Dying Star Betelgeuse Won't Explode in 2012, Experts Say
Published January 21, 2011
Print Email Share Comments
Andrea Dupree (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA), Ronald Gilliland
The super-giant red star Betelgeuse in Orion’s nebula is predicted to cataclysmically explode, and the impending supernova may even reach Earth -- someday.
But will it happen by 2012, as recent news reports suggest? Probably not, experts say. While the second biggest star in the universe is strangely losing mass -- and has already become a red giant, meaning it is destined to explode and become a supernova -- there's no reason to believe that it will happen anytime soon.
Phil Plait, an astronomer who writes for Discovery News, agrees that someday, Betelgeuse will go gangbusters. But it’s way too far away to hurt us, he explained.
"A supernova has to be no farther than about 25 light years away to be able to fry us with light or anything else, and Betelgeuse is 25 times that distance," Plait wrote on his blog The Bad Astronomer.
The story was fueled by Australian news site News.com.au -- also owned by FoxNews.com parent company News Corp. -- which predicted that a giant explosion will occur, tens of millions of times brighter than the sun, and suggested the event was imminent. And the gist of the story is accurate: Betelgeuse will blow, in an explosion that will be visible from Earth, though it won't be so bright as to appear like a "second sun."
“This old star is running out of fuel in its center,” Carter told News.com.au. “This fuel keeps Betelgeuse shining and supported. When this fuel runs out the star will literally collapse in upon itself and it will do so very quickly.”
“It goes bang, it explodes, it lights up -- we’ll have incredible brightness for a brief period of time for a couple of weeks and then over the coming months it begins to fade and then eventually it will be very hard to see at all.”
That story is helping fuel Internet rumors and doomsday theories by confounding the impending supernova confirms with the Mayan calendar’s conclusion in 2012 -- which some believe is a prediction of the end of the world.
But there's no reason to think Betelgeuse will blow in 2012, Plait explains -- or even this millennium.
"It’s hard to know just when a star will explode when you’re on the outside. Betelgeuse might go up tonight, or it might not be for 100,000 years. We’re just not sure," Plait explained
Friday, January 21, 2011
Blizzard of 2011?
Starting to sound like Groundhog Day, all over again, but this might be the big storm of the season for the US East Coast. Watch those flight schedules mid-week travelers...
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
NOT an Approved Flotation Device!
Australian Teens Rescued After Using Sex Doll as Raft
Jan 18, 2011 – 4:28 PM
Ben Muessig
Thar she blows up!
A couple in Australia was rescued after attempting to float down a river near Melbourne on an inflatable sex doll.
The man and woman, both 19 years old, were drifting down the Yarra River in Victoria -- a state recently afflicted by severe flooding -- when the woman lost her grip on the sex toy in increasingly turbulent water on Sunday, according to The Daily Telegraph.
An Australian couple found an exciting new use for a blow-up doll when they turned an inflatable sex toy into a raft. Unfortunately, the couple had to be rescued when the woman lost her grip on the doll in the rough waters of the Yarra River outside Melbourne on Jan. 16.
The woman reportedly grabbed hold of a tree branch while the man shouted for help.
A passer-by alerted authorities, and a kayaker gave the couple life jackets before rescuers were able to bring them to the shore.
Neither the man nor the woman required medical attention, though police reportedly informed them that their blow-up toy was "not a recognized flotation device."
News of the blow-up doll raft rescue comes as Australia continues to grapple with catastrophic floods that have claimed at least 30 lives.
Jan 18, 2011 – 4:28 PM
Ben Muessig
Thar she blows up!
A couple in Australia was rescued after attempting to float down a river near Melbourne on an inflatable sex doll.
The man and woman, both 19 years old, were drifting down the Yarra River in Victoria -- a state recently afflicted by severe flooding -- when the woman lost her grip on the sex toy in increasingly turbulent water on Sunday, according to The Daily Telegraph.
An Australian couple found an exciting new use for a blow-up doll when they turned an inflatable sex toy into a raft. Unfortunately, the couple had to be rescued when the woman lost her grip on the doll in the rough waters of the Yarra River outside Melbourne on Jan. 16.
The woman reportedly grabbed hold of a tree branch while the man shouted for help.
A passer-by alerted authorities, and a kayaker gave the couple life jackets before rescuers were able to bring them to the shore.
Neither the man nor the woman required medical attention, though police reportedly informed them that their blow-up toy was "not a recognized flotation device."
News of the blow-up doll raft rescue comes as Australia continues to grapple with catastrophic floods that have claimed at least 30 lives.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
GOOD BYE NICOLE - HELLO MEDIOCRE PRIME TIME SCHEDULE
Nicole Mitchell signed off from the Weather Channel last night. A sad, sad day for anyone interested in watching a beautiful woman give actual weather analysis and insight. Gone are the days of Nicole and Heather having fun with old man Marshall.
Now The weather Channel/NBC has announced a new prime time series "that will feature two-hour "original" (actually, the old crap they showed on Sunday afternoons) programming blocks preceded and followed by one-hour editions of the popular (ahem) live evening show Weather Center."
Read - "We are going to show crap instead of weather."
"Beginning at 8 p.m. ET, viewers will see "original" programs such as Sucky Storm Stories, When Weather Was Actually On The weather Channel and Could It Happen Tomorrow? Who Gives A Rats Ass?"
Read - "We are going to show crap instead of weather."
Bravo The weather Channel/NBC - Bravo. You've pulled an MTV by taking the weather out of TWC.
BB
Now The weather Channel/NBC has announced a new prime time series "that will feature two-hour "original" (actually, the old crap they showed on Sunday afternoons) programming blocks preceded and followed by one-hour editions of the popular (ahem) live evening show Weather Center."
Read - "We are going to show crap instead of weather."
"Beginning at 8 p.m. ET, viewers will see "original" programs such as Sucky Storm Stories, When Weather Was Actually On The weather Channel and Could It Happen Tomorrow? Who Gives A Rats Ass?"
Read - "We are going to show crap instead of weather."
Bravo The weather Channel/NBC - Bravo. You've pulled an MTV by taking the weather out of TWC.
BB
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Brasil Flooding
Not sure which flooding from this classic "la nina" is worse, Brasil, or Australia. Brasil has had a far larger number of deaths, but the property damage in Australia has been epic...
More Reuters Results for:""
Follow ReutersFacebookTwitterRSSYouTubeReadFlooded Australia city "like war zone" |
9:25am EST
1Brisbane in shock as fresh rains feared
5:38am EST
2Palin's "blood libel" charge ignites firestorm
12 Jan 2011
3Wikipedia, 10 years old, targets India
12 Jan 2011
4Stock futures point to softer open as jobless claims rise
9:18am EST
5Discussed176Sarah Palin accuses critics of ”blood libel”
140Economists foretell of U.S. decline, China’s ascension
84Congresswoman Giffords wounded, five killed in shooting
Watched Row over vote orgasm video
Fri, Nov 19 2010 Bejeweled bra exposed in NY
Thu, Oct 21 2010 Palin reacts to Arizona shooting
Wed, Jan 12 2011Deaths from Brazil floods, landslides at 361
At least 257 dead as rains pummel Brazil
RIO DE JANEIRO Jan 13 (Reuters) - The death toll from floods and landslides that devastated a mountainous region near Rio de Janeiro rose to 348 on Thursday, according to authorities in the three worst-affected Brazilian towns.
