This Envisat image shows two huge sand dune seas in the Fezzan region of southwestern Libya, close to the border with Algeria (see the full sized image here).

Most of the face of the Sahara desert stretching across Northern Africa is bare stone and pebbles rather than sand dunes, but there are exceptions � sprawling sea of multi-storey sand dunes known as ‘ergs’.

The Erg Ubari (also called Awbari) is the reddish sand sea towards the top of the image. A dark outcrop of Nubian sandstone separates the Erg Ubari sand from the Erg Murzuq (also called Murzuk) further south.

A persistent high-pressure zone centred over Libya keeps the centre of the Sahara completely arid for years at a time, but research has discovered evidence of ‘paleolakes’ in this region associated with a wetter and more fertile past.

Libya today has no permanent rivers or water bodies, but has various vast fossil aquifers. These natural underground basins hold enormous amounts of fresh water.

Two decades ago an ambitious project called Great Man-Made River was begun, aimed at drawing water from the aquifers beneath the Fezzan region shown in the image, via a network of underground pipes for irrigation in the coastal belt. Upon completion the huge network of pipelines will extend to about 3,380 km.

Envisat’s Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS), working in Full Resolution mode to provide a spatial resolution of 300 metres, acquired this image on 24 November 2004. It has a width of 672 kilometres.

Original press release: Ubari and Murzuq sand seas, Libya (ESA)

NASA continues to explore the impact of black carbon or soot on the Earth’s climate. NASA uses satellite data and computer models that recreate the climate. New findings show soot may be contributing to changes happening near the North Pole, such as accelerating melting of sea ice and snow and changing atmospheric temperatures.

Dorothy Koch of Columbia University, New York, and NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), New York, and James Hansen of NASA GISS are co-authors of the study that appeared in a recent issue of the Journal of Geophysical Research.

“This research offers additional evidence black carbon, generated through the process of incomplete combustion, may have a significant warming impact on the Arctic,” Koch said. “Further, it means there may be immediate consequences for Arctic ecosystems, and potentially long-term implications on climate patterns for much of the globe,” she added.

The Arctic is especially susceptible to the impact of human-generated particles and other pollution. In recent years the Arctic has significantly warmed, and sea-ice cover and glacial snow have diminished. Likely causes for these trends include changing weather patterns and the effects of pollution. Black carbon has been implicated as playing a role in melting ice and snow. When soot falls on ice, it darkens the surface and accelerates melting by increasing absorbed sunlight. Airborne soot also warms the air and affects weather patterns and clouds.

Koch and Hansen’s results suggest a possible mechanism behind the satellite- derived observations of Arctic climate change. They found the timing and location of Arctic warming and sea ice loss in the late 20th century are consistent with a significant contribution from man-made tiny particles of pollution, or aerosols.

Koch and Hansen used GISS’ General Circulation Model (GCM) to investigate the origins of Arctic soot by isolating various source regions and types. The GCM employs a lot of different data gathered by NASA and other U.S. satellites to study many environmental factors such as ice cover and temperature.

The research found in the atmosphere over the Arctic, about one-third of the soot comes from South Asia, one-third from burning biomass or vegetation around the world, and the remainder from Russia, Europe and North America.

South Asia is estimated to have the largest industrial soot emissions in the world, and the meteorology in that region readily lofts pollution into the upper atmosphere where it is transported to the North Pole. Meanwhile, the pollution from Europe and Russia travels closer to the surface.

This study demonstrates the GCMs accurately represent the long-range transport of pollutants, such as those from Southern Asia to the Arctic, that were observed from aircraft.

During the early 1980s the primary sources of Arctic particulate pollution are believed to have been from Russia and Europe. Those sources have decreased substantially in the past two decades, but the computer simulations indicate increasing emissions from South Asia have made up for some of the reduced Eurasian pollution. Koch and Hansen suggest Southern Asia also makes the greatest contribution to soot deposited on Greenland.

NASA sponsored efforts using satellite data and models to assess polar feedbacks constitute an important contribution to the U.S. Climate Change Science Program. By exploring processes in the Earth’s atmosphere, NASA scientists are seeking answers to how pollutants like soot are changing the climate of the world around us.

Original press release: NASA Study Finds Soot May be Changing the Arctic Environment (NASA)

Panay, the Philippines - WWF, in collaboration with private sector partners, is developing wind farms in the Philippines to promote more renewable energy sources.

The wind farms, to be built in northern Panay, will deliver 30MW of energy.

WWF estimates that the Philippines could save US$2.9 billion in avoided fossil-fuel imports over the next ten years if the country’s vast renewable energy resources are tapped.

