Subject: ECOLOG-L Digest - 28 Jun 2001 to 29 Jun 2001
To: Recipients of ECOLOG-L digests <ECOLOG-L@UMDD.UMD.EDU>
Status: R
There are 6 messages totalling 332 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. ECOLOG-L: Ratio of water uptake to biomass (2)
2. Potential for canola to become a weed
3. Job
4. Environmental Job Openings from EnviroNetwork
5. Research Chair in Aquatic Ecology
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 29 Jun 2001 07:07:09 -0400
From: "David M. Bryant" <dmbryant@CISUNIX.UNH.EDU>
Subject: Re: ECOLOG-L: Ratio of water uptake to biomass
At 12:49 PM 6/28/01 -0700, you wrote:
>Anyone care to offer any references and examples related to different
>ratios of water uptake to biomass production? And discuss the driving
>principles?
>
>Thanks,
>WT
>
Wayne,
the term your looking for is water use efficiency (WUE), the ratio of
transpiration to production. At the organismic level any ecophysiology
text will address the topic, at the ecosystem/landscape level try:
Aber, J. D. and J. M. Melillo, 2001. Terrestrial Ecosystems 2nd ed.
Harcourt/Academic Press, London 556 pp. ISBN 0-12-041755-3 $50.00 from
amazon.com.
Good luck,
David M. Bryant dmbryant@cisunix.unh.edu
Dept. of Natural Resources 603-862-4433
215 James Hall
University of New Hampshire
Durham, NH 03824
"Not all that is counted counts
and not all that counts can be counted"
A. Einstein
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 29 Jun 2001 12:13:30 -0400
From: Don Cipollini <don.cipollini@WRIGHT.EDU>
Subject: Potential for canola to become a weed
Having worked on the chemical ecology of Brassicas for the
last 4-5 years, here are some of my impressions about the
potential for canola (standard or herbicide resistant) to
become an invasive weed of *natural* areas. First, standard
canola (Brassica napus) is a very poor competitor with
either annual or perennial wild plants and is found only
very infrequently in small naturalized populations. In
agricultural fields, it will come up as volunteers a year or
two after harvest, but rarely becomes "established" if the
field lies fallow or is taken out of production. Even those
populations that do get established tend to decline fairly
rapidly as soon as the factors allowing them to persist are
removed. For example, I know of a small roadside population
near here (southwestern Ohio) that has persisted for a few
years where road maintenance has minimized competition, but
it has steadily declined. I assume that this population
started as a result of a roadside seed spill. Brassica
rapa, a close relative, is also frequently grown as an
oilseed crop, but numerous naturalized populations of this
plant exist in disturbed areas across North America, and it
is a better competitor than B. napus. Brassica kaber (syn.
Sinapis arvensis), wild mustard, is a weedy close relative
that can be a big problem in agricultural fields and grows
well in disturbed areas. None of these species exist for
long in later successional environments-for example, they
can't tolerate an overstory very well. B. napus can
hybridize with B. rapa and produce viable seed. In fact, B.
napus is thought to have arisen from an ancient
hybridization event between B. rapa and B. oleraceae
(cabbage). B. napus can not hybridize with B. kaber and
produce viable seed, at least not without a lot of human
intervention. My impression overall is that for herbicide
resistant B. napus to escape, it would have to be growing
where the particular herbicide toward which it shows
resistance is consistently used, which will reduce
competition and allow it to exist. This is possible,
however, along roadsides, agricultural areas, and other
places where the herbicide is used. The other chance for
escape is through hybridization which is extremely unlikely
with B. kaber, but possible with naturalized B. rapa. But,
the chances of even the hybrids getting established in
natural areas where the herbicide is not used seem to be
slim. Moreover, expression of the transgenes is known to
have fitness costs, which further reduces the likelihood
that these plants would persist where herbicides are not
applied. I think it is very unlikely that modified canola
would become a problem without the help of the herbicide,
thus the risks to natural areas seem to be low. Garlic
mustard...now there is an example of a model invasive plant!