Heavy rains earlier in the week killed 13 people in Sao Paulo state, raising the death toll in southern Brazil to 361.
Hillsides and riverbanks in the picturesque Serrana region north of Rio collapsed after the equivalent of a month's rain fell in 24 hours, destroying houses and killing many people as they slept early on Wednesday.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff signed a decree on Wednesday releasing 780 million reais ($460 million) in reconstruction funds for the affected areas. She was due to fly over the region early on Thursday. (Reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier; Writing by Stuart Grudgings; Editing by Eric Walsh)
More Reuters Results for:""
Follow ReutersFacebookTwitterRSSYouTubeReadFlooded Australia city "like war zone" |
9:25am EST
1Brisbane in shock as fresh rains feared
5:38am EST
2Palin's "blood libel" charge ignites firestorm
12 Jan 2011
3Wikipedia, 10 years old, targets India
12 Jan 2011
4Stock futures point to softer open as jobless claims rise
9:18am EST
5Discussed176Sarah Palin accuses critics of ”blood libel”
140Economists foretell of U.S. decline, China’s ascension
84Congresswoman Giffords wounded, five killed in shooting
Watched Row over vote orgasm video
Fri, Nov 19 2010 Bejeweled bra exposed in NY
Thu, Oct 21 2010 Palin reacts to Arizona shooting
Wed, Jan 12 2011Deaths from Brazil floods, landslides at 361
At least 257 dead as rains pummel Brazil
RIO DE JANEIRO Jan 13 (Reuters) - The death toll from floods and landslides that devastated a mountainous region near Rio de Janeiro rose to 348 on Thursday, according to authorities in the three worst-affected Brazilian towns.
Heavy rains earlier in the week killed 13 people in Sao Paulo state, raising the death toll in southern Brazil to 361.
Hillsides and riverbanks in the picturesque Serrana region north of Rio collapsed after the equivalent of a month's rain fell in 24 hours, destroying houses and killing many people as they slept early on Wednesday.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff signed a decree on Wednesday releasing 780 million reais ($460 million) in reconstruction funds for the affected areas. She was due to fly over the region early on Thursday. (Reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier; Writing by Stuart Grudgings; Editing by Eric Walsh)
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Wintry Post Card from Central Park, NYC
..as the Little Ice Age II descends upon Gotham, the howl of wolves can be heard form the north, and giant heards of polar bears begin their millenial march to the south....
Global Warming Ice-Storm Devastates Metro Atlanta
And the city's 8 snow-plows (that's the truth) didn't help much!
Atlanta weather | Georgians urged to be patient as state digs out of ice and snow
ShareThisPrint E-mail
By Ariel Hart
As metro Atlanta endured the near-collapse of its transportation system for a second day, some state officials on Tuesday admitted to being overwhelmed by the ice and snow catastrophe while others urged Georgians to be patient.
The state DOT said it had done the best it could with limited resources.
With that backdrop, the Atlanta road grid disintegrated.
“Our hearts are going out,” DOT spokeswoman Karlene Barron said, describing watching video feeds of people stuck on interstates highways as overstretched DOT crews tried to help. “We fought the best way we could to help those folks.”
Deal, in his first news conference as governor, said "the weather has to cooperate in order for us to do what we really need to do."
Commissioner Vance Smith of the state Department of Transportation counseled Georgians to "be patient."
" There will always be a sunnier day than what we have had in the last couple of days," Smith said.
Smith and others who participated in a meeting Deal held with law enforcement, transportation and disaster officials were short on specifics about what they discussed with the new governor other than to say that everyone was working hard and doing their best.
"I think we are doing a great job," Smith said.
Officials in the state had several days to prepare, an unusual amount of time. The National Weather Service considers this storm “one of the home runs we’ve hit in terms of forecasting,” said Lans Rothfusz, the meteorologist in charge at the Atlanta office of the National Weather Service. They got the weather right, they got the time right, and they got the information out days ahead, on Thursday. “In the meteorological world, that’s sticking your neck out,” Rothfusz said.
At the DOT, Barron said the heavy mixture of snow and freezing rain over several days would have overwhelmed any agency. The DOT had warned trucking companies to keep out of Atlanta, but many freight trucks came anyway, she said. When they froze into the ice on the ground, removing them took enormous time.
And to make matters worse, she said, during much-needed shift changes twice a day, DOT trucks are pulled off the roads, allowing ice to re-form. That was a critical problem Monday, Barron said.
Robert Blackburn was the principal investigator on a report for the Transportation Research Board on snow and ice control. When told about Georgia’s crews all leaving the roads for the same shift change, he burst out laughing. “You don’t do that,” he said. “You stagger your crews. This is like having the emergency room of a hospital saying, ‘ell, I’m sorry, we can’t treat any patients.' ”
At the Minnesota Department of Transportation, which clears Minneapolis-area interstates, crews overlap in heavy storms, said Mary McFarland, a spokeswoman for the department. Otherwise, she said, “you can’t keep up.”
In planning, Georgia's DOT brought in crews and trucks from South Georgia, making for more than 150 trucks in the metro area.
If more would have helped, Barron said, it's hard to make such a purchase beforehand. "If we got those resources and used them once a year there would be questions about how we spend our money," she said.
It's unclear whether it would have been possible to bring in trucks or crews from other state DOT's, as Georgia Power brings in resources from sister companies in other states. That's rarely done, Blackburn said, but there have been instances in the West, he said. Barron said no resources were brought in from out of state.
With meager resources, DOT crew members fought the ice Tuesday in grueling 12-hour shifts. They reopened interstate highways that had closed completely, including the entire southern arc of I-285.
Significant Atlanta roads were iced.
“Lower Peachtree Street is basically an ice slick between the Midtown MARTA station and the Publix supermarket,” said Lee Biola, a transit advocate.
He said it seemed particularly problematic because crosswalks to the MARTA station weren’t treated and MARTA trains were the last reliable mode of transportation for many on Tuesday.
“The city doesn’t seem to be prioritizing the crosswalks around MARTA stations," Biola said. "If they have any salt at all, they certainly aren’t putting it there.”
The city’s chief operating officer, Peter Aman, said streets such as Peachtree Street and Piedmont Road are usually the responsibility of the state DOT.
The state DOT agreed but said it was doing all it could to keep up with the interstates.
“We are going to have a no-excuses administration,” Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said during a news conference Tuesday afternoon. “I want to be clear, from Day One, we were present and on call at all times. This notion that Atlanta was unprepared for snow just isn’t true.”
Reed said the city had cleared 150 of the its first-priority 200 miles of road, which touch on hospitals, police precincts and other important locations.
Fulton County has a total of seven sand dispersement trucks in its fleet and no snow plows. When the snow started falling Sunday night, the Public Works Department only deployed four trucks to spread a mixture of sand and calcium chloride on unincorporated south Fulton's main thoroughfares, Commission Chairman John Eaves said.
Assistant Public Works Director Richard Coates said he held back three of them at first because they are considered reserves, in case front-line trucks break down. When the intensity of the storm became clear on Monday, he decided to put all spreader trucks in operation, both to get more aggressive and to cut routes in half to give his drivers a break.
