— Climate sensitivity to CO2 more limited than extreme projections — A new study suggests that the rate of global warming from doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide may be less than the most dire estimates of some previous studies - and, in fact, may…
— Saving Da Vinci's Last Supper from air pollution — Having survived long centuries, political upheaval, and even bombings during World War II, Leonardo Da Vinci's masterpiece Last Supper now faces the risk of damage from air pollution…
— After 25 years, sustainability is a growing science that's here to stay — Sustainability has not only become a science in the past 25 years, but it is one that continues to be fast-growing with widespread international collaboration, broad disciplinary composition…
— Markets drive conservation in Central Africa — Certification has shown that commercial forestry can co-exist with conservation objectives in the Congo Basin, according to conclusions reached at an international seminar 'Forest management…
— Great Plains river basins threatened by pumping of aquifers — Suitable habitat for native fishes in many Great Plains streams has been significantly reduced by the pumping of groundwater from the High Plains aquifer - and scientists analysing…
— Rivers may aid climate control in cities — Speaking at the URSULA (Urban River Corridors and Sustainable Living Agendas) Conference, in Sheffield, Dr Abigail Hathway, of the University of Sheffield, will demonstrate how rivers…
— Vultures dying at alarming rate — Vultures in South Asia were on the brink of extinction until Lindsay Oaks and Richard Watson, from The Peregrine Fund in the US, undertook observational and forensic studies to find…
— Predicting future threats for global amphibian biodiversity — Amphibian populations are declining worldwide, and their declines far exceed those of other animal groups: more than 30% of all species are listed as threatened according to the Red…
— Study shows deforestation causes cooling — Deforestation, considered by scientists to contribute significantly to global warming, has been shown by a Yale-led team to actually cool the local climate in northern latitudes, according…
Scientists reach beyond the clouds with mobile phone app to explore the outer atmosphere
Engineering scientists at the University of Southampton have reached above the clouds in a first-of-its-kind experiment to develop new technologies that probe the stratosphere using an unmanned vehicle.
The test flight was part of the ASTRA (Atmospheric Science Through Robotic Aircraft) project, and it demonstrated how a low-cost high altitude platform could be used to send a payload with atmospheric monitoring equipment into the upper atmosphere. The balloon-borne aircraft harnessed the power of 'cloud computing' using an on-demand computing and storage resource, via the GSM mobile phone network.
Cloud computing refers to the delivery of computing resources and services on demand via the Internet.
University scientists worked with Microsoft and University spin-out company Segoz to develop a Windows Phone 7 application for on-board data logging and payload tracking. During the one-hour flight, the phone running the Windows Phone 7 operating system, served as the on-board data logger, tracking tool and communications relay. The phone streamed data to a cloud application built on Windows Azure, designed to continuously update the landing site prediction. The app running on ground-based phones had a 'tracker mode' so the ASTRA team were able to track the payload during its flight, over 70,000 feet high, enabling its safe recovery.
Dr Andras Sobester, University of Southampton Lecturer and a Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow, says: 'We are excited that this constitutes a unique opportunity to collect important data that will give new insight into how the upper atmosphere affects Earth's climate and environment, using affordable technology.'
Dr Steven Johnston, from the University of Southampton's Microsoft Institute of High Performance Computing, adds: 'Our software solution couples together Windows Phone 7 mobile computing with powerful cloud computing resources to analyse the data we are collecting in real-time.'
The flight carried the payload through the tropopause and deep into stratosphere, where the temperature dropped below -50C. The phone and the rest of the equipment was protected by a high-grade foam enclosure (manufactured using a computer-controlled laser cutter at the University's Engineering Design and Manufacturing Centre). This ensured the reliable operation of the on-board electronics in such extreme environmental conditions.
Or subscribe for our Newsletter, a free e-mail publication. It is published practically every day.
Ocean currents are surprisingly resistant to intensifying winds
Introducing Tassie's underwater robot - 'Searise'
Extreme weather postpones the flowering time of plants
Similarity of urban flora