The AMEG poster below was displayed at the Planet under Pressure conference, London, 26 - 29 March 2012.
The AMEG pamphlet further below was distributed at this conference.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
How thick is the Arctic Sea Ice?
How thick is the sea ice in the Arctic? One way to find out is to make a journey on-board an icebreaker.
The video further below shows the US Coast Guard Cutter Healy, as it travels the Arctic Ocean from August 11 - September 28, 2011, approaching the North Pole from Barrow, Alaska, and back, while a camera takes hourly images, compiled in a YouTube video provided by NOAA.
Directly below, an animation showing the route against a backdrop of the Arctic region.
The video further below shows the US Coast Guard Cutter Healy, as it travels the Arctic Ocean from August 11 - September 28, 2011, approaching the North Pole from Barrow, Alaska, and back, while a camera takes hourly images, compiled in a YouTube video provided by NOAA.
Directly below, an animation showing the route against a backdrop of the Arctic region.
Note: the animation further above is a 5.6 MB file that may take some time to fully load.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Open Letter to EAC in response to Met Office
Open Letter in response to information provided by the Met Office to the Environmental Audit Committee
RE: Professor Julia Slingo OBE, Chief Scientist, Met Office, recently provided the report 'Possibility and Impact of Rapid Climate Change in the Arctic' to the Environmental Audit Committee and answered questions from the Committee on Wednesday 14 March 2012. In the responses, the Met Office referred to an earlier presentation by Prof Peter Wadhams, founding member of the Arctic Methane Emergency Group (AMEG).
The following comments are based on the uncorrected transcript, as at:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmenvaud/uc1739-iv/uc173901.htm
Prof Slingo starts out by saying that the projection of an ice-free summer in 2015, as earlier presented by Prof Peter Wadhams, is actually more credible than the modelling done by the Met Office. This remark may have been a slip of the tongue. Prof Slingo continues to rule out such a date and also rejects PIOMAS data showing an Arctic sea ice volume decline by 75% (from over 17,000 cubic kilometers before 1980 to around 4,000 cubic kilometers now). When asked to elaborate, Prof Slingo says: “We don’t know what the thickness of ice is across the whole Arctic with any confidence”, and “We know there is some thinning but it is not as dramatic as those numbers would suggest.” Prof Slingo also says that the observational estimates of sea ice volume are “still very uncertain”.
It is not good scientific practice to use uncertainty - even if it was there - as the basis for ruling something out. Moreover, Prof Wadhams’ conclusion is supported by years of direct observations of the decline of sea ice volume from submarines, taking away much uncertainty, while Prof Slingo doesn’t add any convincing evidence to the contrary.
When asked about the possibility of an immediate collapse of ice cover, Prof Slingo gives no credence to that possibility and rules it out altogether “on the basis of the extent of ice”.
Prof Slingo here ignores a point raised earlier by herself, i.e. that, apart from melting, strong winds can also influence sea ice extent, as happened in 2007 when much ice was driven across the Arctic Ocean. The fact that this occurred can only lead us to conclude that this could happen again. In fact, the thinner the sea ice gets, the more likely this is to occur. Furthermore, it is accepted science that global warming will increase the intensity of extreme weather events, so more heavy winds and more intense storms can be expected to increasingly break up the remaining ice in future, driving the smaller parts more easily out of the Arctic Ocean. Much of the sea ice loss already occurs due to sea ice moving along the edges of Greenland into the Atlantic Ocean.
In conclusion, Prof Slingo has not provided reasons to ignore the observed trend as presented by Prof Wadhams. Furthermore, Prof Slingo has not provided reasons to ignore the possibility of further feedbacks such as large releases of methane from hydrates speeding up sea ice decline.
On methane hydrates, Prof Slingo suggests that there was “a lack of clarity in thinking about how that heating at the upper level of the ocean can get down, and how rapidly it can get down into the deeper layers of the ocean”. However, as Prof Slingo earlier brought up herself, strong winds can cause mixing of the vertical water column, bringing heat down to the bottom of the seabed, especially so in the shallow waters of the East Siberian Arctic Shelf (ESAS). A recent paper shows that “data obtained in the ESAS during the drilling expedition of 2011 showed no frozen sediments at all within the 53 m long drilling core” (Dr. Natalia Shakhova et al. in: EGU General Assembly 2012).
Prof Slingo says that “where there is methane coming out of the continental shelf there it is not reaching the surface either, because again the methane is oxidised during its passage through the sea water and none of those plumes made it to the surface. So there is a general consensus that only a small fraction of methane, when it is released through this gradual process of warming of the continental shelf, actually reaches the surface.”
In fact, methane in the shallow waters of the ESAS will rise to the surface without much oxidation, while this situation can only be expected to get worse in case of large releases.
Prof Slingo ends with some comments on geo-engineering that show she appears to be rather uninformed on this issue as well.
These responses were to have provided science-based responses to AMEG's earlier presentation, as well as to elaborate on the report submitted by the Met Office; however, the Met Office's oral and written responses were inaccurate and out of date with current scientific understanding and the rapidly changing situation in the Arctic. AMEG urges the Environmental Audit Committee to consider a new meeting with AMEG so that these issues can be further discussed.
