scatterings from the Purple Crow Lidar2023-01-16T16:18:41+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.comNew Look / First Look at the Cronyn Ceilometer2016-12-27T00:00:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2016/12/27/First-Look-Cronyn-Ceilometer<h1 id="blog-has-moved-15-jan-2023">Blog has moved! (15 Jan 2023)</h1>
<p>New science stuff in <a href="https://bobsica.com">My Bobiverse is here.</a></p>
<p><img src="http://pclblog.bobsica.com/public/19-20decCeilo-ann.png" alt="Cronyn ceilometer measurements on 19-20 Dec 2016." /></p>
<h2 id="new-blog-new-ceilometer">New Blog, New ceilometer</h2>
<ul>
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<p>Hope you like the new blog look. Thanks to the awesome github community getting away from a commercial service and to a light, fast markdown blog was easy peasy. Thanks world.</p>
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<li>
<p>Also thanks to the <a href="https://www.uwo.ca/sci/">Faculty of Science at Western</a>, we were able to get a ceilometer for Cronyn Observatory. The image above shows off the ability of the ceilometer to characterise the troposphere. Much more on this to come.</p>
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<h2 id="quick-ceilometer-facts">Quick Ceilometer Facts</h2>
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<p>It’s pronounced “see-lo-meter”. My Nouveau Joisey accent tends to put anywhere from 2 to 4 extra syllables between the see, the lo and the meter. Just ignore that.</p>
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<p>The ceilometer is identical in principle to a lidar. Here is a <a href="http://pcl.physics.uwo.ca/science/lidarintro/">quick lidar tutorial</a>.</p>
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<p>We will be collaborating with the Remote Sensing Group <a href="http://www.meteoswiss.admin.ch/home/measurement-and-forecasting-systems/atmosphere/lidar-and-ceilometers.html">at MeteoSwiss</a> to do some way cool studies with chains of these instruments. More later.</p>
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<li>
<p>It looks like a “plucky droid”. I like that.</p>
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<p><img src="http://pclblog.bobsica.com/public/aliJeffCeilo.jpg" alt="Our plucky Lufft Nimbus Ceilometer, with Crows Ali and Jeff." /></p>
More PhDs finding jobs as tenure-track professors, study says #GlobeAndMail2016-01-25T19:57:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2016/01/25/more-phds-finding-jobs-as-tenure-track<a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/more-phds-finding-jobs-as-tenure-track-professors-study-says/article28367087/" target="_blank">More PhDs finding jobs as tenure-track professors, study says</a><br />Globe & Mail, 25 January 2016<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"A third of graduates with doctoral degrees from Ontario universities are in tenure-track positions somewhere in the world, with half of them working as professors in Canada, the study from the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario found."</blockquote><div>When I was worried about my future as a graduate student my thesis advisor told me “the good people always get jobs.” I’m glad to see despite all the current gloom and doom the future for our graduates students is so encouraging and indeed “some things never change.”<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><span id="goog_1580068147"></span><span id="goog_1580068148"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><br /><div></div>
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Determining Rayleigh Scatter Lidar Temperatures Using an Optimal Estimation Method2015-03-25T07:25:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2015/03/25/determining-rayleigh-scatter-lidar<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zczx9DiIoZw/VRJfTH-fwSI/AAAAAAAAmQY/46rbVjEVtWQ/s1600/Fig21oem.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zczx9DiIoZw/VRJfTH-fwSI/AAAAAAAAmQY/46rbVjEVtWQ/s1600/Fig21oem.png" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Middle atmosphere temperature profile retrieved using an OEM (red curve) compared to the traditional analysis using 2 detector channels (blue and green curves).</td></tr></tbody></table><ul><li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A lay summary of the paper is available at the Optical Society of America’s <i><a href="http://www.opticsinfobase.org/spotlight/summary.cfm?uri=ao-54-8-1872" target="_blank">Spotlight on Optics</a>.</i></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have recently published a paper in Applied Optics detailing a new method for retrieving temperature from Rayleigh lidar measurements using an optimal estimation method (OEM). The OEM allows a full systematic and random uncertainty budget to be done for each retrieval, specifies the height to which the retrieval is insensitive to the a priori temperature profile and gives the vertical resolution of the retrieval as a function of height. The ability to determine the full uncertainty budget is particularly important for using the Rayleigh-lidar temperature measurements for determining long-term changes, particularly for multi-instrument networks like NDACC or GRUAN. The method uses a free community-supported OEM solver developed by P. Eriksson and colleagues (qpack, part of the ARTS retrieval software package). </span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We encourage you to try this method, and we are available to help answer your questions as you implement it. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bob and Alexander </span><br /><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Get the paper at Applied Optics: <a href="http://www.opticsinfobase.org/ao/abstract.cfm?URI=ao-54-8-1872&origin=search%C2%A0" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">http://www.</span><span style="color: #1155cc;"><wbr></wbr>opticsinfobase.org/ao/<wbr></wbr>abstract.cfm?URI=ao-54-8-1872&<wbr></wbr>origin=search</span> </a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The paper is Open Access, if you can't retrieve it at the above link try: <a href="http://drp.rjsi.ca/1lkj0/G6dBktZZ" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">http://drp.rjsi.ca/1lkj0/</span><span style="color: #1155cc;"><wbr></wbr>G6dBktZZ</span> </a></span></li></ul><br />Canadian SciSat Finds a Delay in Ozone Recovery from The Globe...2014-11-10T08:38:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2014/11/10/canadian-scisat-finds-delay-in-ozone<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img src='http://33.media.tumblr.com/2ed24aafa044fb13f1337d51544d2878/tumblr_netealuz5V1rxeglxo1_500.jpg'/><br/><br /><br/><br /><h1>Canadian SciSat Finds a Delay in Ozone Recovery</h1><br /><p><a target='_blank' href='http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/ozone-destroying-chemical-making-comeback-scientists-find/article21457176/'>from The Globe and Mail: Ozone-destroying chemical making comeback</a> </p><br /><p>Good news, bad news:</p><br /><p><strong>bad news:</strong> changes in circulation are causing “old” air with high levels of ozone-destroying hydrogen chloride to persist in the stratosphere, slowing ozone recovery due to CFCs.</p><br /><p><strong>good news:</strong> the Canadian SCISAT made the measurements that enabled this study, yet another success from this mission. Congratulations to Profs. Kaley Walker, Tom McElroy, Peter Bernath and the SCISAT team.</p><br /><p><a target='_blank' href='http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/satellites/scisat/default.asp'>more on SCISAT from the Canadian Space Agency</a> </p><br /><p>via <a target='_blank' href='https://dayone.me/10rczmL'>https://dayone.me/10rczmL</a> </p><br /><br/><br /><br/></div>Changing Luminosity in Saturn’s Rings Kudo to Crow Shannon, a...2014-10-30T20:28:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2014/10/30/changing-luminosity-in-saturns-rings<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><img src='http://31.media.tumblr.com/6f59bf252036374e602d75278fb2730b/tumblr_ne9xb0UQ3s1rxeglxo1_500.jpg'/><br/><br /><br/><br /><p>Changing Luminosity in Saturn’s Rings</p><br /><p>Kudo to Crow Shannon, a co-author in a recent study <a target='_blank' href='http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0019103514003625'>published in Icarus</a> about the changing luminosity of Saturn’s F ring. This exciting research story was recently reported in the LA Times. You can <a target='_blank' href='http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-saturn-moonlets-f-ring-20140909-story.html'>read the article here</a>.</p><br /><p>OK Shannon now it is time to go back to the chaos at Echo Base ;-)</p><br /><p><em>Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI</em> </p><br /><p>via <a target='_blank' href='https://dayone.me/Ys1zXQ'>https://dayone.me/Ys1zXQ</a> </p><br /><br/><br /><br/></div>The Crows at Summer Camp2014-08-04T12:48:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2014/08/04/the-crows-at-summer-camp-on-flickrthe<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><img src="http://37.media.tumblr.com/f174a8e6c09eb9ce06a94b80f0133328/tumblr_n9s81h7IZC1rxeglxo1_500.jpg" /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/14640158459/" target="_blank" title="The Crows at Summer Camp">The Crows at Summer Camp</a> on Flickr.<br />the young crows recently enjoyed a week at the Connaught Summer Institute in Arctic Science.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>A Vertical Sundial2014-06-14T14:40:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2014/06/14/a-vertical-sundialThe photo below shows a new take (for me) on the a sundial, mounted vertically on a building instead of horizontally. You can see from the shadow that is was around noon. Also indicated (I think) are zodiacal positioning, at least that’s what the symbols looked like. And to top it off look carefully and you can see that now only did a Crow snap the picture, a Crow posed in it!<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/91699523@N05/14418141705/"><img border="0" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2936/14418141705_1cee6094d7_b.jpg" height="400" style="margin: 5px;" width="400" /></a></center><br />Location: Murtenhof, Mürten, Switzerland#xkcd "How Big a change is a That?"2014-06-10T17:42:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2014/06/10/xkcd-big-change-is-thatThis is what Crows worry about. It appears it is going to be that big. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/4_5_degrees.png" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="alignnone" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/4_5_degrees.png" height="358" id="blogsy-1402422116051.8125" width="500" /></a></div><br /><br /><div id="blogsy_footer" style="clear: both; font-size: small; text-align: right;"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Posted with Blogsy" src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" height="20" style="margin-right: 5px; vertical-align: middle;" width="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Newspaper Article About Crow Sham’s Trip to the Arctic2014-06-07T17:17:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2014/06/07/newspaper-article-about-crow-shams-tripThe article below recently appeared in a Sinhalese newspaper in Toronto about Crow Sham's trip to the arctic. Some of her great pictures were used in the article, which she tells has a few extrapolations by the author about Sham's background and the project. So if you can read it take the article with a grain of salt and if you can't enjoy some great pictures of the True North on a hot day (at least where this Crow perches!).<br /><br /><img src="http://drp.rjsi.ca/6s4m+" width="95%" />On photographing astronomical objects in daylight2014-06-01T17:32:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2014/06/01/on-photographing-astronomical-objectsM-22 globular cluster reflected in lilly pond during rare gravitational lensing event at the Jardin Botanique.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/91699523@N05/14320142342/"><img border="0" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2911/14320142342_0698c6cd86_b.jpg" height="400" style="margin: 5px;" width="400" /></a></center><br /><br /><div class="blogpress_location">Location:<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Route%20de%20la%20Fonderie,Friburg,Switzerland%4046.794688%2C7.153894&z=10">Route de la Fonderie,Friburg,Switzerland</a></div>Awards brought home from NSERC Arctic Atmospheric Research Symposium - Western Physics and Astronomy --- What's Happening2014-05-23T13:28:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2014/05/23/awards-brought-home-from-nserc-arcticSo proud of all the Crows for their performance at the CREATE workshop, but in particular shout-outs to Crows Emily, Sham and Shannon for their outstanding talks!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o2PpauAAfyQ/U39OtVW7_NI/AAAAAAAAl_o/B6gTQsjMEH0/s1600/CrowCreateAwards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o2PpauAAfyQ/U39OtVW7_NI/AAAAAAAAl_o/B6gTQsjMEH0/s1600/CrowCreateAwards.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Photo credit: Henry Leparskas</div>When your supervisor is away… - Western Physics and Astronomy --- What's Happening2014-04-08T19:52:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2014/04/08/when-your-supervisor-is-away-westernA murder of Crows gathers to hear the squawking of the Elder Crow - who just now figured out way the group found my graph of averaging kernels so amusing!<br /><br />Well done Henry! See his photos here:<br /><br /><a href="http://blog.physics.uwo.ca/when-your-supervisor-is-away/">When your supervisor is away… | Western Physics and Astronomy --- What's Happening</a>The Where to Go Crow2014-04-05T16:18:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2014/04/05/the-where-to-go-crow-on-flickrperhaps<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://rjsi.ca/1fVIfHy" /></div><br /><a href="http://rjsi.ca/1fVIfHA" target="_blank" title="The Where to Go Crow">The Where to Go Crow</a> on Flickr.<br /><br />Perhaps we should post a copy of this sign on the House next to the Echo Base? I guess it would have to be flipped left right first? :-)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>UWUO Weather Guru Predicts Extreme Winter2014-04-01T08:44:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2014/04/01/uwuo-weather-guru-predicts-extreme<i>excerpted from the London Freee Presss, 01 April 2014:</i><br /><br />A real scientific study with formulas and stuff was released today by a bunch of scientists including Prof. R. Sica, Professor of Whether at The University of Western University Ontario. The study boldly predicts that the winter of 2013-2014 will be one of the coldest on record. Mustang Scientist Sica told this paper that: "we’ve gone over the results with a fine tooth comb and are highly certain that a combination of highs, lows and other emotions will result in a very cold winter, particularly in January and February 2014." Sica also said: “don’t put those snow shovels away until March.”<br /><br />The study will be submitted to the prestigious journal Nauturel sometime this summer .Echoes of Walkerton in Environment Canada cuts2014-03-20T12:57:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2014/03/20/echoes-of-walkerton-in-environmentProf. Thomas Duck writes:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">The cost of the Walkerton tragedy was estimated at the commission to be between $64.5 million and $155 million. It remains to be seen what the cuts to Environment Canada will ultimately cost us — both financially and in human terms.</blockquote>Read the full piece in the Toronto Star to appreciate the damage the Harper government is doing to the public by their attack on environmental science.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2014/03/19/echoes_of_walkerton_in_environment_canada_cuts.html">Echoes of Walkerton in Environment Canada cuts | Toronto Star</a><br /><br /><div><br /></div>'Eureka moment' provides unique opportunity for students #westernu2014-03-10T08:28:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2014/03/10/eureka-moment-provides-unique<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://communications.uwo.ca/images/2014/march/ARCTICresearch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://communications.uwo.ca/images/2014/march/ARCTICresearch.jpg" height="191" width="320" /></a></div><br />Western News reporter Jason Winders quoting Crow Emily in: <a href="http://communications.uwo.ca/western_news/stories/2014/March/eureka_moment_provides_unique_opportunity_for_students.html">'Eureka moment' provides unique opportunity for students</a><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">“Suspenders. Don’t forget suspenders,” McCullough said. “We’re both kind of short. All of our Arctic gear, which is loaned to us, even the super-powered snowpants, are a little on the big side. So the suspenders keep your pants up. But, it’s even better than that.</blockquote>More Arctic Life Advice from Crow Emily to <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cheechako" target="_blank">cheechako</a> Crow Sham on their current Arctic travels in the article. Emily is safely back South and Sham is continuing to run the lidar as part of the <a href="http://acebox.uwaterloo.ca/eureka/" target="_blank">Canadian Arctic ACE/OSIRIS Validation Campaign</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />2 Crows in Eureka2014-02-28T08:15:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2014/02/28/2-crows-in-eureka<div style="font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 10px 0; padding: 0;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/12830434914/" title="ShamEurekaBalloon"><img alt="ShamEurekaBalloon by Purple Crow Lidar" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7408/12830434914_d86183d4ba.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin: 0;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/12830434914/">ShamEurekaBalloon</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/">Purple Crow Lidar</a> on Flickr.</span></div></div>Crows Emily and Sham are back in Eureka for the ACE Arctic Campaign. As readers will know, Emily has been to Eureka several times. Sham is there for the first time. The picture shows her launching a radiosonde. I bet she is finding this quite a change from the winters in her native Sri Lanka!<br /><br />Emily and Sham will principally be working on the Dalhousie CRL lidar, measuring water vapour, aerosol and cloud properties.<br /><br />Updates on the campaign can be found here: <a href="http://acebox.uwaterloo.ca/eureka/">http://acebox.uwaterloo.ca/eureka/</a>, and on the CANDAC program and facilities: <a href="http://www.candac.ca/">http://www.candac.ca</a>.#xkcd: Weather Geeks have it tough...2014-02-01T17:47:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2014/02/01/xkcd-weather-geeks-have-it-tough<a href="http://xkcd.com/1324/">xkcd: Weather</a><br /><br />I feel your pain Weather Geek.zing! xkcd: Cold2014-01-24T09:22:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2014/01/24/zing-xkcd-coldor should I say cold-#snap! <a href="http://xkcd.com/1321/">xkcd: Cold</a><br /><br />Nice to see something obvious so simply explained, though I fear it will miss its intended audience and just “preach to the choir”.CANDAC’s Eureka Observatory Featured in the #GlobeAndMail #GlobeNorth2014-01-22T08:05:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2014/01/22/candacs-eureka-observatory-featured-inCrow Emily is featured in this timely article on the important scientific work being done in the Canadian high arctic at Eureka:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">For Emily McCullough, a Ph.D student at the University of Western Ontario who is working at the lab, its key benefits include the powerful lessons she’s learned about how to do professional research, from planning a major experiment to anticipating problems like “what happens if the wolves come and chew my cables.” </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">But it’s also a place where she feels the work she does has an impact on Canada’s relationship to the rest of humanity. “Canada’s got a heck of a lot of the Arctic,” Ms. McCullough says. “It would be really great if we could contribute something to the understanding of it as a whole.”</blockquote><a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/the-north/how-canadas-arctic-lab-keeps-a-watchful-eye-on-climate-change/article16423612/#dashboard/follows/">How Canada’s Arctic lab keeps a watchful eye on climate change - The Globe and Mail</a>Earthrise: The 45th Anniversary2013-12-30T17:31:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2013/12/30/earthrise-45th-anniversaryNASA has used Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter measurements to help recreate the first Earthrise seen by humans. Interesting to hear the astronauts, Lovell’s amazement versus Ander’s cool.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/dE-vOscpiNc" width="480"></iframe>The Northern Lights - a life time experience (Official trailer)2013-11-26T22:04:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2013/11/26/the-northern-lights-life-timeThe Crow salutes Pål Brekke for assembling this neat video about the aurora, which you can see in full at the at the Holmenkollen Ski Museum in Oslo. Hope I get a chance to visit that, not only aurora but I would dig the seeing the old skis and skates.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/wbpMsmC8XSs" width="480"></iframe></div>Despite Flak, Weather Channel Will Still Name Winter Storms2013-11-11T17:58:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2013/11/11/despite-flak-weather-channel-will-stillCome on #WeatherChannel, you’ve got to be joking. Unprofessional.NDACC LWG 2013 - Table Mountain2013-11-10T21:25:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2013/11/10/ndacc-lwg-2013-table-mountain<div style="padding: 0; overflow: hidden; margin: 0; width: 500px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/10785897863/in/set-72157637527874235/" title="" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5492/10785897863_d0774fd365_s.jpg" alt="" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/10785890933/in/set-72157637527874235/" title="" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3777/10785890933_c5fa7659cc_s.jpg" alt="" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/10785754104/in/set-72157637527874235/" title="" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3744/10785754104_5bfa63585e_s.jpg" alt="" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/10785663946/in/set-72157637527874235/" title="" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3828/10785663946_94cbfbd653_s.jpg" alt="" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/10785644985/in/set-72157637527874235/" title="" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3740/10785644985_28f8923932_s.jpg" alt="" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/10785904603/in/set-72157637527874235/" title="" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7370/10785904603_196f2ef048_s.jpg" alt="" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/10785675556/in/set-72157637527874235/" title="" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5542/10785675556_6d20302890_s.jpg" alt="" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/10785680796/in/set-72157637527874235/" title="" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3769/10785680796_5a27188339_s.jpg" alt="" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/10785774984/in/set-72157637527874235/" title="" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3727/10785774984_6f09e05a5b_s.jpg" alt="" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/10785777484/in/set-72157637527874235/" title="" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5519/10785777484_e776b487ca_s.jpg" alt="" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/10785688426/in/set-72157637527874235/" title="" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7447/10785688426_19e567f1af_s.jpg" alt="" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/10785910013/in/set-72157637527874235/" title="" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2891/10785910013_d39208795e_s.jpg" alt="" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px"><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/sets/72157637527874235/">NDACC LWG 2013 - Table Mountain</a>, a set on Flickr.</p></div><p>Some snaps from JPL's Table Mountain Facility during the NDACC Lidar Working Group meeting in November. It was a interesting meeting from which I greatly benefited from the expertise of my colleagues using lasers to study the atmosphere.</p>Getting ready for Polar Night in Eureka - CREATE Arctic Science2013-11-02T14:33:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2013/11/02/getting-ready-for-polar-night-in-eurekaCrow Emily gives a plain-language summary about her research in the Arctic at the <a href="http://www.candac.ca/" target="_blank">CANDAC facility in Eureka.</a>Raspberry Pi mini Mac Classic: Wow!2013-08-31T23:00:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2013/08/31/raspberry-pi-mini-mac-classic-wow<a target="_blank" href="http://retromaccast.ning.com/m/blogpost?id=1672786%3ABlogPost%3A107909">This wizard made is own mini Mac Classic!</a><br /><br /><br />The Crow Asks: Can you explain these odd contrails?2013-07-29T20:08:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2013/07/29/the-crow-asks-can-you-explain-these-odd<div style="margin: 0; overflow: hidden; padding: 0; width: 500px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9362968262/in/set-72157634786856636/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title=""><img alt="" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5547/9362968262_151d4e1a1e_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9362968858/in/set-72157634786856636/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title=""><img alt="" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3665/9362968858_94338df53a_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9360193293/in/set-72157634786856636/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0px 10px 10px 0px; text-align: center; width: 75px;" title=""><img alt="" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3744/9360193293_036ff2a883_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />Last week near sunset I noticed some contrails about (as typically in the YXU at this time of year). But check these out. If you look at the photos you’ll see that “above” each trail the trail looks normal but “below” it is a series of round, puffy clouds, not unlike cirrocumulus clouds. Definitely not billow shaped clouds ones would expect from some kind of gravity wave interaction.</div><br />Can anyone tell me is this an altitude affect, dynamics, or is it a function of the type of airplane engine which emitted the water vapour?<br />
