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Jessica Lehman - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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making an anthropocene ocean synoptic geographies of the International Geophysical Year 1957 1958
Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 2020Co-Authors: Jessica LehmanAbstract:Although the notion of the Anthropocene has generated a great deal of literature across disciplines, the geographic critique of this concept is still developing. This article contributes to justice...
Fae L Korsmo - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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the birth of the International Geophysical Year
Geophysics, 2007Co-Authors: Fae L KorsmoAbstract:In his essay “Six Cautionary Tales for Scientists,” Freeman Dyson warns against “the game of status seeking, organized around committees.” (Dyson, 1992). It is not that committees are the root of evil, he writes, but that when presented with a choice between incremental, practical solutions and grand schemes that attract attention, committees have every incentive to choose the latter—even if the choice has a high probability of failure. Often the committees present the grand scheme as the only choice, an all-or-nothing proposition.
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the genesis of the International Geophysical Year
Physics Today, 2007Co-Authors: Fae L KorsmoAbstract:The International Geophysical Year of 1957–58 grew out of scientific interests, but also out of national interests, including the postwar reconstruction of Europe. Some say, though, that a chocolate layer cake was what sealed the deal.
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shaping up planet earth the International Geophysical Year 1957 1958 and communicating science through print and film media
Science Communication, 2004Co-Authors: Fae L KorsmoAbstract:The U.S. National Academy of Sciences played a major role in preparing for the International Geophysical Year (IGY). The IGY organizers realized the importance of selling U.S. participation in International science and thus began a public relations effort by the mid-1950s that included the production of classroom materials and a film series, called Planet Earth, designed for television. This is the story of their efforts to bring the earth, atmospheric, and oceanic sciences into the classrooms and living rooms of the lay public and attract more students into scientific careers. The lessons they learned still apply today as researchers attempt to sell their science using new media and technologies.
Alan J Parkinson - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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the International polar Year 2007 2008 an opportunity to focus on infectious diseases in arctic regions
Emerging Infectious Diseases, 2008Co-Authors: Alan J ParkinsonAbstract:On 3 occasions over the past 125 Years, scientists from around the world have worked together to organize scientific and exploration activities in polar regions (www.ipy.org). The first International Polar Year (IPY) in 1881–1884 marked the first major coordinated International scientific initiative to collect standardized meteorological and Geophysical data in polar regions. Fifteen expeditions led by 12 nations amassed a large amount of data, but the scientific value was diminished by disjointed publication efforts and lack of long-term institutional commitment; lessons were learned and corrected in subsequent polar Years. The second IPY began in 1932. Forty-four nations led expeditions in the Arctic and Antarctic, resulting in greater understanding of the aurora, magnetism, and meteorology. Air and marine navigation, radio operations, and weather forecasting were greatly improved as a result. The third IPY, in 1957–58, was renamed the International Geophysical Year and capitalized on technologic advances developed during World War II. Technologic and scientific momentum was redirected toward research, particularly to studies of the upper atmosphere, a legacy that continues to the present day. Notable achievements included launching the first satellite, measurement of atmospheric greenhouse gases, delineating the system of mid-ocean ridges, and confirming the theory of plate tectonics. The current 4th IPY covers the period March 2007 to March 2009, although it is officially designated IPY 2007–2008. It was established by the International Council for Science, the National Academy of Sciences and World Meteorological Organization. This period of focused scientific research promises to “... further our understanding of the physical and social process in Polar Regions, examine their globally-connected role in the climate system and establish research infrastructure for the future, and serve to attract and develop a new generation of scientists and engineers with the versatility to tackle complex global issues” (www.ipy.org). The 2007–2008 IPY also features human health as a research theme for the first time and thus presents an opportunity to do the following: 1) increase global awareness and visibility of health concerns of Arctic peoples, 2) foster human health research, 3) promote health protection strategies, and 4) ultimately improve the health and well being of Arctic peoples (www.arctichealth.org/ahhi). The Arctic is unique in many respects. It has a sparse population, scattered over a very large geographic area; climate and latitude marked by seasonal extremes of temperature and daylight; and a spirited history of cross-border cooperation on issues of concern to Arctic peoples. The Arctic is home to ≈4 million people; approximately one tenth (350,000) are of indigenous ancestry (1). Many live in remote, isolated communities and are, as depicted by Fred Machetanz on the cover of this issue, still