blogs All About It, My [Confined] Space and Birdorable)
The Bearcat is a smallish, forest-dwelling mammal which is neither bear nor cat tough it appears superficially cat-like. Perhaps everyone would be better off (and less confused) if we’d just settle on its native Southeast Asian name: the Binturong.
(image via: Zooborns)
Bearcats are closely related to civets and genets though they’re larger than members of both of those groups. If you’ve been wondering why American companies Stutz and Grumman would name their iconic products (cars and fighter planes, respectively) after an unremarkable Asiatic arboreal mammal, stop wondering: traditional use of the term “bearcat” references the much more fearsome Mountain Lion.
Mule Deer
(images via: FMCA, American West Tours, Inkity and Visual Paradox)
Mule Deer, one of the largest species of deer, are generally found west of the Missouri River while its White-tailed Deer cousins are dominant to the east. The species gets its name from its large, long, mule-like ears. Yeehaw… or should that be, “Hee Haw!”
(image via: South Dakota Birds)
Mule Deer have black-tipped tails and their antlers divide by forking… and I mean that in a good way. Mule Deer are rarely, if ever, found in Gary, Indiana, while Gary Mule Deer has probably played comedy clubs in that city a number of times. Coincidence? I think not!
Minke Whale
(images via: Treehugger, It’s Nature, ScienceBlogs and Clatko)
Mention “Minke Whale” to someone and they might imagine a 35ft long sea creature covered snout to fluke with a rich, luxurious pelt… a colossal “sea beaver”, as it were. Instigate such a rumor back in the 1850s and you’d send the world’s whaling/trapping nations into a collective fur-gasm – and it’s very likely Minke Whales would be extinct today.
(image via: Seattle PI)
Of course, Minke Whales have about as much fur as actual Minks have blubber. These smaller relatives of the mighty Blue Whale (which IS blue, or at least blue-ish) are one of the most populous whale species and are listed by the IUCN as being of “least concern”. By the way, “least concern” means “open season” in Japanese.
(image via: CRISP Graphic Design)
All of these animals – one might even say, all of THE animals – existed long before humans came along to name them. While the actual creatures are anything but chimaeric, it’s amusing to consider the reasoning of those who bestowed these somewhat schizoid names.
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Lifestyle Changes to Destress
August 12, 2011 by admin · View Comments
First, you need to learn how to organize your time. You may find keeping a schedule helpful so you will know when it’s time to say no to other commitments. Excessive demands on your time can put you in a lot of stress. Utilize shortcuts so you’ll have more time to do things and be less frantic. Also, you’ll have spare time to relax or do things that you enjoy.
Maintain an organized home and work environment. A cluttered space can give you additional stress and even drain your energy. Don’t make your environment a stressor. De-clutter and decorate your house or your workplace with things that gives you a soothing feeling. Make it a habit to keep your things and space clean and organized. Not only is it pleasing to the eyes, it will also save you from stressing on taking time to find things and missing some.
Take good care of your body. A healthy body means you are in good condition to handle your daily stressors. Being unhealthy makes stressful things even more stressful and in itself an additional stress for you. So, have a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and make sure to get enough rest and sleep. Take vitamins or supplements if necessary. Pamper yourself sometimes like getting a massage or going on a vacation. It can help you avoid chronic stress and make your body re-energized.
Develop a supportive social network. Studies show that people who have a supportive social network have less stressful lives than those who don’t even have a close friend or partner to lean on during tough times. Meet more people and develop better relationships. You will feel less stress if you can air out your negative emotions with people you trust and get an encouraging response from them. Remember, a burden when shared equals half the burden. Bottling things up inside will only make the pressure increase.
Source: Social Media Ala Carte
Beth
Mud Men: Scientists Find an Ocean of Rare Earths
July 5, 2011 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments
[ By Steve in News & Politics & Science & Research & Technology & Gadgets. ]
I just want to celebrate, yeah, yeah! A Japanese expedition has discovered a wealth – literally – of rare earth minerals in mud samples taken from the floor of the Pacific Ocean. Should the discovery pan out, the rewards could be richer than gold. Even better, refining the bounty involves much more environmentally friendly processes compared to those used in highly toxic traditional mining.
Trash to Treasure
(images via: Mining.com, Nature News and The Australian)
A stunning discovery by a Japanese research team could ripple the waters of science, technology and geopolitics for years to come… “ripple” being the key word as the report concerns samples of seafloor mud dredged from thousands of feet beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean.
