The Daily Croissant

Eclectic Perambulations in the Noosphere

  • Waterproof Sand Could Green the Deserts

    • 24 Jan 2012
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    • Irrigation January 24 2012 Nanotechnology Natural Resources Water desert
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    "Global freshwater use tripled during the second half of the twentieth century as population more than doubled and as technological advances let farmers and other water users pump groundwater from greater depths and harness river water with more and larger dams. As global demand soars, pressures on the world’s water resources are straining aquatic systems worldwide. Rivers are running dry, lakes are disappearing, and water tables are dropping. Nearly 70 percent of global water withdrawals from rivers, lakes, and aquifers are used for irrigation, while industry and households account for 20 and 10 percent, respectively" World's Water Resources Face Mounting Pressure 

    "When regular desert sand lies beneath, water bleeds endlessly downward leaving roots dry until the next watering.

    With new hydrophobic sand in place, traditional watering of desert plants five or six times a day can be reduced to one watering, saving 75 per cent more water, a precious resource that is dwindling...

    One of the advantages of the hydrophobic sand... is that while it allows aerobic activity to move upward from the soil, it prevents underground desert salinity deposits from passing through to plant roots above; salt is corrosive and kills plants." 

    via nextbigfuture.com

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  • Behold Aqueous Fluoreau - Ink, Water, Time, Diffusion, Gravity

    • 12 Dec 2011
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    • 11December11 Artwork Ink Photographs Water
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    Media_httpbehancevoll_yhjcm

    "Photographer Mark Mawson has published a wonderful series of fourteen new underwater ink photographs entitled Aqueous Fluoreau. The images are stunning not only for their vibrant colors but their almost sculptural appearance. His previous projects from the same family, Aqueous  and Aqueous II are also incredible and worth your time."      via  Colossal 

    "It's entirely conceivable that life's splendor surrounds us all, and always in its complete fullness, accessible but veiled, beneath the surface, invisible, far away. But there it lies—not hostile, not reluctant, not deaf. If we call it by the right word, by the right name, then it comes. This is the essence of magic, which doesn't create but calls."—Kafka

    via behance.net

     

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  • Hummingbird Shaking Its Head...

    • 4 Dec 2011
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    • 03December11 Film Shorts Hummingbirds Maneuver Water
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    This astonishing video of a hummingbird shaking its head to removes almost all of the water from the tiny bird in a mid-air maneuver that takes less than a second. In this slow-motion footage, scientists at the University of California, Berkeley sprayed water on a hummingbird to find out how it shakes off rain while in flight.

    The bird is able to shake its head so fast that it can reach a g-force of 34. To compare, a Formula 1 racing car only ever reaches 6g and most rollercoasters are far less. The tiny bird removes almost all of the water shaking its head nearly 180 degrees in a 10th of a second or less. The high-speed drying technique helps the bird remain in control during a flight and cope with rain.

    via lifeslittlemysteries.com

     

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  • Every Drop Counts

    • 14 Nov 2011
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    • 13November11 Conservation Infographic Natural Resources Water
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    Media_httpdailyinfogr_cghaf
    "The average American family of four can live on 3 gallons of water a day, yet 400 gallons is closer to the daily usage. We can blame faulty faucets leaks and inefficient toilets, or we can start taking small steps to decrease our consumption. The infographic gives some simple ideas on how to start like turning off the tap water while brushing and only showering for 10 minutes (darn, they had to mention the showers)..."
    via dailyinfographic.com

     

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  • The Mpemba Effect

    • 23 Oct 2011
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    • 22October11 Ice Phenomena Physics Water puzzles
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    Water_flame
    Can hot water freeze faster than cold water ?
    Yes — a general explanation...
    via en.wikipedia.org

     

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  • Infinity Water

    • 14 Oct 2011
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    • 13October11 Film Shorts Infinity Water
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    by Rimantas Lukavicius  

    "Infinity water” is a journey through physical properties of the most abundant compound on Earth's surface. Exploring the interaction between colorless, odorless liquid and music, discovering the infinity encoded in water's memory.

    via vimeo.com

     

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  • Water Bottle Pollution Facts

    • 14 Oct 2011
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    • 13October11 Consumption Ecology Garbage Pollution Recycling Water
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    Media_httpwwwstormwat_hfguj
    "In 1976 Americans drank an average of 1.6 gallons of bottled water every year. Roughly 30 years later consumption increased to 30 gallons per person, according to the Earth Policy Institute --- despite the fact that bottled water can cost anywhere from 240 to 10,000 times more than tap water, which is brought right to your home for pennies a gallon. Bottled water also creates its own share of pollution --- the production of plastic bottles requires millions of barrels of oil per year and the transportation of bottled water from its source to stores releases thousands of tons of carbon dioxide."
    more via greenliving.nationalgeographic.com

     

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  • Martian Clay a Vessel for Water?

