Branner Blog

Google Earth layer of Myanmar cyclone data
via
dotearth

The EPA has launched the “National Dialogue on Access to Environmental Information.” They are interested in obtaining your views on how to improve access to environmental information. Your input will help EPA develop a strategy to provide better access and delivery to environmental information. They would like to know the following:

* What you’re looking for
* How you use the information you find
* The words you use when you search for environmental information
* How you like to get your information (formats, styles, etc., as well as email vs. text vs. maps, etc.)
* Who you are (categories, not necessarily your name)

You can comment privately, or post on the public forum. Check out what other people are saying too.

The commenting period is open until the end of June.

Read this point-counterpoint on science blogging in the latest issue of Nature Geoscience*, and let us know what you think.

Watch the NewsHour tonight to hear Professor Stephen Schneider discuss what the loss of Antarctic sea ice may indicate about Earth’s warming. From NewsHour:

A major chunk of ice has fallen off the Antarctic peninsula, threatening the Wilkins ice shelf behind it. Scientists say the collapse shows how quickly changes can occur at the poles when a critical point is reached.

Listen to the report to hear Professor Schneider’s interview and for more information, come to the library and see our display dedicated to the research and history of the International Polar Year.

The key here is 1903. Many of our pre-1923 titles have been scanned by Google and can be found in their entirety through Google Books. This questioner was in luck; the desired volume, “Report on the Eruptions of the Soufriere, in St. Vincent, in 1902…” is available, along with incredible plates like this one of Soufriere’s crater.

You won’t find this on YouTube:

The Hidden Earth is one of many films made available by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado.

The films presented were produced after the International Geophysical Year (IGY) in 1957-58 by the National Academy of Sciences. They use footage taken during the IGY field research, and “each film focuses on one of the thirteen research themes of IGY.”

See the National Academy of Sciences’ site for more examples of their IGY-related educational outreach efforts.

Our Changing Planet is a public television series focusing on planet Earth. All episodes are written and produced by the Upper Midwest Aerospace Consortium (UMAP). The series features 90-second episodes “whose purpose is to enhance public understanding of the global environment and the changes it is undergoing.”

See the episode menu for details. Topics include atmospheric changes, earth effects, ecosystem impacts, human impact, land use, water and sea level.

via EOS, Vol. 98, No. 4, p. 30.

Take a look at Google Experimental Search. They’re offering five experimental features to enhance your searching: alternate views for search results, keyword suggestions, keyboard shortcuts, left-hand search navigation, and right-hand contextual search navigation.

I tried two. First, the keyword suggestions:

For a librarian, this wasn’t a very interesting option.

Next I tried alternative views. This was nice:

Once again I searched for “gold rush,” and although it’s hard to see in the example above, with the timeline view, you have a visualization of the 19th century and its related gold rush activity. I think this will be a nice aid for the students in our California Gold Rush class.

What do you think?

LANL will be doing necessary upgrades and maintenance on their SearchPlus and FlashPoint systems. They will be unavailable beginning at 5pm on Thursday, January 17 with resumption of service on Tuesday, January 22nd.

If you need to access SciSearch you may do so through ISI’s Web of Science.

The AGU Digital Library is here!

Contents include:

Socrates records will be updated soon to reflect the new electronic content, but right now, the best way to access the articles is by clicking on individual journal titles from the AGU contents page. Full articles are available as pdfs. The AGU search engine covers 1988-present currently, but will allow you to search for content back to 1896 soon.

Let us know if you have any questions.