(images via: Investors Insight and iOffer)
Mud, you say? Indeed, the gooey gloop that’s been accumulating for millions of years harbors an unseen but much desired treasure: rare earth minerals, said by some to be “21st-century gold” based on their rarity and value. These attributes are a function of demand, which has been on the rise due to the explosion of new, high-tech products and applications requiring these formerly uncommon elements.
(images via: DachaMetals, New Scientist and NewsWhip)
Now just to clarify, “uncommon” refers to concentrated deposits of rare earth minerals suitable for commercial mining. The elements themselves (the metals Scandium and Yttrium, plus 17 minerals in the Lanthanide series of the Periodic Table) are relatively common components of the earth’s crust – Cerium, for example, is about as common as Copper.
(images via: Qwiki and UCL Graduate School)
The three rare earth elements mentioned above are joined by Lanthanum, Praseodymium, Neodymium, Promethium, Samarium, Europium, Gadolinium, Terbium, Dysprosium, Holmium, Erbium, Thulium, Ytterbium and Lutetium. Their atomic numbers range from 57 through 71 inclusive, plus 21 for Scandium and 39 for Yttrium. Besides sharing similar properties, many of the rare earths have similar names derived from the Swedish village of Ytterby, where rare earths were first identified in the early 19th century.
Rare Earths, Abundant Uses
(image via: Allvoices)
Before we delve into the particulars of the Japanese ocean discovery, let’s take a look at the many uses of rare earths and why they’re so important today, as opposed to 100, 50 or even 10 years ago. Can you imagine living without your cellphone, MP3 player or other portable electronic devices? What would the modern world be like without hybrid vehicles, flat-screen TVs, night vision goggles, superconducting magnets or anything made by Apple?
(images via: Bloomberg, China Rare Earths and Hurriyet)
Pretty grim, huh? What’s even grimmer is knowing that 97 percent of the current supply of rare earth minerals is controlled by a single nation, China, and boy oh boy do they know it! Annoy China and you just might see your rare earth imports cut to the bone… and by “you”, we mean Japan.
(images via: Asiabizz, Euronews and East Asia Forum)
In November of 2010, an incident occurred in the East China Sea near the disputed Senkaku Islands (Japanese) or Diaoyu Islands (Chinese). While attempting to stop and arrest the captain of a Chinese fishing boat deemed to be trespassing, a Japanese Coast Guard vessel was rammed by the Chinese ship. Check out this video captured by a Japanese crewman and leaked without authorization:
Leaked China-Japan boat crash video sparks row, via RT
(images via: ChattahBox and Blogs/WSJ)
Amid the diplomatic fallout caused by Japan’s taking the Chinese trawler captain into custody, rare earth exports from China to Japan dropped precipitously and remained at lower than normal levels for months. As Japan is a major manufacturer of leading edge electronics and hybrid vehicles, shortages of rare earth elements would be expected to seriously affect these industries while those in China enjoyed unrestricted access to these crucial raw materials. Japanese companies have accelerated rare earth recycling programs but these worthwhile efforts are stopgaps at best. How did we arrive at such a situation?
China Crisis
(images via: Telegraph UK and Reuters)
When one considers mining for rare earths, the NIMBY factor comes into play in a big way. Put plainly, a rare earth mineral mine is about the last thing you’d want in your backyard. Separating the minerals from the waste products involves the use of toxic chemicals and produces particulate pollution on a massive scale. The waste itself is toxic – rare earths are often found in conjunction with radioactive elements such as Uranium and Thorium.
(images via: Latest China and Business Insider)
Voters in the United States and Australia – two nations with large reserves of rare earth minerals – simply won’t tolerate rare earth mining. China, on the other hand, has a totalitarian form of government that puts the needs of China as a whole before those of the “voters”. Even so, there have been rumblings from farmers and agricultural cooperatives in China’s rare earth mining and smelting regions whose crop yields have plummeted as a result of extensive pollution.
(images via: Straits Times and China Daily)
One of the stated reasons China has reduced its exports of rare earth minerals is due to these environmental concerns, though many China-watchers dismiss this as green-washing to hide the real issues: Chinese strategic control over rare earth minerals and the prices charged for them.
(images via: Treehugger and New York Times)
Some might say that rare earth importers have only themselves to blame for the current supply imbalance, and that may indeed be true. There’s the moral issue to consider as well: while we enjoy our iPhones and Prius’s (Prii?), millions of poor Chinese farmers suffer from ill health and reduced quality of life. Wouldn’t it be nice if somebody could find an abundant source of these essential minerals and a cheap, easy and non-polluting method of refining them?
