Tuesday, July 31, 2012

gretawire: What do you think about Robert Gibbs tweet? click..read and comment: President Obama?s team ? what do you think ... http://t.co/4KOwLWiJ

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Source: http://twitter.com/gretawire/statuses/229619419251363840

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Using PHP sessions with my android application to login

I am trying to make a login script for my android application, the script will send my email and password to the PHP server, verify the login and then create a PHP session so that the user stays logged in. This is my code,

HttpPost httppost = new HttpPost("http://server.com/login.php"); // Create a new HttpClient and Post Header HttpClient httpclient = new DefaultHttpClient();  public String login() {      String userID = "";      try {         // Add your data         List<NameValuePair> nameValuePairs = new ArrayList<NameValuePair>(2);         nameValuePairs.add(new BasicNameValuePair("email", "e@e.com"));         nameValuePairs.add(new BasicNameValuePair("password", "admin"));         httppost.setEntity(new UrlEncodedFormEntity(nameValuePairs));          // Execute HTTP Post Request         HttpResponse response = httpclient.execute(httppost);          userID = EntityUtils.toString(response.getEntity());         //Log.v("Login response", "" + userID);        } catch (ClientProtocolException e) {         // TODO Auto-generated catch block     } catch (IOException e) {         // TODO Auto-generated catch block     }      return userID; }  

This script successfully sends data to my server and my PHP successfully logs the user on. I have placed "HttpClient httpclient = new DefaultHttpClient();" outside my main login method. This has helped store the session until I call upon another class, then it just resets the session again. So I am wondering how I can alter the code so that "httpclient" is somehow stored so I can keep the session and stay logged into my server. Thank you!

Source: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/11713926/using-php-sessions-with-my-android-application-to-login

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Monday, July 30, 2012

MinivanNews: Canada condemns Maldives govt?s ?politically motivated threats to arrest its opponents?: "The threats of the pre... http://t.co/k5YcSpOr

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Source: http://twitter.com/MinivanNews/statuses/229894745135124480

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WMRL Learning Journal Blog: WMRL Database Advisory - blog*spot

This is my 2nd attempt at sharing the learning that occurs at and that which can be gleaned from reading about committee meetings. As always, discussion and questions are welcome.

Meeting held: Friday, July 27th at 10am-12:30pm

In attendance: Lisa McKenney (ACLS), Chris McGee (ACLS), Cathy Ashby (RELIB), Bonnie Winters (RELIB), Elizabeth Hulett (WCFL), Bill Taylor (WCFL), Joe Thompson (Chair, WMRL), and Julie Zamostny (note-taker, WMRL)

Presentation by Monica Wilson, Gale Databases Representative
Monica provided a 40 minute overview of some of the lesser-known features of the Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL). Below are some of the highlights.

