Union Of Concerned Scientists Research Articles

Invited Perspective: Leveraging Air Quality Research Advancements to Assess and Address Exposure Inequities.

Invited Perspective: Leveraging Air Quality Research Advancements to Assess and Address Exposure Inequities.

Kurt Gottfried

Kurt Gottfried

Viability of On-Orbit Servicing Spacecraft to Prolong the Operational Life of Satellites

This research paper is an extensive literature review and data analysis on the viability of on-orbit servicing (OOS) spacecraft to prolong the operational life of satellites. A systematic analysis of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) Satellite Database found that Sentinel 1A and 1B orbit at approximately the same height as Landsat 7 (∼700 km) and have a collective propellant mass (MProp) of 308 kg which is less than Landsat 7′s 544 kg. The On-orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing (OSAM) 1 spacecraft has the capacity to refuel both Sentinels as an alternative option to Landsat 7. For OSAM 1 to refuel Landsat 7, it is $261.91 M cheaper than replacement and the more economically viable and sustainable option. OSAM 1 will mitigate the immediate problem of space debris. However, a new model of standardized cooperative satellites with external plug-in interfaces could facilitate both planned and unplanned upgrades, modifications and repairs for changing missions and technology updates for the future.

Characterization of habitat requirements of European fishing spiders.

Wetlands are among the most threatened habitats in the world, and so are their species, which suffer habitat loss due to climate and land use changes. Freshwater species, and especially arthropods, receive comparatively little attention in conservation plans, and the goals to stop and reverse the destruction of wetlands published 25 years ago in a manifesto by the Union of Concerned Scientists have not been reached. In this study, we investigated the occurrence and habitat requirements at two spatial scales of two species of European fishing spiders Dolomedes, which rely heavily on declining wetland habitats in Sweden and southern Norway. We collected occurrence data for Dolomedes plantarius and Dolomedes fimbriatus, using a live-determination method. We modelled the placement of nursery webs to describe fine-scale habitat requirements related to vegetation and micro-climate. Using a machine learning approach, we described the habitat features for each species and for co-occurrence sites, thus providing insight into variables relevant for the presence and detectability of Dolomedes. Nursery placement is mostly dependent on proximity to water, presence of Carex sp. (Sedges) and crossing vegetation structures, and on humidity, while detection can be affected by weather conditions. Furthermore, co-occurrence sites were more similar to D. plantarius sites than to D. fimbriatus sites, whereby surrounding forest, water type and velocity, elevation and latitude were of importance for explaining which species of Dolomedes was present. Overall, habitat requirements were narrower for D. plantarius compared to D. fimbiratus.

Collaborations and Moving Past COVID‐19: The Human Ecology and Applied Ecology Sections

Collaborations and Moving Past COVID‐19: The Human Ecology and Applied Ecology Sections

A Conversation

A Conversation

Jim McCarthy's achievements at the intersection of science with public policy

Along with his distinguished research career as a biological oceanographer and marine biologist and his inspiring service as a teacher, advisor, and mentor to students and junior colleagues at Harvard University, Jim McCarthy has been a scientific statesman of the first order, bringing insights from his research and his deep understanding of the role of science in society into the arenas of management of scientific enterprises and public and policy-maker education about the science relating to some of the greatest challenges of our time. His roles at the intersection of science with public issues have included stints as director of the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology, cochair of the Working Group II (Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability) for the Third Assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, chair of the Board of the Union of Concerned Scientists, chair of the Scientific Committee of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program, vice chair of the New England Climate Impact Assessment, and member of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, among others. In all of these roles, he has been a model of insightful leadership, selfless service, integrity, and commitment to science and the public interest.

