SUNSPOT 1039

EASY COME, EASY GO: Sunspot 1039 is about to disappear over the sun's western limb, but the sun won't remain blank for long. Another active region is approaching from the east, shown here in a Jan. 5th image from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory:

The approaching region is old sunspot 1035. It has been transiting the far side of the sun since Dec. 20th. After all this time, is it still a dark-cored behemoth or just a decaying tangle of magnetic fields? Monitoring is encouraged: solar telescopes.

SOURCE:http://spaceweather.com/

WATER AND CLIMATE CHANGE THE WORLD BANK

August 18, 2008 — Water and climate change is one of the standing issues to be discussed at this year’s World Water Week, whose focus is on sanitation in response to the UN International Year of Sanitation.
Vahid Alavian, World Bank water adviser, is attending the conference and will report on progress and preliminary findings of a two-year Bank study on water and climate change.
Worldbank.org talked with Alavian about his findings to date.

What’s the objective of the study?

In the water sector, water managers inherently have to deal with variability and uncertainty, but what’s new is the increased level of uncertainty due to the changes in climate. As a result, the Bank is looking at issues such as the impact of climate change on water systems and ways to reduce vulnerability.

The study addresses three questions: What are the impacts of climate variability and change on water systems? What are adaptation strategies to reduce vulnerability of water systems? How can the Bank assist client countries in making informed decisions regarding adaptation options in their water investments?
It specifically looks at four major water-related issues: operation of existing water systems, planning and design of new water systems, delivery of water services under increased climate uncertainty, and preparedness of water policies and institutions to deal with climate change.

What have you found so far?

First, we’ve tried to synthesize the science of water and climate change to provide a solid foundation for understanding key issues. What we found through this process is that future trends in climate variability and climate-related hazards pose an increasing challenge to countries in managing water. The question is how to best cope and manage under a much riskier set of conditions.
Broadly speaking, there are two options for adapting to climate change: those that carry “no regrets” and those that are “climate justified.”
The “no regrets” actions are essentially best practice actions that should be done regardless of climate change. The “climate justified” ones are those that might be justifiable under significant changes in climate. They would need to be studied more carefully for their appropriateness in reducing vulnerability to climate change.

What, other than climate change, can affect future water availability?

Climate change is only one of many factors that will determine future patterns of water availability and use.
In some countries, other factors, such as population growth and land management, may be far more significant and critical than climate change.
For this reason, the impact of climate change on water should be put within the context of the broader development agenda.

What’s the impact of water and climate change on food production and prices?

Water availability is critical for food production, and will become even more so in the future, but it has not received the attention it needs.
We’re finding that many countries are moving forward with accelerated food production, mostly through irrigated agriculture, to take advantage of high prices, without giving serious consideration to the availability of water.
If this practice continues, water will soon become a limiting factor for food production as a basic staple for the general public in some countries. The impact of that will be felt on the poor the most.

How does climate change affect sanitation, the focus of this year’s Water Week?

Public health, which is the end point of sanitation, is affected by a change in climate. From the water standpoint, two factors play a role: global warming, and a change in moisture or water availability.
Less available water affects hygiene. On the other hand, more precipitation and increased moisture may lead to more risk of vector-borne diseases.
Our sanitation specialists are trying to better understand the links between climate change and sanitation with the broader context of health and hygiene.
Photo Luc Viatour

SOURCE:http://guatemala-times.com/technology/science/

CLIMATE CHANGE

Changing climate hurts Myanmar

By Aye Sapay Phyu and Sann Oo

MYANMAR has suffered more than almost any other country in the world from the harmful effects of climate change, according to a report issued as world leaders meet for the UN Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen. A survey issued by the NGO Germanwatch on December 8 placed Myanmar second on a list of countries badly affected by extreme weather events during the period 1990-2008. For the year 2008 alone, Myanmar featured in the top three worst-hit countries, together with Yemen and Vietnam, AFP reported. Bangladesh, Yemen, the Philippines and Honduras also suffered greatly during the period in question. “While Vietnam and the Philippines are relatively regularly affected through storms and flooding, as can be seen in the Climate Risk Index editions 2006, 2007 and 2008, the high figures for Myanmar and Yemen are exceptional,” the report said. The study takes into account a range of factors, including the total number of deaths from storms, floods and other weather extremes, deaths per 100,000, losses in absolute US dollar terms, and losses as a percentage of a country’s gross domestic product (GDP). All the 10 most affected countries from 1990 to 2008 were developing countries in the low-income or lower-middle income country group. In total, 600,000 people died as a direct consequence of more than 11,000 extreme weather events, which together caused losses of US$1.7 trillion. Cyclone Nargis, which struck Myanmar in May 2008, was the most devas-tating storm in the country’s history, causing the death of 85,000 people, with a further 54,000 people missing, the loss of K3.3547 trillion in the public sector and K8.3800 trillion in the private sector, according to official Myanmar government figures. AFP quoted Germanwatch as saying that weather extremes are an increasing threat to life and property around the world, and their impact is likely to intensify in the future due to climate change. Similarly, the Asian Development Bank estim-ated in its April 2009 report on the Economics of Climate Change in South East Asia that by 2100, the region is likely to suffer more than the global average, with a reduction in regional GDP of nearly 7pc every year as a result of climate change. The report said climate change could seriously hinder Southeast Asia’s sustainable development and poverty reduction efforts, and called for urgent action to combat climate change. The British foreign office has announced a proposal by UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown for a US$10 billion “Copenhagen Launch Fund” to help developing countries tackle climate change immediately, with priority given to the poorest and most vulnerable. But advocacy groups say between $50 billion and $160 billion will be needed each year to fund adaptation by 2030, with some projections reaching as high as $350 billion. SOURCE:http://www.mmtimes.com/no501/n005.htm