Bounty From the Sea
(image via: CBC)
A recent announcement published in Nature Geoscience would seem too good to be true, which is perhaps why the researchers behind the story ensured that their testing was both vigorous and voluminous in scope before revealing their discovery. According to the researchers, led by Yasuhiro Kato of the University of Tokyo’s department of systems innovation, “Just one square kilometer (0.4 square mile) of (oceanic rare earth) deposits will be able to provide one-fifth of the current global annual consumption.”
(images via: Geeky Gadgets, SBS and Asahi News)
Professor Kato and his team tested over 2,000 sediment samples retrieved from the seafloor at 78 different sites in the central Pacific Ocean – in international waters, one might add. It gets even better: the oceanic rare earth deposits are nearly twice as concentrated as underground deposits in China and they boast a higher ratio of heavier to lighter rare earth elements. Serendipitously, heavier rare earths are more important than lighter minerals in manufacturing technology products.
(images via: Dawn, TCE Today and Geology.com)
Since the oceanic rare earths are suspended in viscous mud and not locked into solid rock, refining them would be a simpler process. No need for blast furnaces or the strong acids that have wreaked so much environmental havoc around land-based mines. Radioactivity from associated trace elements is not a concern as the Japanese researchers measured their occurrence at just 1/5 that of typical underground ores. What’s more, these rare earths are anything BUT rare. According to professor Kato, rare earths contained in the seafloor deposits could amount to 80 to 100 billion metric tons. Estimated global reserves confirmed by the USGS for all land-based sources including China only total 110 million tonnes. Investors may not be happy to hear this news but just about everyone else should be!
(images via: Nature Geoscience, 2Space and Canadian Mining Review)
The only fly in the ointment is bringing the rare earth-infused sea mud to the surface in quantity. The researchers’ samples were extracted from cores ranging from 11,500-20,000 ft (3,500 to 6,000 meters) below the ocean surface. Where there’s a will there’s a way, however, and necessity is the mother of invention after all. “Sea mud can be brought up to ships and we can extract rare earths right there using simple acid leaching,” stated professor Kato. “Within a few hours we can extract 80–90 percent of rare earths from the mud.” Sounds like a plan!
The possibility of cheap, abundant, pollution-free rare earth minerals is as exciting as the prospects of low-cost, sustainable and renewable solar power… though the latter still lurks somewhere in the future. At least there’s hope, both for consumers and for China’s long-suffering farmers and rural villagers. The day may come when, like the 1970s funk-rock band Rare Earth, we all can celebrate another day of living, another day of…LIFE!
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Truckin’ Revisited: Introducing The Ecco Camper Concept RV
June 28, 2011 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments
[ By Steve in Energy & Fuel & Geography & Travel & Technology & Gadgets. ]
If the term “RV” brings to mind hulking, gas-guzzling, fake wood paneled, tornado-attracting 4-wheeled rolling trailers, then it’s time to fast-forward your thinking. The Ecco camper concept RV by design firm NAU is a streamlined, zero-local-emission RV that’s more winning than any old (or new) Winnebago.
Back to the Egg
(image via: AutoMotto)
The Ecco camper concept by design firm NAU boldly takes the RV where it’s never gone before: scenic highways and byways favored by those who love the “get away from it all” RV lifestyle, but who worry about being stranded in the back of beyond miles from the nearest electrical charging station.
(images via: Motorhomes Insight, Vintage VW Cars and PixarCars.tv)
The Ecco concept may look radical but its designers at NAU readily acknowledge its illustrious predecessors the Airstream trailer and the VW Microbus camper van. However, the classic Airstream trailer of the 1930s may have pioneered RV streamlining but it had no motive force of its own. As for the Volkswagen Type 2 Transporter, as its officially known, it may have been the choice ride of counterculture deadheads but its flat-four engine ran on gasoline, reds, vitamin C and cocaine… OK, just gasoline.
(image via: The Price of Silver)
Take the compact, freedom-loving vibe of the Microbus and meld it with the shiny, space-age exterior of the Airstream and you’ve got the basic visual esthetic of the Ecco camper… or the bizarre bastard lovechild above – must’ve been some bad acid goin’ round. Where were we? Ahh yes, while most concepts push the envelope to “anything goes” and sometimes beyond, the creative folks at NAU have applied solid, practical engineering into the Ecco so that it CAN go pretty much anywhere, even if fuel (in the form of electricity) isn’t close at hand. Let’s take a closer look.