“Through these efforts, the country will also contribute towards global efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emission, the main greenhouse gas that causes global warming,” said Rafael Senga, WWF-Philippines’ Climate and Energy Policy Officer.

“The construction of wind farm proves that clean indigenous energy can propel the country towards sustainable development.”

Southeast Asia’s first wind farm was recently inaugurated in the windswept town of Bangui, Ilocos Norte. With a total capacity of 25MW, it will supply power to customers of the Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative (INEC) starting May this year. This is the first of fourteen turbines planned for the Philippines.

“With this first big step, our hope of becoming Southeast Asia’s leading wind power producer has also been raised,” said Vince Perez, Secretary of the Philippines Department of Energy.

“We hope to reach our energy independence vision of 60 per cent by the end of this decade.”

The project, a joint Danish-Filipino initiative, is the first of several wind farms in the nation undergoing various stages of development. Later this year, a 40MW wind farm will be constructed in the adjacent town of Burgos, and another in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental.

“Along with our highly successful geothermal industry, the Philippines is set on being the biggest producer of wind energy in Southeast Asia,” Senga added.

Original press release: Wind Farms in the Philippines (WWF)

Marine sediments in the northern Gulf of Mexico are likely too warm and salty to hold the amount of methane gas hydrates - a potential energy resource - originally thought to exist in the ocean floor there.

Researchers reported high-resolution geophysical and geochemical data for two representative sites off the coast of New Orleans, La., that suggest previous estimates for the region should be revised sharply downward, according to their paper published in the March 15 issue of the journal Geophysical Research Letters (GRL).

“We found that conditions are not favorable for the formation of methane gas hydrates at these sites because of the geology of the northern Gulf of Mexico, which consists of salt domes that one can think of as mushroom clouds of salt that rise buoyantly through sediments,” said Carolyn Ruppel, an associate professor of geophysics in the Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and lead author on the paper. “The thermal properties of salt make the sediments hotter there, and the heat, coupled with the presence of the salt in pore spaces, makes it harder to form gas hydrates.”

The research, a collaboration between Georgia Tech, Rice University and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, was funded by the National Science Foundation. The researchers continue to analyze their data to get a quantitative estimate of the gas hydrates at these sites, but the deposits are likely thin or non-existent, Ruppel said. Researchers collected their data during a two-week research cruise in October 2002.

Methane gas hydrates are touted as a potential new source of natural gas, but scientists are also studying them because they may contribute to global warming and could represent a threat to deep-sea petroleum production.

Methane is produced by the decomposition of organic material in the sediment or by thermal processes similar to those responsible for the formation of oil. As the methane moves through the sediment, it combines with water at the low temperatures and high pressures beneath the ocean to produce an ice-like solid. Methane gas hydrates exist along continental margins worldwide, most in sediments tens to hundreds of meters below the sea floor in waters more than 500 meters deep. These hydrates exist as disseminated deposits, chunks several centimeters across and sometimes as concentrated layers.

In the northern Gulf of Mexico, previous research on potential methane gas hydrates assumed homogeneous conditions (e.g., same temperature and geology) and did not consider the impact of salt on hydrate formation, Ruppel noted.

“The methods we used are very good at helping us understand the conditions in the sediment and make a prediction of what’s there,” she explained. “We found conditions that are not compatible with published estimates that imply large methane gas hydrate deposits in the northern Gulf.”

Ruppel and her colleagues took a multidisciplinary approach, using overlapping methods to characterize the two sites they studied, she said. They used high-resolution seismic equipment from the lab of co-author and Georgia Tech Assistant Professor Daniel Lizarralde to image the sea floor and to find conduits through which fluids could flow.

Geochemist and co-author Gerald Dickens of Rice University worked with graduate students to analyze water samples from cores of sediment extracted from the sea floor. They developed chemical profiles that revealed, for example, salt and sulfate concentrations. Sulfate measurements are important for understanding the biology of the system, specifically the interaction of microbes that produce sulfate and methane.

Ruppel was responsible for high-resolution heat flow measurements to constrain temperature and the rate of fluid flow in the sediments. Collaborators from Scripps Institution of Oceanography also collected data on fluid flux from the sea floor in the northern Gulf - an important constraint on the hydrology of the system and its potential for hydrate formation, Ruppel noted. These measurements were not incorporated into the analysis published in GRL.

“When you put all of this together, you get a good idea of the conditions in the gas hydrate reservoir - that is, the sediments that contain gas hydrates,” Ruppel added.