    • 7 Oct 2011
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    • 06October11 Astronomy HiRISE Mars Water
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    Media_httpwwwuniverse_nejkh

    Light-Toned Deposits: This image reveals exposed layers in Noctis Labyrinthus which may contain signatures of iron bearing sulfates and phyllosilcate (clay) minerals. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

    "Although it might seem like a fictitious nomenclature, smectite is a real substance and it’s been found on Mars. It’s a clay mineral that, like a sponge, expands and contracts as it takes on liquid water. With magnesium, iron, aluminum and silica in their content, smectites are morphed into being when silicates are exposed to non-acid water. Now Mars has yielded up two such deposits that further indicate the presence of a once wetter world."

    via universetoday.com

     

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  • Opportunity investigates Tisdale 2 : Clues to Ancient Water Flow on Mars

    • 10 Sep 2011
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    • 09September11 Craters Discoveries Mars Water
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    Media_httpwwwuniverse_wvicj
    Bright veins cutting across outcrop in a section of Endeavour crater's rim called "Botany Bay" are visible in the foreground and middle distance of this view assembled from images taken by the navigation camera on Opportunity during Sol 2,681on Mars (Aug. 9, 2011).

     

    Media_httpwwwuniverse_kefan
    Opportunity Traverse Map: 2004 to 2011. The yellow line on this map shows where NASA's Mars Rover Opportunity has driven from the place where it landed in January 2004 -- inside Eagle crater, at the upper left end of the track -- to a point approaching the rim of Endeavour crater. The map traces the route through the 2,670th Martian day, or sol, of Opportunity's work on Mars (July 29, 2011).

     

    Media_httpwwwuniverse_hsmfd
    This image taken from orbit shows the path of the path driven by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity in the weeks around the rover's arrival at the rim of Endeavour crater. The sol number (number of Martian days since the rover landed on Mars) are indicated along the route. Sol 2674 corresponds to Aug. 2, 2011; Sol 2688 corresponds to Aug. 16, 2011

     

    Media_httpwwwuniverse_lrvdp
    Bright veins cutting across outcrop in a section of Endeavour crater's rim called "Botany Bay" are visible in the foreground and middle distance of this view assembled from images taken by the navigation camera on Opportunity during Sol 2,681on Mars (Aug. 9, 2011)

     

    Media_httpwwwuniverse_ogvzp
    This rock, informally named "Tisdale 2," was the first rock the NASA's Mars Rover Opportunity examined in detail on the rim of Endeavour crater. It has textures and composition unlike any rock the rover examined during its first 90 months on Mars. Its characteristics are consistent with the rock being a breccia -- a type of rock fusing together broken fragments of older rocks.


    "Opportunity has begun a whole new mission at Endeavour Crater promising a boatload of new science discoveries.  

    Scientists directing NASA’s Mars Opportunity rover gushed with excitement as they announced that the aging robot has discovered a rock with a composition unlike anything previously explored on the Red Planet’s surface – since she landed on the exotic Martian plains 7.5 years ago – and which offers indications that liquid water might have percolated or flowed at this spot billions of years ago.

    Barely three weeks ago Opportunity arrived at the rim of the gigantic 14 mile ( 22 km) wide crater named Endeavour after an epic multi-year trek, and for the team its literally been like a 2nd landing on Mars – and the equivalent of the birth of a whole new mission of exploration at an entirely ‘new’ landing site." 

    via universetoday.com


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  • Rare Martian Lake Delta Spotted by Mars Express

    • 10 Sep 2011
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    • 09September11 Craters Deltas Discoveries Mars Water
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    Media_httpdownloadesa_eufcf
    Holden and Eberswalde Craters  

     

    Media_httpdownloadesa_wgdnf
    Eberswalde Crater in Context

     

    Media_httpwwwesaintim_vubfp
    Delta in Eberswalde Crater

     

    Media_httpdownloadesa_qrzve
    Eberswalde Crater in Perspective

     

    Media_httpdownloadesa_erldb
    Holden Crater in Perspective

     

    2 September 2011
    ESA’s Mars Express has spotted a rare case of a crater once filled by a lake, revealed by the presence of a delta. The delta is an ancient fan-shaped deposit of dark sediments, laid down in water. It is a reminder of Mars’ past, wetter climate.

    The delta is in the Eberswalde crater, in the southern highlands of Mars. The 65 km-diameter crater is visible as a semi-circle on the right of the image and was formed more than 3.7 billion years ago when an asteroid hit the planet.

     

    via esa.int

     

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