Monday, January 16, 2012

Travel Picks: World's top 10 film festivals (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? With the Sundance Film Festival starting next Thursday and the Oscars not too far off, the movie buffs at online travel adviser Cheapflights (http:///www.cheapflights.com) have compiled a top 10 list of their favorite film festivals across the globe. Reuters has not endorsed this list:

1. Sundance Film Festival - Park City, Utah, United States

Sundance Film Festival started out in 1978 as an event designed to attract more filmmakers to Utah while staying away from the overpowering Hollywood scene. Thirty-four years later, Sundance is the largest independent film festival in the United States, exhibiting feature-length films, documentaries, shorts, and animation while fostering dialogues among film enthusiasts. This year, the festival will run from Jan 19-29 in Park City, Utah, showcasing 200 films whittled down from nearly 9,000 submissions. Can't make it to the big event? On Jan 26, nine movie theaters across the United States will be hosting a filmmaker and his or her work as part of Sundance Film Festival USA, so you may be able to participate in the festivities wherever you are.

2. International Film Festival Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Though it receives less tourist traffic than its neighboring city, Amsterdam, Rotterdam is a modern representation of Dutch culture, and its annual film festival is constantly paving the way for all genres of innovative and thought-provoking cinema. This year's event will run from Jan 25 to Feb 5, and will encompass 19 screening venues - upwards of 350,000 viewers are expected to attend. Rotterdam attendees are passionate movie-goers, so program directors make a point of stripping down the superfluous aspects of film, like commercials and trailers, for an untarnished viewing experience.

3. Cannes International Film Festival - Cannes, France

The highly esteemed Cannes Film Festival sets the trend for up-and-coming cinema every year while boosting the film industry's caliber worldwide. As one of the most prominent film events recognized internationally, Cannes is the place for big names in cinema to show their latest work. Set along the pristine beaches of the French Riviera, warm temperatures and bright sunshine only add to the exciting atmosphere of the event. This year's star-studded festival will run from May 16-27. Attending the festival is by invitation only, but we suggest heading to the Tourist Office and getting passes to the Beach Cinema for free nightly screenings.

4. Guadalajara Film Festival - Guadalajara, Mexico

Considered the most significant film affair in Latin America, Guadalajara Film Festival is an important cultural event, showcasing Mexican and Latino talent alongside other international works of cinematic art. Thanks to Guadalajara Film Festival, Latin American film has become a competitor in the global film industry. From March 2-12, over 100,000 film lovers are expected to flood the streets and theaters of Guadalajara, viewing close to 200 films. While not as chaotic as Mexico City, Guadalajara is a destination perfect for exploring colonial history, enjoying the Mexican culture, shopping street markets and savoring traditional regional cuisine.

5. Rooftop Films - New York, New York, United States

New York City is known for filmmaking, and great festivals like The New York Film Festival and Tribeca are constantly at the forefront when it comes to showcasing the talent of filmmakers from around the world. But veer slightly off the beaten path to the skyline of the Big Apple, and check out our favorite New York festival known as Rooftop Films. What started out in 1997 as film screenings on the roof of a newly graduated film student's apartment has now expanded across Manhattan and Brooklyn. The festival runs on weekends from May to September.

6. Toronto International Film Festival - Toronto, Canada

The Toronto International Film Festival, which premiered in 1976 as an independent film festival, has grown to become one of the most important and influential festivals in North America, and is the leading public film festival in the world. Year after year, works from the Toronto festival have gone on to become Academy Award winners. This exciting and extensive festival takes place in the beginning of September (this year from Sept 6 to 16), and close to 350,000 attendees head to Canada's largest metropolis in the hopes of viewing what will be the next classic piece of cinematic art. Aside from putting Canada on the map as a competitor in the global film industry, Toronto's festival has become a launching pad for the success of new films released every fall.

7. Venice International Film Festival - Venice, Italy

The Venice Film Festival started in 1932, making it the oldest film festival in the world. Every year, this expansive event is held on the island of Lido in the fascinating city of Venice. Unlike similarly large film festivals such as Cannes, public attendees are able to purchase passes in advance to the screenings. This year's festival will run from Aug 29 until Sept 8 and screen more than 275 projects, 75 of which will be national and international premieres. And, if the film scene isn't enticing enough, Venice ranks high among travelers as a destination, encompassing history, culture and romantic charm.

