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"Discovery Files" Features from the National Science Foundation
"Collateral Damage"
Fully produced report in MP3 format:
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96 kbps
(90 seconds)
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READER SCRIPT
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AS NATURE TAKES ITS COURSE, WE GET A COURSE IN NATURE... THE "DISCOVERY FILES": NEW ADVANCES IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, FROM THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION. IN THE ROCKIES, JUST NORTHWEST OF BOULDER, COLORADO, ARE THOUSANDS OF MAJESTIC "LODGE-POLE PINES"--SOME ALMOST 100 FEET TALL, AND MOST OF THEM DEAD. THEY'RE VICTIMS OF AN INFESTATION OF "PINE-BARK BEETLES"--NATURAL PREDATORS THAT, BECAUSE OF MILDER WINTERS AND DRIER SUMMERS, HAVE PROLIFERATED TO A POINT MANY TIMES GREATER THAN NORMAL. THE RESULT: SEVERAL "LODGE-POLE GRAVEYARDS"--EERIE, BROWN, STANDING REMNANTS OF A ONCE-THRIVING FORESTS IN NORTHERN COLORADO, AND SOUTHERN WYOMING. N-CAR--THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH, IN BOULDER--IS LEADING A NEW PROJECT TO LOOK AT INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE EARTH'S SURFACE AND THE ATMOSPHERE. SCIENTISTS WILL ANALYZE THE EFFECTS OF THESE LARGE SWATCHES OF DEAD FOREST--ON TEMPERATURE, SMOG, AND OTHER ASPECTS OF THE ATMOSPHERE. THIS FOUR-YEAR FIELD STUDY WILL USE AIRCRAFT, GROUND-BASED INSTRUMENTS, AND COMPUTER MODELING TO ANALYZE "COLLATERAL DAMAGE"--UNSEEN CONSEQUENCES CAUSED WHEN LARGE PARTS OF THE FOREST SUDDENLY DIE OFF. EARLY COMPUTER MODELS SUGGEST THAT TEMPERATURES IN THIS REGION COULD TEMPORARILY RISE TWO TO FOUR DEGREES; CLOUD AND PRECIPITATION PATTERNS COULD BE AFFECTED FOR DECADES; AND THERE COULD BE AN INCREASE IN SMOG IN URBAN AREAS, BECAUSE OF HIGHER LEVELS OF CARBON-DIOXIDE. THE "DISCOVERY FILES" COVERS PROJECTS FUNDED BY THE GOVERNMENT'S NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH BROUGHT TO YOU BY YOU! LEARN MORE AT "N-S-F"-DOT-GOV--OR ON THEIR PODCAST.
For additional "Discovery Files" features from the National Science Foundation, click here.