Research to characterize methane gas hydrates is ongoing throughout North America and the world, Ruppel noted. She and her colleagues have also studied hydrates at Blake Ridge off the South Carolina coast during normal oceanographic cruises, deep sea drilling legs, and submersible dives. On the Blake Ridge, they characterized hydrates both below and on the ocean floor. Through the international Ocean Drilling Program, other scientists have drilled or will soon drill boreholes to explore hydrates off the coasts of Oregon and Vancouver.

“Other research is focused on hydrates as potential energy sources, as well as the safety issues related to drilling. These issues include the potential for sea floor destabilization that could occur as hot fluids are pumped up from deep sediments through the hydrate stability zone,” Ruppel explained. “Methane gas hydrates are like ice,” she added. “They can melt and cause the sea floor to collapse. The oil companies are interested in understanding this issue better.”

Ruppel and colleague J. Carlos Santamarina, a Georgia Tech professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, will focus on these questions when their research group participates in drilling this spring in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The U.S. Department of Energy is funding this work through a joint industry project with ChevronTexaco.

“There’s a lot of research on hydrates going on,” Ruppel said. “Ultimately, these studies around North America and the world will shed more light on how much hydrate is out there. I hope that will get us closer to answering the question about whether hydrates are a viable energy resource. It’s going to take some time. If we do learn it’s a viable resource, then we’ll have to face a new set of issues on how to actually produce energy from this resource.”

“Producing methane from gas hydrates faces some daunting challenges. A key question is whether it would take more energy to extract the gas hydrates than the gas may provide,” Ruppel added.

Original press release: Out of Gas: Sediments in Northern Gulf of Mexico Not Right for Methane Gas Hydrate Formation, Study Shows (Georgia Tech)

A new survey conducted by leading research agency NOP World today (Mar 22) revealed almost three-quarters of Scots (73%) agree wind farms are necessary to help meet the country’s current and future energy needs.

And Scots-based celebrity champions � including Franz Ferdinand lead singer Alex Kapranos, top actor Brian Cox, celebrity chef Nick Nairn, legendary broadcaster Magnus Magnusson and Changing Rooms designer Anna Ryder Richardson - added their backing for wind power.

The popular support for wind was unveiled at the launch of the Scottish Embrace the Revolution campaign, which gives a voice to the large majority of Scots who back wind power.

The poll result challenges myths put out by the anti-wind lobby of a vocal minority movement against wind power.

The launch, at Our Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh, was hosted by Scottish Renewables and the British Wind Energy Association, and coincided with a high-profile exhibition of striking wind farm photography by the leading agency Magnum.

Other findings of the poll, which interviewed nearly 850 people in regions across Scotland, revealed that:

• More than half of Scots (52%) agree the appearance of wind turbines is unimportant
• Nearly half of Scots (49%) disagree with the statement that wind farms are ugly, with nearly a quarter (23%) saying they are neutral
• A majority support wind power in every Scottish region

The Scottish-based celebrities joined champions of the previously-launched UK campaign, including Guy Berryman from Coldplay, designer Wayne Hemingway, architect Lord Foster, TV presenter Kevin McCloud, and Chris Tarrant among the list of wind champions.

High profile supporters said:

Brian Cox, Hollywood actor commented: “If we are serious about tackling climate change and securing our energy sources for the future we must harness the great power of the wind. Scotland is well placed to lead the renewables revolution, let’s not stand in its way.”

Alex Kapranos, lead singer of Franz Ferdinand said: “Our modern lives depend upon easy access to huge resources of energy. We’re going to run out of fossil fuels so need to find an alternative resource. It’s unlikely that we’ll run out of wind so we may as well use that.”

Magnus Magnusson KBE, writer and broadcaster said: “The wind is pure energy, raw and restless, an endlessly sustainable natural resource. Let’s hug it, let’s harvest it. Wind turbines, elegant giants of engineering, can harness that wild energy for our own purposes, subject only to appropriate environmental considerations. Scotland is the hall where the winds of the world meet in boisterous play - so let’s make use of it. We in Scotland are on the threshold of a renewables revolution. Embrace the Wind, Embrace the Revolution!”

Nick Nairn, celebrity chef, said: “Scots should take this opportunity to welcome renewable energy and the battle against climate change, knowing that by doing so we are benefiting not only ourselves, but a much wider global community. Wind turbines should be celebrated not scorned, and welcomed as a secure investment in Scotland’s future.”

At the launch today, Scotland’s youth added their pledges of support, when pupils from Ardrossan Academy lined up to join the Embrace campaign. The Ardrossan pupils will hope to see wind power at first hand, with their school planning to install a wind turbine in the school grounds to power heating and lighting. Ardrossan is home to an onshore wind farm owned by renewable energy company Airtricity, who support the pupils in their venture. Also pledging support for wind power are local champions up and down the country.