"I wouldn't have done anything differently," Coates said. "You don't want to treat roads too soon because then you might be wasting material."
Fulton Industrial Boulevard and Camp Creek Parkway were passable, but most side streets remained covered with ice.
The county did everything it could for south Fulton roads, given the resources it has. It wouldn't make sense to invest in snow plows or more spreader trucks, he said.
"You've got to weigh the cost vs. the need," Eaves said. "The reality is, this kind of snowstorm happens every 10 or 15 years."
If there's room for improvement, Eaves said, Atlanta and Fulton should learn to communicate with frieght companies before icy weather hits, telling them to divert their trucks around the city or suspend travel.
Eaves said there is concern that, if the supply lines remain paralyzed, the hospitals could run low on supplies toward the end of the week. A spokeswoman for the DOT said the interstates were all passable by Tuesday night.
About 30 people on county work crews have been working around the clock since 4 a.m. Monday scraping roads and treating them with 300 tons of a mixture of sand, salt and gravel.
The county’s regional transportation management center has received about 2,000 calls.
In some places there was little officials could do.
Towns like Snellville and Lawrenceville don’t even own snow-clearing equipment. They rely on the state DOT to clear major routes, and they wait.
In Duluth, some roads were open, but many secondary roads were “just awful,” said Audrey Turner, Duluth's director of public works.
At least one area found success.
While many cities across metro Atlanta still contended with snow- and ice-filled streets, Suwanee was seeing blacktop for miles.
Before snow blanketed the area Sunday night, the Gwinnett County city contracted with a grading service on Friday for a front-end loader and a backhoe. The city already owns a Bobcat and tractor with a plow, said Scott Moretz, the city's supervisor of public works.
Crews started clearing select routes at 10 p.m. Sunday and kept circling them all night until 8 a.m. Monday, he said. The route totaled some 30 to 40 miles, he said.
Workers were able to remove most of the snow by Monday morning. Then in three-hour shifts, they spread salt up until 11 p.m., Moretz said.
"Now most of the roads are blacktop," he said. But, he cautioned, "as much as the roads look clear, stay off of them because of ice."
He expects there will be a bill for overtime work, but "I'd rather pay the overtime bill and keep the city safe."
It’s hard to know what strategy would have worked to keep an interstate like I-285 clear, all experts said, because every storm is different. The storm Atlanta is enduring is particularly violent, they agreed, because freezing rain, not just snow, had blanketed the area.
But Blackburn said that on such major roads in a major storm, at the very outset when snow is hitting it can make sense to have continuous coverage by trucks circling back and forth, trying to prevent accumulation. On a road the length and width of I-285, that could easily mean upward of 30 trucks.
On I-285, Barron was not certain how many trucks the DOT had working Sunday night. “At the height,” Tuesday morning, she said, it had 12.
Atlanta weather | Georgians urged to be patient as state digs out of ice and snow
ShareThisPrint E-mail
By Ariel Hart
As metro Atlanta endured the near-collapse of its transportation system for a second day, some state officials on Tuesday admitted to being overwhelmed by the ice and snow catastrophe while others urged Georgians to be patient.
The state DOT said it had done the best it could with limited resources.
With that backdrop, the Atlanta road grid disintegrated.
“Our hearts are going out,” DOT spokeswoman Karlene Barron said, describing watching video feeds of people stuck on interstates highways as overstretched DOT crews tried to help. “We fought the best way we could to help those folks.”
Deal, in his first news conference as governor, said "the weather has to cooperate in order for us to do what we really need to do."
Commissioner Vance Smith of the state Department of Transportation counseled Georgians to "be patient."
" There will always be a sunnier day than what we have had in the last couple of days," Smith said.
Smith and others who participated in a meeting Deal held with law enforcement, transportation and disaster officials were short on specifics about what they discussed with the new governor other than to say that everyone was working hard and doing their best.
"I think we are doing a great job," Smith said.
Officials in the state had several days to prepare, an unusual amount of time. The National Weather Service considers this storm “one of the home runs we’ve hit in terms of forecasting,” said Lans Rothfusz, the meteorologist in charge at the Atlanta office of the National Weather Service. They got the weather right, they got the time right, and they got the information out days ahead, on Thursday. “In the meteorological world, that’s sticking your neck out,” Rothfusz said.
At the DOT, Barron said the heavy mixture of snow and freezing rain over several days would have overwhelmed any agency. The DOT had warned trucking companies to keep out of Atlanta, but many freight trucks came anyway, she said. When they froze into the ice on the ground, removing them took enormous time.
And to make matters worse, she said, during much-needed shift changes twice a day, DOT trucks are pulled off the roads, allowing ice to re-form. That was a critical problem Monday, Barron said.
Robert Blackburn was the principal investigator on a report for the Transportation Research Board on snow and ice control. When told about Georgia’s crews all leaving the roads for the same shift change, he burst out laughing. “You don’t do that,” he said. “You stagger your crews. This is like having the emergency room of a hospital saying, ‘ell, I’m sorry, we can’t treat any patients.' ”
At the Minnesota Department of Transportation, which clears Minneapolis-area interstates, crews overlap in heavy storms, said Mary McFarland, a spokeswoman for the department. Otherwise, she said, “you can’t keep up.”
In planning, Georgia's DOT brought in crews and trucks from South Georgia, making for more than 150 trucks in the metro area.
If more would have helped, Barron said, it's hard to make such a purchase beforehand. "If we got those resources and used them once a year there would be questions about how we spend our money," she said.
It's unclear whether it would have been possible to bring in trucks or crews from other state DOT's, as Georgia Power brings in resources from sister companies in other states. That's rarely done, Blackburn said, but there have been instances in the West, he said. Barron said no resources were brought in from out of state.
With meager resources, DOT crew members fought the ice Tuesday in grueling 12-hour shifts. They reopened interstate highways that had closed completely, including the entire southern arc of I-285.
Significant Atlanta roads were iced.
“Lower Peachtree Street is basically an ice slick between the Midtown MARTA station and the Publix supermarket,” said Lee Biola, a transit advocate.
He said it seemed particularly problematic because crosswalks to the MARTA station weren’t treated and MARTA trains were the last reliable mode of transportation for many on Tuesday.
“The city doesn’t seem to be prioritizing the crosswalks around MARTA stations," Biola said. "If they have any salt at all, they certainly aren’t putting it there.”
The city’s chief operating officer, Peter Aman, said streets such as Peachtree Street and Piedmont Road are usually the responsibility of the state DOT.
The state DOT agreed but said it was doing all it could to keep up with the interstates.
“We are going to have a no-excuses administration,” Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said during a news conference Tuesday afternoon. “I want to be clear, from Day One, we were present and on call at all times. This notion that Atlanta was unprepared for snow just isn’t true.”
Reed said the city had cleared 150 of the its first-priority 200 miles of road, which touch on hospitals, police precincts and other important locations.
Fulton County has a total of seven sand dispersement trucks in its fleet and no snow plows. When the snow started falling Sunday night, the Public Works Department only deployed four trucks to spread a mixture of sand and calcium chloride on unincorporated south Fulton's main thoroughfares, Commission Chairman John Eaves said.
