FEBRUARY
February 3
Talking Trash
Ever wonder where our trash goes? Or if it is safe to throw away those light
bulbs or used batteries? And can make better use of the trash we do generate?
Join Claire Sullivan of South Shore Recycling Cooperative and Patti Howard of
Covanta SEMASS as they explain to us the intricate pathways our trash travels
through once it leaves our hands. Their talk will also touch upon some unique
programs to make trash useful and reduce pollution of our water such as the
Fishing for Energy program, the Keep Mercury From Rising program and an update
on the latest Bottle Bill campaign to take water bottles out of the waste
stream.
February 10 CANCELLED
The Whale
Check out an interview
with this speaker with NPR.
Click here!
The Whale, is an award winning non-fiction book that delves into literature,
history, science, anecdote, anthropology and art to explore our long and often
difficult relationship with whales. Inspired by Herman Melville’s Moby Dick,
author Philip Hoare manages to dive between poetic lyrical writing and the
harshest of scientific facts. Yet within these pages is so much information,
from the size of sperm whale’s brain (bigger than ours) to the size of a right
whale’s balls (far, far bigger than ours) to the myriad ways we have used the
flesh, bone and blubber. At its heart, though, this is a prayer for the whales’
survival.
February 17
Basking Sharks
The basking shark, Cetorhinus maximus, is one of the largest fish in the world,
second only in size to the whale shark. Although giants in size - reaching
lengths of 38 feet and weighing up to 8,500 pounds - basking sharks feed on
zooplankton, which are tiny organisms that drift in the ocean. Join Carol
“Krill” Carson as she regales us with stories of these gentle giants and how
citizen scientists are being trained to provide sighting information on basking
sharks and ocean sunfish observed from a beach or from a vessel offshore.
February 24
The Big Melt - Pulling the Plug
on Glacier Lakes in Greenland
Join Woods Hole scientist, Sarah Das, as she recounts her latest expedition to
Greenland in July of 2008. Dr. Das, along with National Geographic
photographers, witnessed a never before seen phenomenon-the sudden draining of a
glacier lake. Highlighted in a recent NOVA special entitled Extreme Ice this
expedition found that as glacial lakes grow, large cracks can open suddenly in
the lakes’ bottoms, allowing water to drain in a dramatic waterfall more than a
half-mile down to the bedrock beneath the ice sheet. The water lubricates the
base of the glacier, like grease on a railroad track, allowing glaciers to flow
faster. As global temperatures rise, more lakes and cracks may form,
accelerating the flow of ice to the sea.
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