1 00:00:07,749 --> 00:00:05,590 hi everybody and welcome to washington 2 00:00:10,070 --> 00:00:07,759 dc we're here on the national mall to 3 00:00:12,390 --> 00:00:10,080 celebrate the big earth day celebration 4 00:00:14,470 --> 00:00:12,400 going on all weekend here on the mall my 5 00:00:17,109 --> 00:00:14,480 name is steve cole from nasa's office of 6 00:00:19,029 --> 00:00:17,119 communications and we have five earth 7 00:00:21,750 --> 00:00:19,039 scientists from nasa here to talk to you 8 00:00:23,429 --> 00:00:21,760 about how earth is changing how we see 9 00:00:25,670 --> 00:00:23,439 it from space and a lot of the new 10 00:00:27,910 --> 00:00:25,680 technology that we've been using to keep 11 00:00:31,189 --> 00:00:27,920 an eye on earth and how it's doing 12 00:00:33,430 --> 00:00:31,199 uh we're being broadcast on nasa tv 13 00:00:35,030 --> 00:00:33,440 online on ustream we're going to take 14 00:00:38,069 --> 00:00:35,040 questions from the audience after each 15 00:00:41,110 --> 00:00:38,079 speaker and also online uh through the 16 00:00:43,430 --> 00:00:41,120 chat at ustream so our moderator for 17 00:00:45,510 --> 00:00:43,440 today for all the talks is tom wagner 18 00:00:49,110 --> 00:00:45,520 from nasa headquarters tom thank you 19 00:00:52,630 --> 00:00:50,950 my name is tom wagner i'm the cryosphere 20 00:00:53,910 --> 00:00:52,640 program scientist at nasa headquarters 21 00:00:55,990 --> 00:00:53,920 which means i'm in charge of studying 22 00:00:57,910 --> 00:00:56,000 the ice and sea level rise and change at 23 00:00:59,510 --> 00:00:57,920 the earth's poles and what we've got for 24 00:01:01,270 --> 00:00:59,520 you today is we've got five about four 25 00:01:03,349 --> 00:01:01,280 of our top earth scientists are here to 26 00:01:05,030 --> 00:01:03,359 tell you about the status of the earth 27 00:01:06,469 --> 00:01:05,040 from space the kinds of latest 28 00:01:07,750 --> 00:01:06,479 scientific results that we're seeing 29 00:01:09,830 --> 00:01:07,760 about the earth to give us kind of a 30 00:01:10,950 --> 00:01:09,840 checkup and report and so what we're 31 00:01:12,469 --> 00:01:10,960 going to do is we're going to have the 32 00:01:13,590 --> 00:01:12,479 speakers come up and talk for about 10 33 00:01:15,350 --> 00:01:13,600 minutes and then we're going to take 34 00:01:17,590 --> 00:01:15,360 questions live from you guys here in the 35 00:01:19,030 --> 00:01:17,600 audience and also online so all you kids 36 00:01:20,550 --> 00:01:19,040 out there when you're listening to talk 37 00:01:21,429 --> 00:01:20,560 think of things that you want to ask 38 00:01:23,109 --> 00:01:21,439 them 39 00:01:24,789 --> 00:01:23,119 now our first speaker is going to tell 40 00:01:26,870 --> 00:01:24,799 us about the human fingerprint of what 41 00:01:29,350 --> 00:01:26,880 we see from space his name is dr pierre 42 00:01:36,550 --> 00:01:29,360 sellers and he's also a nasa astronaut 43 00:01:43,350 --> 00:01:40,550 hi everybody is this working 44 00:01:46,789 --> 00:01:43,360 okay so how's everybody doing 45 00:01:48,710 --> 00:01:46,799 good anyone here want to go into space 46 00:01:50,469 --> 00:01:48,720 yeah anyone see the shuttle when it was 47 00:01:52,710 --> 00:01:50,479 flying around washington 48 00:01:55,670 --> 00:01:52,720 yeah okay i actually rode that thing 49 00:01:57,350 --> 00:01:55,680 into orbit which is very nice nice ride 50 00:01:58,389 --> 00:01:57,360 you get tremendous view looking down the 51 00:02:00,310 --> 00:01:58,399 world 52 00:02:03,270 --> 00:02:00,320 and then you can jump out of your 53 00:02:04,389 --> 00:02:03,280 spaceship a little white spacesuit and 54 00:02:05,670 --> 00:02:04,399 look down 55 00:02:06,870 --> 00:02:05,680 and at night 56 00:02:08,550 --> 00:02:06,880 you can really tell that there are 57 00:02:10,550 --> 00:02:08,560 people down there and the way you can 58 00:02:12,150 --> 00:02:10,560 tell is because the earth kind of looks 59 00:02:13,750 --> 00:02:12,160 like this 60 00:02:15,510 --> 00:02:13,760 now this is made up of a whole lot of 61 00:02:17,670 --> 00:02:15,520 photos taken on the night side from 62 00:02:20,309 --> 00:02:17,680 satellites and you can really tell where 63 00:02:21,670 --> 00:02:20,319 the people are you can tell where seven 64 00:02:24,309 --> 00:02:21,680 billion people 65 00:02:27,270 --> 00:02:24,319 that's all of you lot including me where 66 00:02:29,830 --> 00:02:27,280 seven billion people are living and 67 00:02:31,910 --> 00:02:29,840 working and doing stuff 68 00:02:33,350 --> 00:02:31,920 and you can tell where they're doing it 69 00:02:34,309 --> 00:02:33,360 so if you look carefully you can see 70 00:02:36,309 --> 00:02:34,319 that 71 00:02:37,910 --> 00:02:36,319 really densely populated areas like the 72 00:02:40,470 --> 00:02:37,920 east coast 73 00:02:42,309 --> 00:02:40,480 and europe tons and tons of people lots 74 00:02:44,390 --> 00:02:42,319 of city lights 75 00:02:45,830 --> 00:02:44,400 all kinds of people and then big chunks 76 00:02:47,589 --> 00:02:45,840 of the world like the middle of the 77 00:02:48,949 --> 00:02:47,599 amazon basin which my friend is going to 78 00:02:50,630 --> 00:02:48,959 talk about in a minute 79 00:02:52,630 --> 00:02:50,640 deserts of africa 80 00:02:54,390 --> 00:02:52,640 and the middle of australia 81 00:02:57,110 --> 00:02:54,400 very lonely places 82 00:02:58,710 --> 00:02:57,120 now one thing here this is very helpful 83 00:03:00,710 --> 00:02:58,720 if you want to rent a house somewhere in 84 00:03:02,149 --> 00:03:00,720 the world 85 00:03:03,350 --> 00:03:02,159 the bits with lots of lights are really 86 00:03:05,670 --> 00:03:03,360 expensive 87 00:03:06,869 --> 00:03:05,680 this is just so you know you look here's 88 00:03:07,990 --> 00:03:06,879 new york 89 00:03:10,149 --> 00:03:08,000 london 90 00:03:11,830 --> 00:03:10,159 tokyo they're really bright and the 91 00:03:13,830 --> 00:03:11,840 rents are sky high 92 00:03:15,350 --> 00:03:13,840 and i've been up to this place here this 93 00:03:17,830 --> 00:03:15,360 is actually an in which settlement and 94 00:03:19,190 --> 00:03:17,840 one light bulb is bravely glowing there 95 00:03:20,229 --> 00:03:19,200 and i got a really cheap bed for the 96 00:03:21,430 --> 00:03:20,239 night 97 00:03:22,869 --> 00:03:21,440 good to know 98 00:03:25,110 --> 00:03:22,879 okay the other things that's really 99 00:03:27,589 --> 00:03:25,120 interesting to note 100 00:03:29,910 --> 00:03:27,599 yeah okay can you hear me in the back 101 00:03:32,470 --> 00:03:29,920 i'll wave my arms all right the other 102 00:03:33,990 --> 00:03:32,480 thing is that lots of people live around 103 00:03:35,670 --> 00:03:34,000 the coasts 104 00:03:37,030 --> 00:03:35,680 all around the world lots of people like 105 00:03:40,229 --> 00:03:37,040 to live around the coast that's where 106 00:03:41,910 --> 00:03:40,239 the cities are to do trade ship things 107 00:03:43,670 --> 00:03:41,920 in and out and all the rest of it and 108 00:03:46,070 --> 00:03:43,680 with sea level rise that could be a 109 00:03:47,110 --> 00:03:46,080 little bit of a problem so keep your eye 110 00:03:49,750 --> 00:03:47,120 on that 111 00:03:50,630 --> 00:03:49,760 other things that you can see from space 112 00:03:52,789 --> 00:03:50,640 this 113 00:03:55,350 --> 00:03:52,799 is a man-made island 114 00:03:57,429 --> 00:03:55,360 that is being built off dubai it's kind 115 00:03:59,589 --> 00:03:57,439 of tourist resort and all the rest of it 116 00:04:01,429 --> 00:03:59,599 some luxury homes and you can see this 117 00:04:03,429 --> 00:04:01,439 actually for out of your window from a 118 00:04:04,789 --> 00:04:03,439 space shuttle and they've been building 119 00:04:05,830 --> 00:04:04,799 it steadily and now this is what it 120 00:04:07,670 --> 00:04:05,840 looks like 121 00:04:10,309 --> 00:04:07,680 like a big palm tree 122 00:04:12,949 --> 00:04:10,319 quite amazing so people are actually 123 00:04:15,270 --> 00:04:12,959 changing the landscape that you can see 124 00:04:18,629 --> 00:04:15,280 with your naked eye from orbit 125 00:04:20,710 --> 00:04:18,639 the last thing i can show you here is 126 00:04:22,950 --> 00:04:20,720 uh some of the impacts that people have 127 00:04:25,749 --> 00:04:22,960 on the environment that are not so good 128 00:04:27,749 --> 00:04:25,759 this is mountain top mining in west 129 00:04:29,430 --> 00:04:27,759 virginia i think and what you can see is 130 00:04:30,870 --> 00:04:29,440 the technique here is you just shave off 131 00:04:31,909 --> 00:04:30,880 the top of the mountain to get at the 132 00:04:33,270 --> 00:04:31,919 coal 133 00:04:35,350 --> 00:04:33,280 and you can see what it does to the 134 00:04:37,350 --> 00:04:35,360 landscape over time 135 00:04:39,030 --> 00:04:37,360 makes quite a mess 136 00:04:41,350 --> 00:04:39,040 because the trees don't grow back very 137 00:04:43,270 --> 00:04:41,360 quickly the rain hits it and all this 138 00:04:45,110 --> 00:04:43,280 stuff washes off 139 00:04:46,950 --> 00:04:45,120 so you can see a lot from up there you 140 00:04:48,870 --> 00:04:46,960 can see what everybody's doing 141 00:04:51,189 --> 00:04:48,880 seven billion people now moving up to 142 00:04:53,510 --> 00:04:51,199 about nine and a half billion during my 143 00:04:54,550 --> 00:04:53,520 lifetime and then probably coming down 144 00:04:56,469 --> 00:04:54,560 slowly 145 00:04:57,909 --> 00:04:56,479 but all of them busy and all of them 146 00:05:03,350 --> 00:04:57,919 with the lights on 147 00:05:06,629 --> 00:05:04,710 anybody wants to know what it's like to 148 00:05:09,430 --> 00:05:06,639 fly in space 149 00:05:11,350 --> 00:05:09,440 very exciting let me tell you 150 00:05:12,950 --> 00:05:11,360 the launch really gets your attention 151 00:05:14,790 --> 00:05:12,960 okay 152 00:05:16,710 --> 00:05:14,800 yeah so now you've had this amazing 153 00:05:20,310 --> 00:05:16,720 career being a climate change scientist 154 00:05:24,950 --> 00:05:21,909 so when you were a kid like these guys 155 00:05:26,390 --> 00:05:24,960 back to school 156 00:05:28,070 --> 00:05:26,400 that made you go and study those hard 157 00:05:29,909 --> 00:05:28,080 subjects like math and physics and stuff 158 00:05:31,909 --> 00:05:29,919 like that to get to so you could do all 159 00:05:33,749 --> 00:05:31,919 this that's a really good question two 160 00:05:36,790 --> 00:05:33,759 things made me do it 161 00:05:38,790 --> 00:05:36,800 one was that when i was a little kid 162 00:05:40,550 --> 00:05:38,800 the americans which is where i am now 163 00:05:42,390 --> 00:05:40,560 the americans were preparing to land on 164 00:05:44,150 --> 00:05:42,400 the moon and i saw that all on my little 165 00:05:45,830 --> 00:05:44,160 black and white tv in london and i 166 00:05:47,830 --> 00:05:45,840 thought it was the best things in sliced 167 00:05:49,270 --> 00:05:47,840 bread this was the most exciting thing 168 00:05:50,150 --> 00:05:49,280 that ever happened and you know the 169 00:05:52,390 --> 00:05:50,160 space 170 00:05:53,749 --> 00:05:52,400 exploration is something of our lifetime 171 00:05:55,670 --> 00:05:53,759 it's something of our generation and i 172 00:05:57,510 --> 00:05:55,680 still find it exciting and the other 173 00:06:00,150 --> 00:05:57,520 thing was i had great teachers that got 174 00:06:03,110 --> 00:06:00,160 me really interested in how beautiful 175 00:06:04,710 --> 00:06:03,120 physics biology mathematics is you know 176 00:06:06,629 --> 00:06:04,720 after a while i really appreciate how 177 00:06:08,390 --> 00:06:06,639 beautiful it is and all the cool things 178 00:06:09,749 --> 00:06:08,400 you can do and all the really 179 00:06:11,430 --> 00:06:09,759 interesting jobs you can do all the 180 00:06:12,870 --> 00:06:11,440 scientists around here by the way 181 00:06:14,469 --> 00:06:12,880 they work all the time do you know why 182 00:06:16,710 --> 00:06:14,479 they work all the time because their 183 00:06:19,189 --> 00:06:16,720 jobs are really cool it's fun it's a lot 184 00:06:20,950 --> 00:06:19,199 of fun it beats the heck out of most 185 00:06:22,870 --> 00:06:20,960 jobs so i'd encourage all your kids if 186 00:06:24,550 --> 00:06:22,880 you want an interesting life where enjoy 187 00:06:26,870 --> 00:06:24,560 your work and do good 188 00:06:28,950 --> 00:06:26,880 science much better than latin which i 189 00:06:31,110 --> 00:06:28,960 found very very hard 190 00:06:33,670 --> 00:06:31,120 