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Tech. E' italiano il blogger più "alto" del mondo
Si chiama Lorenzo Campani, alpinista, e in questi giorni sta con una spedizione italiana nel Tibet, a quota 6200 metri, in preparazione per raggiungere il Cho Oyu, a 8201 metri. Sono lì da circa un mese e per lui come per il resto della spedizione è la calma a regnare in un luogo avido di ossigeno. E lui che fa? Aggiorna il suo blog e racconta a chi lo legge, sensazioni e avventura. Lorenzo scrive le sue emozioni, sapendo di fare un viaggio straordinario in una terra impervia e piena di ostacoli e pericoli.
«Questo è il post più alto del mondo, ovvero la cosa più inutile dopo gli 8 anni di presidenza di George Bush», scrive l'alpinista emiliano.
Ad aiutare lui e gli altri, ancora una volta, viene in soccorso la tecnologia perché lì "ogni grammo pesa un mondo". Così Lorenzo usa e scrive su un pc Eeepc Asus con hard disk allo stato solido. Per alimentarlo usa le ragioni della natura, ovvero pannelli solari e il software, dove può, open source.
Contano di raggiungere la sesta vetta più alta del mondo nel posto più alto del mondo.
In bocca al lupo a Lorenzo e a tutta la spedizione. Il suo blog: thehighestblog.com Si chiama Lorenzo Campani, alpinista, e in questi giorni sta con una spedizione italiana nel Tibet, a quota 6200 metri, in preparazion... more -
More floods In northern India predicted due to glacier melt of Himalayas
With over a million people and 250,000 homes damaged due to the recent floods this prediction does not bode well for India, especially the poor of India. And without governments and social mores changing to accomodate a moral standing regarding this crisis, many will die and that is not an exaggeration. In the recent flooding, "untouchables" were either the last to be rescued or were not rescued at all. So how will that play out in the event of other major environmental climate change catastrophes? Those deemed unworthy of aid will simply be left to die?
From the article:
With over 2.7 million people affected by the floods caused by the change of course of the Kosi river in Bihar, researchers have now warned of more floods in northern India in coming years following changing stream flow patterns in the Himalayan rivers. The researchers from Pune University and College of Military Engineering, Pune, found an increase in the number of ‘high-magnitude flood’ events in four rivers - Chenab, Ravi, Satluj and Beas in northwestern Himalayas in the last four decades.
The researchers analysed the discharge of glacial melt into these rivers and found changing water flow patterns in the river due to global warming.
“The high-magnitude events in Himalayan rivers are generally in monsoons; hence they may lead to floods in plains too,” researcher M.R. Bhutiyani, professor at the College of Military Engineering, told IANS.
Bhutiyani said a “high magnitude flood event” is defined as an event when river flow at a particular point exceeds its average value.
“The data analysis shows that there was a significant number of high magnitude flood events in the rivers in the last four decades and the frequency of such events has been increasing,” he said.
The researchers found that due to global warming smaller glaciers in the Himalayas have receded at a relatively faster rate than the larger ones. This may ultimately lead to their disappearance in the near future.
“It is the glacier contribution which is going to be impacted because of global warming. There will be variations in response to the monsoon rainfall. Glaciers, which acted as natural regulators of discharge, will no longer play an important role in the hydrological regime of such basins,” Bhutiyani said.
The researchers found a significant increase in the glacial discharge in the Chenab and Satluj rivers, attributing this to a larger number of glaciers in the basin being on the retreat. With over a million people and 250,000 homes damaged due to the recent floods this prediction does not bode well for India, especially... more -
Imja Glacier
A melting glacier in the Himalayas is the only thing protecting a community from a mountain deluge.
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Himalayan glaciers shrinking every year
Glaciers in the Himalayas are retreating at an alarming rate of 15-20 metre every year, says the study jointly done by Himachal Pradesh Science and Technology Council and Space Research Station, Ahmedabad.
With rising global temperature, glaciers in Himalayas are retreating at an alarming rate of 15-20 metre every year, which could adversly impact agriculture in the region.
Mapping of 400 glaciers done jointly by the Himachal Pradesh Science and Technology Council and Space Research Station Ahmedabad since 1994 on rivers Chandra, Beas, Ravi, Satluj, Spiti and Baspa has shown that the glaciers are retreating.
"There had been a retreat of 10-15 m per year in 400 glaciers," A B Kulkarni, head of Glaciology wing of Space Research Station, Ahmedabad, said.
A Report of Geological Survey of India (GSI) says that prominent glaciers like Chota Sigri in Lahaul-Spiti district showed a retreat of 6.81 m per year, Bara Sigri 29.78 m per year, Trilokinath 17.86 m per year, Beas kund 18.8 m per year and Manimahesh 29.1 metre per year.
The mapping of glaciers through satellite picture suggests that there are in total 334 glaciers in the entire Satluj and Beas basins covering an area of 1515 sq km. Out of this 202 glaciers fall in Himachal Pradesh.
Syed Iqbal Hussnain of TERI, who is studying retreat of glaciers in Himalayas, said the situation is serious.