Follow the Sun
(images via: The Haggin Museum, Book Cover Judge, Bloggery Gone Awry and KillerKen)
In most real-world driving situations, the Ecco camper will go most anywhere a traditional RV can go. Consider that both begin their journeys fully-fueled: the RV with its gas tanks topped up, the Ecco having had its batteries fully charged overnight through a standard 240v electrical outlet. Most RV drivers tend to stop for the night at dedicated trailer parking facilities which offer water and electric power connections – if you’re driving an Ecco, you can follow the same itinerary.
(images via: Raindrops On Roses and NAU)
The 4-seat, three-wheeled, teardrop-shaped Ecco camper pulls ahead of traditional RVs when it comes to generating its own power and it’s roughly the size of a VW camper van. See that long, wide, black roof? It’s not there just for show, it’ll help Ecco drivers when it’s time to go! Built-in photovoltaic panels soak up sunlight and trickle the juice into the onboard batteries. Suddenly, stopping for a picnic lunch in sun-baked Monument Valley is just that: a short stop before hitting the highway once more.
Truckin’ 21st Century Style
(image via: Broadsheet)
Since the Ecco is an RV at heart, some mechanism had to be devised that would alternate the vehicle’s configuration from a wind-cheating (and power-saving) aerodynamic road warrior to an un-cramped camper that, as Nau states, can “provide a level of space and comfort that its forbears could only dream of.”
Nau seems to have done exactly that, devising a bellows-style membrane roof that opens clamshell-style, more than doubles the Ecco’s interior space, and exposes an even greater expanse of solar cells to the sky.
(images via: The Gentleman Camper and Zillamag)
Once flipped to camper mode, the Ecco offers users a living area with variable seating, bathroom pod with toilet and shower, kitchen with cooktop & sink, and a sleeping loft with a fold-down extra bed. Add your own portable electronic entertainment devices and it’s a home away from home!
(images via: Gas 2.0 and Gizmag)
Will we ever see the Ecco concept camper at stores or dealers, and if so, will it be sold at an affordable price? Traditional RVs aren’t cheap by any means, considering their multifunctional nature and often substantial size. As time goes by and more and more Baby Boomers decide to hit the road, they just might find the Ecco camper suits their needs the way their psychedelically painted Microbus used to… powered in a way their tie-dyed counterculture pals would likely approve.
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Sustainable Schools: 14 Smart Green Learning Facilities
June 17, 2011 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments
[ By Steph in Art & Design & Geography & Travel. ]
These 14 school buildings, from a simple primary school in Cambodia to a high-tech university in Sweden, don’t just provide a learning environment for students – they’re also stunning examples of sustainability in architecture that can teach designers around the world to think green and beautiful. Green roofs, daylighting, renewable power, sun shades and local materials earn these structures high marks in environmental sensitivity and aesthetic standards alike.
Manassas Park Elementary School, Virginia
(images via: greensource.construction.com)
Named by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) as one of America’s greenest schools, Manassas Park Elementary in Manassas Park, Virginia was built to cure “nature-deficit disorder” among schoolchildren. Architecture firm VMDO integrated the 140,000-square-foot building with the surrounding ecosystem, providing views of gardens and forests and including a number of outdoor learning spaces. The school, which achieved Gold LEED status from the U.S. Green Building Council, has a 79,000-gallon rainwater cistern, a daylighting system, geothermal heat and a weather-predictive automated system that flashes lights when it’s okay to open the windows. An unusual educational philosophy enables students to move between rooms unsupervised, studying in beanbags and sofas.
Green School, Bali, Indonesia
(images via: greenschool.org)
Sit down at an open-air cafe in a stunning bamboo building in Bali, sipping a smoothie made with sugar cane grown on the premises, eating a snack wrapped in a banana leaf while listening to the sounds of nature. It sounds like paradise, but for many children in this corner of Indonesia, it’s just another day at school. The Green School opened in 2008 and includes the largest bamboo structure in the world; in fact, everything here is made of bamboo, a local renewable resource. Children eat produce that they grow themselves, and every facet of their education is infused with sustainability, creativity and physical interaction with the land. Bamboo is used to teach students about their effect on the environment – they plant new bamboo shoots to offset their carbon footprints.
Sidwell Friends Middle School, Washington D.C.
