Terra Central

Agriculture, Education, Land Use, Pedology, Policy, Soil Fertility, Soil function and values, Soil’s Role in the Environment

Ken Burns Presents “The Dust Bowl” on PBS

Published by

John Freeland

on

November 17, 2012

This coming Sunday and Monday nights (November 18-19), PBS is featuring the Ken Burns documentary, The Dust Bowl. Burns calls it “the greatest man-made ecological disaster in Unites States history… A ten-year apocalypse superimposed over the worst economic cataclysm in our nation’s history, the Great Depression.” From an article by…
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Energy, Policy

Romney on Yucca Mountain: Let Nevada Decide

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John Freeland

on

October 22, 2012

On the topic of nuclear waste disposal, it appears Mitt Romney is at odds with his running mate and other Republicans who want to re-open the permit process for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. Here are remarks from Governor Romney speaking in Nevada: “The idea that 49 states can…
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Research

A $3 Million Prize for Fundamental Physics

Published by

John Freeland

on

August 4, 2012

Let’s face it: if scientists aim to get rich, they picked the wrong profession. However, if you can hit a ball with a stick and be really good at it, you can earn tens of millions of dollars a year. Chrystia Freeland (no relation) has a nice article at Reuters…
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Agriculture, Bioregionalism, carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), Climate Change, Education, Energy, Erosion and Sedimentation, Geomorphology, Hydrology, Lakes, Land Use, Local Food, Marine Geology, Nutrient Management, Pedology, Policy, Research, Rivers, Soil Fertility, Soil function and values, Soil’s Role in the Environment, Water Quality, Wetlands

Introducing the European Geoscience Union – Soil Systems Science Division

Published by

John Freeland

on

July 19, 2012

The European Geoscience Union, a leader in the free dissemination of scientific research, has rolled out its Soil Systems Science Division (SSSD). The SSSD has a blog newsletter with some fine articles and beautiful images about soils and surface geology of Europe. When Editor Jessica Drake (Soilduck) kindly invited me…
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Energy, Policy

Argonne Lab Shifts Focus to Natural Gas Vehicles

Published by

John Freeland

on

June 11, 2012

Although natural gas is not yet a big transportation fuel in the United States, there is some steady, quiet progress toward that goal. President Obama stated his committment to natural gas as a transportation fuel during a western road trip: “We’ve got to keep at it. Think about what could happen if we…
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Energy, Erosion and Sedimentation, Land Use, Policy, Soil’s Role in the Environment, Water Quality

Sand Mining Picks Up to Support Hydrofracturing

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John Freeland

on

May 30, 2012

One of the spinoff industries associated with hydraulic fracturing of shale rock is silica sand mining. During the “fracking” process, sand is mixed with water and chemicals and pumped under high pressure to force open voids in shale. The sand is needed to prop open cracks and release gas, oil…
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Energy

Alternative Fuel Vehicle News for April 2012

Published by

John Freeland

on

April 29, 2012

With the century-long dominance of petroleum-derived fuels in the transportation sector, it’s been tough to bring in and establish alternative technologies for cars and trucks. Here are a few developments from recent articles I’ve found interesting this month: Electric Cars Forbes reports in How One Chevrolet Dealer Is Selling 25…
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Energy, Policy

Pennsylvania PUC Schedules AFV Forum

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John Freeland

on

April 16, 2012

The Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has scheduled a forum next month at Drexel University to focus on promotion and regulation of alternative fuel vehicles (AFV), including natural gas and electric cars. Specifically, the forum will address: The state of development and costs of various technologies; What constraints exist in developing…
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Energy

Where are the Natural Gas Vehicles?

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John Freeland

on

April 13, 2012

Gasoline prices are up, natural gas prices are way down. Vehicles can run on natural gas. So, where are all the natural gas vehicles? A good overview of the feasibility of using natural gas as a vehicle fuel is available in the 2010 International Energy Agency publication “The Contribution of…
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Climate Change, Energy, Policy

Germany Moving Forward with the Third Industrial Revolution

Published by

John Freeland

on

February 4, 2012

Despite the high up-front costs of re-building a national power infrastructure, largely decentralized and based on renewable energy sources, Germany remains Europe’s economic powerhouse. In 2007, the European Parliament made a written declaration to establish a Third Industrial Revolution “through partnership with committed regions and cities, SMEs (small and medium-size enterprises)…
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