any questions from out here steve any 191 00:06:35,430 --> 00:06:33,680 questions from online 192 00:06:36,629 --> 00:06:35,440 hey one other one then can you tell us a 193 00:06:37,990 --> 00:06:36,639 little bit i mean since you've been in 194 00:06:39,510 --> 00:06:38,000 space and been over can you tell us a 195 00:06:41,430 --> 00:06:39,520 little about how an image like this is 196 00:06:42,870 --> 00:06:41,440 made i mean that one over there that's 197 00:06:44,790 --> 00:06:42,880 the whole planet but a satellite doesn't 198 00:06:46,629 --> 00:06:44,800 see the whole planet all at once does it 199 00:06:48,550 --> 00:06:46,639 no no it doesn't the satellite basically 200 00:06:51,110 --> 00:06:48,560 is like a lawn mower it goes around the 201 00:06:53,510 --> 00:06:51,120 world like this taking long thin stripes 202 00:06:56,390 --> 00:06:53,520 of data and then afterwards we use 203 00:06:58,550 --> 00:06:56,400 computers and uh people to sort of match 204 00:07:00,230 --> 00:06:58,560 up all these stripes of data we get rid 205 00:07:01,670 --> 00:07:00,240 of the clouds by coming back if it's 206 00:07:03,270 --> 00:07:01,680 cloudy one day we come back another day 207 00:07:05,909 --> 00:07:03,280 when it's not cloudy so what you're 208 00:07:07,270 --> 00:07:05,919 looking at is a carefully selected set 209 00:07:09,350 --> 00:07:07,280 of views 210 00:07:11,430 --> 00:07:09,360 cloud-free perfect viewing conditions 211 00:07:12,870 --> 00:07:11,440 takes about a year to build this up all 212 00:07:14,469 --> 00:07:12,880 stitched together and you can't see the 213 00:07:16,550 --> 00:07:14,479 lines in between because we do a very 214 00:07:18,309 --> 00:07:16,560 careful job of matching it up 215 00:07:19,990 --> 00:07:18,319 but this is made up of i think about you 216 00:07:21,029 --> 00:07:20,000 know dozens and dozens of different 217 00:07:23,029 --> 00:07:21,039 images 218 00:07:24,309 --> 00:07:23,039 yeah yeah somebody had a question yes 219 00:07:30,629 --> 00:07:24,319 sure we got a question right there the 220 00:07:33,749 --> 00:07:32,710 when's the next person going to space 221 00:07:36,870 --> 00:07:33,759 right 222 00:07:38,150 --> 00:07:36,880 where where well uh 223 00:07:39,110 --> 00:07:38,160 we think 224 00:07:41,189 --> 00:07:39,120 we hope 225 00:07:43,749 --> 00:07:41,199 that in about 20 years we're going to be 226 00:07:44,629 --> 00:07:43,759 sending people to mars to go around mars 227 00:07:45,990 --> 00:07:44,639 okay 228 00:07:47,749 --> 00:07:46,000 which would be very exciting because 229 00:07:50,790 --> 00:07:47,759 that's a long way away and mars is a 230 00:07:52,869 --> 00:07:50,800 planet that's really interesting 231 00:07:55,350 --> 00:07:52,879 i would i would like to go 232 00:07:58,710 --> 00:07:55,360 but probably a bit old 233 00:08:00,790 --> 00:07:58,720 lots of dust what's that lots of dust 234 00:08:02,469 --> 00:08:00,800 lots of dust lots of dust there yeah we 235 00:08:06,230 --> 00:08:02,479 need hey ryan is a question right 236 00:08:09,990 --> 00:08:07,670 i just want to know 237 00:08:10,869 --> 00:08:10,000 how long does it take from earth to uh 238 00:08:14,150 --> 00:08:10,879 mars 239 00:08:16,230 --> 00:08:14,160 right now 240 00:08:17,749 --> 00:08:16,240 we think it'd take about 200 days to get 241 00:08:19,830 --> 00:08:17,759 out there 242 00:08:21,189 --> 00:08:19,840 and uh if you just went to orbit around 243 00:08:23,670 --> 00:08:21,199 they probably spent about two months 244 00:08:26,230 --> 00:08:23,680 there then 200 days to get back if you 245 00:08:29,270 --> 00:08:26,240 wanted to land on there and run around 246 00:08:31,110 --> 00:08:29,280 it'd be 200 days out 500 days there 247 00:08:35,909 --> 00:08:31,120 200 back so it'd be best part of three 248 00:08:41,269 --> 00:08:37,909 so 249 00:08:43,269 --> 00:08:41,279 you have to bear that in mind 250 00:08:45,590 --> 00:08:43,279 all right one more question red shirt in 251 00:08:45,590 --> 00:08:45,600 the back 252 00:08:50,470 --> 00:08:47,509 can you elaborate on your comment 253 00:08:52,150 --> 00:08:50,480 earlier that uh expectation is that 254 00:08:53,590 --> 00:08:52,160 earth population will go up to eight or 255 00:08:55,350 --> 00:08:53,600 nine million and then or eight or nine 256 00:08:57,030 --> 00:08:55,360 billion and then start to come down at 257 00:08:58,949 --> 00:08:57,040 that point that that's what all the 258 00:09:00,470 --> 00:08:58,959 models and indication indications are 259 00:09:01,590 --> 00:09:00,480 telling us we're finding out that as 260 00:09:03,350 --> 00:09:01,600 more and more people are getting 261 00:09:05,430 --> 00:09:03,360 educated and literate then the families 262 00:09:08,870 --> 00:09:05,440 are getting smaller around the world and 263 00:09:10,790 --> 00:09:08,880 uh we've seen that all over the world so 264 00:09:12,949 --> 00:09:10,800 what just bounced through seven billion 265 00:09:14,710 --> 00:09:12,959 a three to four months ago 266 00:09:15,829 --> 00:09:14,720 and the models tell us that it looks 267 00:09:17,670 --> 00:09:15,839 like it's going to top out somewhere 268 00:09:20,790 --> 00:09:17,680 around about nine and a half billion and 269 00:09:22,470 --> 00:09:20,800 then gradually ramped down slowly 270 00:09:23,670 --> 00:09:22,480 which is better than the 12 billion that 271 00:09:25,829 --> 00:09:23,680 everyone thought it was going to be when 272 00:09:27,350 --> 00:09:25,839 i was a kid you know so 273 00:09:29,990 --> 00:09:27,360 less impact 274 00:09:35,190 --> 00:09:30,000 all right hey pierce thank you very much 275 00:09:38,949 --> 00:09:37,430 hey so our next speaker is dr compton 276 00:09:40,790 --> 00:09:38,959 tucker who's going to give us a checkup 277 00:09:42,870 --> 00:09:40,800 on the health of the world's forest and 278 00:09:44,470 --> 00:09:42,880 tell us how we study those from space 279 00:09:45,990 --> 00:09:44,480 and one of the amazing things is not 280 00:09:47,750 --> 00:09:46,000 only has he studied in the space he's 281 00:09:49,350 --> 00:09:47,760 also spent a lot of time walking around 282 00:09:50,710 --> 00:09:49,360 in the jungles themselves and he may 283 00:09:52,550 --> 00:09:50,720 tell us some of those stories jim take 284 00:09:53,990 --> 00:09:52,560 it away okay thanks tom 285 00:09:55,590 --> 00:09:54,000 one of the really cool things about 286 00:09:57,350 --> 00:09:55,600 working for nasa and using satellite 287 00:09:58,790 --> 00:09:57,360 data to study the earth is you have to 288 00:10:00,550 --> 00:09:58,800 do field work to understand what you're 289 00:10:02,310 --> 00:10:00,560 seeing you can't just look at things 290 00:10:04,389 --> 00:10:02,320 from a distance and say well we see this 291 00:10:06,710 --> 00:10:04,399 or we see that but you have to go there 292 00:10:09,509 --> 00:10:06,720 in person and do field work in control 293 00:10:11,430 --> 00:10:09,519 settings i study tropical forests and i 294 00:10:13,509 --> 00:10:11,440 use satellite data for that and on the 295 00:10:16,630 --> 00:10:13,519 left-hand side we see some strips of 296 00:10:18,150 --> 00:10:16,640 satellite data from from one day in the 297 00:10:21,269 --> 00:10:18,160 1970s 298 00:10:25,990 --> 00:10:21,279 here we have something from from 1984 299 00:10:28,710 --> 00:10:26,000 1992 2001 and 2010. 300 00:10:30,310 --> 00:10:28,720 this is about 500 miles from top to 301 00:10:32,630 --> 00:10:30,320 bottom for each of these strips and the 302 00:10:34,630 --> 00:10:32,640 bottom distance is about 110 miles or 303 00:10:36,790 --> 00:10:34,640 about the distance from washington dc to 304 00:10:39,110 --> 00:10:36,800 philadelphia so you can use satellite 305 00:10:41,829 --> 00:10:39,120 data to study for us now this is a false 306 00:10:43,190 --> 00:10:41,839 color image looking down if we were in 307 00:10:44,949 --> 00:10:43,200 space or we were in the space shuttle 308 00:10:47,509 --> 00:10:44,959 and looking down these areas that are 309 00:10:49,350 --> 00:10:47,519 bright red would look bright green but 310 00:10:51,430 --> 00:10:49,360 we use some wavelengths which our eyes 311 00:10:53,590 --> 00:10:51,440 can't see and we have to then represent 312 00:10:55,590 --> 00:10:53,600 those in colors so we would never see an 313 00:10:57,750 --> 00:10:55,600 image like this but all of these red 314 00:10:59,350 --> 00:10:57,760 areas are where we have tropical forests 315 00:11:01,430 --> 00:10:59,360 this is an area where i have worked 316 00:11:03,750 --> 00:11:01,440 extensively i've worked in this area 317 00:11:05,190 --> 00:11:03,760 which is close to santa cruz bolivia 318 00:11:07,590 --> 00:11:05,200 i've been all up through here i've spent 319 00:11:09,509 --> 00:11:07,600 a lot of time in a national park here 320 00:11:12,230 --> 00:11:09,519 and i've also worked up here on the 321 00:11:14,470 --> 00:11:12,240 border where every weekend or every 322 00:11:17,030 --> 00:11:14,480 other week we would go to get supplies 323 00:11:20,150 --> 00:11:17,040 and buy beer and do it on saturday 324 00:11:22,389 --> 00:11:20,160 because that was bingo night in a town 325 00:11:25,030 --> 00:11:22,399 called pimentetta in brazil 326 00:11:26,710 --> 00:11:25,040 and we always wanted to enter and would 327 00:11:28,470 --> 00:11:26,720 enter the bingo contest because the 328 00:11:30,550 --> 00:11:28,480 first prize we weren't interested in 329 00:11:32,470 --> 00:11:30,560 that was two frozen chickens but the 330 00:11:34,790 --> 00:11:32,480 second prize was a case 331 00:11:37,910 --> 00:11:34,800 of a brazilian beer called antarctica 332 00:11:40,230 --> 00:11:37,920 beer which you serve at about 33 degrees 333 00:11:42,710 --> 00:11:40,240 fahrenheit anyway so we always hope to 334 00:11:44,310 --> 00:11:42,720 win second prize uh if we won the first 335 00:11:45,910 --> 00:11:44,320 prize we would try and give it away 336 00:11:47,750 --> 00:11:45,920 because that was two frozen chickens 337 00:11:49,829 --> 00:11:47,760 anyway so in the 1970s when we had our 338 00:11:52,550 --> 00:11:49,839 first earth day there was almost no 339 00:11:54,069 --> 00:11:52,560 disturbance of all of these red colors 340 00:11:55,670 --> 00:11:54,079 and then you see more of these blue 341 00:11:57,269 --> 00:11:55,680 colors come in and these patterns and 342 00:11:59,750 --> 00:11:57,279 this is because there was tropical 343 00:12:01,590 --> 00:11:59,760 forest clearing into agriculture and 344 00:12:04,069 --> 00:12:01,600 ranches so here we have a little bit of 345 00:12:07,910 --> 00:12:04,079 clearing in brazil here we have more and 346 00:12:09,430 --> 00:12:07,920 now we have a lot in 2001 2010 347 00:12:11,829 --> 00:12:09,440 and then also on the southern end in 348 00:12:14,389 --> 00:12:11,839 bolivia there was almost no 349 00:12:15,910 --> 00:12:14,399 expansion of agriculture into this area 350 00:12:17,350 --> 00:12:15,920 and then we see it starts to expand 351 00:12:19,350 --> 00:12:17,360 there are a few roads there are some 352 00:12:21,670 --> 00:12:19,360 features here and once again this is the 353 00:12:24,550 --> 00:12:21,680 distance from washington dc to 354 00:12:25,990 --> 00:12:24,560 philadelphia about 110 nautical miles 355 00:12:28,389 --> 00:12:26,000 then there's more and then all of a 356 00:12:30,230 --> 00:12:28,399 sudden bang the whole area goes 357 00:12:31,829 --> 00:12:30,240 but this actually is a good area to have 358 00:12:34,550 --> 00:12:31,839 agricultural development because the 359 00:12:36,150 --> 00:12:34,560 soils in this area are very very good 360 00:12:39,110 --> 00:12:36,160 whereas in tropical forests because it 361 00:12:40,310 --> 00:12:39,120 rains so much you tend to have bad soils 362 00:12:42,470 --> 00:12:40,320 up in here 363 00:12:44,069 --> 00:12:42,480 and so most of this area 364 00:12:46,470 --> 00:12:44,079 is still in tropical forests it's a 365 00:12:48,389 --> 00:12:46,480 really cool place to go i've had several 366 00:12:50,710 --> 00:12:48,399 expeditions there 367 00:12:52,790 --> 00:12:50,720 and when you do work in tropical forests 368 00:12:55,350 --> 00:12:52,800 you try and cover up as much of your 369 00:12:57,910 --> 00:12:55,360 body as you can because like today you 370 00:13:00,470 --> 00:12:57,920 perspire and when you sweat you tend to 371 00:13:02,310 --> 00:13:00,480 attract bees and wasps because they want 372 00:13:04,389 --> 00:13:02,320 to get salt 373 00:13:06,470 --> 00:13:04,399 in your perspiration