Re: Weather!
Posted: Sat Apr 27, 2024 3:05 pm
Orca wrote: ↑Mon Apr 29, 2024 4:45 pm Ann - that's a really nice picture. It's cool that it was picked up by your local news. Two questions:
1. Is that a historic cemetery? Or perhaps historic plots the city has grown around? It's always interesting in older cities to find remnants of the past.
2. Are there a lot of waterways for paddle boating? That looks like fun...
Chris - without context I would have guessed that bottom picture was the dead of winter. That said, I suppose I shouldn't complain about a couple of "April morning ice scrapings" we had early this month. In the PNW we'll have some "perfect spring days" - that is, 65 - 70 and blue skies. But generally speaking, spring is a pretty consistent 45 - 55, mostly overcast with off/on precipitation.
Wow. Do you have a picture of the tree itself?Orca wrote: ↑Sun May 05, 2024 8:36 pm I went to a concert in Portland a couple of months ago. Walking from the parking space I walked past a large tree and noticed this plaque in front of it:
PXL_20240211_205553559 (1).jpg
The city has grown all around the tree; it's flourished and become quite large. Which is pretty neat...nice work, Sylvester!
Originally from that neck of the woods, I was curious too.Rauf wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2024 10:53 amWow. Do you have a picture of the tree itself?Orca wrote: ↑Sun May 05, 2024 8:36 pm I went to a concert in Portland a couple of months ago. Walking from the parking space I walked past a large tree and noticed this plaque in front of it:
PXL_20240211_205553559 (1).jpg
The city has grown all around the tree; it's flourished and become quite large. Which is pretty neat...nice work, Sylvester!
Thanks! Btw, it mentions that "based on its species and history, it will probably be there for another 100 years."Fred the Cat wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2024 2:16 pmOriginally from that neck of the woods, I was curious too.Rauf wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2024 10:53 amWow. Do you have a picture of the tree itself?Orca wrote: ↑Sun May 05, 2024 8:36 pm I went to a concert in Portland a couple of months ago. Walking from the parking space I walked past a large tree and noticed this plaque in front of it:
PXL_20240211_205553559 (1).jpg
The city has grown all around the tree; it's flourished and become quite large. Which is pretty neat...nice work, Sylvester!
Well, they have a lifespan of a few hundred years, depending on conditions. Maybe it will be there for another 200. But not forever.Rauf wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2024 3:49 pmThanks! Btw, it mentions that "based on its species and history, it will probably be there for another 100 years."Fred the Cat wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2024 2:16 pmOriginally from that neck of the woods, I was curious too.
Why 100 years? What will happen after that?
Yes, but why a tree can't live forever? I mean, some have been living for more than a millennia. Why this tree can't live that long?Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2024 3:54 pmWell, they have a lifespan of a few hundred years, depending on conditions. Maybe it will be there for another 200. But not forever.Rauf wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2024 3:49 pmThanks! Btw, it mentions that "based on its species and history, it will probably be there for another 100 years."Fred the Cat wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2024 2:16 pm
Originally from that neck of the woods, I was curious too.
Why 100 years? What will happen after that?
DNA gets damaged over time, toxins accumulate over time. Some pest, parasite, or disease will eventually win. And evolution doesn't favor organisms that don't die and make room for future generations.Rauf wrote: ↑Fri May 10, 2024 9:40 amYes, but why a tree can't live forever? I mean, some have been living for more than a millennia. Why this tree can't live that long?Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2024 3:54 pmWell, they have a lifespan of a few hundred years, depending on conditions. Maybe it will be there for another 200. But not forever.
Yes, it is a very powerful theory, evolution, to be able to derive such a conclusion, for it apparently would apply to every living organism, or are there any exceptions?Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Fri May 10, 2024 12:41 pm And evolution doesn't favor organisms that don't die and make room for future generations.
How can evolution favor an organism's death?Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Fri May 10, 2024 12:41 pmDNA gets damaged over time, toxins accumulate over time. Some pest, parasite, or disease will eventually win. And evolution doesn't favor organisms that don't die and make room for future generations.Rauf wrote: ↑Fri May 10, 2024 9:40 amYes, but why a tree can't live forever? I mean, some have been living for more than a millennia. Why this tree can't live that long?Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2024 3:54 pm
Well, they have a lifespan of a few hundred years, depending on conditions. Maybe it will be there for another 200. But not forever.
In the big picture, no species can evolve for long if the old versions aren't eliminated. You need reproduction for adaptation and evolution, and you can't have reproduction without death in any system with limited resources.Rauf wrote: ↑Sat May 11, 2024 6:05 pmHow can evolution favor an organism's death?Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Fri May 10, 2024 12:41 pmDNA gets damaged over time, toxins accumulate over time. Some pest, parasite, or disease will eventually win. And evolution doesn't favor organisms that don't die and make room for future generations.
OK, let's say that hypothetically, some genetic mutations have made it possible for a certain species to live for thousands of years. How can evolution stop them and make room for others?Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Sat May 11, 2024 6:08 pmIn the big picture, no species can evolve for long if the old versions aren't eliminated. You need reproduction for adaptation and evolution, and you can't have reproduction without death in any system with limited resources.Rauf wrote: ↑Sat May 11, 2024 6:05 pmHow can evolution favor an organism's death?Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Fri May 10, 2024 12:41 pm
DNA gets damaged over time, toxins accumulate over time. Some pest, parasite, or disease will eventually win. And evolution doesn't favor organisms that don't die and make room for future generations.