  • Unlimited simultaneous use; 24/7 access with authentication via library barcode
  • Articles are downloadable to eReaders and tablets; Kindle users must know their Kindle email to take advantage of this feature
  • MARC records are available so that GVRL titles display in the PAC = increases discoverability
  • Articles can be read aloud in 19 languages
  • Articles can be downloaded in MP3 format
  • Articles can be viewed in enriched text and PDF
  • Ability to download up to 50 titles at once
  • New and improved Help Guides with text and video
  • Can create a GVRL username and password so you can save articles in folders for retrieval at a later date
  • Reminder: support.gale.com has a lot of helpful resources
  • GVRL can create special collections from the admin site or by contacting tech support. For example, they can create a collection of DK titles that libraries can then display/link to on their websites.
  • GVRL has an Access My Library app - still glitchy - use with caution. GPS authentication only, barcode authentication is not available through the Access My Library app.
?Review of December Meeting Minutes
  • Page 2: NextReads. Group recommended that Joe get a quote from EBSCO that would separate out NextReads from the other subscriptions so we can tell how much we're actually paying for it. All three counties still use it to some extent so, the intent is to continue to subscribe unless the cost is prohibitive.
  • LibraryThing has been officially dropped.
  • Lisa McKenney's and Emily Zumbrun's names were misspelled.
  • Minutes from the December meeting were approved.
Review of SAILOR Subscriptions
  • SAILOR databases have not changed, the contract with Gale expires June 2013
  • Committee would like to know when discussions will start regarding the renewal of the contract
Review of WMRL Subscriptions
  • eVanced scheduling software is now available and is being utilized by ACLS and WCFL. RELIB may work with ACLS to determine whether or not it is the right product for their needs.
  • Mango Languages: Joe hasn't received an invoice yet but the intention is to renew
  • OverDrive Advantage funds goes to buying more copies of titles already owned plus buying unique titles that are not already in the OverDrive database. Lisa McKenney and Carrie Plymire (WMRL) are responsible for purchasing Advantage titles for the region.
  • MPERL has been dissolved and therefore we are now responsible for negotiating contracts for four databases: Gale packages, Testing and Education Resource Center, ValueLine, and one other that I missed.?
  • Committee recommended that Joe get quotes from EBSCO for comparable products: Biography Reference Center and Literary Reference Center
  • Compliance Suite expires in September. Julie Z, Jennifer Spriggs (ACLS), and Franny Lockely (WCFL) all use this software for librarian certification tracking. Intent is to renew.
  • Dropped OCLC due to shared ILS
?FY2012 Database Usage Stats
  • This is a little like combining apples and oranges because each database defines usage differently (i.e. page views, searches, downloads, etc.)
  • If you want to see raw database usage data, Joe will email you his extremely detailed spreadsheet.
  • Committee recommended that Joe see if he can separate out usage stats for NoveList Plus and NoveList Select Classic (this is what shows up automatically when you do a title search in the PAC). Committee would also like to look at pricing for each of these as separate entities.
  • Committee would like to recommend that we strongly encourage our respective children's departments to promote Little Pim (language learning database for kiddos)
Reference USA Discussion
This was originally discussed as part of the FY2012 Database Usage Stats but since it is a recurring discussion I decided to give it a separate heading.
  • ACLS and RELIB do not see the value when examining the Cost: Use ratio (at a regional level)
  • WCFL staff rely on it heavily - and that is reflected in the usage stats (at the county level)
  • ACLS and RELIB feel like the information in RefUSA can be found easily on the Internet.
  • Cathy mentioned that, historically, the information contained within RefUSA has been out of date and inaccurate.
  • WCFL cannot afford the database on their own
  • ACLS and RELIB agree that it is not a matter of training that would help rectify the lack of usage in their counties.
  • Can WMRL pay for just WCFL to have this database and have WCFL act as clearinghouse for all things Business that are received across all three counties, similar to The Foundation Center (Note: WMRL does not pay for the Foundation Center database, it was only mentioned in the meeting as a comparison). This model would be cause for more in-depth discussion because of the possibilty of setting a precedence. Joe feels awkward about this because he strongly feels that WMRL should be paying for resources that are available and of use across all three counties.?
  • Final settlement: committee agrees to keep paying for it but it will continue to be a point of discussion for this committee
TRIALS Follow-Up
  • Access News: not interested
  • Zinio: not interested until it's iPad compatible
  • Universal Class: not interested, do not consider for 2 years
  • Dzanc Books: not interested
  • Proquest Historical Newspapers: not interested, do not consider for 2 years
  • Pronunciator: not interested, do not consider for 2 years
  • Muzzy: not interested
  • Axis360: not interested
  • 3M ebooks: not interested until more information is available from BCPL (they're BETA testers)
  • Hoopla: there is interest around this; look at it after the Fall 2012 release
Committee is not looking to add anything new at this time be we'll consider any left over money to be used to enhance OverDrive or to purchase a new product later if we identify one.

Committee would like to consider using any leftover funds to promote the databases. This will be an agenda item at the next Spring meeting.

Newly formed MLC: Maryland Library Consortium. Joe might have to provide more information on this. The group's target is databases but it encompasses more than that.WMRL is participating.

GVRL Weeding

  • WCFL is purchasing their own GVRL ebook titles and they're happy to share with the rest of the group even though WMRL is not paying for region-wide access
  • Committee would like Joe to get quote from Gale regarding a special DK package and we want to know what the age of the titles is, then we'll decide if we want to trial. It was recommended that we talk with Harford County - they already have something comparable in place.
  • Joe will make his recommendatiosn to the group as to which titles he thinks should be withdrawn.?
  • In the van on the way home, Joe and Elizabeth decided that Elizabeth would take on this task instead.
  • We still want to receive the MARC records of the titles that are relevant.
?Discovery Services
  • Joe asks that the committee keep these services/products in mind when we're at conferences, etc. They aren't a top priority but he foresees possible interest in them in the future.
End of Meeting
  • Joe will Doodle the committee to determine the next 2 dates of meetings.

