ASA's Applied Science Weblog

ASA Out and About

ASA Employees are always on the move; attending seminars, symposiums, and meetings around the country and the world.  We are continuously presenting the work we're doing; engaging partners, clients, and the public in our science and solutions.

You can also find a list of where you'll find one or more of us in the near future here: http://www.asascience.com/news/events

ASA Field Work: out of the office and into the jungle

On a recent trip to Brazil, ASA Principal Debbie French McCay spent several days following the path of an oil spill through the wilds of the jungle in Paraná state. The field team included several ASA employees from the Brazil office, in addition to local biologists and guides. The group was gathering data to help calibrate the models that will be used to simulate the spill and quantify the impacts to the ecosystem. This project is of particular interest because much of Paraná is covered by Atlantic Forest, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. 

While much of the work done at ASA focuses on computer modeling, it is important that our scientists get into field, especially remote locations, to ensure that our simulations are accurately representing the local systems. Plus, who doesn’t love a trek through a jungle with a machete!!

Salazar Announces Renewable Energy Office

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that the Minerals Management Service (MMS) will establish a new regional office in 2010 to support renewable energy development on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) off the Atlantic seaboard.

“Given the enormous potential for renewable energy development, especially wind energy, in the Mid and North Atlantic,” Secretary Salazar said, “MMS needs a dedicated Atlantic Region office as we plan for offshore renewable energy commercial leasing.”

The Atlantic OCS Region will be responsible for evaluating permits for renewable energy activities in an effective, efficient and consistent manner while being responsive to the States, developers and other stakeholders. 

The new office will implement and manage the offshore renewable energy program, including leasing, environmental programs, the formation of task forces, State consultation, and post-lease permitting in Federal waters off the East Coast. 

In these first months of the Obama Administration, the Department of the Interior created the first-ever framework for offshore renewable energy development and worked with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to clear out bureaucratic obstacles to offshore renewable energy projects.

Read the full Press Release from the DOI - http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/120909.html

China passes 'renewables first' energy legislation

China’s legislature has amended a 2006 law to require grid operators to buy all the electricity produced by renewables. The amended law will hugely benefit wind farms in remote regions of the country, and could spark a drive towards smart grid technology.

In doing so, China joins a growing list of countries that already mandate that grid operators prioritise renewably-generated electricity in their energy mix, regardless of how much more expensive it is than coal- or gas-fired electricity.

Grid operators who refuse to buy green electricity face fines up to double the loss they cause renewables developers by not hooking up their projects, Xinhua news agency reports.

As China’s wind industry expands there is an increasing friction between project developers – who prefer to build wind farms in remote areas such as Inner Mongolia and Gansu – and grid operators, who are focused on providing cheap electricity to the population-dense coastal areas.

Read full article in RECHARGE News

ASA is now poised with a new office in Shanghai to service China's growing renewable energy infrastructure.

ASA goes Pink: Lee National Denim Day

On Friday October 2, 2009 Applied Science Associates participated in Lee National Denim Day to raise money for Breast Cancer research and awareness.  Donations were made for all employees who wore denim and those who were willing to wear pink contributed twofold. 

A pink pancake breakfast was enjoyed in the spirit of the day.  This year’s Denim day raised $4 to $5 million and had approximately 800,000 participants nationwide.   For more information on Lee National Denim Day visit:   

http://www.denimday.com/

Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force Public Meeting, Providence, RI

On June 12, 2009, President Obama sent a memorandum to the heads of executive departments and federal agencies establishing an Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force, led by the White House Council on Environmental Quality. The Task Force is charged with developing a recommendation for a national policy that ensures protection, maintenance, and restoration of oceans, our coasts and the Great Lakes. It will also recommend a framework for improved stewardship, and effective coastal and marine spatial planning. 

 

On 24 September, Lauren Decker, Lee Dooley, Kelly Knee, and Christin Reynolds attended the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force Public Meeting held in Providence, RI.  ASA gave specific recommendations to close the gap between science and policy through public private partnerships related to marine spatial planning, eco-system based management, and data integration to the Task Force representatives along with testimony from other private, public, and non-profit organizations.