Signatories
Peter Wadhams, Professor of Ocean Physics, University of Cambridge
Member of Arctic Methane Emergency Group
John Nissen, MA (Cantab) Natural Sciences
Chair of Arctic Methane Emergency Group
Sam Carana, editor of Arctic-news.blogspot.com
Member of Arctic Methane Emergency Group
Readers are invited to comment and, if applicable, have their names added as signatories.
References
Kwok, R., and D. A. Rothrock (2009), Decline in Arctic sea ice thickness from submarine and ICESat records: 1958- 2008, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L15501.
Maslowsky, W., J. Haynes, R. Osinski, W Shaw (2011). The importance of oceanic forcing on Arctic sea ice melting. European Geophysical Union congress paper XY556. See also Proceedings, State of the Arctic 2010, NSIDC.
Perovich, D.K., J.A. Richter-Menge, K.F. Jones, and B. Light (2008). Sunlight, water, ice: Extreme Arctic sea ice melt during the summer of 2007. Geophysical Research Letters 35: L11501. doi:10.1029/2008GL034007.
Rothrock, D.A., Y. Yu, and G.A. Maykut. (1999). Thinning of the Arctic sea-ice cover. Geophysical Research Letters 26: 3469–3472.
Rothrock, D.A., J. Zhang, and Y. Yu. (2003). The arctic ice thickness anomaly of the 1990s: A consistent view from observations and models. Journal of Geophysical Research 108: 3083. doi:10.1029/2001JC001208.
Wadhams, P. (1990). Evidence for thinning of the Arctic ice cover north of Greenland. Nature 345: 795–797.
Wadhams, P., and N.R. Davis. (2000). Further evidence of ice thinning in the Arctic Ocean. Geophysical Research Letters 27: 3973–3975.
Wadhams, P., and N.R. Davis (2001). Arctic sea-ice morphological characteristics in summer 1996. Annals of Glaciology 33: 165–170.
Wadhams, P., N Hughes and J Rodrigues (2011). Arctic sea ice thickness characteristics in winter 2004 and 2007 from submarine sonar transects. J. Geophys. Res., 116, C00E02.
Shakhova, N. and I. Semiletov (2012). Methane release from the East-Siberian Arctic Shelf and its connection with permafrost and hydrate destabilization: First results and potential future development. Geophys. Res., Vol. 14, EGU2012-3877-1.
The following comments are based on the uncorrected transcript, as at:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmenvaud/uc1739-iv/uc173901.htm
Prof Slingo starts out by saying that the projection of an ice-free summer in 2015, as earlier presented by Prof Peter Wadhams, is actually more credible than the modelling done by the Met Office. This remark may have been a slip of the tongue. Prof Slingo continues to rule out such a date and also rejects PIOMAS data showing an Arctic sea ice volume decline by 75% (from over 17,000 cubic kilometers before 1980 to around 4,000 cubic kilometers now). When asked to elaborate, Prof Slingo says: “We don’t know what the thickness of ice is across the whole Arctic with any confidence”, and “We know there is some thinning but it is not as dramatic as those numbers would suggest.” Prof Slingo also says that the observational estimates of sea ice volume are “still very uncertain”.
It is not good scientific practice to use uncertainty - even if it was there - as the basis for ruling something out. Moreover, Prof Wadhams’ conclusion is supported by years of direct observations of the decline of sea ice volume from submarines, taking away much uncertainty, while Prof Slingo doesn’t add any convincing evidence to the contrary.
When asked about the possibility of an immediate collapse of ice cover, Prof Slingo gives no credence to that possibility and rules it out altogether “on the basis of the extent of ice”.
Prof Slingo here ignores a point raised earlier by herself, i.e. that, apart from melting, strong winds can also influence sea ice extent, as happened in 2007 when much ice was driven across the Arctic Ocean. The fact that this occurred can only lead us to conclude that this could happen again. In fact, the thinner the sea ice gets, the more likely this is to occur. Furthermore, it is accepted science that global warming will increase the intensity of extreme weather events, so more heavy winds and more intense storms can be expected to increasingly break up the remaining ice in future, driving the smaller parts more easily out of the Arctic Ocean. Much of the sea ice loss already occurs due to sea ice moving along the edges of Greenland into the Atlantic Ocean.
In conclusion, Prof Slingo has not provided reasons to ignore the observed trend as presented by Prof Wadhams. Furthermore, Prof Slingo has not provided reasons to ignore the possibility of further feedbacks such as large releases of methane from hydrates speeding up sea ice decline.
On methane hydrates, Prof Slingo suggests that there was “a lack of clarity in thinking about how that heating at the upper level of the ocean can get down, and how rapidly it can get down into the deeper layers of the ocean”. However, as Prof Slingo earlier brought up herself, strong winds can cause mixing of the vertical water column, bringing heat down to the bottom of the seabed, especially so in the shallow waters of the East Siberian Arctic Shelf (ESAS). A recent paper shows that “data obtained in the ESAS during the drilling expedition of 2011 showed no frozen sediments at all within the 53 m long drilling core” (Dr. Natalia Shakhova et al. in: EGU General Assembly 2012).
Prof Slingo says that “where there is methane coming out of the continental shelf there it is not reaching the surface either, because again the methane is oxidised during its passage through the sea water and none of those plumes made it to the surface. So there is a general consensus that only a small fraction of methane, when it is released through this gradual process of warming of the continental shelf, actually reaches the surface.”