and 374 00:13:08,389 --> 00:13:06,480 you're sort of like a walking salt lip 375 00:13:10,150 --> 00:13:08,399 so every day you have to bathe in rivers 376 00:13:11,910 --> 00:13:10,160 and wash your clothes out 377 00:13:14,870 --> 00:13:11,920 and also wash yourself or else it's 378 00:13:16,550 --> 00:13:14,880 worse the saltier you are 379 00:13:19,110 --> 00:13:16,560 and what bees and wasps do they're 380 00:13:20,629 --> 00:13:19,120 social insects we all know about science 381 00:13:22,389 --> 00:13:20,639 science technology 382 00:13:23,350 --> 00:13:22,399 engineering and math and these are 383 00:13:25,269 --> 00:13:23,360 really 384 00:13:26,870 --> 00:13:25,279 uh excellent areas to study if you're 385 00:13:29,110 --> 00:13:26,880 interested in science and there are many 386 00:13:31,910 --> 00:13:29,120 cool things to do so the bees and wasps 387 00:13:33,990 --> 00:13:31,920 being social insects then communicate 388 00:13:35,990 --> 00:13:34,000 where you are where all this salt is and 389 00:13:37,990 --> 00:13:36,000 it's on you and your clothes so the 390 00:13:39,829 --> 00:13:38,000 first day you might have 10 bees or 391 00:13:41,670 --> 00:13:39,839 wasps the next day 100 the next day a 392 00:13:43,509 --> 00:13:41,680 thousand and then 393 00:13:45,590 --> 00:13:43,519 i'm not exaggerating in the morning when 394 00:13:47,110 --> 00:13:45,600 you wake up after several days at a camp 395 00:13:49,350 --> 00:13:47,120 in the amazon 396 00:13:52,389 --> 00:13:49,360 you can hear as soon as the sun comes up 397 00:13:55,030 --> 00:13:53,910 and it's the bees and wasps coming 398 00:13:57,509 --> 00:13:55,040 they're not trying to bite you but 399 00:13:58,790 --> 00:13:57,519 they're just after the salt 400 00:14:02,150 --> 00:13:58,800 okay so 401 00:14:05,030 --> 00:14:02,160 what i found and my co-workers is in 402 00:14:07,910 --> 00:14:05,040 tropical forests uh in the amazon about 403 00:14:10,870 --> 00:14:07,920 15 of the amazon has been deforested and 404 00:14:12,550 --> 00:14:10,880 about 80 or 85 percent still remains and 405 00:14:15,750 --> 00:14:12,560 that's important because tropical 406 00:14:17,590 --> 00:14:15,760 forests have the greatest biological 407 00:14:20,470 --> 00:14:17,600 diversity or the greatest number of 408 00:14:22,389 --> 00:14:20,480 plants animals and also microbes 409 00:14:24,790 --> 00:14:22,399 bacteria and viruses 410 00:14:26,389 --> 00:14:24,800 on one expedition in this area with one 411 00:14:28,150 --> 00:14:26,399 of my co-workers he came down with hana 412 00:14:30,310 --> 00:14:28,160 virus 413 00:14:32,629 --> 00:14:30,320 he was unconscious for two or three 414 00:14:34,069 --> 00:14:32,639 weeks but when he was unconscious he 415 00:14:35,990 --> 00:14:34,079 stopped smoking 416 00:14:38,949 --> 00:14:36,000 and then he recovered and he has he has 417 00:14:41,110 --> 00:14:38,959 no recollection of going through 418 00:14:42,710 --> 00:14:41,120 smokers withdrawal when you try and stop 419 00:14:44,870 --> 00:14:42,720 smoking that's the only good thing about 420 00:14:47,350 --> 00:14:44,880 that but it's unusual when bad things 421 00:14:49,590 --> 00:14:47,360 happen and 422 00:14:52,150 --> 00:14:49,600 so what these images show is how we are 423 00:14:54,790 --> 00:14:52,160 transforming tropical forests here in 424 00:14:56,629 --> 00:14:54,800 brazil here in bolivia 425 00:14:58,550 --> 00:14:56,639 going from when we had the first earth 426 00:14:59,990 --> 00:14:58,560 day in the 1970s 427 00:15:01,350 --> 00:15:00,000 all the way through to just two years 428 00:15:02,870 --> 00:15:01,360 ago 429 00:15:04,870 --> 00:15:02,880 there is a national park but you can 430 00:15:06,949 --> 00:15:04,880 visit right in here called knoll camp 431 00:15:09,430 --> 00:15:06,959 national park it's a really cool place 432 00:15:10,949 --> 00:15:09,440 i've been there 10 or 15 times there are 433 00:15:13,030 --> 00:15:10,959 very very few people who visited every 434 00:15:15,350 --> 00:15:13,040 year maybe four or five thousand it's a 435 00:15:18,389 --> 00:15:15,360 great place to see river otters to see 436 00:15:21,509 --> 00:15:18,399 jaguars to see monkeys to see wild pigs 437 00:15:23,269 --> 00:15:21,519 or peccaries and lots and lots of really 438 00:15:25,110 --> 00:15:23,279 cool and colorful birds 439 00:15:26,470 --> 00:15:25,120 so i'll stop there and the reason that i 440 00:15:28,790 --> 00:15:26,480 got into this 441 00:15:30,870 --> 00:15:28,800 was i was working in a bank after i got 442 00:15:32,389 --> 00:15:30,880 my bachelor's degree in biology 443 00:15:34,870 --> 00:15:32,399 and i didn't like that bank so i went to 444 00:15:37,430 --> 00:15:34,880 another bank that was also really boring 445 00:15:39,030 --> 00:15:37,440 and so then i said i banking is not for 446 00:15:40,790 --> 00:15:39,040 me i've got to go back to graduate 447 00:15:42,710 --> 00:15:40,800 school and so i did 448 00:15:45,110 --> 00:15:42,720 and then when i finished graduate school 449 00:15:47,350 --> 00:15:45,120 i came to nasa and i've been there ever 450 00:15:50,310 --> 00:15:47,360 since and it's really really cool work 451 00:15:51,509 --> 00:15:50,320 because of my background in science 452 00:15:53,509 --> 00:15:51,519 and math 453 00:15:54,790 --> 00:15:53,519 so i'll stop there and answer any 454 00:15:57,590 --> 00:15:54,800 questions from the audience anything 455 00:15:59,430 --> 00:15:57,600 about tropical forests dangerous animals 456 00:16:03,110 --> 00:15:59,440 bees or wasps i have a lot of first 457 00:16:06,829 --> 00:16:03,120 person singular experience yes 458 00:16:09,430 --> 00:16:06,839 how many animals would you say are 459 00:16:12,310 --> 00:16:09,440 endangered by how many types of species 460 00:16:13,990 --> 00:16:12,320 of animals are endangered would you well 461 00:16:15,509 --> 00:16:14,000 there are quite a few 462 00:16:17,430 --> 00:16:15,519 endangered animals and where they are 463 00:16:19,829 --> 00:16:17,440 endangered are where you have the 464 00:16:21,590 --> 00:16:19,839 destruction of habitat so even though i 465 00:16:24,230 --> 00:16:21,600 study tropical forests i'm very 466 00:16:25,990 --> 00:16:24,240 interested in identifying areas 467 00:16:27,430 --> 00:16:26,000 which 468 00:16:29,030 --> 00:16:27,440 where the forest is replaced with 469 00:16:31,110 --> 00:16:29,040 agricultural fields 470 00:16:33,189 --> 00:16:31,120 and then a biologist can use that 471 00:16:35,189 --> 00:16:33,199 information to see what animals there 472 00:16:37,189 --> 00:16:35,199 and plants are being endangered so 473 00:16:39,350 --> 00:16:37,199 that's a big part of what i do is give 474 00:16:40,949 --> 00:16:39,360 this information to people i work with 475 00:16:43,030 --> 00:16:40,959 who are biologists who study different 476 00:16:46,629 --> 00:16:43,040 types of animals perhaps butterflies 477 00:16:47,990 --> 00:16:46,639 perhaps jaguars or plants to tell where 478 00:16:51,829 --> 00:16:48,000 they should focus their studies and 479 00:16:56,629 --> 00:16:51,839 identify those animals at risk 480 00:17:02,389 --> 00:16:58,310 well 481 00:17:03,910 --> 00:17:02,399 see there aren't too many roads in this 482 00:17:05,029 --> 00:17:03,920 area there's one road that goes up like 483 00:17:07,510 --> 00:17:05,039 this 484 00:17:09,750 --> 00:17:07,520 and we have to do a lot of hiking we 485 00:17:11,909 --> 00:17:09,760 also sometimes on rivers go in boats 486 00:17:14,069 --> 00:17:11,919 that are called peki peki boats these 487 00:17:15,990 --> 00:17:14,079 are long dugout canoes with an 488 00:17:18,230 --> 00:17:16,000 industrial sort of lawnmower engine with 489 00:17:22,069 --> 00:17:18,240 a long propeller out the back and the 490 00:17:27,189 --> 00:17:24,549 and so you go down the rivers in boats 491 00:17:28,789 --> 00:17:27,199 like this uh because your first choice 492 00:17:31,029 --> 00:17:28,799 is to go on a road there aren't many 493 00:17:33,510 --> 00:17:31,039 roads so our next choice is by peki peki 494 00:17:35,669 --> 00:17:33,520 boats and the third choice you have to 495 00:17:37,669 --> 00:17:35,679 either make a trail and hike or find an 496 00:17:39,990 --> 00:17:37,679 existing trail and hike so if you like 497 00:17:41,350 --> 00:17:40,000 hiking if you like camping it's a great 498 00:17:43,270 --> 00:17:41,360 way to see some really really cool 499 00:17:44,310 --> 00:17:43,280 places and to encounter some really cool 500 00:17:45,590 --> 00:17:44,320 animals 501 00:17:56,390 --> 00:17:45,600 hey we got a couple of questions from 502 00:18:01,750 --> 00:17:58,630 well uh 503 00:18:03,830 --> 00:18:01,760 we use commercial satellite data where 504 00:18:05,990 --> 00:18:03,840 you can see people walking on the ground 505 00:18:07,510 --> 00:18:06,000 by the shadows they cast if you're 506 00:18:09,909 --> 00:18:07,520 looking straight down unless you were 507 00:18:11,590 --> 00:18:09,919 incredibly large like a hippopotamus you 508 00:18:13,350 --> 00:18:11,600 probably couldn't see you but you can 509 00:18:16,230 --> 00:18:13,360 see their shadow 510 00:18:18,870 --> 00:18:16,240 if the sun isn't directly overhead 511 00:18:20,789 --> 00:18:18,880 so yes by their shadows is the answer 512 00:18:23,430 --> 00:18:20,799 okay another different question about 513 00:18:26,390 --> 00:18:23,440 deforestation is nasa doing research in 514 00:18:28,230 --> 00:18:26,400 countries like india and china about 515 00:18:29,830 --> 00:18:28,240 deforestation 516 00:18:31,669 --> 00:18:29,840 yes we're doing research on the whole 517 00:18:33,830 --> 00:18:31,679 planet and this information is available 518 00:18:34,950 --> 00:18:33,840 to everyone there are no restrictions on 519 00:18:37,590 --> 00:18:34,960 our data 520 00:18:40,070 --> 00:18:37,600 uh and anyone can get them and so some 521 00:18:43,190 --> 00:18:40,080 of my co-workers are studying 522 00:18:45,750 --> 00:18:43,200 forests in china forests in india 523 00:18:46,870 --> 00:18:45,760 although i primarily work on tropical 524 00:18:48,950 --> 00:18:46,880 forests 525 00:18:51,430 --> 00:18:48,960 in south america and the amazon basin 526 00:18:53,029 --> 00:18:51,440 and also in equatorial africa and 527 00:18:56,070 --> 00:18:53,039 madagascar 528 00:18:57,990 --> 00:18:56,080 but the answer to that is yes 529 00:19:00,150 --> 00:18:58,000 hey jim a question for you you've also 530 00:19:01,909 --> 00:19:00,160 worked on things like diseases and how 531 00:19:03,350 --> 00:19:01,919 we can actually use satellite data like 532 00:19:04,630 --> 00:19:03,360 this to figure out where disease would 533 00:19:05,430 --> 00:19:04,640 go could you tell us a little bit about 534 00:19:07,029 --> 00:19:05,440 that 535 00:19:09,510 --> 00:19:07,039 sure one of the cool things about using 536 00:19:12,230 --> 00:19:09,520 satellite data is you have these every 537 00:19:13,990 --> 00:19:12,240 day for the entire planet day after day 538 00:19:15,909 --> 00:19:14,000 and now we have satellite data for 539 00:19:17,110 --> 00:19:15,919 almost 31 years 540 00:19:19,110 --> 00:19:17,120 and 541 00:19:20,950 --> 00:19:19,120 by looking at certain conditions for 542 00:19:23,669 --> 00:19:20,960 some diseases that are climatically or 543 00:19:26,070 --> 00:19:23,679 ecologically coupled you can then 544 00:19:27,669 --> 00:19:26,080 correlate and associate those data and 545 00:19:30,549 --> 00:19:27,679 how they vary in time with disease 546 00:19:33,510 --> 00:19:30,559 outbreaks so some co-workers of mine and 547 00:19:36,230 --> 00:19:33,520 i started in 1985 working on a disease 548 00:19:38,470 --> 00:19:36,240 called rift valley fever it's from 549 00:19:40,549 --> 00:19:38,480 as the name uh suggests from the rift 550 00:19:43,190 --> 00:19:40,559 valley of africa it's a hemorrhagic 551 00:19:45,510 --> 00:19:43,200 fever transmitted by mosquitoes and it 552 00:19:47,669 --> 00:19:45,520 occurs in where you have arid and 553 00:19:50,070 --> 00:19:47,679 semi-arid vegetation and the satellite 554 00:19:53,270 --> 00:19:50,080 data show when it's rained and how 555 00:19:55,029 --> 00:19:53,280 persistent the rainfall is and if that 556 00:19:57,510 --> 00:19:55,039 persists for more than eight weeks 557 00:19:59,350 --> 00:19:57,520 that's an excellent suggestion where you 558 00:20:00,870 --> 00:19:59,360 will have rift valley fever outbreaks 559 00:20:02,710 --> 00:20:00,880 we'll publish numerous papers on the 560 00:20:05,270 --> 