Detecting Targets above the Earth’s Surface Using GNSS-R Delay Doppler Maps: Results from TDS-1

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) reflected signals can be used to remotely sense the Earth’s surface, known as GNSS reflectometry (GNSS-R). The GNSS-R technique has been applied to numerous areas, such as the retrieval of wind speed, and the detection of Earth surface objects. This work proposes a new application of GNSS-R, namely to detect objects above the Earth’s surface, such as low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. To discuss its feasibility, 14 delay Doppler maps (DDMs) are first presented which contain unusually bright reflected signals as delays shorter than the specular reflection point over the Earth’s surface. Then, seven possible causes of these anomalies are analysed, reaching the conclusion that the anomalies are likely due to the signals being reflected from objects above the Earth’s surface. Next, the positions of the objects are calculated using the delay and Doppler information, and an appropriate geometry assumption. After that, suspect satellite objects are searched in the satellite database from Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). Finally, three objects have been found to match the delay and Doppler conditions. In the absence of other reasons for these anomalies, GNSS-R could potentially be used to detect some objects above the Earth’s surface.

Scientists' Warning on the Conservation of Subterranean Ecosystems

Abstract In light of recent alarming trends in human population growth, climate change, and other environmental modifications, a “Warning to humanity” manifesto was published in BioScience in 2017. This call reiterated most of the ideas originally expressed by the Union of Concerned Scientists in 1992, including the fear that we are “pushing Earth's ecosystems beyond their capacities to support the web of life.” As subterranean biologists, we take this opportunity to emphasize the global importance and the conservation challenges associated with subterranean ecosystems. They likely represent the most widespread nonmarine environments on Earth, but specialized subterranean organisms remain among the least documented and studied. Largely overlooked in conservation policies, subterranean habitats play a critical role in the function of the web of life and provide important ecosystem services. We highlight the main threats to subterranean ecosystems and propose a set of effective actions to protect this globally important natural heritage.

How to Be a Better Scientist

This edition focuses on another facet of being an effective scientist for which we may not have received formal training during our graduate programs and which may cause us quite a bit of anxiety (or even panic in some cases): scientific communication. As professional scientists, we are primarily trained to talk to and write for other scientists; think of the numerous presentations you have given at scientific conferences or the papers you have published in peer-reviewed journals. But from what sources do people commonly get their information? Hint: for nonscientists, it is typically not journal articles. As a graduate student, I convinced myself that if I could tell my family about my research and its importance during family gatherings and they understood it (or at least enough of it that they could argue with me), then I had been an effective science communicator. In hindsight, this was obviously a bit of an oversimplification. If we as scientists want to be part of important conversations, from challenges with global climate and land use change to scientific funding to local or regional natural resources management and restoration strategies, we need to be able to effectively communicate with diverse audiences: policy-makers; municipal, state, and federal governmental units; natural resources managers; funding agencies; environmental to industrial stakeholder groups; and concerned citizens. Luckily in the past decade, there has been a strong emphasis on science communication training within scientific societies, including ASLO. I asked ASLO members for recommendations on science communication training resources; the results follow below. Baron, N. 2010. Escape from the ivory tower: A guide to making your science matter, 2nd edition. Island Press. The book does a really nice job reminding scientists that not everyone speaks our language, has the same goals in life, or spends 40+ hours a week doing science. If you want to reach outside your typical sphere of influence, you will need a different set of skills, and a fresh perspective on the audience you are trying to reach—Elisha Wood-Charlson, Biosciences, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, CA. Alda, A. 2017. If I understood you, would I have this look on my face? My adventures in the art and science of relating and communicating. Random House. Alan Alda does an amazing, and hilarious, job of understanding the nuances in communication—verbal and nonverbal. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to connect better—Elisha Wood-Charlson, Biosciences, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, CA. Hayes, R., and D. Grossman. 2006. A scientist's guide to talking with the media: Practical advice from the Union of Concerned Scientists. Rutgers Univ. Press. As a practicing science communicator, public information officer, and editor, I recommend A Scientist's Guide to Talking with the Media: Practical Advice from the Union of Concerned Scientists by Richard Hayes and Daniel Grossman. The 170-page book is a resource for how scientists can engage media to raise awareness of scientific research and thought. It is not flashy or cutesy; it is practical, and it works by offering advice tailored to the needs and constraints of both scientists and journalists—Marie Thoms, Minnesota Sea Grant, Duluth, MN. Evans, M. C., and C. Cvitanovic. 2018. An introduction to achieving policy impact for early career researchers. Palgrave Commun. 4: 88. Available from https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-018-0144-2. I recommend the article because it offers concrete, actionable steps that early career scientists can take to engage in policy—Michelle McCrackin, Baltic Eye, Baltic Sea Center, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden. Looking for some more resources on science communication? The L&O Bulletin has compiled two virtual issues related to this topic: Spotlight on Science Communication, which includes book reviews of Houston, We Have a Narrative by Randy Olson and Connection: Hollywood Storytelling Meets Critical Thinking by Randy Olson, Dorie Barton, and Brain Palermo; and Science Meets Policy: How To's and Success Stories. Both virtual issues can be found under the virtual issues tab of the L&O Bulletin homepage (https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/15396088/). Interested in more formal training in science communication? Check out The Flame Challenge from the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University (https://www.aldacenter.org/outreach/flame-challenge). Thanks to Clayton Williams from University of Vermont, Burlington, VT for the recommendation. For the next edition, I will focus on another critical aspect of being a better scientist for which we typically do not receive much formal training: undergraduate and graduate student mentoring. This column is appearing as a trial run in 2019 issues of the L&O Bulletin. If you have any thoughts or critiques of this column, or suggestions for additional resources on this topic or for topics to cover in future issues, please feel free to contact me. You can email me at filstrup@aslo.org or tweet me @ctfilstrup. Please be sure to tag the L&O Bulletin (#ASLO_Bulletin) in your tweets.