8. Hong Kong International Film Festival - Hong Kong, China

The perfect blend of East Asian culture and a thriving global market, Hong Kong is a popular destination for tourists from all over the world. It's no wonder that the Hong Kong International Film Festival has become one of the largest in the world, and has bridged the gap between Asian cinema and the global film industry. This year's event will take place from March 21 to April 5, showcasing more than 330 titles from 50 countries to an expected 600,000 viewers. Spread among more than 11 venues all around Hong Kong, including the Space Museum and City Hall, visitors get the chance to witness the latest works while exploring the vibrant city.

9. Berlin International Film Festival- Berlin, Germany

One of the most renowned film festivals in the world, the Berlin International Film Festival (also known as Berlinale) combines the glamour of filmmaking - parties, red carpet, high fashion - with the appreciation of cinematic art in a variety of genres. Divided into 10 separate sections, highlighting areas like experimental and avant-garde works, shorts geared towards younger generations, films focused around culinary themes and several others, there's a place for all film admirers at Berlinale. This year's festival will kick off on Feb 9 and last 10 days. It is expected that visitors from more than 115 countries will be in attendance to screen and discuss a variety of international films.

10. East End Film Festival - East London, United Kingdom As one of the largest film festivals in London, East End continues to grow in the industry as a high-profile event for filmmakers. In 2011, more than 60 feature films were screened, along with hundreds of shorts, all from more than 30 different countries. Submissions are based around several themes, the most popular being British, European and World films, horror and music. This coming July 3-8, coinciding with the Olympics, dozens of venues will open in East London to screen the latest works - many free - from both seasoned and up-and-coming film professionals. Plus, there will be plenty of live music, master classes and other special events to participate in.

(Editing by Paul Casciato)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120113/film_nm/us_travel_picks_filmfestivals

the bachelor alabama football coachella 2012 line up lsu crimson tide crimson tide dixville notch

Sunday, January 15, 2012

America Stressed Out, Overweight and Depressed: Study (ContributorNetwork)

According to the 2011 Stress in America report, released on January 11, 39 percent of the 1,226 Americans who took the American Psychological Association's online survey report that their stress has increased in the past year. And respondents who reported higher levels of stress were more likely to be obese or suffering from depression.

"The Stress in America survey continues to show a nation at a crossroads when it comes to stress and health," said psychologist Norman B. Anderson, CEO and executive vice president of the American Psychological Association, in a press release that accompanied the survey. "We are caught in a vicious cycle where our stress exceeds our own definition of what is healthy, and those who are already living with a chronic illness report even higher levels of stress. Yet we're ill-equipped to make changes to better manage that stress."

While more adults acknowledge that stress can impact their health, contributing to illnesses such as heart disease, depression and obesity, only 29 percent of respondents felt like they did an excellent or very good job of managing or reducing stress in their lives. The most commonly cited causes of stress for Americans include money problems (75 percent), work (70 percent) and the economy (67 percent). Relationships, family responsibilities, family health problems and personal health concerns were also given by more than half of the respondents as stressors in their lives.

According to the study, slightly more people stated that they relieve stress by listening to music than those who gave exercise as their favorite way to unwind. Those who said spending time with friends and family relieved their stress has declined from 46 percent in 2010 to 38 percent in 2011. More than half (51 percent) of respondents stated that it takes a great amount of time and effort to get their families to exercise and cite lack of motivation as well as work and personal obligations as the reasons they don't exercise more themselves. Respondents felt that eating well and exercising were less important to a healthy lifestyle than good family relationships and friendships, managing stress, getting enough sleep and doing well at work.

Fewer than half of all men and women feel satisfied with their financial security. Women report higher stress levels than men do, though men are less likely to feel that they are doing excellent or very good at handling personal relationships, eating healthy or getting enough sleep, the study showed. Men are also less likely than women to report that they think psychologists can help them to make lifestyle and behavior changes and more likely to report diagnoses of chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and heart disease or heart attack.