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PCL’s transmitted laser beam in the rain2013-07-01T17:34:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2013/07/01/pcls-transmitted-laser-beam-in-rainIn case you wondered what does the PCL’s transmitted laser beam look like when it is drizzling out. The answer is weird, instead of a steady bright green column you get all this “carbonated” bubbling in the beam from the water droplets.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="884" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/67964950" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> </div><a href="http://vimeo.com/67964950">Laser Beam in Drizzle</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/purplecrowlidar">Robert Sica</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.PCL makes the Ontario Physics Grade 12 textbook2013-07-01T17:34:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2013/07/01/pcl-makes-ontario-physics-grade-12Crow Andy joined us at the lidar last night and showed us this page from the Ontario Grade 12 Physics text: the PCL is now appearing in backpacks all over the province.<br /><br />(this photo dates back to our location at the Delaware Observatory and was taken by Honorary Crow for Life Luc Girard).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/8989864595/" title="Physics 12 textbook - PCL photo by Purple Crow Lidar, on Flickr"><img alt="Physics 12 textbook - PCL photo" height="500" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2892/8989864595_c74df0e1fd.jpg" width="391" /></a></div>Hang a left at Europa2013-06-25T17:19:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2013/06/25/photographer-ron-miller-creates<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2345679/Photographer-Ron-Miller-creates-incredible-pictures-look-like-planets-closer.html">Photographer Ron Miller creates incredible pictures of what it would look like if planets were closer</a><br /><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2345679/Photographer-Ron-Miller-creates-incredible-pictures-look-like-planets-closer.html"><br /></a>Agree with <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://daringfireball/">John Gruber</a></span>, that would be one heckuva highway to cruise down.Colorado Fire Smoke Over London, Canada? 2013-06-24T20:17:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2013/06/24/colorado-fire-smoke-over-london-canada<h1>Colorado Fire Smoke Over London, Canada?</h1>Here’s some uncalibrated lidar measurements from the night of 21 June, 2013 which show what appears to be a faint smoke layer around 13 km. I did a quick and dirty run of HYSPLIT and the trajectories go back to Colorado in about 2 days. They descend about 25% of their initial height, e.g. as they go across the prairies they drop, for instance, from 10,000 m to 7,500 m elevation.<br /><br /><figure style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Uncalibrated returns from The University of Western Ontarios Purple Crow Lidar, shows an apparent thin smoke layer around 13 km altitude" height="290" src="https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/6782265/pcl130621smoke.png" width="400" /><figcaption>Uncalibrated returns from The University of Western Ontario’s Purple Crow Lidar, shows an apparent thin smoke layer around 13 km altitude. Full size image <a href="http://d.pr/i/XCLX" target="_blank">available here.</a></figcaption></figure>A supercell near Booker, Texas2013-06-13T17:21:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2013/06/13/a-supercell-near-booker-texas<br /><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"><a href="http://vimeo.com/67995158">A supercell near Booker, Texas</a></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; min-height: 16px;"><a href="http://vimeo.com/67995158"></a><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 14px;">Incredible time lapse photography of a supercell storm by Mike Oblinski. The small scale structure in the vortex is spectacular. Via Dalton Caldwell on ADN.</div>@EB 7June132013-06-10T18:32:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2013/06/10/eb-7june13<div style="margin: 0; overflow: hidden; padding: 0; width: 500px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9011316104/in/set-72157634053767331/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="IMG_8399"><img alt="IMG_8399" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7444/9011316104_6ebf23ef4a_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9010129871/in/set-72157634053767331/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="IMG_8245"><img alt="IMG_8245" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3822/9010129871_d10abb2992_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9011316108/in/set-72157634053767331/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="IMG_8229"><img alt="IMG_8229" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5456/9011316108_5cdd253884_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9011315994/in/set-72157634053767331/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="IMG_8367"><img alt="IMG_8367" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5445/9011315994_6361ff1aa5_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9010131265/in/set-72157634053767331/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="IMG_8289"><img alt="IMG_8289" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5465/9010131265_b380c05a95_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9010131021/in/set-72157634053767331/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="IMG_8277"><img alt="IMG_8277" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2831/9010131021_f7de8ca1cc_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9011313386/in/set-72157634053767331/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="IMG_8214"><img alt="IMG_8214" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2855/9011313386_70728fee69_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9011313834/in/set-72157634053767331/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="IMG_8362"><img alt="IMG_8362" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7292/9011313834_6fbd2b4a1c_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9011315782/in/set-72157634053767331/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="IMG_8352"><img alt="IMG_8352" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7356/9011315782_d97a87443a_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9010130065/in/set-72157634053767331/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="IMG_8338"><img alt="IMG_8338" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7410/9010130065_81356f65b0_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9011314958/in/set-72157634053767331/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="IMG_8291"><img alt="IMG_8291" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7325/9011314958_271454a0d1_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9011315484/in/set-72157634053767331/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="IMG_8331"><img alt="IMG_8331" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8542/9011315484_4f1ed744f7_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9011315092/in/set-72157634053767331/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="IMG_8295"><img alt="IMG_8295" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3775/9011315092_d425860b45_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9011314090/in/set-72157634053767331/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="IMG_8226"><img alt="IMG_8226" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2820/9011314090_ce39920e95_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9011313624/in/set-72157634053767331/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="IMG_8296"><img alt="IMG_8296" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3696/9011313624_44a46b172b_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9011315144/in/set-72157634053767331/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="IMG_8304"><img alt="IMG_8304" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7418/9011315144_90be6e05b1_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9011314648/in/set-72157634053767331/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="IMG_8274"><img alt="IMG_8274" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7296/9011314648_e1e8b2b518_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9011313996/in/set-72157634053767331/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="IMG_8220"><img alt="IMG_8220" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2827/9011313996_e1f5f11d9f_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9010131797/in/set-72157634053767331/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="IMG_8335"><img alt="IMG_8335" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2823/9010131797_6500c4330f_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9010130343/in/set-72157634053767331/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="IMG_8222"><img alt="IMG_8222" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3823/9010130343_11f0fa5728_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9010131611/in/set-72157634053767331/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="IMG_8324"><img alt="IMG_8324" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8114/9010131611_b116c22f3a_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9011315976/in/set-72157634053767331/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="IMG_8371"><img alt="IMG_8371" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8417/9011315976_5c6cd84d55_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9010131101/in/set-72157634053767331/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="IMG_8287"><img alt="IMG_8287" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3782/9010131101_c4eda7ceb1_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9011315230/in/set-72157634053767331/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px;" title="IMG_8308"><img alt="IMG_8308" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8416/9011315230_81b64ca992_s.jpg" style="border: none; height: 75px; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px;" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/sets/72157634053767331/">@EB 7June13</a>, a set on Flickr.</div>Some fun lidar photos from #EchoBase on Friday night via Crow Emily.#400ppm Can you gronk this? Cut YOUR carbon footprint now. Don’t understand? Read on.2013-05-12T16:16:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2013/05/12/400ppm-can-you-gronk-this-cut-your<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/11/science/earth/carbon-dioxide-level-passes-long-feared-milestone.html" target="_blank">Heat-Trapping Gas Passes Milestone, Raising Fears - NY Times</a><br /><br />400 ppm. And rising. You feeling lucky punks? Cause your pushing global CO2 levels where they ain’t been for 3 million years.<br />“It symbolizes that so far we have failed miserably in tackling this problem,” said Pieter Tans, who runs the monitoring program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which reported the new reading.<br />Perhaps we could do a little better if we could take 1 less trip to the store, walk, ride to work or just do something for the Next Generation who are going to inherit this mess. Trust me, Science isn’t going to save you this time like it did in WWII.CPSX Spotlight Shines on Crow Emily2013-05-09T16:22:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2013/05/09/cpsx-spotlight-shines-on-crow-emily<a href="http://cpsx.uwo.ca/archives/9348?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cpsx-spotlight-phd-candidate-emily-mccullough">CPSX Spotlight: PhD Candidate Emily McCullough</a><br /><br />The Centre for Planetary and Space Exploration @westernu puts the spotlight on Crow Emily @uwophysastro. Is she really going to the North Pole every winter to look for Santa? Click the link above for the rest of the story.Frickin' "Laser" Beam2013-05-06T16:22:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2013/05/06/frickin-laser-beamGreat snap by Rob Weryk of the PCL in action: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/13794832@N00/8714248822/" target="_blank"><dr evil>Frickin' "Laser" Beam</dr></a><br /><br />Says Rob: "I went to take some star pics and noticed the Purple Crow Lidar was running ... there is also a satellite flare visible.”<br /><br />For the record: the PCL is not responsible for hitting that satellite… not this time :–)#xkcd: Integration by Parts2013-05-01T17:34:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2013/05/01/xkcd-integration-by-parts#xkcd: Integration by Parts, or how I did every E&M problem in Jackson.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/integration_by_parts.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/integration_by_parts.png" width="258" /></a></div><br />The Old Crow Lectures on the Aurora: Friday, 19 April @ RASC-London2013-04-15T17:34:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2013/04/15/the-old-crow-lectures-on-aurora-friday<a href="http://www.rasclondon.ca/index.php/meetings">The Old Crow Lectures on the Aurora: Friday, 19 April @ RASC-London</a><br /><a href="http://www.rasclondon.ca/index.php/meetings"><br /></a>I’ve been invited by the Royal Astronomical Society of London to give a public talk:<br /><br /><strong>The Aurora Borealis and Space Weather</strong><br />Space Weather is the study of the interaction of the particles which flow from the Sun with Earth’s atmosphere. This talk will describe the visual result apparent to us on the surface, the Northern (and Southern) Lights, as well as give a lay description of a cutting edge of research: how can the particles from the Sun affect weather on the surface?<br />Come on out if just to heckle :–)Can you resist joining the Citation Club?2013-04-01T12:00:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2013/04/01/can-you-resist-joining-citation-clubAs always a great 1 April email from the Space Physics & Aeronomy Section of the American Geophysical Union.<br /><br /><strong>Citation Club Membership</strong><br /><strong><br /></strong>Do not break the chain. In your next publication, cite a paper by every one of the authors in the list below. Then remove the top author, add your name to the bottom of the list, and mail this message to ten of your colleagues who are not on the list. One of our colleagues who broke the chain lost the supporting research and technology grant he had previously successfully renewed a dozen times. A colleague who continued the chain soon had a sufficiently high H-index to both become an AGU fellow and be nominated for fellowship in the NAS.<br /><br />D.N. Baker<br />P.A. Isenberg<br />P.J. Chi<br />R.E. Ergun<br />J.A. Goldstein<br />J.E. Borovski<br />A. Bagenal<br />(add your name here)<br /><br />MSIS Atmospheric Model: on your iOS device!2013-03-25T17:35:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2013/03/25/msis-atmospheric-model-on-your-ios<a href="http://cedarweb.hao.ucar.edu/wiki/index.php/Community:Email_21feb13">Atmospheric Model on your iOS device</a><br /><a href="http://cedarweb.hao.ucar.edu/wiki/index.php/Community:Email_21feb13"><br /></a>Kudos to Al Hedin, who for several decades now has been the leader of a project to make the most comprehensive model of the atmosphere from the surface to the the exosphere (e.g. 500 km altitude). I never thought pouring over the MSIS FORTRAN code as a grad student that someday I would have (not only!) a phone in my pocket but one that could run that model, which needed a DEC VAX to compile (yup, pre-PC/Mac).<br /><br />My new favourite iPhone app! This <em>free</em> app will be a useful professional, student and outreach tool.Yarn Bomb @westernu2013-03-25T17:34:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2013/03/25/yarn-bomb-westernu<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/8517872657/" title="#YarnBomb #westernu @ McIntosh Gallery by Purple Crow Lidar, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8374/8517872657_a12860b189.jpg" width="500" height="406" alt="#YarnBomb #westernu @ McIntosh Gallery"></a><span style="color: black;"><br /></span><span style="text-decoration: underline;">#YarnBomb #westernu @ McIntosh Gallery</span> <span style="color: black;">on Flickr.</span>Emily's Arctic Adventure (v2013)2013-03-25T17:34:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2013/03/25/emilys-arctic-adventure-v2013<a href="http://arctic-emily.blogspot.ca/2013/02/the-many-hats-of-lab-emily.html">Emily's Arctic Adventure: The many hats of Lab Emily</a><br /><a href="http://arctic-emily.blogspot.ca/2013/02/the-many-hats-of-lab-emily.html"><br /></a>Crow Emily is hard at work on the CRL lidar at Eureka, only 1100 km from the North Pole! Follow her blog.<br /><br />I believe based on the FoxInSox post in her blog she wears 500 hats (initially).Camel fossils found in Canadian Arctic2013-03-25T17:34:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2013/03/25/camel-fossils-found-in-canadian-arctic<a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/science/paging-lawrence-of-nunavut-camel-fossils-found-in-canadian-arctic/article9296216/">Paging Lawrence of Nunavut: Camel fossils found in Canadian Arctic</a><br /><a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/science/paging-lawrence-of-nunavut-camel-fossils-found-in-canadian-arctic/article9296216/"><br /></a>How completely utterly cool is this, your desert camel’s ancestors were Canadian and lived in Nunavut!<br />Hey Crow Emily keep your eye out for camel bones up there!Arctic scientists see Canada slipping on world stage2013-03-25T17:34:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2013/03/25/arctic-scientists-see-canada-slipping<a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2013/03/12/arctic_scientists_see_canada_slipping_on_world_stage.html">Arctic scientists see Canada slipping on world stage | Toronto Star</a><br /><a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2013/03/12/arctic_scientists_see_canada_slipping_on_world_stage.html"><br /></a>Yet increasingly, the basic science that would let us understand changes occurring in our own backyard — and either mitigate or take advantage of them — is being neglected by Canada and assumed by other countries, Arctic researchers say.<br /><br />Austerity does not mean out-sourcing your future. As our Anthem says: “The True North strong and free!” Would it be cynical to suggest that since the most dramatic changes in climate due to human activity occur in the polar regions it is best to ask as few questions about the North as possible?Hey Crow Emily great man-scan for the door insulation. #itsNotInMirrorRoom2013-02-25T16:45:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2013/02/25/hey-crow-emily-great-man-scan-for-door<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9425531748/" title="Untitled by Purple Crow Lidar, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="374" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3776/9425531748_70110ee419.jpg" width="500" /></a>src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3776/9425531748_70110ee419_z.jpg" width="640" /></div>Hey Crow Emily great man-scan for the door insulation. #itsNotInMirrorRoomDiscovery of upper atmosphere bacteria that affect weather2013-01-29T18:35:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2013/01/29/discovery-of-upper-atmosphere-bacteria<a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/research-discovery-of-upper-atmosphere-bacteria-that-affect-weather">Research: Discovery of upper atmosphere bacteria that affect weather - National Paeleontology | Examiner.com</a><br /><a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/research-discovery-of-upper-atmosphere-bacteria-that-affect-weather"><br /></a>Whether the microorganisms routinely inhabit this portion of the atmosphere – perhaps living on carbon compounds also found there – or whether they were simply lofted there from the Earth’s surface is not yet known.<br /><br />Cool. Live and mutate a 1000 generations at 6 km altitude, coalesce into a raindrop, fall to the survive. Cause a plague.<br /><br />via the <em>American Meteorological Society</em>P&A Curling Night 26Jan13 on Flickr.2013-01-27T18:35:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2013/01/27/p-curling-night-26jan13-on-flickr<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/8419442177/" title="P&A Curling Night 26Jan13 by Purple Crow Lidar, on Flickr"><img alt="P&A Curling Night 26Jan13" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8078/8419442177_8bc82e7c66.jpg" width="374" /></a></div>So after 25 years of watching the Tournament of Hearts Mr & Mrs Crow got to rock the house ourselves. The happy expression on our faces are due in large part to the efforts of the organizer of the event, @pbambry, who wisely put us on different teams that didn’t play each other!Sorry Fbook followers of the Purple Crow Lidar2012-12-14T18:45:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/12/14/sorry-fbook-followers-of-purple-crowThose who Know the Crow are well aware of the high regard he has for Facebook (not). In fact he spends as little time dealing with it as possible and encourages the entire world to get an <a href="http://app.net/">app.net</a> account and stop having our social media-ing serving advertisers (find me on <a href="http://app.net/">app.net</a> @bobsica). Anyhoo and how, it turns out sometime in late October Fbook changed something with posting to pages, so only posts through <a href="http://purplecrowlidar.tumblr.com/">purplecrowlidar.tumblr.com</a> were making it to Fbook and not via selective tweets. So it goes. Below is a taste of some of what you missed by not following @purplecrowlidar on twitter.<br />Of particular note is the sad news I got yesterday about “austerity” (the newest swear word in the language) mercilessly striking the American Geophysical Union.<br />The Crow<br />ps I’m dumping all PCL tweets to Fbook now, if it gets to be TMI I’ll try to resolve this somehow.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://dl.dropbox.com/u/6782265/DecPCLtweets-2012-12-14-13-01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="390" src="https://dl.dropbox.com/u/6782265/DecPCLtweets-2012-12-14-13-01.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />“Detector box, you’re awesome”2012-12-11T18:35:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/12/11/detector-box-youre-awesome<br /><ul><li>Robin: “Detector box, you’re awesome”</li><li>Box: “Ahhh Robin, come on you did all the aligning, I just recorded the photons”</li></ul><br />Congratulations to Crow @Robin_Wing for successfully defending his MSc thesis!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9403544926/" title="tumblr_mewd95uXwa1rxeglxo1_1280 by Purple Crow Lidar, on Flickr"><img alt="tumblr_mewd95uXwa1rxeglxo1_1280" height="333" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3721/9403544926_8074ff6e55.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>Crow Emily watch out! Look behind you! #Endeavour is flying right past you at #JPL.2012-10-15T17:35:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/10/15/crow-emily-watch-out-look-behind-youCrow Emily watch out! Look behind you! #Endeavour is flying right past you at #JPL.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9403512434/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="tumblr_mby41uk1Ls1rxeglxo1_1280 by Purple Crow Lidar, on Flickr"><img alt="tumblr_mby41uk1Ls1rxeglxo1_1280" height="500" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3708/9403512434_ea6c1aca9c.jpg" width="375" /></a></div>Daring Fireball on Mars Curosity computing specs2012-10-12T18:43:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/10/12/daring-fireball-on-mars-curosity<a href="http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/134041-inside-nasas-curiosity-its-an-apple-airport-extreme-with-wheels">John Gruber in #DaringFireball on @MarsCurosity computing specs </a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/134041-inside-nasas-curiosity-its-an-apple-airport-extreme-with-wheels"></a>Amazing how modest the processing power and software system is on state-of-the-art equipment. As I remember it took until the late 80’s before 8086 processors where flight-certified by NASA. HonkHonkHonk: Western installs new Weather Siren2012-10-12T18:36:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/10/12/honkhonkhonk-western-installs-new<a href="http://communications.uwo.ca/media/weathersiren/">HonkHonkHonk: Western installs new Weather Siren</a><br /><a href="http://communications.uwo.ca/media/weathersiren/"><br /></a>Sirens! Harpies! Draw us to the rocks on Western Road will ye she-devils. Send warning to all that neither driving rain, sleet or icy winds shall stop the University of Western Ontario from its mission of destiny!Terrifying #xkcd on wind power and turbulence2012-10-12T17:36:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/10/12/terrifying-xkcd-on-wind-power-andTerrifying because it is better than most of the “science” in the ridiculous debates over the health effects of turbines! Also just funny cause it’s picture of an “un-turbulence-izer” would love to get me one of those and put it by the lidar.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/undoing.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="350" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/undoing.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />Badges? We don’t need no badges!2012-10-12T17:36:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/10/12/badges-we-dont-need-no-badges<strong>Badges? We don’t need no badges!</strong><br>Well, actually Crow Emily does to get around at JPL. She’s been picking up lots of tricks, I hope they let her take a turn to drive Curiosity!<br><br><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9400690935/" title="tumblr_mbr1o92H8P1rxeglxo1_1280 by Purple Crow Lidar, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5488/9400690935_c95eb75cb7.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="tumblr_mbr1o92H8P1rxeglxo1_1280"></a>UWO Astronomy Student Names an Asteroid after Orchestra London2012-10-05T17:36:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/10/05/uwo-astronomy-student-names-asteroid<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://d.pr/i/eA7p/4lCS7LTv+" /></div><div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"><br /></div>Misconduct, Not Error, Accounts For Most Scientific Paper Retractions2012-10-04T17:36:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/10/04/misconduct-not-error-accounts-for-most<a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/misconduct-not-error-accounts-for-most-scientific-paper-retractions-2012-10-01">Misconduct, Not Error, Accounts For Most Scientific Paper Retractions</a><br /><a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/misconduct-not-error-accounts-for-most-scientific-paper-retractions-2012-10-01"><br /></a>Brought to my attention from my colleague Prof. deBruyn in Physics. 67.4% of the medical papers retracted were due to <em>misconduct</em> not errors!@cpsx ‘ers: take a virtual tour of the Japanese space agency!2012-10-01T21:34:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/10/01/cpsx-ers-take-virtual-tour-of-japanese<h2>Google Lat Long: Explore the Forefront of Japanese Space Science</h2>Follow the links (and the Google tricycle) around the JAXA Space museum!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height=““315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/H-rKcjAYDiI?feature=player_embedded" width=““560"></iframe><br /></div><br /><br /><a href="http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2012/09/explore-forefront-of-japanese-space.html?spref=bl">Google Lat Long: Explore the Forefront of Japanese Space Science wi...</a>: September 12th is “Space Day” in Japan, and we are celebrating by releasing new, comprehensive Street View imagery for two of Japan’s top s...Aurora Seen from Northern Ontario: 1 October 20122012-10-01T18:48:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/10/01/aurora-seen-from-northern-ontario-1<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">Spectacular photo of the aurora (Northern Lights) from last night’s large solar storm from Thunder Bay, Ontario (from </span><a href="http://www.weathernetwork.com/" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><span style="color: #042eee;">The Weather Network</span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">).</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><img height="75%" src="http://d.pr/i/Epu3/1WYLpEgC+" width="75%" /></div>Recollections of the ISSI Lidar Temperature and Ozone Algorithms Working Group: Meeting 32012-09-23T19:23:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/09/23/recollections-of-issi-lidar-to3Wow been just over a week since I left Switzerland after a (hard!) working group meeting on lidar temperature and ozone algorithms (part of the Network for Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change, <a href="http://www.ndacc-lidar.org/" target="_blank">NDACC, lidar group</a>). The <a href="http://www.issibern.ch/" target="_blank">International Space Science Institute</a> was very accommodating to us, the weather was too nice (hard to work indoors through much of the day) and the meeting extremely productive. The group (including NDACC lidar scientists not at this meeting) is working on various issues of our data analysis with the goal of further improving the uniformity of the global data sets available from the NDACC program. During the week we spent considerable time on several details, some of which seem at first to not be important to the problem at hand. For instance, using our temperature measurements in the middle and upper atmosphere to investigate atmospheric change requires a fairly precise knowledge of Earth’s gravity at the surface. So we have to expand our expertise beyond the atmosphere into other areas, which to me is a fun part of being a scientist.<br /><br />Our working group leader Thierry had us marching along in tight formation all and we obediently followed (for a bunch of scientists).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GwQghyLfiG0" width="560"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We worked hard all day but enjoyed dining together in the evening.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://modules.drs.ch/data/pictures/drsmw/2012/sinerzyt/142489.120910_sinerzyt_alpabfahrt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://modules.drs.ch/data/pictures/drsmw/2012/sinerzyt/142489.120910_sinerzyt_alpabfahrt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And not to worry! I got both a goat bell</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.gadmin.ch/535039" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://images.gadmin.ch/535039" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">and a cowbell (slightly smaller :-)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/419/2939/1600/IMG_0606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/419/2939/1600/IMG_0606.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pat and I have been happily clanging away all week. Here are a couple more pictures.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="375" width="500"> <param name="flashvars" value="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fpurplecrowlidar%2Fsets%2F72157631605206506%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fpurplecrowlidar%2Fsets%2F72157631605206506%2F&set_id=72157631605206506&jump_to="></param><param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=109615"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=109615" allowFullScreen="true" flashvars="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fpurplecrowlidar%2Fsets%2F72157631605206506%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fpurplecrowlidar%2Fsets%2F72157631605206506%2F&set_id=72157631605206506&jump_to=" width="500" height="375"></embed></object></div>Duck sets the Record Straight on Canadian Arctic Science2012-09-21T12:19:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/09/21/duck-sets-record-straight-on-canadian<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.candac.ca/candac/Links/Media/Images/MW-2008-ridge_lab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="the PEARL observatory in winter" border="0" height="272" src="http://www.candac.ca/candac/Links/Media/Images/MW-2008-ridge_lab.jpg" title="PEARL stands on Guard for Canada in Eureka, Nunavut" width="320" /></a></div><br />Disturbing words from Canada’s Enviroment Minister Peter Kent. This past week he wrote a letter to the Victoria Times-Colonist mis-representing several important facts about the Harper Government’s brutal, targeted cuts on Arctic science. Prof. T. Duck (Dalhousie University) replies to Kent’s misrepresentation of the facts in a letter to <a href="http://ipolitics.ca/">iPolitics.ca</a>, concluding:<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">… point-by-point Kent’s claims about PEARL are factually incorrect. Many other claims in the Times-Colonist letter have been so profoundly discredited that it is no small wonder he had the gall to utter them. This past week, in response to criticism he had “misled Canadians”, Kent told an opposition MP that she should talk to “better informed scientists”. What we really need is a better-informed Minister.