(images via: archdaily)
Attended by President Obama’s daughter Malia, Sidwell Friends Middle School in Washington, D.C. is undoubtedly exclusive, and it’s not just the educational standards that are high. The middle school building at Sidwell Friends is among the greenest K-12 schools in America, with a constructed wetland to treat the school’s sewage on-site, water-efficient landscaping, photovoltaic panels and a passive solar design. The building was constructed with local and regional materials as well as recycled materials and Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood. Lots of daylight and natural ventilation keep energy costs down, and a green roof removes pollutants from rainwater and provides a mini ecosystem for wildlife. The school is noted among the AIA’s top ten green projects and received a Platinum LEED rating.
Martinet Primary School, Barcelona, Spain
(images via: inhabitat)
Barcelona’s Martinet Primary School is kept cool by an unusual honeycomb facade inset with multicolored tiles for visual interest. The facade acts as a sunscreen, keeping the harsh rays of the Spanish sun from heating up the building while also providing natural ventilation. The tiles are set at right angles to each other and the west-facing sides are glazed in three shades of green while the east-facing are painted in autumnal colors.
Hawaii Preparatory Academy, Hawaii
(images via: hpa.edu)
At the Hawaii Preparatory Academy, a structure called the Energy Lab isn’t just green – it’s a certified Living Building. In addition to achieving LEED Platinum, the Energy Lab met the ‘Living Building Challenge’, using absolutely nothing that is toxic in production, use or disposal. Amazingly, incredibly high standards like using only steel or concrete from 1,000 miles away and wood from 3,000 miles away were met by the builders – despite the fact that the school is located in the middle of the ocean! The 6,112-square-foot Energy Lab facility features indoor and outdoor classroom areas, conference and project rooms and a full workshop on 216 acres of land.
The Bridge School, China
(images via: inhabitat)
Among five winners of the 2010 Aga Khan Award for Architecture, the Bridge School in Xiashi, China is located in a rural village and provides not only a place of learning but a public gathering spot and a way to cross the town’s river. The two-room schoolhouse, designed by Li Xiaodong, consists of a bamboo bridge connecting two historic toulou (circular castles made from packed dirt). Horizontal bamboo shutters and doors can open the school to the air when the weather is appropriate, and the north end of the school even functions as a stage for performances or other community projects when school is not in session.
Sra Pou Vocational School, Cambodia
(images via: srapou.org)
While red bricks made from local dirt provide the structural mass of the Sra Pou Vocational School in Cambodia, it’s the colorful handmade shutters, which can be opened or closed to control interior daylighting and ventilation, that make the building so cheerful and fun. The school was built entirely by hand by local laborers who received training on the job.
Green Mountain College, Poultney, Vermont
(images via: greenmtn.edu)
Is this the greenest college of them all? The answer to that question is yes, according to the Sierra Club’s Sierra Magazine, which rated Vermont’s Green Mountain College at the top of its list of the nation’s most eco-friendly colleges. This four-year liberal arts college, which emphasizes environmental sustainability as an essential element of its course studies, is the first college in the nation to achieve climate neutrality. The college has its own biomass facility, uses electricity produced by extracting methane gas from manure on Vermont dairy farms, and grows its own organic produce.
Michael J. Homer Science and Student Life Center, Atherton, California
(images via: jetsongreen)
The Michael J. Homer Science and Student Life Center in Atherton, California was the first school to obtain LEED Platinum certification under the LEED for Schools program. Part of Sacred Heart Schools, a Roman Catholic School for students in preschool through twelfth grade, this school uses 69% less energy than a typical school the same size. A living roof, a 40 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system, 73 skylights, water-efficient fixtures and drought-resistant native plantings are among the school’s notable green features. It also feeds students organic fruits and vegetables grown in an on-site garden.
Umeå University Architecture Academy, Sweden
(images via: world architecture news)
Umeå University’s new Architecture Academy in Sweden has a bold locally-sourced larch wood envelope punctuated by seemingly off-kilter windows in various sizes that not only gives it visual punch, but lets in lots of light. The windows are strategically placed to allow sunlight to infiltrate the building throughout the day. An integrated HVAC system, along with overall energy efficiency, has helped minimize energy usage by 50% and fresh air is drawn into the building from under the floor and circulated throughout the interior using perforated pipes.
Maosi Ecological Demonstration Primary School, China
(images via: open architecture network)
The Ecological Demonstration Primary School in Maosi, China proves that eco-friendly schools be built in remote areas of the country for very little money. Built as an experiment by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, this cluster of 10 single-story classrooms is made of thick mud brick for thermal mass in the style of local traditional architecture. Other local materials like rubble, straw and reed were used as well as recycled roof tiles from around the village. The school won the Design for Asia Award for improving quality of life.