DOMESTIC ENERGY UTILIZATION AND POTENTIALS OF ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF ENERGY IN MUBI METROPOLIS

The Study investigates domestic energy utilization and potentials of alternative sources of energy in Mubi metropolis of Adamawa State. To achieve the objectives of this study, data were collected using questionnaire. A total of 108 sets of questionnaire were retrieved and analyse using descriptive statistics. Some of the data collected from respondents include; types of energy used for various purposes, factors that influence such use and preferences for the different types of energy. Other information which cannot be collected using questionnaire were obtained from published and unpublished materials. The findings show that households rely more on fuel-wood. Economic factors were found to influence the choice of energy used in homes. Solar energy and wind energy have high potentials as alternative energy source that will help in mitigating climatic change. The study concludes that households in Mubi metropolis tend to climb the energy ladder from low grade energy types to modern energy when income increases and such energy are made available. The study recommends that households be sensitized on the health and environmental effects of traditional energy. Households should be encouraged to use modern and alternative sources of energy in order to mitigate climate change. Such energies should also be made affordable and available since majority of the respondents were willing to switch when made affordable.
 Keywords: Domestic energy, alternative energy, climate change, firewood.
 
 References
 CBN (2009). Statistical Bulletin, Central Bank of Nigeria: Volume 20, December 2009
 Climate Change Network Nigeria (CCNN, 2003) Monitoring Nigerian climate change. www.ccnnigeria.org accessed on February, 2018
 DECC, (2013) The UK low carbon transition plan: national strategy for climate and energy. Presented to Parliament pursuant to Sections 12 and 14 of the Climate Change Act 2008, TSO
 ETB (2011) Engineering Tool Box. http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com. Accessed May 2017
 Federal Ministry of Environment (2014). Nigeria’s Second National Communication Under 
 TheUnited Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Abuja, Nigeria.
 Halava, Satu (2013) Carbon Footprint of Thermowood. unpublished project, Satakunnan
 University of Applied Sciences. Accessed on 13th August, 2018 from
 https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/63624/Halava_Satu.pdf;sequence=1
 Kaltimber (2017) How much CO2 is stored in 1 kg of wood?
 http://www.kaltimber.com/blog/2017/6/19/how-much-co2-is-stored-in-1-kg-of-wood accessed on 11th August, 2018.
 Mshelia, A. D (2015). Seasonal Variations of Household Solid Waste Generation in Mubi, Nigeria. International Journal of Innovative Education and Research. Vol. 3, No. 5
 Momodu I. M., (2013). Domestic Energy Needs and Natural Resources Conservation: The Case of Fuelwood Consumption in Nigeria. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, Vol 4 No 8. 27-33
 NEC, (2006) National Emission Ceilings for Certain Atmospheric Pollutants. Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment, The Hague, Netherlands
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 Lajoie (2006): Evidence of trends in daily climate extremes over southern and West Africa, J. Geophys. Res., 111, D14102, doi: 10.1029/2005JD006289.
 Nigeria Energy Commission, (2006) Report of survey of energy utilization in the informal sector: A case study of the FCT, Federal Ministry of Power Technical Report. September, 2006.
 Obueh, J. (2008), “The Ecological Cost of increasing Dependence on Biomass fuels as Household Energy in Rural Nigeria”: Lessons from Boiling Point No. 44, GTZ/ITDG.
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 Consumption. International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, Vol. 2, (12)
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 Palmer J, Cooper I. (2014) United Kingdom energy housing fact file 2013; 2014.
 Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), (2015) Science for a healthy planet and safer world. 2016–2020 Strategic Plan
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World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity: A Second Notice