</blockquote><br />I encourage you to<a href="http://www.ipolitics.ca/2012/09/21/kents-claims-regarding-canadas-arctic-pearl-factually-incorrect/" target="_blank"> read the rest of Prof. Duck’s letter on iPolitics.ca.</a> Echo Base in the Sunshine2012-09-01T19:53:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/09/01/echo-base-in-sunshine<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobsica/8487123194/" title="2012-09-01_1346523468 by seek113, on Flickr"><img alt="2012-09-01_1346523468" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8234/8487123194_faef7d248d.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 12px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">Wave clouds over the #EchoBase Observatory. In the daytime, when the Crows usually sleep :-) </span></div></div>Congratulations to Crow Emily on winning the William H. Wehlau award!2012-08-22T18:22:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/08/22/congratulations-to-crow-emily-on<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://d.pr/i/G7NL/2TZJgMWC+" /> </div><br />Crow Emily was recently recognized as the top student in the Astronomy graduate program: <a href="http://uwophysastro.posterous.com/emily-mccullough-receives-the-william-h-wehla" target="_blank">(via the UWO Physics & Astronomy Blog).</a> She is shown being presented the award by Astronomy Prof. Amelia Wehlau at the Department picnic. We Crows are all so proud of Emily!Moon Landing2012-07-20T20:05:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/07/20/moon-landing<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/moon_landing.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/moon_landing.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 12px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 12px;">Take that you crazy NASA moon landing deniers (via <a href="http://xkcd.com/1074/"><span style="color: #042eee;">xkcd: Moon Landing</span></a>). On the other hand it’s hard to pull off an operation like this given the current budget envelope.</div><div><br /></div>FML: Google buys Sparrow Mail2012-07-20T19:59:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/07/20/fml-google-buys-sparrow-mailSo guess who just took the last few days to switch over to Sparrow. I’m on a crappy role here, first all my blogs were on Posterous and now Sparrow has flown the coop. I hope they live up to their promise of continued support unlike Posterous who left its users out in the cold with no support. That being said I have a support issue going back and forth with the Sparrow people and they have been terrific, answering me as recently as last night when you would have thought they would be partying! <br /><br />added 30 July 13: put tumblr on that list as well!Leap Second Bug Causes Glitches for LinkedIn, Reddit, More2012-07-02T20:02:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/07/02/leap-second-bug-causes-glitches-for<a href="http://mashable.com/2012/07/01/leap-second-bug-outages/">'Leap Second Bug' Causes Glitches for LinkedIn, Reddit, More </a><br /><br /><a href="http://mashable.com/2012/07/01/leap-second-bug-outages/"></a>Ah #Romana it is a simple matter of time. Venus Transit Event @westernu2012-06-06T20:23:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/06/06/venus-transit-event-westernu<div>Nice to see some many people out in #ldnont getting a painless dose of #science at the #venustransit </div><div><br /></div><div>I’ve posted a few pictures on Flickr: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobsica/sets/72157634859742751/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobsica/sets/72157634859742751/</a></div><div><br /></div><div>NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory science team has posted <a href="http://venustransit.gsfc.nasa.gov/" target="_blank">some terrific movies</a> of SDO’s view of the Venus Transit. Plus you get to say ingress and egress!<br /><br /><a href="http://photoblog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/06/08/12127375-in-one-of-a-kind-photo-hubble-and-venus-cross-sun" target="_blank">The Hubble Space Telescope also captured the event.</a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BSCbme3tMzA/UfggrRULsEI/AAAAAAAAktQ/2qXhJ19LW6w/s1600/tumblr_m57k8afphn1rxeglxo1_r2_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BSCbme3tMzA/UfggrRULsEI/AAAAAAAAktQ/2qXhJ19LW6w/s400/tumblr_m57k8afphn1rxeglxo1_r2_1280.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div>Canadian Environmental Day of Protest2012-06-04T04:00:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/06/04/blog-post<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ANJh71tXs10/T8wSzwpALBI/AAAAAAAAPhk/fUI8uJoLOSw/s1600/blackout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ANJh71tXs10/T8wSzwpALBI/AAAAAAAAPhk/fUI8uJoLOSw/s400/blackout.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/06/03/pol-campaign-to-oppose-budget-bill.html?cmp=rss">Anti-budget protest will see websites go dark - Politics - CBC News</a></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;"><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/06/03/pol-campaign-to-oppose-budget-bill.html?cmp=rss"></a><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 12px;">If you’ve from not from Canada you may not be aware our Government is cutting multiple arms of environmental research off, including atmospheric ozone measurements.</div>Mysterious Light in the Sky2012-06-02T16:59:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/06/02/mysterious-light-in-skyHow cool is this! Jay Brodie, walking his dog northwest of London saw our laser (I’m guessing from several km away) and made this video which he posted on youtube in hope that someone would explain what he saw.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UAGejaauWPE" width="480"></iframe><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Fortunately he found this blog and figured out what was going on. So those in the Northern part of London, ON watch those skies north of the city on clear nights and you might see our beam!</div></div>Comparisons with the NASA ALVICE lidar are in Progress, so… Why Measure Water Vapour in the Upper Atmosphere?2012-06-01T18:53:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/06/01/comparisons-with-nasa-alvice-lidar-areThe Crows have become Night Owls and put in a Herculean effort in the last couple weeks to prepare and begin measurements with our <a href="http://www.ndacc.org/" title="NDACC Homepage">Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC)</a> colleagues from <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html">NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center</a>. The group we are collaborating with is led by Dr. Dave Whiteman and their lidar system is called <strong>ALVICE</strong>: <em>Atmospheric Lidar for Validation, Interagency Collaboration and Education</em>.<br /><br /><br /><figure> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MtiJ8wLBX-c/T8kOvDmA29I/AAAAAAAAPhU/GHxMexFCcas/s1600/ALVICEatEB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MtiJ8wLBX-c/T8kOvDmA29I/AAAAAAAAPhU/GHxMexFCcas/s400/ALVICEatEB.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><figcaption><br /></figcaption><figcaption><i>The NASA ALVICE trailer parked out at Western’s Environmental Science Research Facility. The building housing the PCL system is just to the left of the trailer.</i></figcaption></figure> <br />The ALVICE system is mobile, meaning that it can be transported in a self-contained trailer. The system can measure water vapor mixing ratio, aerosol backscatter/extinction/depolarization and temperature in both daytime and nighttime. The ALVICE group is not just from NASA but includes students and faculty from <a href="http://www.howard.edu/" title="Howard University">Howard University</a> in Washington DC, as well as collaborating scientists from Brazil and Bolivia.<br /><br />The goal of our measurements over the next month is to compare our measurements to validate our system calibrations, by inter-comparisons, balloon measurements, calibration sources and satellites. The balloon measurements include regular weather balloons plus ozonesondes and <a href="http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ozwv/wvap/instrument.html">frost point hygrometers</a>, which are carried up by a balloon into the stratosphere to measure the small (a few ppmv) but important amount of water vapour present (1 ppmv means in a cubic litre of air in the lower stratosphere for every million air molecules there is 1 water vapour molecule). The PCL has been able to do these validation checks in the past in the lower and middle troposphere (the lower part of the atmosphere below about 12 km altitude) but has not had the ability to validate its measurements in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (the UTLS). <br /><br />The UTLS is of great importance in large part due to water vapour, as water vapour is important in the chemistry of ozone. If the temperature changes in the troposphere it affects the amount of water vapour which can mix into the stratosphere and interact with ozone. Assessing this situation is complicated. Weather and climate are highly complex systems that are fully nonlinear, meaning that small changes to the system in one location can cause large feedbacks throughout the system. Weather is inherently highly variable, particular at middle latitudes. To make matters more complicated, humans have a significant affect on the already highly unstable natural cycle. The body of evidence shows we are in a period of rapid warming near the surface that is due to human activity, which appears to be having significant affects on the weather. To further complicate the affect of temperature change, for a significant period of time we released a large amount of chlorofluorocarbons into the lower atmosphere, which made there way into the stratosphere and caused unnaturally large ozone losses, particularly at the poles (e.g. <a href="http://www.atm.ch.cam.ac.uk/tour/" title="Ozone Hole Tour">polar ozone holes</a>). Goals of the NDACC program include trying to understand these interactions be making long term measurements of water vapour, ozone and temperature.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="265" src="http://d.pr/i/sRnb/4dMDtSzl+" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: medium; text-align: -webkit-auto;">An image from the International Space Station shows a pileus cloud forming over the Sarychev volcanic eruption in 2009 (from the Wikipedia page on Pileus Clouds).</i></td></tr></tbody></table>In addition to affecting ozone chemistry, the UTLS is a region of important dynamical interactions between air in the stratosphere and troposphere The tropospheric air can contain natural and anthropogenic pollutants, which are carried into the stratosphere and distributed on a global-scale before falling back to the surface, a process called <strong>stratosphere-troposphere exchange.</strong> We used to imagine that the stratosphere and troposphere were separated by a rigid “lid”, (the temperature inversion which defines the tropopause). During times of intense convection over cumulonimbus clouds a pileus cloud would occasionally be observed to form in the lower stratosphere, but otherwise dry, ozone-rich stratospheric air was separated from relatively moist, ozone-depleted tropospheric air. However, it is now known that when the speed of the jet stream intensifies in regions of surface cyclogenesis tropospheric folds can develop which can cause air to rapidly be exchanged between the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere.<br /><br />It is just now being recognized another factor which can affect water vapour and ozone in the UTLS is due to <strong>forest fires</strong>. We are already at the start of what is appearing to be a extremely active fire season. A small number of these fires can develop into huge wildfires that can combine with severe thunderstorms, where vigorous convection is occurring. It was only recently appreciated that this convection can be so strong that smoke particles and carbon monoxide can be carried into the stratosphere and transported great distances. While initial reaction to this idea was met with some skepticism, measurements have clearly demonstrated this is the case. With global warming comes more forest fire activity, and pyroconvection may have significant implications on ozone and temperature change. There has been activity the last few days from fires out West that may bring some of this smoke over the London area.<br /><br /><br /><figure><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KzTDBa-qhMQ/T8kOuUJ8HcI/AAAAAAAAPhM/UCnwVdA6bCE/s1600/30June02s.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KzTDBa-qhMQ/T8kOuUJ8HcI/AAAAAAAAPhM/UCnwVdA6bCE/s400/30June02s.png" width="400" /></a></div><figcaption><br /></figcaption><figcaption><i>Measurements of a smoke layer in the UTLS due to a fire in northern Saskatchewan (from <strong>Doucet,</strong> 2009).</i></figcaption></figure> <br />I will post more updates as the campaign progresses. In fact I just heard we had a successfully FPH flight last night (though it looks like we would need a submarine to recover this one as it landed in Lake Ontario, drat!).Our old N2 filter when "blue" on us: here's our new one2012-05-23T17:41:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/05/23/our-old-n2-filter-when-blue-on-us-heres<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobsica/8487119746/" title="2012-05-23_1337794426 by seek113, on Flickr"><img alt="2012-05-23_1337794426" height="400" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8390/8487119746_131c475799_z.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">"Our new filter is here in time for tonight's measurements #lidar #605nm (15nm passband)"</div>Crow Emily wins Ramsay Memorial Award for Arctic Research2012-05-19T13:16:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/05/19/crow-emily-wins-ramsay-memorial-awardFrom all the Crows: congratulations Emily on receiving this recognition for all your efforts to help improve our understanding of the Arctic environment!<br /><br /><a href="http://blog.purplecrowlidar.ca/2012/05/crow-emily-wins-ramsay-memorial-award.html">Emily McCullough wins Ramsay Memorial Award - Western Physics and Astronomy WHAT'S HAPPENING</a>:<br /><br />The Ramsay award has been made annually to a student working in the Canadian Arctic.<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><h1 style="color: #2d4f7c; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=736339229338318027" id="cont" name="cont">Malcolm Ramsay Memorial Award</a></h1><div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The Malcolm Ramsay Memorial Award was created in 2000. During his career, he was a biology professor at the University of Saskatchewan and a world-renowned polar bear expert. He played a major role in the studies of many young Arctic researchers and was a strong supporter of the NSTP at the University of Saskatchewan.</div></blockquote>That's odd @NASA upon first meeting Mrs. Sica and saying that I got slapped #SuperMoon #May52012-05-03T14:08:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/05/03/that-odd-nasa-upon-first-meeting-mrs<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/kOplwuMTyS4" width="560"></iframe></div><div class="posterous_quote_citation"><br />via <a href="http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/02may_supermoon/">science.nasa.gov</a></div>Perigee "Super Moon" On May 5-6 - NASA Science Summer must be here because walking into the lab I stumbled upon a murder of #Crows2012-05-01T21:32:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/05/01/summer-must-be-here-because-walking<div class="posterous_autopost"><a href="http://www.word-detective.com/2009/02/22/murder-of-crows-etc/" target="_blank">Murder of Crows</a><br /><blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">As the Oxford English Dictionary suggests, “murder” may “perhaps [allude] to the crow’s ... harsh and raucous cry.”</span></blockquote>Like when I try to get them to get the lidar going!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9425284960/" title="40667767-IMG_1563 by Purple Crow Lidar, on Flickr"><img alt="40667767-IMG_1563" height="298" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5500/9425284960_071b07014d_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div>Out working on the laser, the Red Bud greets us at Echo Base #science2012-04-23T13:02:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/04/23/out-working-on-laser-red-bud-greets-us<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobsica/8486027581/" title="2012-04-23_1335186021 by seek113, on Flickr"><img alt="2012-04-23_1335186021" height="612" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8101/8486027581_3c9b13282b_z.jpg" width="612" /></a></div>Something to make your day more beautiful.2012-04-21T21:52:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/04/21/something-to-make-your-day-more<div class="posterous_autopost"><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="417" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hWz5ltE_I4c?wmode=transparent" width="500"></iframe></div></div>Fire truck out window! How exciting world-class science comes to a standstill.2012-04-20T16:54:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/04/20/fire-truck-out-window-how-exciting<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobsica/8487118560/" title="2012-04-20_1334940830 by seek113, on Flickr"><img alt="2012-04-20_1334940830" height="320" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8233/8487118560_2ed74dc53a_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The Crows Welcome Back Emily from Eureka. #PEARL #CANDAC2012-04-11T22:08:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/04/11/crows-welcome-back-emily-from-eureka<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9425285332/" title="39978390-IMG_1542 by Purple Crow Lidar, on Flickr"><img alt="39978390-IMG_1542" height="373" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5510/9425285332_84cff54931.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div><br />Robin treated us to some delicious cupcakes to celebrate Emily’s return from a successful campaign in Eureka, Nunavut. She is slowly adjusting to the high sun angle and 50 degree warmer temperatures. And working without a parka, toque and mitts!@xkcd: Lakes and Oceans. How about the Atmosphere next?2012-04-09T19:30:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/04/09/xkcd-lakes-and-oceans-how-about<div class="posterous_autopost"><div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><div class="p_embed p_image_embed"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/lakes_and_oceans.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/lakes_and_oceans.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://xkcd.com/1040/">xkcd.com</a></div>Would be glad to make myself available for any help required on a follow up on the Atmosphere, this is great visualization of the water, thanks!</div></div>Paul and Emily are on there way home from Eureka after freeing a stuck pump chamber. #CANDAC2012-04-05T15:13:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/04/05/paul-and-emily-are-on-there-way-home<div class="posterous_autopost">After a full day's work Emily and Paul demonstrate the required leverage to remove a stubborn pump chamber from the CANDAC CRL lidar transmitter.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/7048006387/" title="That's how you do it :-) by PurpleCrowLidar, on Flickr"><img alt="That's how you do it :-)" height="375" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7083/7048006387_6bde674151.jpg" width="500" /></a></div></div>Petition to Minister Kent to save the Canadian Polar Enviroment Atmospheric Research Lab2012-03-22T12:27:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/03/22/petition-to-minister-kent-to-save<div class="posterous_autopost">If you think it is a bad decision by the Canadian government to stop funding atmospheric research (including ozone studies) in the Arctic please sign this petition.<br /><div class="p1">You don't have to be from Canada to sign and have your voice to be heard.</div><div class="p1"><br /></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><a href="http://www.change.org/petitions/the-honorable-peter-kent-minister-of-the-environment-fund-the-polar-environment-atmospheric-research-laboratory#">http://www.change.org/petitions/the-honorable-peter-kent-minister-of-the-environment-fund-the-polar-environment-atmospheric-research-laboratory#</a></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div></div>When Opinion Trumps Scientific Reason #TheMark #PEARL #ozone #EnvironmentCanada2012-03-16T20:30:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/03/16/when-opinion-trumps-scientific-reason<div class='posterous_autopost'><div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"> <blockquote><div> <h4>Or the ideological basis for federal cuts to environmental spending.</h4> <p><img src="http://the_mark.s3.amazonaws.com/manual_images/sm/PEARL-Carousel.jpg" />The <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/02/28/science-pearl-arctic-research.html" target="_blank">closure</a> of Canada’s Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Lab (PEARL) has shocked many Canadians. Located at 80°N in the High Arctic on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, PEARL is the northernmost civilian research laboratory in the world. It is internationally recognized for ozone and climate research, and helped discover the first-ever Arctic ozone hole in 2011. PEARL is a Canadian success story that one U.S. government scientist <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/03/04/arctic-research-station.html" target="_blank">deemed</a> a “national treasure.” Now, many are left wondering why the Canadian government decided to bury that treasure.</p> <p>Like most university-based environmental-research programs, PEARL depends upon federal grants to operate. However, in recent years, funding opportunities for projects like PEARL have been narrowed or eliminated. Government support for PEARL’s main sponsor, the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences was <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/02/28/science-pearl-arctic-research.html" target="_blank">cut off</a>. Funding that was <a href="http://www.budget.gc.ca/2011/plan/chap4c-eng.html" target="_blank">promised</a> for climate and atmospheric science in the 2011 Federal Budget has been <a href="http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1140330--ottawa-squanders-canada-s-research-advantage-in-environmental-studies" target="_blank">held up</a> for nearly a year. The impact of this funding gap is far from benign. It has forced some of Canada’s best researchers to leave the country to find work. These experts were cultivated in Canada over many years and at great cost. It will take a generation to replace them.</p> <p><i><b></b></i></p><center><i><b>Related: <a href="http://www.themarknews.com/articles/7946-environment-and-economics-a-false-dichotomy">Environment and Economics: A False Dichotomy</a></b></i></center><p></p> <p>The funding crisis at our universities mirrors the ongoing cutbacks at Environment Canada (EC). In July 2011, the government <a href="http://www.hilltimes.com/news/2011/08/08/environment-canada-in-complete-and-utter-turmoil-as-feds-prepare-to-slash-776-jobs/27594" target="_blank">announced</a> that it would eliminate 776 positions from EC, with 300 staff to be declared surplus. The cuts are undermining important research and monitoring programs in ozone, atmospheric radiation, climate adaptation, environmental toxics, air quality, and airborne research. Canadians depend upon these programs to ensure their environmental security, health, and safety.</p> <p>How, then, can the government sufficiently defend these cutbacks?</p> <p>It’s possible that a scientific review conducted by knowledgeable experts could provide the appropriate justification. However, no such review has taken place. At the 2012 World Economic Forum in Davos, Prime Minister Stephen Harper <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/prime-minister-harper-unveils-grand-plan-to-reshape-canada/article2316795/" target="_blank">said</a> that Canada’s investments in science and technology have produced poor results and are a “significant problem for our country.” Given the lack of expert assessment, however, his comments are without merit: They represent his unscientific opinion, and nothing more. Scientists the world over are <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v483/n7387/full/483006a.htm" target="_blank">lamenting</a> what is happening to Canada’s scientific community.</p> <p>Canadian governments once understood that good policy is informed by science. In 1988, Brian Mulroney’s Progressive Conservatives commissioned independent experts to conduct a review of EC’s ozone program. The resulting report (“Measuring the Impacts of Environment Canada’s R&D: Case Study: Stratospheric Ozone Depletion Research,” 1998) stated that for every dollar spent on the program, Canadians received almost $13 in benefits to their health, environment, and economy. Health benefits included the avoidance of over 57,000 cases of skin cancer, 30,000 cases of cataracts, and 625 deaths in Canada over a 60-year period. Unfortunately, the Harper Conservatives have sought to dismantle what the Progressive Conservatives saw worthy of support.</p> <p><img src="http://the_mark.s3.amazonaws.com/manual_images/sm/PEARL-Embed.jpg" />What’s particularly concerning is that the cuts to Canada’s environmental-monitoring programs are not about money. PEARL costs <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/03/01/f-vp-bob-mcdonald-pearl-closure.html" target="_blank">$1.5 million</a> per year to operate, and EC’s ozone program likely costs about $1 million per year. Compare these costs with those of the government’s flagship programs: The budget for purchasing and servicing one F-35 fighter jet ($246 million, based on calculations from numbers given <a href="http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/02/15/julian-fantino-drones/" target="_blank">here</a>) would power PEARL half way into the next century. The budget for new prisons (<a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Prison spending trumps seniors Harper government/6227615/story.html" target="_blank">$9.5 billion</a>) might have seen PEARL into the next ice age. The cost of gazebos and other perks that were built for Muskoka in the run-up to the G8 meeting of 2010 (<a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/972725--tories-under-attack-over-bombshell-g8-spending-report" target="_blank">$50 million</a>) would have supported EC’s ozone program for the next 50 years. The budget for the War of 1812 celebrations (<a href="http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3329827" target="_blank">$28 million</a>) could have supported either program for decades.</p> <p><i><b></b></i></p><center><i><b>Related: <a href="http://www.themarknews.com/articles/8114-obstinate-harper-fuels-pipeline-opposition">Obstinate Harper Fuels Pipeline Opposition</a></b></i></center><p></p> <p>If money is not the issue, then why is the Canadian government so bent on making cuts to environmental spending? Harper made this clear last year during a trip to the Arctic, when he <a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1044347--nunavut-s-future-is-underground-says-harper" target="_blank">opined</a> that environmental concerns cannot be allowed to stand in the way of economic development. This is a dangerous attitude. The economy doesn’t exist independent of the environment. A 1990 report from the United Steelworkers <a href="http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/reports/working_future_jobs.html" target="_blank">explains it best</a>: “The real choice is not jobs or environment. It’s both or neither. What kind of jobs will be possible in a world of depleted resources, poisoned water and foul air, a world where ozone depletion and greenhouse warming make it difficult even to survive?”</p> <p>Unfortunately, the government has systematically reduced scrutiny of the impacts of its economic and environmental policies by eliminating or crippling important research programs like PEARL. The widespread <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/02/17/science-federal-muzzling-scientists.html" target="_blank">muzzling</a> of EC scientists has further removed expert opinions from the debate. Clearly, the government cannot protect the future health and safety of Canadians and Canada’s economic viability without reliable information about environmental change. Yet, that is exactly what it is trying to do. It is the triumph of ideology over reason.</p> <p><i>Photo 1 courtesy of Hermann Berg; Photo 2 courtesy of Tobias Kerzenmacher.</i></p> </div></blockquote><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://www.themarknews.com/articles/8287-when-opinion-trumps-scientific-reason">themarknews.com</a></div> <p>Op-ed piece from The Mark by Prof. T. Duck of Dalhousie. We continue to ask the question of why funding has been cut for Arctic ozone research when the amount of funding needed to continue this work (per year) is LESS THEN 5% OF RUN-UP COSTS OF THE G8 MEETING IN MUSKOKA (which was actually held 3.5 hours away in Toronto)? </p><p>Money, for a change, does not appear to be the issue here.</p></div></div>Prof. T. Duck asks about the missing $35million the #HarperGovnt promised for atmospheric research? #TOStar #westernu2012-03-05T13:14:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/03/05/prof-t-duck-asks-about-missing<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>OpEd piece from the Toronto Star.