In fact, methane in the shallow waters of the ESAS will rise to the surface without much oxidation, while this situation can only be expected to get worse in case of large releases.
Prof Slingo ends with some comments on geo-engineering that show she appears to be rather uninformed on this issue as well.
These responses were to have provided science-based responses to AMEG's earlier presentation, as well as to elaborate on the report submitted by the Met Office; however, the Met Office's oral and written responses were inaccurate and out of date with current scientific understanding and the rapidly changing situation in the Arctic. AMEG urges the Environmental Audit Committee to consider a new meeting with AMEG so that these issues can be further discussed.
Signatories
Peter Wadhams, Professor of Ocean Physics, University of Cambridge
Member of Arctic Methane Emergency Group
John Nissen, MA (Cantab) Natural Sciences
Chair of Arctic Methane Emergency Group
Sam Carana, editor of Arctic-news.blogspot.com
Member of Arctic Methane Emergency Group
Readers are invited to comment and, if applicable, have their names added as signatories.
References
Kwok, R., and D. A. Rothrock (2009), Decline in Arctic sea ice thickness from submarine and ICESat records: 1958- 2008, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L15501.
Maslowsky, W., J. Haynes, R. Osinski, W Shaw (2011). The importance of oceanic forcing on Arctic sea ice melting. European Geophysical Union congress paper XY556. See also Proceedings, State of the Arctic 2010, NSIDC.
Perovich, D.K., J.A. Richter-Menge, K.F. Jones, and B. Light (2008). Sunlight, water, ice: Extreme Arctic sea ice melt during the summer of 2007. Geophysical Research Letters 35: L11501. doi:10.1029/2008GL034007.
Rothrock, D.A., Y. Yu, and G.A. Maykut. (1999). Thinning of the Arctic sea-ice cover. Geophysical Research Letters 26: 3469–3472.
Rothrock, D.A., J. Zhang, and Y. Yu. (2003). The arctic ice thickness anomaly of the 1990s: A consistent view from observations and models. Journal of Geophysical Research 108: 3083. doi:10.1029/2001JC001208.
Wadhams, P. (1990). Evidence for thinning of the Arctic ice cover north of Greenland. Nature 345: 795–797.
Wadhams, P., and N.R. Davis. (2000). Further evidence of ice thinning in the Arctic Ocean. Geophysical Research Letters 27: 3973–3975.
Wadhams, P., and N.R. Davis (2001). Arctic sea-ice morphological characteristics in summer 1996. Annals of Glaciology 33: 165–170.
Wadhams, P., N Hughes and J Rodrigues (2011). Arctic sea ice thickness characteristics in winter 2004 and 2007 from submarine sonar transects. J. Geophys. Res., 116, C00E02.
Shakhova, N. and I. Semiletov (2012). Methane release from the East-Siberian Arctic Shelf and its connection with permafrost and hydrate destabilization: First results and potential future development. Geophys. Res., Vol. 14, EGU2012-3877-1.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Would You Let Your Sister Date Donald Trump?
Passing West Palm Beach airport during the week, I spied The Trumpster's Boeing 757 sitting proud amongst all the other fancy-pants jets. Trump is there quite often, given that he owns Mar-A-Lago, an historic pile on frou-frou Palm Beach.
Trump's famous not only for his property empire, but also for regularly renovating his love-life. His pathology is to consistently upgrade wives when their time is up. It's a rich-guy thing, I guess. Why stick with someone when there's a mezzanine floor full of willing totty a few floors down the private elevator from one's penthouse?
Giving in to the temptation of a perkier model doesn't make Trump a bad man. But it doesn't make him a good one, either. This is what used to be known - quaintly - as "the character question". A man's character doesn't interest modern culture that much any more. Bulk media prefer narcissism and self-expression to doing the right thing and selflessness. Unfortunately, where television dwells, so go the people. Mostly, anyway.
I don't have a sister, but if I did, I'd want her dating and marrying men of character. I'd hope she'd want to, too.
Bottoms Up, Gulfstream Owners.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Chicken Stir Fry
I had to pick a new winner for my EB Mine Brunch giveaway! Carol, today's you're lucky day, please email me by Friday with your contact info and I'll get goodies sent your way :)
While I don't make a lot of stir fries, I've learned that it's best to be prepared. Have everything chopped before you start because things move fast! Mise en place, as they say. Once everything is chopped, the meal comes together quickly, making it perfect for a weeknight dinner (especially if you do the chopping ahead of time!).
Chicken Stir Fry
adapted from allrecipes
Serves 4
You should use whatever veggies you might already have in your kitchen, and also feel free to switch up the protein (tofu, beef, even tempeh would work well).
