Posts filed under Science

When the USA dumped Climate Change 11/08/16

Wednesday Thoughts

"The problem of climate change involves a fundamental failure of markets: those who damage others by emitting greenhouse gases generally do not pay.
Climate change is a result of the greatest market failure the world has seen. The evidence on the seriousness of the risks from inaction or delayed action is now overwhelming. We risk damages on a scale larger than the two world wars of the last century. The problem is global and the response must be a collaboration on a global scale" - Nicholas Stern. Nov, 2007

A dark day in History

The day after one of the most important days in history, our history. The day we most likely will look back at and wonder what the hell happened. There are many things that don't look great with the outcome of this election, but I am not gonna talk about that. I am going to talk about the consequences of choosing a president who don't believe in Climate Change. My research is based on climate change, my husbands research is based on climate change. The national science foundation (NSF) is a federal agency and funds many climate related projects, every year.

Det blev ju en ganska mörk dag i historien efter valet. Vi kommer troligen se tillbaka på denna tiden och undra vad det egentligen var som hände. Det är väldigt många dåliga saker som resultatet av valet bar med sig, men jag kommer inte nämna något av de. Det jag vill ge större uppmärksamhet är konsekvenserna då ett land så stort som USA väljer en president som inte tror på klimatförändringar. Min forskning, min mans forskning och många andras forskning är faktiskt baserat på klimatförändringar på ett eller annat sätt. National Science Foundation (NSF) är ett regeringsorgan som städer mycket forskning inom klimatförändringar varje år.

The result of this election might be the death of science and research as we see it today.

Det är många som menar att detta är undergången av allt som innefattar forskning.

Obviously I am not the only scientist worried about the future of science in this country.

Jag är ju förstås den enda som är orolig över detta.

Screen Shot 2016-11-09 at 12.27.48 PM.png

Here is a nice letter by a professor at the university of Columbia, worth a read in order to cheer up maybe? Click on the image below to get to the full letter on his website.

Nedan är ett fint brev som en professor skickade ut till sina studenter efter valet, tycker det är viktigt nu att verkligen visa vad vi går för!

Well, I think that is all. I'll share some pictures from the field below. What are your opinions about the outcome of this election when it comes to the environment? Are you worried?

Det var nog allt, här kommer även några fina bilder från mitt fältarbete. Vad tycker ni om valet, alltså konsekvenserna för vår natur? Är du orolig?

And, if you want to know more about my research:

Om du vill veta mer om min forskning:

Work and Research

Learn more about my research and what I do. Doktorera i USA.

Environmental Awareness

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Wednesday Thoughts

"If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them something more than the miracles of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it." - Lyndon B. Johnson

Pollution over Fairbanks in 40 below weather

Environmental Awareness

Do you ever think about the future of the environment and the landscape? What will still be left in 50 years from now? Usually when we talk about long-term change, especially climate change we talk about hundreds of years, in geology thousands of years. The past decades we have seen very distinct changes of the landscape on such a short time scale. Coastal erosion, permafrost thaw, wildfires, sea-ice shrinkage and many other things. Are we already past the tipping point, and is there no return?

Type I and II Errors

As with statistics, I would rather do a type I error than a type II error (when it comes to the environment). If the null hypothesis is that humans have no effect on the climate change, then type I error in this sense would be that we accept (based on statistical testing) that humans actually do have a large impact on the environment when in fact they do not. Whereas a type II error would mean that we accept the null hypothesis, humans don't have an impact on climate change, when in fact they do. A lot of people justify their opinion against climate change (that is they do not believe in climate change, or that it is driven by humans) and then think that we are wasting millions of dollars on something so ridiculous. But really, is it that ridiculous to try and have a working planet for future generations, even if the hypothesis is wrong? Would it be better to just sit here and watch as the planet deteriorate?

The Consciousness Traveler

Sometimes I think about the irony, when people travel far to see the "last" of anything, let it be sea-ice or glaciers, it's ironic but we all do it in one way or another. What is the best approach to mitigate the impact that humans have on the environment, should we all stop traveling? Living in Alaska is like the irony of everything combined. Alaska are seeing the greatest increase in temperatures, and as a result permafrost is thawing, wildfires are burning larger and more frequent. Yet there are occasions when we do not have any potato or other vegetables at the store around the wintertime because a truck broke down, train broke down, a bridge collapsed, a snowstorm happened etc. Alaska is so far away, from everything, and we are not able to produce as much as we would need to feed the whole state within the state. We are dependent on importing groceries into Alaska. You are not environmental friendly when you live in Alaska unfortunately, but there is no other way. Living in a dry cabin at least decreases the amount of water you use, but driving a car to the store when it's 40 below? Ok, I actually used to bike or ski to work so at least i wasn't that bad, but still. Last year the main road to the oilfields thawed/melted.....likely because the temperatures were so warm...how ironic is that???

What is your opinion on climate change and environmental awareness. Do you have any ideas on how to mitigate climate change on a more personal level?

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Posted on October 19, 2016 by Ann Rumbleinthearctic and filed under Wednesday Thoughts, The great wide open, Science, Nature, Alaska and tagged climate change Alaska Deep Forest change irony ocean Glacier glaciers Wildfire Wilderness 2016_2 Mountains Environment Forest winter sun.

A Pine Needle Fell in the Forest - Bears

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Wednesday thoughts

"A pine needle fell in the forest. The eagle saw it. The deer heard it. The bear smelled it." - Native American Proverb

There are bears in the forest

I am not a bear biologist or researcher so this text is only based on my own observations and experience and not necessarily the reality..