ASU Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, Phoenix, Arizona
(images via: inhabitat)
Certified LEED Silver and a stunning addition to downtown Phoenix, the ASU Walter Cronkite School of Journalism stands out for its smart protection from the desert sun as well as its multi-colored metal panels in a pattern inspired by the U.S. Radio Spectrum. The 6-story educational facility features sun screens on all four facades as well as a three-story-tall ‘front porch’ to keep the sun from heating up the building.
Howe Dell Primary School, Hatfield, U.K.
(images via: howedell.herts.sch.uk)
The Howe Dell Primary School of Hatfield, England might just be the greenest building in the United Kingdom. An experiment in just how green a school can be, Howe Dell features a green roof planted with sedum, toilets that flush using rainwater, desks made of drain pipes, solar hot water and electricity and countertops made of recycled yogurt cups. But even among all of these impressive efforts – as well as a student “Eco Squad” that promotes sustainability on campus – one particular feature stands out: the world’s first Interseasonal Heat Transfer system, built beneath the school’s playground. The system takes the heat from sunshine that falls on the tarmac playground, stores it underground and then releases it during the winter.
School of Art, Design and Media at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
(images via: greenroofs.com)
Few green roofs in the world can compete visually with the sweeping carpet of green that encircles the School of Art, Design and Media at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Completed in 2006, the five-story educational facility blurs the lines between organic and built environments, disguising the building altogether from certain angles. The green roof insulates the structure, creates open green space for gatherings, cools the surrounding air and harvests rainwater for landscaping irrigation. The building is oriented with the facades facing north and south to decrease solar gain.
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Bio-Engineered Bricks Grown from Urine, Bacteria & Sand
April 27, 2011 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments
[ By Delana in Art & Design & Nature & Ecosystems & Science & Research. ]
Bricks have built much of our modern world, but how often do we consider the origins of these common building blocks? Brick production – involving a coal-fired kiln – causes a staggering amount of pollution. In fact, the 1.23 trillion bricks manufactured every year produce more pollution than all of the world’s airplanes combined. What can be done to reduce harmful emissions while maintaining the usefulness of the ultra-useful brick? According to one architect, the answer is to grow bricks rather than baking them.
(all images via: Metropolis Mag)
The Better Brick was the 2011 winner of Metropolis Magazine’s Next Generation Design Competition. Conceived by 32-year-old assistant architecture professor Ginger Krieg Dosier, the Better Brick exists at a strange intersection of chemistry, architecture and microbiology. Rather than forming clay into rectangles and firing it at 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, her method calls for microbial-induced calcite precipitation. Her bricks are made from sand, calcium chloride, bacteria and urea, a compound found in urine.
The method for making Better Bricks is rather simple, but the chemical process that takes place is less so. Using a simple form, sand is packed into a brick shape and doused with bacteria and the urea solution. After leaving the brick to harden for a week at room temperature, you have a building block that required only simple, renewable materials to build. When building a wall or other structure with the Better Bricks, the same binding method is used to hold them together, making mortar unnecessary. Eventually – when the formula is just right – Dosier says she can even program 3D printers to build the bricks layer by layer to her exact specifications, even in funky shapes.
Like many new green technologies, however, there are some slight snags. The process currently takes roughly three times longer to make bricks than the conventional method, which will mean that the entire building process would be significantly slowed down. But even more troubling is the fact that the process releases massive amounts of ammonia, which is eventually converted to nitrates and can poison groundwater. Dosier’s answer to this problem is to look more closely at developing a closed-loop system where the waste products are recycled to be used in the manufacturing process rather than released into the environment.
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Breathe Easy: Building Concept Cleanses Dirty City Air
Could this concept help NYC clean up its air? Plant-filled bubbles would form an air-purifying wall enclosing a dynamic public space.
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Breathe Easy: Building Concept Cleanses Dirty City Air
April 20, 2011 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments
[ By Delana in Art & Design & Nature & Ecosystems & Science & Research. ]
What if, instead of trying to remove all of the things that poison our environment, we built an infrastructure that uses these poisons as fuel to build a better world? That is the idea behind Bubble Wrap, a concept from Andrew Tetrault and Ben Lee for the purification of New York City’s air. An active, living infrastructure would take the very things we hate about city life – the pollution and poor air quality – and turn them into a vibrant, sustainable public space.