The study's results said Americans living on the East Coast report the most stress and are least able to deal with that stress. Westerners are the healthiest and least likely to have physical issues that are attributed with stress. Most frequent cause of stress in the lives of those living on the East Coast is money, the study showed, while those in the South and West say family responsibilities are stressing them out. However, residents in the West also cite spending time with family and friends as a way to manage stress more often than respondents in other regions. More residents of the East Coast drink alcohol and do yoga, while those in the Midwest and South are more likely to pray during times of stress.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/diseases/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120113/hl_ac/10824341_america_stressed_out_overweight_and_depressed_study

troy polamalu james harrison james harrison gop debate falcons ny giants norman borlaug

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Source: Locklear 'Out of Control' on Drugs, Booze (omg!)

Heather Locklear was doing drugs and alcohol and was "out of control" when her sister called 911 on Thursday, according to a source.

MORE: Heather Locklear Rushed to Hospital

"Heather became a different person on drugs," the source says, noting that there is talk of Heather going directly from the hospital to rehab. According to the source, Heather has been in and out of rehab for years.

MORE: IN Pics: Celebrity Rehab Successes

The source tells ET that Heather was "having a hard time" with her on-again, off-again relationship with Jack Wagner, and that although they had called off their engagement, they had gotten back together, but had recently broken up again. The source reports that a major issue in her relationship with Wagner is that he is sober and she is not.

MORE: Heather Locklear to be Held Overnight

Heather's daughter Ava with ex Richie Sambora is with her father and the plan is for her to be with him until Heather has gotten her life together, according to a source.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_heather_locklear_control_drugs_booze175600250/44170070/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/heather-locklear-control-drugs-booze-175600250.html

matt nathanson rick perry oops rick perry oops tom bradley penn state tom bradley penn state grace potter grace potter

Is Anthony Johnson too small for middleweight?

A 15-pound jump is huge in the fight world, unless you're a guy who walks around 40 pounds heavier than your weight class.

This weekend at UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro, Anthony Johnson is moving from 170 pounds to middleweight against veteran Vitor Belfort.

Belfort is no small 185 pounder. He spent most of his career at light heavyweight before the drop down. Watching the UFC 142 prefight conference today and judging by some photos it was hard to tell if Johnson is making a mistake from a size standpoint.

George Garcia from MMAjunkie radio thought Johnson looked undersized.

Looking at the photo above, he might be right, but then in the photo below Johnson looks like the bigger fighter.

In the end, it probably won't matter unless the fight features plenty of clinch work. Johnson says Belfort won't be able to handle his onslaught on the feet.

"Versatility will be a key in this fight," Johnson told HeavyMMA. "I have punches, kicks, takedowns, and he still has a long way to go. But I'm not looking past his abilities or anything like that. I just don't see anything Vitor can do to me that I can't do to him and then some.

Watch UFC 142 right here on Yahoo! Sports

Other popular content on the Y! network:
? ThePostGame: Big-time sports agent details his downfall
? New Jacksonville Jaguars owner takes shot at poor NFL fans
? Tight NBA schedule causing injuries; just ask Dwyane Wade
? Shine: How well behaved are your kids?

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/anthony-johnson-too-small-middleweight-185326862.html

cyber monday deals 2011 cyber monday deals 2011 real housewives of atlanta bernie fine bernie fine matt leinart cyber monday 2011

Friday, January 13, 2012

Panasonic HDTVs show off Time Warner Cable IPTV app with live streaming channels, DVR access

Time Warner launched the TWCable TV live streaming app for iPad last year (Android streaming coming soon), and now at CES Panasonic is showing off a version for TVs. While it's still streaming TV channels from the internet just like the tablet version, the one Panasonic is demonstrating also has DLNA streaming access to anything stored in DVRs on the same home network. We're told the app should work on 2012 and 2011 Panasonic HDTVs, and while there was no word of a release date, the app appeared pretty polished. It's not clear if the cable company is making the jump fully to IPTV yet (or anytime soon), but if it's going to straddle the midpoint then Panasonic's sets are ready for a set-top boxless future. From what we hear, this could launch on multiple platforms later this year. Check out a few more screenshots in the gallery below, we'll let you know about any more details as they become available.

Panasonic HDTVs show off Time Warner Cable IPTV app with live streaming channels, DVR access originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments


Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/ILrQUgF6_GU/

brian eno tomb of the unknown soldier tomb of the unknown soldier reo reo chilis snow white and the huntsman

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Razer shows-off Project Fiona, a PC gaming tablet (hands-on video ...