Cheers, Don
--
***********************************
Don Cipollini, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
Wright State University
3640 Colonel Glenn Highway
Dayton, Ohio 45435-0001
(937) 775-3805
FAX (937) 775-3320
email: don.cipollini@wright.edu
Lab Page: http://www.wright.edu/~don.cipollini
WSU Plant Biology Page:
http://biology.wright.edu/Faculty/Cipollini/PlantBioSite/PlantBio.html
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 29 Jun 2001 10:53:39 -0400
From: ESA NewSource Job Listings <LISTJOBS@ESA.ORG>
Subject: Job
ASSISTANT PROFESSORS
WATERFOWL AND WETLANDS=20
ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT and
WILDLIFE-HUMAN INTERACTIONS
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and =
Conservation Biology is seeking 2 tenure-track, ASSISTANT PROFESSORS one =
in WATERFOWL AND WETLANDS ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT and the other in =
WILDLIFE-HUMAN INTERACTIONS. Ph.D. in Wildlife or closely related field =
required. Successful candidates are expected to develop strong teaching =
and externally-funded research programs (25% minimum) and develop =
synthetic outreach programs (25% minimum) to assist diverse constituencies.=
Position description and application requirements can be obtained at =
www.fw.umn.edu or from David Andersen (612-624-3421 or fwpositions@fw.umn.e=
du). The application review date has been extended. Review now begins June =
22, 2001, until positions are filled. The University of Minnesota is an =
equal opportunity employer and educator.=20
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 29 Jun 2001 16:00:52 -0400
From: EnviroNetwork@NATURALIST.COM
Subject: Environmental Job Openings from EnviroNetwork
Title: Geologist
Company: ETI Professionals, Inc. (recruiter)
Location: central, Florida
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=4089
Title: Climate Change Branch Chiefs (2), International Ca
Company: Global Programs Division, Office of Air and Radiation, US Environme
tal
Protection Agency
Location: Washington, DC
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=4088
Title: Education and Outreach Coordinator
Company: Earthroots
Location: Toronto, ON, Canada
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=4087
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 29 Jun 2001 13:52:03 -0300
From: William Marshall <bmarshal@STFX.CA>
Subject: Research Chair in Aquatic Ecology
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
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Canada Research Chair in Aquatic Ecology
St. Francis Xavier University seeks applications and
nominations for a Canada Research Chair in the area of
aquatic ecology, a focus area for our coastal research
community. This prestigious chair is intended for a
researcher of international repute, at the advanced
Assistant to mid level Associate Professor level (Tier II)
who has demonstrated research excellence in their
specialty. The position will be filled either as tenured or
tenure track.
The Research Chair will interact with a group of ten active
research faculty who study biology of aquatic organisms. The
ideal candidate will interact with investigators in several
existing research areas, synergistically enhancing the
strength of aquatic research. The candidate should have
established research funding, the ability to liaise with
university and government scientists, interest in being part
of the Atlantic Environmental Research Network (AERN) and
Aquanet. Also desirable is a strong commitment to
undergraduate and graduate research and a willingness to
contribute to some limited graduate/advanced undergraduate
teaching. The university is near lakes, streams, estuaries
as well as protected and open ocean habitats. Research
facilities, enhanced by recent CFI acquisitions (particle
image velocimeter, microtox & confocal microscope), are
fully up to date and are located in a newly-renovated
building. Honours B.Sc. and M.Sc. students in biology and
advanced undergraduates in a unique new program
=93Interdisciplinary Studies in Aquatic Resources=94 are
involved in aquatic research projects.
Ecologically-oriented research in the department deals with
invasive algal and crustacean species, carbon fixation in
cyanobacteria, marine algal symbiosis, management and
reproductive behaviour of waterfowl, stream community
ecology and vertebrate and invertebrate physiological
ecology. There is also expertise in cell and molecular
biology, microbiology, physiology, biomechanics, electron
microscopy, developmental biology and mathematical
modelling. Further information about the department and its
research activities can be found at
http://www.stfx.ca/people/biology/.
