Author: Tim

Marine life mixes oceans

One of my colleagues carries out research examining the small scale mixing processes that go on in the oceans. He uses a complicated camera system with lasers and holograms and maps out the swirling motion of the water by tracking particles in the water [see here]. In the past he has ended up with some interesting pictures of little (microscopic) creatures in the water and he has begun to think about how these creatures stir up the oceans as they move around.

So, it was interesting when news of some research conducted in California broke recently. The work has measured the effect that jellyfish swimming in weater have on the mixing of the water water itself. Jellyfish were used because they are relatively simple and can be simulated in models quite well but the principle of ocean mixing by organisms is being considered more widely. In fact, the idea was suggested by Charles Darwin’s grandson some time ago. It turns out that the new research suggests that the mixing could be significant although the extrpolation to all ocean-going organisms, in particular the really small ones (of which there are huge numbers) is a rather uncertain process. It has been suggested that this organismal mixing could be as big as that produced by the other key mixing processes – wind and ocean tides. The result won’t change the results of ocean models because these work by adding in as much mixing as is necessary to get the “right” results but it may point a way to understanding global ocean mixing more thoroughly and it suggests that my colleague’s potential to view the water motion around smaller organisms might be a really fruitful direction to go in.

The research is reported in New Scientist, Issue 2719 [01 August 2009] and also on the BBC Website [29 July 2009].

Sharpe’s Escape

Over the last few years I have been working my way through Bernard Cornwell ‘s “Sharpe” series of novels. Richard Sharpe is an English soldier from the early part of the 19th century fighting battles in India, Denmark, Portugal and ultimately France (though I haven’t got this far yet). Each book follows a basic pattern – you know that Sharpe isn’t going to get killed and that the English will win so the drama always comes from two sources – i) there’s always someone, often on his own side, who Sharpe gets into a personal feud with who ultimately gets their comeuppence and ii) there’s always a girl who despite her best intentions to do otherwise falls for Sharpe (it’s just a question of how many pages into the book this happens). So the Sharpe novels are highly formulaic, but because of this picking one up to read is like getting in touch with an old friend and Bernard Cornwell is undoubtedly a master of the genre. Sharpe’s Escape is set in Portugal and involves Sharpe and his companions effecting a rather messy escape froma tight spot to re-join the English and Portuguese armies as they hold the French at bay north of Lisbon. I’m reading the series in historical order (not the order they were written) – so far it has been Sharpe’s… Tiger – Triumph – Fortress – Trafalgar – Prey – Rifles – Havoc – Eagle – Gold – Escape… next comes Fury.

Linked Archive page added

WordPress (or rather the clever people who have developed and run the WordPress blogging service) have just introduced a neat feature that provides an archive list of all blog posts that have been made with a link provided for each entry. I already have a clunky “hand-made” Contents page which lists all of the entries without links but with a very brief description of their contents but I think I will keep this going alongside a separate listing using the new WordPress feature. So, my “Contents” page remains but has been joined by a new “Linked Archive” page. Both are available via the General Information list over there →

MovieWatch page added

I’m not a big cinema-goer and don’t seem to find much time to watch films at home on television but given my penchant for recording things I thought it would be appropriate to start a “MovieWatch” page on this site in which I record films that I have seen. It will quickly become apparent that most of the films I watch, particularly those I watch in the cinema, match the ages of my children. You can access the MovieWatch page via the link in the General Information list over there →

Raindrops are falling…

As I write this it is pouring with rain and has been for several hours. It is what seems to have become a typical summer’s day… But what do raindrops actually look like as they fall? A recent news item on the BBC Website (20 July 2009) reports on new research that has used high-speed cameras to film falling drops of water and the result is some fascinating footage of complex deformation and break-up (there is a viewable clip that accompanies the news item). It is thought that the research might improve rainfall models although apparently the drops used are on the large size for typical UK rain.

Spare a thought for sea grass

It is common knowledge that coral reefs and coral reef ecosystems are under threat but it is less well known that sea grass meadows are also struggling. Sea grass  is found in shallow coastal waters across the whole planet and are important as a refuge for crustaceans, young fish and larger creatures such as dugongs and turtles. A recent meta-analysis (pooling data from 215 regional studies from 1879 to 2006) has revealed that the total area of seagrass meadows has declined by 29% since 1879. It is thought that much of the damage is done by sediment dumping, pollution and nutrient run-off which decrease water quality, starving the sea grass of the sunlight it needs to grow. The research is highlighted in New Scientist, Issue 2716 [11 July 2009].