00:20:02,720 biology and on using these data for riff 561 00:20:07,830 --> 00:20:05,280 valley fever and we can do this with an 562 00:20:09,510 --> 00:20:07,840 accuracy of about 60 percent 563 00:20:11,350 --> 00:20:09,520 two months in advance of the outbreak 564 00:20:13,110 --> 00:20:11,360 which then enables control measures to 565 00:20:14,390 --> 00:20:13,120 be implemented and this is one of the 566 00:20:16,470 --> 00:20:14,400 major things that i've worked on that 567 00:20:18,230 --> 00:20:16,480 i'm really really proud of but it's only 568 00:20:20,070 --> 00:20:18,240 because we approached this 569 00:20:22,870 --> 00:20:20,080 in a systematic way and had satellite 570 00:20:24,950 --> 00:20:22,880 data for 30 years now and so today we're 571 00:20:26,549 --> 00:20:24,960 processing data from yesterday 572 00:20:30,630 --> 00:20:26,559 and we have more information and are 573 00:20:34,549 --> 00:20:33,029 hey so one other one too when you were 574 00:20:36,950 --> 00:20:34,559 kind of in on the ground floor of this 575 00:20:38,549 --> 00:20:36,960 stuff back in the 70s and 80s 576 00:20:39,990 --> 00:20:38,559 what was it like when you first started 577 00:20:42,230 --> 00:20:40,000 out i mean did people believe that you 578 00:20:43,590 --> 00:20:42,240 were able to be able to map forests from 579 00:20:45,110 --> 00:20:43,600 space and even do these kind of 580 00:20:47,270 --> 00:20:45,120 high-tech things you're doing now like 581 00:20:48,549 --> 00:20:47,280 figure out where your disease might go 582 00:20:50,390 --> 00:20:48,559 uh 583 00:20:51,750 --> 00:20:50,400 the simple answer is no i had a lot of 584 00:20:53,669 --> 00:20:51,760 people who told me what you're doing is 585 00:20:55,029 --> 00:20:53,679 really stupid 586 00:20:56,549 --> 00:20:55,039 it won't work i don't know why you're 587 00:20:58,789 --> 00:20:56,559 trying to use satellites this hasn't 588 00:20:59,430 --> 00:20:58,799 been done before you shouldn't even try 589 00:21:00,950 --> 00:20:59,440 it 590 00:21:02,710 --> 00:21:00,960 so 591 00:21:04,470 --> 00:21:02,720 i didn't believe them i thought they 592 00:21:06,789 --> 00:21:04,480 were crazy and i said let's at least 593 00:21:09,669 --> 00:21:06,799 look and see let's experiment because i 594 00:21:10,870 --> 00:21:09,679 really like problems and experimentation 595 00:21:13,590 --> 00:21:10,880 and so 596 00:21:15,029 --> 00:21:13,600 we started some programs we had no idea 597 00:21:17,110 --> 00:21:15,039 if they would work or not 598 00:21:19,190 --> 00:21:17,120 they have turned out to be wildly 599 00:21:21,909 --> 00:21:19,200 successful and now one of them is the 600 00:21:24,230 --> 00:21:21,919 most commonly used technique to study 601 00:21:25,750 --> 00:21:24,240 vegetation from space and 602 00:21:26,950 --> 00:21:25,760 it's where you use data from weather 603 00:21:29,029 --> 00:21:26,960 satellites 604 00:21:32,149 --> 00:21:29,039 day after day after day and so now we 605 00:21:34,070 --> 00:21:32,159 have almost 31 years of data 606 00:21:36,310 --> 00:21:34,080 which we summarize into data every two 607 00:21:38,630 --> 00:21:36,320 weeks and this is extremely useful but 608 00:21:41,110 --> 00:21:38,640 the simple answer is several people told 609 00:21:43,430 --> 00:21:41,120 me we were stupid to do this it wouldn't 610 00:21:44,870 --> 00:21:43,440 work and besides why do you want to do 611 00:21:46,549 --> 00:21:44,880 this from space when you can go out 612 00:21:48,310 --> 00:21:46,559 places and do it on the ground well 613 00:21:50,470 --> 00:21:48,320 these images show there are no roads 614 00:21:52,390 --> 00:21:50,480 here and in some places you have to do 615 00:21:53,990 --> 00:21:52,400 things from space it's also a good way 616 00:21:55,590 --> 00:21:54,000 to check on other countries and see what 617 00:21:57,190 --> 00:21:55,600 they're doing see if they're complying 618 00:22:00,230 --> 00:21:57,200 with treaty requirements 619 00:22:02,630 --> 00:22:00,240 so as john mccain said we need to see if 620 00:22:05,029 --> 00:22:02,640 some countries are cheating 621 00:22:09,830 --> 00:22:05,039 hey we got another question from online 622 00:22:15,430 --> 00:22:12,149 well i've also published papers on that 623 00:22:16,390 --> 00:22:15,440 and i got into a bit of a battle royale 624 00:22:19,110 --> 00:22:16,400 with some people in the pacific 625 00:22:20,870 --> 00:22:19,120 northwest 20 years ago 626 00:22:23,190 --> 00:22:20,880 so in the pacific northwest where you 627 00:22:24,149 --> 00:22:23,200 have these late successional coniferous 628 00:22:26,230 --> 00:22:24,159 forests 629 00:22:27,990 --> 00:22:26,240 from from from northern california up 630 00:22:30,310 --> 00:22:28,000 through oregon and washington then they 631 00:22:32,310 --> 00:22:30,320 continue into british columbia 632 00:22:33,909 --> 00:22:32,320 there only about 10 633 00:22:35,350 --> 00:22:33,919 of the original old growth forests 634 00:22:37,990 --> 00:22:35,360 remain almost all of those are in 635 00:22:40,630 --> 00:22:38,000 national parks or national forests and 636 00:22:41,590 --> 00:22:40,640 it's also an area where you have a lot 637 00:22:45,350 --> 00:22:41,600 of 638 00:22:46,470 --> 00:22:45,360 where it's 639 00:22:49,430 --> 00:22:46,480 wet 640 00:22:51,750 --> 00:22:49,440 warm and flat and so that's a very good 641 00:22:53,110 --> 00:22:51,760 place to have tree farms and they're in 642 00:22:55,110 --> 00:22:53,120 a rotation where you grow a forest 643 00:22:57,669 --> 00:22:55,120 perhaps for 50 or 60 years then it's 644 00:22:59,110 --> 00:22:57,679 harvested and then they replant so that 645 00:23:01,270 --> 00:22:59,120 is a very good 646 00:23:03,510 --> 00:23:01,280 type of forestry because you have trees 647 00:23:05,430 --> 00:23:03,520 which replace what you cut down and all 648 00:23:06,789 --> 00:23:05,440 the time as that as trees grow they 649 00:23:08,630 --> 00:23:06,799 absorb carbon dioxide from the 650 00:23:11,350 --> 00:23:08,640 atmosphere incorporated into wood so 651 00:23:13,350 --> 00:23:11,360 it's a major carbon sink 652 00:23:14,470 --> 00:23:13,360 hey one last one jim so we've got all oh 653 00:23:15,909 --> 00:23:14,480 i see a question right there in the 654 00:23:18,470 --> 00:23:15,919 front 655 00:23:20,630 --> 00:23:18,480 how long do you have to stay there 656 00:23:22,390 --> 00:23:20,640 well sometimes you get stuck places and 657 00:23:24,710 --> 00:23:22,400 you have to stay a long time one time we 658 00:23:26,630 --> 00:23:24,720 had to stay someplace for about a month 659 00:23:30,310 --> 00:23:26,640 but usually it's maybe three or four 660 00:23:31,510 --> 00:23:30,320 weeks and believe me by the time on 661 00:23:33,909 --> 00:23:31,520 as you get towards the end of your 662 00:23:36,310 --> 00:23:33,919 expedition in tropical forest you're 663 00:23:38,710 --> 00:23:36,320 really happy to leave but sometimes it 664 00:23:40,710 --> 00:23:38,720 may take five or six days to get out and 665 00:23:43,590 --> 00:23:40,720 some of the places i've worked in this 666 00:23:45,750 --> 00:23:43,600 area what you do there are 667 00:23:48,390 --> 00:23:45,760 abandoned airstrips when there were drug 668 00:23:50,390 --> 00:23:48,400 labs in the area now our drug 669 00:23:52,789 --> 00:23:50,400 enforcement administration has 670 00:23:54,470 --> 00:23:52,799 driven all the drug labs out of these 671 00:23:56,149 --> 00:23:54,480 areas because they would have a drug lab 672 00:23:57,669 --> 00:23:56,159 in tropical forests and you wouldn't 673 00:23:58,870 --> 00:23:57,679 want to go there when the narco people 674 00:24:00,630 --> 00:23:58,880 were there because they're very very 675 00:24:03,350 --> 00:24:00,640 ruthless but anyway they would have a 676 00:24:06,149 --> 00:24:03,360 landing strip to fly the refined cocaine 677 00:24:08,070 --> 00:24:06,159 out and so we would have planes fly us 678 00:24:10,070 --> 00:24:08,080 in after our drug enforcement 679 00:24:12,149 --> 00:24:10,080 administration ran them all off 680 00:24:14,149 --> 00:24:12,159 fly into their airstrips drop us off and 681 00:24:15,590 --> 00:24:14,159 then say okay 682 00:24:16,789 --> 00:24:15,600 we're going to come back in three weeks 683 00:24:18,549 --> 00:24:16,799 and then we would do field work by 684 00:24:20,149 --> 00:24:18,559 hiking from around there if there was 685 00:24:21,590 --> 00:24:20,159 bad weather one time we had to stay an 686 00:24:23,909 --> 00:24:21,600 extra week 687 00:24:25,510 --> 00:24:23,919 so it all depends on where you are or 688 00:24:27,110 --> 00:24:25,520 sometimes you could be someplace and the 689 00:24:28,710 --> 00:24:27,120 rainy season will start and the rivers 690 00:24:30,149 --> 00:24:28,720 will come up and you have to wait for 691 00:24:32,310 --> 00:24:30,159 the rivers to go down so you can get in 692 00:24:34,070 --> 00:24:32,320 your pacquiao boat and leave so it all 693 00:24:37,350 --> 00:24:34,080 depends but usually 694 00:24:39,190 --> 00:24:37,360 anywhere from two to four weeks 695 00:24:41,029 --> 00:24:39,200 all right hey thank you very much jim 696 00:24:48,710 --> 00:24:41,039 that was really great i'll introduce our 697 00:24:52,630 --> 00:24:51,190 hey our next speaker is dr chris schuman 698 00:24:54,549 --> 00:24:52,640 who's chris has spent a lot of time in 699 00:24:56,149 --> 00:24:54,559 the earth's polar region studying them 700 00:24:57,590 --> 00:24:56,159 being out on the ground with a shovel 701 00:24:59,750 --> 00:24:57,600 and digging pits all the way through to 702 00:25:01,029 --> 00:24:59,760 using data from space to understand them 703 00:25:03,350 --> 00:25:01,039 and he's going to tell us what's going 704 00:25:04,789 --> 00:25:03,360 on at the top of the planet chris thanks 705 00:25:07,190 --> 00:25:04,799 tom 706 00:25:10,870 --> 00:25:07,200 my name is chris shuman my first trip to 707 00:25:12,830 --> 00:25:10,880 the polls began in greenland in 1992 as 708 00:25:14,390 --> 00:25:12,840 a postdoc for penn state 709 00:25:17,029 --> 00:25:14,400 university 710 00:25:18,310 --> 00:25:17,039 there i was working at the gisp2 deep 711 00:25:19,269 --> 00:25:18,320 core site 712 00:25:21,750 --> 00:25:19,279 kind of 713 00:25:24,549 --> 00:25:21,760 the ultimate climate data record this is 714 00:25:26,310 --> 00:25:24,559 an ice core through the entire center of 715 00:25:28,470 --> 00:25:26,320 the greenland ice sheet 716 00:25:30,549 --> 00:25:28,480 going down almost 717 00:25:32,549 --> 00:25:30,559 more than three thousand meters going 718 00:25:34,070 --> 00:25:32,559 back in time more than a hundred 719 00:25:36,230 --> 00:25:34,080 thousand years 720 00:25:37,350 --> 00:25:36,240 and you can tell that by looking at the 721 00:25:39,830 --> 00:25:37,360 record 722 00:25:41,510 --> 00:25:39,840 in the layers of snow and ice that are 723 00:25:43,830 --> 00:25:41,520 preserved in the ice sheet 724 00:25:46,789 --> 00:25:43,840 my job was to try to calibrate the 725 00:25:49,590 --> 00:25:46,799 thermometer from the ice core 726 00:25:50,710 --> 00:25:49,600 to the modern observational record 727 00:25:52,789 --> 00:25:50,720 now 728 00:25:55,190 --> 00:25:52,799 when i was there in 1992 the first 729 00:25:57,750 --> 00:25:55,200 automatic weather station was only put 730 00:26:01,029 --> 00:25:57,760 up in 1987 so we only had about five 731 00:26:03,830 --> 00:26:01,039 years of overlap with a modern record 732 00:26:06,630 --> 00:26:03,840 so what i did was i went back in time 733 00:26:10,549 --> 00:26:06,640 using a series of satellites beginning 734 00:26:13,590 --> 00:26:10,559 with uh the nimbus series a nasa sensor 735 00:26:16,549 --> 00:26:13,600 called smmr the scanning multi-channel 736 00:26:19,430 --> 00:26:16,559 microwave radiometer that provides a 737 00:26:23,269 --> 00:26:19,440 proxy for temperature through time 738 00:26:25,110 --> 00:26:23,279 that begins in about in late 1978 739 00:26:27,430 --> 00:26:25,120 and has continued through a whole series 740 00:26:29,590 --> 00:26:27,440 of satellites all the way through today 741 00:26:30,950 --> 00:26:29,600 with another sensor that nasa is flying 742 00:26:33,750 --> 00:26:30,960 called amster 743 00:26:36,789 --> 00:26:33,760 that has enabled us to measure very 744 00:26:39,110 --> 00:26:36,799 consistently certain aspects of the 745 00:26:41,990 --> 00:26:39,120 arctic and the antarctic 746 00:26:44,710 --> 00:26:42,000 including the sea ice cover the frozen 747 00:26:48,710 --> 00:26:44,720 sea surface of the arctic ocean you see 748 00:26:50,070 --> 00:26:48,720 that here illustrated by the 2011 sea 749 00:26:52,710 --> 00:26:50,080 ice minimum 750 00:26:55,269 --> 00:26:52,720 that's from microwave data being 751 00:26:57,430 --> 00:26:55,279 gathered multiple times per day each 752 00:26:59,430 --> 00:26:57,440 time the satellite goes around it's 753 00:27:02,070 --> 00:26:59,440 really amazing the satellites actually 754 00:27:04,470 --> 00:27:02,080 go around the whole earth in about 97 755 00:27:07,110 --> 00:27:04,480 minutes that's a pretty typical time 756 00:27:09,750 --> 00:27:07,120 that's real fast so 757 00:27:12,789 --> 00:27:09,760 basically the white area shows the 758 00:27:15,990 --> 00:27:12,799 september sea ice cover compared to the 759 00:27:19,830 --> 00:27:16,000 long-term median sea ice cover going 760 00:27:20,789 --> 00:27:19,840 back over that 1978 through today time 761 00:27:23,110 --> 00:27:20,799 period 762 00:27:25,350 --> 00:27:23,120 and that's one of the ways that we know 763 00:27:28,149 --> 00:27:25,360 how the arctic is changing and we can 764 00:27:30,149 --> 00:27:28,159 see that both from the sea ice minimum 765 00:27:32,710 --> 00:27:30,159 over time it looks a little bit like 766 00:27:35,909 --> 00:27:32,720 this plot over here this climate data 767 00:27:37,510 --> 00:27:35,919 record this is actually the decline in 768 00:27:40,630 --> 00:27:37,520 multi-year ice 769 00:27:43,110 --> 00:27:40,640 ice that forms in one year and lasts 770 00:27:45,909 --> 00:27:43,120 through multiple years it doesn't melt 771 00:27:49,110 --> 00:27:45,919 away when the sun comes up in the arctic 772 00:27:52,549 --> 00:27:49,120 when the ci starts to retreat back 773 00:27:54,789 --> 00:27:52,559 so basically it's our eyes in the sky 774 00:27:58,070 --> 00:27:54,799 starting in the 70s that have enabled us 775 00:28:00,710 --> 00:27:58,080 to start assembling these time series 776 00:28:02,950 --> 00:28:00,720 that illustrate the changes that the 777 00:28:04,149 --> 00:28:02,960 whole earth is going through especially 778 00:28:06,710 --> 00:28:04,159 the arctic 779 00:28:08,070 --> 00:28:06,720 i'm just one research scientist at nasa 780 00:28:09,990 --> 00:28:08,080 there's a whole bunch of us that are 781 00:28:13,269 --> 00:28:10,000 working on the cryosphere 782 00:28:14,789 --> 00:28:13,279 the arctic and the antarctic a bunch of 783 00:28:17,510 --> 00:28:14,799 our folks right now are flying on 784 00:28:19,750 --> 00:28:17,520 aircraft missions out of iceland 785 00:28:21,909 --> 00:28:19,760 and uh thule air force base in 786 00:28:24,230 --> 00:28:21,919 northwestern greenland they're gathering 787 00:28:26,149 --> 00:28:24,240 additional data to complement the 788 00:28:27,430 --> 00:28:26,159 pictures that we're gathering from the 789 00:28:28,310 --> 00:28:27,440 satellites 790 00:28:29,990 --> 00:28:28,320 okay 791 00:28:32,149 --> 00:28:30,000 so that's one of the ways that we're 792 00:28:34,470 --> 00:28:32,159 trying to put the whole story together 793 00:28:37,669 --> 00:28:34,480 of how the ice is changing 794 00:28:38,549 --> 00:28:37,679 now being a glaciologist it means i've 795 00:28:39,350 --> 00:28:38,559 seen 796 00:28:44,070 --> 00:28:39,360 the 797 00:28:45,350 --> 00:28:44,080 ice cover those of you that have been to 798 00:28:48,230 --> 00:28:45,360 central park 799 00:28:50,630 --> 00:28:48,240 there's bedrock that's polished there so 800 00:28:53,029 --> 00:28:50,640 18 000 years ago the ice was much 801 00:28:55,110 --> 00:28:53,039 farther south pushing up long island 802 00:28:57,110 --> 00:28:55,120 carving out the finger lakes making the 803 00:28:59,909 --> 00:28:57,120 great lakes wider and deeper 804 00:29:02,549 --> 00:28:59,919 and that's part of the story of change 805 00:29:05,430 --> 00:29:02,559 what we're seeing though is accelerated 806 00:29:08,149 --> 00:29:05,440 change in recent decades where sea ice 807 00:29:10,230 --> 00:29:08,159 cover has really started to fall off 808 00:29:12,870 --> 00:29:10,240 both in area 809 00:29:15,350 --> 00:29:12,880 and in thickness the multi-year ice 810 00:29:18,310 --> 00:29:15,360 tends to be thicker and since the big 811 00:29:21,110 --> 00:29:18,320 sea ice minimum in 2007 812 00:29:23,510 --> 00:29:21,120 we've actually seen a a substantial 813 00:29:25,909 --> 00:29:23,520 decrease in the overall thickness my 814 00:29:27,909 --> 00:29:25,919 colleague sinead farrell has got some 815 00:29:31,029 --> 00:29:27,919 papers out that really show the changes 816 00:29:34,950 --> 00:29:31,039 in thickness over time using the icesat 817 00:29:37,190 --> 00:29:34,960 time series 2003 through 2009. 818 00:29:39,430 --> 00:29:37,200 we're actually going forward to launch a 819 00:29:41,909 --> 00:29:39,440 new version of icesat 820 00:29:45,029 --> 00:29:41,919 by 2017 that'll try to continue those 821 00:29:47,830 --> 00:29:45,039 measurements the aircraft missions 822 00:29:50,230 --> 00:29:47,840 operation icebridge flying out of thule 823 00:29:52,149 --> 00:29:50,240 flying out of iceland are hoping to 824 00:29:54,549 --> 00:29:52,159 continue some of those measurements 825 00:29:57,029 --> 00:29:54,559 until the next satellite goes up 826 00:29:59,190 --> 00:29:57,039 what is happening though is as more and 827 00:30:01,029 --> 00:29:59,200 more of the arctic ocean is becoming 828 00:30:04,389 --> 00:30:01,039 exposed the sea ice cover is 829 00:30:07,590 --> 00:30:04,399 disappearing the albedo changes and that 830 00:30:10,470 --> 00:30:07,600 water dark water absorbs more of the 831 00:30:11,750 --> 00:30:10,480 solar energy during the arctic summer 832 00:30:14,070 --> 00:30:11,760 and that 833 00:30:15,830 --> 00:30:14,080 ocean water is warming 834 00:30:17,669 --> 00:30:15,840 and that's 835 00:30:19,669 --> 00:30:17,679 that's contributing to the overall 836 00:30:22,310 --> 00:30:19,679 decrease in area and thickness of the 837 00:30:26,070 --> 00:30:22,320 sea ice cover it's also contributing in 838 00:30:28,549 --> 00:30:26,080 part to the retreat of some of the major 839 00:30:30,710 --> 00:30:28,559 outlet glaciers around greenland where 840 00:30:33,669 --> 00:30:30,720 that warm water can creep up underneath 841 00:30:35,190 --> 00:30:33,679 the ice the floating ice 842 00:30:38,070 --> 00:30:35,200 starts to break up 843 00:30:40,230 --> 00:30:38,080 turns into icebergs and drifts down the 844 00:30:42,549 --> 00:30:40,240 fjord and so what we're seeing is not 845 00:30:45,350 --> 00:30:42,559 just a retreat of the ice front but 846 00:30:47,830 --> 00:30:45,360 we're seeing an acceleration of the ice 847 00:30:49,350 --> 00:30:47,840 out of the interior of the ice sheet out 848 00:30:51,990 --> 00:30:49,360 into the ocean 849 00:30:54,310 --> 00:30:52,000 that's causing the thickness to drop 850 00:30:57,190 --> 00:30:54,320 measurements from icesat have also shown 851 00:30:58,950 --> 00:30:57,200 that the elevation of the surface of the 852 00:31:01,830 --> 00:30:58,960 greenland ice sheet is decreasing 853 00:31:03,590 --> 00:31:01,840 substantially in the past decade or so 854 00:31:05,669 --> 00:31:03,600 so these are the kinds of stories that 855 00:31:08,149 --> 00:31:05,679 we're trying to get out to everybody 856 00:31:10,149 --> 00:31:08,159 because the more ice that moves from the 857 00:31:12,549 --> 00:31:10,159 interior of the ice sheets 858 00:31:14,870 --> 00:31:12,559 antarctica where i do most of my work 859 00:31:17,269 --> 00:31:14,880 the antarctic peninsula we see big 860 00:31:19,029 --> 00:31:17,279 glacial changes like this as well the 861 00:31:22,310 --> 00:31:19,039 one of the glaciers that i studied down 862 00:31:25,110 --> 00:31:22,320 there has lost about 600 feet of 863 00:31:27,990 --> 00:31:25,120 elevation in a decade after its nearby 864 00:31:30,070 --> 00:31:28,000 ice shelf the larsen bee collapsed 865 00:31:32,710 --> 00:31:30,080 these are really very substantial 866 00:31:34,549 --> 00:31:32,720 changes and we're seeing them through 867 00:31:37,110 --> 00:31:34,559 our own eyes when we can get on the 868 00:31:39,110 --> 00:31:37,120 ground we're seeing them from space when 869 00:31:41,190 --> 00:31:39,120 the satellites go overhead and we're 870 00:31:43,509 --> 00:31:41,200 seeing them from aircraft missions and 871 00:31:45,909 --> 00:31:43,519 that's the kind of science that nasa 872 00:31:48,230 --> 00:31:45,919 does that we hope will excite you and 873 00:31:51,190 --> 00:31:48,240 turn you into scientists down the road 874 00:31:56,950 --> 00:31:51,200 helping us continue this story 875 00:32:01,350 --> 00:31:59,190 chris you talked about greenland can you 876 00:32:02,870 --> 00:32:01,360 tell us you know greenland's this big 877 00:32:03,990 --> 00:32:02,880 island it's covered with ice can you 878 00:32:05,830 --> 00:32:04,000 tell us a little bit about it i mean 879 00:32:07,750 --> 00:32:05,840 like i don't think we have a good how 880 00:32:09,350 --> 00:32:07,760 thick is that ice how does it behave 881 00:32:10,470 --> 00:32:09,360 what's the connection between that and 882 00:32:11,830 --> 00:32:10,480 sea level 883 00:32:15,110 --> 00:32:11,840 basically 884 00:32:17,269 --> 00:32:15,120 greenland has about three kilometers 885 00:32:19,350 --> 00:32:17,279 three thousand meters of ice 886 00:32:21,509 --> 00:32:19,360 ten thousand feet or so 887 00:32:23,190 --> 00:32:21,519 a couple of miles a couple of miles 888 00:32:26,149 --> 00:32:23,200 of stored in 889 00:32:28,710 --> 00:32:26,159 on top of the island the bedrock beneath 890 00:32:30,870 --> 00:32:28,720 the the ice cover greenland's 80 some 891 00:32:31,750 --> 00:32:30,880 percent covered in ice 892 00:32:34,950 --> 00:32:31,760 and 893 00:32:36,149 --> 00:32:34,960 as that ice moves it flows out towards 894 00:32:38,950 --> 00:32:36,159 the ocean 895 00:32:41,029 --> 00:32:38,960 the ice that's stored on the land is 896 00:32:43,029 --> 00:32:41,039 melting around the margins and it's 897 00:32:45,190 --> 00:32:43,039 flowing into the ocean from these big 898 00:32:48,230 --> 00:32:45,200 outlet glaciers and that's causing sea 899 00:32:50,389 --> 00:32:48,240 level to rise over time as that stored 900 00:32:52,630 --> 00:32:50,399 water from the ice sheet 901 00:32:54,310 --> 00:32:52,640 is transferred out into the global ocean 902 00:32:55,990 --> 00:32:54,320 but how does that ice flow i mean i 903 00:32:58,070 --> 00:32:56,000 picture ice as like ice cubes from my 904 00:33:00,230 --> 00:32:58,080 refrigerator which are kind of brittle 905 00:33:03,110 --> 00:33:00,240 how does that ice flow like that it's a 906 00:33:05,269 --> 00:33:03,120 wonderful bit of physics actually 907 00:33:08,230 --> 00:33:05,279 it depends on what the temperature of 908 00:33:11,029 --> 00:33:08,240 the ice is but basically the grains of 909 00:33:12,549 --> 00:33:11,039 ice can slide past each other just under 910 00:33:15,509 --> 00:33:12,559 the pressure 911 00:33:18,789 --> 00:33:15,519 of the overlying ice at the gist2 site 912 00:33:22,070 --> 00:33:18,799 where i was was started in glaciology 913 00:33:24,470 --> 00:33:22,080 that three kilometers of ice basically 914 00:33:25,909 --> 00:33:24,480 makes the layers really thin down at the 915 00:33:28,149 --> 00:33:25,919 bottom in part because they're 916 00:33:29,590 --> 00:33:28,159 stretching out and they're being forced 917 00:33:32,549 --> 00:33:29,600 to move away from the center of the 918 00:33:34,070 --> 00:33:32,559 island towards the margins of greenland 919 00:33:36,950 --> 00:33:34,080 and out to sea hey we got a question 920 00:33:39,029 --> 00:33:36,960 from online steve 921 00:33:41,029 --> 00:33:39,039 uh question about sea level 922 00:33:43,029 --> 00:33:41,039 due to the decrease in ice cover over 923 00:33:45,990 --> 00:33:43,039 the poles what regions of the earth are 924 00:33:47,509 --> 00:33:46,000 already now under water 925 00:33:48,789 --> 00:33:47,519 well um 926 00:33:50,549 --> 00:33:48,799 i i 927 00:33:52,149 --> 00:33:50,559 have always wondered how i got into 928 00:33:54,149 --> 00:33:52,159 glaciology when there were these 929 00:33:56,710 --> 00:33:54,159 marvelous careers in carbonate 930 00:33:58,389 --> 00:33:56,720 sedimentology in the bahamas 931 00:34:00,310 --> 00:33:58,399 you know as an earth scientist you know 932 00:34:02,149 --> 00:34:00,320 you think about that and you go 933 00:34:04,870 --> 00:34:02,159 how did i make the choice to wear a 934 00:34:07,269 --> 00:34:04,880 parka and not shower for two months you 935 00:34:08,629 --> 00:34:07,279 know i mean it's really not a logical 936 00:34:11,430 --> 00:34:08,639 choice when you get right down to it 937 00:34:14,069 --> 00:34:11,440 when you could be swimming in the ocean 938 00:34:14,950 --> 00:34:14,079 every day at your research site 939 00:34:17,430 --> 00:34:14,960 okay 940 00:34:20,389 --> 00:34:17,440 uh so some of the the 941 00:34:23,190 --> 00:34:20,399 smaller islands around the world 942 00:34:25,270 --> 00:34:23,200 i i know the bahamas are one place that 943 00:34:27,990 --> 00:34:25,280 we're concerned about sea level rise but 944 00:34:29,750 --> 00:34:28,000 basically it's all the places that piers 945 00:34:32,550 --> 00:34:29,760 showed where the populations are the 946 00:34:35,270 --> 00:34:32,560 whole uh heavily dense the densely 947 00:34:37,909 --> 00:34:35,280 populated coastlines of the world are 948 00:34:38,869 --> 00:34:37,919 places where sea level rise is beginning 949 00:34:41,669 --> 00:34:38,879 to be 950 00:34:45,669 --> 00:34:41,679 measured and really impact insurance 951 00:34:50,869 --> 00:34:48,069 what kind of cycles have you seen where 952 00:34:52,950 --> 00:34:50,879 new ice is being made and ice is melting 953 00:34:53,990 --> 00:34:52,960 back 954 00:34:55,990 --> 00:34:54,000 well 955 00:34:58,550 --> 00:34:56,000 i've worked in both greenland and 956 00:35:00,790 --> 00:34:58,560 antarctica seven times to greenland six 957 00:35:03,990 --> 00:35:00,800 times to antarctica the 958 00:35:06,630 --> 00:35:04,000 dry high interior of antarctica for 959 00:35:08,710 --> 00:35:06,640 example has very little accumulation 960 00:35:12,550 --> 00:35:08,720 it's a polar desert but it is 961 00:35:14,390 --> 00:35:12,560 accumulating a little bit every year 962 00:35:16,710 --> 00:35:14,400 averaged over accumulating snow 963 00:35:19,349 --> 00:35:16,720 accumulating snow that's right 964 00:35:22,470 --> 00:35:19,359 and so up in the high interior you might 965 00:35:23,829 --> 00:35:22,480 get a centimeter or two it's so dry 966 00:35:27,589 --> 00:35:23,839 that your breath 967 00:35:30,069 --> 00:35:27,599 turns into uh ice crystals because it's 968 00:35:32,310 --> 00:35:30,079 just it's just that easy for them to 969 00:35:33,670 --> 00:35:32,320 form at these low temperatures and 970 00:35:35,910 --> 00:35:33,680 that's the kind of crystals which 971 00:35:38,550 --> 00:35:35,920 accumulate over time they're they're 972 00:35:40,550 --> 00:35:38,560 basically called uh 973 00:35:42,790 --> 00:35:40,560 sometimes horfrost 974 00:35:44,710 --> 00:35:42,800 but they're very very fine crystals but 975 00:35:47,190 --> 00:35:44,720 they build up and what that's what 976 00:35:49,829 --> 00:35:47,200 enables the ice to become so thick in 977 00:35:52,790 --> 00:35:49,839 east antarctica the highest part of the 978 00:35:54,550 --> 00:35:52,800 big polar ice sheets around the margins 979 00:35:56,310 --> 00:35:54,560 in the antarctic peninsula where i'm 980 00:35:58,230 --> 00:35:56,320 doing some of the work it's still 981 00:36:00,630 --> 00:35:58,240 accumulating up in the high part of the 982 00:36:02,790 --> 00:36:00,640 peninsula but because the ocean waters 983 00:36:05,030 --> 00:36:02,800 are so warm nearby 984 00:36:07,990 --> 00:36:05,040 where the glaciers flow down to the 985 00:36:10,630 --> 00:36:08,000 water they really are disintegrating 986 00:36:14,630 --> 00:36:10,640 because of all that warmth being 987 00:36:21,510 --> 00:36:14,640 transferred in into that into that ice 988 00:36:25,270 --> 00:36:23,270 how long do we have to restate the 989 00:36:27,109 --> 00:36:25,280 question can can you restate that just a 990 00:36:28,470 --> 00:36:27,119 little bit could you 991 00:36:30,710 --> 00:36:28,480 give us some information about the 992 00:36:32,150 --> 00:36:30,720 feedback loop and 993 00:36:34,470 --> 00:36:32,160 whether or not you think we've reached a 994 00:36:37,030 --> 00:36:34,480 tipping point i think sinead's work 995 00:36:39,430 --> 00:36:37,040 actually speaks speaks very well to that 996 00:36:42,310 --> 00:36:39,440 point where she shows in the arctic sea 997 00:36:45,109 --> 00:36:42,320 ice cover over the arctic ocean that the 998 00:36:47,990 --> 00:36:45,119 thickness change has accelerated 999 00:36:50,390 --> 00:36:48,000 dramatically since 2007 where the arctic 1000 00:36:53,510 --> 00:36:50,400 ocean may be warm enough now that the 1001 00:36:55,829 --> 00:36:53,520 thicker ice is is really thinning much 1002 00:36:59,190 --> 00:36:55,839 faster all of a sudden so 1003 00:37:01,670 --> 00:36:59,200 i'm i'm not sure that it's that it that 1004 00:37:04,630 --> 00:37:01,680 we can't that the the arctic climate 1005 00:37:07,030 --> 00:37:04,640 system can't recover but i do know that 1006 00:37:09,190 --> 00:37:07,040 the change has accelerated not just in 1007 00:37:11,349 --> 00:37:09,200 the past decade or so but in the even 1008 00:37:13,109 --> 00:37:11,359 the past few years 1009 00:37:14,950 --> 00:37:13,119 another question from online 1010 00:37:17,430 --> 00:37:14,960 yeah here's a question from you stream 1011 00:37:18,630 --> 00:37:17,440 how will the melting ice affect ocean 1012 00:37:20,390 --> 00:37:18,640 currents 1013 00:37:23,109 --> 00:37:20,400 well that's actually one of the really 1014 00:37:25,829 --> 00:37:23,119 cool things about the arctic is because 1015 00:37:28,710 --> 00:37:25,839 the formation of sea ice 1016 00:37:32,150 --> 00:37:28,720 basically the air temperatures are so 1017 00:37:33,589 --> 00:37:32,160 cold that the sea surface itself freezes 1018 00:37:34,710 --> 00:37:33,599 solid 1019 00:37:37,109 --> 00:37:34,720 you've probably been to the beach you 1020 00:37:38,870 --> 00:37:37,119 think to yourself no way how could the 1021 00:37:40,950 --> 00:37:38,880 how could an ocean 1022 00:37:42,790 --> 00:37:40,960 freeze solid well it happens and it 1023 00:37:45,910 --> 00:37:42,800 happens really rapidly 1024 00:37:51,349 --> 00:37:45,920 and in doing that it actually 1025 00:37:54,150 --> 00:37:51,359 lets loose this cold briny um byproduct 1026 00:37:55,030 --> 00:37:54,160 where the frozen surface 1027 00:37:56,550 --> 00:37:55,040 it 1028 00:38:00,069 --> 00:37:56,560 basically 1029 00:38:03,030 --> 00:38:00,079 forces off cold salty water that falls 1030 00:38:06,630 --> 00:38:03,040 to deep down and actually drives some of 1031 00:38:09,670 --> 00:38:06,640 the global ocean conveyor belt that cold 1032 00:38:11,990 --> 00:38:09,680 water flows very deep and moves south 1033 00:38:15,349 --> 00:38:12,000 forcing warmer water to flow up from the 1034 00:38:18,870 --> 00:38:15,359 equators to replace it so sea ice is a 1035 00:38:21,109 --> 00:38:18,880 very important part of what balances the 1036 00:38:24,310 --> 00:38:21,119 temperatures around the world 1037 00:38:26,550 --> 00:38:24,320 so we actually saw some indications of 1038 00:38:29,430 --> 00:38:26,560 how important that process is in the 1039 00:38:31,910 --> 00:38:29,440 gist ii ice core record where we saw the 1040 00:38:34,710 --> 00:38:31,920 sudden climate shifts that probably had 1041 00:38:35,750 --> 00:38:34,720 to do with shifts in how sea ice was 1042 00:38:39,190 --> 00:38:35,760 forming 1043 00:38:40,470 --> 00:38:39,200 and they were really uh well i 1044 00:38:42,310 --> 00:38:40,480 i could talk 1045 00:38:44,870 --> 00:38:42,320 at at greater length on just the ice 1046 00:38:47,510 --> 00:38:44,880 core itself but it's one of the ways 1047 00:38:50,230 --> 00:38:47,520 that we actually look back in time 1048 00:38:52,390 --> 00:38:50,240 not just from ground observations but 1049 00:38:55,030 --> 00:38:52,400 from and aircraft observations and 1050 00:38:56,150 --> 00:38:55,040 satellite observations but by going back 1051 00:38:58,870 --> 00:38:56,160 through the layers which have 1052 00:39:00,710 --> 00:38:58,880 accumulated in these big ice sheets 1053 00:39:02,310 --> 00:39:00,720 hey chris one last one can you tell us 1054 00:39:03,750 --> 00:39:02,320 about the different ways that we study 1055 00:39:05,349 --> 00:39:03,760 ice from space you talked a little about 1056 00:39:07,270 --> 00:39:05,359 how we look at microwaves that come off 1057 00:39:08,069 --> 00:39:07,280 the ground but are there other things we 1058 00:39:15,589 --> 00:39:08,079 have 1059 00:39:18,310 --> 00:39:15,599 uh the infrared temperatures of the ice 1060 00:39:20,150 --> 00:39:18,320 sheet surface here's greenland basically 1061 00:39:23,030 --> 00:39:20,160 the infrared signals which are coming 1062 00:39:25,030 --> 00:39:23,040 back to the to the satellite give us an 1063 00:39:26,230 --> 00:39:25,040 indication of the surface temperature of 1064 00:39:29,990 --> 00:39:26,240 the ice sheet 1065 00:39:33,109 --> 00:39:30,000 uh we can actually uh uh look at the 1066 00:39:34,870 --> 00:39:33,119 elevation changes over time by icesat 1067 00:39:36,710 --> 00:39:34,880 which was a laser altimeter which 1068 00:39:39,430 --> 00:39:36,720 measures the surface 1069 00:39:41,109 --> 00:39:39,440 relative to the satellite and we go back 1070 00:39:42,870 --> 00:39:41,119 and we measure that again months later 1071 00:39:44,630 --> 00:39:42,880 but how does that work you say laser 1072 00:39:47,109 --> 00:39:44,640 altimeter what does it actually do it 1073 00:39:49,510 --> 00:39:47,119 actually shoots out a pulse of laser 1074 00:39:52,069 --> 00:39:49,520 energy and by knowing the speed of light 1075 00:39:53,270 --> 00:39:52,079 and where the satellite was on orbit 1076 00:39:55,270 --> 00:39:53,280 and knowing 1077 00:39:57,190 --> 00:39:55,280 how long it took for that pulse of laser 1078 00:39:59,349 --> 00:39:57,200 light to get down to the ice sheet and 1079 00:40:03,349 --> 00:39:59,359 back up to the satellite we determined 1080 00:40:06,230 --> 00:40:03,359 the range to the satellite from when it 1081 00:40:08,630 --> 00:40:06,240 sent out the pulse to when it came back 1082 00:40:11,270 --> 00:40:08,640 so there's a distance and by knowing 1083 00:40:13,109 --> 00:40:11,280 where the satellite is in orbit when we 1084 00:40:15,349 --> 00:40:13,119 took those measurements we actually 1085 00:40:19,430 --> 00:40:15,359 determine the elevation of the spot on 1086 00:40:20,950 --> 00:40:19,440 the ground and so icesat-1 measured 40 1087 00:40:23,990 --> 00:40:20,960 times a second 1088 00:40:25,270 --> 00:40:24,000 about every 172 meters along each orbit 1089 00:40:27,349 --> 00:40:25,280 track 1090 00:40:28,150 --> 00:40:27,359 97 minutes it comes around measures 1091 00:40:29,910 --> 00:40:28,160 again 1092 00:40:33,190 --> 00:40:29,920 and you build up those measurements over 1093 00:40:35,990 --> 00:40:33,200 time and you see the elevation changes 1094 00:40:38,550 --> 00:40:36,000 big changes in the yakum soven glacier 1095 00:40:40,309 --> 00:40:38,560 drainage basin big changes in the coast 1096 00:40:43,510 --> 00:40:40,319 of west antarctica and pine island 1097 00:40:45,430 --> 00:40:43,520 glacier thwaites glacier big changes in 1098 00:40:47,990 --> 00:40:45,440 the area in the antarctic peninsula 1099 00:40:50,550 --> 00:40:48,000 which i was studying of hundreds and 1100 00:40:52,150 --> 00:40:50,560 hundreds of feet in a decade 1101 00:40:53,990 --> 00:40:52,160 by building up those altimetry 1102 00:40:55,030 --> 00:40:54,000 measurements over time great hey thank 1103 00:41:00,309 --> 00:40:55,040 you very much chris you really 1104 00:41:04,870 --> 00:41:02,870 our next speaker 1105 00:41:06,710 --> 00:41:04,880 is ernie hilsen wrath from goddard space 1106 00:41:09,670 --> 00:41:06,720 flight center ernie's had an amazing 1107 00:41:11,030 --> 00:41:09,680 storied 40-year career at nasa and he's 1108 00:41:12,470 --> 00:41:11,040 going to tell us about one of the best 1109 00:41:15,750 --> 00:41:12,480 earth science stories of all because it 1110 00:41:17,589 --> 00:41:15,760 has a happy ending the ozone hall ernie 1111 00:41:19,430 --> 00:41:17,599 thanks a lot tom 1112 00:41:21,109 --> 00:41:19,440 i wanted to share with you my experience 1113 00:41:23,349 --> 00:41:21,119 in working with nasa first i gotta ask 1114 00:41:24,870 --> 00:41:23,359 the question can all of you hear me is 1115 00:41:26,470 --> 00:41:24,880 it louder 1116 00:41:28,870 --> 00:41:26,480 okay i'll try to speak up although this 1117 00:41:31,430 --> 00:41:28,880 microphone i guess is for our web 1118 00:41:32,950 --> 00:41:31,440 audience only and not for