Bubble Wrap was designed specifically for New York City, a metropolis known both for its pollution problem and its rich culture. This futuristic project would mesh both in a surprisingly sophisticated way. Densely planted “bubbles” would be linked together and used as a unique type of building material to create living public spaces.
The plants inside the bubbles would take in polluted air and scrub it clean, releasing it again at ground level. Air from the subway exhaust system and from street level is drawn in to be purified and cleansed, making the “pods” into a large-scale air purifier.
The space inside the bubble structure would become a new venue for cultural and neighborhood events. Imagine a farmer’s market in the freshly-cleansed air inside this bubble building – or an open-air festival where everyone can breathe with no worries about pollution.
The designers call this idea a “parasite” that feeds on the excess energy and pollution of the city. Perhaps the relationship between the concept and the city could be seen instead as a symbiotic one: the conceptual building is “fed” by our lifestyle and the city receives a beautiful, living, breathing public space in which to enjoy and experience life.
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Red Tides: When Tiny, Toxic, Single-Celled Animals Attack!
March 29, 2011 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments
[ By Steve in Animals & Habitats & Food & Health & Nature & Ecosystems. ]
Red tides kill huge schools of fish, poison oyster and shellfish beds, and leave swimmers’ skin itchy, irritated and inflamed. Is this fearful phenomenon a case of nature running amok, or is human activity at least partly to blame?
Roll Tide!
(images via: Water Babies, Alan Guisewite and Underwater Times)
Crimson tides are cool when you’re sitting in a stadium cheering on your team. In the ocean or the odd freshwater lake, not so much. Though they may appear exotic and beautiful – especially at night in some cases – red tides often mean bad news for sea creatures and those who consume them… like us.
(images via: Island Nature, Life In Freshwater and CNRS)
Let’s clear up a few misconceptions. Red tides aren’t tides per se, and their appearance bears no relation to the sea’s natural tidal cycle. The term “red tide” originated at a time when observers didn’t have the technology to look closer – MUCH closer – at what was tinting the water red.
(images via: Expateek and Worth1000)
Though it’s probable that red tides have been appearing for many thousands of years, if not longer. The toxic red tides that continue to plague Florida’s coasts in modern times were first documented in the ship’s logs of 16th century Spanish explorers. Speaking of plagues, the phenomenon may have been noted even earlier, in the Bible’s Old Testament. The first of the Ten Plagues inflicted upon the Egyptians was described in the Book of Exodus thusly: “… and all the waters that were in the river turned to blood. And the fish that were in the river died, and the water stank.”
Whip It, Whip It Good
(images via: Marine Science, Underwater Times and Pixdaus)
With the invention of the microscope, biologists were for the first time able to determine the nature of red tides and the type of tiny creatures that produce them. Turns out the culprits are dinoflagellates, a type of protist or single-celled creature that has characteristics of both plants and animals. The term “dinoflagellate” is derived from the Greek word dinos, meaning “whirling”, and the Latin word flagellum which translates to “whip.”
(images via: Coastal Care, Sir Francis Drake Highschool, Rashid’s Blog and Green Prophet/M.Godfrey)
Basically, these tiny creatures propel themselves through the water by whirling and whipping a threadlike extension of their bodies. Though some dinoflagellates are semi-transparent and colorless, others are tinted various shades including red. When the populations of dinoflagellates boom; or “bloom”, as is often stated, their abundance can change the hue of large expanses of ocean to red, pink, purple, orange, gold – and every hue in between. The spectacular red tide bloom just above was caused by dinoflagellates of the species Noctiluca Scintillans, and occurred just off the coast of New Zealand.
(image via: NASA Earth Observatory)
Red tides are often reddish but their color depends on both the concentration and the type of the responsible protists. Photosynthetic algae can burst into huge greenish blooms that can be seen from orbit. Red tides and other harmful algae blooms (HABs, for short) have also been spied by satellites, as the image above shows: check out Florida’s southwest coast.
(images via: Microbial Life, Growing Algae and NASA Earth Observatory)
Being the color of blood alone was enough to worry ancient mariners but the effects of red tides sealed their reputation as harbingers of death and destruction – to sea life, at least. Some (but not all) of the dinoflagellates responsible for red tides produce a potent neurotoxin that is released when they’re ingested. A single dinoflagellate pumps out a tiny amount of toxin, but multiply that by multi-billions and you’ve got poison in the poisson… pardon my French.