Appointment is conditional upon the successful applicant
being approved as a Tier II Canada Research Chair (CRC). The
CRC program is described in detail at
http://www.chairs.gc.ca
Applications will be considered beginning August 1, 2001.
The competition will remain open until a nominee is
selected. Interested individuals should forward a CV,
representative publications, a description of proposed
research and other research interests and names and
addresses for three referees to:
E.J. McAlduff, Dean of Science,
St. Francis Xavier University,
P.O. Box 5000
Antigonish, Nova Scotia B2G 2W5
TEL: (902) 867-3903
Email: emcalduf@stfx.ca
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------------------------------
Date: Fri, 29 Jun 2001 18:25:15 -0700
From: Wayne Tyson <landrest@UTM.NET>
Subject: Re: ECOLOG-L: Ratio of water uptake to biomass
I mighta knowed there'd be an acronymy and a fifty-dollar book to
buy. That's what I get for trying to be oblique on the subject of the
"weakest link" in food production, whether GMO-driven, GR, or publik-domain
seed (PDS) and other aspects of diversity.
Can GE'd crops produce more food for the exploding population (thus driving
an further accelerated rate of increase, ad nauseam?) if the amount of
water (not to mention "fertilizer") is held constant? (I won't complicate
matters by asking about the amount of existing ecosystem-occupied land that
will be deleted by the added cultivation. Yet.)
Discuss the driving principles?
Best,
WT
"We have, really, only two choices. We can have an 'I beat you down, you
beat me down, I beat you down' society, or an 'I lift you up, you lift me
up, I lift you up' society." --Kenneth Boulding
At 07:07 AM 6/29/2001 -0400, David M. Bryant wrote:
>At 12:49 PM 6/28/01 -0700, you wrote:
> >Anyone care to offer any references and examples related to differe
t
> >ratios of water uptake to biomass production? And discuss the driv
ng
> >principles?
> >
> >Thanks,
> >WT
> >
>Wayne,
>
>the term your looking for is water use efficiency (WUE), the ratio of
>transpiration to production. At the organismic level any ecophysiology
>text will address the topic, at the ecosystem/landscape level try:
>
>Aber, J. D. and J. M. Melillo, 2001. Terrestrial Ecosystems 2nd ed.
>Harcourt/Academic Press, London 556 pp. ISBN 0-12-041755-3 $50.00 from
>amazon.com.
>
>Good luck,
>
>
>David M. Bryant dmbryant@cisunix.unh.edu
>Dept. of Natural Resources 603-862-4433
>215 James Hall
>University of New Hampshire
>Durham, NH 03824
>
>"Not all that is counted counts
>and not all that counts can be counted"
> A. Einstein
------------------------------
Subject: ECOLOG-L Digest - 27 Jun 2001 to 28 Jun 2001
To: Recipients of ECOLOG-L digests <ECOLOG-L@UMDD.UMD.EDU>
Status: R
There are 7 messages totalling 528 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. DDT vs Malaria
2. Fw: further news on Senate and evolution
3. Penguins in Trouble Worldwide
4. Giant rain gauges (Australia) reveal record of past climate
5. econews June 28, 2001
6. NLE's CRS Report Collection Passes the 1,000 Mark
7. ECOLOG-L: Ratio of water uptake to biomass
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 20:38:23 -1000
From: Dan Gruner <dgruner@HAWAII.EDU>
Subject: Re: DDT vs Malaria
Ahh yes, Operation Cat Drop. The scenario, as I have seen it, is thus:
"...in Borneo in the 1950s. Many Dayak villagers had malaria, and the World
Health Organization had a solution that was simple and direct. Spraying DDT
seemed to work: mosquitoes died, and malaria declined. But then an
expanding web of side effects ("consequences you didn't think of," quips
biologist Garrett Hardin, "the existence of which you will deny as long as
possible") started to appear. The roofs of people's houses began to
collapse, because the DDT had killed tiny parasitic wasps that had
previously controlled thatch-eating caterpillars. The colonial government
issued sheet-metal replacement roofs, but people could not sleep when
tropical rains turned the tin roofs into drums. Meanwhile, the DDT-poisoned
bugs were being eaten by geckoes, which were eaten by cats. The DDT
invisibly built up in the food chain and began to kill the cats. Without
the cats, the rats multiplied. The World Health Organization, threatened by
potential outbreaks of typhus and sylvatic plague, which it had itself
created, was obliged to parachute fourteen thousand live cats into Borneo.
