Multidecadal Recession of Grinnell and Terra Nivea Ice Caps, Baffin Island, Canada

Multi-temporal satellite imagery and historical aerial photography reveal that two southern Arctic ice caps on Baffin Island have shrunk considerably over the past several decades. Satellite remote sensing shows that over the past three decades, the Grinnell and Terra Nivea ice caps, the southernmost ice caps in the eastern Canadian Arctic, have decreased in area by 18% and 22% respectively, which corresponds to a total area decline of 68 km2 since the inventory done in the late 1950s. Cumulative ice loss since the mid-1970s has occurred at a rate of −1.69 km2/yr. The Grinnell ice cap has declined in area by −0.57 km2/yr, while the larger Terra Nivea ice cap has lost ice at a rate of −1.1 km2/yr. Interior thinning has led to the exposure of nunataks far from ice margins, and outlet glaciers have retreated substantial distances up-valley. The rapid reduction in ice area is linked directly to increasing summer air temperatures and suggests that these ice caps are in disequilibrium with current climate. Projections suggest that if the observed ice decline continues to AD 2100, the total area covered by ice at present will be reduced by more than 57%.L’imagerie satellitaire multitemporelle et la photographie aérienne historique révèlent que deux calottes glaciaires du sud de l’Arctique, dans l’île de Baffin, ont rétréci considérablement au cours des dernières décennies. La télédétection par satellite montre qu’au cours des trois dernières décennies, l’étendue des calottes glaciaires Grinnell et Terra Nivea, soit les calottes glaciaires les plus au sud de l’Arctique canadien de l’est, a diminué dans une mesure de 18 % et de 22 % respectivement, ce qui correspond à un déclin total de l’étendue de 68 km2 depuis que l’inventaire a été dressé vers la fin des années 1950. Depuis le milieu des années 1970, la perte cumulative de glace s’est produite au taux de −1,69 km2/an. L’étendue de la calotte glaciaire Grinnell a diminué de −0,57 km2/an, tandis que la calotte glaciaire Terra Nivea, dont l’étendue est plus grande, a enregistré une perte de glace de l’ordre de −1,1 km2/an. L’amincissement intérieur a donné lieu à l’exposition de nunataks loin des marges glaciaires, et les glaciers émissaires ont reculé sur d’importantes distances en amont de la vallée. La réduction rapide de l’étendue de la glace est directement liée à l’augmentation de la température de l’air d’été, ce qui suggère que ces calottes glaciaires sont en déséquilibre par rapport au climat actuel. Selon les projections, si la réduction observée de la glace se poursuit jusqu’en l’an 2100 A.D., l’étendue totale actuellement couverte par la glace diminuera de plus de 57 %

Intelligent computer-aided training authoring environment

Although there has been much research into intelligent tutoring systems (ITS), there are few authoring systems available that support ITS metaphors. Instructional developers are generally obliged to use tools designed for creating on-line books. We are currently developing an authoring environment derived from NASA's research on intelligent computer-aided training (ICAT). The ICAT metaphor, currently in use at NASA has proven effective in disciplines from satellite deployment to high school physics. This technique provides a personal trainer (PT) who instructs the student using a simulated work environment (SWE). The PT acts as a tutor, providing individualized instruction and assistance to each student. Teaching in an SWE allows the student to learn tasks by doing them, rather than by reading about them. This authoring environment will expedite ICAT development by providing a tool set that guides the trainer modeling process. Additionally, this environment provides a vehicle for distributing NASA's ICAT technology to the private sector

Record Size Female Coyote, Canis latrans

On 11 March 2004 we recaptured and re-radio-collared an 8-9 yr old, 25.1 kg (55.3 lb), 157 cm long (tip of nose to tail tip) female Eastern Coyote (Canis latrans) in the town of Barnstable on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, that was originally captured in November 1998. This is believed to be the largest female Coyote ever recorded

'Kristin' Sweet Cherry

Kristin' is a new, mid-season, productive, large, black, high quality sweet cherry. It is similar to 'Schmidt' but trees are more winter hardy and more heavily cropping and fruits are larger. It has performed especially well in tests in Norway, Montana, and New York