1T vegetable oil
1/2T toasted sesame oil
4-5 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
2 chiles, minced (I used 1 serrano and 1 Fresno)
1 bell pepper, thinly sliced (red, orange or yellow)
1.5lbs chicken breast, cut into 3/4" cubes
3c cooked brown rice, chilled (I cooked up 1 1/4cups using this method)
6oz sliced baby bellas (or white mushrooms)
1 1/2T fish sauce
1 1/2T reduced sodium soy sauce
1T brown sugar
1/3c sliced scallions
2T fresh chopped basil
scant 1/2c chopped fresh cilantro
Prepare all your vegetables and measure out the fish sauce and soy sauce (together is fine). If you don't want to dirty a lot of dishes, try using a large bowl and working backwards. Cut up those that will be added last (scallions, cilantro and basil here) and add them into the bowl. Separate them from veggies that need a little more time to cook (mushrooms) with a layer of saran wrap and continue on. That way they'll be ready to go when you need them!
Preheat a large wok or skillet over high heat.
Add the vegetable oil and sesame oil and once heated, add garlic and cook for a few seconds until golden. Add the peppers (chiles and bell) and chicken, and stir-fry until almost cooked through. Add the mushrooms and stir.
Once the chicken is cooked, add the rice, fish sauce, soy sauce and brown sugar. Break up the rice and continue to cook until the rice is heated through.
Add the scallions,and herbs and turn off the heat. Mix well and serve!
While I don't make a lot of stir fries, I've learned that it's best to be prepared. Have everything chopped before you start because things move fast! Mise en place, as they say. Once everything is chopped, the meal comes together quickly, making it perfect for a weeknight dinner (especially if you do the chopping ahead of time!).
Chicken Stir Fry
adapted from allrecipes
Serves 4
You should use whatever veggies you might already have in your kitchen, and also feel free to switch up the protein (tofu, beef, even tempeh would work well).
1T vegetable oil
1/2T toasted sesame oil
4-5 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
2 chiles, minced (I used 1 serrano and 1 Fresno)
1 bell pepper, thinly sliced (red, orange or yellow)
1.5lbs chicken breast, cut into 3/4" cubes
3c cooked brown rice, chilled (I cooked up 1 1/4cups using this method)
6oz sliced baby bellas (or white mushrooms)
1 1/2T fish sauce
1 1/2T reduced sodium soy sauce
1T brown sugar
1/3c sliced scallions
2T fresh chopped basil
scant 1/2c chopped fresh cilantro
Prepare all your vegetables and measure out the fish sauce and soy sauce (together is fine). If you don't want to dirty a lot of dishes, try using a large bowl and working backwards. Cut up those that will be added last (scallions, cilantro and basil here) and add them into the bowl. Separate them from veggies that need a little more time to cook (mushrooms) with a layer of saran wrap and continue on. That way they'll be ready to go when you need them!
Preheat a large wok or skillet over high heat.
Add the vegetable oil and sesame oil and once heated, add garlic and cook for a few seconds until golden. Add the peppers (chiles and bell) and chicken, and stir-fry until almost cooked through. Add the mushrooms and stir.
Once the chicken is cooked, add the rice, fish sauce, soy sauce and brown sugar. Break up the rice and continue to cook until the rice is heated through.
Add the scallions,and herbs and turn off the heat. Mix well and serve!
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Warming in the Arctic
Note: this is a 3.4 MB animation that may take some time to fully load.
Loss of snow and ice can change local temperatures significantly, especially in April/May.The changes contribute to accelerated warming in the Arctic, which - as the image left shows - is projected to reach 10 degrees Celsius in the 2040s.
Temperatures could rise even faster in the Arctic as methane gets released from hydrates.
Methane's global warming potential is 105 times as much as carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, and even higher over a shorter period.
How much methane is there?
Such a release would dwarf warming by carbon dioxide from fossil fuels (~ 33 Gt/y), given methane's high immediate global warming potential.
When released from a hydrate, much of the methane will remain concentrated locally, amplifying local warming.
For this reason, even a much smaller release could already cause dramatic local warming. There are further reasons why this is the case.
Meanwhile, rising temperatures will cause firestorms to rage over the tundras of Canada and Siberia, releasing huge amounts of greenhouse gases and soot from peatlands and soil carbon.
The recent firestorms in Russia provide a gloomy preview of what could happen as temperatures keep rising in the Arctic.
The image below illustrates how much organic carbon is present in the melting permafrost.
Much of the soot from firestorms in Siberia could settle on the ice in the Himalaya Tibetan plateau, melting the glaciers there and causing short-term flooding followed by rapid decrease of the flow of ten of Asia’s largest river systems that originate there, with more than a billion people’s livelihoods depending on the continued flow of this water.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Chimichurri
I'm still looking for my EB Mine Brunch giveaway winner! Marcie, please send me an email with your mailing address by Sunday or I'll have to pick another winner.
A couple of weekends ago, my roommate left me a bunch of parsley and cilantro when she went out of town. Added to my 2 bunches of parsley and 1 bunch of cilantro already hiding in the fridge, I was determined that none of them go bad.
I took to twitter, facebook and Food Blog Search for some suggestions. Pesto. Tabbouleh. Thai. Chimichurri. Chimi...what? I'd heard of it before, but never tried it. An Argentinian parsley sauce, chimichurri is traditionally used to top grilled meat. Using 2 packed cups of herbs, chimichurri it was!
Since it was the middle of "winter" and we don't have a grill, it wasn't going to be used the traditional way. Instead I roasted some teeny tiny potatoes and kale (olive oil, salt and pepper, potatoes roasted at 400deg for 20min then add kale and cook another 10min), topped that with a simply seared tuna steak (seasoned with salt and pepper, cooked in a hot pan a ~4min each side for med-rare), and topped it with chimichurri and a squeeze of lemon.
