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Indiana Thompson and high altitude research: Lonnie Thompson is
a geophysicist at Ohio State University in Columbus and a pioneer in
the study of tropical glaciers. His adventures while gathering ice
cores at high altitude have led colleagues to describe him as “the
closest living thing to Indiana Jones”. Thompson and his work are the
subjects of Thin Ice: Unlocking the secrets of climate in the world’s highest mountains by Mark Bowen published by Henry Halt and Company (ISBN 0805064435, $30).

Pioneering on a small budget: The switch from polar to tropical
ice was triggered by a British colleague called John Mercer who had
produced atlases of the glaciers of the world. Thompson started
wondering why no one was taking cores from them. He showed some
pictures of Quelccaya, a big ice cap in the Peruvian Andes, to the
National Science Foundation and received $7000 funding, which was about
enough to get there and, despite misadventures, start research.

Research record shows historical effects of climate change:
Thompson says Mercer, now deceased, was the first person to suggest
that the west Antarctic ice sheet could collapse with global warming.
What do the tropical cores show? Quelccaya, Thompson’s first glacier,
is the one he keeps returning to, as it continues to provide unique
information. It shows the 20th-century warming very clearly in the
record of oxygen isotopes preserved in the ice. It also provided the
first tropical record of the little ice age between the 14th and 19th
centuries, and it records the three decades of drought around AD 600
that probably finished off the pre-Colombian Moche empire. Quelccaya
also contains a record of El Nino climate variations.

Drought 4200 years ago destroys ancient civilisations: Another
big discovery was a huge spike in the amount of dust in many tropical
ice cores 4200 years ago. The dust seems to signify widespread drought
and desertification. It coincided with the collapse of several
civilisations, including the Akkadian empire in Mesopotamia and a
crisis in Egypt, where writing on ancient tombs records drought, mass
migrations and sand dunes crossing the Nile.

New Scientist, 26/11/2005, p. 47

Source: Erisk – www.erisk.net

New Scientist, 26/11/2005, p. 47

Big employer could shut down: At stake, said Thomson, was the
future of the island’s economy. Phosphate Resources Limited, which
employs one in five residents, would shut down in three to five years
if the Federal Government refused to grant access to extra leases.

Mine could last until 2016: If approved, the mine would last
until about 2016, buying the remote Australian territory, 2800
kilometres west of Darwin, some time for the island to think of other
ways to fund itself. “If the mining operations cease in the next few
years, it will result in severe dislocation,” Thompson said.

Chamber of Commerce votes against extension: The Christmas
Island Chamber of Commerce has controversially voted against the
proposal, angering the company and Thomson. Chamber Greg Hunt, federal
parliamentary secretary to Environment Minister Ian Campbell, would fly
to Christmas Island this coming week to inspect the site and listen to
both sides of the debate.

Lesson learnt from Nauru: “We need to build a long-term,
sustainable future for Christmas Island,” Hunt said. “Even if the mine
was approved, it would only provide an extra five years’ worth of
income and it is critical that we learn from the mistakes (of phosphate
mining) on Nauru. There are large parts of Christmas Island that are
certainly a biological ark.”

Hawke puts moratorium on clearing: The mine’s employees, through
the union, bought the company and restarted mining from stockpiles left
by the Commonwealth. They were allowed to do this in 1990, but the
Hawke government put a moratorium on rainforest clearing.

1200 inhabitants on island: About 1200 people inhabit the
135-square-kilometre island; 60 per cent of them Chinese and 20 per
cent Malaysian. The mining company, once controlled by its employees,
was now in the hands of a select group of major shareholders. The
biggest shareholder is Singaporean Willy Teo.

$2m on environmental impact study: Dan Gillespie, a consultant
to Phosphate Resources Limited, said the company spent $2 million on
the environmental impact study, now open to public submissions. Federal
Environment Minister Ian Campbell would decide whether the expansion
could be approved.

The Age, 10/12/2005, p. 8

Source: Erisk – www.erisk.net 

Reliant on CO2 dumps: “His explanation relies entirely on the
assumed benefits of “new technology” and massively increased energy
production for solutions to the overwhelming greenhouse challenge the
world faces.

Business-as-usual approach: “It appears he is actually saying
that a business-as-usual approach will be possible for both us and the
Third world. We either build a new way of living based on conservation
practices or energy depletion will do it for us. This is the leadership
challenge that Ian Campbell needs to wake up to,” Powrie concluded.

The Advertiser, 9/12/2005, p. 21

Source: Erisk – www.erisk.net 

Freezer efficiency: The temperature for a freezer should be
between minus 15C and minus 18C. Don’t allow ice to build up beyond 5mm
thickness on the walls of your fridge or freezer. Ice actually prevents
the flow of cool air, causing your fridge to work harder and consume
more energy than necessary. Ensure your fridge is not in direct sun, as
this also significantly increases its running cost as the unit needs to
work harder.

The Advertiser, 13/12/2005, p. 21

Source: Erisk – www.erisk.net 

Back-up power source in emergencies: If there is a power failure
in an emergency situation, the Home Energy Station can also function as
a back-up power source, using hydrogen stored in tanks to power the
internal fuel cell.

Attractive alternative to gasoline: “The third generation of
Honda’s Home Energy Station continues to push the limits with its
innovative technology,” said Ben Knight, vice president of Honda
R&D Americas. “The combination of home energy generation and home
refuelling offers an attractive alternative to gasoline and takes us
one step closer to a truly viable hydrogen-based transportation system.”

The Courier Mail, 7/12/2005, p. 43

Source: Erisk – www.erisk.net 

Plans to power whole town: Ergon Energy planned to build five
mirrored solar concentrator dishes capable of powering the town during
sunshine hours – something the company claimed was a first for
Australia. The technology is already in use in South Australia,
although it is not used to power an entire town.

100,000 litres of diesel saved: The company estimated the system
would save Ergon about 100,000 litres of diesel fuel. Windorah was
chosen for the trial because of its size and the fact it had a
relatively new power station with technology compatible with the solar
farm.

Tenders set for next year: Barcoo Shire Mayor Bruce Scott said
the groundbreaking trial met the council’s philosophy of trying to
promote alternative energy services. “There are a number of pluses from
the project,” he said. Ergon expected to call tenders for the project
next year and hoped to commission the project in 2007.

The Courier Mail, 7/12/2005, p. 11

Source: Erisk – www.erisk.net