Sea level rise – it just goes on and on…

New Scientist, Issue 2715 [04 July 2009] contains a substantial article on sea level rise which sets out the latest findings on rates of sea level rise and puts these into the context of past changes in sea level. It seems that a rise of 80cm by 2100 is a pretty standard projection, a rise of ~2m by 2100 is within the realms of possibility and even bigger rises cannot be discounted. An important point to bear in mind is that when projections are given for 2100 it is important not to forget that this isn’t the end of the story and that sea levels will continue to rise after this point and also that although much greater changes have occurred earlier in the Earth’s history we need to remember that humans weren’t around then…

A tale of two gases (and the Southern Ocean)

It’s reasonably well known (!) that carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are increasing… it’s also reasonably well known that increased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are leading to increased carbon dioxide levels in the oceans (leading to ocean acidification). However, new research reported in New Scientist, Issue 2715 [04 July 2009] suggests that in the Southern Ocean, the picture isn’t quite that simple. Measurements from the Southern Ocean show that carbon dioxide levels have flattened off in recent decades (having previously increased) and a new modelling study points the finger of “blame” for this at the hole in the ozone layer in this region. Lower levels of atmospheric ozone (at high levels) and increased levels of carbon dioxide (at lower levels) have changed the energy balance in the atmosphere, generating stronger westerly winds, enhancing ocean circulation and encouraging carbon-rich water to rise up from the deep (a process known as upwelling). The result is surface water that is less able to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This is a great example of an unexpected feedback effect of one part of the Earth-atmosphere system with another and just goes to show how complex and inter-connected all of these processes really are.

Better – A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance

A couple of years ago I heard an interview with Atul Gawande, a US surgeon/professor/writer about his book “Better – A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance” as part of a Scientific American podcast. Several aspects of this interview stayed with me and I made a mental note that I should read his book. Then a few weeks ago this interview was repeated and it spurred me on to finally get a copy which I have now finished reading. “Better” sets out to discuss how it is possible to improve the success rate of medical care in a number of settings from hospital hygiene, to battlefield injuries to “routine” treatment of medical conditions. It is a brilliant book, even for someone who, like me, has no particular interest in medicine (and who struggled somewhat to read a detailed description of the process of completing a Caesarean Section…). Gawande, tries to identify the factors that turn “good” into “better”. One simple example, which was used in the original interview I heard, is of improving hygiene in hospitals to limit spread of infectious diseases – the answer is not to search for some fancy new procedure; it’s something much more basic, namely to ensure that everyone properly washes their hands every single time that they should do. Simple.

There are two particular quotations that I liked. The first is this:

“When you make an effort, you find sometimes you are not the only one willing to do so.”

and the second comes towards the end of the book and is a kind of summary of the whole book:

“Arriving at meaningful solutions is an inevitably slow and difficult process. Nonetheless, what I saw is: better is possible. It does not take genius. It takes diligence. It takes Moral clarity. It takes ingenuity. And above all, it takes a willingness to try.”
[this one is SO good I’m going to add it to the bottom of my work email signature I think]

The final chapter of the book looks at what it takes to become what Gawande calls a “positive deviant”. This is someone who stands out from the crowd and makes a difference, who naturally makes things better and who continually raises the bar. He comes up with five suggestions for how one might make a “worthy difference” and become a positive deviant. Whether he is right or not, I think they make a great list and what particularly pleased me as I read them each in turn is that it turns out that I already do most of them…

  1. Ask an unscripted question: i.e. talk to people; find things out about them; make human connections
  2. Don’t complain: “it’s boring, it doesn’t solve anything, and will get you down”
  3. Count something: gather data on something, anything; look for the patterns; learn something interesting about something that interests you
  4. Write something: “by offering your reflections to an audience, even a small one, you make yourself part of a larger world”
  5. Change: “it often seems safest to do what everyone else is doing – to be just another … cog in the machine”

What a great list – I’m going to work harder on number 2 and, to a lesser extent, number 5, and with a bit of luck, I’ll get better.