dependent on a traditional subsistence way of life that has little economic infrastructure. Health concerns of Arctic peoples include the remaining health disparities that exist between indigenous and nonindigenous segments of the population as well as the potential impact of a changing Arctic environment, characterized by rapid economic change and modernization, environmental pollution, alterations in the traditional subsistence food supply, and climate change (2). Life expectancy in Arctic populations has greatly improved since the last IPY. For example, in 1950, the life expectancy for Alaska Natives, the indigenous people of Alaska, was 47 Years at birth compared with 66 Years for the general US population. By 2000, the life expectancy for Alaska Natives was 69.5 Years, a gain of >20 Years. Reductions in deaths from infectious diseases for Alaska Natives have been especially dramatic. In 1950, 47% of deaths among Alaska Natives were due to infections, as compared with only 3% for non-Native Alaskans. By 1990, infectious diseases caused only 1.2% of Alaska Native deaths, very similar to the 1% seen for non-Native Alaskans. Much of this improvement can be attributed to improved living conditions, provision of safe water and sewage disposal, implementation of vaccination programs, training of community-based health providers, and an integrated healthcare delivery system that provides improved access to better quality healthcare (3). Despite improvements in these health indicators of Arctic residents, life expectancy is shorter and infant mortality rates are higher among indigenous Arctic residents in the US Arctic, northern Canada, and Greenland when compared with those of nonindigenous residents of Arctic countries. For example, life expectancy of Alaska Natives still lags behind that of the general US population, which was 76.5 Years in 2000. Similarly, indigenous residents of the US Arctic, northern Canada, and Greenland have higher mortality rates from injury and suicide and as well as higher hospitalization rates for infants with pneumonia, meningitis, and respiratory infections (4–6). Some infectious diseases are linked to cultural practices of the indigenous population, such as botulism from ingesting improperly prepared traditionally fermented foods (7) and trichinosis from consuming meats from land and marine mammals (L.N. Moller, unpub. data). Many of these infectious disease health disparities can be eliminated through the focused application of existing public health strategies. Many communities that were once isolated are now linked to major cities by air transportation and are only an airplane ride away from more densely populated urban centers. Consequently, these communities are now vulnerable to the importation of new and emerging infectious diseases (such as influenza, severe acute respiratory syndrome [SARS] or SARS-like infectious diseases and antimicrobial drug–resistant pathogens such as multidrug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and tuberculosis). The changing climate is already affecting Arctic communities. It is increasingly apparent that the most vulnerable will be those living a traditional subsistence lifestyle in remote communities; they are already facing health or economic challenges. The melting permafrost, flooding, and storm surges are progressively destroying village sanitation and drinking water infrastructures of many Arctic communities, paving the way for outbreaks of food- and water-borne diseases and respiratory infections (8). In addition, climate change may drive increased dissemination of zoonotic pathogens in water- and food-borne pathways (Giardia, Cryposporidium, Toxoplasma, Trichinella, and Echinococcus species), posing a direct threat to human health in communities that rely on wildlife as a source of food. Temperature and humidity markedly affect the distribution, density, and behavior of many arthropod vectors and may increase the incidence and expand the northern range of many vector-borne diseases such as West Nile virus (8). Specific stages of the life cycles of many helminths and arthropods may be greatly influenced by temperature (9). For example, small changes in temperature can substantially alter the transmission of lung worms and muscle worms pathogenic to ungulates (caribou, muskoxen, thinhorn sheep, and moose). In other parts of the world, the convergence of population dynamics, environmental factors, and animal reservoirs has resulted in dramatic outbreaks of apparently new infectious diseases that constitute a considerable threat to global human health (most recently, SARS and avian influenza). The full impact of climate change on these host-parasite interactions, animal health population dynamics, and human health is unknown, but the known effects of climate change on these systems underscores the need for close monitoring. In recognition of IPY 2007–2008, this issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases highlights infectious disease challenges faced by residents of Arctic regions. The IPY is a unique opportunity to increase awareness and visibility of infectious disease concerns of Arctic peoples. It can serve to reinvigorate cross-border collaborative infectious disease research networks that will focus on eliminating remaining health disparities caused by infectious diseases in these populations (www.inchr.org). Finally, the IPY can increase focus on development of sustainable International surveillance networks across the Arctic for monitoring infectious diseases of concern and evaluating the effectiveness of current intervention strategies (10). The establishment of these networks will be essential for detecting the emergence of climate-sensitive infectious diseases in both human and wildlife populations and the design of effective interventions aimed at reducing risk and eliminating disease (11,12).