</p> <p><a href="http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1140330--ottawa-squanders-canada-s-research-advantage-in-environmental-studies">http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1140330--ottawa-squan...</a></p> <p> </p></div>Prime Minister Stephen Harper should set scientists free, says Nature #Editorial from #TOstar2012-03-04T17:03:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/03/04/prime-minister-stephen-harper-should<div class="posterous_autopost"><div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><div class="posterous_quote_citation">"For a western democracy, the Harper government has been moving entirely in the wrong direction when it comes to allowing freedom of speech for federal scientists." <a href="http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/article/1140253--prime-minister-stephen-harper-should-set-scientists-free-says-nature"> thestar.com</a><br /><br /></div>The Toronto Star weighed in today on its Editorial page on the recent publication in the journal Nature scolding the Harper government's on its insistence for muzzling federal scientists. I have had this happen to several colleagues, even to the level of having permission denied for trivial contacts (e.g. help from reports for local "Ask a Scientist" type columns). Reminiscent to me of the problems federal scientists working in the area of climate had in the U.S. had during the Busch administration.</div></div>Why Canadians should care about the closure of the PEARL Observatory. #CANDAC @westernu @lfpress @aguscipolicy @saveec @createarcticsci2012-03-01T17:16:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/03/01/why-canadians-should-care-about-closure<div class="posterous_autopost"><h1>Why Canadians should care about the closure of the PEARL Observatory</h1>Yesterday we announced the closure of the Polar Environment Research Laboratory (PEARL) located in the high Arctic at Eureka, Nunavut. And what should disturb Canadians about this news has nothing to do with scientific entitlement, belief or disbelief in climate change or signalling our failure as a nation to be able to honour international agreements and commitments. We should be disturbed by the rejection of the notion of <em>our sovereignty</em> by the current Government. Sovereignty has been a cornerstone of the Canadian identify for hundreds of years. Sovereignty is a part of the Canadian mystique, our world-renown ability to stickhandle through difficult situations and find common ground and compromise in chaos.<br />The current Government has in recent months, in addition to closing the PEARL facility, attempted to stop all ozone research by Environment Canada as well as successfully eliminated the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences (CFCAS). This well-coordinated attack on atmospheric science has two major implications for our sovereignty.<br /><ol><li><strong>Developing policy.</strong> Traditionally when governments are trying to determine future policy actions they need information on which to base their decisions. For instance, how will changing climate affect Canadian agriculture? What affect will future climate changes have on air quality? If the Government is successful and rids itself of scientists investigating climate and weather issues, and further is successful in cutting support to University researchers, <em>where is it going to get its information to make decisions?</em> If you are in business and want to make a plan should you rely on your competitors (e.g. other nations) to provide the best possible advice to benefit <em>you</em>?</li><li><strong>Health of citizens.</strong> Another important function of government is risk assessment. For instance, when the Antarctic Ozone Hole was discovered and was found to be growing its affects on humans was felt in New Zealand. It was critical for their government to be informed and know what was happening locally. Last winter measurements from the PEARL Observatory were a critical part of showing the first significant Arctic ozone losses that were at a level of the Antarctic Ozone Hole. We feel it is <em>a responsibility of the Government to monitor atmospheric air quality so they have the knowledge necessary to bring forward policies protecting the health of Canadians.</em> Do we want to rely on getting this information from other nations?</li></ol>For a Government that has made mention many times about sovereignty, particularly in the context of the Arctic, the closure of the PEARL observatory is particularly troubling. So are we to accept the plan is to just “develop” the Arctic and let’s not bother with any informed thought on how we go about doing that? That logic was prevalent in the 19th century expansion across North America, but we learned some hard lessons from that experience we should not forget. The Government’s logic that Canada’s loss of an <em>existing</em> high Arctic research facility is compensated for by a <em>plan</em> to <em>possibly</em> build a facility in 2017 located <strong>1600 km</strong> to the South is unacceptable (FYI 1600 km is about the distance from Toronto to Atlanta, Georgia!).<br />If your Canada includes <em>homegrown</em> scientific research into the environment to allow informed policy decisions and you want Canada to keep a scientific presence in the high Arctic to protect our sovereignty you can write to your MP, the Prime Minister and Minister Kent and let them know how you feel about the closure of the PEARL facility. Contact information is given at the end of this article.<br /><h2>Further Information:</h2><ul><li>Dennis Bevington, MP from Western Arctic, NT, questions the Government about the closure of PEARL:</li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GoopQmiBHiQ" width="480"></iframe></div><ul><li><a href="http://www.candac.ca/temp/closure/PEARL%20Closure%20Media%20Release%20-%20EN.pdf" title="CANDAC closure notice">Read the CANDAC closure notice.</a></li><li><a href="http://www.facebook.com/SavePEARL" title="Save PEARL">See the Save PEARL Facebook page.</a></li><li><a href="http://www.cfcas.org/media/quick-facts-on-cfcas/" title="CFACS FAQ">Read some facts about CFCAS.</a>. The Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences was the only funding available in Canada specifically for scientific investigations of climate and weather. The Harper Government chose to eliminate this program, thus making it difficult for weather and climate research to find support, as existing opportunities are either targeted for specific areas or have as a substantial part of their criteria, revenue generation.</li><li><a href="http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/sovereignty" title="Sovereignty">Article about sovereignty and its role in Canadian history.</a></li><li><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2011/08/24/north-harper-tour.html" title="Prime Minister Harper visits the North August, 2011">See an example of the Government’s commitment to <strong>development</strong> in the Arctic.</a></li></ul><h2>Contact Information to Let Your Voice be Heard</h2>You can locate your MP’s information at: <a href="http://www.canada.gc.ca/directories-repertoires/direct-eng.html" title="Find your MP">http://www.canada.gc.ca/directories-repertoires/direct-eng.html</a>. Letters mailed to the following addresses in Canada do <strong>not</strong> require postage.<br /><br />The Prime Minister address: Office of the Prime Minister, 80 Wellington Street Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2<br />Fax: 613–941–6900, E-mail: <a href="mailto:pm@pm.gc.ca">pm@pm.gc.ca</a><br /><a href="mailto:pm@pm.gc.ca"><br /></a>Enviroment Minister Kent can be reached at: The Honourable Peter Kent Minister of the Environment, Member of Parliament for Thornhill (Ontario), Les Terrasses de la Chaudière, 10 Wellington Street, 28th Floor, Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0H3<br />Tel.: 819–997–1441, Fax: 819–953–0279, Email: <a href="mailto:Minister@ec.gc.ca">Minister@ec.gc.ca</a></div>#CBCNews High Arctic research station forced to close2012-02-28T20:57:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/02/28/cbcnews-high-arctic-research-station<div class="posterous_autopost"><div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><div class="p_embed p_image_embed">via <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/02/28/science-pearl-arctic-research.html">cbc.ca</a></div>Sadly today marks the official announcement of the closure of Canada's PEARL Observatory. We have been unable to secure funding, primarily because we no longer have any government atmospheric or climate programs we can apply to for funds. The new observatory promised for 2017 is 1300 km to the south and is not in the high Arctic. Being in this location was important for being able to take measurements last spring during the largest Arctic ozone hole yet observed.</div></div>CRL update 201202232012-02-25T20:36:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/02/25/crl-update-20120223<div style="text-align: center;"><img height="480" src="http://d.pr/i/LsNU/5HUjLjsa+" width="640" /> </div><br />Good morning!<br />Here's the lidar shining into ice crystals last night while Chris was measuring. <br /><span class="HOEnZb"><br />via Crow Emily</span>Photo of the #CANDAC #Rayleigh #Mie #Lidar back in action from #Eureka #NWT.2012-02-25T01:27:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/02/25/photo-of-candac-rayleigh-mie-lidar-back<div style="text-align: center;"><img height="300" src="http://d.pr/i/3LlK/EnRs684Y+" width="400" /> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In Situ Crow Emily and the remote Dalhousie University crew have gotten the CRL lidar going again at the PEARL Observatory in Eureka. You can follow the ACE satellite validation campaign action at <a href="http://acebox.uwaterloo.ca/eureka">http://acebox.uwaterloo.ca/eureka</a>. Today marked the first day the Sun has (briefly) peeked over the horizon at 80 degrees North this year! </div>Why is this scientist smiling? Read the meter: 981mJ GREEN @ 30Hz. Game on! #lidar2012-02-20T17:40:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/02/20/why-is-this-scientist-smiling-read<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9425347336/" title="38135762-IMG_1525 by Purple Crow Lidar, on Flickr"><img alt="38135762-IMG_1525" height="298" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2843/9425347336_1a44344dce_z.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Well after a very long time the Crows are happy to report that we appear to have our laser issues resolved and we are hoping to be able to resume routine operations with our new transmitter. As the meter shows we are getting close to 1 J per pulse (@ 30 Hz) of green light from our new YAG. We were here before last March, but got stymied as the power quickly decayed. This problem appeared to be due to heat building up inside the system. Litron solved this problem by designing new covers with exhaust fans. There were also some internal times issues that appear to be resolved. We were also able to try our new beam expander, and it looks like we don't have any serious clipping issues (the beam was a bit larger than anticipated, but fixing the timing issues and changing lamps got us back to its nominal value). </div><div class="p1"><br /></div><div class="p1">Needless to see we are very happy and can get back to work, but without Crow Emily for a bit. She is up in Eureka working with the <a href="http://www.candac.ca/"><span class="s1">CANDAC CRL lidar system</span></a> until April. We'll keep you posted on that.<br /><br /><a href="http://flic.kr/s/aHsjHeWduK" target="_blank">See a few more snaps from the install here.</a></div><br />Our rods have seen better days. #QuestFor1Jgreen2012-02-16T17:14:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/02/16/our-rods-have-seen-better-days<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobsica/8487112366/" title="2012-02-16_1329412259 by seek113, on Flickr"><img alt="2012-02-16_1329412259" height="400" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8106/8487112366_422d0b1fe0_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Canada dropping the #ozone ball, scientists warn - Politics - CBC News2012-02-14T01:33:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/02/14/canada-dropping-ozone-ball-scientists<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplecrowlidar/9422581177/" title="37890600-media_httpwwwcbccagfx_pnJks by Purple Crow Lidar, on Flickr"><img alt="37890600-media_httpwwwcbccagfx_pnJks" height="349" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3783/9422581177_f775f7cfa3_z.jpg" width="620" /></a></div><div class="posterous_autopost"><div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><div class="p_embed p_image_embed"><br /></div><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/02/13/pol-scientists-warning-ozone-monitoring-custs.html?cmp=rss">cbc.ca</a></div>The CBC has picked up the AGU EOS article. I noticed the first commenter saying if EC thinks it is important they should cut something else. I would ask what would you do if your income was suddenly cut in half? Cut eating so you could heat your home? Live in a tent and eat better? Don't natter on about EC and priorities. Unless you think they should eliminate providing weather forecasts in Ontario to pay for their ozone program! Or do you believe they should outsource forecasting to another met service?</div></div>Wonderful. Harper govt to cut GSC's Ice Core Research Lab as well #EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt2012-02-11T23:22:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/02/11/wonderful-harper-govt-to-cut-gsc-ice<div class="posterous_autopost">Well got some feedback on the Harper Government cutting ozone research at Enviroment Canada. A colleague sent on this McLean's article about cutting the Geological Survey of Canada's Ice Core Research Laboratory as well.<br /><br />That makes sense, right? If your trying to erase the present climate record to justify unchecked development you better cover your tracks and deny the last 150,000 years as well!<br />The horror...<br /><div class="p_embed p_file_embed"><br />You can download the story from Macleans Magazine <a href="http://d.pr/f/OLBx/2P3F3hg1" target="_blank">here (pdf).</a><br /><div class="p_embed_description"><br /></div></div> </div>Ouch! From @theAGU #EOS: #EnvironmentCanada Cuts Threaten the Future of Science & International Agreements #ozone2012-02-10T22:20:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/02/10/ouch-from-theagu-eos-environmentcanada<div class="posterous_autopost">Top American Atmospheric Scientists conclude:<br /><br /><br /><div style="padding-left: 30px;">We are concerned, in light of the Environment Canada budget cuts, that the international community may no longer be able to rely on the exceptional efforts and past leadership role provided by Canada for Arctic research. </div><div style="padding-left: 30px;"><br /></div>The Harper government is turning it's back on Canada's "True North" stewardship by implementing draconian cuts to ozone science that will not allow Canada to fulfil several international treaties it is party to including the Montreal protocol (how ironic!) and the US-Canada Air Quality agreement.<br /><br />Download the article from AGU's EOS Transactions Newsletter <a href="http://d.pr/f/8Wvu/1pQTyOyS" target="_blank">here (pdf).</a><br /><br /> </div>Man my new office in the P&A building @westernu better have one of these.2012-02-06T14:02:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/02/06/man-my-new-office-in-p-building<div style="text-align: center;"><img height="640" src="http://d.pr/i/KRnT/44aqGX9m+" width="432" /></div><div class="posterous_autopost"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>and a sandbox would be cool too.</div>Blessing Iserhienrhien in the news: International Conference of Graduate Students Invades Nation’s Capital #uwophysastro2012-01-09T16:46:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/01/09/blessing-iserhienrhien-in-news<div class='posterous_autopost'><div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"> <div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="" src="http://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/201112/images/CAM-use-web-sm.jpg" /> </div> <div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/201112/camconference.cfm">aps.org</a></div> <p>PCL MSc graduate Blessing Iserhienrhien, now working on her PhD at University of Saskatchewan recently presented her work at the Canadian-American-Mexican Graduate Student Physics Conference in Washington, DC. Well done Blessing!</p></div></div>@CPSXnews rocks the Children’s Museum - Centre for Planetary Science & Exploration @westernu2012-01-06T00:54:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/01/06/cpsxnews-rocks-childrens-museum-centre<div class="posterous_autopost"><div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><div class="p_embed p_image_embed">via CPSX <a href="http://cpsx.uwo.ca/archives/5825" target="_blank">Emily & Marianne wow the kids</a><br /><br /></div>Crow Emily joins in at the London Children's Museum hands-on Western Centre for Planetary Science and Exploration exhibit. If you are in the YXU stop by before January 30!</div></div>Arctic mystery: What killed the ozone, and will it strike again? @margaretmunro2012-01-02T20:47:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2012/01/02/arctic-mystery-what-killed-ozone-and<div class="posterous_autopost"><div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><div class="p_embed p_image_embed">Margaret Munro did a story today in the Montreal Gazette about last winter's severe Arctic ozone loss and a look forward to our Polar Sunrise campaign, will which continue these measurements and allow us to see what 2012 has in store.</div></div></div>Last figure in the #Lego #StarWars 2011 Advent Calendar2011-12-25T01:10:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/12/25/last-figure-in-lego-starwars-2011<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobsica/9409020687/" title="Untitled by seek113, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="298" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5472/9409020687_97c6a9f428_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="posterous_autopost"><br />May the force stay strong in you.</div>The grad students have been locked into the new lab for theholidays @uwophysastro #westernu2011-12-20T18:37:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/12/20/grad-students-have-been-locked-into-new<p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/img_1387.jpg"><img alt="Img_1387" height="500" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/img_1387.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/></p><br/><p>The building is so quiet you can hear a church mouse over the holidays and it’s an ideal time for the graduate Crows to actually get some work done. So I had the building workers put up a force field barricade to keep them on task until the New Year. I’m not an ogre, we have it set up so they get 2 hours a day of internet access and will be fed (occasionally). I wish I had thought of this sooner!</p><br/><div>TheOldCrow </div>Gonna be a little tight in here till summer especially when Justin
returns2011-12-19T21:20:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/12/19/gonna-be-little-tight-in-here-till<p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/p73-scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="P73" height="374" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/p73-scaled1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/></p>Crow Emily can't contain her excitement about our renovated lab!2011-12-19T21:08:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/12/19/crow-emily-can-contain-her-excitement<p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/p68-scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="P68" height="500" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/p68-scaled1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/></p>Now it's a pain in the butt moving for the next 6 months. I'll have to remember to post this next to the lab v2.0 this summer.Hope you like the new look of the PCL blog, let me know.2011-12-18T23:28:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/12/18/hope-you-like-new-look-of-pcl-blog-let<p>I took some time to day to play around with the look of the blog. I liked this particular theme because it uses the full width of the screen and I managed to make the type readable for my eyes, play with the colors, add some links, "eggs cetera". What do you think?</p>A Couple of Photos from #AGU112011-12-12T05:02:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/12/12/couple-of-photos-from-agu11Here's a photo album from our epic trip to the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union.<br /><table><tbody><tr><td align="center" style="height: 194px;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/Bob.Sica/AmericanGeophysicalUnionFallMeetingDec2011?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite"><img alt="" height="160" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-xVGhT1FKdaE/TuWIJicKpkE/AAAAAAAAOfI/FtI7zDjIDZM/s160-c/AmericanGeophysicalUnionFallMeetingDec2011.jpg" style="margin: 1px 0 0 4px;" width="160" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/Bob.Sica/AmericanGeophysicalUnionFallMeetingDec2011?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting Dec 2011</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Last Report from the Crow's Nest for now from #agu11. Safe travels homepeeps.2011-12-09T23:30:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/12/09/last-report-from-crow-nest-for-now-from<h1>Posters</h1><br /><br />The morning was spend at my own poster. Well, actually the poster is the work of Crow Jaya who was not able to attend. And much of the work’s inspiration was due to Tom McElroy. I quick review of the poster: much of our temperature information in the middle atmosphere comes from measurements by lidars using the Rayleigh scatter technique, e.g. elastic scattering. The standard analysis used since (at least) the 80’s is a top down integration of the lidar returns for temperature. The problem with this method is you have to pick a pressure to start the integration. It turns out you then have to throw out the first 10 to 15 km of your retrieval. To get this 10 to 15 km back would require you to increase the lidar’s sensitivity by 4x, which would typically mean getting laser you couldn’t afford, a telescope you couldn’t afford or both.<br /><br /><br />We were able to get a non-linear inversion to work which allows the lidar returns to be integrated from the bottom up. The sensitivity to the initial pressure is not quite small, and the returns are useful over the entire height range.<br /><br /><br />Crow Robin had his poster showing off the capabilities of our system and our new observatory, Echo Base. He put a <strong>tremendous</strong> amount of work into moving the system and the rest of the team can’t thank him enough!<br /><br /><br /><h1>Ozone 2011 revisited</h1><br /><br />I did get to set in on Gloria Manney’s talk in the northern hemisphere ozone depletion section tying together the various measurements and meteorology to explain the record lost of Arctic ozone this spring.<br /><br /><br />It is interesting how this ozone destruction was <em>not</em> due to the temperatures being record cold but to the duration of temperature below the chlorine activation point and intensity of the vortex that caused the large ozone lost.<br /><br /><br />I also stayed for Rodica Linenmaier’s talk about the [CANDAC] (<a href="http://www.candac.ca/">http://www.candac.ca</a>) measurements. CANDAC operates the Polar Enviroment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL) in Eureka. She did a great job summarizing the measurements and contrasted them to the 15 years of measurements prior to this winter, again highlighting the importance of supporting long term measurements particularly in the polar regions.<br /><br /><br />Better go check a few more posters (and remember to pick up mine :–) but I think my fingers are done for AGU 2011.@robin_wing at his poster #agu11 @uwophysastro # 1945 stop by!2011-12-09T18:28:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/12/09/robinwing-at-his-poster-agu11<p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/image-scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Image" height="374" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/image-scaled1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/></p>Life hectic at #agu11 ? Tell yourself that when all is calm a diapychal
of an isopycnal surface points straight up.2011-12-09T01:53:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/12/09/life-hectic-at-agu11-tell-yourself-that<p>Scientifically an exciting afternoon for me but nothing concrete to report. I had some great conversations and discussions including a detailed tour of Karen Rosenlof’s ozone poster which was in a sense, about teleconnections. Teleconnections in atmospheric science concerns how changes at one height and location in the atmosphere can have significant affects on other atmospheric regions (in this case water vapor variations in the tropics affecting Arctic ozone via modification of large scale planetary (Rossby) waves). Way cool.</p><br/><br/><h1>Michael McIntyre lecture on the DIapychal Mixing by Baroclinic Overturning (DIMBO)</h1><br/><br/><p> I’m no oceanographer but that was OK because Michael eased us into in by using the more familiar (to me) atmospheric example of jets. The talk was broken down into</p><br/><br/><p> Zoology</p><br/><br/><ol><br/><li>tropospheric jets</li><br/><li>striations (ghost jets)</li><br/><li>Jovian jets (straight)</li><br/><li>Tokamak jets (apparently a similar phenomena occurs in these devices)</li><br/></ol><br/><br/><br/><p>Physiology</p><br/><br/><ol><br/><li>vortex dynamics is in balance</li><br/><li>PV invertibility: when PV has a step-like change a jet <strong>must</strong> form</li><br/></ol><br/><br/><br/><p>Anatomy: 2 extremes</p><br/><br/><ol><br/><li>strong jets: Rossby waves well guided like in the stratosphere</li><br/><li>weak jets: PV close to background beta and Rossby waves are unguided</li><br/></ol><br/><br/><br/><p>The Physics</p><br/><br/><ol><br/><li>strong jets cause eddy-jet barriers. Example: the polar vortex in the stratosphere, which “traps” air inside it and can be associated with regions of significant ozone loss if the air is cold enough and the vortex stable enough (e.g. the Antarctic Ozone Hole).</li><br/><li>PV mixing on the equatorward side sharpens the jets</li><br/></ol><br/><br/><br/><p>Michael showed several neat videos of these phenomena.</p><br/><br/><p>If you want reprints, preprints, this talk etc you can grab it off Michael’s website, google “lucidity principles” and it should be the first hit.</p><br/><br/><p>Haven’t spend much time at MW, I’m a South-side g I guess, so I have noticed I think for the first time that on the 3rd floor there is a large terrace you can walk out on and I just ran out and had a look and it is neat, check it out if like me you have been oblivious to it. BTW the Moon is full and I’m going out to howl at it.</p>Morning #agu11 Core Dump...All my writowdy friends came by for
lunch...On the taxpayer's dime back to work2011-12-08T23:06:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/12/08/morning-agu11-core-dumpall-my-writowdy<h1>Sagan Lecture: Geoff Marcy, Kepler measurements of exoplanets</h1><br/><br/><p>“Don’t go there Robert”</p><br/><br/><p>“Step away from the soapbox”</p><br/><br/><p>“Remember your blood pressure”</p><br/><br/><p>You are all invited to buy me a beverage sometime and ask “Bob why are you so critical/cranky/contrary in regard to exoplanet research”?</p><br/><br/><p>And I will answer you in any length desired because I realize I’m the 1% and the rest of you have joined the #OccupyUniverse cult.</p><br/><br/><p>So the story today was beautifully told by Prof. Marcy. I’ve gone to most of the 1 hr extended play talks and this was one of the best in terms of being pitched at an appropriate level for all geoscientists at the meeting, though a bit more discussion of the limitations of the arguments as well as the sampling bias would have been appreciated. Personally I would have like to seen a guess at what the entire planet-size/period space might look like? Is our solar system the 1% (hey hey hey I used that like in the first verse). No wait I stole that from Kayne. Whatever.</p><br/><br/><p>In fact attention to such detailed what have saved many giggles when your Crow asked “Why does everything you measure go CCW, would you have expected that?”</p><br/><br/><p>The answer being they don’t know which way they are going so of course they made a <strong><em>UNCONSCIOUS ASSUMPTION</em></strong> to quote new AGU fellow Michael McIntyre. Why not show half the orbits going the other way in the animations then?</p><br/><br/><p>… cause that is relevant to this Habitability Zone stuff (started by Planetary Scientist Jimmy Carter after he got fired, originally called Habitability Zone for Humanity). Not going to do you much good knowing you can have liquid water it if is 700K on the surface cause your screwy planet is rotating the wrong way (as if that could every happen).</p><br/><br/><p>OK I’m starting sorry and it would be petty of me to mention I can show from the Drake equation that all stars around inhabited planets have active magnetic fields.</p><br/><br/><p>But seriously it was an excellent talk and a simple but powerful instrument and I hope they can get many years of measurements.</p><br/><br/><h1>Shoemaker Lecture, Sean Solomon, Messenger</h1><br/><br/><p>and speaking of interesting magnetosphere how about Mercury? Sean Solomon filled us in his comprehensive summary of the Messenger, which is literally re-writing the book about Mercury.</p><br/><br/><p>As an airhead as opposed to a hard rock geoscientist I thought it was neat how they could show that the rocks on Mercury’s surface are more Earth-like than Moon like. I’m glad they have a good ahead to continue their measurements into solar max in 2013.</p><br/><br/><h1>Posters</h1><br/><br/><p>Only report is on a group of poster in the 140 to 160 region of Atmospheres concerning the record spring ozone depletion in the Arctic. One of the major successes in my scientific lifetime has been our ability to so thoroughly explain the ozone hole chemistry. We are even doing a good on the dynamics. I had the opportunity to have a long chat with Gloria Manney, who’s recent science paper made a comprehensive study of the situation. I had hoped to report we were getting closer to being able to predict the extent of ozone loss in the Arctic at least a few months before but no dice. Despite in some ways the stratosphere being simpler than surface weather we have about as much chance making a prediction up there than on the surface, despite what some of the model results might suggest.</p><br/><br/><p>Talks associated with this topic are tomorrow (Friday) starting at 13.40 in MW 3006. Gloria will be speaking first, highly recommended.</p><br/><br/><h2>Commercial</h2><br/><br/><p>The Canadian government is in the processes of ending <strong><em>all</em></strong> ozone research at Enviroment Canada. This ain’t a political forum and I’m not a political guy but I’m not on board with this, IMHO Canada as part of its stewardship role in the North critically needs to maintain its ozone monitoring program.</p><br/><br/><p>If you want more information or want to know what you can do to help follow @saveEC for further information.</p><br/><br/><h1>Remember: 1650 today in MW 3005 Michael McIntyre will be talking.</h1><br/><br/><p>The subject is irrelevant, please just go and you’ll thank me. As I keep saying one of the best lecturers I have ever heard.</p>Hey #agu11 people I have some questions for you #Experts. Feedback