Thus occurred Operation Cat Drop, one of the odder missions of the British
Royal Air Force."
Quoted from pp285-286, Hawken, P., A. Lovins and L.H. Lovins. 1999. Natural
Capitalism. Little, Brown and Company, Boston, MA. The authors cite:
Cheng, F.Y. 1963. Deterioration of thatch roofs by moth larvae after house
spraying in the course of a malaria eradication programme in North Borneo.
Bull. WHO 28:136-137.
Conway, G.R. 1969. Ecological aspects of pest control in Malaysia, pp.
467-488 in Farvar, M.T. and J.P. Milton, eds. The Careless Technology.
Natural History Press, New York, NY.
Harrisson, T. 1965. Operation cat drop. Animals 5:512-513.
At 03:33 PM 06/27/2001, Steve Erickson wrote:
> >There is an interesting article in the Jul 2nd "New Yorker"
> >describing the campaign to eradicate malaria using DDT.
> >The fundamental premise - spray walls with DDT and
> >the mosquitoes will land after their blood meals and die before the
can
> >infect another person. It was recognized that massive spraying mi
ht lead
> >to development of
> >mosquitoes resistant to DDT (which has happened).
> >However, I recall that even wall spraying led to the
> >development of mosquitoes that did not land soon after feeding and
lew away
> >unharmed.
> ====================
>It would take a fair amount of digging to unearth the reference, but
>I recall hearing of an episode in SE Asia in the 1960's where walls
>were dusted with DDT. The village cats rubbed against the walls and
>then ingested massive doses of DDT when grooming (licking their fur).
>The cats died and no longer kept the rat population in check. This
>allowed a local population explosion of rats, which harbored fleas
>that carried bubonic plague that then afflicted the local humans. So
>the village was saved from malaria, but ended up with bubonic plague.
>-Steve
>
>Frosty Hollow Ecological Restoration
>Box 53, Langley, WA 98260
>(360) 579-2332
>wean@whidbey.net
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2001 09:33:36 -0400
From: Karen Claxon <kclaxon@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Fw: further news on Senate and evolution
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dan felps" <edrioasteroid@HOTMAIL.COM>
More disturbing news about the "innocuous" language added to the
education bill. This update comes from the American Geological
Institute
Dan Phelps
http://www.uky.edu/OtherOrgs/KPS/
SPECIAL UPDATE: EVOLUTION OPPONENTS ON THE OFFENSIVE IN SENATE, HOUSE
(POSTED 6-19-01) this update was originally sent out as an e-mail
message to agi's member societies.
IN A NUTSHELL: A day before the Senate completed action on a
comprehensive education bill that it had debated for six weeks, Sen.
Rick Santorum (R-PA) introduced a two-sentence amendment drafted by
evolution opponents. The amendment, presented in the form of a Senate
resolution, defines "good science education" and encourages teaching
the "controversy" surrounding biological evolution. Amidst a flurry of
other amendments, the Senate voted 91-8 in favor of the provision on
its way to passing the entire bill by the same margin. Earlier, a
group of conservative representatives had stripped a science testing
provision out of the House counterpart bill in part because of concerns
that the tests would include evolution-related questions. Differences
between the two bills will be worked out in a House-Senate conference
likely to take place in early July. ************
Last summer, proponents of intelligent design creationism held a
Capitol Hill briefing to educate congressional members and staff on the
failures of Darwinism and their alternative proposals (see a summary at
http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis106/id_update.html). They also lectured
their audience on the moral decay that the teaching of Darwinism had
wrought on society. A panel discussion was moderated by David DeWolf, a
law professor at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington and author
of a legal brief on how to get intelligent design into public school
curriculum. Like most of the other speakers at the briefing, DeWolf is
a senior fellow at the Seattle-based Discovery Institute's Center for
the Renewal of Science and Culture, a conservative think tank dedicated
to promulgating intelligent design as an alternative theory to
evolution.