Twenty-five years ago, the Union of Concerned Scientists and more than 1700 independent scientists, including the majority of living Nobel laureates in the sciences, penned the 1992 World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity (see supplemental file S1). These concerned professionals called on humankind to curtail environmental destruction and cautioned that great change in our stewardship of the Earth and the life on it is required, if vast human misery is to be avoided. In their manifesto, they showed that humans were on a collision course with the natural world. They expressed concern about current, impending, or potential damage on planet Earth involving ozone depletion, freshwater availability, marine life depletion, ocean dead zones, forest loss, biodiversity destruction, climate change, and continued human population growth. They proclaimed that fundamental changes were urgently needed to avoid the consequences our present course would bring.

U.S. EPA moves to kill power plant rules

The Trump Administration’s recent steps to kill the Obama Administration’s regulations to curb power plant emissions are unlikely to stop U.S. and international movement away from coal use. That’s the view of the American Chemistry Council (ACC), a chemical industry trade association, and the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), a scientific advocacy group. In a report, UCS finds that the share of U.S. electricity coming from coal fell from 51% in 2008 to 31% in 2016, and of the coal units that remain, roughly one in four plan to retire or convert to natural gas. Another 17% are uneconomic and may soon face retirement. ACC says with or without action by the Environmental Protection Agency, reductions in U.S. greenhouse gas releases are likely to continue, driven largely by market forces and state and regional emission control policies. Like UCS, the chemical makers’ group points to data showing sharp carbon dioxide

An ontology for satellite databases

This paper demonstrates the development of ontology for satellite databases. First, I create a computational ontology for the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) Satellite Database (UCSSD for short), called the UCS Satellite Ontology (or UCSSO). Second, in developing UCSSO I show that The Space Situational Awareness Ontology (SSAO) (Rovetto and Kelso 2016)--an existing space domain reference ontology--and related ontology work by the author (Rovetto 2015, 2016) can be used either (i) with a database-specific local ontology such as UCSSO, or (ii) in its stead. In case (i), local ontologies such as UCSSO can reuse SSAO terms, perform term mappings, or extend it. In case (ii), the author's orbital space ontology work, such as the SSAO, is usable by the UCSSD and organizations with other space object catalogs, as a reference ontology suite providing a common semantically-rich domain model. The SSAO, UCSSO, and the broader Orbital Space Environment Domain Ontology project is online at http://purl.org/space-ontology and GitHub. This ontology effort aims, in part, to provide accurate formal representations of the domain for various applications. Ontology engineering has the potential to facilitate the sharing and integration of satellite data from federated databases and sensors for safer spaceflight.

