Journey to Makkah

As large and prominent as the Muslim world is, significant Islamic events can sometimes be overlooked by some Westerners. Fortunately, without having to look too hard, anyone can find news on what’s current in Islam. Lane Turner’s recent collection of photographs on this year’s Hajj and Eid-al-Adha events depicts Muslims from around the world observing and honouring one of the most important times in the Muslim lunar calendar.

Every year millions of Muslims make the Hajj, or pilgrimage, to Makkah in Saudi Arabia. This November was no different, with hours of praying and walking around the Kaaba of the Grand Mosque followed by other rituals, like Jamarat and the Eid-Al-Adha feast. Living in places as varied as Thailand, Palestine, Indonesia, Yemen, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines, Russia, Bangladesh, Romania, Iraq, Libya, China, India, Nigeria, Kashmir, Iran and Afghanistan, both men and women came together to prepare for and celebrate Eid-al-Adha during October and  November.

Starting on the 26th of January 2012, the “Haj: Journey to the Heart of Islam” exhibit will be open to the public at the British Museum. According to Roger Harrison’s article, it will run until the 15th of April and will explore the Hajj in both historical and modern times. The exhibit consists of three main parts that help to give visitors an in depth understanding of Hajj and Islam.

One section focuses on the journey to Makkah from various directions: Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. It covers many of the struggles pilgrims faced on their way to Makkah in the past and people that were essential to getting large groups of pilgrims to their destination, like Harun Rashid and Thomas Cook. The second section looks at Hajj in modern times, addressing all of the rituals a pilgrim goes through and covering the effort it takes to manage millions of Muslims arriving at Makkah annually. The final section concentrates on Makkah itself and why it is so significant to Islam. It depicts Makkah in the past and present through artefacts, a film on the rituals involved with the Hajj and the works of artists.

Hopefully all the attention on Hajj will inspire people to look at the significance of Islam in our world and foster cultural understanding.

One more reason to keep learning about the oceans

This weekend the BBC reported on a yet another connection between land and sea in an article by Mark Kinver.

Scientists now recognize the relationship  between sea surface temperature changes of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and the occurrence of forest fires in the Amazon. Sea surface temperature also appear to play a role in the regulation of precipitation in this area.

They established a correlation between the two  through the use of the Oceanic Nino Index and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, both used to determine cool and warm events in the oceans. The scientists were then able to produce models used to predict fires up to 5 months in advance. Predicting the future of forest fires proves so important as it allows time to develop policies emphasizing the management of fires to conserve important resources.

So as we keep seeing, the oceans play a very significant role in many natural occurences that affect us all.

Wonders of Arctic & Antarctic springs

The BBC’s Frozen Planet explores the many extraordinary events of the Arctic and Antarctic, many of which have never been seen before.

The second episode, Spring,  provides a first hand look at the amazing transformation of the frozen landscape to a tundra full of life. As the sun’s strength increase  millions of tonnes of frozen water melt and new life begins to emerge. Life like Penguins, polar bears, and Arctic wolves take over the land at each pole, while sea slugs, swimming snails,seals and fish that appear to be covered in hundreds of dancing lights find a home in the sea.

One of the many astounding creatures shown in Frozen Planet is the woolybear caterpillar, which does not build its cocoon until 14 years old. The woolybear only has a short amount of time each spring to eat enough to get it through the winter until the cold creeps in, so it finds a home under a rock for the winter. The caterpillar’s heart actually stops during this time and becomes frozen until the sun reappears four months later and it begins guzzling all it can again before the next winter when the cycle repeats. It is not until at least a decade that the caterpillar makes the ultimate transformation into a moth.

See the life of the woolybear caterpillar and other amazing creatures on Frozen Planet.

Frozen Planet

We are looking forward to the first episode of Frozen Planet from the BBC-it looks stunning and ties in very nicely with our Oceans channel and resources! Supporting growing public awareness of life at the poles, the first episode will air on BBC One shortly.

Frozen Planet takes you on an adventure through the Arctic and Antarctic environment and wildlife through a 7-part series narrated by Sir David Attenborough who has spent quite a bit of time exploring these regions. One of the short clips that links well with our Frozen  Oceans resources is titled On Thin Ice, and discusses the effects of climate change on regions such as the poles and the ways scientists are now trying to understand it.

Check it out at BBC-One Frozen Planet!

Are the oceans the next Greek tragedy?

Our oceans currently face an uncertain future as their chemistry continues to change due to the 22 million tons of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere each day. The carbon dioxide released into the oceans is causing the water to become more acidic, creating conditions not seen since the dinosaurs. Scientists now know that many species, including humans, will suffer unless something is done about the problem.

The NRDC explores the many concerns of ocean acidification in their film Acid Test: The Global Challenge of Ocean Acidification.  Scientific experts on this issue explain how acidification is affecting the oceans, what we can do to prevent further damage, and the future of the oceans if the problem continues.  ’Acid Test’ concludes that we are in the last few decades of ocean life as we know it. If acidification continues many organisms at the bottom of marine food webs will die out creating a domino affect all the way up the food chain, even to human communities who rely on these systems for income and food.