the 1119 00:41:35,510 --> 00:41:32,960 not for you people here so i'll try to 1120 00:41:37,510 --> 00:41:35,520 speak up as well as i can and if you 1121 00:41:39,349 --> 00:41:37,520 can't hear me please remind me by just 1122 00:41:41,190 --> 00:41:39,359 doing this 1123 00:41:42,870 --> 00:41:41,200 okay i'll try to speak up 1124 00:41:46,790 --> 00:41:42,880 i joined nasa 1125 00:41:47,990 --> 00:41:46,800 in 1960s after being inspired by 1126 00:41:49,510 --> 00:41:48,000 a couple of things something called 1127 00:41:51,750 --> 00:41:49,520 sputnik i don't know if any of you 1128 00:41:54,630 --> 00:41:51,760 remember sputnik when the russians put a 1129 00:41:56,069 --> 00:41:54,640 satellite into orbit i said gee we 1130 00:41:57,190 --> 00:41:56,079 i have to do something i want to play a 1131 00:41:59,670 --> 00:41:57,200 role in this 1132 00:42:01,589 --> 00:41:59,680 then of course john kennedy's uh famous 1133 00:42:02,950 --> 00:42:01,599 speech about going to the moon so i 1134 00:42:05,829 --> 00:42:02,960 joined nasa 1135 00:42:07,270 --> 00:42:05,839 and what i wanted to do was study 1136 00:42:08,950 --> 00:42:07,280 astrophysics 1137 00:42:12,550 --> 00:42:08,960 i wanted to study the evolution and the 1138 00:42:14,710 --> 00:42:12,560 formation of stars and and and galaxies 1139 00:42:15,589 --> 00:42:14,720 but as it turns out when i joined the 1140 00:42:16,950 --> 00:42:15,599 group 1141 00:42:18,309 --> 00:42:16,960 i really wasn't going to look at the 1142 00:42:20,390 --> 00:42:18,319 stars in the galaxies i was going to 1143 00:42:22,550 --> 00:42:20,400 look back at the earth 1144 00:42:24,230 --> 00:42:22,560 and i was working on some of the early 1145 00:42:26,390 --> 00:42:24,240 weather satellites nasa was just 1146 00:42:28,950 --> 00:42:26,400 beginning to develop capabilities to 1147 00:42:31,270 --> 00:42:28,960 study the earth's weather 1148 00:42:33,510 --> 00:42:31,280 using its global perspective from space 1149 00:42:34,870 --> 00:42:33,520 to understand uh how the atmosphere 1150 00:42:36,630 --> 00:42:34,880 works and 1151 00:42:38,870 --> 00:42:36,640 and it could be if those data could be 1152 00:42:40,870 --> 00:42:38,880 used to improve our weather forecast and 1153 00:42:42,950 --> 00:42:40,880 we've come a long way in doing weather 1154 00:42:45,270 --> 00:42:42,960 forecasting using satellite data but 1155 00:42:47,750 --> 00:42:45,280 what i'm going to talk to you about is 1156 00:42:50,710 --> 00:42:47,760 by the way it says the whole story nasa 1157 00:42:52,309 --> 00:42:50,720 knows knows how to spell 1158 00:42:54,230 --> 00:42:52,319 that word means two things we're talking 1159 00:42:56,150 --> 00:42:54,240 about the complete story this although 1160 00:42:58,069 --> 00:42:56,160 you can't tell the complete story but 1161 00:43:00,150 --> 00:42:58,079 also the antarctic ozone hole some of 1162 00:43:01,670 --> 00:43:00,160 you may be familiar with this 1163 00:43:03,750 --> 00:43:01,680 um 1164 00:43:04,870 --> 00:43:03,760 if you take a good look at these these 1165 00:43:07,030 --> 00:43:04,880 images here it's really pretty 1166 00:43:08,870 --> 00:43:07,040 spectacular when you think about it in a 1167 00:43:11,030 --> 00:43:08,880 perspective how long it took to this 1168 00:43:12,550 --> 00:43:11,040 data the first image 1169 00:43:13,270 --> 00:43:12,560 of the globe 1170 00:43:15,510 --> 00:43:13,280 the 1171 00:43:18,150 --> 00:43:15,520 earth's atmospheric ozone occurred back 1172 00:43:20,950 --> 00:43:18,160 in the 1970s with one of these early 1173 00:43:22,790 --> 00:43:20,960 weather satellites and at that time 1174 00:43:24,790 --> 00:43:22,800 we were studying ozone not because of it 1175 00:43:26,230 --> 00:43:24,800 was an environmental concern 1176 00:43:28,630 --> 00:43:26,240 but because it was a scientific 1177 00:43:30,309 --> 00:43:28,640 curiosity and also it was a tracer in 1178 00:43:32,309 --> 00:43:30,319 the atmosphere we could use it maybe to 1179 00:43:34,230 --> 00:43:32,319 improve the weather forecast so that was 1180 00:43:37,030 --> 00:43:34,240 in the early 70s 1181 00:43:39,349 --> 00:43:37,040 in the late 70s and 1980s we continued 1182 00:43:41,190 --> 00:43:39,359 with these satellite data and began it 1183 00:43:42,550 --> 00:43:41,200 was discovered that something's really 1184 00:43:44,150 --> 00:43:42,560 peculiar was happening over the 1185 00:43:45,190 --> 00:43:44,160 antarctic 1186 00:43:48,710 --> 00:43:45,200 um 1187 00:43:51,030 --> 00:43:48,720 so at first we knew that the ozone layer 1188 00:43:52,710 --> 00:43:51,040 was in jeopardy it was in trouble 1189 00:43:56,630 --> 00:43:52,720 because the chemist in the laboratory 1190 00:43:58,309 --> 00:43:56,640 realized that gases from aerosol cans 1191 00:43:59,829 --> 00:43:58,319 and refrigerators 1192 00:44:02,870 --> 00:43:59,839 once they get into the atmosphere could 1193 00:44:04,470 --> 00:44:02,880 become activated and destroy ozone 1194 00:44:05,589 --> 00:44:04,480 it was a clear 1195 00:44:07,990 --> 00:44:05,599 clearly a 1196 00:44:09,190 --> 00:44:08,000 proven phenomena that would destroy 1197 00:44:12,069 --> 00:44:09,200 ozone but the appearance of the 1198 00:44:14,550 --> 00:44:12,079 antarctic ozone hole got the worldwide 1199 00:44:16,150 --> 00:44:14,560 attention that something needs needs to 1200 00:44:18,470 --> 00:44:16,160 be done 1201 00:44:20,309 --> 00:44:18,480 what we have here is the pictures of 1202 00:44:22,069 --> 00:44:20,319 global ozone focused on the antarctic 1203 00:44:23,589 --> 00:44:22,079 this white spot here doesn't mean 1204 00:44:25,190 --> 00:44:23,599 there's a part of the whole it means 1205 00:44:26,390 --> 00:44:25,200 that the satellite didn't cover this 1206 00:44:31,510 --> 00:44:26,400 particular 1207 00:44:34,390 --> 00:44:31,520 october 1970 goes through october's all 1208 00:44:35,829 --> 00:44:34,400 the way through october and 2011. 1209 00:44:38,230 --> 00:44:35,839 and you can see there was a sudden 1210 00:44:41,190 --> 00:44:38,240 increase in the depletion of ozone the 1211 00:44:43,750 --> 00:44:41,200 colors here mean this means high ozone 1212 00:44:46,630 --> 00:44:43,760 this means low ozone so this hole in the 1213 00:44:49,190 --> 00:44:46,640 ozone layer covers the entire antarctic 1214 00:44:51,349 --> 00:44:49,200 region it only lasts for a couple of 1215 00:44:54,150 --> 00:44:51,359 months and then it closes up 1216 00:44:56,630 --> 00:44:54,160 so uh once the world 1217 00:44:58,790 --> 00:44:56,640 the the the scientists the policy makers 1218 00:45:01,030 --> 00:44:58,800 the industrial community realized that 1219 00:45:02,069 --> 00:45:01,040 there was a problem they put a plan into 1220 00:45:03,349 --> 00:45:02,079 effect 1221 00:45:05,510 --> 00:45:03,359 and how this should be done and 1222 00:45:06,710 --> 00:45:05,520 implemented that was to ban through an 1223 00:45:07,829 --> 00:45:06,720 international 1224 00:45:09,589 --> 00:45:07,839 agreement 1225 00:45:12,069 --> 00:45:09,599 amongst all the countries in the world 1226 00:45:13,510 --> 00:45:12,079 to ban chlorofluorocarbons this was the 1227 00:45:16,150 --> 00:45:13,520 gas that's an aerosol used to be in 1228 00:45:17,829 --> 00:45:16,160 aerosol cans and used as a refrigerant 1229 00:45:18,790 --> 00:45:17,839 to ban them completely 1230 00:45:21,190 --> 00:45:18,800 because 1231 00:45:22,790 --> 00:45:21,200 this hole could have spread as a matter 1232 00:45:23,910 --> 00:45:22,800 of fact some people have done studies 1233 00:45:25,829 --> 00:45:23,920 now 1234 00:45:27,910 --> 00:45:25,839 where if this banning of these 1235 00:45:28,950 --> 00:45:27,920 chlorofluorocarbons hadn't taken into 1236 00:45:31,349 --> 00:45:28,960 place 1237 00:45:32,390 --> 00:45:31,359 the whole would not have 1238 00:45:33,910 --> 00:45:32,400 recovered 1239 00:45:35,829 --> 00:45:33,920 ozone would have remained depleted the 1240 00:45:38,150 --> 00:45:35,839 antarctic ozone hole would have been a 1241 00:45:39,510 --> 00:45:38,160 persistent feature and the ozone layer 1242 00:45:41,589 --> 00:45:39,520 in the upper atmosphere would have been 1243 00:45:43,510 --> 00:45:41,599 twice as low as it is now 1244 00:45:45,430 --> 00:45:43,520 and would cause twice as much uv 1245 00:45:46,390 --> 00:45:45,440 radiation reaching the earth's surface 1246 00:45:47,990 --> 00:45:46,400 causing 1247 00:45:51,030 --> 00:45:48,000 unprecedented amounts of 1248 00:45:53,349 --> 00:45:51,040 problems with diseases plant production 1249 00:45:55,030 --> 00:45:53,359 cancer was one of the big concerns about 1250 00:45:56,150 --> 00:45:55,040 extra ultraviolet radiation getting down 1251 00:45:57,190 --> 00:45:56,160 to the ground 1252 00:45:59,510 --> 00:45:57,200 so 1253 00:46:03,190 --> 00:45:59,520 this is an environmental success that 1254 00:46:04,390 --> 00:46:03,200 we're able to recognize a global problem 1255 00:46:07,190 --> 00:46:04,400 and 1256 00:46:09,030 --> 00:46:07,200 get rally the world's community to come 1257 00:46:10,790 --> 00:46:09,040 up with some legislation regulating and 1258 00:46:12,950 --> 00:46:10,800 come up with a substitute we don't miss 1259 00:46:15,510 --> 00:46:12,960 refrigeration we still have our cans but 1260 00:46:17,349 --> 00:46:15,520 we found a reasonable substitute for 1261 00:46:19,109 --> 00:46:17,359 freons or chlorofluorocarbons which 1262 00:46:20,390 --> 00:46:19,119 destroyed the ozone layer the ozone 1263 00:46:22,470 --> 00:46:20,400 layer is not going to really recover to 1264 00:46:24,710 --> 00:46:22,480 normal values until 1265 00:46:27,430 --> 00:46:24,720 2060. so we'll continue seeing these 1266 00:46:29,270 --> 00:46:27,440 holes but it's not getting any deep any 1267 00:46:31,829 --> 00:46:29,280 deeper and it looks like it's slowly 1268 00:46:34,550 --> 00:46:31,839 recovering but it'll be 2060 before 1269 00:46:36,630 --> 00:46:34,560 there's a real recovery 1270 00:46:39,430 --> 00:46:36,640 a lot of people ask me uh they get 1271 00:46:41,190 --> 00:46:39,440 confused about climate change the ozone 1272 00:46:42,790 --> 00:46:41,200 hole and want to understand what the 1273 00:46:44,790 --> 00:46:42,800 connection is 1274 00:46:47,270 --> 00:46:44,800 and it's a very difficult 1275 00:46:48,790 --> 00:46:47,280 uh topic to discuss it's just being 1276 00:46:50,470 --> 00:46:48,800 uncovered now 1277 00:46:52,309 --> 00:46:50,480 both ozone 1278 00:46:54,470 --> 00:46:52,319 which is protecting us from ultraviolet 1279 00:46:56,550 --> 00:46:54,480 radiation from the sun carbon dioxide 1280 00:46:58,630 --> 00:46:56,560 which is a greenhouse gas they work very 1281 00:47:00,870 --> 00:46:58,640 different ways in the atmosphere 1282 00:47:03,109 --> 00:47:00,880 but they're very important any changes 1283 00:47:04,630 --> 00:47:03,119 in their quantity that's outside of the 1284 00:47:07,670 --> 00:47:04,640 normal range will have effect on one or 1285 00:47:09,510 --> 00:47:07,680 the other as it turns out climate change 1286 00:47:10,870 --> 00:47:09,520 may slow down 1287 00:47:13,430 --> 00:47:10,880 the recovery 1288 00:47:15,430 --> 00:47:13,440 of atmospheric ozone so the it looks 1289 00:47:17,589 --> 00:47:15,440 like that it won't work the atmospheric 1290 00:47:20,549 --> 00:47:17,599 ozone won't recover quite as fast if 1291 00:47:22,870 --> 00:47:20,559 climate change occurs as predicted ozone 1292 00:47:25,589 --> 00:47:22,880 itself is a greenhouse gas 1293 00:47:27,589 --> 00:47:25,599 and because of the way ozone behaves in 1294 00:47:29,910 --> 00:47:27,599 the atmosphere it changes the weather's 1295 00:47:31,270 --> 00:47:29,920 patterns in the in the upper atmosphere 1296 00:47:33,349 --> 00:47:31,280 which could have an influence on how 1297 00:47:34,390 --> 00:47:33,359 climate change occurs so there's an 1298 00:47:37,589 --> 00:47:34,400 indirect 1299 00:47:39,589 --> 00:47:37,599 uh connection between ozone change 1300 00:47:41,510 --> 00:47:39,599 climate change and ozone depletion and 1301 00:47:43,829 --> 00:47:41,520 how it recovers but it's it's a problem 1302 00:47:46,150 --> 00:47:43,839 that's being being dealt with at the 1303 00:47:47,270 --> 00:47:46,160 present time 1304 00:47:50,230 --> 00:47:47,280 um 1305 00:47:52,470 --> 00:47:50,240 let's see so we continue to monitor 1306 00:47:54,950 --> 00:47:52,480 ozone nasa is committed to continuing it 1307 00:47:57,990 --> 00:47:54,960 these actually these measurements here 1308 00:47:59,829 --> 00:47:58,000 