Over the top. One of the best meals I've eaten recently, this was so full of flavor I'd highly recommend you add this to your menu this weekend! I've already stocked up on parsley again :)
Chimichurri
adapted from Herbivoracious
Feel free to use a combination of cilantro and parsley instead of all parsley if you like, or add in some oregano.
1 lg garlic clove, pressed/minced
2c lightly packed parsley
1t sea salt
1/4t freshly ground black pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes, if desired
1T white wine vinegar
1/3c extra virgin olive oil
1/4c minced shallot
Add parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes (if using), vinegar and oil to the bowl of a food processor (I used the small bowl of my 12c bad boy). Process until the parsley is well minced, with just a bit of texture. Transfer to a small bowl and mix in the shallot. Let sit for a bit, then adjust the salt, pepper and vinegar to taste.
Have you ever tried chimichurri??
A couple of weekends ago, my roommate left me a bunch of parsley and cilantro when she went out of town. Added to my 2 bunches of parsley and 1 bunch of cilantro already hiding in the fridge, I was determined that none of them go bad.
 |
| Image Source |
I took to twitter, facebook and Food Blog Search for some suggestions. Pesto. Tabbouleh. Thai. Chimichurri. Chimi...what? I'd heard of it before, but never tried it. An Argentinian parsley sauce, chimichurri is traditionally used to top grilled meat. Using 2 packed cups of herbs, chimichurri it was!
Since it was the middle of "winter" and we don't have a grill, it wasn't going to be used the traditional way. Instead I roasted some teeny tiny potatoes and kale (olive oil, salt and pepper, potatoes roasted at 400deg for 20min then add kale and cook another 10min), topped that with a simply seared tuna steak (seasoned with salt and pepper, cooked in a hot pan a ~4min each side for med-rare), and topped it with chimichurri and a squeeze of lemon.
Over the top. One of the best meals I've eaten recently, this was so full of flavor I'd highly recommend you add this to your menu this weekend! I've already stocked up on parsley again :)
Chimichurri
adapted from Herbivoracious
Feel free to use a combination of cilantro and parsley instead of all parsley if you like, or add in some oregano.
1 lg garlic clove, pressed/minced
2c lightly packed parsley
1t sea salt
1/4t freshly ground black pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes, if desired
1T white wine vinegar
1/3c extra virgin olive oil
1/4c minced shallot
Add parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes (if using), vinegar and oil to the bowl of a food processor (I used the small bowl of my 12c bad boy). Process until the parsley is well minced, with just a bit of texture. Transfer to a small bowl and mix in the shallot. Let sit for a bit, then adjust the salt, pepper and vinegar to taste.
Have you ever tried chimichurri??
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Chaos and Cupcakes
I need help completing the following:
The way to a woman's heart is.....
I raise this in the context of that old simplistic generalization:
The way to a man's heart is via his stomach.
Let me be clear that I'm not about to defend - even in jest - this kind of aphorism. To do so thesedays requires sixty-five pages of exceptions, eight declarations about domestic stereotypes and a dozen portion size disclaimers. What I will say is that any woman who presents me with a hot plate of beautifully roasted chicken, fresh green vegetables and a small serving of garlic mashed potato might find herself the object of my (relationship-appropriate) affection.
Just sayin'.
Here's one possible answer to my question.
Bottoms Up, Food Networkers.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Pistachio Cherry Pesto
I'm not sure that this can even be called a pesto. I've gone beyond nuts and herbs, and didn't even add any cheese! The horror! What I can say, is that this is tasty. And unique. A little savory-sweet action going on, which should come as no surprise. I'm going to spare you the photo I took of the pesto on its own, because, well... it doesn't look appetizing ;)
Pistachio Cherry Pesto w/Pasta & Broccoli
adapted from these two recipes
Yield: ~1c pesto
Serves 2 with extra pesto
I used the starchy pasta cooking water to help bring the pesto together. If you want to make the pesto by itself, just use some vegetable stock or more oil.
6oz whole wheat pasta (I used penne)
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
For the pesto:
1/2c pistachios, lightly toasted
1/2c dried tart cherries
3 cloves of roasted garlic
1 meyer lemon
1 pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2c packed basil
1/2c packed parsley
2T extra virgin olive oil
1/4c or more broth
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a hefty dash of salt, then add the pasta. A minute or two before the pasta is al dente, add the broccoli. Once the pasta is cooked, SAVE 1c of the cooking water (use a measuring cup) and then drain the pasta and broccoli.
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the pesto. In the bowl of a food processor, add pistachios, cherries, roasted garlic, the zest and juice of a meyer lemon, red pepper flakes, basil, parsley and olive oil. Process until it becomes a paste. Add 1/4c of the pasta cooking liquid and continue to blend until smooth, adding more liquid as necessary to achieve a pesto-like consistency (thick but spreadable). Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add the drained pasta and broccoli back to the pot, along with 1/2c pesto and ~1/4c of the pasta cooking liquid. Stir to combine, and adjust as needed-- you may want a little more pesto, or need more liquid based on your own preferences!