Evolution has no agency. Some species do live for thousands of years. A long-lived species is likely to be less able to deal with environmental change. So if a change occurs, the entire species may go extinct! And if it reproduces at a high rate, it will likely consume all the available resources.Rauf wrote: ↑Sat May 11, 2024 6:13 pmOK, let's say that hypothetically, some genetic mutations have made it possible for a certain species to live for thousands of years. How can evolution stop them and make room for others?Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Sat May 11, 2024 6:08 pmIn the big picture, no species can evolve for long if the old versions aren't eliminated. You need reproduction for adaptation and evolution, and you can't have reproduction without death in any system with limited resources.
I see.. Aren't we reproducing at a high enough rate? Maybe that's the reason we are depleting some of the Earth's natural resources?Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Sat May 11, 2024 6:17 pmEvolution has no agency. Some species do live for thousands of years. A long-lived species is likely to be less able to deal with environmental change. So if a change occurs, the entire species may go extinct! And if it reproduces at a high rate, it will likely consume all the available resources.Rauf wrote: ↑Sat May 11, 2024 6:13 pmOK, let's say that hypothetically, some genetic mutations have made it possible for a certain species to live for thousands of years. How can evolution stop them and make room for others?Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Sat May 11, 2024 6:08 pm
In the big picture, no species can evolve for long if the old versions aren't eliminated. You need reproduction for adaptation and evolution, and you can't have reproduction without death in any system with limited resources.
Rauf, the first image on the page you linked - that is in fact the specific tree in question! In one of the pictures you can clearly see the plaque I shared in my earlier post:Fred the Cat wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2024 2:16 pmOriginally from that neck of the woods, I was curious too.Rauf wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2024 10:53 amWow. Do you have a picture of the tree itself?Orca wrote: ↑Sun May 05, 2024 8:36 pm I went to a concert in Portland a couple of months ago. Walking from the parking space I walked past a large tree and noticed this plaque in front of it:
PXL_20240211_205553559 (1).jpg
The city has grown all around the tree; it's flourished and become quite large. Which is pretty neat...nice work, Sylvester!
[...]
Researchers have discovered a giant X in Earth's atmosphere and are puzzled. So far, there are only guesses about the origin of the letter in the sky.
A NASA satellite has discovered fascinating and unexpected patterns in Earth's ionosphere. These remarkable observations show huge, X-shaped plasma condensations and smaller, C-shaped plasma bubbles forming above the equator. Surprisingly, these structures occur not only during geomagnetic disturbances such as solar storms, but also during quiet periods. The cause of these phenomena remains unsolved.
Importance of the ionosphere
The ionosphere, which begins at an altitude of about 80 kilometers, plays a crucial role as a shield against cosmic radiation and supports global telecommunications. Thanks to the charged particles and plasma in this atmospheric layer, radio waves are reflected, enabling long-distance communication. However, this layer is not homogeneous; the Earth's magnetic field and solar wind cause denser zones known as the Equatorial Ionization Anomaly (EIA).
Gigantic "X chromosome" in space
Fazlul Laskar and his team at the University of Colorado discovered an unusual deformation of these EIA bands while analyzing data from NASA's GOLD satellite (Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk). This geostationary satellite monitors the ionosphere with UV spectrographs to study the effects of solar storms. "This is an unexpected structure for geomagnetically quiet conditions," explains Laskar. The team discovered a giant X pattern that merged the two parallel bands of the EIA into one X chromosome and stretched across half the Earth.
Stability of the structure
Closer investigations revealed that these deformations occur not only during geomagnetic disturbances, but also during quiet periods. Typically, these X patterns appear shortly after sunset and remain stationary for about two hours without moving noticeably. "The EIA-X appears to remain stable for a long time," the researchers report.
Causal research
The formation of this X-structure is still a mystery. Previous deformations of the EIA bands were mostly caused by extreme geomagnetic events such as solar storms or the pressure waves of the Tonga eruption in January 2022. However, Laskar and his team suspect other influences: "Our investigations show that these are not the only processes that can deform the EIA bands."
Simulations with the atmospheric climate model WACCM-X point to disturbances in the electric field of the ionosphere as a possible cause. A key factor appears to be a significant downward flow of charged particles between two positively charged zones. "We suspect that large-scale waves in the lower atmosphere such as tidal waves and planetary waves play a leading role," say Laskar and colleagues.
Unexplained C-shaped bubbles
In addition to the X-pattern, the researchers found another unusual plasma pattern: paired C-shaped plasma bubbles. These mirror-image structures are only about 640 kilometers apart. "The fact that two oppositely shaped ionospheric bubbles are so close to each other has never been observed before," says Deepak Karan of the University of Colorado. How these bubbles form also remains a mystery.
Complexity of the Earth's atmosphere
"The fact that we find differently shaped bubbles close to each other tells us that the dynamics of the Earth's atmosphere are obviously even more complex than we expected," comments Jeffrey Klenzing of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. These discoveries underscore the need for further research to better understand the complex processes in the ionosphere.
With the new findings from the GOLD satellite, scientists are continuing their efforts to unlock the secrets of our atmosphere. This research could not only improve our understanding of the ionosphere, but also have practical applications for telecommunications and satellite technology.
[...] Source: www.focus.de
... video
... paper