Source: http://westernmdlearning.blogspot.com/2012/07/wmrl-database-advisory-committee-meeting.html

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Public can explore time-lapse videos of Earth with new tool from Carnegie Mellon and Google

Public can explore time-lapse videos of Earth with new tool from Carnegie Mellon and Google [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 30-Jul-2012
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Contact: Byron Spice
bspice@cs.cmu.edu
412-268-9068
Carnegie Mellon University

13 years of Landsat imagery can be easily explored

PITTSBURGHResearchers at Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute, working with colleagues at Google and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), have adapted their technology for interactively exploring time-lapse imagery to create a tool that enables anyone to easily access 13 years of NASA Landsat images of the Earth's surface.

This new capability within Google Earth Engine enhances the public's ability to view the massive amount of imagery collected by the Landsat program between 1999 and 2011. Users can zoom in or out on any spot on the globe and move back and forth in time. This enables anyone to see deforestation unfold in the Amazon, see water levels rise and fall in the Aral Sea and watch the urbanization of desert as Las Vegas expands.

For the past 40 years, the Landsat program has continuously collected imagery of the Earth's surface and, since 2008, the USGS has made that imagery available free to the public. But accessing that data measured in petabytes, or quadrillions of bytes has long been cumbersome, said Randy Sargent, a system scientist in the Robotics Institute's CREATE Lab in Pittsburgh and a visiting researcher at Google.

Google has improved access by building the largest library of Landsat imagery on hard-drive storage, Sargent said. Google Earth Engine has already amassed more than 1.5 million Landsat images of Earth and this is growing by thousands of images per day as new satellite data is collected.

The new tool for Earth Engine, based on Carnegie Mellon's GigaPan Time Machine technology, takes this access to another level. When combined with Google Earth Engine's massively parallel computation power, the Landsat image archive is transformed into a set of seamless, zoomable videos easily accessible from a modern Web browser.

"The sheer volume of visual data is daunting to explore by conventional means," said Rebecca Moore, engineering manager of Google Earth Engine. "Together we can now offer an intuitive, effortless method to explore the planet in space and time."

Google, NASA and Carnegie Mellon previously collaborated to create GigaPan, a technology for capturing a mosaic of hundreds or thousands of digital pictures and stitching those frames into panoramas that be interactively explored via computer. GigaPan Time Machine, developed with Google's support, took advantage of the HTML5 language incorporated into such browsers as Google Chrome to extend GigaPan into the realm of video. Sargent, along with CMU colleagues Paul Dille and Chris Bartley, developed algorithms and software architecture that made it possible to shift seamlessly from one video portion to another as viewers zoom in and out of the imagery.

One of the first applications of the Time Machine technology was to 12 months of imagery from NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, or MODIS, satellites. Sargent said the success of that project led directly to the effort to create a tool for accessing Landsat and other satellite imagery available through Google Earth Engine.

Sargent predicted that the enhanced access to satellite imagery will help ground public discussions about land use, climate change and environmental policy. "You can continue to argue about why deforestation has happened," he explained, "but you no longer will be able to argue whether it happened.

"Exploring the data is now much faster hundreds of times faster than it used to be," he added. "That leads to discoveries. That leads to making connections."

###

Videos demonstrating how the time-lapse tool can be used to explore phenomena such as deforestation, urban growth and drying seas can be viewed at http://earthengine.google.org/#intro.

In addition to Sargent, Dille and Bartley, computer science student Richard Hofer, Robotics Institute intern Saman Amirpour and Illah Nourbakhsh, professor of robotics and director of the CREATE Lab, have contributed to this project. They are continuing to work with Google scientists to increase access to additional imagery from Landsat and other satellite programs. The Robotics Institute is part of Carnegie Mellon's School of Computer Science. Follow the school on Twitter @SCSatCMU.