GATHER TO VIEW PARTIAL ECLIPSE

1,500 gather at National Mosque to view partial eclipse

2010/01/01

KUALA LUMPUR: About 1,500 star-gazers gathered at the National Mosque here in the wee hours of today to witness a partial lunar eclipse.


The eclipse started at 1.17am when the moon entered the Earth's penumbra and started passing the umbra at 2.53am.

However, due to cloudy skies, these first two stages were hardly visible for the stargazers, even through telescopes.

The group was not totally disappointed when the clouds parted and provided a clear view of the eclipse when it reached its maximum phase at 3.24am. The total eclipse lasted for just 29 minutes before the moon passed through Earth's umbra at 3.53am.

Apart from the eclipsed moon, the stargazers also had the opportunity to observe Mars and Saturn through their telescopes.

At 2.30am, the Muslims stargazers performed the "solat khusuf" (lunar eclipse prayers) in conjunction with the phenomenon.
Stargazer Muhammad Nizam Shamsury, 26, said he was a little frustrated when he could not see the two earlier phases of the eclipse, even through a telescope, due to the cloudy skies.

"I waited till the end because I wanted to know how the eclipse of the moon occurred. This is the first time I am actually seeing it," he told Bernama.

For Muhammad Ridhuan Che Alim, 27, the opportunity to witness the eclipse was the best way to spend his New Year holiday.

"I did not mind the long wait because I was so thrilled to see for myself how an eclipse occurred. It's really something worth learning about.

"Even though I'm a little disappointed for not being able to see the first two phases, the information provided by the National Space Agency (Angkasa) was sufficient," he said.

Meanwhile, Angkasa Education and Science director Azreena Ahmad said those who had missed the opportunity to witness the partial lunar eclipse, could view its recorded version at Angkasa's website www.angkasa.gov.my.

She said the eclipse would occur at least twice a year.

On Jan 15, a solar eclipse was expected to occur, she said.

Also present to witness the lunar eclipse was the Grand Imam of the National Mosque, Tan Sri Syaikh Ismail Muhammad. - BERNAMA
SOURCE:
http://thestar.com.my

HAPPY NEW YEAR-2010

New Year's Eve will reveal a blue moon. No, the moon won't actually be the color blue, but refers to when there are two full moons in a given calendar month, an astronomical rarity that happens seven times every nineteen years.
Even more rare, people living in the far east will witness a blue moon lunar eclipse, something that happens once every 15 to 20 years.
Happy Blue Moon everyone. Maybe this is a sign of a better decade to come.

SOURCE:http://www.allvoices.com/

READ MORE...   
http://spaceweather.com/

  BEIJING, Dec. 31 (Xinhuanet)-- Revelers ushering in the New Year of 2010 in many parts of the world will be treated with a so-called "blue moon" -- the second full moon in a month if the skies are clear.      The term “blue moon” has nothing to do with the color of the moon. The name reflects the relative rarity of two full moons in a month and is linked to the saying "once in a blue moon."
    Most years on average have 12 full moons, with one appearing each month. An extra full moon in a month -- a blue moon -- occurs every 2.5 years. The last time there was a lunar double take was in May 2007.
    New Year's Eve blue moons are rarer, occurring every 19 years. The last time a blue moon appeared on New Year's Eve was in 1990, and it won't happen again until 2028.
    The New Year's Eve blue moon will be visible in the United States, Canada, Europe, South America and Africa. For partygoers in Australia and Asia, the full moon does not show up until New Year's Day, making January a blue moon month for them.

source:
http://www.chinaview.cn