Min-Liang Tan, founder of enthusiast PC-gaming firm Razer, has been thinking about Fiona for a while. The concept project is part-tablet, part PC, and all gaming machine.

Tan showed off Fiona, a new concept tablet computer for gamers, today at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. He loaded up the PC game Space Marine and started shooting away, using the game controls that were attached as handles to the side of the tablet. This is the sort of no-compromise PC gaming experience that can happen on tablets once Windows 8 ships, Tan said.

?Try to do that on an iPad,? he said. ?Tablets today are good enough for casual gaming. This isn?t Angry Birds,? a reference to the lightweight entertainment that you often find on Apple?s iOS devices.

?This is the only tablet in the world designed specifically for PC gaming,? he said.

Fiona is a thick tablet that will take a much different form when it debuts in the second half of the year. Right now it uses an Intel quad-core Core i7 microprocessor, and it will eventually run Windows 8. You can rest it on your knees and lean back to play it on a couch. When Microsoft ships Windows 8, you?ll be able to use the Metro touchscreen interface to browse through games.

?This is going to run a full library of PC games right out of the box,? Tan said. ?This is a concept device, and the design will change, but you can see that it has great graphics.?

You can socialize on the system and compare your score to other players?s scores. The system automatically accepts game controls such as Xbox 360 game controllers, so it?s easy to control the games. Fiona is a little heavier than most other tablets, but it has a full-fledged gaming computer under the hood.

Next Story: Dow Jones said VCs had a ?lackluster? 2011, recession still in?effect
Previous Story: Mercedes-Benz brings Facebook, Google and more to the?dashboard

Tags: CES, CES 2012, Consumer Electronics Show, Project Fiona

Companies: Razer

People: Min-Liang Tan

Source: http://venturebeat.com/2012/01/10/razer-shows-project-fiona-a-pc-gaming-tablet-hands-on-video/

phaedra parks oklahoma earthquake new madrid fault current time earthquake today earthquake today droid razr

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

UCSB scientists say topography played key role in Deepwater Horizon disaster

UCSB scientists say topography played key role in Deepwater Horizon disaster [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 9-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: George Foulsham
george.foulsham@ia.ucsb.edu
805-893-3071
University of California - Santa Barbara

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) When UC Santa Barbara geochemist David Valentine and colleagues published a study in early 2011 documenting how bacteria blooms had consumed almost all of the deepwater methane plumes following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, some people were skeptical. How, they asked, could almost all of the lethal gas emitted from the Deepwater Horizon well just disappear?

In a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Valentine, Igor Mezic, a professor of mechanical engineering at UCSB, and their co-authors explain how they used an innovative computer model to demonstrate the roles of underwater topography, currents, and bacteria of the Gulf of Mexico in the disappearance of methane and other chemicals that spewed from the well for nearly three months after it erupted about 40 miles off the Louisiana coast on April 20, 2010.

The new study, according to Valentine, is a logical extension of his 2011 study, in which he and his research partners explained the role of bacteria in consuming more than 200,000 metric tons of dissolved methane. That study, published in the journal Science, was recently chosen as number 39 in Discover magazine's Top 100 stories of 2011.

"It seemed to me we were putting together a lot of pieces," Valentine said. "We would go out, take some samples, and we would study what was happening in those samples, both during and after the spill. There was a transition of the microorganisms and a transition of the biodegradation, and it was very clear that we needed to somehow incorporate the movement of the water. I knew there was going to be an important component of the physics of the water motion, where the water went. I realized that linkage might provide that third leg to the stool for this thing to sit right."

So Valentine turned to Mezic, who had published a study in 2011 forecasting where the oil slick produced by the Deepwater Horizon spill would spread. "Our work was contributing on the side of here's where the oil leaked and here's where it went," Mezic said. "Dave and I met and said, 'Wouldn't it be beautiful if we could put a nice, detailed hydrodynamic model together with a nice, detailed bacterial model?' So we sat down and, in the course of an hour, we had the basic tenets of the model that combined the two."

Their computer model was loaded with data on the chemical composition of hydrocarbons flowing into the Gulf of Mexico, and seeded with 52 types of bacteria to consume the diverse hydrocarbons. The physical characteristics were based on the Navy's model of the Gulf's ocean currents, and on observations of the water's movements immediately after the spill and for several months after it ended.