About Carnegie Mellon University:

Carnegie Mellon (www.cmu.edu) is a private, internationally ranked research university with programs in areas ranging from science, technology and business, to public policy, the humanities and the arts. More than 11,000 students in the university's seven schools and colleges benefit from a small student-to-faculty ratio and an education characterized by its focus on creating and implementing solutions for real problems, interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. A global university, Carnegie Mellon's main campus in the United States is in Pittsburgh, Pa. It has campuses in California's Silicon Valley and Qatar, and programs in Asia, Australia, Europe and Mexico. The university is in the midst of "Inspire Innovation: The Campaign for Carnegie Mellon University," which aims to build its endowment, support faculty, students and innovative research, and enhance the physical campus with equipment and facility improvements.



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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Public can explore time-lapse videos of Earth with new tool from Carnegie Mellon and Google [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 30-Jul-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Byron Spice
bspice@cs.cmu.edu
412-268-9068
Carnegie Mellon University

13 years of Landsat imagery can be easily explored

PITTSBURGHResearchers at Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute, working with colleagues at Google and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), have adapted their technology for interactively exploring time-lapse imagery to create a tool that enables anyone to easily access 13 years of NASA Landsat images of the Earth's surface.

This new capability within Google Earth Engine enhances the public's ability to view the massive amount of imagery collected by the Landsat program between 1999 and 2011. Users can zoom in or out on any spot on the globe and move back and forth in time. This enables anyone to see deforestation unfold in the Amazon, see water levels rise and fall in the Aral Sea and watch the urbanization of desert as Las Vegas expands.

For the past 40 years, the Landsat program has continuously collected imagery of the Earth's surface and, since 2008, the USGS has made that imagery available free to the public. But accessing that data measured in petabytes, or quadrillions of bytes has long been cumbersome, said Randy Sargent, a system scientist in the Robotics Institute's CREATE Lab in Pittsburgh and a visiting researcher at Google.

Google has improved access by building the largest library of Landsat imagery on hard-drive storage, Sargent said. Google Earth Engine has already amassed more than 1.5 million Landsat images of Earth and this is growing by thousands of images per day as new satellite data is collected.

The new tool for Earth Engine, based on Carnegie Mellon's GigaPan Time Machine technology, takes this access to another level. When combined with Google Earth Engine's massively parallel computation power, the Landsat image archive is transformed into a set of seamless, zoomable videos easily accessible from a modern Web browser.

"The sheer volume of visual data is daunting to explore by conventional means," said Rebecca Moore, engineering manager of Google Earth Engine. "Together we can now offer an intuitive, effortless method to explore the planet in space and time."

Google, NASA and Carnegie Mellon previously collaborated to create GigaPan, a technology for capturing a mosaic of hundreds or thousands of digital pictures and stitching those frames into panoramas that be interactively explored via computer. GigaPan Time Machine, developed with Google's support, took advantage of the HTML5 language incorporated into such browsers as Google Chrome to extend GigaPan into the realm of video. Sargent, along with CMU colleagues Paul Dille and Chris Bartley, developed algorithms and software architecture that made it possible to shift seamlessly from one video portion to another as viewers zoom in and out of the imagery.

One of the first applications of the Time Machine technology was to 12 months of imagery from NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, or MODIS, satellites. Sargent said the success of that project led directly to the effort to create a tool for accessing Landsat and other satellite imagery available through Google Earth Engine.

Sargent predicted that the enhanced access to satellite imagery will help ground public discussions about land use, climate change and environmental policy. "You can continue to argue about why deforestation has happened," he explained, "but you no longer will be able to argue whether it happened.

"Exploring the data is now much faster hundreds of times faster than it used to be," he added. "That leads to discoveries. That leads to making connections."

###

Videos demonstrating how the time-lapse tool can be used to explore phenomena such as deforestation, urban growth and drying seas can be viewed at http://earthengine.google.org/#intro.

In addition to Sargent, Dille and Bartley, computer science student Richard Hofer, Robotics Institute intern Saman Amirpour and Illah Nourbakhsh, professor of robotics and director of the CREATE Lab, have contributed to this project. They are continuing to work with Google scientists to increase access to additional imagery from Landsat and other satellite programs. The Robotics Institute is part of Carnegie Mellon's School of Computer Science. Follow the school on Twitter @SCSatCMU.

