Road kit

10 11 2007

road_kit.jpg

I just finished testing and putting together my road kit, as seen above. Can anyone guess what it is for?

UPDATE:

Ok I think I have enough guesses. “Coyote” nailed it pretty well. Good job Warren. The road kit is packaged for getting on an airplane, hopefully I’ll be able to explain it well enough to pass airport security. I’m going to give myself an extra hour just in case they think its a “Eludium Pu-36 Explosive Space Modulator” as Robert Coté points out ;-) in comments.

It’s a UHI transect kit. I got the idea at Pielke’s August conference on land use changes. There were a couple of UHI studies presented there, both using data from existing static weather stations. The idea gelled after some observations of my vehicle air temp thermometer while crossing Denver headed to the airport returning from a station survey the next evening.  

My experiment plan is this; by simultaneously logging temperature data and GPS readings on my laptop, I’ll be able the create a transect line. The Gill shield has a custom window clip which allows me to mount on the passenger window. The shield will be “aspirated” by driving. Should I have to stop for a signal. the GPS data will indicate a pause, and any temp data from that spot due to heat from the vehicle or others nearby can be excluded.

The temperature sensor and A/D converter for it both have NIST calibration, making them far better than the accuracy of an MMTS, but with the same resolution, 0.1°F.

The reason for the setup now is that I’m heading to Indianapolis next week, which was one of the cities presented in a study at Pielke’s conference.  Plus that, Indianapolis is nearly perfectly flat and has transect roads that match the cardinal compass points.

According to Parker 2006, “The main impact of any urban warming is expected to be on Tmin on calm nights (Johnson et al. 1991)” so that’s what I’ll be testing. Hopefully the weather will cooperate.

Coyote brings up a valid point about “I can’t figure how you deal with the time delay issue between readings.”  which I assume to mean the overall atmospheric deltaT between the start of the transect and the end. I’m hoping that at night, with little traffic, I’ll be able to drive fast enough to minimize this.  I expect that the deltaT of the transect itself will be larger than the deltaT for the time it takes to drive the transect. We’ll see. Also, I should be able to determine the deltaT for the city atmosphere for the time it takes to drive the transect from the static weather stations around the city. My guess is I’ll be able to transect the city in less than 30 minutes. I used to live near there, and knowing the city and it’s roads, I believe it’s possible.

If I do it late enough at night, say after midnight, I should be able to minimize waste heat contributions from other vehicle wakes ahead of me.

I welcome ideas and suggestions. I’m sure the usual folks will “pooh pooh” the idea, but with the help of my readers, perhaps I can minimize the weak points of the experiment.


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Categories : Science, weather_stations

Scientists trace cosmic rays to massive black holes

10 11 2007
Black hole
Above: (artist conception) Astronomers have discovered the biggest black hole orbiting a star 1.8 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Cassiopeia, with a record-setting mass of 24 to 33 times that of our Sun.

Henrik Svensmark is probably pleased to know where there source of cosmic rays is. Knowing that may help him hone his theory of cosmic rays and earths cloudiness being modulated by solar magnetic and solar wind activity. Here is the link to NASA’s press release. Maybe they’ll throw a party for this one too ;-) see post below.

From the LA Times:

By John Johnson Jr., Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
November 9, 2007

An international team of scientists said Thursday that they have tracked down the origin of the mysterious “Oh-My-God” particle — a cosmic ray bearing energies millions of times larger than the most powerful particle accelerator can produce on Earth.

Researchers at the Pierre Auger Observatory, a complex of detectors spread over a Rhode Island-sized slice of the South American prairie, said the most likely source for these ultra-high-energy particles is a type of black hole found at the center of some galaxies.

These violent phenomena are called active galactic nuclei because they both gobble up energy from the surrounding space and spit some out with tremendous force.

“This is a fundamental discovery. We have taken a big step forward in solving the mystery of the nature and origin of the highest-energy cosmic rays,” said Nobel laureate James Cronin, a professor emeritus at the University of Chicago and coauthor of the paper published in the current issue of the journal Science.

Cosmic rays are charged particles that can strike with the force of a thrown baseball. Fortunately for humans, Earth’s atmosphere serves as a shield, preventing the particles from reaching the surface.
Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Science, climate_change

NASA blows wads of cash on celebration parties

10 11 2007

nasa-party.jpg

From Slashdot:

“NASA spends between $400,000 and $1.3 million on a party at every shuttle launch, according to CBS. Select personnel are treated to 5 days at a 4 star hotel. This year alone, they’ve spent $4 million on parties. NASA asked for, and was given, $1 billion more from the Senate this year. NASA proponents argue it makes more sense to give money to talented, productive people in exchange for scientific knowledge, than spend it on unproductive people in the form of straight welfare.”

I wonder if they have any photos of James Hansen dancing with a lampshade on his head? I also wonder if NASA GISS ever gets invited at all? I wonder if Gore throws GISS  a party every time a new paper comes out? 

I’ve got nothing against perks, but it does seem a bit excessive, 4 days in a 5 star hotel.

Gee, just think of what a few determined individuals could do with a fraction of that money.


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Categories : fun_stuff, ridiculae