Assistant Public Works Director Richard Coates said he held back three of them at first because they are considered reserves, in case front-line trucks break down. When the intensity of the storm became clear on Monday, he decided to put all spreader trucks in operation, both to get more aggressive and to cut routes in half to give his drivers a break.
"I wouldn't have done anything differently," Coates said. "You don't want to treat roads too soon because then you might be wasting material."
Fulton Industrial Boulevard and Camp Creek Parkway were passable, but most side streets remained covered with ice.
The county did everything it could for south Fulton roads, given the resources it has. It wouldn't make sense to invest in snow plows or more spreader trucks, he said.
"You've got to weigh the cost vs. the need," Eaves said. "The reality is, this kind of snowstorm happens every 10 or 15 years."
If there's room for improvement, Eaves said, Atlanta and Fulton should learn to communicate with frieght companies before icy weather hits, telling them to divert their trucks around the city or suspend travel.
Eaves said there is concern that, if the supply lines remain paralyzed, the hospitals could run low on supplies toward the end of the week. A spokeswoman for the DOT said the interstates were all passable by Tuesday night.
About 30 people on county work crews have been working around the clock since 4 a.m. Monday scraping roads and treating them with 300 tons of a mixture of sand, salt and gravel.
The county’s regional transportation management center has received about 2,000 calls.
In some places there was little officials could do.
Towns like Snellville and Lawrenceville don’t even own snow-clearing equipment. They rely on the state DOT to clear major routes, and they wait.
In Duluth, some roads were open, but many secondary roads were “just awful,” said Audrey Turner, Duluth's director of public works.
At least one area found success.
While many cities across metro Atlanta still contended with snow- and ice-filled streets, Suwanee was seeing blacktop for miles.
Before snow blanketed the area Sunday night, the Gwinnett County city contracted with a grading service on Friday for a front-end loader and a backhoe. The city already owns a Bobcat and tractor with a plow, said Scott Moretz, the city's supervisor of public works.
Crews started clearing select routes at 10 p.m. Sunday and kept circling them all night until 8 a.m. Monday, he said. The route totaled some 30 to 40 miles, he said.
Workers were able to remove most of the snow by Monday morning. Then in three-hour shifts, they spread salt up until 11 p.m., Moretz said.
"Now most of the roads are blacktop," he said. But, he cautioned, "as much as the roads look clear, stay off of them because of ice."
He expects there will be a bill for overtime work, but "I'd rather pay the overtime bill and keep the city safe."
It’s hard to know what strategy would have worked to keep an interstate like I-285 clear, all experts said, because every storm is different. The storm Atlanta is enduring is particularly violent, they agreed, because freezing rain, not just snow, had blanketed the area.
But Blackburn said that on such major roads in a major storm, at the very outset when snow is hitting it can make sense to have continuous coverage by trucks circling back and forth, trying to prevent accumulation. On a road the length and width of I-285, that could easily mean upward of 30 trucks.
On I-285, Barron was not certain how many trucks the DOT had working Sunday night. “At the height,” Tuesday morning, she said, it had 12.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Canya Say Footasnow Mr Maya?
Dear Maya Bloomborg,
It appeahs a foota snow will barwy Bwooklyn dis week. Wouldyaz please plow my neighbahood? Tanks!
Mayor of Atlanta is a Weather EXPERT!
"We don't have weather events like this," Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said in an on-air interview with CNN. "I think the amount of snow we're getting is probably a 10-year event for the city of Atlanta."
The correct translation is, yes, Atlanta DOES get weather events like this, roughly once or twice a decade! - HLG
The correct translation is, yes, Atlanta DOES get weather events like this, roughly once or twice a decade! - HLG
Friday, January 7, 2011
Big Apple to get Big Snow Next Week?
Think the mayor is paying attention this time??
New York Storm Today May Be Preview for `Significant Snowfall' Next WeekBy Brian K. Sullivan - Jan 7, 2011 8:29 AM CT
* inShare
*
* Email
A storm expected to dump about 5 inches of snow on New York City today may just be a preview for a system next week that has the potential for “significant snowfall,” according to the National Weather Service.
It would be the third storm in as many weeks for the New York area, still recovering from a post-Christmas blizzard that left 20 inches (51 centimeters) in Central Park.
“We have to keep an eye on that, but the potential is there for another significant snowfall through Tuesday and Wednesday,” said Brian Ciemnecki, a weather service meteorologist in Upton, New York. “The potential is there for 6 or more inches.”
Snow began falling shortly after daybreak in Manhattan, as winter storm warnings, watches and advisories stretch from eastern Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia, through New York City and most of Connecticut into Massachusetts and Vermont. The snowfall is expected to end in the city tonight.
Some flights into Newark’s Liberty International Airport are being delayed for more than two hours, according to the Federal Aviation Administration’s Web site. Flights to Philadelphia, New York’s LaGuardia and New Jersey’s Teterboro airports were held until after 9:30 a.m. local time because of snow, ice and poor visibility.
NYC Prepares
The Long Island Rail Road, shut down by last week’s storm, will provide extra service today for passengers who want to leave work early, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said on its website. Buses have been fitted with chains and preparations made to keep rails free of ice and snow.
Some 1,700 snowplows were ready to help with snow removal, and city crews will employ video cameras and GPS systems to pinpoint areas of need, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a news conference yesterday.
The Dec. 26-27 storm left some city streets unplowed for days and garbage pickups backlogged. It cost New York at least $20 million of its $38.8 million snow-removal budget, according to the Sanitation Department.
Boston may receive just a dusting from today’s storm, said Charlie Foley, a weather service meteorologist in Taunton, Massachusetts. The heaviest snow will fall in western Massachusetts, he said.
The current storm’s track didn’t include a dip across the southern U.S., so it doesn’t have the moisture that the blizzard had. However, next week’s storm may mirror the post-Christmas system more closely and that’s why forecasters are watching it.
Waiting, Watching
“If there’s a chance to repeat the Christmas weekend storm, that one would be a better setup,” said Matt Rogers, president of Commodity Weather Group LLC, a commercial forecaster in Bethesda, Maryland. “But it’s too early to get a firm handle on it. It could just as easily stay out to sea.”
MDA Federal Inc.’s Travis Hartman said he believes next week’s storm will be more of a threat for the Washington- Philadelphia corridor. New York and Boston probably aren’t in that much danger, said Hartman, an energy weather manager and meteorologist at MDA’s EarthSat Energy Weather in Rockville, Maryland.
The post-Christmas blizzard shut above-ground New York City subway lines, disrupted travel on commuter trains and stranded holiday travelers at the three major area airports. Almost 8,000 flights were canceled.
Investigations Under Way
Bloomberg said he was “dissatisfied” with the city’s response and promised an inquiry. Federal and local prosecutors are investigating whether New York sanitation workers deliberately delayed snow removal from streets, according to Diane Struzzi, a spokeswoman for the city Department of Investigation.
Bloomberg’s approval rating following the snowstorm dropped to 37 percent, the lowest since he took office Jan. 1, 2002, a Marist College poll said. For the first time in his nine-year tenure, a majority of voters, 53 percent, said the city was headed “in the wrong direction,” compared with 38 percent who consider it on the right path, the poll said.
The mayor is founder and majority owner of Bloomberg News parent Bloomberg LP.