Hussnain, who is a member of National Action plan on climatology, suggested Himachal Pradesh government to set up a glacier commission on the pattern of one existing in Sikkim to carry field-based scientific study of glacier retreat and draw future plans to tackle the problem. Hussnain, who heads Glacier Commission of Sikkim which was set up in January this year, said the commission is making a scientific study of actual retreat and also regularly monitoring water discharge in the rivers to assess speed of retreat.
A comprehensive report will be submitted to the Sikkim government in December this year for drawing future plans, he added. Glaciers in the Himalayas are retreating at an alarming rate of 15-20 metre every year, says the study jointly done by Himachal Prades... more -
The Human Cost of Ten Devastating Earthquakes: Priceless
Earthquakes are caused by the shifting of tectonic plates on the earth's surface. When these plates shift, the ground can move violently. Earthquakes have changed the terrain of our planet since the beginning of time. Unfortunately, there has been a high human cost to this major force of nature. Earthquakes are caused by the shifting of tectonic plates on the earth's surface. When these plates shift, the ground can move vi... more
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Melting Himalayan glaciers set alarm bells ringing
Various studies suggest that the warming in the Himalayas has been greater than the global average due to which a number of ice packed glaciers are melting or getting displaced from their origin along with reports of glacier sliding due to which the unfamiliar changes are under spotlights in the areas including Northern Areas of Pakistan.
The situation is getting worst as couple of months ago it was reported that a number of glaciers are being melting not only disturbing the ecological balance but also posing the side effects on various sectors. Recent alarming change of this series was the burst of a glacier, 80 km north of Chitral, which was totally unusual and unexpected.
The glacier struck the Sonoghur village and devastated the houses and crops in the area.
Sonoghur village was also inundated last year in June when the same glacier burst away sweeping 140 homes in the area, while fortunately this year due to 150 families already evacuated their homes anticipating after the glacier lake outburst.
A recent summary of the conclusions of Working Group II of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change predicts, "If current warming rates are maintained, Himalayan glaciers could decay at very rapid rates, shrinking from the present 500,000 square kilometers to 100,000 square kilometers by 2030s."
The serious expected consequences includes flooding, more hot temperature in summers and very cold temperature in winters also effecting the timing of the seasons, landslides and mudflows, change in the direction of rivers, decrease in the productivity of biological systems, change in floral composition, spreading of diseases and increase in risk of hunger and famine in some locations, finally putting human security at a high risk.
Glacial runoff in the Himalayas is the largest source of freshwater for the Indus River in Pakistan, contributing much in providing the fresh drinking water along with facilitating the country with water for irrigation and agriculture system which is the backbone of our agro-based economy.
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Glaciers are melting worldwide which threatens freshwater supplies for millions of people. This is what has been set in motion by people not paying attention to important issues. Various studies suggest that the warming in the Himalayas has been greater than the global average due to which a number of ice packed... more -
Walk of Life
Perception of life.. Little bit different from what we used to see from 9 am to 5 pm.
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Sir Edmund Hillary’s ascent of Mt Everest Celebration at Google.com
Google has put up a special logo on its homepage to celebrate the 55th anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary’s ascent of Mt Everest.
New Zealand-born Sir Ed, who died in January, was with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay the first to reach the peak of the world’s highest mountain.
The logo is only visible on the Google homepages today
Google periodically changes its logo to celebrate special events and anniversaries, such as the invention of the first laser, Earth Day, or February 29th.
Read Complete Story about Sir Edmund Hillary’s ascent of Mt Everest
http://www.worldamazingrecords.com/2008/01/sir-edmund-h... Google has put up a special logo on its homepage to celebrate the 55th anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary’s ascent of Mt Everest. ... more -
What I Did In India Today-- Shimla
Just a quick look at what I did in India today.
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Altitude Sickness
A critical look at heavy tourism's effects on the Sherpa of Nepal's Solukhumbu Region - home to Mt. Everest and the highest peaks on Earth. A critical look at heavy tourism's effects on the Sherpa of Nepal's Solukhumbu Region - home to Mt. Everest and the highest ... more
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Recovering the Himalayan Canvas
This pod follows the efforts of two artists in Arunachal Pradesh, India, to learn more about the status of Buddhist traditional art in their state. With the hopes of starting the first painting workshop in 2008, they travel around the Tawang district and visit monastries and temples. It also follows them to Bhutan, where they travel to learn how the painting institutes work there. It follows a particularly Himalayan vision, collabortion and journey to recover and renew traditional art in the region. This pod follows the efforts of two artists in Arunachal Pradesh, India, to learn more about the status of Buddhist traditional art in... more
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Dad, Snow Leopard and Me
One of my father's lifelong ambitions was to see with his own eyes the extremely rare snow leopard. My brother and I decided to accompany him to document the adventure. In essence this film is not about the snow leopard or even the Himalayas in winter but rather a portrait of my father and his determination. One of my father's lifelong ambitions was to see with his own eyes the extremely rare snow leopard. My brother and I decided to a... more
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