please? Whipple Lecture & mo' posters..2011-12-08T01:21:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/12/08/hey-agu11-people-i-have-some-questions<h1>Whipple Lecture: Cometary nuclei</h1><br/><br/><p>After a great salad at an uncrowded, close, inexpensive lunch spot that you would have as much luck getting the location from me as my favorite fishing hole (if I fished) I attended the Whipple Lecture given by Prof. Whipple’s last PhD student, Joseph Veverka. Prof. Veverka discussed the Deep Impact and Stardust measurements of comet Tempel 1, the first comet with sufficiently high resolution images to explore the geology of the body.</p><br/><br/><p>The observations are a neat story because Deep Impact first visited Tempel 1, impacted it, but no observations of the resulting crater were possible as the dust didn’t settle fast enough. So they were lucky enough that 5.5 yr later they could return to the same spot with the Stardust spacecraft. And by some amazing orbital tinkering they came back at the right time for closest approach over exactly the spot they wanted. That being said, the results were, well, modest. More like “Cursory Impact”.</p><br/><br/><ul><br/><li>Experts: Prof. Veverka suggested the dust could have resettled on the body filling in the hole, but it is a 6 km body, is the gravity field sufficient given the other motions (e.g. rotation) to bring the material back or would it disperse in a cloud about the body?</li><br/></ul><br/><br/><br/><p>Anyway, there modeling work suggests the surface is similar to “lightly packed mountain snow”. A surprising thing I learned in the talk was the unlike mountain snow there is virtually no frozen water on the surface of this dirty snowball (sounds like one of those drinks on the bar menu I <strong>never</strong> order).</p><br/><br/><p>Another interesting results: the surface is covered with craters but they are <em>not</em> impact craters. They appear to be caused by material from the interior bubbling up to the surface. Also present on the surface are regions of melt which have flowed to the valleys of the surface (this little guy has a 850 m elevation gain on a body with a radius of 3 km!).</p><br/><br/><ul><br/><li>Experts: Planetary science heavily rely on crater counts for all kinds of inferences about planetary bodies. Does one attempt to correct for this on larger bodies, or does this process not happen. For instance on the Moon could a significant number of craters be non-impact in nature?</li><br/></ul><br/><br/><br/><p>So the hallmark of a good talk, it raised lots of questions in my mind.</p><br/><br/><h1>Posters</h1><br/><br/><ul><br/><li><p>1948: kudos to the University of Alberta who has begun a High Altitude Balloon program specifically designed for student participation. The have built a particle detector and have made a successful flight. Excuse the pun but I hope this program takes off!</p></li><br/><li><p>260: hey <em>experts</em> need your help again. This posters by Daniels et al measured high altitude waves due to lightning on Venus. They said that lightning occurs on Venus due to sulfuric acid droplets creating charge separation on “other particles”. In my mind lightning is intimately tied to strong vertical convection. Dynamics not required on Venus?</p></li><br/><li><p>276: Johnson et al., Energy and Power Spectrum of Thunder. Ms. Johnson has in my eyes a very interesting MSc thesis. I’ve seen lots of work on lightning but I didn’t realize that you can get important complementary information from the thunder (below 600 Hz). Apparently quantities due to charge compression can be discerned by these measurements.</p></li><br/><li><p>187: <em>experts</em> need you yet again. Didn’t get to ask the authors, who have developed a model of what a habitable planet would look like from space, but want a mission to L1 to make these measurements on Earth to test it. I would think plenty of data sets exist that could be convoluted to the appropriate observing bias you want to test?</p></li><br/><li><p>123: Hurst et al. had an interesting paper on stratospheric water vapor measurements. They showed using 2 long term data sets that the variability between the sets would cause a larger radiative forcing difference that the observer increases of stratospheric water vapor in the last decade. Lots of work to do here NDACC! I hope our stratospheric water vapor campaign with our colleagues at NASA will help in some small way with this important issue for climate modeling.</p></li><br/><li><p>26: Scary poster: Mahlsten and Knotti argue that if the global mean temperature increases 1.2 K above the current value that should be sufficient to cause the lose of <strong>all</strong> the Arctic sea ice. This result is based by a linear dependence basically all models find on global mean temperature and sea ice extent. So <em>Experts</em> my question is, as you approach the limit of less and less ice and the amount of water vapor is increasing, dynamics changing etc. would you expect this relation to continue to be linear? My nose tells me no but I’m out of my league here.</p></li><br/><li><p>1794: end with a planetary poster on Titan that answered something I was wondering, at least in the Arctic regions of Titan how much does it actually rain? Lorenz estimates it is cloudy 2.5-7% of the time and it only rains 1% of the time during these periods. Still that is a few meters per year, with a rate of about 0.1m/hr.</p></li><br/></ul><br/><br/><br/><p>Evening science meeting now so gtg. Enjoy your science.</p>Michael McIntyre's Fellow talk at #agu11. WOW. @theagu I demand Michael
get his own session next year. I'm #GyroscopicallyPumped2011-12-07T18:25:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/12/07/michael-mcintyre-fellow-talk-at-agu11<p>I can’t do justice to one of Michael’s talk. He is my favorite physicist to listen and learn from. If you go to one talk at AGU please go to his talk tomorrow (1650, OS44A MW 3005).</p><br/><br/><p>Quotes.</p><br/><br/><ul><br/><li><p>lucidity principles</p></li><br/><li><p>unconscious assumption</p></li><br/><li><p>stupid: energy budgets can solve everything</p></li><br/><li><p>small is unimportant assumption</p></li><br/><li><p>CO2 is the most important “non-condensing” gas</p></li><br/><li><p>negative viscosity makes no sense</p></li><br/><li><p>anti-frictional</p></li><br/><li><p>gyroscopic pumping</p></li><br/><li><p>thermally-driven is an unconscious assumption. And stupid.</p></li><br/><li><p>A = B assumption (equation A = B means B causes A, only for computers)</p></li><br/><li><p>pressure gradient does not cause the geostrophic wind</p></li><br/><li><p>The Taylor Bretherton identity rocks.</p></li><br/></ul><br/><br/><br/><h2>Note to AGU: can Michael please have his own session next time?</h2>My Tuesday afternoon poster/talk summary from #agu11. Did you see the
IR spectrum of the pork loin chop?2011-12-07T05:45:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/12/07/my-tuesday-afternoon-postertalk-summary<p>A few poster comments and the Bowen Lecture.</p><br/><br/><p>P23C-1727: Start by being a homer and plugging my colleague Paul Wiegert who was part of a team led by Martin Connors that found the first Earth trojan asteroid.</p><br/><br/><p>1629: an interesting lidar paper about taking vertical profiles of biomass, plankton (by florescence) and even sea surface wind speeds. I thought the laser power to get significantly deep would be excessive by some initial tests using CALIPSO looked promising.</p><br/><br/><p>SA41A-180: some results using the Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter radar to estimate the amount and size of mesospheric smoke particles (aged meteoric material). Promising start.</p><br/><br/><p>A21D-87 Johnson et al showed a portable DIAL carbon monitoring lidar the was pretty small and could measure over a horizontal range of several km.</p><br/><br/><p>U-7: Mrs Crow and I occasionally travel to Milwaukee on the Lake Express hydrofoil ferry out of Muskegon. Little did we know we may have been sharing the boat with some ozone monitoring equipment. Cleary et al got permission to measure ozone on multiple crossings and showed that synoptic flow and lake breezes drive the plumes of high ozone across the lake, with no preference of being higher on one side than the other. Very clever.</p><br/><br/><p>My #2 of the day was the sentence in one of the Atmospheric Electricity posters:</p><br/><br/><p>“Jellyfish sprites are a superposition of carrot sprites driven by a very large current moment.”</p><br/><br/><p>Admit it, how many of you really knew that until now?</p><br/><br/><p>First prize was hands down Niedziela et al, Poster 75, concerning Aerosols produced from cooked meats, including IR spectra of a chicken breast. There measurements showed the differences in aerosols produced from cooking chicken compared to pork loin chops. If this was Mad magazine the empty balloon with “insert your comment here” would be visible.</p><br/><br/><p>The day ended with Marc Hirschmann giving a Bowen lecture “By Permission of the Mantle”. He did an excellent job for people not in this area like myself allowing us to appreciate the effect of the mantle on the atmosphere. His talk explored the interesting problem of the hydrogen to carbon ratio on the surface compared to the mantle and the current ideas about how to reconcile the differences.</p>The Merry Christmas Poster at #agu11. Plus Delta Airlines is a
co-author.2011-12-07T05:23:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/12/07/merry-christmas-poster-at-agu11-plus<p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/p109-scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="P109" height="669" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/p109-scaled1000.jpg?w=224" width="500" /></a><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/p110-scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="P110" height="374" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/p110-scaled1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/><div class='p_see_full_gallery'><a href="http://blog.purplecrowlidar.ca/the-merry-christmas-poster-at-agu11-plus-delt">See the full gallery on Posterous</a></div><br/></div><br/></p>2 photos, one author whose handwritten note told it all, another group with proof there is a Santa Claus!ComicCon for Geoscience Day 2: The Crow's take on the #Bjerkes #Charney
Atmospheric Science talks at #agu112011-12-06T19:25:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/12/06/comiccon-for-geoscience-day-2-crow-take<p>Went to 2 of the hour invited talks today. Both excellent and thought provoking.</p><br/><br/><h1>Bjerkes Lecture: Paul Newman The 2010 Ozone Assessment</h1><br/><br/><p>Well there can be too much doom and gloom among scientists so we get a bit of a feel-good story inre: stratospheric ozone. The only monkey wrench on the horizon is the HFCs, which are not yet regulated. The good news is if we regulate them soon we will be OK, but if we do nothing in about 50 years we’ll be back to where we started in terms of ozone lost. Let’s get on this politicians.</p><br/><br/><ul><br/><li><p>did you know there have been 6 amendments to the original Montreal Protocol.</p></li><br/><li><p>decreasing ozone is <strong>good</strong> for increasing Vitamin D production, but of course the long list of health issues associated with it means I stick to my 1g a day of D in the winter.</p></li><br/><li><p>no consensus on the term Northern Ozone Hole yet but the fact remains when it gets very cold in the Arctic winter stratosphere we will lose significant ozone similar to the South.</p></li><br/></ul><br/><br/><br/><h1>Charney Lecture, Graeme Stephens, Clouds & Climate Change</h1><br/><br/><p>Excellent tour for the non specialist to the issues involved incorporating realistic cloud physics into global models. As an experimentalist I feel his pain in trying to communicate to the modeling community that sometimes you can’t do something a certain why because it is easy and/or efficient it if isn’t correct. Examples included the models producing (in certain situations) twice as much rain at half the amount of the measurements. Not really agreement</p><br/><br/><ul><br/><li><p>Learned with a Taylor diagram is, new one for me.</p></li><br/><li><p>Nice example at end of the affect of mixed-phase clouds on forecast.</p></li><br/></ul><br/><br/><br/><p>Poster time!</p>Well got through 500 posters today, more rambles within
from #agu11. @znarfoz check out 143. Time to Soiree2011-12-06T02:05:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/12/06/well-got-through-500-posters-today-more<p>Got through about 400 U & A posters then blitzed the P & SA with a little bit of geology for the heck of it.</p><br/><br/><h1>Noted</h1><br/><br/><ul><br/><li><p>don’t put your picture on your poster. I understand why you would, but I look at it and see a car or real estate ad and expect 25% off at least for reading your posters</p></li><br/><li><p>don’t use the same logo on your poster as you’re football team does on the helmet. Use the staid one on the letterhead your University uses for deaths and termination notices. I can’t explain why just trust me on this.</p></li><br/><li><p>OK, gtg, late for the Social Media Soiree and I have no idea what the heck it is? I thought Soiree was ice cream made with water instead of cream?</p></li><br/></ul><br/><br/><br/><h1>Posters Ramblings</h1><br/><br/><ul><br/><li><p>a couple posters dealing with teleconnections. I find this fascinating, the notion/fact that the atmosphere responses in a non-local manner to different effects. Ferreting them out is useful and I imagine fun, understanding them is tough. Posters <strong>109</strong> and <strong>269</strong> had some interesting results.</p></li><br/><li><p>not giving number but poor ### printed their poster 4'x6' but it the boards are 4' HEIGHT by 6' width</p></li><br/><li><p>Poster <strong>128</strong> makes available to us all the HIPPO data base of recent aircraft measurements and analysis for flight paths all over North America (maybe more?). Looks worth checking out.</p></li><br/><li><p>Trending: several people have put instruments on cargo ships to get a wide range of latitudes/longitudes covered. No pirates appeared to be co-investigators.</p></li><br/><li><p>143: Yo @znarfoz: Bruhl et al showed results for background stratospheric aerosols. They estimate carbonyl sulfide (COS) is the source for 70%, with some volcanic contributions by SO2.</p></li><br/><li><p>212: Pfister et al. showed aircraft measurements from the AATREX campaign of water vapor in the tropical troposphere layer. Changes in water vapor in this region have a huge affect on global temperature. Look forward to seeing more of these excellent measurements.</p></li><br/><li><p>221: Loved this (Canadian!) student paper by Haga et al on ice nucleation in mixed phase clouds due to fungal spores. Wished I had been able to talk to her. I overheard her saying they were wondering if the spores could be lofted in the high arctic. At the <a href="http://www.candac.ca">CANDAC lab in Eureka</a> we have an experiment that measures pollen brought up from middle latitudes to the high arctic. So why not fungal spores?</p></li><br/><li><p>263: another interesting Canadian student paper by Normand et al using OSIRIS satellite measurements to find cloud tops in the UTLS.</p></li><br/><li><p>379: Enviroment Canada sciences show that NO2 and SO2 hot spots are present over the minds at the tar sands. Nuff said.</p></li><br/><li><p>quick tour of the planetary papers, the Mars ionospheric work is neat and I enjoyed Girzain et al poster <strong>SA13A-1879</strong> that derived a Chapman profile for the Mars ionosphere. Definitely stealing that for my course next term, nice complement to the derivation I do for Earth. Or an exam problem maybe, ssshhhhh thank Goodness my students don’t read this.</p></li><br/><li><p>promised Geology: <em>1577</em> Lebrun et al showed the affects on cooling on a magma ocean on Earth on the choice of atmosphere. As the amount of water vapor increases relative to CO2 the cooling can slow down by 2x.</p></li><br/></ul>@uwophysastro here's Crow Emily at her poster #agu112011-12-05T22:34:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/12/05/uwophysastro-here-crow-emily-at-her<p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/p163-scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="P163" height="669" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/p163-scaled1000.jpg?w=224" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/></p>My picture with the mayor of San Francisco #agu112011-12-05T22:07:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/12/05/my-picture-with-mayor-of-san-francisco<p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><img alt="P100" height="640" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/p100-scaled500.jpg?w=225" width="480" /><br/></div><br/></p>My picture with the mayor of San Francisco's pictureMonday Morning, coming down... 85 down ? 1000 to go... Rivers of Air...
Proxy Fruvious? #agu112011-12-05T21:38:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/12/05/monday-morning-coming-down-85-down-1000<p>The Crow is rapidly going to summarize the morning before total fatigue sets in (this use to take until Thursday, not 1300 Monday?). My promise to walk the entire poster hall and report on Monday is on track, except it is now Monday Dec 12. I did get to #85 this morning. To whit.</p><br/><br/><p>Note: a lot of posters I go to and find interesting are in areas that I know little about, which are most areas, so pre-apologies for the misrepresentations of your hard work below.</p><br/><br/><h1>Union posters</h1><br/><br/><ul><br/><li><p>8: Dogma is that mineral dust when blown by wind get smaller as the wind gets stronger. This poster looked at many different measurements and concluded they are not consistent with this, the size does not depend on wind.</p></li><br/><li><p>11: affect of deep convection on dust storm in west Africa in the summer. Looks like &frac12; the dust is associated with cold pool outflows of air called <em>haboobs</em>. OK, I just wanted to type <em>haboobs</em>.</p></li><br/><li><p>16, 18, this group of Union posters were about media, including one about NCAR outreach and another on a general “model” for effective ways to set up exhibits at a science museum.</p></li><br/><li><p>U13A-0035 As always Dick Peltier from U Toronto has some interesting work he is doing with collaborator Liu. The had made a “soft” Snowball Earth model, i.e. the equatorial regions still have liquid water. However, there model had a very simple atmosphere. They are trying to improve the atmospheric model to find the point at which the system goes from soft to hard snowball.</p></li><br/></ul><br/><br/><br/><h1>Atmospheric</h1><br/><br/><ul><br/><li><p>A11 46 to 52 (or so): series of posters on the CALWater campaign that introduced your Crow to the atmospheric phenomena of a <em>atmospheric river</em> (AR). ARs are low atmosphere (2-4 km altitude) regions of rapidly moving air with high water vapor content, which occur at mid-latitudes and apparently in the sub-tropics as well. The have widths of 400 to 1000 km and move an amount of water per s 17x greater than leaving the Mississippi River discharge. In laymans terms that is a lot of water. Actually it is in scienctific terms as well. Another poster estimated that half the water in the Sierra Madre water basin is from these events. The ARs can interact with cyclones and/or orography and cause extremely heavy precipitation. Will have to look at our lidar water vapor measurements and see if we have encountered these and not realized it.</p></li><br/><li><p>65: Utah State Aggie almnus Durga Kafle is now at Argonne National lab working with the ARM program micropulsed lidars. His posters showed the value of these small lidars for continuous, long-term and eye safe measurements of aerosol optical depth. I need to find out if Mike Fromm knows about this data source.</p></li><br/><li><p>66-67 I found these posters terrifying but only because I may not know lots but I know enough geophysics to be terrified of the concept (let allow actual application) of geo-engineering. But then I teach first year physics to engineers. Sorry people, but to me this is asking for the atmospheric equivalent of cane toads. Thes posters describe techniques to implement the Latham Satter cloud albedo modification scheme, where clouds are generated over the oceans to give a global rise in albedo of 1%.</p></li><br/><li><p>82 Dr. Hui Su at JPL is doing some interest modelling of UTLS (upper troposphere lower stratosphere) water vapor. Since we make these measurements both with the PCL but in concert with many other lidars as part of the Network for Detection of Atmospheric Composition and Chemistry (NDACC) it was a good exchange, we need to interact with the modellers and vice versa as this problem is an important long term issue for Atmospheric Change research.</p></li><br/></ul><br/><br/><br/><p>that’s it for now, I have a few 1000 more to cover before dinner.</p>Interesting study showing the decrease in media coverage of global
warming, though majority of Americans still believe it is occurring.2011-11-22T18:39:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/11/22/interesting-study-showing-decrease-in<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> <div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><img alt="Media_httpsciencepoli_baiia" height="344" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/media_httpsciencepoli_baiia-scaled500.jpg?w=300" width="465" /><br/></div><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/11/15/360335/experts-debunk-polls-americans-believe-in-global-warming/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climateprogress%2FlCrX+%28Climate+Progress%29">thinkprogress.org</a></div><br/> <p>"Experts Debunk Polls that Claim Sharp Drop in Number of Americans Who Believe in Global Warming"<br/><br />from ThinkProgress.org</p></div>@weathernetwork just posted a short video clip by @markrozitis from the
Open House @westernu.2011-11-18T16:40:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/11/18/weathernetwork-just-posted-short-video<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> <div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><img alt="Media_httpwwwtheweath_zetzy" height="180" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/media_httpwwwtheweath_zetzy-scaled500.jpg?w=240" width="240" /><br/></div><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/storm_watch_stories3&stormfile=forecasting_weather_with_a_l_131111">theweathernetwork.com</a></div><br/> <p>This short video clip shows the lidar beam in the telescope room, as well as the liquid mercury telescope.</p></div>More Great Pictures from the #Lidar Open House at #westernu2011-11-15T21:30:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/11/15/more-great-pictures-from-lidar-open<p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/lidar_icfar_111211_0112-scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Lidar_icfar_111211_0112" height="332" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/lidar_icfar_111211_0112-scaled1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/></p><br/><p>Thanks to Mitch, Mike and Henry for contributing these pictures from the Open House, post on the Western Department of Physics & Astronomy website: <a href="http://physics.uwo.ca/images/webalbums/pcl_openhouse_2011/index_3.html" title="Pictures from the lidar open house" target="_blank">http://physics.uwo.ca/images/webalbums/pcl_openhouse_2011/index_3.html</a>.</p><br/><p> </p>Some Photos from the Purple Crow #Lidar Open House #westernu2011-11-14T22:02:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/11/14/some-photos-from-purple-crow-lidar-open<table><tbody><tr><td align="center" style="height: 194px;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/Bob.Sica/PCLOpenHouse?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMqGhK2oi8-q0gE&feat=embedwebsite"><img alt="" height="160" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-VQ_ivBkvW-o/TsGOFCLIK8E/AAAAAAAAOTM/KUSyPgR_n2w/s160-c/PCLOpenHouse.jpg" style="margin: 1px 0 0 4px;" width="160" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/Bob.Sica/PCLOpenHouse?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMqGhK2oi8-q0gE&feat=embedwebsite" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">PCL Open House</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Researching weather with a laser - The Weather Network2011-11-13T19:10:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/11/13/researching-weather-with-laser-weather<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> <div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><img alt="Media_httpwwwtheweath_esxfg" height="240" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/media_httpwwwtheweath_esxfg-scaled500.jpg?w=300" width="320" /><br/></div><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/storm_watch_stories3&stormfile=forecasting_weather_with_a_l_131111?ref=ccbox_homepage_topstories">theweathernetwork.com</a></div><br/> <p>The Weather Network website just carried a news piece about our project.</p></div>The sign says it all #westernu. Beautiful weather for the PCL Open
House. Be there or be a singularity!2011-11-12T20:17:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/11/12/sign-says-it-all-westernu-beautiful<p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/p214-scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="P214" height="374" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/p214-scaled1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/></p>Missed the #westernu PCL on #CBC #OntarioMorning this today? You can
listen to it here.2011-11-09T17:37:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/11/09/missed-westernu-pcl-on-cbc<div class='p_embed p_audio_embed'><br/><a href="http://blog.purplecrowlidar.ca/missed-the-westernu-pcl-on-cbc-ontariomorning"><img alt="" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/mp3.png?w=48" /></a><br/><div class='p_embed_description'><br/><span class='p_id3'><strong>Ontariomorningpcl9Nov11</strong></span><br/><a href="http://blog.purplecrowlidar.ca/missed-the-westernu-pcl-on-cbc-ontariomorning">Listen on Posterous</a><br/></div><br/></div><br/><p>Thanks to Wei Chen and Ontario Morning for a chance to talk to people about our research.<p /><p /></p>Big Scary Laser Event is on top of the @westernu home page! Come see
the #lidar and ICFAR! #westernu2011-11-07T20:58:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/11/07/big-scary-laser-event-is-on-top-of<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> <div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/media_httpuwocalocalf_cfeft-scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Media_httpuwocalocalf_cfeft" height="188" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/media_httpuwocalocalf_cfeft-scaled1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/><br/><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://uwo.ca/">uwo.ca</a></div><br/> <p>I hope coming by this weekend is in your plans as ICFAR and the PCL have quite a show cooked up for you!</p></div>Lidar Open House featuring our #ICFAR friends. Nov 12. Come on
out: @uwoscience @westernu @westernmustangs @uwogazette @cpsxnews #westernu2011-11-03T20:55:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/11/03/lidar-open-house-featuring-our-icfar<p>We're having an open house out at the new observatory. Come on out, the laser will be on and you can tour both our facility and ICFAR (Institute for Chemicals and Fuels from Alternative Resources) a centre at Western dedicated to developing new and environmentally friendly energy alternatives. Saturday, Nov 12, 5-8 pm.</p><br/><p><div class='p_embed p_file_embed'><br/><a href="http://blog.purplecrowlidar.ca/lidar-open-house-featuring-our-icfar-friends"><img alt="" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/pdf.png?w=48" /></a><br/><div class='p_embed_description'><br/><strong>Lidar_ICFAR_Open_House_Final.pdf</strong><br/><a href="http://getfile9.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-11-03/CgamAIhdgIjCJlHdqsEyHuvkuFewtdkBzwxCfdnznlucFgCDisIeIciazGCc/Lidar_ICFAR_Open_House_Final.pdf">Download this file</a><br/></div><br/></div><br/></p>Congratulations to Crows now Dr AR & JK on getting their degrees today.