Up until that briefing took place, the political debate over the
teaching of evolution in public schools had taken place at the state
and local level, but the briefing appeared to be a disturbing expansion
of anti-evolution efforts into the federal legislature. That appearance
is now reality with DeWolf and briefing speaker Phillip Johnson, a law
professor at the University of California at Berkeley and CRSC senior
fellow, taking center stage.
K-12 Education Bill Used as Vehicle
Education was a campaign priority for President Bush, and the first
bills introduced this year in both the House and Senate (H.R.1 and S.1,
respectively) are comprehensive overhauls of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965, which covers most federal aid programs
for states and local school districts. S.1, entitled the Better
Education for Students and Teachers Act, was passed by the Health,
Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee in March, having been
introduced by the committee's then-chairman Jim Jeffords (now I-VT). The
full Senate took it up in May with hundreds of amendments being offered
and considered. After the Memorial Day recess and Jeffords' departure
from the Republican Party, debate on the floor resumed in June with new
HELP chairman Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) managing the debate.
On the morning of June 13th, Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) rose to speak on
his amendment #799, which he handed in the previous evening. It is a
non-binding "Sense of the Senate" resolution, a common tactic used to
put the Senate on record about a given subject without worrying about
statutory implications. According to Santorum, his amendment dealt
"with the subject of intellectual freedom with respect to the teaching
of science in the classroom, in primary and secondary education. It is
a sense of the Senate that does not try to dictate curriculum to
anybody; quite the contrary, it says there should be freedom to discuss
and air good scientific debate within the classroom. In fact, students
will do better and will learn more if there is this intellectual
freedom to discuss."He then stated that the amendment was "simply two
sentences--frankly, two rather innocuous sentences." The amendment
reads:
"It is the sense of the Senate that-- "(1) good science education
should prepare students to distinguish the data or testable theories of
science from philosophical or religious claims that are made in the
name of science; and "(2) where biological evolution is taught, the
curriculum should help students to understand why this subject
generates so much continuing controversy, and should prepare the
students to be informed participants in public discussions regarding
the subject."
Santorum then went on to read an extended passage by DeWolf lauding the
benefits of "a more open discussion of biological origins in the science
classroom." Although most amendments, especially non-binding ones, are
simply added by unanimous consent or withdrawn without a vote, Santorum
called for a roll call vote to put the Senate on record. Kennedy, the
floor manager, then expressed his support for the amendment. With
nobody speaking against it, the amendment passed by a 91-8 vote. All
Democrats voted for it (except Sen. Chris Dodd, D-CT, who was absent).
The eight Republicans who voted against the amendment (Chafee, RI;
Cochran, MS; Collins, ME; DeWine, OH; Enzi, WY; Hagel, NE; Stevens, AK;
Thompson, TN) were opposed on the grounds that it was an unnecessary
federal intrusion in a state and local matter. The full text of
Santorum's remarks from the Congressional Record are available at
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/R?r107:FLD001:S06148 on pages
S6147-48, Kennedy's remarks are on S6150, and supporting statements by
Brownback, R-KS, and Byrd, D-WV, are at S6152.
Whether or not one views the specific language of the amendment as
innocuous or unobjectionable, this vote has become a public relations
bonanza for the intelligent design creationists. The Discovery Institute
put out a press release stating: "Undoubtedly this will change the face
of the debate over the theories of evolution and intelligent design in
America. From now on the evidence will be free to speak for itself. It
also seems that the Darwinian monopoly on public science education, and
perhaps on the biological sciences in general, is ending." The Senate
vote is also being portrayed as a vindication of the 1999 decision by
the Kansas Board of Education to remove evolution from state tests (a
vote subsequently overturned when several of the school board members
were defeated in the 2000 elections). Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) told
the Washington Times (6-18-01) that it "cleared the record." In a
speech supporting Santorum's amendment, he argued: "The great and bold
statement that the Kansas School Board made was ? simply that we
observe micro-evolution and therefore it is scientific fact; and that
it is impossible to observe macro-evolution, it is scientific
assumption.... [Santorum] clarifies the opinion of the Senate that the
debate of scientific fact versus scientific assumption is an important
debate to embrace."