Selfish Shellfish
(images via: Slate, Smithsonian NMNH and FEIS)
Massive fish kills – at times numbering in the millions – are often associated with red tide events but it’s what lies beneath that concerns health-conscious seafood consumers. Commercial shellfish such as clams, scallops and oysters can survive red tides but in doing so, they concentrate the neurotoxins in their tissues.
(images via: Lonelee Planet and Serious Eats)
Eating contaminated shellfish (which aren’t red, by the way) can induce symptoms of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), the effects of which are similar to those induced by toxins ingested in poorly prepared Fugu (Puffer fish) at sushi restaurants.
(images via: Kleepet, The National Academies and LIFE)
Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) has been noted on both the east and west coasts of the United States and a range of dinoflagellate species have been implicated as the original source of the toxins – the species of dinoflagellate known as Alexandrium Fundyense is blamed for red tides in the American northeast coast and the Gulf of Maine.
(images via: Texas Parks and Wildlife, BC/CDC and Alaska Tsunami Papers)
It’s not even necessary to EAT contaminated seafood in order to be adversely affected by red tide toxins. The red tide organism Karenia Brevis, which blooms on a near-annual basis in the Gulf of Mexico, exudes a neurotoxin known as Brevitoxin. Winds blowing inshore can pick up the toxin as an airborne aerosol, causing people living up to several miles inland to suffer respiratory irritation, coughing, sneezing, and tearing. The aerosol can affect marine mammals such as seals, manatees and whales as well. The Humpback whale shown above right washed up on a Massachusetts beach after feeding in a red tide.
(images via: Coastal Care)
In response to the perceived dangers red tides can cause, both the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department regularly issue and update online status reports on red tides along their respective coastlines.
Don’t You Make My Red Tide Blue
(image via: The Jetpacker)
“Red tides at night, red tides at night, oh OH…” Can you see a red tide at night? Yes and no… the customary red hue is invisible by night but a different color is often easily and spectacularly evident: blue! many red tide organisms are also bioluminescent – that is, they produce and emit ghostly blue light through through a chemical reaction that occurs within their bodies.
(images via: The Olsons, Comcast Forums and Photoshelter)
Wave action, stormy weather and other sorts of disturbance will provoke these tiny creatures to pump out blue light, but swimmers should keep in mind light isn’t the only thing dinoflagellates can produce.
(image via: Panoramio/Joeyrigatoni)
Waves washing onto beaches can also bring dinoflagellates onto dry land. The tiny creatures can remain alive for some time on or in wave-soaked beach sand, and tales have been told of beachcombers leaving eerie blue footprints as they stroll along the seashore.
Red Tides, Dead Zones… Red Zones?
(image via: Harmful Algae)
Red tides and other algae blooms are prompted by a sudden influx of nutrients into lakes or oceans – yes, even lakes can experience red tides, as seen in the photo of an Italian alpine lake above.
(images via: WIRED and Mongabay)
Nitrate- and phosphate-rich agricultural runoff is one such nutrient source. Not only can runoff spark red tides, over a period of time the result can be a marine “dead zone” like the one in the northern Gulf of Mexico.
(images via: Esquire and Shorecrest)
Excess fertilizer, untreated sewage, farm waste and other organic material washed down the Mississippi river pour into the Gulf, cause massive algae blooms, and deoxygenate the water as billions of protists die and sink to the ocean floor. Similar scenes occur with regularity on the coasts of dense urban conglomerations such as Hong Kong (above).
(images via: Daily KOS, National Geographic and WN.com)
Nutrients aren’t always organic or farm-related, however. Scientists have established a distinct correlation between windblown dust from the Sahara Desert and algae blooms in coastal Florida waters: the iron oxide in the dust acts as a nutrient to certain types of algae.
(image via: National Geographic)
El Niño events and natural upwelling of nutrients caused by ocean currents also play a role in the formation of red tides but it can be stated that without human activity, there would be a corresponding reduction in the frequency and severity of many red tides and algae blooms.
I Sea Red
(images via: Coastsider, Harmful Algae and Daily Telegraph)
If red tides have one saving grace, it’s their redness: it acts as a giant, liquid STOP sign for those who would normally enjoy seafood and shellfish oblivious to any consequences. To that we can probably add their often quite astonishing beauty, as illustrated in the many striking images that accompany this article.
(images via: MSauder and North County Times)
Better red than dead? Absolutely – not a single human fatality has occurred over the long history of Florida’s frequent red tides so look, admire and enjoy nature’s colorful show… and don’t plan any clambakes.
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