The scientists then sought the help of Mezic's former colleagues engineers at the University of Rijeka in Croatia. "We needed somebody to produce the analytics, build the software," Mezic said. "It was a big task, a mad rush, but they did it. The power behind this is a tour de force. A typical study of this kind would take a year, at least. We found a way that led us to answers in three or four months."

The model revealed that one of the key factors in the disappearance of the hydrocarbon plumes was the physical structure of the Gulf of Mexico. "It's the geography of the Gulf," Valentine said. "It's almost like a box canyon. As you go northward, it comes to a head. As a result, it's not a river down there; it's more of a bay. And the spillage happened in a fairly enclosed area, particularly at the depths where hydrocarbons were dissolving."

When the hydrocarbons were released from the well, bacteria bloomed. In other locations, those blooms would be swept away by prevailing ocean currents, but in the Gulf of Mexico, they swirled around at great depths like a washing machine, and often circled back over the leaking well, sometimes two or three times.

"What we see is that some of the water that already had been exposed to hydrocarbons at the well and experienced bacterial blooms, then come back over the well," Valentine said. "So these waters already have a community in them, and now they're getting a second input of hydrocarbons. As the water comes back over, the organisms that have already bloomed and eaten their preferred hydrocarbons immediately attack and go after certain compounds. So they are fed this new influx of hydrocarbon. The result is that, when you have these developed communities coming back over the wellhead, they consume the hydrocarbons much more quickly, and the pattern of the bacterial composition and hydrocarbon composition behaves differently. It changes at a different rate than when the waters were first exposed."

The model allowed the scientists to test this hypothesis and look at some of the factors that had been measured: oxygen deficits and microbial community structure. "And what we found was that we see very good agreement between the two," Valentine said. "We have about a 70 percent success rate of hitting where those oxygen declines were. It means that not only is the physics model doing a good job of moving the water in the right place, but also that the biology and chemistry are doing a good job, because you need those to get the oxygen declines. It's really a holistic view of what's going on."

There are valuable lessons to be learned from this study, both scientists said. "It tells us that the motion of the water is going to be an extremely important component in determining how rapidly the different hydrocarbons are broken down," Valentine said. "It gives us the concepts that we can now apply to other situations, if we understand the physics."

Mezic said that this should be a wake-up call for anyone thinking of drilling for oil. "The general perspective is that we need to pay more attention to where the currents are flowing around the places where we have spills," he said. "We don't have a model for most of those. Why not mandate a model? This one worked three quarters of the predictions were correct. For almost everything, you build a model. You build an airplane, you have a model. But you can drill without having a model. It's possible we can predict this. That's what the model is for."

###

The research was supported by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, and the Office of Naval Research. Besides Valentine and Mezic, other co-authors are Senka Macesic, Nelida Crnjaric-Zic, and Stefan Ivic, of the University of Rijeka in Croatia; Patrick J. Hogan of the Naval Research Laboratory; Sophie Loire of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UCSB; and Vladimir A. Fonoberov of Aimdyn, Inc. of Santa Barbara.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


UCSB scientists say topography played key role in Deepwater Horizon disaster [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 9-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: George Foulsham
george.foulsham@ia.ucsb.edu
805-893-3071
University of California - Santa Barbara

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) When UC Santa Barbara geochemist David Valentine and colleagues published a study in early 2011 documenting how bacteria blooms had consumed almost all of the deepwater methane plumes following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, some people were skeptical. How, they asked, could almost all of the lethal gas emitted from the Deepwater Horizon well just disappear?

In a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Valentine, Igor Mezic, a professor of mechanical engineering at UCSB, and their co-authors explain how they used an innovative computer model to demonstrate the roles of underwater topography, currents, and bacteria of the Gulf of Mexico in the disappearance of methane and other chemicals that spewed from the well for nearly three months after it erupted about 40 miles off the Louisiana coast on April 20, 2010.

The new study, according to Valentine, is a logical extension of his 2011 study, in which he and his research partners explained the role of bacteria in consuming more than 200,000 metric tons of dissolved methane. That study, published in the journal Science, was recently chosen as number 39 in Discover magazine's Top 100 stories of 2011.

