Eco-news in brief 1-24-12
By CG News Editor Kelly Doran
Coronal-mass ejection from Sunday’s solar flare expected to arrive at Earth today
On Sunday night a powerful solar flare caused a radiation storm that will crescendo today when the coronal-mass ejection arrives at Earth. This could cause a disturbance of Earth’s magnetic field and might damage satellite hardware. The radiation storm was rated an S3, on a scale of 1-5, yesterday. According to Doug Biesecker, a solar physicist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado, said that the solar flare was not a big deal on its own. However, the flare triggered billions of tons of energetic particles from the sun’s atmosphere to release. This is the coronal-mass ejection and is coming towards Earth at 4 million miles an hour but the risks of the coronal-mass ejection are expected to be manageable.
Chesapeake Energy plans to move operations to Ohio
Chesapeake Energy plans to move their operations to Ohio and stop operating in Texas and Pennsylvania because they believe that the shale formations in Ohio show more promise. Pete Kenworthy, Chesapeake’s Ohio spokesman said their plan is to have 20 rigs in Ohio by the end of this year and 30 by the end of 2014. The company is eliminating 18 rigs in Pennsylvania because there is no valuable oil. Analysts have said for months that gas producers, like Chesapeake, are no longer making money because of the decrease in gas prices. Production levels of gas are increasing however, partially due to hydraulic fracturing.
Panama Canal to be expanded
The Panama Canal is being expanded, allowing larger ships to pass through, which means that more cargo can be shipped at once, possibly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Paul Stott of Newcastle University said that fuel costs will substantially decrease, saving up to 16 percent per tons-mile. Stott said that the International Maritime Organization estimates that shipping may be responsible for 12-18 percent of global emissions of CO2 by 2050 if the shipping industry does not take steps to reduce emissions. The expansion is planned be completed in 2014.
