Wet-bulb temperature is similar to the feeling of wet skin being exposed to air in motion

Atmospheric humidity is an additional factor that is considered while measuring wet-bulb temperature which is done by covering the bulb of a standard thermometer with a wet cloth and ventilating it completely.

Researcher and Professor of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Purdue University, Matthew Huber said that most mammals including humans have an internal body temperature of around 98.6 degree Fahrenheit. If such mammals are subjected to a wet-bulb temperature higher than 95 degrees Fahrenheit for more than six hours, then they will feel a level of heat stress that can be dangerous.
The occurrence of very high wet bulb temperatures is less in the present scenario, though there exist places on the planet where temperatures exceed 100 degrees. Such hot places have very less humidity, such as the “dry heat” present in Arizona. The absence of humidity allows the body to cool itself by perspiring and stay comfortable.

The study was unable to predict the likelihood of excessive wet-bulb temperatures, but it pointed out its impact. Entire nations might face high heat stress levels and mass adaptation measures would be necessary. A 12 degree rise in temperature could lead to excess wet-bulb temperature in certain regions whereas a 21 degree temperature rise could lead to half the people in the world living in uninhabitable heat conditions.

The research was funded by the National Science Foundation and conducted by Matthew Huber along with Professor Steven Sherwood, who is employed at University of New South Wales’ Climate Change Research Centre. The climate modeling was done by Huber on supercomputers owned by Purdue University’s central IT organization, Information Technology at Purdue (ITaP). Steven Sherwood was in charge of calculating different wet-bulb temperatures. The results of the research will appear as a paper in the May 6 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

BP Oil Gulf of Mexico oil spill NASA photo from space

There are those who believe that the ocean will take care of this on its own. Like Rush Limbaugh. Perhaps. But nature can take a few centuries to deal with things, and sometimes a few millenia. For people with shorter lifespans, the possible impact – mild, bad, horrible – of an oil spill that is worse than the Enron Valdez oil spill is worth discussing. Related story: Gulf of Mexico BP Oil spill photos.

We are not experts in this, so we researched a bit to find out exactly what would happen. The quick answer is,  no one knows for sure yet. But it could become really bad.

First, let us see what Greenpeace has to say. We along with many think that sometimes the Greenpeace eco-warriors could get a little alarmist. But they are still a good starting point.

According to them, the environmental impact of the BP oil spill could affect a variety of birds and marine life. The critically endangered bluefin tuna could get hit, as this is their spawning season. The oil could possibly kill the bluefin tuna larvae.

Sea turtles have their nesting season soon, a fish species called menhaden (used for fish meals and oil), fin whales, oysters and a bunch of birds could be really badly affected according to Greenpeace. This is the breeding season for alligators, pelicans, shrimp… large scale deaths are a clear possibility. Read more here.

Impact of oil spill on the fishing industry

If the spread of oil is not limited quickly, fishing could get seriously affected. The state of Louisiana has a fishing industry worth $265 million at dockside and has a total economic impact of $2.3 million.

John Sackton, editor and publisher of seafood.com, told the media that if the oil slick reaches Louisiana’s shrimp beds, it could have far-reaching economic consequences. The short-term effct would be that fishing for shrimp would become impossible” once waters are polluted. Fishing would have to stop wherever there is an oil problem, he said. In the long term, shrimp might not survive.

Beaches, sea shore and wetlands: Environmental impact of the Oil spill

If the oil from the burning BP oil rig reaches the sea shores, there goes your beaches. Tourism could get seriously hit. If the oil flows into the wetlands, it would be practically impossible to get rid of it afterwards, and there will be environmental effects for several years. There is a lot of effort already going into making sure that the oil slick does not reach the shores or enter the wetlands anywhere. More.

According to a report in FoxNews, George Crozier, executive director of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, said that he was worried about the potential long term impact on coastal marsh lands. If the oil from the Guld of Mexico oil spill comes into the passes, cleaning it would be impossible and there wold be long term economic consequences.

“It’s an accepted fact that the marshes of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama — the Fertile Crescent — produce 90 percent of the seafood in the Gulf of Mexico,” Crozier told the Mississippi Press. “If you were to pave that over with an oil spill, you’d see a dramatic drop in seafood recruitment, possibly for years to come.”

According to a report in wmur.com, commercial shellfish operations in the Guld of Mexico would be impacted, with the result that dinners would get more expensive. “If they eat shrimp, much of the U.S.-based shrimp production is down there,” said UNH professor Nancy Kinner. “Much of the oyster production is down there. Much of the crab fishing is down there — commercial, big-scale stuff.”

We have a bunch of photos of the so-called BP Oil Spill collected for you from across the Web.

BP Oil Gulf of Mexico oil spill NASA photo from space

Pic: Gulf of Mexico oil spill: Photo courtesy

Picture of oil spill courtesy: KansasCity.com

The leak followed the explosion of Deepwater Horizon drilling rig on April 20, which is believed to have killed 11 men. Henry A Waxman, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, California, is demanding documents from BP and its drilling contractors to move into investigation.

Photo: A High Volume Offshore Skimming System (VOSS) skims oil from the Gulf of Mexico near Venice, La., April 28, 2010

Another source of the leak has been found in a pipe that connected the rig to the well on the seabed in 5000 feet of water. On Wednesday, BP set fire to some of the oil to try to limit the damage to marine animals and other wildlife.