Even with the current state of the oceans, it is not too late to turn the problem around. Ways do exist for humans to cut back on fossil fuels, restore fish stocks, and keep our oceans safe.

Like explained in the video, Greek tragedies are so tragic because we see them coming. So do we continue living in the same ways? Or choose to change and prevent a global tragedy?

Explore 2011

Check out Explore 2011 on 18-20 November at the RGS-IBG!

The Explore 2011 weekend is dedicated to providing the latest information to all of you  interested in planning field work projects and expeditions of your own. Over the course of the weekend participants will hear first hand experiences and advice from leading field scientists and explorers in a range of disciplines through workshops, seminars, and one-on-one sessions. Explore 2011 provides the perfect opportunity to also make new connections and gain inspiration for your own ventures.

So whether an expert or amateur,you should not miss out on everything Explore 2011 has to offer!

Book before 14 October to take advantage of the ‘Early Bird’ fees and also take a look at the event’s website.

Oceans advice to GCSE boards

We are the Blue Planet. The Oceans are the earth’s life-support system, producing most of our oxyg¬en and capturing more than two-thirds of carbon dioxide. The oceans drive climate and weather, regulate temperature, shape Earth chemistry, and hold 97% of the Earth’s water. Covering 71% of the surface of our planet, an estimated 97% of all life on earth is found under the ocean surface, and less than 5% of that area has ever been explored.

So as the oceans are so important, we’ve been through every GCSE specification for science and geography searching for the terms fish, marine, sea and ocean. They should be well represented. This is what we found out.

Top prize for a great section on the urgent issue of ocean acidification goes to the AQA Science team and their new Chemistry GCSE. Loving your work and hope that the rest of the exam boards follow suit. There’s also a nice reference to the issues of over-fishing, but no mention of marine case studies for species adaptation, mutualism, etc. It would also have been nice to connect in the chemistry of ocean acidification with some more on biological impacts say on zooplankton. (more…)

Breaking bread for peace

Pakistani American, Samina Sundas, knows the fears people have all over the world of the unknown. In her own life she has experienced hardships as Americans stopped going to her daycare business after 9/11, as she discusses in a Voice of America article. She believes that the fear those people have is the result of a lack of understanding between cultures that are much more similar than many realize.

Eight years ago Sundas started the organization American Muslim Voice in an attempt for people of all religions and cultures to learn about each other and eliminate that fear we have of the unknown. She bases her organization on the idea that we cannot “just remain me, mine and I. It is us. It is we. It is ours”. She brings people together as one community based on friendship and respect and often holds dinners at her house for people to come together and talk about their lives and cultural backgrounds.

Her journey has not been easy as people of all religions are hesitant to come together as one community. Yet those who have attended her events and dinner gatherings realize that she is a voice of  ”understanding and reconciliation”.

Samina Sundas and her organization is proof that, with face-to-face meeting and interaction, all people can live together in peace and friendship. She is a beam of light in the never ending struggle for understanding and harmony.

Satellite images contradict Times Atlas

An article published a few days ago by Richard Black of the BBC reveals a new controversy over the amount of sea ice present in Greenland. According the newly-published Times Atlas, Greenland has lost 15% of its former ice coverage in just 12 years. This figure has caused concern around the world as it suggests that the climate is warming at a rapid rate and resulting in negative consequences for the environment.

Yet scientists from the Scott Polar Research Institute claim that this figure is exaggerated.  The Scott Polar researchers do not deny that increased temperatures have resulted in loss of sea ice in Greenland, but they do have evidence that contradicts the estimated rapid speed of  melting as shown in the Times Atlas. This evidence comes from new satellite images that show ice coverage and glaciers where the Times Atlas depicted as ice free zones and new land.

The Scott Polar scientists are unsure how the mistake occurred, but they want to make sure that we are only informed with ‘concrete and correct evidence’.

Oceans reveal hidden energy

New studies and research have found interesting patterns in the way the oceans absorb and store energy.  As discussed in a  Science Daily article, even when the atmospheric and global climate conditions appear stable, our oceans are still experiencing great change.

Simulations performed by scientists, using the Community Climate System Model, found that continued emissions of greenhouse gasses caused by humans will result in a temperature increase of 1.4 degrees Celsius between 2000 and 2100. Yet, the more intriguing discovery of this experiment was that there were two 10 year periods of stability during which no obvious atmospheric climate changes occurred. During these ‘hiatus’ periods ocean waters, below 300 meters, warmed 18% to 19% more rapidly than during other times. Researchers attributed their findings to the idea that changing ocean circulations cause deep ocean waters to absorb heat more rapidly.  The results also correspond with patterns of La Nina events and the two occurrences are believed to be connected in some regions.

The article and experiments attempt to show that we cannot ignore the missing heat that the oceans absorb. As stated by NCAR researcher Kevin Trenberth, “The heat has not disappeared, and so it cannot be ignored.”