"It seemed to me we were putting together a lot of pieces," Valentine said. "We would go out, take some samples, and we would study what was happening in those samples, both during and after the spill. There was a transition of the microorganisms and a transition of the biodegradation, and it was very clear that we needed to somehow incorporate the movement of the water. I knew there was going to be an important component of the physics of the water motion, where the water went. I realized that linkage might provide that third leg to the stool for this thing to sit right."

So Valentine turned to Mezic, who had published a study in 2011 forecasting where the oil slick produced by the Deepwater Horizon spill would spread. "Our work was contributing on the side of here's where the oil leaked and here's where it went," Mezic said. "Dave and I met and said, 'Wouldn't it be beautiful if we could put a nice, detailed hydrodynamic model together with a nice, detailed bacterial model?' So we sat down and, in the course of an hour, we had the basic tenets of the model that combined the two."

Their computer model was loaded with data on the chemical composition of hydrocarbons flowing into the Gulf of Mexico, and seeded with 52 types of bacteria to consume the diverse hydrocarbons. The physical characteristics were based on the Navy's model of the Gulf's ocean currents, and on observations of the water's movements immediately after the spill and for several months after it ended.

The scientists then sought the help of Mezic's former colleagues engineers at the University of Rijeka in Croatia. "We needed somebody to produce the analytics, build the software," Mezic said. "It was a big task, a mad rush, but they did it. The power behind this is a tour de force. A typical study of this kind would take a year, at least. We found a way that led us to answers in three or four months."

The model revealed that one of the key factors in the disappearance of the hydrocarbon plumes was the physical structure of the Gulf of Mexico. "It's the geography of the Gulf," Valentine said. "It's almost like a box canyon. As you go northward, it comes to a head. As a result, it's not a river down there; it's more of a bay. And the spillage happened in a fairly enclosed area, particularly at the depths where hydrocarbons were dissolving."

When the hydrocarbons were released from the well, bacteria bloomed. In other locations, those blooms would be swept away by prevailing ocean currents, but in the Gulf of Mexico, they swirled around at great depths like a washing machine, and often circled back over the leaking well, sometimes two or three times.

"What we see is that some of the water that already had been exposed to hydrocarbons at the well and experienced bacterial blooms, then come back over the well," Valentine said. "So these waters already have a community in them, and now they're getting a second input of hydrocarbons. As the water comes back over, the organisms that have already bloomed and eaten their preferred hydrocarbons immediately attack and go after certain compounds. So they are fed this new influx of hydrocarbon. The result is that, when you have these developed communities coming back over the wellhead, they consume the hydrocarbons much more quickly, and the pattern of the bacterial composition and hydrocarbon composition behaves differently. It changes at a different rate than when the waters were first exposed."

The model allowed the scientists to test this hypothesis and look at some of the factors that had been measured: oxygen deficits and microbial community structure. "And what we found was that we see very good agreement between the two," Valentine said. "We have about a 70 percent success rate of hitting where those oxygen declines were. It means that not only is the physics model doing a good job of moving the water in the right place, but also that the biology and chemistry are doing a good job, because you need those to get the oxygen declines. It's really a holistic view of what's going on."

There are valuable lessons to be learned from this study, both scientists said. "It tells us that the motion of the water is going to be an extremely important component in determining how rapidly the different hydrocarbons are broken down," Valentine said. "It gives us the concepts that we can now apply to other situations, if we understand the physics."

Mezic said that this should be a wake-up call for anyone thinking of drilling for oil. "The general perspective is that we need to pay more attention to where the currents are flowing around the places where we have spills," he said. "We don't have a model for most of those. Why not mandate a model? This one worked three quarters of the predictions were correct. For almost everything, you build a model. You build an airplane, you have a model. But you can drill without having a model. It's possible we can predict this. That's what the model is for."

###

The research was supported by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, and the Office of Naval Research. Besides Valentine and Mezic, other co-authors are Senka Macesic, Nelida Crnjaric-Zic, and Stefan Ivic, of the University of Rijeka in Croatia; Patrick J. Hogan of the Naval Research Laboratory; Sophie Loire of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UCSB; and Vladimir A. Fonoberov of Aimdyn, Inc. of Santa Barbara.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/uoc--uss010512.php

online black friday deals nfl scores nfl scores college football scores arkansas razorbacks arkansas football maggie daley