I would try adding the rest of the pesto to some roasted brussels sprouts, a la Chef Todd. Or perhaps as a sandwich spread, with goat cheese (of course), chicken and arugula. Mmmm.
What do you like to add to your pesto??
Pistachio Cherry Pesto w/Pasta & Broccoli
adapted from these two recipes
Yield: ~1c pesto
Serves 2 with extra pesto
I used the starchy pasta cooking water to help bring the pesto together. If you want to make the pesto by itself, just use some vegetable stock or more oil.
6oz whole wheat pasta (I used penne)
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
For the pesto:
1/2c pistachios, lightly toasted
1/2c dried tart cherries
3 cloves of roasted garlic
1 meyer lemon
1 pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2c packed basil
1/2c packed parsley
2T extra virgin olive oil
1/4c or more broth
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a hefty dash of salt, then add the pasta. A minute or two before the pasta is al dente, add the broccoli. Once the pasta is cooked, SAVE 1c of the cooking water (use a measuring cup) and then drain the pasta and broccoli.
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the pesto. In the bowl of a food processor, add pistachios, cherries, roasted garlic, the zest and juice of a meyer lemon, red pepper flakes, basil, parsley and olive oil. Process until it becomes a paste. Add 1/4c of the pasta cooking liquid and continue to blend until smooth, adding more liquid as necessary to achieve a pesto-like consistency (thick but spreadable). Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add the drained pasta and broccoli back to the pot, along with 1/2c pesto and ~1/4c of the pasta cooking liquid. Stir to combine, and adjust as needed-- you may want a little more pesto, or need more liquid based on your own preferences!
I would try adding the rest of the pesto to some roasted brussels sprouts, a la Chef Todd. Or perhaps as a sandwich spread, with goat cheese (of course), chicken and arugula. Mmmm.
What do you like to add to your pesto??
Sunday, March 11, 2012
The Dating Horizon - Wombatgram #24
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Eating Our Way Through Tokyo and Kyoto
With only a few days in Tokyo and Kyoto, to take a snapshot of the food scene takes eating at half a dozen restaurants each day.
Starting early, we visited Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market to see the fresh catch of day being sold in the warren of stalls. While we were there, we ate at the dozens and dozens of food stalls that rim the outside and inside of the market.
Our first stop at 8:00 a.m. was Ryu Sushi where we had a sashimi plate and a sushi sampler. The fish was what you would hope for--eating at a restaurant so close to the fish market--fresh, clean tasting and delicious. For me, there was a huge eye-opener: mackerel.
The few times I have eaten mackerel in Los Angeles, it tasted fishy and oily. At Ryu Sushi the mackerel sashimi was mild tasting, sweet and buttery. Mark Bittman always writes about how much he likes mackerel. Now I understand why.
In our short time at Tsukiji we ate sashimi, sushi, tamago, pork ramen and soba with shrimp tempura.
From the Tsukiji market we had lunch at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Hard to believe, we were still hungry. We enjoyed a delicious multi course lunch before we visited the Meiji Shrine and had a leisurely walk in the rain around the Yoyogi, the magnificent, forested park surrounding the temple.
For a small donation, a member of the Shrine's staff will hand write your prayer that will be transcribed on a piece of wood and hung on the wall surrounding the tree at the entrance of the temple.
Dinner was back at the Park Hyatt Tokyo but this time at the New York Grill with its fabulous view of Tokyo. The steaks were delicious. Japanese beef is outstanding.
In the morning, some of us had American style breakfasts with eggs and pastries. I had a Japanese breakfast at the Park Hyatt. There were so many dishes, I would have happily stayed longer but we had a schedule to keep so off we went to Tokyo Station to get on the bullet train to Kyoto.
Kyoto has a friendly competition with its much larger rival, Tokyo. From a visitor's point of view, it is definitely an easier way to experience Japanese culture. Smaller, less crowded and easier to navigate--traffic in Tokyo is a mash-up of rush hour mid-town Manhattan, Seattle and the 10 freeway in West Los Angeles. Going anywhere in Tokyo takes forever. In Kyoto, you get where you want to without hassle.
Kyoto also is a great city to use to cool out and relax. The thousands of temples in the city offer locals and visitors the chance to enjoy nature and quiet contemplation.
We had a Shojin vegan meal at a Zen temple at the Golden Pavilion and, at Ryoanji Temple, we enjoyed the plum blossoms, a sure sign that spring has begun.
The Zen spirit is evident at Ryoanji as you walk around the lake, you'll notice that damaged trees are not cut down. They are lovingly supported with bamboo poles and tied carefully with rope to prevent further damage.
In my next post, I'll talk more where we stayed in Kyoto--the Hyatt Regency Kyoto--the temples we visited and put up more photographs from the Lantern Festival, the elegant French-Japanese fusion restaurant Misogigawa and our sake sampling at the izakaya bar, Ichi in the entertainment district.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Berkeley Lab Quantifies Effect of Soot on Snow and Ice, Supporting Previous Climate Findings
A new study shows how soot darkens snow and ice, which upsets earth’s radiation balance.
A new study from scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), published in Nature Climate Change, has quantitatively demonstrated that black carbon—also known as soot, a pollutant emitted from power plants, diesel engines and residential cooking and heating, as well as forest fires—reduces the reflectance of snow and ice, an effect that increases the rate of global climate change.
