Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Tuesday 2 July 2019

Video game designer

establishes lab for

renewable energy

KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii (AP) Planet Foundation. One
— A Dutch video game of Rogers' software com-
designer and entrepreneur panies has the intellectual
has established a labora- property rights to Tetris, ac-
tory on the Big Island that cording to the foundation's
is focused on developing website.
alternatives to fossil fuels for Blue Planet wants to com-
energy, the Hawaii Tribune- bine the use of solar energy
Herald reported. and hydrogen energy cells.
Henk Rogers established Because solar is an intermit-
the laboratory to test and tent power source, it's im-
develop renewable en- portant to be able to store
ergy systems that he hopes the energy to use during
will make the state's en- off-peak hours. There's usu-
ergy use 100% renewable ally 3.8 hours of quality sun-
by 2045, ending the state's shine in the mornings at the
reliance on fossil fuels that ranch, but the sky clouds
This January 2017 photo provided by Ted Scambos shows sea ice on the ocean surrounding Ant- Rogers says is adding acid over as the day progresses.
arctica during an expedition to the Ross Sea. to the ocean and killing the "We knew storage was
Associated Press coral reef, the newspaper important and the key,"
reported Sunday. said Paul Ponthieux, direc-
The laboratory, which is tor and chief technology
Floating Antarctic ice goes from on a ranch, is currently fo- officer of Blue Planet Re-
record high to record lows cused on the use of hydro- search. "We have to grab
gen to create energy. The all our energy in the limited
laboratory wants to use window."
hydrogen energy cells to The laboratory uses solar
WASHINGTON (AP) — The know if this is a natural blip (10.7 million square kilome- store the energy harnessed energy to pass an electric
amount of ice circling Ant- that will go away or more ters, according to the study by the solar panels, to pow- current through water to
arctica is suddenly plung- long-term global warming in Monday's Proceedings er the community water create hydrogen gas and
ing from a record high to that is finally catching up of the National Academy system, to create jobs and oxygen, the newspaper
record lows, baffling scien- with the South Pole. Ant- of Sciences. to cook food, the Tribune- reports. The hydrogen is
tists. arctica hasn't showed as The difference covers an Herald reported. then stored under pressure
Floating ice off the south- much consistent warming area bigger than the size of The laboratory is run under in energy cells, similar to a
ern continent steadily in- as its northern Arctic cous- Mexico. Losing that much the auspices of Rogers' Blue battery.q
creased from 1979 and in. in just three years "is pretty
hit a record high in 2014. "But the fact that a change incredible" and faster than
But three years later, the this big can happen in anything scientists have Melted Alaska sea ice
annual average extent such a short time should seen before, said study
lowest mark, wiping out tion that the Earth has the a NASA climate scien- alarms coast residents,
of Antarctic sea ice hit its be viewed as an indica-
author Claire Parkinson,
of gains — and then some, rapid change," University creased slightly in 2018, but scientists
three-and-a-half decades potential for significant and tist. Antarctic sea ice in-
a NASA study of satellite of Colorado ice scientist still was the second lowest
data shows. Waleed Abdalati said in an since 1979. Even though ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) "We didn't know if we'd
In recent years, "things email. ice is growing this time of — Sea ice along north- have our winter food," she
have been crazy," said At the polar regions, ice lev- year in Antarctica, levels ern Alaska disappeared said. "That was scary."
Mark Serreze, director of els grow during the winter in May and June this year far earlier than normal this The hunters ran out of gas
the National Snow and Ice and shrink in the summer. were the lowest on record, spring, alarming coastal after harvesting eight seals
Data Center. In an email, Around Antarctica, sea eclipsing 2017, according residents who rely on wild- and a walrus. They were
he called the plummeting ice averaged 4.9 million to the ice data center. life and fish. able to call other residents
ice levels "a white-knuckle square miles (12.8 million Ice melting on the ocean Ice melted as a result of to deliver fuel, Mitchell said.
ride." square kilometers) in 2014. surface doesn't change exceptionally warm ocean Rick Thoman, a climatolo-
Serreze and other outside By 2017, it was a record low sea level. Non-scientists temperatures, the Anchor- gist with the Alaska Center
experts said they don't of 4.1 million square miles who reject mainstream cli- age Daily News reported . for Climate Assessment &
mate science often had The early melting has been Policy at the University of
pointed at increasing Ant- "crazy," said Janet Mitchell Alaska Fairbanks, posted
arctic sea ice to deny or of Kivalina. Hunters from her on social media last week
downplay the loss of Arctic family in early June trav- that the northern Bering
sea ice. While the Arctic eled more than 50 miles and southern Chukchi seas
has shown consistent and (80 kilometers) by boat to are "baking."
generally steady warming find bearded seals on sea The last five years have pro-
and ice melt — with some ice. Bearded seals in the duced the warmest sea-
slight year to year variation past could be hunted just surface temperatures on
— Antarctica has had more outside the village but sea record in the region, con-
ups and downs while gen- ice had receded far to the tributing to record low sea-
erally trending upward.q north. ice levels.q