Best of luck to you both!2011-10-28T17:32:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/10/28/congratulations-to-crows-now-dr-ar-jk<p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/p106-scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="P106" height="374" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/p106-scaled1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/></p>How to help try to save ozone research at Environment Canada2011-10-19T19:55:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/10/19/how-to-help-try-to-save-ozone-research<p><span style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;line-height:18px;"><strong>Bottom line:</strong> The Harper Government is in the processes of eliminating Environment Canada’s long-standing program of routine monitoring of atmospheric ozone</span></p><br/><div><span style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:18px;background-color:#ffffff;"><br/></span><div>Details:<br />Canada has a long history as a world leader in ozone research. It houses the World Ozone Data Centre. Which is more ironic? That much of the world’s ozone monitoring is done with Canadian designed and build Brewer-Dobson spectrometers. Or that it was just confirmed climate conditions have evolved to where a ozone hole has been confirmed in the Northern Hemisphere using in part these measurements (which of course won’t exist to track the hole in coming years if we allow this program to be cancelled).<p /> </div><br/><div>The current government in Canada is proposing to eliminate atmospheric monitoring of ozone. Colleagues at The University of Toronto have gotten Kirsty Duncan (Liberal environment critic) to present a petition on this issue. She is willing to present the petition again, if she gets additional copies with at least 25 signatures, and in fact is encouraging this to help keep up the pressure. <p /> Any Canadian resident who collects 25 signatures, can mail them (no postage needed) to: Kirsty Duncan, MP, House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6. Only original signatures are acceptable; no faxes o</div><br/><div>r scans. Petitions need to be judged to be compliant with the rules regarding such things, so it is wise to send them to Kirsty's staffer first, Ryan Murphy, who can "pre-clear" them with the House clerk. Just send them to <a href="mailto:kirsty.duncan@parl.gc.ca">kirsty.duncan@parl.gc.ca</a> and ask Mr. Murphy to check them. </div><br/><p /><br/><div>A sample petition is available below.</div><br/><div><div class='p_embed p_file_embed'><br/><a href="http://blog.purplecrowlidar.ca/how-to-help-try-to-save-ozone-research-at-env"><img alt="" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/pdf.png?w=48" /></a><br/><div class='p_embed_description'><br/><strong>ozone_petition.pdf</strong><br/><a href="http://getfile9.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/purplecrowlidar/IlM0qRbtISqxt5v2t1csQq1I27xkTvlQumSNIdmIgmx6TKVdowHAKfcvj5f5/ozone_petition.pdf">Download this file</a><br/></div><br/></div><br/></div><br/></div>Go ride a bike and make our job easier at the #westernu #lidar2011-10-18T18:00:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/10/18/go-ride-bike-and-make-our-job-easier-at<p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/p84-scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="P84" height="374" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/p84-scaled1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/></p>High Arctic troposphere is cleaner in the summer than the winter?2011-10-11T21:15:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/10/11/high-arctic-troposphere-is-cleaner-in<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/><blockquote><br/><div><br/><p><span style="font-size:x-small;">GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 38, L16805, 6 PP., 2011, </span><span style="font-size:x-small;">doi:10.1029/2011GL048221</span></p><br/><p><span style="font-size:x-small;"> </span><span style="font-size:x-small;">The role of scavenging in the seasonal transport of black carbon and sulfate to the Arctic</span></p><br/><div><span style="font-size:x-small;">Key Points</span> <br/><ul><br/><li><span style="font-size:x-small;">Arctic aerosol have a strong seasonal cycle that is dominated by wet scavenging</span></li><br/><li><span style="font-size:x-small;">Both soot and sulfate are affected nearly equally by wet scavenging processes</span></li><br/><li><span style="font-size:x-small;">We can anticipate from this study that a warmer Arctic will be a cleaner Arctic</span></li><br/></ul><br/></div><br/><p><span style="font-size:x-small;">Timothy J. Garrett, </span><span style="font-size:x-small;">Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA</span></p><br/><p><span style="font-size:x-small;">Sara Brattström, </span><span style="font-size:x-small;">Meteorologiska Institutionen, Stockholms Universitet, Stockholm, Sweden</span></p><br/><p><span style="font-size:x-small;">Sangeeta Sharma, </span><span style="font-size:x-small;">Environment Canada, Toronto, Ontario, Canada</span></p><br/><p><span style="font-size:x-small;">Douglas E. J. Worthy, </span><span style="font-size:x-small;">Environment Canada, Toronto, Ontario, Canada</span></p><br/><p><span style="font-size:x-small;">Paul Novelli, </span><span style="font-size:x-small;">GMD, ESRL, Boulder, Colorado, USA</span></p><br/><div><br/><p><span style="font-size:x-small;">In a prior study, a decade-long dataset of ground-based aerosol and carbon monoxide measurements from Barrow, Alaska (71°N, 157°W) was used to show that surface air in the Arctic is clean during the summer, less due to inhibited transport of pollutants from mid-latitudes, and more because of efficient wet scavenging at temperatures near freezing. Here, the analysis is extended to light-absorbing aerosols, such as black carbon, and to measurements from Alert, Canada (82°N, 62°W). The data imply that both light scattering and light absorbing aerosols have similar seasonal cycles, independent of location, and they are controlled nearly equally by wet scavenging. Removal is particularly efficient at high relative humidities and warm temperatures, which suggests that a future warmer and wetter Arctic may also be cleaner. Assuming aerosol pollutants generally have a warming effect in the Arctic, such an increase in wet scavenging would represent a negative Arctic climate feedback. </span></p><br/></div><br/><p><span style="font-size:x-small;"><strong>Citation: </strong>Garrett, T. J., S. Brattström, S. Sharma, D. E. J. Worthy, and P. Novelli (2011), The role of scavenging in the seasonal transport of black carbon and sulfate to the Arctic, <em>Geophys. Res. Lett.</em>, 38, L16805, doi:10.1029/2011GL048221.</span></p><br/></div><br/></blockquote><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2011/2011GL048221.shtml">agu.org</a></div><br/><p>This recent paper uses aerosol and temperature measurements from Barrow and Alert to show that warmer, wetter summers cause the air at high latitudes to be cleaner in the summer than the winter. No quite what I expected, I'll have to look into this further.</p><br/></div>Any #agu11 Pranksters out there? inre: Deeply insightful abstract... -
Geologic Froth2011-09-28T14:44:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/09/28/any-agu11-pranksters-out-there-inre<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><a href="http://geologicfroth.com/deeply-insightful-abstract"><img class="posterous_download_image" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/271934_883898433488_19713046_4-scaled699.jpg?w=229" border="0" alt="" width="500" /></a><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://geologicfroth.com/deeply-insightful-abstract">geologicfroth.com</a></div><br/><p>Thanks to Kyle House for bringing this to my attention: <a href="http://geologicfroth.com/deeply-insightful-abstract#">http://geologicfroth.com/deeply-insightful-abstract#</a>. This kind of behaviour should be encouraged as a trade off for getting an 8 am Monday talk and a 1600 Friday poster in the same meeting!</p><br/><p>Crow log supplemental (30 Sept 11):</p><br/><p>Show this to Mrs. Sica who just started singing? Is this a mid-west thing, here's Lonzo and Oscar in 1948 (good ol' youtube):</p><br/>[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0I1gVqnGqM]</div>Though it be a day hence har maties it still were Pirate Day @ the
Planetary seminar @cpsxnews #MattsBooty2011-09-20T21:34:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/09/20/though-it-be-day-hence-har-maties-it<p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/p180-scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="P180" height="374" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/p180-scaled1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/></p>Crow Emily: check out Andrew Heymsfield on hole-punch clouds made by
jets #EarthSky @atmosnews2011-09-20T00:32:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/09/20/crow-emily-check-out-andrew-heymsfield<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><img alt="Media_httpenesimgorgu_vnxvf" height="344" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/media_httpenesimgorgu_vnxvf-scaled500.jpg?w=300" width="500" /><br/></div><br/><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://earthsky.org/earth/andrew-heymsfield-on-hole-punch-clouds-made-by-jets">earthsky.org</a></div><br/><p>Something for the CRL to look for in Eureka! Full article at <a href="http://earthsky.org/earth/andrew-heymsfield-on-hole-punch-clouds-made-by-jets#" title="hole-punch clouds" target="_blank">http://earthsky.org/earth/andrew-heymsfield-on-hole-punch-clouds-made-by-jets#</a></p><br/></div>Hey rest of the world: you gonna let us get away with this: Canadian
ozone network faces axe : Nature News2011-09-12T17:36:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/09/12/hey-rest-of-world-you-gonna-let-us-get<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> <div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><img alt="Media_httpwwwnatureco_pflgf" height="246" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/media_httpwwwnatureco_pflgf-scaled500.jpg?w=260" width="260" /><br/></div><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110912/full/477257a.html">nature.com</a></div><br/> <p>This article is no joke, the Harper Government wants Environment Canada out of the business of measuring ozone, including some of the most critical locations for ozone measurements in the high Arctic. If you find this unpalatable then let the Canadian government know this anyway you can!</p></div>#xkcd: File Transfer. Anyone else have this conversation 10x per week?2011-09-09T17:39:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/09/09/xkcd-file-transfer-anyone-else-have<div><span><a href="http://xkcd.com/949/" style="color:#000;border-bottom:none;">File Transfer</a></span><br /></div> <div style="color:#999;font-size:.9em;padding-bottom:10px;"><a href="http://xkcd.com">xkcd.com</a></div> <img title="Every time you email a file to yourself so you can pull it up on your friend's laptop, Tim Berners-Lee sheds a single tear." src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/file_transfer.png" alt="Every time you email a file to yourself so you can pull it up on your friend's laptop, Tim Berners-Lee sheds a single tear." /> NERC BORTAS Aircraft Campaign: Chasing Plumes from Fires in North
Western Ontario2011-07-20T17:48:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/07/20/nerc-bortas-aircraft-campaign-chasing<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/media_httpwwwaeropubr_wugdb-scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Media_httpwwwaeropubr_wugdb" height="396" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/media_httpwwwaeropubr_wugdb-scaled1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://nerc-bortas.blogspot.com/2011/07/chasing-plumes-from-fires-in-north.html">nerc-bortas.blogspot.com</a></div><br/><p>Smoke from forest fires in northern Ontario has made its way both south and east. Aircraft flights in the current BORTAS campaign have sample the air in these plumes (not in the aircraft shown in the BORTAS blog post, that one is helping put out the fire; below is the BORTAS aircraft which carries the instrumentation for scientific studies of the plume).</p><br/><p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/bae146_frontgooda-scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Bae146_frontgooda" height="153" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/bae146_frontgooda-scaled1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/></p><br/></div>@drjerque is now a believer! #lidar2011-07-14T15:09:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/07/14/drjerque-is-now-believer-lidar<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/><blockquote><br/><div><br/><p>from the blog Geoogical Froth:<a href="http://geologicfroth.com/a-final-contour-comparison#" title="Geological Froth: Lidar mapping" target="_blank"> <a href="http://geologicfroth.com/a-final-contour-comparison#">http://geologicfroth.com/a-final-contour-comparison#</a></a>.</p><br/><p>Bottom line? LiDAR is the best, by so very far. Entire nation should be mapped in LiDAR. There, I said it.</p><br/><p> </p><br/><div><a href="http://geologicfroth.com/a-final-contour-comparison#"><img src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/7-13-2011_9-02-01_am-scaled-500.jpg?w=300" height="377" alt="" width="500" /><br/><p><span> </span></p><br/></a><br/><div style="font-size:14px;"><a href="http://geologicfroth.com/a-final-contour-comparison#"></a><a href="http://geologicfroth.com/a-final-contour-comparison#!/a-final-contour-comparison/slideshow"></a></div><br/><div style="font-size:14px;">Download full size (209 KB)</div><br/></div><br/><p> </p><br/><p> </p><br/><div><a href="http://geologicfroth.com/a-final-contour-comparison#"><img src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/7-13-2011_9-25-01_am-scaled-500.jpg?w=300" height="377" alt="" width="500" /><br/><p><span> </span></p><br/></a><br/><div style="font-size:14px;"><a href="http://geologicfroth.com/a-final-contour-comparison#"></a><a href="http://geologicfroth.com/a-final-contour-comparison#!/a-final-contour-comparison/slideshow"></a></div><br/><div style="font-size:14px;">Download full size (187 KB)</div><br/></div><br/><p> </p><br/></div><br/></blockquote><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://geologicfroth.com/a-final-contour-comparison">geologicfroth.com</a></div><br/><p>The Crows agree whole-heartily!</p><br/></div>Hofstadter. Agreed. #xkcd2011-06-28T00:23:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/06/28/hofstadter-agreed-xkcd<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> <div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/media_httpimgsxkcdcom_tuskg-scaled1000.png"><img alt="Media_httpimgsxkcdcom_tuskg" height="241" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/media_httpimgsxkcdcom_tuskg-scaled1000.png?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/><br/><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://xkcd.com/917/">xkcd.com</a></div><br/> <p></p></div>Crow Emily & @cpsxnews: Successful test of lunar analog rover to
study #ImpactCratering #westernu2011-06-23T17:06:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/06/23/crow-emily-cpsxnews-successful-test-of<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> <div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/media_httpcommunicati_vcmgy-scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Media_httpcommunicati_vcmgy" height="349" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/media_httpcommunicati_vcmgy-scaled1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/><br/><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://communications.uwo.ca/western_news/stories/2011/June/going_to_the_moon_while_staying_on_earth.html">communications.uwo.ca</a></div><br/> <p>Here's an article from Western News on what Crow Emily does in her "spare time" (Emily is shown on the right in the photo, correcting Prof Osinski rather than Prof Sica :-). The group remotely operated a rover that someday will collect lunar samples relating to impact cratering, including a laser ranging imager.</p></div>Weather Impact? RT ClimateWatch Magazine » Wind Turbines Churn the Air
over the North Sea2011-06-17T20:12:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/06/17/weather-impact-rt-climatewatch-magazine<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> <div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/media_httpwwwclimatew_nhtet-scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Media_httpwwwclimatew_nhtet" height="375" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/media_httpwwwclimatew_nhtet-scaled1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/><br/><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://www.climatewatch.noaa.gov/image/2011/wind-turbines-churn-the-air-over-the-north-sea">climatewatch.noaa.gov</a></div><br/> <p>Wind turbines on the North Sea generate clouds in their wake. It is an open question some researchers are investigating, if we build significant numbers of these structures, particularly inland, can their drag on the atmosphere impact weather patterns? Nothing's free, huh?</p></div>Did small sats just get MUCH cheaper? What's next, the iBus? (iPhone in
space as a limb tracker).2011-06-14T14:38:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/06/14/did-small-sats-just-get-much-cheaper<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/><blockquote><br/><div><a name="commentsjump"></a><br/><h3>"iPhone 4 hired as tricorder for space station" Comments</h3><br/><p style="display:none;"><em>Posting comment ...</em></p><br/></div><br/></blockquote><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation"><a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/160494/2011/06/iphone4_space_shuttle.html#lsrc.rss_main" title="iPhone LimbTracker" target="_blank">iPhone Limb Tracker!</a></div><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/160494/2011/06/iphone4_space_shuttle.html#lsrc.rss_main">macworld.com</a></div><br/><p>lol. I've sat through so many reviews/meeting discussing limb trackers (and why they cost more than the payload we're trying to fly or review). Great to know we get more science money now that they cost $700 (unlocked :-).</p><br/></div>Video: World’s most awesome grad students (@Robin_Wing and Emily) get
our 2.6 m telescope operational at Echo Base2011-04-28T21:07:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/04/28/video-worlds-most-awesome-grad-students<p>We took a major step towards becoming an operational lidar again with Robin and Emily succesfully "closing" the surface of our 2.6 m diameter liquid mirror telescope (see video). One of the many pluses of a liquid mirror is when you move you put the liquid in a bottle and the container on a truck and away you go. But setting up is more difficult, as the mirror must be extremely level or the mirror surface "breaks" and the you have a puddle in the middle instead of a mirror. Since we moved to our new observatory the telescope container had to be completely re-balanced which is a tedious and exacting procedure that PCL "vets" like Steve and I know all too well. Now Robin and Emily are in the club! They have worked hard on this for several weeks and we are very proud of them! For more on our liquid mirror/project see our web page <a href="http://pcl.physics.uwo.ca" title="PCL home page" target="_blank">http://pcl.physics.uwo.ca</a>.<div class='p_embed p_video_embed'><br/><a href="http://blog.purplecrowlidar.ca/video-worlds-most-awesome-grad-students-robin"><img alt="" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/frame_0000.png?w=300" /></a><br/><div class='p_embed_description'><br/><strong>VID00091.mp4</strong><br/><a href="http://blog.purplecrowlidar.ca/video-worlds-most-awesome-grad-students-robin">Watch on Posterous</a><br/></div><br/></div><br/></p>Celebrating PI Day in the lab Thanks to @tweedybirdnorth for baking a
delicious maple sugar pie. #fb2011-03-14T18:41:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/03/14/celebrating-pi-day-in-lab-thanks-to<p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/image-scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Image" height="374" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/image-scaled1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/></p>Robin caught the first light of our new 1000mJ green beam into the
night sky. Check it out here:2011-03-13T01:49:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/03/13/robin-caught-first-light-of-our-new<p><div class='p_embed p_video_embed'><br/><a href="http://blog.purplecrowlidar.ca/robin-caught-the-first-light-of-our-new-1000m"><img alt="" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/frame_0000.png?w=300" /></a><br/><div class='p_embed_description'><br/><strong>IMG_1205.MOV</strong><br/><a href="http://blog.purplecrowlidar.ca/robin-caught-the-first-light-of-our-new-1000m">Watch on Posterous</a><br/></div><br/></div><br/>Long, long day (week!) but we got some light up into the sky! 1000 mJ @ 30 Hz (30 W) of green at 532 from our new Litron YAG. Well done Crows!</p><br/><p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/img_1207-scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Img_1207" height="669" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/img_1207-scaled1000.jpg?w=224" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/img_1208-scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Img_1208" height="669" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/img_1208-scaled1000.jpg?w=224" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/></p>So what y'all doing now? We're gratuitously dumping 1000mJ of green
into the sky!!!!!!! It works! #fb2011-03-13T00:40:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/03/13/so-what-y-doing-now-we-gratuitously<p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/image-scaled10001.jpg"><img alt="Image" height="669" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/image-scaled10001.jpg?w=224" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/></p>Getting our green on at the PCL. Day 1 of the laser install. Check out
first light here:2011-03-08T00:14:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/03/08/getting-our-green-on-at-pcl-day-1-of<p><div class='p_embed p_video_embed'><br/><a href="http://blog.purplecrowlidar.ca/getting-our-green-on-at-the-pcl-day-1-of-the"><img alt="" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/frame_00001.png?w=300" /></a><br/><div class='p_embed_description'><br/><strong>IMG_1198.MOV</strong><br/><a href="http://blog.purplecrowlidar.ca/getting-our-green-on-at-the-pcl-day-1-of-the">Watch on Posterous</a><br/></div><br/></div><br/>Starting to get some green light out of the new laser. This first flash of green was at "low" power (390 mW of green at 30 Hz). Check the afterglow on the camera, I though I burned out my phone's retinal display (more realistic, right, you are supposed to have a hole in your retina!).</p>Why are we so happy? We didn’t tip over a 1 ton laser table! #westernu2011-03-03T22:57:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/03/03/why-are-we-so-happy-we-didnt-tip-over-1<p><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><br/><div><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><br/></span><p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/img_1192-scaled-1000.jpg"><img alt="Img_1192" height="373" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/img_1192-scaled-1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/></p><br/></div></span><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">The profound-ess problem of the day: how to move our 1 ton laser table a couple feet forward as part of the new laser install? After MUCH looking around town, including every gadget AB Rental had to offer we founds some dollies at Canadian Tire made for moving a disabled car around. We were concerned the feet at the bottom of the table would punch right through them, but they held and we got the table in place in anticipation of Monday’s install. Much thanks to Peter D who is an expert with the jack! Amazing how much weight that 4x4 can bear.</span><br/><p /><br/><p><div class='p_embed p_video_embed'><br/><a href="http://blog.purplecrowlidar.ca/why-are-we-so-happy-we-didnt-tip-over-a-1-ton"><img alt="" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/frame_00002.png?w=300" /></a><br/><div class='p_embed_description'><br/><strong>IMG_1189.MOV</strong><br/><a href="http://blog.purplecrowlidar.ca/why-are-we-so-happy-we-didnt-tip-over-a-1-ton">Watch on Posterous</a><br/></div><br/></div><br/></p><br/></p>Our New Nd:YAG laser has arrived! 1000 mJ/pulse @ 30Hz, 532 nm #westernu2011-03-02T22:46:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/03/02/our-new-ndyag-laser-has-arrived-1000<p><span style="font-size:x-small;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><br/><div><span style="font-size:x-small;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Ohhh it has been a LOOONNNGGGG wait but the PCL has taken a big step towards getting back in action. Our new laser was trucked in today and Emily and Robin were there to meet it. Fortunately for them so were Caroline from the Western Environmental Field Station and several real nice folks from the ICFAR lab with strong backs and a forklift. As you can see in the picture they were certainly needed. I thought 2 people would be able to lift the laser head, but it was hard to get it on the table with 5! We are hoping to get it operational Monday and have our fingers crossed it will robustly meet its spec of 1000 mJ/pulse at 30 Hz in the green.</span></span></div><br/><p /><br/><div>More to follow!</div><br/><div>Bob</div><br/><p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/img_2233-scaled-1000.jpg"><img alt="Img_2233" height="375" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/img_2233-scaled-1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/img_2227-scaled-1000.jpg"><img alt="Img_2227" height="375" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/img_2227-scaled-1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/img_2266-scaled-1000.jpg"><img alt="Img_2266" height="375" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/img_2266-scaled-1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/img_2276.jpg"><img alt="Img_2276" height="667" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/img_2276.jpg?w=225" width="500" /></a><br/><div class='p_see_full_gallery'><a href="http://blog.purplecrowlidar.ca/our-new-ndyag-laser-has-arrived-1000-mjpulse">See the full gallery on Posterous</a></div><br/></div><br/></p><br/></span></span></p>Discovery's Final Launch Viewed From a Commercial Jet: how cool! Note
how strongly stratified the lower atmosphere is.2011-03-02T17:33:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/03/02/discovery-final-launch-viewed-from<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GE_USPTmYXM">youtube.com</a></div><br/><p>As an atmospheric physicist it is neat to see (via the exhaust trail) how generally stratified the atmosphere was for that launch, must have been a relatively smooth ride. Best of luck to the crew on their mission. Thanks to former student VL for sending me this!</p><br/></div>#xkcd: '98 stopped the Nanobots!2011-02-28T18:30:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/02/28/xkcd-stopped-nanobots<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> <div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/media_httpimgsxkcdcom_foars-scaled1000.png"><img alt="Media_httpimgsxkcdcom_foars" height="170" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/media_httpimgsxkcdcom_foars-scaled1000.png?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/><br/><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://xkcd.com/865/">xkcd.com</a></div><br/> <p></p></div>Congrats to Crow Emily, best Physical Science Paper at Western Research