J Roscoe - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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polar tropospheric ozone depletion events observed in the International Geophysical Year of 1958
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2006Co-Authors: H K Roscoe, J RoscoeAbstract:The Royal Society expedition to Antarctica established a base at Halley Bay, in support of the International Geophysical Year of 1957–1958. Surface ozone was measured during 1958 only, using a prototype Brewer-Mast sonde. The envelope of maximum ozone was an annual cycle from 10 ppbv in January to 22 ppbv in August. These values are 35% less at the start of the Year and 15% less at the end than modern values from Neumayer, also a coastal site. This may reflect a general increase in surface ozone since 1958 and differences in summer at the less windy site of Halley, or it may reflect ozone loss on the inlet together with long-term conditioning. There were short periods in September when ozone values decreased rapidly to near-zero, and some in August when ozone values were rapidly halved. Such ozone-loss episodes, catalysed by bromine compounds, became well-known in the Artic in the 1980s, and were observed more recently in the Antarctic. In 1958, very small ozone values were recorded for a week in midwinter during clear weather with light winds. The absence of similar midwinter reductions at Neumayer, or at Halley in the few measurements during 1987, means we must remain suspicious of these small values, but we can find no obvious reason to discount them. The dark reaction of ozone and seawater ice observed in the laboratory may be fast enough to explain them if the salinity and surface area of the ice is sufficiently amplified by frost flowers.
O S Oyekola - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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comparison between nighttime ionosonde incoherent scatter radar ae e satellite and hf doppler observations of f region vertical electrodynamic plasma drifts in the vicinity of the magnetic equator
Journal of Geophysical Research, 2006Co-Authors: O S OyekolaAbstract:[1] Nighttime F region vertical drifts were made using an ionosonde for the equatorial station Ibadan (7.4°N, 3.9°E, 6°S dip) from 1 Year of data during 1957–1958 International Geophysical Year (IGY) that corresponds to a period of solar maximum for undisturbed condition. We compare the seasonal vertical drifts with measurements made by incoherent scatter radar, AE-E satellite, and HF Doppler for equatorial F region vertical drifts. We find a comparable variability pattern during periods of high F layer heights during equinox and the December solstice, and the opposite behavior occurs during June solstice. The drifts are predominantly downward between 2000 and 0500 LT intervals. Ionosonde drifts are smaller in values by either a factor of two or three than other methods, except for consistent June solstice ionosonde and satellite magnitudes. The equinoctial average prereversal enhancements measured by the four techniques are roughly comparable (about 36 m/s) and occur at the same local time (1900 LT) for all the seasons. The evening reversal times are similar, apart from June solstice that exhibits large variations. The morning reversal times are also in accord except for the equinoctial Jicamarca drift. Our observations indicate that ionosonde drifts measurements are in better agreement with vertical drifts results at other equatorial stations.
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nocturnal variations of f region vertical ionization velocities near the magnetic equator
IJRSP Vol.35(4) [August 2006], 2006Co-Authors: O S Oyekola, Jolasun AkinrimisiAbstract:'h ) of F-layer data; obtained during 1957/58 International Geophysical Year (IGY) period under geomagnetically quiet and disturbed nights. Prominent nocturnal vertical drift characteristics are presented at African longitudinal sector. Seasonal effects appeared to be pronounced during undisturbed and disturbed nighttime conditions. Also, pre-reversal peak velocity obviously varies considerably with season. In addition, pre-reversal peak velocity exhibits significant variability with 10.7 cm Solar Flux Index and average Zurich monthly sunspot numbers. Furthermore the threshold parameters, such as, E × B vertical drifts and virtual height (h'F) required to cause spread-F irregularities are determined to be approximately 30 m/s and 400 km, respectively. Results obtained by the authors are in good accord with those for other low-latitude regions that employ other observational techniques. There are several likely processes responsible for the quiet and disturbed times plasma drift variability in the night hours at equatorial regions.