To contact the reporter on this story: Brian K. Sullivan in Boston at Bsullivan10@bloomberg.net;
New York Storm Today May Be Preview for `Significant Snowfall' Next WeekBy Brian K. Sullivan - Jan 7, 2011 8:29 AM CT
* inShare
*
A storm expected to dump about 5 inches of snow on New York City today may just be a preview for a system next week that has the potential for “significant snowfall,” according to the National Weather Service.
It would be the third storm in as many weeks for the New York area, still recovering from a post-Christmas blizzard that left 20 inches (51 centimeters) in Central Park.
“We have to keep an eye on that, but the potential is there for another significant snowfall through Tuesday and Wednesday,” said Brian Ciemnecki, a weather service meteorologist in Upton, New York. “The potential is there for 6 or more inches.”
Snow began falling shortly after daybreak in Manhattan, as winter storm warnings, watches and advisories stretch from eastern Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia, through New York City and most of Connecticut into Massachusetts and Vermont. The snowfall is expected to end in the city tonight.
Some flights into Newark’s Liberty International Airport are being delayed for more than two hours, according to the Federal Aviation Administration’s Web site. Flights to Philadelphia, New York’s LaGuardia and New Jersey’s Teterboro airports were held until after 9:30 a.m. local time because of snow, ice and poor visibility.
NYC Prepares
The Long Island Rail Road, shut down by last week’s storm, will provide extra service today for passengers who want to leave work early, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said on its website. Buses have been fitted with chains and preparations made to keep rails free of ice and snow.
Some 1,700 snowplows were ready to help with snow removal, and city crews will employ video cameras and GPS systems to pinpoint areas of need, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a news conference yesterday.
The Dec. 26-27 storm left some city streets unplowed for days and garbage pickups backlogged. It cost New York at least $20 million of its $38.8 million snow-removal budget, according to the Sanitation Department.
Boston may receive just a dusting from today’s storm, said Charlie Foley, a weather service meteorologist in Taunton, Massachusetts. The heaviest snow will fall in western Massachusetts, he said.
The current storm’s track didn’t include a dip across the southern U.S., so it doesn’t have the moisture that the blizzard had. However, next week’s storm may mirror the post-Christmas system more closely and that’s why forecasters are watching it.
Waiting, Watching
“If there’s a chance to repeat the Christmas weekend storm, that one would be a better setup,” said Matt Rogers, president of Commodity Weather Group LLC, a commercial forecaster in Bethesda, Maryland. “But it’s too early to get a firm handle on it. It could just as easily stay out to sea.”
MDA Federal Inc.’s Travis Hartman said he believes next week’s storm will be more of a threat for the Washington- Philadelphia corridor. New York and Boston probably aren’t in that much danger, said Hartman, an energy weather manager and meteorologist at MDA’s EarthSat Energy Weather in Rockville, Maryland.
The post-Christmas blizzard shut above-ground New York City subway lines, disrupted travel on commuter trains and stranded holiday travelers at the three major area airports. Almost 8,000 flights were canceled.
Investigations Under Way
Bloomberg said he was “dissatisfied” with the city’s response and promised an inquiry. Federal and local prosecutors are investigating whether New York sanitation workers deliberately delayed snow removal from streets, according to Diane Struzzi, a spokeswoman for the city Department of Investigation.
Bloomberg’s approval rating following the snowstorm dropped to 37 percent, the lowest since he took office Jan. 1, 2002, a Marist College poll said. For the first time in his nine-year tenure, a majority of voters, 53 percent, said the city was headed “in the wrong direction,” compared with 38 percent who consider it on the right path, the poll said.
The mayor is founder and majority owner of Bloomberg News parent Bloomberg LP.
To contact the reporter on this story: Brian K. Sullivan in Boston at Bsullivan10@bloomberg.net;
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
First Fun with Flying of 2011!
Happy New Year flyers!
Coffee spill causes diversion for US flight
Published January 05, 2011
| Associated Press
Print Email Share
TORONTO – A pilot's spilled coffee accidentally triggered a hijacking alert and caused a United Airlines flight from Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany, to make an unscheduled stop in Canada.
A Transport Canada report said United Flight 940 was diverted to Toronto late Monday and landed safely at Pearson International Airport. In a twist reminiscent of the plot of the 1964 Glenn Ford movie 'Fate Is the Hunter', the coffee spill caused distress signals to go out, including code 7500, which means hijacking or unlawful interference.
The report says Canada's defense department was notified, but that with the help of United dispatch staff the flight crew confirmed it to be a communication issue and not a hijacking.
The report on Transport Canada's website said the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration reported that United's corporate office had indicated that the pilot "had inadvertently squawked a 7500 code after spilling coffee on the aircraft's radio equipment, which interfered with the communications equipment."
"The flight crew had advised that they had communication problems and subsequently reported that they had some navigation problems as well and from there the pilot in the command diverted the flight onto Toronto," Maryse Durette, a Transport Canada spokeswoman, said Wednesday.
YOU MIGHT ALSO BE
INTERESTED IN
Neo-Nazis Reportedly Take Over East German Village
'Chainsaw Massacre' Role-Play Among Issues Investigated in Death of North Carolina Girl
Cleveland Cavaliers Offer Homeless Radio Man Job, Home
attention seniors! this tax break disappears feb. 1
sinclair says stations to be removed from time warner cable
United spokesman Rahsaan Johnson acknowledged Wednesday that one of three cockpit crew members caused the mishap by spilling a drink.
"It was a beverage. During light turbulence one of the crew members beverages spilled which then caused issues with the airplanes communications equipment," Johnson said.
Johnson said the crew was in contact with air traffic control throughout. He said that the pilot elected to divert the flight rather than cross the Atlantic Ocean while experiencing a communications problem.
The Boeing 777 was carrying 241 passengers and 14 crew members. Johnson said United flew them back to Chicago on another plane and put them up in hotel rooms overnight. They flew to Germany on Tuesda
Coffee spill causes diversion for US flight
Published January 05, 2011
| Associated Press
Print Email Share
TORONTO – A pilot's spilled coffee accidentally triggered a hijacking alert and caused a United Airlines flight from Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany, to make an unscheduled stop in Canada.
A Transport Canada report said United Flight 940 was diverted to Toronto late Monday and landed safely at Pearson International Airport. In a twist reminiscent of the plot of the 1964 Glenn Ford movie 'Fate Is the Hunter', the coffee spill caused distress signals to go out, including code 7500, which means hijacking or unlawful interference.
The report says Canada's defense department was notified, but that with the help of United dispatch staff the flight crew confirmed it to be a communication issue and not a hijacking.
The report on Transport Canada's website said the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration reported that United's corporate office had indicated that the pilot "had inadvertently squawked a 7500 code after spilling coffee on the aircraft's radio equipment, which interfered with the communications equipment."
"The flight crew had advised that they had communication problems and subsequently reported that they had some navigation problems as well and from there the pilot in the command diverted the flight onto Toronto," Maryse Durette, a Transport Canada spokeswoman, said Wednesday.
