The Vulcan Project

By Miss Cellania in Science & Tech, Video Clips on Apr 9, 2008 at 9:44 am

(YouTube link)
Purdue University created this video on where the greenhouse gasses in the US are coming from, and where they go.

A new, high resolution, interactive map of United States carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels has found that the emissions aren’t all where we thought. The maps and system, called Vulcan, show CO2 emissions at more than 100 times more detail than was available before. Until now, data on carbon dioxide emissions were reported, in the best cases, monthly at the level of an entire state grid. The Vulcan model examines CO2 emissions at local levels on an hourly basis. Purdue researchers say the maps are also more accurate than previous data because they are based on greenhouse gas emissions instead of estimates based on population in areas of the United States.

Read more about the Vulcan Project at the University’s website. Link -via Viral Video Chart

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DrJones
Apr 9th, 2008 at 10:15 am
Very cool! I had no idea what the heck he was talking about for the most part, but the visuals were cool, and I was able to sorta figure out what was goin on!
marc
Apr 9th, 2008 at 10:42 am
I’ve just woken up- what happened?
bean
Apr 9th, 2008 at 10:58 am
Ahh, the crux of the global warming cult: slap together some shiny graphics, start screaming about the world coming to an end… and people who haven’t ever studied environmental science will shrug and say “Ooh, pretty colors. He must be an expert”.
Nastia
Apr 9th, 2008 at 11:13 am
I wish he made some actual conclusions…. So basically the east coast always has a layer of CO2 in the atmosphere, does anyone know how that is affecting us? You think it’s making the weather colder/warmer?
I have no idea what happens when sunlight has to pass through a layer of CO2…
sparge
Apr 9th, 2008 at 11:18 am
Gee, I must have missed the part where they said “global warming.” And here I thought they were simply examining the production and transport of CO2 with a new and better method than was previously available, and pointing out trends in what they observed. Next time I’ll just assume that because the words “greenhouse gas” appear in the description that it must be global warming propaganda.
someguy
Apr 9th, 2008 at 11:22 am
To anyone who believes we are causing global warming: remember that we came out of the ice age long before the first factory was built.

There’s nothing wrong with trying to reduce pollution, but it should be done honestly and without scare tactics.
kid_icarus
Apr 9th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
as spock would say “fascinating”. (get it? vulcan?)

i thought it especially interesting that the co2 emissions off california went south towards mexico and the east coast went north to the arctic. but then again i suppose that is due to tradewinds….

i’d really like to see this done world wide.
CheeseDuck
Apr 9th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Nice pictures. I didnt really catch the rest.
adamg
Apr 9th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
badass, glad to see more good stuff coming out of purdue.
roger
Apr 9th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
@ sparge: clear statements explaining the connection with Purdue’s CO2 research and global warming are found on their Hestia page:

http://www.purdue.edu/climate/hestia/index.shtml

“Climate change is happening, will likely accelerate, and is being driven primarily by rising carbon dioxide levels caused by the combustion of fossil fuels. Although this is common knowledge,… ”

@kid_icarus: if you have a look at the above link to the Hestia site, you’ll see that plans are in the work to do this worldwide

@Nastia: the purported goal of the project is to produce data that scientists & policymakers can use to make further decisions. So I think their “conclusion” is the gridded model itself shown in the video. Also, they believe that C02 warms the atmosphere via the greenhouse effect.

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