How did this amendment come about? In the same Washington Times
article, Phillip Johnson took credit for helping to frame the
amendment's language: "I offered some language to Senator Santorum,
after he had decided to propose a resolution of this sort." According
to his web site, Johnson visited a number of Capitol Hill offices early
in June to meet with senators and representatives. Johnson is the
author of several anti-evolution books, including "Darwin on Trial,"
and speaks widely on this subject.
A Broader Offensive
Evolution also came up as an issue in the House education bill, H.R.
1.As passed by the House Education and the Workforce Committee, H.R. 1
included a provision mandating that students be tested on science in
addition to the reading and math testing provisions called for in the
original bill -- a presidential priority. Scientific societies pushed
for the testing provision lest science lose attention as resources are
concentrated on tested subjects.
Before any bill can be considered on the House floor, it must pass
through the Rules Committee, which decides how much debate will be
allowed, which amendments will be in order, and other procedural
matters. The committee can also amend the bill so that what is
considered on the floor is different from what was passed in committee
earlier. In response to concerns raised by a group of conservative
lawmakers, the committee (chaired by Rep. David Dreier, R-CA) removed
the science testing provision in this manner. Sources report that a
major reason for the opposition was that testing might include
evolution-related questions.
Although Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-MI) was assured that he would be given the
opportunity to propose a floor amendment restoring the science testing
provision, he was never allowed to do so despite support for his
amendment from Education and the Workforce Committee chairman John
Boehner (R-OH).
The Next Step
A House-Senate conference committee must work out differences in the
two bills -- both bodies must vote on an identical measure before it
goes to the president for his signature, which is expected. Conferees
have yet to be named but will surely include senior members of the
Senate HELP Committee and the House Education and the Workforce
Committee. Senators Kennedy and Judd Gregg (R-NH), the senior
Republican on the HELP Committee, will certainly be on it as perhaps
will S. 1 author Jeffords. On the House side, Boehner and ranking
Democrat Rep. George Miller (D-CA) will be on it.
In addition to efforts to restore science testing provisions,
scientific societies including AGI are considering options for how to
address the Santorum amendment. Given the clear public rejection of
the 1999 Kansas school board's action, it does not seem likely that the
majority of the senators who voted for the amendment share Brownback's
opinion of its implications or agree with the Discovery Institute that
their purpose was to "change the face of the debate over the theories
of evolution and intelligent design in America." Indeed, faced with
such rhetoric, they might just decide that Santorum presented his
"innocuous" amendment to them as something other than the
anti-evolution stalking horse that it truly
s. --------------------------------------------------------------------
--
Special update prepared by David Applegate, AGI Government Affairs
Program Sources: American Physical Society, Congressional Record,
Discovery Institute, Washington Times.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2001 09:45:13 -0400
From: Karen Claxon <kclaxon@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Penguins in Trouble Worldwide
Penguins in Trouble Worldwide
By CAROL KAESUK YOON
NY Times
Around the world, many penguin populations are declining, researchers
say, and evidence is mounting that global warming is a
prime cause http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/26/science/26PENG.html
If the URL fails, go to the NY Times http://www.nytimes.com and then to
the science section
Karen
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2001 10:03:39 -0400
From: Karen Claxon <kclaxon@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Giant rain gauges (Australia) reveal record of past climate
http://www.csiro.au/page.asp?type=mediaRelease&id=CraterLakes Giant
rain gauges reveal record of past climate
------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------
Wednesday, 27 June 2001 Ref 2001/156
Scientists are investigating a mysterious decline in water levels in the
crater lakes of western Victoria.
Local Aboriginal people are recorded as saying 'drought came with the
white man', but researchers have concluded that land-use change is
probably not a factor.
"These changes are definitely pre-greenhouse," says Dr Roger Jones, from
CSIRO Atmospheric Research. "However there are signs that recent warming
is affecting evaporation rates from the lakes."
