Latest Posts by linzmj - Page 5

The Firebird segment — Fantasia 2000 (1999)

Say hello to Leo ☺️💜

Global Temperature by the Numbers

The Year

4th Hottest

2018 was the fourth hottest year since modern recordkeeping began. NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration work together to track temperatures around the world and study how they change from year to year. For decades, the overall global temperature has been increasing.

Over the long term, world temperatures are warming, but each individual year is affected by things like El Niño ocean patterns and specific weather events.

1.5 degrees

Globally, Earth’s temperature was more than 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the average from 1951 to 1980.

The Record

139 years

Since 1880, we can put together a consistent record of temperatures around the planet and see that it was much colder in the late-19th century. Before 1880, uncertainties in tracking global temperatures were too large. Temperatures have increased even faster since the 1970s, the result of increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Five Hottest

The last five years have been the hottest in the modern record.

6,300 Individual Observations

Scientists from NASA use data from 6,300 weather stations and Antarctic research stations, together with ship- and buoy-based observations of sea surface temperatures to track global temperatures.

The Consequences

605,830 swimming pools

As the planet warms, polar ice is melting at an accelerated rate. The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets lost about 605,830 Olympic swimming pools (400 billion gallons) of water between 1993 and 2016.

8 inches

Melting ice raises sea levels around the world. While ice melts into the ocean, heat also causes the water to expand. Since 1880, sea levels around the world have risen approximately 8 inches.

71,189 acres burned

One symptom of the warmer climate is that fire seasons burn hotter and longer. In 2018, wildfires burned more than 71,189 acres in the U.S. alone.

46% increase in CO2 levels

CO2 levels have increased 46 percent since the late 19th Century, which is a dominant factor causing global warming.

A stream in Tomtor, Russia, that never freezes because of the hot springs. The vapor, coming out continuously, freezes instantly over the trees all around, creating very bizarre shapes. Томтор, as it’s called in Russian, is a small town situated inside the Pole of the Cold, the world’s coldest inhabited place, where the January’s average temperature is -50°C. 

I bequeath this Otter to those of you who may be having a rough Christmas.

Icy

I want one!

Bunnies at Meigetsu-in (明月院), Kamakura. The temple is associated with the moon (meigetsu means full or bright moon) and hence with rabbits (according to East Asian folklore, a rabbit lives on the moon).

One of my all time favorite Halloween cards. And since it’s finally cool outside, I’m finally in the mood for it.

I so want to believe in Halloween fairies.

things that exist but you can’t see:

people thinking about you and smiling

flowers growing in your heart

the moon’s affection for you

how much you’ve healed already

a lovely future written in the stars

if things go wrong, just go with it – unexpected goodness may happen

Kudos for Monroe County Sheriff’s Office… My respect sir.

Seen here.

#paramecium

The Cochno Stone is by far one of the most interesting, and beautiful, cup and ring carvings in Europe. Located in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, the Cochno stone is 42 feet long and 26 feet wide. It features approximately 90 carved indentions and grooved spirals, as well as a ringed cross and a pair of 4-toed feet.

It was discovered in 1887 by Reverend James Harvey and was exposed to the elements since its creation, yet miraculously maintained its immaculate petroglyphs.  In 1964, however, Glasgow University archaeologists recommended it should be buried beneath several feet of top soil to protect the stone from vandals. It remained buried for 51 years, as housing developments also threatened the stone’s safety.

However, in September of 2015 the stone was excavated and completely exposed for a mere 36 hours to allow archaeologists and researchers to conduct some studies, gather new information, and take images and sketches so that they could create a replica. Afterwards, it was promptly buried once more.

There are many different interpretations of the carvings. Some say it’s a map which shows other settlements in the valley, others says it could have been used in sacrificial ceremonies where milk or water was poured into the grooves, or that it’s an astronomical map indicating constellations to help guide prehistoric farmers and indicate when they need to complete their harvest. What’s most likely, however, is that the stone was used for many different purposes over its many hundreds of years of existence, and that over time its utility varied based on the needs of the community surrounding it.

Similar stones and carvings have been found around the world, including Hawaii, India, and Africa.

Luxembourg, October 2015

#greatwords #thatsalotofwhiteguys

Happy Fourth of July from CNN Politics!