About Carnegie Mellon University:

Carnegie Mellon (www.cmu.edu) is a private, internationally ranked research university with programs in areas ranging from science, technology and business, to public policy, the humanities and the arts. More than 11,000 students in the university's seven schools and colleges benefit from a small student-to-faculty ratio and an education characterized by its focus on creating and implementing solutions for real problems, interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. A global university, Carnegie Mellon's main campus in the United States is in Pittsburgh, Pa. It has campuses in California's Silicon Valley and Qatar, and programs in Asia, Australia, Europe and Mexico. The university is in the midst of "Inspire Innovation: The Campaign for Carnegie Mellon University," which aims to build its endowment, support faculty, students and innovative research, and enhance the physical campus with equipment and facility improvements.



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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-07/cmu-pce073012.php

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Legal Intern / Library / Home - AWID

The Center for Reproductive Rights. Washington, DC, USA.

Center Background:

The Center for Reproductive Rights (the Center) is a non-profit legal advocacy organization dedicated to advancing reproductive freedom as a fundamental right that all governments are legally obligated to protect, respect, and fulfill. The Center?s domestic and international programs engage in litigation, policy analysis, legal research, and public education seeking to achieve women?s equality in society and ensure that all women have access to appropriate and freely chosen reproductive health services. This position is based in Washington, DC.?

Responsibilities:

Law students are expected to have strong legal research and writing skills and an interest in gender/women?s issues and reproductive rights. ?Other responsibilities include:

  • Monitoring and responding to legislative and other political developments, including hearings, markups and other events;? ??
  • Drafting materials, including bill analysis, fact sheets, legislative drafting and legal memoranda, for use in lobbying activities and outreach and on the Web;? ??
  • Preparing internal and external updates, blog posts, op-eds and other written analysis.

Position Type: Internship. Approx. 12-35 hours per week during the fall or spring semesters, 35 hours per week in the summer (flexible according to your schedule and school calendar).

To Apply:

Please email (resumes@reprorights.org) a cover letter, resume, and a short writing sample via email (preferred). Applicants must indicate ? Legal Intern (based in DC), code 146 and last name? as the subject of emailed applications. Cover letter, resume, and writing sample should be sent as attachments.

Compensation: A small stipend may be available. We are also happy to work with institutions to secure academic credit when available.

Website:?http://reproductiverights.org/en/jobs/legal-intern-based-in-dc

Article License: Copyright - Article License Holder: The Center for Reproductive Rights

Source: http://www.awid.org/Library/Legal-Intern

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1 in 5 streams damaged by mine pollution in southern West Virginia

1 in 5 streams damaged by mine pollution in southern West Virginia [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 30-Jul-2012
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Contact: Tim Lucas
tdlucas@duke.edu
919-613-8084
Duke University

DURHAM, N.C. -- Water pollution from surface coal mining has degraded more than 22 percent of streams and rivers in southern West Virginia to the point they may now qualify as impaired under state criteria, according to a new study by scientists at Duke and Baylor.

The study, published this week in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Science & Technology, documents substantial losses in aquatic insect biodiversity and increases in salinity linked to sulfates and other pollutants in runoff from mines often located miles upstream.

"Our findings offer concrete evidence of the cumulative impacts surface mining is having on a regional scale," said Emily S. Bernhardt, associate professor of biogeochemistry at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment. "The relationship is clear and direct. The more mining you have upstream, the higher the biological loss and salinity levels will be downstream, and the farther they will extend."

Numerous recent studies have demonstrated the water-quality problems caused at or near the site of individual surface coal mines, Bernhardt noted. She and her team "set out to understand how the large and growing number of surface mines is affecting water quality throughout Appalachia."

They used NASA satellite images and computer data to map the extent of surface mining taking place across a 12,000-square-mile area of the southern West Virginia coalfields between 1976 and 2005.

They found that companies had converted more than five percent of the land into mine sites and buried 480 miles of streams beneath adjacent valley fills during this period.

Chemical and biological data from 223 streams sampled by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection between 1997 and 2007 were combined with mapping to help the researchers determine that pollution runoff from the mines could substantially degrade more than 1,400 miles of streams in the region. That's four times the length of streams buried by the valley fills.

"It's important to recognize that surface coal mining pollution doesn't stop at mine-permit boundaries," said Brian D. Lutz, a postdoctoral associate in Bernhardt's lab.

"Our analysis suggests that mining only five percent of the land surface is degrading between 22 percent and 32 percent of the region's rivers," he said.