YOU MIGHT ALSO BE
INTERESTED IN
Neo-Nazis Reportedly Take Over East German Village
'Chainsaw Massacre' Role-Play Among Issues Investigated in Death of North Carolina Girl
Cleveland Cavaliers Offer Homeless Radio Man Job, Home
attention seniors! this tax break disappears feb. 1
sinclair says stations to be removed from time warner cable
United spokesman Rahsaan Johnson acknowledged Wednesday that one of three cockpit crew members caused the mishap by spilling a drink.
"It was a beverage. During light turbulence one of the crew members beverages spilled which then caused issues with the airplanes communications equipment," Johnson said.
Johnson said the crew was in contact with air traffic control throughout. He said that the pilot elected to divert the flight rather than cross the Atlantic Ocean while experiencing a communications problem.
The Boeing 777 was carrying 241 passengers and 14 crew members. Johnson said United flew them back to Chicago on another plane and put them up in hotel rooms overnight. They flew to Germany on Tuesda
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
A Fine Red-Letter Day for the Navy!
And I got "relieved of duty" for a crime I was fully exhonorated for. Hmmmm. I am sure Captin Honors will get a full golden parachute, and a lovely teaching post at the academy. Anchors Aweigh my Boys, Anchors, Aweigh!
Aircraft Carrier Commander to Be Relieved of Duty After Airing Explicit Videos
Published January 04, 2011
| FoxNews.com
Print Email Share Capt. Owen Honors will be relieved of duty Tuesday as commander of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise after he broadcast sexually charged videos taken aboard the ship, a senior U.S. defense official told Fox News.
Navy officials said Honors will not be kicked out of the service, though it is possible later on, pending results of a longer investigation, that he could be asked to leave the Navy. It's also possible he'll be reassigned without any possibility of promotion, effectively ending his career. In that scenario it is likely he would decide to retire.
The videos, distributed on closed-circuit television during 2006 and 2007 deployments of the USS Enterprise, the Navy's oldest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, showed simulated masturbation, suggestive shower scenes with multiple women and gay slurs.
The Virginian-Pilot newspaper broke the story, publishing edited versions of the lewd videos on its website.
The videos are "clearly inappropriate," Navy spokesman Commander Chris Sims told Fox News on Monday. "Production of videos, like the ones produced four to five years ago on USS Enterprise... were not acceptable then and are not acceptable in today's Navy.
Honors attended the Naval Academy and taught at the Navy's Top Gun flight school.
The videos were played repeatedly on board the ship. In one scene, Honors can be seen fishing for a chocolate candy bar in a dirty toilet right before eating it on camera. In another he appears in a towel and shower cap outside the stall where two men are seen washing each other. In the next clip, which Honors calls "Chicks in the Shower," two women are seen washing each other. No nudity is shown, although the viewer is led to believe they are naked.
Honors warns the viewers the material is offensive. "Over the years I've gotten complaints about inappropriate material during these videos, never to me personally but, gutlessly through other channels," Honors says in the introduction to one video. After using a derogatory slur for gays he calls out the "bleeding heart" critics, telling them to "go ahead and hug yourself for the next 20 minutes or so, because there's really a good chance you're gonna be offended."
Honors does have his supporters. A Facebook page quoted ex-shipmen saying sketches done by Honors on movie nights were "hilarious."
Sinclair Says Stations to Be Removed From Time Warner Cable A New Technique for Maximizing Female Pleasure Kraft Gets Expedited Approval in Preliminary Injunction Against Starbucks Nearly 3,000 Dead Birds Fall From Arkansas Sky Oil Nears $100; 2008-Style Surge Unlikely But critics said not only should Honors be relieved of duty, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, should face scrutiny since he was chief of naval operations while the misconduct occurred.
"Then-CNO Adm. Mullen did not have command authority over the Enterprise, but his rank as CNO invested in him the responsibility to maintain high standards of morale and discipline in the entire Navy. Adm. Mullen failed to discharge this duty with regard to the Enterprise, and members of Congress should hold him accountable. Either Adm. Mullen knew what was happening on the Enterprise, or he did not know about the breakdown in discipline occurring on his watch. Which scenario is worse?" asked Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness.
Donnelly, whose organization opposes repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" law, said Honors' behavior -- and that of the junior officers who participated in the videos -- is "unacceptable" and the offenses are as bad as those "that ruined the careers of countless naval officers (in) the infamous Tailhook scandal involving aviators in 1991."
But she said Honors' actions and his own statements scorning subordinates who complained about the videos suggest that refining discipline "downward" through repeal of the 1993 law on openly gay service will only add to more indiscipline.
"Contrary to assurances that standards of conduct will remain high, and that 'leadership' and sensitivity training can 'mitigate' the consequences of human failings, this embarrassing episode demonstrates how discipline can be incrementally redefined downward, lowering standards for all," Donnelly said. "Adm. Mullen and like-minded allies in the White House, Pentagon and Congress are inviting trouble that cannot be 'mitigated' by wishful thinking alone."
It was a bad year for commanding officers in 2010. The Navy Times reported that 17 COs were fired last year for conduct unbecoming of an officer -- the second highest number of firings in a decade.
Meanwhile, the Enterprise is scheduled to deploy before the end of this month.
Aircraft Carrier Commander to Be Relieved of Duty After Airing Explicit Videos
Published January 04, 2011
| FoxNews.com
Print Email Share Capt. Owen Honors will be relieved of duty Tuesday as commander of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise after he broadcast sexually charged videos taken aboard the ship, a senior U.S. defense official told Fox News.
Navy officials said Honors will not be kicked out of the service, though it is possible later on, pending results of a longer investigation, that he could be asked to leave the Navy. It's also possible he'll be reassigned without any possibility of promotion, effectively ending his career. In that scenario it is likely he would decide to retire.
The videos, distributed on closed-circuit television during 2006 and 2007 deployments of the USS Enterprise, the Navy's oldest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, showed simulated masturbation, suggestive shower scenes with multiple women and gay slurs.
The Virginian-Pilot newspaper broke the story, publishing edited versions of the lewd videos on its website.
The videos are "clearly inappropriate," Navy spokesman Commander Chris Sims told Fox News on Monday. "Production of videos, like the ones produced four to five years ago on USS Enterprise... were not acceptable then and are not acceptable in today's Navy.
Honors attended the Naval Academy and taught at the Navy's Top Gun flight school.
The videos were played repeatedly on board the ship. In one scene, Honors can be seen fishing for a chocolate candy bar in a dirty toilet right before eating it on camera. In another he appears in a towel and shower cap outside the stall where two men are seen washing each other. In the next clip, which Honors calls "Chicks in the Shower," two women are seen washing each other. No nudity is shown, although the viewer is led to believe they are naked.
Honors warns the viewers the material is offensive. "Over the years I've gotten complaints about inappropriate material during these videos, never to me personally but, gutlessly through other channels," Honors says in the introduction to one video. After using a derogatory slur for gays he calls out the "bleeding heart" critics, telling them to "go ahead and hug yourself for the next 20 minutes or so, because there's really a good chance you're gonna be offended."
Honors does have his supporters. A Facebook page quoted ex-shipmen saying sketches done by Honors on movie nights were "hilarious."
Sinclair Says Stations to Be Removed From Time Warner Cable A New Technique for Maximizing Female Pleasure Kraft Gets Expedited Approval in Preliminary Injunction Against Starbucks Nearly 3,000 Dead Birds Fall From Arkansas Sky Oil Nears $100; 2008-Style Surge Unlikely But critics said not only should Honors be relieved of duty, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, should face scrutiny since he was chief of naval operations while the misconduct occurred.