Celebrate America and its freedoms this Independence Day.

Once, the sky was full of stories. Ancient cultures filled the heavens with heroes and monsters, and spent nights telling epics and memorizing patterns in the stars.

These days, the stars are a little less familiar. Our skies are full of light pollution and, usually, obscured by a sturdy roof. But if you can get away from the city lights, you can still find a handful of the 88 officially recognized constellations with the help of this video guide, which allows you to look around in 360 degrees, mimicking the actual experience of stargazing.

How To Find The Summer Constellations (360° Video)

Video: NPR’s Skunk Bear

That’s a totally straight way of eating a pie, right? 

I mean… Right?

Yeah… right… ;)

*gifs credits to @onceland

9 Ocean Facts You Likely Don’t Know, but Should

Earth is a place dominated by water, mainly oceans. It’s also a place our researchers study to understand life. Trillions of gallons of water flow freely across the surface of our blue-green planet. Ocean’s vibrant ecosystems impact our lives in many ways. 

In celebration of World Oceans Day, here are a few things you might not know about these complex waterways.

1. Why is the ocean blue? 

The way light is absorbed and scattered throughout the ocean determines which colors it takes on. Red, orange, yellow,and green light are absorbed quickly beneath the surface, leaving blue light to be scattered and reflected back. This causes us to see various blue and violet hues.

2. Want a good fishing spot? 

Follow the phytoplankton! These small plant-like organisms are the beginning of the food web for most of the ocean. As phytoplankton grow and multiply, they are eaten by zooplankton, small fish and other animals. Larger animals then eat the smaller ones. The fishing industry identifies good spots by using ocean color images to locate areas rich in phytoplankton. Phytoplankton, as revealed by ocean color, frequently show scientists where ocean currents provide nutrients for plant growth.

3. The ocean is many colors. 

When we look at the ocean from space, we see many different shades of blue. Using instruments that are more sensitive than the human eye, we can measure carefully the fantastic array of colors of the ocean. Different colors may reveal the presence and amount of phytoplankton, sediments and dissolved organic matter.

4. The ocean can be a dark place. 

About 70 percent of the planet is ocean, with an average depth of more than 12,400 feet. Given that light doesn’t penetrate much deeper than 330 feet below the water’s surface (in the clearest water), most of our planet is in a perpetual state of darkness. Although dark, this part of the ocean still supports many forms of life, some of which are fed by sinking phytoplankton. 

5. We study all aspects of ocean life. 

Instruments on satellites in space, hundreds of kilometers above us, can measure many things about the sea: surface winds, sea surface temperature, water color, wave height, and height of the ocean surface.

6. In a gallon of average sea water, there is about ½ cup of salt. 

The amount of salt varies depending on location. The Atlantic Ocean is saltier than the Pacific Ocean, for instance. Most of the salt in the ocean is the same kind of salt we put on our food: sodium chloride.

7. A single drop of sea water is teeming with life.  

It will most likely have millions (yes, millions!) of bacteria and viruses, thousands of phytoplankton cells, and even some fish eggs, baby crabs, and small worms. 

8. Where does Earth store freshwater? 

Just 3.5 percent of Earth’s water is fresh—that is, with few salts in it. You can find Earth’s freshwater in our lakes, rivers, and streams, but don’t forget groundwater and glaciers. Over 68 percent of Earth’s freshwater is locked up in ice and glaciers. And another 30 percent is in groundwater. 

9. Phytoplankton are the “lungs of the ocean”.

Just like forests are considered the “lungs of the earth”, phytoplankton is known for providing the same service in the ocean! They consume carbon dioxide, dissolved in the sunlit portion of the ocean, and produce about half of the world’s oxygen. 

Want to learn more about how we study the ocean? Follow @NASAEarth on twitter.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com.  

Joanna Karpowicz

“Anubis, The Mushroom Picker” (2017)

Person: Your writing is so good!

Me:

Trout lily (Erythronium americanum), bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), and Dutchman’s breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) in the New England springtime woodlands.

Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland by howard-sherwood

are you ready for my favorite fact?

If you leave a hamster wheel out in the forest, wild mice will come and run on it.

that is my favorite fact