go from 1970 to 2011 that's 40 years of 1309 00:48:02,549 --> 00:47:59,839 data there wasn't a single satellite 1310 00:48:04,470 --> 00:48:02,559 that measured ozone for 40 years 1311 00:48:06,630 --> 00:48:04,480 uh this this is probably the product of 1312 00:48:08,630 --> 00:48:06,640 five different satellites and one of the 1313 00:48:11,589 --> 00:48:08,640 important things that nasa does 1314 00:48:13,349 --> 00:48:11,599 particularly in times of climate change 1315 00:48:17,270 --> 00:48:13,359 is try to put the satellite data sets 1316 00:48:19,670 --> 00:48:17,280 together so you have a continuous 1317 00:48:21,910 --> 00:48:19,680 stream of data whether it's oceans 1318 00:48:23,670 --> 00:48:21,920 whether it's sea levels or antarctic ice 1319 00:48:25,670 --> 00:48:23,680 one of the things that we're really 1320 00:48:27,109 --> 00:48:25,680 concentrating on doing is making sure 1321 00:48:29,190 --> 00:48:27,119 the data are accurate and they're 1322 00:48:30,470 --> 00:48:29,200 accurate over time and we have to deal 1323 00:48:33,030 --> 00:48:30,480 with the fact that these aren't measured 1324 00:48:35,190 --> 00:48:33,040 by the same satellites says 1325 00:48:36,870 --> 00:48:35,200 five satellites over 40 years there was 1326 00:48:38,790 --> 00:48:36,880 a big effort to put this data set 1327 00:48:41,109 --> 00:48:38,800 together to show that how things are 1328 00:48:43,109 --> 00:48:41,119 actually changing at a very low level 1329 00:48:44,710 --> 00:48:43,119 so nasa has been very successful in 1330 00:48:46,630 --> 00:48:44,720 doing that we have partnerships with 1331 00:48:48,710 --> 00:48:46,640 noaa the national oceanographic and 1332 00:48:50,150 --> 00:48:48,720 atmospheric administration are working 1333 00:48:51,990 --> 00:48:50,160 together to collect these data in a 1334 00:48:53,670 --> 00:48:52,000 continuous basis 1335 00:48:55,430 --> 00:48:53,680 so in addition not only is this 1336 00:48:57,589 --> 00:48:55,440 happening united states because of ozone 1337 00:48:59,430 --> 00:48:57,599 has been such a concern globally 1338 00:49:02,710 --> 00:48:59,440 there are other international space 1339 00:49:04,950 --> 00:49:02,720 agencies in europe and japan and even 1340 00:49:06,309 --> 00:49:04,960 the chinese have recently recently 1341 00:49:09,270 --> 00:49:06,319 launched with one of their wettest 1342 00:49:12,390 --> 00:49:09,280 weather satellites that also carry 1343 00:49:13,190 --> 00:49:12,400 instruments to measure ozone change 1344 00:49:15,510 --> 00:49:13,200 so 1345 00:49:17,670 --> 00:49:15,520 i think that tells you what i mean here 1346 00:49:19,990 --> 00:49:17,680 by the whole story about ozone and why 1347 00:49:21,190 --> 00:49:20,000 we have an ozone hole hey thanks ernie 1348 00:49:22,630 --> 00:49:21,200 that's great 1349 00:49:30,150 --> 00:49:22,640 we got a couple of questions right here 1350 00:49:35,270 --> 00:49:33,430 when did uh when did the reverse in uh 1351 00:49:37,910 --> 00:49:35,280 policy and that that international 1352 00:49:40,470 --> 00:49:37,920 response to the ozone problem occur and 1353 00:49:44,630 --> 00:49:40,480 how fast did it occur 1354 00:49:46,470 --> 00:49:44,640 um and what how how fast were we able to 1355 00:49:47,589 --> 00:49:46,480 measure that it's working 1356 00:49:49,589 --> 00:49:47,599 okay you're talking although it's called 1357 00:49:51,910 --> 00:49:49,599 a montreal protocol 1358 00:49:52,950 --> 00:49:51,920 montreal protocol was when when the 1359 00:49:54,390 --> 00:49:52,960 chemist 1360 00:49:55,270 --> 00:49:54,400 convinced the world scientists in the 1361 00:49:57,670 --> 00:49:55,280 community that indeed 1362 00:49:59,589 --> 00:49:57,680 chlorofluorocarbons these can't these 1363 00:50:02,069 --> 00:49:59,599 gases in these that we're using as a 1364 00:50:03,430 --> 00:50:02,079 refrigerant in the air 1365 00:50:05,030 --> 00:50:03,440 that happened in about in the night 1366 00:50:07,990 --> 00:50:05,040 started in 19 1367 00:50:09,750 --> 00:50:08,000 late 1970s 1980 but the reason i can't 1368 00:50:11,910 --> 00:50:09,760 be specific is because there were 1369 00:50:13,829 --> 00:50:11,920 changes to the protocol it evolved there 1370 00:50:15,750 --> 00:50:13,839 were amendments to the protocol when the 1371 00:50:17,349 --> 00:50:15,760 antarctic ozone hole appeared that was 1372 00:50:18,230 --> 00:50:17,359 the final 1373 00:50:20,710 --> 00:50:18,240 blow 1374 00:50:23,109 --> 00:50:20,720 or the final 1375 00:50:25,349 --> 00:50:23,119 information that happened in about 19 1376 00:50:27,750 --> 00:50:25,359 1984 when the ozone hole was definitely 1377 00:50:28,549 --> 00:50:27,760 there it happened year after year 1378 00:50:30,069 --> 00:50:28,559 and 1379 00:50:32,230 --> 00:50:30,079 after that there was regulation 1380 00:50:34,549 --> 00:50:32,240 throughout the world and ways of dealing 1381 00:50:35,910 --> 00:50:34,559 with emerging countries who couldn't 1382 00:50:37,510 --> 00:50:35,920 immediately dispose of their 1383 00:50:39,430 --> 00:50:37,520 refrigerators to come up with a 1384 00:50:41,990 --> 00:50:39,440 substitute so it happened it was 1385 00:50:44,470 --> 00:50:42,000 uncovered in the 70s regulation was in 1386 00:50:45,990 --> 00:50:44,480 the 1908 early 1980s hey we got a 1387 00:50:46,710 --> 00:50:46,000 question from online 1388 00:50:49,270 --> 00:50:46,720 yeah 1389 00:50:51,589 --> 00:50:49,280 quick question uh what altitude is ozone 1390 00:50:54,549 --> 00:50:51,599 measured what like what altitude is the 1391 00:50:56,150 --> 00:50:54,559 ozone layer at okay uh it'll take me a 1392 00:50:57,910 --> 00:50:56,160 minute to go ahead 1393 00:50:58,950 --> 00:50:57,920 there's there's two kinds of ozone 1394 00:51:02,790 --> 00:50:58,960 people call 1395 00:51:05,510 --> 00:51:02,800 ozone good ozone and bad ozone 1396 00:51:08,870 --> 00:51:05,520 the good ozone is in the stratosphere 1397 00:51:10,309 --> 00:51:08,880 about 20 miles up 40 30 40 kilometers up 1398 00:51:12,790 --> 00:51:10,319 and that's what's shielding the earth 1399 00:51:13,990 --> 00:51:12,800 from ultraviolet radiation to reaching 1400 00:51:16,309 --> 00:51:14,000 the surface of the earth this is the 1401 00:51:17,670 --> 00:51:16,319 concern that people have would affect 1402 00:51:19,670 --> 00:51:17,680 bio 1403 00:51:22,069 --> 00:51:19,680 diversity of the planet when ultraviolet 1404 00:51:23,430 --> 00:51:22,079 radiation our bodies were designed any 1405 00:51:24,950 --> 00:51:23,440 living organism when the plant is 1406 00:51:26,790 --> 00:51:24,960 designed so it doesn't get this 1407 00:51:28,390 --> 00:51:26,800 ultraviolet radiation this ultraviolet 1408 00:51:31,750 --> 00:51:28,400 radiation gets on mars which is a 1409 00:51:35,030 --> 00:51:31,760 problem for anybody who wants to work 1410 00:51:37,510 --> 00:51:35,040 because there's no ozone on mars 1411 00:51:38,870 --> 00:51:37,520 so there's good ozone that protects life 1412 00:51:40,790 --> 00:51:38,880 on this planet and that's why they're 1413 00:51:43,589 --> 00:51:40,800 concerned about depleting ozone life on 1414 00:51:44,870 --> 00:51:43,599 this planet and then there's bad ozone 1415 00:51:47,190 --> 00:51:44,880 it's the same ozone but it's in the 1416 00:51:50,150 --> 00:51:47,200 lower atmosphere in the near the air the 1417 00:51:51,670 --> 00:51:50,160 air we breathe and that's pollution 1418 00:51:53,990 --> 00:51:51,680 it's uh and it's one of the factors 1419 00:51:55,589 --> 00:51:54,000 everybody here air quality index it's 1420 00:51:57,990 --> 00:51:55,599 really how much zone is in the air 1421 00:52:00,230 --> 00:51:58,000 that's bad ozone it's a strong oxidant 1422 00:52:02,309 --> 00:52:00,240 and it can affect your lungs it's a 1423 00:52:04,470 --> 00:52:02,319 factor in there's asthma 1424 00:52:06,549 --> 00:52:04,480 asthma severity so there's good ozone 1425 00:52:08,630 --> 00:52:06,559 protecting the life on on the planet by 1426 00:52:10,630 --> 00:52:08,640 swinging out ultraviolet as bad ozone at 1427 00:52:11,910 --> 00:52:10,640 the ground level caused by pollution all 1428 00:52:13,750 --> 00:52:11,920 right hey there was a question from 1429 00:52:15,829 --> 00:52:13,760 somebody who left how important is a 1430 00:52:17,589 --> 00:52:15,839 subject like mathematics you know to 1431 00:52:18,710 --> 00:52:17,599 work like this you know i think a lot of 1432 00:52:19,990 --> 00:52:18,720 times people see something like earth 1433 00:52:21,589 --> 00:52:20,000 science it sounds exciting get to go 1434 00:52:23,589 --> 00:52:21,599 outside but you got these basic subjects 1435 00:52:25,510 --> 00:52:23,599 like math and chemistry and physics how 1436 00:52:26,470 --> 00:52:25,520 do they play into something like this 1437 00:52:28,710 --> 00:52:26,480 well 1438 00:52:30,069 --> 00:52:28,720 math is sort of the framework for doing 1439 00:52:32,390 --> 00:52:30,079 anything you want anything you want to 1440 00:52:34,069 --> 00:52:32,400 do in science requires you able to 1441 00:52:36,470 --> 00:52:34,079 formulate what you're doing 1442 00:52:38,390 --> 00:52:36,480 i get on a piece of paper on a computer 1443 00:52:40,549 --> 00:52:38,400 nearly everything you do if you have a 1444 00:52:42,790 --> 00:52:40,559 concept of how something how ozone 1445 00:52:44,790 --> 00:52:42,800 depletes the atmosphere you have to have 1446 00:52:47,349 --> 00:52:44,800 a model first i mean the scientific 1447 00:52:49,109 --> 00:52:47,359 method is proposing a model 1448 00:52:50,790 --> 00:52:49,119 testing the parameters doing some 1449 00:52:52,470 --> 00:52:50,800 measurements and then 1450 00:52:54,470 --> 00:52:52,480 see if it agrees with the theory all 1451 00:52:56,150 --> 00:52:54,480 this theoretical basis for the models in 1452 00:52:58,069 --> 00:52:56,160 doing your science is based on 1453 00:53:01,190 --> 00:52:58,079 mathematical techniques 1454 00:53:03,750 --> 00:53:01,200 so it's the foundation for doing science 1455 00:53:05,750 --> 00:53:03,760 for doing not science doing engineering 1456 00:53:07,430 --> 00:53:05,760 mathematics is the foundation for you 1457 00:53:09,990 --> 00:53:07,440 can look anywhere you want to around 1458 00:53:12,390 --> 00:53:10,000 here mathematics putting up this tent 1459 00:53:14,870 --> 00:53:12,400 required mathematical expressions using 1460 00:53:15,990 --> 00:53:14,880 this microphone required mathematics 1461 00:53:16,950 --> 00:53:16,000 hey any other questions from the 1462 00:53:18,470 --> 00:53:16,960 audience 1463 00:53:20,390 --> 00:53:18,480 all right hey thank you very much ernie 1464 00:53:23,430 --> 00:53:20,400 that was great take that 1465 00:53:28,309 --> 00:53:24,710 before we 1466 00:53:30,870 --> 00:53:28,319 you know take us back for a minute the 1467 00:53:31,990 --> 00:53:30,880 first earth day was back in 1970 and 1468 00:53:33,750 --> 00:53:32,000 that was right you know during the 1469 00:53:35,270 --> 00:53:33,760 apollo program we were first getting our 1470 00:53:37,670 --> 00:53:35,280 pictures back of the earth as this big 1471 00:53:39,430 --> 00:53:37,680 blue marble up in space but we really 1472 00:53:41,430 --> 00:53:39,440 barely had satellites orbiting the earth 1473 00:53:44,069 --> 00:53:41,440 that time and now we're finally at this 1474 00:53:45,750 --> 00:53:44,079 point where we've got 15 satellites in 1475 00:53:47,829 --> 00:53:45,760 orbit right now telling us all these 1476 00:53:49,270 --> 00:53:47,839 fascinating things and probably the most 1477 00:53:50,710 --> 00:53:49,280 important thing we've learned from all 1478 00:53:52,710 --> 00:53:50,720 this work is that the earth is this 1479 00:53:54,790 --> 00:53:52,720 great big interconnected systems and 1480 00:53:56,390 --> 00:53:54,800 that when we make a change in one place 1481 00:53:57,910 --> 00:53:56,400 it translates all the way across the 1482 00:53:59,910 --> 00:53:57,920 world and the other thing too is as we 1483 00:54:01,270 --> 00:53:59,920 started out with the first talk we are 1484 00:54:02,950 --> 00:54:01,280 actually affecting things and we're 1485 00:54:05,109 --> 00:54:02,960 affecting things so much that we can see 1486 00:54:09,190 --> 00:54:05,119 it in wrapping up does anybody have any 1487 00:54:12,870 --> 00:54:10,790 hey we've got one last thing from steve 1488 00:54:35,390 --> 00:54:12,880 cole take it away 1489 00:54:35,400 --> 00:54:40,950 www.nasa.gov slash 1490 00:54:40,960 --> 00:54:45,270 thank you all for coming