Kintyre community worker Stuart Irvine, former Secretary & Treasurer of the Clyde Fisherman’s Association for Carradale and Chairman of the Carradale Harbour Users Group, commented:

“My experience of the development of wind power has been extremely favourable from a number of points of view. Firstly, they have not invaded the local scenery to anything like how people had imagined. The wind turbines have been strategically and tastefully placed in positions that do not detract from the natural beauty of Kintyre. The noise level is low, and in fact, the presence of the turbines has become a visitor attraction.”

“The economy of Kintyre has been extremely fragile for a number of years due particularly to the large down-turn in commercial fishing. The presence of wind farms has contributed significantly to local commerce through the tourist trade.”

Also, Councillor Margaret Munn from Ardrossan South Ward, said: “Wind energy is not something new, windmills have been used as a source of energy for centuries! I believe everyone has to take responsibility for our planet, and we know that by reducing emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, we are reducing global warming.”

“Indeed in my own area of Ardrossan, a wind farm has recently been built and it has been welcomed by the local community. Instead of criticism, there is only praise! They see the wind turbines as being pleasant to look at, elegant on the horizon, and some people say it has a calming effect on them!”

“The turbines enhance the landscape, and children are fascinated by them and want to learn more about how they produce energy. The developer, Airtricity, has now funded energy lessons for the local schools. We even have tourists walking around the turbines, enjoying the peace, and the view from the hill.”

John Hunt, farmer and landlord of Dun Law Wind Farm, BSc in Agriculture and a Nuffield Scholar, said: “I helped RES develop the Dun Law Wind Farm which was commissioned in August 2000. 26×660 kW turbines are spread at roughly 300 metre intervals throughout the central half of my grazing land. In these four years, there has never been the slightest sign of any disturbance, or any other hazard to the well-being of our livestock. In fact, both the sheep, of all ages, and any cattle we have had on the place, seem to positively like them. Typically they will shelter behind them at times, and lie in the hot sun.

“Myself, my staff and all our local contacts feel these turbines are aesthetically beautiful, as do 95% of all locals and visitors. I myself am planning to build a farmhouse to live in only 500m from the turbines.”

“We farmers know that climate change is on us now and is progressing rapidly. Market and climate issues mean we must make our next shift urgently now. There are many renewable energy options available, but only wind power is already up and running in the short term, and at the moment is the most user-friendly of all the powers. So for the world’s sake, and your own self interest, embrace wind now - we have little time left to waste.”

Maf Smith, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, said: “The results of this poll reinforce what we already believed true - that ordinary Scots are strongly behind wind power, despite the claims of the vociferous minority anti lobby, which have been given a profile well beyond their credibility.”

“Scotland will be able take a major slice of the 35,000 jobs that will be created by the Renewables industry in the UK by 2020. But this will only happen if we stand firm, let wind lead the way and deny a small but noisy minority the opportunity to dictate energy policy in Scotland.”

“A lot of negative things are being said about wind energy, mainly by people with an axe to grind. But the fact is the wind industry expects 2005 to be a year of delivery. By the end of the year Scottish Renewables anticipates that 679MW of wind power will be operating in Scotland. This amount of capacity will save 1.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, enough to fill Hampden Park 1153 times if you were to put a lid on it.”

“That capacity will also provide enough power to supply the equivalent of 380,000 homes with electricity annually. This is an achievement worth shouting about, and the results of the poll show Scots appreciate this.”

“Scotland already has all the natural attributes you could wish, with 25% of Europe’s wind resources on tap. We are the Saudi Arabia of wind power. All we need now is the will to maximise wind’s potential.

“The poll shows the popular support we have, and we urge ordinary Scots to sign up for the Embrace campaign, and hammer home the message that wind is the future.”

Alison Hill of the BWEA, said: “Scotland has the best wind resource in Europe and ensuring we remain at the heart of the renewables revolution, led by wind power, is essential for us to meet our renewable and climate targets and develop new industrial opportunities for Scotland.”

“Wind power is the most economically viable renewable energy technology available today and this opinion poll, like so many others, shows it is being developed with the support of the vast majority of Scots.”

Scots can pledge support for wind at www.embracewind.com and get their name on a turbine. The web site is also a source of factual information on wind power.

Original press release: Three quarters of Scots back wind farms, says new poll (BWEA)

Britain’s emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, rose by 2.2% in the year 2002-2003, according to new government data just released.

Environmental groups have accused ministers of failing to control greenhouse gas emissions.

Carbon dioxide emissions in 2003 were higher than when Labour came to power.

But the output of other greenhouse gases is falling, meaning that Britain is still on course to meet its Kyoto Protocol targets - just.

Complete article: UK emissions rise ‘within target’ (BBC)