Summertime in the deep boreal forest not only mean mosquitos and fires, but also bear encounters if you are unlucky. Every day we were out in the field we would see tracks of mainly bears but also wolfs in one way or another.

Mostly bear tracks, but of course also scat and markings on trees. Our sole protection is bear spray, which is kind of a concentrated pepper spray which is suppose to deter bears from attacking you, but yeah, you have to use it when the bear is almost right on you.

Rifle Anyone?

Of course you can carry a rifle if you need to. In Alaska almost every person has a gun of some sort. Mostly to hunt, but you also definitely see the people at the grocery store with a handgun tucked in their pants or a holster hanging on their side, sometimes concealed sometimes not, what I think about that is a whole different story. Going back to the use of a rifle as bear protection, well if you have a rifle and intend to use it for protection, you need to practice with it on a regular basis. I don't know how you feel when you encounter a bear or at least see a bear, I get nervous. Imagine trying to aim at a Grizzly at the same time as it is charging you, fast. Grizzlies can run up to 30 miles per hr....that is about 48 km per hr.

I have definitely had sketchy situations out in the field, where I have failed to make enough noise, or had other issues where my, and/or the other animals awareness has been reduced. When I grew up in Sweden I learned to be quiet in the forest, don't scream to loud while playing. In Alaska on the other hand its very different. A lot of people who have had a bear encounter says they thought they were being loud enough, so try your best at being loud, and then be a bit louder than that.

Bear Encounters

I once attended a lecture given by a wildlife biologist, an expert on bears, and he said you can do everything you can possibly do WRONG when it comes to bears, and yet you'll get out alive at least 90% of the time. So even if you do everything wrong, for instance throwing food at the bear, you still (statistically) have a very good chance to get out alive.

"The bear retreated for a moment but then came back and began circling Jones-Robinson, who took her pack off and threw a package of macaroni and cheese at the bear hoping to distract it."

http://www.newsminer.com/north-pole-woman-uses-insect-repellent-to-fend-off-granite/article_cddf6c53-3e9b-5ccb-9d49-593713fb8dec.html

"While playing dead is the proper technique once a bear has already made contact or contact is imminent, playing dead too early can cause the bear to become curious, according to information from the park."

http://www.newsminer.com/news/alaska_news/grizzly-bites-hiker-at-denali-national-park/article_9a60c0ea-40bd-11e6-a4d6-b782070bf083.html

Bears with cubs is a whole different story, you do not want to come between a mama bear and her cubs, but being attacked by the same bear twice, in one day after deploying bearspray seems a bit odd to me, and could probably be put in the category below, of bears that are just not right. But I am no expert in bear behavior.

"During the first attack, he yelled, deployed bear spray as the sow charged him from about 25 feet, and rolled into a ball to play dead. The bear repeatedly chewed and jumped on him as he tried to protect his head." "He did everything he was supposed to do," said Madison County Sheriff Roger Thompson.

Playing dead once you are already attacked is the best way to survive, if its a territorial grizzly.

"Out of nowhere, the bear attacked him again and did the same thing to him," "She just seemed to lose interest because he was playing dead," said Thompson. "Then she just wandered off. Bears can be that way when they have their babies with them."

http://mtstandard.com/news/local/survivor-of-grizzly-attack-tells-harrowing-tale/article_c8a7c60b-596f-5deb-a970-127e07dc7a37.htm

Now then there is another percentage, a small percentage of bears that are just not right. Their bear behavior do not follow the natural bear behavior, now if you meet that bear you can do everything completely right and still might not get out alive. You can also run into that bear as a large group of people and the bear will still come at you, which is rare. A group of people being attacked by a bear is far less common than a single person. They say, if you are being attacked by a predatory black bear you need to fight, fight for your life.

"Despite Kitchen's bravery, McConnell was mauled to death in front of the eyes of her 13-year-old son, Kelly, who was also attacked while bravely trying to save his mother. Witnesses say the bear turned on Kitchen, attacking him and killing him while witnesses tried in vain to save him. According to a police report, a kick made the bear withdraw into the bush. It then came upon four university students who turned and ran. A 20-year-old Calgary student slipped and was attacked. Police said the bear was shot while in the midst of this attack."

https://www.nnsl.com/archives/1997-08/aug22_97bear.html

Camping in Bear Country

Am I scared when I camp in bear country? I wasn't at first, in Alaska, I don't know why, but I just wasn't. Now I am absolutely terrified for no good reason. Sure, there are situations where people have been attacked in their tent, but those situations are far rare compared to the people who are not. Yes, it can happen, but you can also get hit by a car while walking across the street. The best thing you can do is to be cautious. Keep your food (including tooth paste) in specific bear proof container. In some places (like in a forest) where there are trees you can also hang up your food items.

Some people even like to change clothes, into clothes that have not been close to food. So you'll eat and cook food, and once that's done you change clothes and put those clothes away, farther away from the tent. Is this extreme? Yeah! Have I done it? Heck yeah!

Is this a Zoo?

When we were driving from Alaska down to Montana, and then farther to Wisconsin we saw so many bears. All bears but two were spotted in Canadaland. Canada is so big, I mean so is the US, but Canada also has the Yukon and if you think Alaska is big, think bigger. We encountered these adorable bear cubs and their mama along the way in Canada, right by the road. These were the first of many many bears we saw along the road, but the only grizzlies until we left Yellowstone out in Wyoming.