Forum! #westernu2011-02-27T01:24:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/02/27/congrats-to-crow-emily-best-physical<p><span style="font-size:x-small;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/photo-scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Photo" height="373" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/photo-scaled1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/wrf_firstprize-scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Wrf_firstprize" height="540" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/wrf_firstprize-scaled1000.jpg?w=277" width="500" /></a><br/><div class='p_see_full_gallery'><a href="http://blog.purplecrowlidar.ca/congrats-to-crow-emily-best-physical-science">See the full gallery on Posterous</a></div><br/></div><br/></span></span></p><br/><p><span style="font-size:x-small;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Total 3 Crows waxed eloquent at the Western Research Forum. They all gave great talks, I enjoyed them. We just found out that Emily’s talk won best Physical Science paper! Her plaque says:</span></span></p><br/><p><span style="font-size:x-small;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> 2011 Western Research Forum<br />The Society of Graduate Students<br />is pleased to award Emily McCullough<br />First Place in the Physical Sciences Oral Category<br /></span></span></p>The Crows did a great job giving papers at the Western Research Forum
this afternoon. I just had to watch! #fb2011-02-26T21:36:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/02/26/crows-did-great-job-giving-papers-at<p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/image-scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Image" height="374" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/image-scaled1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/></p>Didn't know this, NASA's Plutonium-238 situation "Cry Foul Finding And
Funding Fuel" (via Satnews Publishers)2011-02-24T21:16:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/02/24/didn-know-this-nasa-plutonium-238<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> <div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><img alt="Media_httpwwwsatnewsc_nnfvc" height="303" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/media_httpwwwsatnewsc_nnfvc-scaled500.jpg?w=239" width="242" /><br/></div><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?number=598732652">satnews.com</a></div><br/> <p>Well there you go, I didn't realize that (a) the US didn't make its own plutonium for the thermoelectric generators for spacecraft and (b) they USED to buy it from Russia but there is no deal in place now and (c) Congress won't pony up for US production. This shortage is starting to affect approved and planed missions. Yet another thing I like about doing ground-based science.</p></div>@globejunius: Saving Canada’s Arctic atmospheric lab - The Globe and
Mail2011-02-23T13:44:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/02/23/globejunius-saving-canadas-arctic<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> <blockquote><div><br/><p>On Sunday, for the first time in four months, the sun rose over Eureka on Ellesmere Island, 10 degrees from the North Pole. The sun's return brings rays that break up ozone, and the Arctic climate and atmosphere are changing every year.</p><p>But we are about to lose our main source of knowledge about these intricate, and life-altering, processes, because our northernmost environmental research laboratory, known as PEARL, is in jeopardy. If Canada is serious about scientific discovery, and its status as an Arctic nation, the lab must be saved.</p><span></span><br/><br/><h4>More related to this story</h4><br/><ul><br/><li><a name="&lpos=Inline Article Related Links&lid=top - 1" href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/if-we-are-a-northern-nation-support-our-northern-peoples/article1913850/">If we are a northern nation, support our northern peoples</a></li><br/><li><a name="&lpos=Inline Article Related Links&lid=top - 2" href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/dont-accentuate-the-positive-on-climate-change/article1744167/">Don’t accentuate the positive on climate change</a></li><br/><li><a name="&lpos=Inline Article Related Links&lid=top - 3" href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/drawing-lines-in-the-arctic-ice/article1683956/">Drawing lines in the Arctic ice</a></li><br/></ul><br/><br/><span></span><br/><br/><div><br/><a name="&lpos=&lid=" href="http://twitter.com/globejunius" title="View the original tweet" rel="nofollow"><br/><span></span><br/></a><br/><p><br/>Follow The Globe editorial board on twitter </p><br/><a name="&lpos=&lid=" href="http://twitter.com/globejunius" title="View the original tweet" rel="nofollow"><br/><span>@globejunius</span><br/></a><br/></div><br/><p>No one questions the lab's merit. Its instruments have collected Arctic surface and atmospheric data used by the world's major research organizations, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the World Meteorological Office. The lab houses Canada's northernmost high-speed Internet connection, allowing for rapid dissemination of results. Research done at the lab has already found, for instance, that water evaporation in the Arctic is far more complicated than had been thought. The lab is the only one of its kind in the high Arctic, and has produced 37 refereed publications and trained over 50 young scientists in 10 years.</p><p>PEARL is in trouble because one of its main sources of funding, the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences, has lost federal support and is slated to wind down this year. A few of its instruments could, in theory, be moved, but our scientific heritage would be lost. As with the demise of the long-form census, data will no longer be comparable over long time-periods, making the data already collected less valuable.</p><p>Atmospheric research is important for all of Canada, but northerners are particularly vulnerable. “It's in the Canadian High Arctic where the global warming process is proceeding most rapidly,” says Richard Peltier, professor of physics at the University of Toronto. In addition, pollution from the south (and from the North itself, as it industrializes) leads to ozone loss and threatens the North's more fragile ecosystems and populations.</p><p>“How else would we expect to learn about the Arctic, if we don't do it ourselves?” asks James Drummond, professor of physics at Dalhousie University and principal investigator at PEARL. It's a challenge that puts the question of Canadian sovereignty in high relief, and deserves a response from our elected officials.</p><br/></div></blockquote><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/saving-canadas-arctic-atmospheric-lab/article1913875/">theglobeandmail.com</a></div><br/> <p>Thanks to the Globe and Mail for helping to inform Canadians of our government’s choice to abandon Canada’s northern-most lab for studying the atmosphere from the surface to the edge of space. The doomsday clock is almost at midnight, but we are hoping the lab and the important time series of atmospheric measurements we have obtained can be saved.</p></div>Some terrific auroral pictures by Øystein Lunde Ingvaldsen in National
Geographic.2011-02-18T22:13:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/02/18/some-terrific-auroral-pictures-by<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> <div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><img alt="Media_httpimagesnatio_wrcic" height="580" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/media_httpimagesnatio_wrcic-scaled500.jpg?w=199" width="386" /><br/></div><br/><br/><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/323/cache/valentines-day-aurora-borealis-bo-norway_32398_600x450.jpg">images.nationalgeographic.com</a></div><br/> <p>Terrific auroral pictures, see the full National Geographic story <a href="http://bit.ly/gxxCk8">http://bit.ly/gxxCk8</a> for more pictures and information. I spend many years in Alaska observing aurora and took a few shots in my time, but these photos have both beautiful detail and great color in the red lower borders.</p></div>Ouch, scream, dang, how true! PHD Comics: Guide to T.A. Office Hours2011-02-18T19:01:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/02/18/ouch-scream-dang-how-true-phd-comics<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> <div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/media_httpwwwphdcomic_qvizb-scaled1000.gif"><img alt="Media_httpwwwphdcomic_qvizb" height="675" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/media_httpwwwphdcomic_qvizb-scaled1000.gif?w=222" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/><br/><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php?f=1421">phdcomics.com</a></div><br/> <p>For all you do tutors, thanks so much for deflecting some of the heat off us!</p></div>Emily went for a walk2011-02-06T21:10:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/02/06/emily-went-for-walk<div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><img alt="Emilywalk" height="336" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/emilywalk.jpg?w=300" width="448" /><br/></div><br/><p>This wouldn't be noteworthy, except that it's my last walk in the sunshine for a few weeks, and it was a giant four-hour walk in frigid temperatures all the way around Frame Lake in Yellowknife. I (and my camera) are currently thawing out. Also, I heard a raven warble and sing today, and whistle, and he snapped his beak a lot - I hadn't realized before that they don't only "Caw!" (although, as usual, it turns out that Wikipedia could have told me that in advance). It was neat, anyways.<br /></p>Aurora2011-02-06T16:56:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/02/06/aurora... this time with photos<br /> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/yellowknifefeb2011_214-scaled-1000.jpg"><img alt="Yellowknifefeb2011_214" height="667" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/yellowknifefeb2011_214-scaled-1000.jpg?w=225" width="500" /></a><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/yellowknifefeb2011_185-scaled-1000.jpg"><img alt="Yellowknifefeb2011_185" height="375" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/yellowknifefeb2011_185-scaled-1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/><div class='p_see_full_gallery'><a href="http://blog.purplecrowlidar.ca/aurora">See the full gallery on Posterous</a></div><br/></div><br/></p>Northern Lights in Yellowknife2011-02-06T16:36:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/02/06/northern-lights-in-yellowknife<p>A timely text message from my Dad woke me up in time to see the sky lit up with aurora yesterday evening.</p>Sunset and eclipse on Mars - The Planetary Society Blog | The Planetary
Society2011-01-06T17:05:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2011/01/06/sunset-and-eclipse-on-mars-planetary<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> <a href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/videos/mer/mer20101222/sunset20101222-640.swf">http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/videos/mer/mer20101222/sunset20101222-640.swf</a><br/><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00002866/">planetary.org</a></div><br/> <p>Not much different from when I lived in Alaska at this time of year! About the same temperature as well :-)</p></div>My new filing system to start 20112010-12-27T17:47:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/12/27/my-new-filing-system-to-start-2011"wake of the flood" I'm getting rid of a lot of accumulated academic detritus. Can't believe how much unnecessary paper gets sent to me.<p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/photo-scaled-1000.jpg"><img alt="Photo" height="669" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/photo-scaled-1000.jpg?w=224" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/></p>While I was gone my office got flooded as part of the building reno.
Needed something else to do!2010-12-20T19:01:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/12/20/while-i-was-gone-my-office-got-flooded<p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/photo-scaled-10001.jpg"><img alt="Photo" height="373" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/photo-scaled-10001.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/></p><br/><p> </p>ISSI meeting photo opp: Lidar heads of state :-)2010-12-20T14:45:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/12/20/issi-meeting-photo-opp-lidar-heads-of<p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/dsc_1479-scaled-1000.jpg"><img alt="Dsc_1479" height="332" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/dsc_1479-scaled-1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/></p><br/><p><span style="font-size:x-small;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Here’s a photo Boyan took of the ISSI NDACC lidar algorithm working group. After the marathon that is the AGU Fall Meeting, ISSI seems so long ago (except to my body which is rebelling against the latest time zone change). You can see some more snaps at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=30399&id=102636803115323&l=e6c974e574" title="Boyan's ISSI Meeting I photos" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /></span></span></p>Hey #agu10. First pictures of the new PCL laser!2010-12-15T00:29:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/12/15/hey-agu10-first-pictures-of-new-pclLitron is almost done with our new laser, which promises 1000mJ at 30 Hz at 532 nm. I can't believe how compact it is compared to our old system. What every Crow wants for Christmas!<p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/photo_1-scaled-1000.jpg"><img alt="Photo_1" height="375" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/photo_1-scaled-1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/photo_2-scaled-1000.jpg"><img alt="Photo_2" height="667" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/photo_2-scaled-1000.jpg?w=225" width="500" /></a><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/photo_3-scaled-1000.jpg"><img alt="Photo_3" height="667" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/photo_3-scaled-1000.jpg?w=225" width="500" /></a><br/><div class='p_see_full_gallery'><a href="http://blog.purplecrowlidar.ca/hey-agu10-first-pictures-of-the-new-pcl-laser">See the full gallery on Posterous</a></div><br/></div><br/></p>PHD Comics: So wrong (but so true!)2010-12-09T21:40:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/12/09/phd-comics-so-wrong-but-so-true<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> <div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/media_httpwwwphdcomic_xqakf-scaled1000.gif"><img alt="Media_httpwwwphdcomic_xqakf" height="217" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/media_httpwwwphdcomic_xqakf-scaled1000.gif?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/><br/><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php?f=1403">phdcomics.com</a></div><br/> <p>As many times as this has happened it never ceases to amaze me.</p></div>Prost!2010-12-01T22:29:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/12/01/prost<div><div>A big smile and a tip of the glass to you all after a long day of spirited discussions. From the team dinner at the ISSI 2010 Team on the Critical Assessment and Standardized Reporting of Vertical Filtering and Error Propagation in the Data Processing Algorithms of the NDACC Lidars (boy do we need a better acronym!).</div><p /><div>Too bad the bears didn't join us, it must have been cold and dark in their den.</div></div><br /><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/photo-scaled-10002.jpg"><img alt="Photo" height="373" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/photo-scaled-10002.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/></div>It's pie day at the lab!2010-11-25T21:15:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/11/25/it-pie-day-at-lab<div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/photo_5.jpg"><img alt="Photo_5" height="375" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/photo_5.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/><p>As a tip of our hat to US Thanksgiving we're having our second pi(e) day for Jaya. And congrats to Emily who successfully finished her comprehensive exam today!</p>Cranes/large telescope/flying laser tables, movie of the Purple Crow
Lidar's move to our new observatory online. Check it!2010-11-22T16:01:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/11/22/craneslarge-telescopeflying-laser<p>A summer of hard work and we have moved from the Delaware Observatory to our new facility, Echo Base. Our next step in the project is getting our new laser installed, which we hope to have done before year's end. We'll keep you posted!</p><br/><p>[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/17037859 w=500&h=283]</p><br/><p> </p>Quiet. Too quiet. Just the calm before the storm.2010-11-15T18:31:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/11/15/quiet-too-quiet-just-calm-before-storm<p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">After a rush of preparation this summer to get the new building ready to go we have run into a string of delays which have keep us from filling the night skies over London with our green beam. Though by August’s end we had our stuff ready to go in the new building, there were some issues with some of the building sub-systems that kept us from being able to get the telescope going, that have only recently been (mostly) resolved. Our current hang up is waiting for the delivery of our powerful new laser. We don’t want to set up the old laser for a short period, as the differences in the beam positioning would require more work than we thought would be worth it (given the original delivery schedule). So we are busy as ever but not quite lidar-ing yet. But stay tuned, we are hoping things will be happening sooner rather than later.</span></p>Encore des loups2010-10-26T05:46:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/10/26/encore-des-loups<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> <br/><a href="http://www.blogger.com/comment-iframe.g?blogID=3143529136931801557&postID=6846699936587565630"></a><br/><br/></div><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://arctic-emily.blogspot.com/2010/10/encore-des-loups.html">arctic-emily.blogspot.com</a></div><br/> <p>Emily says a close up goodbye to the Eureka wolves after a highly successful trip to the RMR lidar.</p>Water Survey2010-10-24T06:06:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/10/24/water-survey<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> <br/><a href="http://www.blogger.com/comment-iframe.g?blogID=3143529136931801557&postID=9090806891915051059"></a><br/><br/></div><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://arctic-emily.blogspot.com/2010/10/water-survey.html">arctic-emily.blogspot.com</a></div><br/> <p>More from Emily's Eureka trip; including what happens to water at -40 C when you toss some in the air.</p>Scenery2010-10-24T06:05:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/10/24/scenery<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> <br/><a href="http://www.blogger.com/comment-iframe.g?blogID=3143529136931801557&postID=3088164732699313121"></a><br/><br/></div><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://arctic-emily.blogspot.com/2010/10/scenery.html">arctic-emily.blogspot.com</a></div><br/> <p>More from Emily's Eureka trip!</p>Puppies!2010-10-21T17:59:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/10/21/puppies<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> <blockquote><div><br/><a name="comment-form"></a><br/><h4>Post a Comment</h4><br/><p><br/></p><br/><a href="http://www.blogger.com/comment-iframe.g?blogID=3143529136931801557&postID=7894222336886613232"></a><br/><br/></div></blockquote><br/><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://arctic-emily.blogspot.com/2010/10/puppies.html">arctic-emily.blogspot.com</a></div><br/> <p>Emily is a PCL grad student currently working with the Dalhousie RMR lidar in Eureka. The above is from Emily's Arctic Adventure blog.</p></div>Look closely2010-10-21T17:58:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/10/21/look-closely<div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://arctic-emily.blogspot.com/2010/10/look-closely.html">arctic-emily.blogspot.com</a></div><br/> <p>Emily is a PCL grad student currently working with the Dalhousie RMR lidar in Eureka. The above is from Emily's Arctic Adventure blog.</p>Appearances can be deceiving2010-10-21T17:57:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/10/21/appearances-can-be-deceiving<div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://arctic-emily.blogspot.com/2010/10/appearances-can-be-deceiving.html">arctic-emily.blogspot.com</a></div><br/> <p>Emily is a PCL grad student currently working with the Dalhousie RMR lidar in Eureka. The above is from Emily's Arctic Adventure blog.</p>Shiny2010-10-21T17:56:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/10/21/shiny<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> <blockquote><div><br/><a name="comment-form"></a><br/><h4>Post a Comment</h4><br/><p><br/></p><br/><a href="http://www.blogger.com/comment-iframe.g?blogID=3143529136931801557&postID=4512322053876129281"></a><br/><br/></div></blockquote><br/><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://arctic-emily.blogspot.com/2010/10/shiny.html">arctic-emily.blogspot.com</a></div><br/> <p>Emily is a PCL grad student currently working with the Dalhousie RMR lidar in Eureka. The above is from Emily's Arctic Adventure blog.</p></div>0pal, bigger and better2010-10-21T17:55:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/10/21/0pal-bigger-and-better<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> <blockquote><div><br/><a name="comment-form"></a><br/><h4>Post a Comment</h4><br/><p><br/></p><br/><a href="http://www.blogger.com/comment-iframe.g?blogID=3143529136931801557&postID=7125890944531091560"></a><br/><br/></div></blockquote><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://arctic-emily.blogspot.com/2010/10/0pal-bigger-and-better.html">arctic-emily.blogspot.com</a></div><br/> <p>Emily is a PCL grad student currently working with the Dalhousie RMR lidar in Eureka. The above is from Emily's Arctic Adventure blog.</p></div>Emily's Arctic Adventure: Guess who’s back (and I don’t mean me)2010-10-14T03:33:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/10/14/emily-arctic-adventure-guess-whos-back<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">Emily is up North again! Read her blog posts from the top of the world, Eureka, Nunavut: <a href="http://arctic-emily.blogspot.com">arctic-emily.blogspot.com</a>. Today’s post is about seeing an old friend from Eureka who has moved on to a better place.</div><br/><p> </p><br/></div>A Puzzling Collapse of Earth's Upper Atmosphere - NASA Science2010-10-13T18:16:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/10/13/puzzling-collapse-of-earth-upper<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> <div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><img alt="Media_httpsciencenasa_xnliu" height="283" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/media_httpsciencenasa_xnliu-scaled500.jpg?w=200" width="200" /><br/></div><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/15jul_thermosphere/">science.nasa.gov</a></div><br/> <p>Interesting synopsis of a recent Emmert et al paper in Geophys. Res. Lett. My bet is changes in upper atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are probably not the answer (as the authors also state). I'm wondering if we are over estimating the amount of EUV flux, and that the Sun is just being particularly lazy this cycle (hence the low spot numbers, etc). Thoughts?</p></div>AMAZING! Homemade spacecraft sends back limb images from the
stratosphere.2010-10-06T19:20:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/10/06/amazing-homemade-spacecraft-sends-back<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> [vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/15091562 w=500&h=283]<br/><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://vimeo.com/15091562">vimeo.com</a></div><br/> <p>Luke Geissbuhler and crew developed a small payload to allow video to be sent back from a balloon. They managed to fly into the stratosphere and image the limb. Plus they successfully recovered the payload. You folks are awesome!</p></div>Feature of the Week: Conferator - a ubiquitous, BibSonomy-based
conference service2010-10-01T16:52:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/10/01/feature-of-week-conferator-ubiquitous<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> <div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><img alt="Media_httpwwwkdecsuni_giejo" height="448" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/media_httpwwwkdecsuni_giejo-scaled500.jpg?w=300" width="500" /><br/></div><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://bibsonomy.blogspot.com/2010/09/feature-of-week-conferator-ubiquitous.html">bibsonomy.blogspot.com</a></div><br/> <p>BibSonomy is a way awesome way for your research group to share a publication database, particularly if you like to use bibtex. Highly recommended and free. This short article gives a glimpse of the future of networking at conferences, and finally I will be able to remember who I talked to about what!</p></div>Recent EOS article on our pyrocb results2010-08-19T20:51:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/08/19/recent-eos-article-on-our-pyrocb<div class='p_embed p_file_embed'><br/><a href="http://blog.purplecrowlidar.ca/recent-eos-article-on-our-pyrocb-results"><img alt="" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/pdf.png?w=48" /></a><br/><div class='p_embed_description'><br/><strong>pyrocbEOS0810.pdf</strong><br/><a href="http://getfile8.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/purplecrowlidar/At1yQhxd54tLvyeknOBe5rdihxTVVMR4Yzfc3uL0RdiA82q5ALUYXL62RHZR/pyrocbEOS0810.pdf">Download this file</a><br/></div><br/></div><br/><p>Here is some more media coverage of our Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society “cover” paper due out September, from AGU’s EOS magazine. Fascinating to see smoke from a fire in Western Canada forced into the stratosphere and carried all the way to Ontario.</p>07/30/10 PHD comic: 'Too due list'2010-08-02T21:48:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/08/02/073010-phd-comic-due-list<div><a href="http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php?f=1350" style="color:#000;border-bottom:none;">07/30/10 PHD comic: 'Too due list'</a></div><br/><div style="color:#999;font-size:.9em;padding-bottom:10px;">PHD Comics</div><br/><table border="0"><br/><br/><tr><br/><td><strong><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:xx-small;">Piled Higher & Deeper</span><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <em> by Jorge Cham</em></span></strong></td><br/><td></td><br/><td><br/><div><strong><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.phdcomics.com">www.phdcomics.com</a></span></strong></div><br/></td><br/></tr><br/><tr align="center"><br/><td colspan="3"><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img src="http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive/phd073010s.gif" border="0" align="top" alt="Click on the title below to read the comic" /></span></td><br/></tr><br/><tr><br/><td colspan="3"><br/><div><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">title: "<a href="http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php?f=1350">Too due list</a>" - originally published 7/30/2010 </span><br/><p><span style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.phdcomics.com/store/mojostore.php"><img src="http://www.phdcomics.com/images/origin_onesie_ad_01.gif" alt="" /></a></span></p><br/></div><br/></td><br/></tr><br/><br/></table><br/><div style="color:#999;padding-top:30px;">Sent with <a href="http://reederapp.com" style="color:#999;border:0;">Reeder</a></div>What a day: out of Delaware and into the new Observatory2010-07-20T21:53:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/07/20/what-day-out-of-delaware-and-into-new<div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/img_0639.jpg"><img alt="Img_0639" height="667" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/img_0639.jpg?w=225" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/><p>OMG, so much to do, does anyone remember where all the cables go? The big table on the truck is the 1700 lb laser table, and you can see the mirror off to the right as it came off the truck. Threatening but didn’t rain, which would have pooched lots of electronics and the air bearing for the liquid mirror.</p><p /><div>The new observatory needs a name, any ideas?</div>Move of Lidar in progress. Trucks starting to roll2010-07-20T16:55:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/07/20/move-of-lidar-in-progress-trucks<p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/photo-scaled-1000.jpg"><img alt="Photo" height="375" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/photo-scaled-1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/></p>Our new Licel counters & tubes are here (finally). When we get these