Substantial declines in insect diversity began to occur when companies had mined as little as one percent of upstream land, the analysis showed. In areas where companies had converted about five percent of the land into mines, sensitive species such as mayflies and stoneflies had vanished or declined to an extent that the streams would qualify as biologically impaired under criteria set by the state of West Virginia.

The designation means the streams could be placed on a list of waterways that the state must take steps to rehabilitate.

"What is so compelling is that we found many different types of organisms are lost downstream of surface coal mines, and most of them begin to disappear at similar levels of mining," said Ryan S. King, associate professor of biology at Baylor. "Our analysis shows that coal mining is leading to widespread declines in aquatic biodiversity in Appalachian streams."

###

Lutz and King co-authored the paper with Bernhardt. Other coauthors were John P. Fay, instructor of geospatial analysis at the Nicholas School; Catherine E. Carter, a 2010 master's graduate of the Nicholas School, now at TetraTech; Ashley M. Helton, postdoctoral associate in Duke's Department of Biology; John Amos of SkyTruth; and David Campagna, of Campagna & Associates.

The study was supported by unrestricted gifts in support of research from The Foundation for the Carolinas and the Sierra Club, and through a contract to Amos and Campagna from Appalachian Voices.


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?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


1 in 5 streams damaged by mine pollution in southern West Virginia [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 30-Jul-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Tim Lucas
tdlucas@duke.edu
919-613-8084
Duke University

DURHAM, N.C. -- Water pollution from surface coal mining has degraded more than 22 percent of streams and rivers in southern West Virginia to the point they may now qualify as impaired under state criteria, according to a new study by scientists at Duke and Baylor.

The study, published this week in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Science & Technology, documents substantial losses in aquatic insect biodiversity and increases in salinity linked to sulfates and other pollutants in runoff from mines often located miles upstream.

"Our findings offer concrete evidence of the cumulative impacts surface mining is having on a regional scale," said Emily S. Bernhardt, associate professor of biogeochemistry at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment. "The relationship is clear and direct. The more mining you have upstream, the higher the biological loss and salinity levels will be downstream, and the farther they will extend."

Numerous recent studies have demonstrated the water-quality problems caused at or near the site of individual surface coal mines, Bernhardt noted. She and her team "set out to understand how the large and growing number of surface mines is affecting water quality throughout Appalachia."

They used NASA satellite images and computer data to map the extent of surface mining taking place across a 12,000-square-mile area of the southern West Virginia coalfields between 1976 and 2005.

They found that companies had converted more than five percent of the land into mine sites and buried 480 miles of streams beneath adjacent valley fills during this period.

Chemical and biological data from 223 streams sampled by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection between 1997 and 2007 were combined with mapping to help the researchers determine that pollution runoff from the mines could substantially degrade more than 1,400 miles of streams in the region. That's four times the length of streams buried by the valley fills.

"It's important to recognize that surface coal mining pollution doesn't stop at mine-permit boundaries," said Brian D. Lutz, a postdoctoral associate in Bernhardt's lab.

"Our analysis suggests that mining only five percent of the land surface is degrading between 22 percent and 32 percent of the region's rivers," he said.

Substantial declines in insect diversity began to occur when companies had mined as little as one percent of upstream land, the analysis showed. In areas where companies had converted about five percent of the land into mines, sensitive species such as mayflies and stoneflies had vanished or declined to an extent that the streams would qualify as biologically impaired under criteria set by the state of West Virginia.

The designation means the streams could be placed on a list of waterways that the state must take steps to rehabilitate.

"What is so compelling is that we found many different types of organisms are lost downstream of surface coal mines, and most of them begin to disappear at similar levels of mining," said Ryan S. King, associate professor of biology at Baylor. "Our analysis shows that coal mining is leading to widespread declines in aquatic biodiversity in Appalachian streams."

###

Lutz and King co-authored the paper with Bernhardt. Other coauthors were John P. Fay, instructor of geospatial analysis at the Nicholas School; Catherine E. Carter, a 2010 master's graduate of the Nicholas School, now at TetraTech; Ashley M. Helton, postdoctoral associate in Duke's Department of Biology; John Amos of SkyTruth; and David Campagna, of Campagna & Associates.

The study was supported by unrestricted gifts in support of research from The Foundation for the Carolinas and the Sierra Club, and through a contract to Amos and Campagna from Appalachian Voices.


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?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-07/du-1i5073012.php

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