Photo: Cleanup activity in the Gulf of Mexico after oil spill disaster

Photo courtesy Yahoo

It is believed that the leakage could cost the company several hundred million dollars. Apart from the financial loss, it could also affect the reputation of the company.  The company’s failure in stopping the leakage from the underwater well has disappointed the government officials. US President Obama has said that BP would be responsible for funding the cost of response and cleanup operations. The cost of an environmental cleanup will depend largely on how much oil reaches shore. The government could assess fines or other penalties then. Lawyers have already filed many suits on behalf of commercial fisherman, shrimpers and injured oil workers against BP; Transocean; Cameron, the company that manufactured the blowout preventer; and other companies involved in the drilling process.

Photo: The Gulf of Mexico oil spill spreads

Photo courtesy Time.com

About 66000 feet of inflatable oil booms to contain the spill and 50 contractors with experience in operating the equipments, have been sent by the Navy. Despite the accident, BP says it remains committed to its gulf drilling program, which contributes 11 percent of the company’s worldwide production.

Photo: BP oil rig on fire after explosion

BP, under John Browne was initially an environment conscious company and wanted to develop alternative energy sources like wind and solar power. But the company started losing its focus on maintenance and safety leading to many accidents that cost the lives of many.

The United States has announced a global fund, costing $350-million, to help provide clean-energy technology to the so-called developing countries, and pledged to contribute $85 million to the multinational fund.

The 5-year programme has been named the Renewables and Efficiency Deployment Initiative (REDI, or the Climate REDI.)

The US also invited top officials to participate in a ‘green summit’ to be held in Washington in 2010.

Steven Chu, United States Energy Secretary, announced at the United Nations Climate Summit in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, that the multinational programme will help “speed up the delivery of technologies related to renewable energy to the developing and underdeveloped nations.” The global initiative, Steven Chu added, will enable the developing and underdeveloped countries combat the greenhouse-gas emissions in a better manner.

The 2-week United Nations Climate Summit in Copenhagen began on December 7, 2009.

The world leaders are meeting in Copenhagen to forge a new treaty to deal with the huge problem of global warming in order to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.

Among the programmes of the Renewables and Efficiency Deployment Initiative is the one to supply solar-energy lanterns and LED lanterns to millions of people in the developing countries who have no access to electricity – thus providing a low-cost alternative to kerosene-lamps that are both costly and polluting.

A statement issued by the White House said that the Climate REDI programme is expected to yield “immediate economic as well as public-health benefits.”

The Climate REDI programme is also aimed at improving the efficiency of electrical appliances, sold around the world, through “coordinating incentives and setting global standards.”

The programme will establish an online platform to share information among the members of the group called the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF). It will, in addition, render technical aid to poorer countries to develop strategies related to renewable energy.

While the United States will contribute $85 million to the Renewables and Efficiency Deployment Initiative, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway and the Netherlands have together pledged to put in $200 million.

Italy, Sweden and Australia have announced that they will contribute to Climate REDI, the statement from the White House said.

US Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced at the United Nations Climate Summit in Copenhagen that Washington will host, in 2010, a ministerial-level meeting of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF).

The MEF, which is a working group of the largest emitters of greenhouse-gases in the world, was launched by United States President Barack Obama in March 2009.

The goal of the MEF is to promote international discussions on combating climate change as well as to encourage the use of clean energy, Steven Chu said.

The announcement by the United States of the ministerial-level meeting of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate after came as developing nations, led by countries in Africa, boycotted the UN Climate Summit on December 14, 2009. They returned to the meeting only after obtaining guarantees that the Climate Summit “will not sideline talks about the future of the Kyoto Protocol.”

Exnora is a fast growing environmental service organization focusing on mobilizing and empowering communities to participate in preserving nature and preventing environmental degradation.

Exnora has now extended its focus on global warming and is active educating the corporate world on the need to switch of their PCs after use and damages like Carbon footprint generation and CO2 generation caused due to misusing power. This is where Artin Dynamics steps in with its product SPARA. SPARA will be given as a solution to all the corporate to give complete control for the administrator over all the systems and they can shut down their systems after working hours and save electricity as well as reduce the carbon footprints.

With its association with Artin Dynamics, Exnora International now has a weapon to tackle issues contributing to global warming. Exnora recently launched the 99999 lights out campaign in Kerala, where people have been asked to switch off their lights and computers for 9 minutes on September 9, 2009 at 9pm and Artin Dynamics will be supporting this initiative in Kerala. Exnora believes that Artin Dynamics’ SPARA would help in decreasing global warming. The NGO operates in more than 1000 towns and villages through Exnora Innovators Club and in near one lakh streets as Civic Exnora and in several thousands of homes as Home Exnora.

Artin aims at striving to build products that can help protect the environment and conserving non-renewable sources of energy. Artin is expected to be the first company to qualify for the carbon footprint qualification from the international energy council in Kerala.

Artin’s SPARA is an innovative product intended to save power losses accounted by computers. The product is an integrated module which can save energy upto the extent of 40 MW for a company housing 1000 computers per year. The product’s software module uses the most efficient algorithms and its hardware modules increase the efficiency of the system.