Soot can travel great distances and settle back to earth in remote areas far from the emission source. If it deposits on snow-covered areas such as the poles or glaciers, it darkens the snow and ice, with the result that less solar radiation is reflected back into space. More heat is retained near the earth’s surface, speeding up global warming.
Although computer models of global climate have estimated this effect, the impact of soot on snow and ice albedo had not been thoroughly measured until now.
 |
| Snow manufactured in the laboratory |
Odelle Hadley and Thomas Kirchstetter of Berkeley Lab’s Environmental Energy Technologies Division developed new techniques to generate snow in the laboratory, and to mix it in varying concentrations with soot, which normally does not mix well in water. Using these methods, they measured the reflectance of snow with concentrations of soot varying from none to 1,700 parts per billion (ppb), which spans the range of concentrations measured in snow worldwide.
“We were able to demonstrate clearly that soot in snow reduces its albedo [reflectance],” says Kirchstetter. “We also showed that as you increase the concentration of soot in the snow, you further decrease its reflectance.”
Adds Hadley: “Another goal of our study was to validate the snow radiation modules used in general circulation models that predict anthropogenic climate change.”
The researchers also demonstrated that the greater the grain size of snow, the larger the decrease in its reflectance associated with a fixed amount of soot. Larger-grained snow allows sunlight to travel deeper into the snowpack than smaller-grained snow. Grain size is a proxy for the snow’s age because larger-grained snow is older than smaller-grained snow.
Black carbon depositing on snow may cause it to melt and refreeze into larger grains more quickly than would normally occur. The same amount of black carbon causes a bigger decrease in reflectance of large-grained snow than smaller-grained snow. The researchers were able to work out the quantitative relationship between increasing black carbon deposition and snow reflectance reduction with increasing snow grain size—a relationship that had been estimated in computer models, but not verified until now.
These results are significant because they provide an experimental check on the methods used to calculate the impact of black carbon on global climate in computer models. Hadley and Kirchstetter’s research show that there is good agreement between their lab measurements and the Snow Ice and Aerosol Radiation (SNICAR) Model, which is being used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in its next climate assessment report.
How soot accelerates climate warming
Emissions of carbon dioxide are the largest contributor to global climate change. Black carbon, a particle emitted during fossil fuel and biomass combustion, adds further warming.
“Theoretical calculations suggest that small amounts of soot, 10 to 100 ppb by mass, can decrease the reflectance of snow 1 to 5 percent,” says Hadley. “This reduction contributes to climate change because it allow less of the sun’s radiation to reflect back into space. Snow is the most reflective natural surface on earth.” As snow falls it washes black carbon out of the air onto the snow pack. Typical field concentrations of black carbon are measured at 10 to 20 ppb, but in places scientists have measured concentrations as high as 500 ppb.
In snow covered regions, including the Arctic and the Himalayas, the local radiative forcing due to soot deposition is comparable to that exerted by carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere since preindustrial times. (Radiative forcing is a measure of how pollutants alter earth’s radiation balance with space, and scientists use it to compare the relative impacts of various pollutants on climate.)
Snow-making in the lab
“We needed to pioneer new techniques to do this study, including developing a way to make snow in the laboratory, and to get soot into water,” says Hadley. The researchers solved the first problem with a stack of Styrofoam coolers, liquid nitrogen, and a pressurized spray vessel. They sprayed the water into the top of the cooler stack with liquid nitrogen at the bottom. As the water droplets met the cold air (-100°C to -130°C) below, it turned to snow. They learned to control the size of the snow grains by changing the nozzle size and water pressure through the nozzle.
They developed a method of generating soot with no other contaminants (such as oil) with the help of a type of non-premixed methane-air flame created by another Berkeley Lab scientist, Don Lucas. And they captured the soot they created using a filter, and exposed it to ozone, which is known to render soot particles chemically more prone to distribute themselves evenly in water. They developed, as well, a new method for measuring the amount of soot in water.
With these methods in place, the team now had a way of creating water with any desired soot concentration, and then turning it into snow, whose reflectance they could measure.
They developed ways of using an integrating sphere-equipped spectrometer to measure the reflectance of snow.
In addition to the experimental work, they estimated the effect of black carbon on snow using the SNICAR model as a step toward verifying the impacts predicted by climate models. SNICAR was developed by former Berkeley Lab researcher Mark Flanner, now at the University of Michigan.
Next steps
Hadley’s and Kirchstetter’s research provides strong experimental evidence that the climate models are correctly estimating the effect on climate of less solar radiation reflected back into space because of the decrease in snow and ice’s reflectance. In future work, they aim to investigate if the black carbon is causing the earth’s snow and ice to melt faster, an effect that scientists suspect may be happening, but has not yet been demonstrated. Previous research by former Berkeley Lab scientist Surabi Menon suggests that black carbon contributes significantly to the melting of glaciers in the Himalayas.
They are also working with the University of California’s Central Sierra Snow Lab to begin studying how black carbon travels through snow as the snow pack melts.
This research was supported by the California Energy Commission’s Public Interest Energy Research program, the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, and a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory E.O. Lawrence Fellowship for Hadley. The article “Black Carbon Reduction of Snow Albedo” can be found online here.