Dr Jones compares the crater lakes to giant rain gauges.
"They occupy up to a half of the crater area, and have no streams coming
in or out, so they are dominated by rainfall and evaporation at the
water's surface."
In 1841, Lake Bullenmerri, Victoria's deepest natural lake, was recorded
as overflowing into its twin crater, Lake Gnotuk. This was the last time
it did so.
Since then, the crater lakes have continued to fall. Some are now dry
lake beds, and three - Lakes Keilambete, Gnotuk and Bullenmerri - are
still falling.
"These lakes are internationally significant. Nowhere else in the world
have we seen such a close relationship between changing climate and
water levels in lakes. Their ability to reveal climate change without
being affected by past land-use change is unsurpassed," says Professor
Jim Bowler, from the University of Melbourne
In the 1960s Professor Bowler surveyed these lakes, unlocking a history
of past lake level changes dating back thousands of years. Now, a team
of scientists including Prof. Bowler has shown that a climate change
early in the 1800s initiated this fall.
"If the climate changes through a change in rainfall or evaporation, the
lakes will rise or fall for several hundred years until they either come
into water balance with the crater, dry up or overflow," says Professor
Bowler.
The researchers reconstructed the historical lake fall from survey
records and a long-term record of climate from 1859. Before Europeans
arrived, the lakes had been at high levels for almost 2,000 years.
In a paper just published in the Journal of Hydrology, the researchers
show that modern rainfall on the lakes is only about 80% of lake
evaporation. To maintain the pre-European lake levels, rainfall would
have to have been about 95% of lake evaporation.
"A climate change is the only explanation for the fall in water level.
Rainfall and cloud cover probably decreased, and temperature probably
increased but the exact combination is still unknown," says Dr Jones.
Melbourne University's Centre for Environmental and Applied Hydrology
hosted this study, which is working to unravel historical relationships
between the land, water and climate. Understanding these relationships
will help Australia deal with salinity and water supply issues.
More information from:
Dr Roger Jones, CSIRO, 03 9239 4555 (w), 03 9772 1707 (h),
roger.jones@dar.csiro.au
Professor Jim Bowler, University of Melbourne, 03 9344 6740,
bowler@earthsci.unimelb.edu.au
Paul Holper, CSIRO, 03 9239 4661 (w) 0407 394 661 (m),
paul.holper@dar.csiro.au
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2001 10:43:30 -0400
From: Karen Claxon <kclaxon@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: econews June 28, 2001
Note: Subscriptions are required for access to some of these articles
Wheat leaves emit nitrous oxide during nitrate assimilation David
R. Smart and Arnold J. Bloom PNAS published 26 June 2001,
10.1073/pnas.131572798
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/131572798v1
Life in the end-Permian dead zone Cindy V. Looy, Richard J.
Twitchett, David L. Dilcher, Johanna H. A. Van Konijnenburg-Van
Cittert, and Henk Visscher PNAS published 26 June 2001,
10.1073/pnas.131218098
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/131218098v1
CHINA: Dolphin researchers make breakthrough in Hong Kong
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11364
CHINA: Tibetan antelope faces extinction despite wool ban
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11370
Life-history traits of voles in a fluctuating population respond to the
immediate environment
T ERGON, X LAMBIN & N C STENSETH
http://www.nature.com/nlink/v411/n6841/abs/4111043a0_fs.html
26 June 2001 - Amazon rainforest could be unsustainable within a decade
(Penn State) http://www.eurekalert.org/releases/ps-arc061901.html
26 June 2001 - How trees changed the world (Geological Society of
America) http://www.eurekalert.org/releases/gsa-htc062001.html
26 June 2001 - Analysis of impact studies reveals how bottom fishing
affects seafloor denizens
(University of Rhode Island)
http://www.news.uri.edu/Release99/01-0621.htm
26 June 2001 - Wetland loss still outweighs gain despite 20 years of
progress
(Ohio State University)
http://www.osu.edu/researchnews/archive/mitigate.htm
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2001 13:16:04 -0400
From: Kevin Hutton <khutton@NCSEONLINE.ORG>
Subject: NLE's CRS Report Collection Passes the 1,000 Mark
NCSE Update Ä June 28, 2001
NLE's CRS Report Collection Passes the 1,000 Mark
[HTML version of this report is here:
http://www.cnie.org/updates/104.htm ]
The National Library for the Environment has the largest collection of
Congressional Research Service reports on the web. Long valued by
members of Congress and their staffs for their nonpartisan research into
the pressing issues of the day, the CRS is the research arm of the
Library of Congress. The NLE has been posting new and updated CRS
reports since 1994. Our collection of nearly 1,200 reports - including
over 150 pdf reports - is updated and expanded monthly.