going we will have greatly improved vertical resolution in the UTLS.2010-06-28T19:18:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/06/28/our-new-licel-counters-tubes-are-hereIngenuity is often inversely proportional to budget! KC builds a full
size planetarium for < $28k.2010-06-28T17:46:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/06/28/ingenuity-is-often-inversely<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> <blockquote><div><br/><br/><br/><h3>It’s ‘a new beginning’ for planetarium</h3><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/> <div><br/><h4>By MATT CAMPBELL</h4><h4>The Kansas City Star</h4></div><br/> <br/><div><br/> <div><br/><br/><br/><div><br/><br/><div><br/><a href="http://media.kansascity.com/smedia/2010/06/27/21/Planetarium_al_METRO_062310_0033_06-28-2010_5S1G542P.standalone.prod_affiliate.81.jpg" title="<br/>Jeff Rosenblatt, director of Science City, acknowledges that the Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium at Union Station has had trouble. But with a new projection system (here showing Jupiter) in place, better days are coming for the often overlooked attraction, he believes. Expect more elaborate shows on the 60-foot dome, on astronomy and other subjects — and they can be made to mesh with other programs. " rel="storyImg"><p></p></a></div> <br/><div>ALLISON LONG/Kansas City Star</div><br/><div><br/>Jeff Rosenblatt, director of Science City, acknowledges that the Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium at Union Station has had trouble. But with a new projection system (here showing Jupiter) in place, better days are coming for the often overlooked attraction, he believes. Expect more elaborate shows on the 60-foot dome, on astronomy and other subjects — and they can be made to mesh with other programs. <br/></div><br/><br/></div><br/><br/><ul><br/></ul><br/><br/>"factbox" --><br/><br/></div><br/><br/><div><br/><h6>Breaking News</h6><br/><div><div style="height:205px;"><ul style="height:820px;margin:0;padding:0;"> <br/> <br/><li style="float:none;height:25px;"><br/> <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/27/2048231/its-a-new-beginning-for-planetarium.html#">Sanders, Barnes push charter changes</a><br/></li><br/><br/> <br/> <br/><li style="float:none;height:25px;"><br/> <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/27/2048231/its-a-new-beginning-for-planetarium.html#">Many ramp closures planned for I-635 this week</a><br/></li><br/><br/> <br/> <br/><li style="float:none;height:25px;"><br/> <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/27/2048231/its-a-new-beginning-for-planetarium.html#">New I-470 interchange in Lee’s Summit to be completed today</a><br/></li><br/><br/> <br/> <br/><li style="float:none;height:25px;"><br/> <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/27/2048231/its-a-new-beginning-for-planetarium.html#">Justices extend gun owner rights nationwide</a><br/></li><br/><br/> <br/> <br/><li style="float:none;height:25px;"><br/> <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/27/2048231/its-a-new-beginning-for-planetarium.html#">Police investigating suspicious death near Swope Park</a><br/></li><br/><br/> <br/> <br/><li style="float:none;height:25px;"><br/> <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/27/2048231/its-a-new-beginning-for-planetarium.html#">KC man injured in early morning crash along I-29</a><br/></li><br/><br/> <br/> <br/><li style="float:none;height:25px;"><br/> <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/27/2048231/its-a-new-beginning-for-planetarium.html#">Highway patrol plans 10-mile Trooper enforcement this holiday weekend</a><br/></li><br/><br/> <br/> <br/><li style="float:none;height:25px;"><br/> <a href="http://videos.kansascity.com/vmix_hosted_apps/p/media?id=15671937">NBC Action Weather | Cooler and less humid today</a><br/></li><br/><br/> <br/> <br/><li style="float:none;height:25px;"><br/> <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/27/2048231/its-a-new-beginning-for-planetarium.html#">Three suffer non-life-threatening injuries in early morning crash</a><br/></li><br/><br/> <br/> <br/><li style="float:none;height:25px;"><br/> <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/27/2048231/its-a-new-beginning-for-planetarium.html#">Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia dead at 92</a><br/></li><br/><br/> <br/> <br/><li style="float:none;height:25px;"><br/> <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/27/2048231/its-a-new-beginning-for-planetarium.html#">Three hurt while tinkering with fireworks</a><br/></li><br/><br/> <br/> <br/><li style="float:none;height:25px;"><br/> <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/27/2048231/its-a-new-beginning-for-planetarium.html#">ATV crash kills wildlife officer</a><br/></li><br/><br/> <br/> <br/><li style="float:none;height:25px;"><br/> <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/27/2048231/its-a-new-beginning-for-planetarium.html#">After threat, passengers kept on plane that started at KCI</a><br/></li><br/><br/> <br/> <br/><li style="float:none;height:25px;"><br/> <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/27/2048231/its-a-new-beginning-for-planetarium.html#">Former counselor charged with having sex with teen</a><br/></li><br/><br/> <br/> <br/><li style="float:none;height:25px;"><br/> <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/27/2048231/its-a-new-beginning-for-planetarium.html#">Olathe police investigate after woman found dead</a><br/></li><br/><br/> <br/> <br/><li style="float:none;height:25px;"><br/> <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/27/2048231/its-a-new-beginning-for-planetarium.html#">7-year-old among those hurt in crash near Gardner</a><br/></li><br/><br/> <br/> <br/><li style="float:none;height:25px;"><br/> <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/27/2048231/its-a-new-beginning-for-planetarium.html#">Teen killed after high-speed chase identified</a><br/></li><br/><br/> <br/> <br/><li style="float:none;height:25px;"><br/> <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/27/2048231/its-a-new-beginning-for-planetarium.html#">Royals rout Cardinals 10-3 for I-70 Series victory</a><br/></li><br/><br/> <br/> <br/><li style="float:none;height:25px;"><br/> <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/27/2048231/its-a-new-beginning-for-planetarium.html#">Cat hoarder pleads not guilty to charges</a><br/></li><br/><br/> <br/> <br/><li style="float:none;height:25px;"><br/> <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/27/2048231/its-a-new-beginning-for-planetarium.html#">Man killed in ATV crash for second death at festival</a><br/></li><br/><br/> <br/></ul></div><div><a></a><a></a></div></div><br/></div><br/></div><br/><br/><p>With the star ball banished, the sky’s the limit now for the Gottlieb Planetarium.</p><p>A new 360-degree and 3-D projection system now operating in the funny-shaped building next to Union Station is hoped to bring back audiences and send them to the moon and beyond. </p><p>And the best part is that the system was assembled by local talent at a fraction — no, a fraction of a fraction — of what it would have cost to purchase from a planetarium vendor.</p><p>“We now, for the first time, have the capacity for shows that the public will want to come see,” said Tim Kristl, vice president of the Astronomical Society of Kansas City.</p><p>It will be easier to create planetarium programs that tie in with Science City and with traveling exhibits at Union Station. They can also be customized to match school curricula.</p><p>“Modern planetariums are able to reach out and away from just astronomy,” said Damon Bradshaw, Science City’s planetarium specialist. “They can get into history and culture and even biology and chemistry. This sort of projection system gives us the capability to do that.”</p><p>Local astronomers worked with Science City and Union Station to devise the new system, along with financial assistance from the Arvin Gottlieb Charitable Foundation.</p><p>The planetarium opened a decade ago with a traditional star-ball projection system, which was essentially a hollow sphere with a bright light inside and holes to cast a star field onto the dome above. But it was already old when it was installed and never really worked properly.</p><p>“It’s been a monster to keep running,” said Jeff Rosenblatt, director of Science City.</p><p>Last fall the star ball broke for the last time and officials began looking for a modern, digital system. The astronomical society, which had had a strained relationship with previous Union Station management, approached new station CEO George Guastello about a partnership.</p><p>Together, they consulted vendors who either had no experience with such a large planetarium — Union Station’s is 60 feet in diameter — or were too expensive. </p><p>One price quoted was $766,000, Rosenblatt said.</p><p>Obviously, for cash-strapped Union Station, that was out of the question.</p><p>But research by Rick Henderson, an electronics professor and member of the astronomical society, along with expertise gleaned from the professional vendors and from local company Harvest Productions, led to a much cheaper solution.</p><p>They ended up buying, on their own, an extremely bright projector and a delicately polished, curved mirror that was custom-made in Australia. They coupled them with a Mac Pro computer and special software to create a system that, they say, is every bit as capable as the more expensive ones.</p><p>The price: about $27,000.</p><p>“The results are way better than we expected,” Henderson said. “Anything you can show on the computer you can show on the dome.”</p><p>Bradshaw explained that the digital images are intentionally distorted so that when they are projected onto the mirror and reflected back on the dome, they appear in proper shape and proportion.</p><p>Bradshaw and Rosenblatt said many smaller planetariums have similar systems, but it is unique for one as large as Science City’s.</p><p>Because it was assembled in-house, the system does not have a name. So they dubbed it the BRT, for the three men who were most instrumental in putting it together: Bentley Ousley and Rick Henderson of the astronomical society and Tom Deffet, a software writer.</p><p>The Gottlieb Foundation gave the planetarium $30,000 late last year and will donate up to $100,000 more this year. That money will help staff the planetarium and subsidize school field trips, Guastello said.</p><p>The planetarium’s new system currently shows just one program about the history of the telescope. But officials plan to expand offerings soon with other shows purchased commercially or produced in-house.</p><p>The astronomical society will create a series of shows about the night sky as seen from Kansas City during different seasons; it is working on one about the fall stars now. Images from the Hubble Space Telescope and other NASA products are in the public domain and available for free.</p><p>The planetarium may be able to tap into live cable feeds, whether from NASA or from a solar eclipse happening on another side of the planet.</p><p>The dome is also capable of showing theatrical movies, and the space can be rented for private parties or events. It recently was host to a New Age music concert and light show. </p><p>Henderson said the Gottlieb Planetarium has suffered from management, equipment and money problems over the years.</p><p>“I’m very hopeful this is going to be the turnaround,” he said. “I’m hopeful this is a new beginning.”</p><p></p><br/><div><br/><strong><span>About the planetarium </span></strong><br/>The Gottlieb Planetarium at Union Station offers shows Tuesday through Sunday. Admission is $6, or $5 with Science City admission. Call 816-460-2020 or go to <a href="http://www.unionstation.org">www.unionstation.org</a> for more information.<p></p><p></p></div><p></p><p /><p>To reach Matt Campbell, call 816-234-4905 or send e-mail to <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/27/2048231/its-a-new-beginning-for-planetarium.html#" rel="noreferrer"><a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/27/2048231/its-a-new-beginning-for-planetarium.html/mailto:mcampbell@kcstar.com">mcampbell@kcstar.com</a></a>.</p><br/></div></blockquote><br/><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/27/2048231/its-a-new-beginning-for-planetarium.html">kansascity.com</a></div><br/> <p>via the twitter feed of @centauri_dreams</p></div>Why do the Students in the Lab find this Funny?2010-06-25T19:17:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/06/25/why-do-students-in-lab-find-this-funny<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> <div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/media_httpwwwphdcomic_dfrkd-scaled1000.gif"><img alt="Media_httpwwwphdcomic_dfrkd" height="217" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/media_httpwwwphdcomic_dfrkd-scaled1000.gif?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/><br/><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://www.feedly.com/home#my">feedly.com</a></div><br/> <p>Really it only seems like that. Seriously!</p></div>CBC News - Toronto - Earthquake rocks Ontario, Quebec AND London!2010-06-23T18:50:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/06/23/cbc-news-toronto-earthquake-rocks<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> <blockquote><div><br/> <br/><br/><p>A 5.5-magnitude earthquake has hit Ontario, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, with tremors reportedly felt as far away as Montreal, Boston and Cleveland.</p><br/><p>The first tremor hit at 1:41 p.m. ET Wednesday.</p><br/><p>Buildings in Toronto and Ottawa were evacuated in the minutes following the tremors.</p> <br/><div> <h3>Your Report</h3> Do you have footage of the quake? Send us your photos and video by clicking <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/2010/05/your-news-share-your-stories-photos-and-video.html">here.</a> </div><br/> <p>"Earthquakes across Eastern Canada are definitely rare, but we do have them," said Johanna Wagstaffe, a CBC seismologist and meteorologist.</p><br/><p>"There are small fault lines along Lake Erie and Lake Ontario" and a "relatively active fault line that runs parallel to the St. Lawrence Valley," she said just minutes after the quake.</p><br/><p>The last major earthquake on that fault line measured 5.4 magnitude in 1998, she said.</p> <h3>Office workers shaken</h3> <p>Kathleen Sullivan was working on the eighth floor of an office in downtown Toronto when the quake hit.</p><br/><p>"It was very peculiar because we could actually se</p> <blockquote><strong>'The bed just started to move side to side.'</strong><em>—Darren Bonnici, Windsor, Ont., resident</em></blockquote> <p>e the plants on our window shelf shaking. By the time we gathered in the hall and figured out it wasn't our imagination, it stopped. But it was easily a minute of things shaking."</p><br/><p>The quake was felt as far south as Windsor, Ont., along the Canada-U.S. border.</p><br/><p>"I was just laying in bed .... and the bed just started to move side to side ... just gently," said Darren Bonnici, who lives on the 10th floor of an apartment building along the city's riverfront.</p><br/><p>"Sort of, almost like a mother would rock a baby in a crib," said Bonnici, adding the feeling lasted for about five seconds. "I thought right away it must have been an earthquake.</p> <br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=45.866°N,+75.457°W&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF8&hl=en&ll=45.866,-75.457&spn=0.345265,0.615921&z=11&source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left;">View Larger Map</a></small> <br/><br/><br/><br/> </div></blockquote><br/><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2010/06/23/tor-earthquake.html">cbc.ca</a></div><br/> <p>Holy smokes! I was in my office on the 3rd floor meeting with Frans and felt the P wave then the S wave, the water in the cooler was shaking! He asked if that was an earthquake (they are doing heavy renovation on our building, I thought this was the reno) and I mentioned how I'd been in several in Alaska and it was similar. Didn't realize how similar!</p></div>Lidar Building is taking shape!2010-06-21T14:47:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/06/21/lidar-building-is-taking-shapeHere’s a picture of Cass indicating where the lidar building is (if you weren’t sure) and another showing that it is indeed taking shape. We are meeting today to coordinate more of the million things that have to be done for the move next month.<p /> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/img_0608-scaled-1000.jpg"><img alt="Img_0608" height="375" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/img_0608-scaled-1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/img_0609-scaled-1000.jpg"><img alt="Img_0609" height="375" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/img_0609-scaled-1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/><div class='p_see_full_gallery'><a href="http://blog.purplecrowlidar.ca/lidar-building-is-taking-shape">See the full gallery on Posterous</a></div><br/></div><br/></p>05/28/10 PHD comic: 'A story in file names'2010-06-18T15:38:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/06/18/052810-phd-comic-story-in-file-names<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> <div class="posterous_quote_citation"><br/>Check out this website I found at <a href="http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php?f=1323">phdcomics.com</a></div><br/> <p>This ones not just for grad students!</p></div>Pictures from the Gordon Shepherd Symposium2010-06-08T20:00:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/06/08/pictures-from-gordon-shepherd-symposiumJust got some pictures from the Gordon Shepherd Symposium the other week, one of me in full ramble during my lecture and a prize pix of me with Gordon. BTW if you are interested in the history of space science, you may want to check out Gordon’s recent book <i>Canada’s Fifty Years in Space</i> available here: <a href="http://amzn.to/9GcGax">http://amzn.to/9GcGax</a>. <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/dsc_0106-scaled-1000.jpg"><img alt="Dsc_0106" height="750" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/dsc_0106-scaled-1000.jpg?w=200" width="500" /></a><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/dsc_0107-scaled-1000.jpg"><img alt="Dsc_0107" height="333" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/dsc_0107-scaled-1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/><div class='p_see_full_gallery'><a href="http://blog.purplecrowlidar.ca/pictures-from-the-gordon-shepherd-symposium">See the full gallery on Posterous</a></div><br/></div><br/></p>Both the new building and the new laser delivery our on schedule (July
1 and before month's end respectively). Woo Hoo!2010-06-07T18:27:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/06/07/both-new-building-and-new-laserBrrr: The AO is way low - UCAR Magazine2010-06-02T19:07:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/06/02/brrr-ao-is-way-low-ucar-magazine<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> <div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><img alt="Media_httpwww2ucaredu_lazdy" height="255" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/media_httpwww2ucaredu_lazdy-scaled500.jpg?w=300" width="480" /><br/></div><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://www2.ucar.edu/magazine/currents/brrr-ao-way-low">www2.ucar.edu</a></div><br/> <p>This short non-technical article is an excellent one on the Arctic Oscillation, which has a major influence or our weather in much of North America and highlights the coupling between the upper atmosphere and lower atmosphere.</p></div>At Space Science Symposium celebrating 50 years of Gordon Shepherd's
research2010-05-27T19:04:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/05/27/at-space-science-symposium-celebrating<div> </div><br/><div><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:12px;color:#424037;"><br/></span><h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0 0 10px;padding:0;"><br/><span style="font-size:12px;font-weight:normal;line-height:21px;">Gordon Shepherd is a world leader in the field of Space Science. I'm </span><span style="font-weight:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:21px;">at York University in TO today attending talks celebrating his many </span><span style="font-weight:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:21px;">research achievements in atmospheric and auroral physics, as well as </span><span style="font-weight:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:21px;">optics.</span><br/></h1><br/></div>Photos of progress on the new lidar observatory2010-05-20T20:23:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/05/20/photos-of-progress-on-new-lidar<p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Wow, that was a pleasant surprise to see today, the building is beginning to look like the architect's drawings. Maybe it will really be done July 1!</span></p><br/><p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/imag0040-scaled-1000.jpg"><img alt="Imag0040" height="334" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/imag0040-scaled-1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/imag0037-scaled-1000.jpg"><img alt="Imag0037" height="334" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/imag0037-scaled-1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/><div class='p_see_full_gallery'><a href="http://blog.purplecrowlidar.ca/photos-of-progress-on-the-new-lidar-observato">See the full gallery on Posterous</a></div><br/></div><br/></p>On the road back home after a most productive 3 days. All fired up to
improve our water vapor measurements. I think Emily is as well.2010-05-20T01:30:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/05/20/on-road-back-home-after-most-productiveIn the language of the Nation's capital2010-05-19T17:24:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/05/19/in-language-of-nation-capitalLidar wv calibration Day 3: Dave you misquoted me. I didn't say i wanted to do as "little as necessary" I said as "much as necessary." But your change to "whatever is necessary" works! <p /> Think I have been near the political centre of the universe to long.Visit to Howard University Atmospheric Research Facility2010-05-18T19:59:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/05/18/visit-to-howard-university-atmosphericAfter this morning's heavy discussions on Raman lidar water vapor calibration issues, we had a quick lunch and hopped on a bus to see Howard University's Atmospheric Research facility in nearby Beltsville. Through their own development efforts and partnerships with other government/private groups they have assembled a unique set of atmospheric monitoring equipment, including their wind and water vapor lidar systems. The water vapor system is shown in some pictures of myself, Emily and the Principal Investigator, Prof. Demetrius Venable (shown explaining the calibration system he and his students have developed). Impressive! Hearing the talks is good, but nothing beats seeing the system in action to appreciate the challenges involved.<p /><div>Most of the graduate students were not around, because there are all on a cruise across the Atlantic! No, Howard is not the nicest school in the world to their students, and before you ask Purple Crow grad students, these folks are working 24/7 taking atmospheric measurements on a research vessel. They will be back at month's end and spend the rest of summer taking measurements with the equipment we saw today.</div> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/img_0568-scaled-1000.jpg"><img alt="Img_0568" height="375" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/img_0568-scaled-1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/img_0570-scaled-1000.jpg"><img alt="Img_0570" height="667" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/img_0570-scaled-1000.jpg?w=225" width="500" /></a><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/img_0571-scaled-1000.jpg"><img alt="Img_0571" height="375" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/img_0571-scaled-1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/img_0573-scaled-1000.jpg"><img alt="Img_0573" height="375" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/img_0573-scaled-1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/><div class='p_see_full_gallery'><a href="http://blog.purplecrowlidar.ca/visit-to-howard-university-atmospheric-resear">See the full gallery on Posterous</a></div><br/></div><br/></p>NDACC Tuesday: starting on the contentious issues & details this
morning. That's calibration!2010-05-18T13:23:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/05/18/ndacc-tuesday-starting-on-contentiousHaha!2010-05-17T19:43:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/05/17/hahaAt the Network for Detection Water Vapor Lidar working group meeting. Ironically we don't have a laser pointer!Fluid Dynamics Applied to Sociology2010-05-14T23:09:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/05/14/fluid-dynamics-applied-to-sociology<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> <div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/media_httpc0389161cdn_rcljt-scaled1000.gif"><img alt="Media_httpc0389161cdn_rcljt" height="161" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/media_httpc0389161cdn_rcljt-scaled1000.gif?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/><br/><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://comics.com/zoom/316280/">comics.com</a></div><br/> <p>from the comic strip Frazz</p></div>PHD Comics: Ode to the L.A.S.E.R.2010-05-14T00:42:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/05/14/phd-comics-ode-to-laser<div class="posterous_bookmarklet_entry"><br/> <div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/media_httpwwwphdcomic_huaza-scaled1000.gif"><img alt="Media_httpwwwphdcomic_huaza" height="648" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/media_httpwwwphdcomic_huaza-scaled1000.gif?w=231" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/><br/><br/><div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a href="http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php?n=1316">phdcomics.com</a></div><br/> <p>PHD Comics is a riot, check it out at <a href="http://www.phdcomics.com">http://www.phdcomics.com</a>. Via Robin.</p></div>Hello World2010-05-14T00:23:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/05/14/hello-worldHello from all of us at the Purple Crow Lidar (shown below are Frans, Blessing, Emily, Jaya and Robin). This is an exciting time for us, what with the all the usual fun plus an amazing summer that is scheduled to give us a new building and the most significant equipment upgrades since our initial operation in 1993. So we just had to get us one of them b-logs to tell you all about it! <span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm giving Posterous a try so subscribe to us there (or follow our RSS feed), see us on Facebook ("The Purple Crow Lidar") or tweet us at <a href="http://twitter.com/purplecrowlidar">http://twitter.com/purplecrowlidar</a>.</span><div> <br /><div>To learn more about the PCL or download publications check out our web page: <a href="http://pcl.physics.uwo.ca">http://pcl.physics.uwo.ca</a>. <br /> <p /><div>Next up for us: the NDACC Water Vapor Lidar Working Group meeting.</div> <p /><div>Bob<br /><p /><p /><div><br /><div><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/img_0541-scaled-1000.jpg"><img alt="Img_0541" height="375" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/img_0541-scaled-1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/></div> </div></div></div></div>Potluck in the lab, 20092010-01-29T13:28:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/01/29/potluck-in-lab-2009<p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/10cypq-scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="10cypq" height="375" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/10cypq-scaled1000.jpg?w=300" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/></p>This is what we do2010-01-22T08:45:00+00:00http://pclblog.bobsica.com/2010/01/22/this-is-what-we-do<p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'><br/><a href="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/z7qb9-scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Z7qb9" height="667" src="http://purplecrowlidar.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/z7qb9-scaled1000.jpg?w=225" width="500" /></a><br/></div><br/></p>