# # #
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory addresses the world’s most urgent scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy, protecting human health, creating new materials, and revealing the origin and fate of the universe. Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab’s scientific expertise has been recognized with 13 Nobel prizes. The University of California manages Berkeley Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. For more, visit www.lbl.gov
Source:
newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2012/03/05/snow-albedo
- Pollutants key to climate fix
- Simultaneously Mitigating Near-Term Climate Change and Improving Human Health and Food Security
- UNEP report on black carbon and ozone
- UNEP and WHO synthesis report
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Lost and Found in Tokyo
Staying at the Lost in Translation Park Hyatt Tokyo, a beautifully sleek and elegant hotel. Last night I had dinner at restaurant Kozue in the hotel.
The tasting menu had 28 "things" to taste that covered raw, grilled and simmered.
The beef was amazingly delicate and melt-in-the-mouth tender.
The soups had clear broths.
Salt pickled vegetables were simple and clean tasting.
Soba with duck broth and leeks, delicious.
The trip is crazy-short. Only one day in Tokyo, then a bullet train trip to Kyoto. Two days there, then back to Tokyo to return to LA.
Nutty and such great fun.
Here are some photographs from last night's dinner.
More to come.
Marmalade Jellies
First things first, the winner of the EB Mine Brunch giveaway. Random.org says the winner is #9, Marcie! Marcie, shoot me an email with your mailing address and we'll get those Eggland's Best goodies sent your way :)
After my first foray into jam-making this past summer, I was so excited to receive this cookbook for Christmas! It's a great cookbook, full of information about the ingredients and process, in addition to some fantastic recipes, organized by season.
I wasn't quite sure if I was into marmalade, which is usually what happens to the citrus fruit that is plentiful now. Given my love of meyer lemons I decided that I would try a Meyer Lemon Kumquat Marmalade first.
 |
| (Don't mind the tangerine in this picture... I used all my kumquats!) |
After acquiring enough lemons and kumquats for a half batch, I started the three day process of marmalade making. Don't let that scare you--it's mostly hands-off! Things were going well until it was time to test the jam. I must've decided to test a little late, as my marmalade started to burn while my testing spoon was in the freezer. Gone was my plan to can the marmalade. I couldn't bring myself to toss it, so I lined a 9x13 pan with parchment paper and poured in the slightly over-cooked marmalade. After a few hours in the fridge... it worked! I had marmalade candy!
Like a little gummy candy, I scored small pieces using a pizza cutter and wrapped them in small pieces of parchment paper. Friends and co-workers were none the wiser and enjoyed this sweet treat. I'll call that a success :)
Have you had a recipe disaster you've been able to salvage into something tasty??
AMEG Position Statement
DECLARATION OF EMERGENCY
Position Statement - Arctic Methane Emergency Group (AMEG)
We declare there now exists an extremely high international security risk* from abrupt and runaway global warming being triggered by the end-summer collapse of Arctic sea ice towards a fraction of the current record and release of huge quantities of methane gas from the seabed. Such global warming would lead at first to worldwide crop failures but ultimately and inexorably to the collapse of civilization as we know it. This colossal threat demands an immediate emergency scale response to cool the Arctic and save the sea ice. The latest available data indicates that a sea ice collapse is more than likely by 2015 and even possible this summer (2012). Thus some measures to counter the threat have to be ready within a few months.
The immediacy of this risk is underlined by the discovery of vast areas of continental shelf already in a critical condition as a result of the warming of the Arctic Ocean seabed. Increasingly large quantities of methane are being emitted from the seabed. Moreover there is the possibility of methane held as hydrates or under thawing permafrost being suddenly released in very large quantities due to some disturbance such as an earthquake. The quantities of methane in the continental shelf are so vast that a release of only one or two percent of the methane could lead to the release of the remaining methane in an unstoppable chain reaction. Global warming would spiral upward way beyond the 2 degrees which many scientists consider the safety limit.
However we do not take a defeatist attitude towards this extremely dangerous situation. The present challenge to overcome almost impossible odds is reminiscent of World War 2. There exist the talent, technology and engineering skills to fight against these odds and win, given determination, focus and collaboration.
Governments must adopt a plan of action to cool the Arctic, halt the retreat of the Arctic sea ice and slow the release of methane. A variety of means of cooling the Arctic are available, some of which may be classed as geoengineering.
Governments must also take rapid measures to reduce short-lived climate forcers, such as methane and black carbon (commonly known as soot), especially where emitted at high northern latitudes.
Governments must furthermore put in place the necessary monitoring procedures for assessing the situation, allowing accurate modelling and determining the effectiveness and safety of the measures taken.
But intervention on a large scale has to be accepted in order to avert the ultimate catastrophe of runaway global warming. No amount of adaptation or insulation could make that survivable. We demand for all nations to pull together in battle against these threats. We consider it a moral duty: to fight against destruction of the climate system in order to protect the lives of all citizens.
Note that AMEG considers that the cooling of the Arctic should be seen one of many efforts to bring the atmosphere and oceans back towards their pre-industrial state, especially since such efforts reduce both immediate and longer-term risks arising from Arctic warming, sea ice retreat and methane release. AMEG is fully supportive of these efforts.
Source: http://AMEG.me
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)