"Then-CNO Adm. Mullen did not have command authority over the Enterprise, but his rank as CNO invested in him the responsibility to maintain high standards of morale and discipline in the entire Navy. Adm. Mullen failed to discharge this duty with regard to the Enterprise, and members of Congress should hold him accountable. Either Adm. Mullen knew what was happening on the Enterprise, or he did not know about the breakdown in discipline occurring on his watch. Which scenario is worse?" asked Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness.
Donnelly, whose organization opposes repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" law, said Honors' behavior -- and that of the junior officers who participated in the videos -- is "unacceptable" and the offenses are as bad as those "that ruined the careers of countless naval officers (in) the infamous Tailhook scandal involving aviators in 1991."
But she said Honors' actions and his own statements scorning subordinates who complained about the videos suggest that refining discipline "downward" through repeal of the 1993 law on openly gay service will only add to more indiscipline.
"Contrary to assurances that standards of conduct will remain high, and that 'leadership' and sensitivity training can 'mitigate' the consequences of human failings, this embarrassing episode demonstrates how discipline can be incrementally redefined downward, lowering standards for all," Donnelly said. "Adm. Mullen and like-minded allies in the White House, Pentagon and Congress are inviting trouble that cannot be 'mitigated' by wishful thinking alone."
It was a bad year for commanding officers in 2010. The Navy Times reported that 17 COs were fired last year for conduct unbecoming of an officer -- the second highest number of firings in a decade.
Meanwhile, the Enterprise is scheduled to deploy before the end of this month.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Chance of Birds Falling from Sky
Nearly 3,000 Dead Birds Fall From Arkansas Sky
Published January 03, 2011
| Associated Press
Print
Email
Share
Jan. 1: An Environmental Services worker picks up a dead bird in Beebe, Ark. as other dead birds line the street behind him.
BEEBE, Arkansas – Wildlife experts are trying to solve an apocalyptic-type mystery: Why did nearly 3,000 red-winged blackbirds tumble from the Arkansas sky on New Year's Eve?
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission spokesman Keith Stephens says the birds fell in an area about a mile long and a half-mile wide (1 1/2 kilometers long and 800 meters wide). The Commission said Saturday that it began receiving reports about the dead birds about 11:30 p.m. the previous night.
The birds fell over a 1-mile (2-kilometer) area, and an aerial survey indicated that no other dead birds were found outside of that area. Laboratories in Arkansas, Georgia and Wisconsin will examine some carcasses starting Monday. Results could be back in a week.
Commission ornithologist Karen Rowe said the birds showed physical trauma, and she speculated that "the flock could have been hit by lightning or high-altitude hail."
The commission also speculated that New Year's Eve revelers shooting off fireworks in the area could have startled the birds from their roost and caused them to die from stress.
Rowe said that similar events have occurred elsewhere and that test results "usually were inconclusive." She said she doubted the birds were poisoned.
Published January 03, 2011
| Associated Press
Share
Jan. 1: An Environmental Services worker picks up a dead bird in Beebe, Ark. as other dead birds line the street behind him.
BEEBE, Arkansas – Wildlife experts are trying to solve an apocalyptic-type mystery: Why did nearly 3,000 red-winged blackbirds tumble from the Arkansas sky on New Year's Eve?
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission spokesman Keith Stephens says the birds fell in an area about a mile long and a half-mile wide (1 1/2 kilometers long and 800 meters wide). The Commission said Saturday that it began receiving reports about the dead birds about 11:30 p.m. the previous night.
The birds fell over a 1-mile (2-kilometer) area, and an aerial survey indicated that no other dead birds were found outside of that area. Laboratories in Arkansas, Georgia and Wisconsin will examine some carcasses starting Monday. Results could be back in a week.
Commission ornithologist Karen Rowe said the birds showed physical trauma, and she speculated that "the flock could have been hit by lightning or high-altitude hail."
The commission also speculated that New Year's Eve revelers shooting off fireworks in the area could have startled the birds from their roost and caused them to die from stress.
Rowe said that similar events have occurred elsewhere and that test results "usually were inconclusive." She said she doubted the birds were poisoned.
Where Winds RULE! (and dogs drool)
ArcNews Online
Understanding Mountain Gravity Waves Helps Optimize Glider Flights over the AndesBy René Heise, Director, Mountain Wave Project
In a field where science and adventure sports meet, the team of the Mountain Wave Project (MWP) (mountain-wave-project.com) is trying, in connection with the scientific section of the Organisation Scientifique et Technique du Vol à Voile, to carry out targeted research on internal gravity waves (i.e., the interface between the mountain and the atmosphere) in the atmosphere and put its findings to work in record-setting glider flights. This glider-based "research lab" demonstrates impressively how modern forecasting methods can be applied to identify relevant atmospheric structures (such as mountain waves).
The flight path of the 2,256-kilometer world record gliding flight in a straight distance demonstrates good correlation with the bands of statistically derived areas of prevalent wave climbs.
The longest-ever distance flown in a glider—more than 3,000 kilometers in the mountain waves of the Andes in South America (at Formula 1 speed, at an altitude between 4,000 and 8,500 m over a flight time of 15 hours)—has set new standards in aeronautical sports. For this unprecedented flight, and for many others listed in the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale's gliding world record compendium, GIS was used for visualizing the flight path and the bands of wave lift in the complex terrain of the Andes, as well as displaying the relevant weather satellite images with charts from high-resolution numerical weather prediction models. Since its first Andes expedition in 1999, MWP has been acquiring data from more than 100 flights in Andean wave systems, all of them documented with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) flight recorders.
Evaluation of GNSS Flight Recorder Data
During motorless sections of gliding flights, upward motions of the atmosphere ("lift") need to be used for the sailplane to gain altitude. There are several forms of lift, and it is of great interest in the analysis of long-distance gliding flights to distinguish between these different forms:
The upward moving branch of mountain waves
Lift related to the slopes in the landscape ("ridge lift")
Lift related to warm air rising by convection ("thermals")
Examples of wave climbs.
GNSS data recorders are commonly used to log GPS position fixes (time, latitude, longitude, altitude) every 1 to 15 seconds. A mathematical-statistical data analysis method was used to identify the lift related to mountain waves in these datasets, taking into account the height of the underlying terrain (SRTM30 data) and meteorological considerations.
More than 100 flights carried out in the mountain waves of the Cordillera of the Andes during the period from 1999 to 2010 were analyzed in this manner to yield lift diagrams.
Comparisons
For numerical weather forecasting, high-resolution, nonhydrostatic models (2 km horizontal grid distance) are being developed that are able to resolve mesoscale atmospheric phenomena such as mountain waves, foehn storms, anabatic and katabatic wind systems, and land/sea breeze circulation.
More than 100 flights carried out in the mountain waves of the Cordillera of the Andes between 1999 and 2010 were analyzed.
In the development of such models and their testing and operational application, visualization techniques using ArcGIS Desktop software's Naval Meteorology and Oceanography (METOC) and MWP Turbulence tools are valuable for verifying forecast products, such as vertical motion, air temperature, humidity, and wind fields, by comparison to observational data gathered from weather satellite images or derived products, such as temperature retrievals.