The core of the collection is environmental, but the NLE practices a
broad mandate. You will find not only pollution and resource reports,
but such topics as energy, waste management, regulatory reform and more.
ô Our agricultural reports covers subsidies, biotechnology and trade
issues. Wetland reports consider not only the biodiversity and water
quality of regions, but property rights rulings and jurisdictional
disputes. As a result of the cross disciplinary nature of the content,
most of the reports are extensively cross referenced.
In tandem with the large holdings, a robust search engine is available
for maximum retrieval. One can search by title keyword, code #, or
author. Searching by keyword in the abstract field is the option for
broadening a null search. Sorting by one of 25 categories is also an
option. These web pages are all dynamically generated, so the
information is continually revised.
A good resource for all researchers into government policy, regulation
and legislation, the NLE's CRS database is an indispensable tool for
tracking contemporary issues and controversies. The researchers at the
Library of Congress bring dedication, objectivity and expertise to their
areas of interest and the NLE is equally committed to presenting these
government produced reports to the public at large.
New and updated reports include:
Protecting Natural Resources and Managing Growth: Issues in the 107th
Congressô(6/14/01~16p.) ôPDF
Clean Air Act Issues in the 107th Congressô(6/14/01~19p.) ôPDF
The 2002 Farm Bill: Overview and Statusô(6/14/01~14p.) ôPDF
Endangered Species: Difficult Choicesô(6/5/01~19p.)ôôPDF
Clean Water Act Issues in the 107th Congressô(5/23/01~16p.)ôôPDF
Water Infrastructure Financing: History of EPA
Appropriationsô(5/22/01~25p.)ôôPDF
The National Forest System Roadless Areas Initiativeô(5/18/01~p.)ô
Energy Efficiency: Budget, Oil Conservation, and Electricity
Conservation Issuesô(5/3/01~18p.)ôôPDF
Diesel Fuel and Engines: An Analysis of EPA's New
Regulationsô(5/1/01~12p.)ô
The Supreme Court Upholds EPA Standard- Setting Under the Clean Air Act:
Whitman v. American Trucking Ass'nsô(3/28/01~3p.)ô
Farm Commodity Programs: A Short Primerô(3/19/01~3p.)ô
Farm Program Spending: What's Permitted Under the Uruguay Round
Agreementsô(3/13/01~4p.)ô
Global Markets: Evaluating Some Risks the U.S. May Faceô(2/11/01~7p.)ô
--
Kevin Hutton, Webmaster
National Council for Science and the Environment
1725 K St. NW Suite 212 Washington, DC 20006
http://www.cnie.org
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2001 12:49:31 -0700
From: Wayne Tyson <landrest@UTM.NET>
Subject: ECOLOG-L: Ratio of water uptake to biomass
Anyone care to offer any references and examples related to different
ratios of water uptake to biomass production? And discuss the driving
principles?
Thanks,
WT
------------------------------
End of ECOLOG-L Digest - 27 Jun 2001 to 28 Jun 2001
***************************************************
ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ
Thanks to discussion with TVR, I have decided to put a link to back files of the discussion group. This months back files.
The link to complete archives is available elsewhere.
This text was originally an e-mail. It was converted using a program
RUPANTAR- a simple e-mail-to-html converter.
(c)Kolatkar Milind. kmilind@ces.iisc.ernet.in