ScienceMaster - July 2001 Newsletter

WEB SITE NEWS

Happy Summer
Summer's in full bloom now. School is out and everyone's ready to put the books away for a little R&R. What better time to take a stroll through our science pages. There's a lot to do out there and we can show you how to have a fun and educational summer.

More Free Downloads
Have you taken a look at our free downloads recently? We've added new free resources, freebies and links to other sites for science lovers. Learn about Louisiana wetlands in a free CD-ROM or the Mars Millennium Project through a series of lesson plans. --> http://www.sciencemaster.com/activity/free_stuff.php
New Science Columns
Summer is a great time to visit the zoo. Is your camera loaded? Know how to get that great shot? Take some tips from the experts from the New York Institute of Photography as they give you the scoop on taking great pictures at the zoo.

Also don't miss Gene Mascoli's June column on 'Drought'. Gene explores weather prediction, a tricky business and its implication for a very hot topic, climate prediction.

Read ScienceMaster's columns --> http://www.ScienceMaster.com/columns/columns.php

Newsletter Subscriptions Up, Up and Away
Thanks to all your interest the ScienceMaster Newsletter now goes out to over 7,000 subscribers each and every month. We strive to bring you the latest from our site as well as features on other sites you won't want to miss. If you enjoy ScienceMaster we encourage you to pass our newsletter on to a friend.

SCIENCE NEWS AND LINKS

Make A Tide Prediction
Going to the beach? Need to know when the next high tide is? Check out the NOAA’s Tide Prediction page, http://www.co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/tp4days.html, where you can calculate tidal predictions for more than 3000 tide stations in the United States. If your curious about the accuracy of tide predictions visit the Frequently Asked Questions page, http://www.co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/faq2.html.

Global Dust is Blowing in the Wind

People may think of the ground under their feet as being stationary, but the soil and dust of the world is constantly on the move, blown aloft by the wind -- sometimes across entire oceans. Over vast stretches of geologic time, the action of wind thoroughly mixes and re-mixes the world's dust. So the soil in your own backyard might contain some grains of dust from places all over the globe. The dust, originating from fine particles in the arid topsoil, is transported into the atmosphere by winds and may be carried more than 10,000 feet high.

Now, you can watch airborne dust migrate around the globe simply by pointing your browser to the aerosol homepage for NASA's Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer TOMS, http://jwocky.gsfc.nasa.gov/aerosols/today_aero.html. NASA scientists use these data to create daily maps and movies that they post online.

Detecting Dust Devils on Mars

Speaking of dust, NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft recently caught sight of a dust devil dancing across the Martian surface. While it isn't the first of the tornado-like weather systems to be imaged, it is yet another reminder that Mars is an ever-changing planet and an interesting place to explore.

Read an interview with Dr. Ken Edgett, a staff scientist at Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, CA., who regularly tracks the dust devils and studies surface features, http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/solar_system/features/dust_devil_feature.html. As the operator for the Surveyor's orbiter camera, he is one of the first to see fascinating images of the red planet.

New Map of Colorado National Monument Tells Tales of Fires, Floods and Ancient Man

The geology of Colorado National Monument and surrounding areas is presented in a new U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) map that is designed to serve visitors as well as students and the most ardent scientist. Published in partnership with the National Park Service and the Colorado National Monument Association, the poster-style map was created by USGS scientists, local geologists and academia, including Mesa State College, with a wide-range of geologic interests in mind. The map and text will be available online at: http://geology.cr.usgs.gov/pub/i-maps/i-2740/.

NOAA Scientists Learn From Right Whale Rescue Attempt

Image Courtesy NOAA

Marine scientists off the coast of Massachusetts have spent the past several weeks attempting a daring rescue of a rare North Atlantic right whale. The 45-foot male was severely injured and entangled in heavy line. Bad weather hampered the rescue attempt.

As a last-ditch effort, the scientists tried something that's never been done before - sedate a 50-ton whale to surgically remove the line. The sedative appeared to have no effect. Scientists were able to cut off excess line and readjust a tracking buoy. Fog forced scientists to cut short the day's effort. Everything possible was done to help the whale. Scientists do agree that a wealth of information was gathered - information that will greatly enhance any future efforts.

NOAA scientists estimate there are some 300 right whales left - among the most endangered mammals on the planet - making any future rescues important to the survival of the species.

Quote of the Month
"It is the weight, not numbers of experiments that is to be regarded."
Sir Isaac Newton, English scientist
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