Unconventional natural gas development and respiratory health

Unconventional natural gas development and respiratory health

Mobilizing Doubt: The Legal Mobilization of Climate Denialist Groups

Conservatives have adopted effective legal mobilization strategies in pursuit of their policy goals, but their legal mobilization efforts in the area of climate change politics are understudied. This paper explores the legal mobilization tactics of climate denialist groups, such as the industry-backed American Tradition Institute and the Free Market Environmental Law Clinic. These groups are increasingly using Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to establish evidence of organized political activity by public university researchers who study the dynamics of climate change. This manuscript adds to the legal mobilization literature in three ways. First, this paper traces the origin of these climate denialist groups to the broader conservative legal movement of the 1970s that sought to challenge the dominance of legal liberalism in law schools, public interest groups, the judiciary, and other elite-dominated institutions, such as universities. Second, this manuscript uses the high profile case of Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s and the American Tradition Institute’s FOIA campaign against climate researcher Michael Mann to demonstrate how the legal mobilization tactics of climate denialist groups caused the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), and the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund (CSLDF) to successfully countermobilize with their own legal campaign in support of the First Amendment rights of faculty. Finally, this manuscript provides the first empirical evidence of the effect of climate denialist FOIA suits on the activities of university researchers. Through personal interviews with researchers who have been asked to produce information under a FOIA request or state equivalent, I find overwhelming evidence that these requests do not alter the ways that they communicate research findings via email, but that they report initial negative experiences after learning of these requests and their means of communication are altered in the aftermath of these requests.

Talking science with journalists

The media attention bestowed on scientists is like a hundred-year flood—rare but potentially overwhelming for the unprepared.

Open Records Laws Increasingly Used to Harass Scientists

A new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists says that scientists and universities need to be prepared to respond to broad open records requests.

Remote-Sensing Applications for Environmental Health Research

More than 1,000 manmade satellites currently orbit our planet.1 Some are near the edge of the Earth’s atmosphere just a few hundred kilometers up. Others are tens of thousands of kilometers above us.2 They aid in communication, navigation, defense, and science. A small number3,4 play a critical and quickly expanding role: monitoring the Earth’s surface and atmosphere to track environmental conditions that are intimately tied to human health. A number of new Earth-observing missions are planned for the next decade, including Sentinel-5 aboard the European Space Agency’s MetOp Second Generation satellites (pictured).48 In the meantime researchers are finding new uses for the satellite ... Researchers and government agencies worldwide already use satellite data to monitor air pollutants, infectious disease epidemics, harmful algal blooms (HABs), climate change, and more. But as current research indicates, that’s only the beginning of what we can do with the technology, broadly referred to as “remote sensing.” In the coming years, new satellites will offer higher-resolution imagery in conjunction with more robust and precise algorithms to process the data they deliver. As a result, researchers expect to dramatically expand their ability to view and understand Earth’s land, water, and air, from its remotest ocean waters to its largest cities. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched its first satellite in 1958,5 and TIROS-1, the country’s first meteorological satellite, came 2 years later.6 Within a few decades members of the epidemiological and public health communities began actively looking at satellite data, says John Haynes, program manager of the NASA Applied Sciences Health and Air Quality Applications Program. In recent years interest in remote-sensing data has soared, with newer avenues being developed and fine-tuned, including air-quality measurements and vector-borne disease projections. “There’s really been a paradigm shift in the use of remote sensing for public health issues,” Haynes says. “Every year there seems to be more and more interest.” Indeed, by March 2015 NASA will have launched 6 Earth-observing missions in 12 months,7 more than in any year in at least a decade.8 New launches include a “global precipitation observatory” that will make frequent global measurements of rain and snowfall, plus one satellite designed to measure soil moisture and another that will measure how carbon moves through the Earth’s atmosphere, land, and oceans. In addition, the International Space Station will receive three new instruments, one that will observe how winds behave around the world, one that will measure clouds and aerosols (particles suspended in the atmosphere)—two variables that remain difficult to predict in climate-change models—and one that will take global, long-term measurements of key components of the Earth’s atmosphere, including aerosols and ozone.9 The momentum will carry through at least the next 8 or so years, with NASA and other space agencies in Europe and Asia planning to launch new satellites that will provide even higher-resolution snapshots of the Earth. Along with technological and scientific advances, a third development is leading to new and improved applications of satellite data: NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have made their satellite data available free of charge, Haynes says, while the European Space Agency (ESA) has reduced prices and promised to provide free access to data from its next generation of instruments. “More people use the data, and you get more out of it than when you try to restrict it,” says Raphael Kudela, an oceanographer at the University of California, Santa Cruz, who uses satellite imagery to study HABs. This free sharing of data has been instrumental in his field, allowing researchers at institutions around the world to study HABs from above and to improve systems to track and predict them.

Newsmakers

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has selected Francesca Grifo, a longtime advocate with the Union of Concerned Scientists, to implement its scientific integrity policy.