Turbulence Markers Downwind of the Andes
Although mountain waves themselves require laminar (and thus smooth) airflow, they can be related to severe or even extreme turbulence in the form of rotor-like air movements below, or breaking waves. Such turbulence can create severe hazards to commercial airline operations and other flights. It is therefore important to be able to predict areas that have a high potential of such turbulence.
While in the southernmost areas of the Andean mountain ranges (Patagonia), mountain waves—and with them the potential areas of severe turbulence—are often indicated by the occurrence of lenticular clouds, there is rarely sufficient moisture content available farther north for the generation of such clouds. This is particularly true for the busy air corridor between Buenos Aires and Mendoza, Argentina, and Santiago, Chile.
Zoomed view of green inset box above: In January 2010, a world record gliding flight was attained—2,256 kilometers straight from El Calafate, Argentina, to San Juan, Argentina. GIS analysis of mountain wave climbs (i.e., rising air) aided this success. Red turbulence symbols designate moderate to heavy turbulence with vertical speeds of 6 to 10 meters per second. Purple symbols depict extreme turbulence of over 10 meters per second.
To overcome this lack of turbulence indicators, turbulence markers created from the wave climbs as analyzed from the glider flights can be used for planning commercial flights under conditions conducive to the occurrence of mountain waves. Pinpointing areas of high mountain wave probability, visualized by ArcGIS tools, allows easy recognition of altitude, frequency, and intensity of likely turbulence encounters. With the aid of GIS, light tracks of aircraft can be analyzed, evaluated, and used to optimize flight routes.
About the Author
René Heise is project founder and director of the nonprofit Mountain Wave Project. He has studied physics and meteorology at the Humboldt-University of Berlin and has presented all over the world.
For more information, contact René Heise, MWP director (e-mail: rene.heise@t-online.de). The author wishes to thank the Behörden und Organisationen mit Sicherheitsaufgaben (BOS) team at ESRI Deutschland GmbH for its support in modifying the METOC tool.
Understanding Mountain Gravity Waves Helps Optimize Glider Flights over the AndesBy René Heise, Director, Mountain Wave Project
In a field where science and adventure sports meet, the team of the Mountain Wave Project (MWP) (mountain-wave-project.com) is trying, in connection with the scientific section of the Organisation Scientifique et Technique du Vol à Voile, to carry out targeted research on internal gravity waves (i.e., the interface between the mountain and the atmosphere) in the atmosphere and put its findings to work in record-setting glider flights. This glider-based "research lab" demonstrates impressively how modern forecasting methods can be applied to identify relevant atmospheric structures (such as mountain waves).
The flight path of the 2,256-kilometer world record gliding flight in a straight distance demonstrates good correlation with the bands of statistically derived areas of prevalent wave climbs.
The longest-ever distance flown in a glider—more than 3,000 kilometers in the mountain waves of the Andes in South America (at Formula 1 speed, at an altitude between 4,000 and 8,500 m over a flight time of 15 hours)—has set new standards in aeronautical sports. For this unprecedented flight, and for many others listed in the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale's gliding world record compendium, GIS was used for visualizing the flight path and the bands of wave lift in the complex terrain of the Andes, as well as displaying the relevant weather satellite images with charts from high-resolution numerical weather prediction models. Since its first Andes expedition in 1999, MWP has been acquiring data from more than 100 flights in Andean wave systems, all of them documented with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) flight recorders.
Evaluation of GNSS Flight Recorder Data
During motorless sections of gliding flights, upward motions of the atmosphere ("lift") need to be used for the sailplane to gain altitude. There are several forms of lift, and it is of great interest in the analysis of long-distance gliding flights to distinguish between these different forms:
The upward moving branch of mountain waves
Lift related to the slopes in the landscape ("ridge lift")
Lift related to warm air rising by convection ("thermals")
Examples of wave climbs.
GNSS data recorders are commonly used to log GPS position fixes (time, latitude, longitude, altitude) every 1 to 15 seconds. A mathematical-statistical data analysis method was used to identify the lift related to mountain waves in these datasets, taking into account the height of the underlying terrain (SRTM30 data) and meteorological considerations.
More than 100 flights carried out in the mountain waves of the Cordillera of the Andes during the period from 1999 to 2010 were analyzed in this manner to yield lift diagrams.
Comparisons
For numerical weather forecasting, high-resolution, nonhydrostatic models (2 km horizontal grid distance) are being developed that are able to resolve mesoscale atmospheric phenomena such as mountain waves, foehn storms, anabatic and katabatic wind systems, and land/sea breeze circulation.
More than 100 flights carried out in the mountain waves of the Cordillera of the Andes between 1999 and 2010 were analyzed.
In the development of such models and their testing and operational application, visualization techniques using ArcGIS Desktop software's Naval Meteorology and Oceanography (METOC) and MWP Turbulence tools are valuable for verifying forecast products, such as vertical motion, air temperature, humidity, and wind fields, by comparison to observational data gathered from weather satellite images or derived products, such as temperature retrievals.
Turbulence Markers Downwind of the Andes
Although mountain waves themselves require laminar (and thus smooth) airflow, they can be related to severe or even extreme turbulence in the form of rotor-like air movements below, or breaking waves. Such turbulence can create severe hazards to commercial airline operations and other flights. It is therefore important to be able to predict areas that have a high potential of such turbulence.
While in the southernmost areas of the Andean mountain ranges (Patagonia), mountain waves—and with them the potential areas of severe turbulence—are often indicated by the occurrence of lenticular clouds, there is rarely sufficient moisture content available farther north for the generation of such clouds. This is particularly true for the busy air corridor between Buenos Aires and Mendoza, Argentina, and Santiago, Chile.
Zoomed view of green inset box above: In January 2010, a world record gliding flight was attained—2,256 kilometers straight from El Calafate, Argentina, to San Juan, Argentina. GIS analysis of mountain wave climbs (i.e., rising air) aided this success. Red turbulence symbols designate moderate to heavy turbulence with vertical speeds of 6 to 10 meters per second. Purple symbols depict extreme turbulence of over 10 meters per second.
To overcome this lack of turbulence indicators, turbulence markers created from the wave climbs as analyzed from the glider flights can be used for planning commercial flights under conditions conducive to the occurrence of mountain waves. Pinpointing areas of high mountain wave probability, visualized by ArcGIS tools, allows easy recognition of altitude, frequency, and intensity of likely turbulence encounters. With the aid of GIS, light tracks of aircraft can be analyzed, evaluated, and used to optimize flight routes.
About the Author
René Heise is project founder and director of the nonprofit Mountain Wave Project. He has studied physics and meteorology at the Humboldt-University of Berlin and has presented all over the world.
For more information, contact René Heise, MWP director (e-mail: rene.heise@t-online.de). The author wishes to thank the Behörden und Organisationen mit Sicherheitsaufgaben (BOS) team at ESRI Deutschland GmbH for its support in modifying the METOC tool.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
NWS METEOROLOGISTS AVOID DEATH!
Yesterday a tornado moved across (or near) the Jackson Airport, where meteorologists took cover. CIMSS has a fantastic image of the storm as it crossed near the airport. Fortunately no one was hurt or killed.
BB
BB
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)