For more information on the White House Council on Environmental Quality Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/oceans/

To submit or view public comments to the Task Force: http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/oceans/

In Liquid and Air, Scientists Find Order Among the Chaos - NY Times

ASA's CJ Beegle-Krause was interviewed by the New York Times for an interesting article about Lagrangian coherent structures.  She also brought in Search and Rescue expert Art Allen of the U.S. Coast Guard to contribute to the story.  Very interesting piece on front page of the New York Times Science section:

Finding Order in the Apparent Chaos of Currents

 

By BINA VENKATARAMAN

Suppose a blob of dioxin-rich pesticide is spilled into Monterey Bay. It might quickly disperse to the Pacific Ocean. But hours later, a spill of the same size at the same spot could circle near the coastline, posing a greater danger to marine life. The briny surface waters of the bay churn so chaotically that a slight shift in the place or time an oil drop, a buoy — or even a person — falls in can dictate whether it is swept out to the open ocean or swirls near the shore.

But the results are not unpredictable. A team of scientists... [read the full article in NYT.com]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/science/29chaos.html?_r=1&ref=science

Wind Turbines Popping Up Left and Right

Proposal to build wind turbine at N. Kingstown High School, Feasibility Study by ASA

WPRI News Channel 12 visited ASA to speak with Senior Principal and wind energy expert, Daniel Mendelsohn for more details about the growing number of wind energy projects in Rhode Island and ASA's work involving wind energy analysis.  ASA has recently contracted with the North Kingstown School Department to provide a full wind energy feasibility study to assess the possibility of installing a wind turbine to generate power to offset energy costs for the school department, similar to what the town of Portsmouth has done.

News12 Green Team reports with this segment:

Link to full story on WPRI.com - http://www.wpri.com/dpp/on_air/green_team/local_wpri_wind_turbine_proposal_at_north_kingsrtown_high_school_20090916_mds

Rising Sea Levels Putting New York City at Risk

With Ocean Levels Rising, Coastal Cities Assess Computer Forecasts as They Weigh Future Costs, Exposure and Dangers

ASA shared some flooding and inundation models with the Wall Street Journal for their piece, "Rising Sea Levels Putting New York City at Risk", featuring this article
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125261934441101047.html

and this video:

Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) Sound Predictions 2009 Experiment Data & Model Visualization Made Public Via Google Earth and Cloud Computing

Applied Science Associates (ASA) has enabled public access to real-time data from the Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) Sound Predictions 2009 Prince William Sound (PWS) experiment through Google Earth. ASA is posting ROMS Data (Dr. Yi Chao), WRF Data (Dr. Peter Olsson), and HFRadar (Dr. Mark Johnson) plus ASA drifter simulations using these model data (sources: http://ak.aoos.org/aoos/fieldexp/data_by_pi-researcher.html).  ASA has integrated data from PWS experiment's ocean observing systems and models to create Google Earth KML files which are hosted using Amazon cloud computing. Amazon S3 storage enables efficient distribution of large datasets by dividing the work among computers based in data centers around the globe.

The Google Earth link:
http://asascience_pws.s3.amazonaws.com/PWS_DATA.kml

From July 19-Aug 3, the experimental scientific collaborative will be evaluating regional forecast models for their effectiveness in predicting wind, waves, and ocean circulation in Prince William Sound. Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), gliders, and drifters will be used to roam Prince William Sound in an effort to collect scientific data in the 2-week field test called Sound Predictions 2009 (www.aoos.org). Prince William Sound, the site of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, draws a variety of activities including sport and commercial fishermen, cruise ships, recreational boaters and oil tankers on their way to and from the Valdez oil terminal. To enhance navigation safety and gain a better understanding of ocean circulation and ecosystem processes, researchers are deploying scientific technologies into the Sound to test the accuracy of ocean observation models and their ability to effectively predict weather, wind, currents, and waves.

New data sets are being added and improvements are being made during the two-week experiment so be sure to check back regularly. Let us know if you have comments or suggestions.

For more information about the Sound Predictions 2009 experiment: http://www.aoos.org/fieldexp/index.html