We admire everything that Vaclav Smil writes, for both his insights and lively style.  This essay, How Green Is Europe?, exemplifies the bracing cold shower one receives from reading Vaclav’s work.
Blog
Deep Carbon Observatory midterm scientific report
Deep carbon science is rising. A Press release highlights publication of the Deep Carbon Observatory’s midterm scientific report and participation at the 2014 AGU Fall Meeting, 15-19 December 2014 in San Francisco, USA.  Jesse Ausubel continues to advise the program and marvel at the abundance of methane and hydrogen.
Rockefeller U short course on Science & Diplomacy
For the 3rd year in a row, Jesse Ausubel, Mande Holford and Rod Nichols will offer early career scientists at The Rockefeller University a short course on Science & Diplomacy. 2014 course participants Rupa Ram and Dominic Olinares wrote a generous account of last year’s field trip to Washington DC in the University’s Incubator blog. Jesse’s viewpoint on science & diplomacy is captured in a couple of short essays, “Scientists, War, Diplomacy, Europe” and “The history of studies of scientists’ roles in international conflict resolution” posted serially at https://phe.rockefeller.edu/PAX/ .
Making Nature Useless
On November 5 Iddo Wernick and Jesse Ausubel participated together with colleagues from the Breakthrough Institute in the seminar at Resources for the Future (RFF) in Washington DC titled Making Nature Useless? Global Resource Trends, Innovation, and Implications for Conservation. Iddo presented work on century-long trends in USA resource use, Making Nature Useless: Relative Dematerialization & Absolute Peaks.
We also post Jesse’s brief (3-page) prepared remarks, On Useless Nature, subsequently published in RealClearScience (18 Sept 2015).
Some coverage at
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-humans-and-nature-co-exist/
https://reason.com/archives/2014/11/10/making-nature-useless
Census of Marine Life Antarctic book
The Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML) & SCAR-Marine Biodiversity Information Network
BIOGEOGRAPHIC ATLAS OF THE SOUTHERN OCEAN was released in late August 2014. See three news stories below.
The book is the work of 147 scientists from 91 institutions across 22 countries. A colorful 4-page flyer describes the book, which will be available for purchase through Amazon.com in November 2014. The Atlas will cost 99 euro plus shipping. You can download the first 24 pages, including the Table of Contents and Introductory chapters at https://share.biodiversity.aq/Atlas/example_BASO_web.pdf. Jesse Ausubel wrote the Preface, p. 6 of the prior link.
New Antarctic atlas offers index of marine life
BBC News – ‎‎
More than 9,000 species, from single-cell organisms to penguins and whales, are chronicled in the first Antarctic atlas since 1969. The book will be launched by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research at its Open Science Conference in Auckland, New …
First ‘comprehensive’ atlas of Southern Ocean marine life unveiled
ABC Online – ‎‎
The 3.5-kilogram book, published by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, was being launched in Auckland today as part of the Open Science conference. The atlas details more than 9,000 species, looking at their evolution, physical environment …
biologists unlock the secrets of Antarctica
The Independent-11 hours ago
Dr Katrin Linse, an expert in Antarctic molluscs at the British Antartic … Huw Griffiths, author and editor of the British Antarctic Survey, said: “The ..
Congratulations to editors Claude de Broyer and Philippe Koubbi on this extraordinary achievement, and to Michael Stoddard, Victoria Wadley, Huw Griffiths, and other leaders of CAML.
Census of Marine Life Reef book
I keep thinking the CoML is complete, then one more publication appears…
Spineless, the incomparable photographer Susan Middleton’s book on invertebrates, has appeared. A good article
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/gorgeous-portraits-spineless-sea-creatures-180953078/?no-ist
For sale at Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Spineless-Susan-Middleton/dp/1419710079/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414756006&sr=1-1
This was also an exhibit at SFO airport:
https://www.flysfo.com/content/museum-exhibit-spineless-portraits-marine-invertebrates
IQOE
Journalist Peter Brannen has published an excellent article, “Sound off,” about the International Quiet Ocean Experiment (IQOE) in the independent web magazine Aeon.
For more on the IQOE, please see Boyd et al. An International Quiet Ocean Experiment Oceanograpaphy 2011, and JH Ausubel Broadening the scope of global change to include illumination and noise SEED Magazine 2009.
Meat & Potatoes 1
We post “Meat and Potatoes and the American Landscape,” Jesse Ausubel’s lecture for the Sheriff’s Meadows Foundation at the Old Whaling Church in Edgartown, Massachusetts, on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, 8 July 2014.
Long Now Foundation January 2015
The Long Now Foundation in San Francisco will host a lecture by Jesse Ausubel, “Nature is Rebounding: Land- and Ocean-sparing through Concentrating Human Activities,” Tuesday 13 January 2015 at the Jazz Center at 7:30 pm. Thanks to Stewart Brand and Ryan Phelan for the invitation.
Life in submarine canyons
Jesse Ausubel was privileged to serve as co-lead scientist with University of Texas geologist Jamie Austin on the 4-10 September 2014 leg of the Exploring Atlantic Canyons and Seamounts expedition of the US Ocean Exploration program on the EV Okeanos Explorer. For brief video highlights (about two minutes each) from 2000 feet below the surface about 100 miles off the East Coast of the USA, click on Washington Canyon (6 Sept) and on Norfolk Canyon (7 Sept). Thanks to Roland Brian, Arthur Howard, and Jared Drewniak for great videography and editing. Submerged America is beautiful!