Page 28 - aruba-today-20181110

A28 SCIENCE
Saturday 10 November 2018
Bolivian observatory collects data as glaciers melt

By CARLOS VALDEZ atmospheric station used
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — The to measure greenhouse
snow appears to be pristine gases, reactive gases and
on the Andean peaks that particles that can spread
loom above Bolivia's capi- all the way to the Pacific
tal, but even here ash and Ocean hundreds of miles
smog reach up to a remote away. Its altitude is only ri-
plateau that is home to the valed by a station recently
world's highest atmospher- built by China on the Quin-
ic observatory. hai-Tibet plateau near Mt.
It's an ideal site for a team Everest which sits at 17,060
of international scientists feet (5,200 meters).
who collect data on pollu- Chacaltaya, which means
tion that has contributed to 'Cold Road' in Aymara, is
the rapid disappearance jointly funded and man-
of Andean glaciers. aged by groups from the
Research at the Chacal- United States and Europe,
taya station, which is lo- and the initiative is led by
cated at 17,192 feet (5,240 Universidad Mayor de San
meters) above sea level, Andres in La Paz.
has a pressing urgency: The James Butler, head of the
retreat of glaciers, which In this Oct. 8, 2018 photo, shows the entrance to the Chacaltaya atmospheric observatory, at National Oceanic and At-
is compounded by global Chacaltaya mountain, Bolivia. mospheric Administration's
warming, threatens the Associated Press global monitoring division,
main source of fresh water said the samples taken and
for residents in the nearby Last year, Ginot was part due to its own location heavy scientific instruments observations made "are not
cities of EL Alto and La Paz of a team of scientists that on the remnants of a gla- on the back of llamas was influenced by local emis-
— and the crops on which transported chunks of ice cier. The glacier, which is a feat in itself. But Chacal- sions or similar influences."
they rely. from a melting Bolivian thought to be about 18,000 taya's altitude and location "Upward looking observa-
"If temperatures continue glacier to Antarctica to years old, once served as near the Amazon region — tions from a mountaintop
to rise, these high-altitude be preserved for posterity the site of Bolivia's only ski and its proximity to Bolivia's also provide a much bet-
glaciers will also lose their and future study as part of resort before it melted a capital city — eventually ter picture of changes in
mass of ice and there will a global project called "Ice decade ago. led scientists to obtain infor- the stratosphere than do
only be snow on the sum- Memory." Initially, the station was mation about the pollution observations from lower el-
mit," said glaciologist Pat- The Chacaltaya station is launched as a cosmic ray released from the burning evations, because interfer-
rick Ginot. "This will happen an important place to col- observatory in the mid- of forests, coal, oil and gas. ence in the signal is greatly
all along the Andes." lect data samples partly 1940s, when just hauling up In 2012, the site became an reduced," he said.q

Appeals court puts youth climate change lawsuit on hold

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A law- Court temporarily put the with the parties Thursday
suit by a group of young trial on hold. Then, on Nov. and indicated she would
Americans, which asserts 2, the Supreme Court de- promptly set a trial date
the U.S. government is clined to stop the lawsuit once the appeals court lifts
harming them by having but told the Trump admin- its temporary stay, accord-
created a national energy istration that the govern- ing to Meg Ward, a spokes-
system that causes climate ment can still petition a woman for the plaintiffs.
change, is on hold again lower court to dismiss the The young plaintiffs also
after a federal appeals case as the government accuse the government
court Thursday granted the had asked the high court to of failing to protect natural
Trump administration's mo- do. The case was brought resources as a "public trust"
tion for a temporary stay. by 21 young people, aged for future generations. The
The Ninth Circuit Court of 11 to 22, who argue that lawsuit wants a court to or-
Appeals gave the parties government officials have der the government to take
In this July 18, 2018, file photo, lawyers and youth plaintiffs
lineup behind a banner after a hearing before Federal District 15 days to respond to the known for more than 50 action to quickly phase out
Court Judge Ann Aiken between lawyers for the Trump Admin- administrations petition for years that carbon pollution carbon dioxide emissions
istration and the so called Climate Kids in Federal Court in Eu- a writ of mandamus -- a from fossil fuels was caus- to a certain level by 2100
gene, Ore. rarely used judicial appeal ing climate change and and develop a national
Associated Press that asks a higher court to that policies on oil and gas climate recovery plan. The
overrule a lower one be- deprive them of life, liberty federal government, un-
fore the conclusion of a and property. der both the Obama and
case. The constitutional cli- "Given the urgency of cli- Trump administrations, has
mate lawsuit was brought mate change, we hope tried repeatedly to get the
by 21 young Americans in the Ninth Circuit will rec- case dismissed. Trump ad-
2015 and is supported by ognize the importance to ministration lawyers have
Our Children's Trust. Trial these young Americans argued that the lawsuit
was supposed to have of having a prompt trial seeks to direct federal en-
begun in federal court in date," said Philip Gregory, vironmental and energy
Eugene, Oregon, in late co-counsel for the young policies through the courts
October but was delayed plaintiffs. U.S. District Judge instead of through the po-
when the U.S. Supreme Ann Aiken met in Eugene litical process.q