![]() This issue... Plants with Backbone: A Promising Mystery Laboratory Plasmas Shed Light on the Sun Eureka! California Discovers Plutonium...Again! Working Science This issue... Plants with Backbone: A Promising Mystery Laboratory Plasmas Shed Light on the Sun Eureka! California Discovers Plutonium...Again! Working Science |
Working ScienceThe Nauru99 Triangleby Jo Lynn DraperThe Nauru99 triangle thankfully bears no resemblance to the mysterious "Bermuda" or "Devil's" Triangle, where, in the past century more than 50 ships and 20 aircraft sailed into oblivion. The Nauru99 triangle is part of a research campaign intended to solve some mysteries, like helping scientists to better understand the influence of the tropics on global weather events such as El Niño and La Niña. ![]() The tiny island of Nauru and two research vessels form the three points of a research triangle encompassing an area approximately 360 miles. Each point of the triangle serves as a primary data collection point for the Nauru99 research campaign, collecting measurements on both land and sea. Nauru99 is an intensive campaign to gather the first-ever data on oceanic and atmospheric processes. An international collaboration of some of the world's top climate change experts is collecting data on and around the island of Nauru in the Tropical Western Pacific from June 16 to July 17. The research vessels that are part of the triangle belong to two of the major participants in an international collaboration sponsored by the Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provided the vessel Ron Brown, as well as more than 70 instrumentation buoys currently anchored throughout the tropical ocean. The Mirai is the research vessel of the Japan Marine Science and Technology Center (JAMSTEC). Other participants include Australia's Flinders University and several American universities. Of particular interest to campaign participants is the energy flux, or transfer of energy, that occurs between the ocean and atmosphere. Scientists will study how radiative energy enters and exits the ocean surface, and how clouds affect this transfer. Measurements will be collected on land, in the air, and on the ocean. Initial data analyzed by individual scientists will be integrated to provide a clearer picture of ocean-atmosphere interaction and island effects. Final results of the campaign will be released early next year, although some preliminary results may be released this fall. Scientists expect data collected in Nauru99 to be used for scientific investigations over the next decade. For more information, photos, and daily updates, visit the Nauru99 website http://www.arm.gov/docs/news/nauru99/. Contact: Kathryn Lang, ARM Information Officer, (509) 375-3837, kathryn.lang@pnl.gov or Dawn White, ARM Information Officer, (509) 375-3688, dawn.white@pnl.gov. |
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www.pnl.gov/energyscience/ |