A METHOD FOR ASSESSING BLACKBIRD DAMAGE TO RIPENING RICE

A method for measuring and mapping the location of blackbird (Icterinae) damage to ripening rice over time was developed and employed in 7 commercial rice fields ranging from 20.6 to 47.4 ha in Matagorda County, Texas, during the 1985 and 1986 growing seasons. Ten evenly-spaced transects were established perpendicular to the longest side of the field and each transect was sampled at pre-determined distances. Transects were subdivided into edge (\u3c= 60 m from field border) and middle (\u3e 60 m from the field border) strata. The measured percent damage was compared to visual estimates for 3 samplings to assess the accuracy and precision of the latter. Measuring the percent damage to individual panicles appears to be valid, but damage may be underestimated. This sampling method may be useful for assessing the efficacy of current and proposed damage control techniques. Visual estimates were too high at low (\u3c 5%) damage levels and too low at higher (\u3e 5%) levels compared to measured damage

A Method for Assessing Blackbird Damage to Ripening Rice

A method for measuring and mapping the location of blackbird (Icterinae) damage to ripening rice over time was developed and employed in 7 commercial rice fields ranging from 20.6 to 47.4 ha in Matagorda County, Texas, during the 1985 and 1986 growing seasons. Ten evenly-spaced transects were established perpendicular to the longest side of the field and each transect was sampled at pre-determined distances. Transects were subdivided into edge ( \u3c = 60 m from field border) and middle ( \u3e 60 m from the field border) strata. The measured percent damage was compared to visual estimates for 3 samplings to assess the accuracy and precision of the latter. Measuring the percent damage to individual panicles appears to be valid, but damage may be underestimated. This sampling method may be useful for assessing the efficacy of current and proposed damage control techniques. Visual estimates were too high at low ( \u3c 5%) damage levels and too low at higher ( \u3e 5%) levels compared to measured damage

Recent changes in area and thickness of Torngat Mountain glaciers (northern Labrador, Canada)

The Torngat Mountains National Park, northern Labrador, Canada, contains more than 120 small glaciers: the only remaining glaciers in continental northeast North America. These small cirque glaciers exist in a unique topo-climatic setting, experiencing temperate maritime summer conditions yet very cold and dry winters, and may provide insights into the deglaciation dynamics of similar small glaciers in temperate mountain settings. Due to their size and remote location, very little information exists regarding the health of these glaciers. Just a single study has been published on the contemporary glaciology of the Torngat Mountains, focusing on net mass balances from 1981 to 1984. This paper addresses the extent to which glaciologically relevant climate variables have changed in northern Labrador in concert with 20th-century Arctic warming, and how these changes have affected Torngat Mountain glaciers. Field surveys and remote-sensing analyses were used to measure regional glacier area loss of 27 % from 1950 to 2005, substantial rates of ice surface thinning (up to 6 m yr⁻¹) and volume losses at Abraham, Hidden, and Minaret glaciers, between 2005 and 2011. Glacier mass balances appear to be controlled by variations in winter precipitation and, increasingly, by strong summer and autumn atmospheric warming since the early 1990s, though further observations are required to fully understand mass balance sensitivities. This study provides the first comprehensive contemporary assessment of Labrador glaciers and will inform both regional impact assessments and syntheses of global glacier mass balance

What Oregon agriculture teachers say about teaching basic agriculture by use of principles

New teaching techniques are the products of a wide spectrum of research. The final test of all teaching techniques, however derived, is their application to a given classroom situation. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the "principle approach", a relatively new teaching method in agriculture, has been accepted by Oregon agriculture teachers for instruction of their basic agriculture classes. Questionnaires were sent to all 117 teachers of agriculture in Oregon. Teachers teaching basic agriculture classes were compared in class presentation methods and course content areas. Comparison was also made between teachers having attended a curriculum workshop introducing teachers to the "principle approach" and teachers having no formal training in this area. Over 50 percent of the teachers having bad training in the "principle approach" teach all subject areas by this method. However, certain subject areas appear to have adopted the "principle approach" more readily than other areas. Participation and success in the use of the "principle approach" increases with training in this area. As a result of this study, it is recommended that workshops be set up to train teachers in the presentation of the "principle approach" for instruction of basic agriculture