Ever wondered how to forecast the weather without actually using instruments?

Check the Clouds:

Clouds can tell us a lot about the weather. For example, they can tell us if it’s going to be warmer on a particular night by simply being there. That’s because they prevent heat radiation from escaping. They can also tell you whether there will be rain and whether there will be bad weather in general (when you see clouds moving in opposite directions of each other).

Check the Humidity:

If you’re one of those people whose hair gets all curly when it gets really humid out, you know exactly what this is about. However, even if your hair doesn’t react, you can still figure out that it’s really humid out by look at the leaves of certain trees. For example, pine cone and maple leaves tend to curl in high humidity, just like the hair on some people.  You can also tell it’s humid if you can’t get in the front door because wood tends to swell up in high humidity.

Check the Animals:

Birds only fly in the sky when they expect fair weather ahead.  On the other hand, if power lines in your neighborhood are covered with birds hanging around, that means the air pressure is dropping rapidly. Cows like to lie down when it’s about to rain and ants tend to build their hills with steep sides just before the rain comes. Cats like to clean their ears before the rain and turtles will seek high ground before the storm hits.

Look at the Rainbow (but only in the west) and look for a Red Sky:

If you see one in the west, it means a major storm front is coming. A red sky at night (again from the west) means that there is a high pressure system with dry air. Look at the sky in the east in the morning. If you see the same red sky it means it means the dry air has already moved on by.

Check the Air:

If it smells like a compost heap, expect some rain soon. Similarly, swamps will give off a nasty smell if a storm is on its way.

Check the Moon:

Seen any red moons lately? That means there is dust in the air. However, if it’s nice and clear, then you should expect some rain soon.

Check the Wind:

If you can tell which way the wind is blowing, you can tell if there is a storm approaching. Easterly winds say that a storm is coming. Westerly winds say the opposite. Strong winds will tell you that high pressure is on its way.

A Few More Ideas:

Make a campfire – If the smoke goes straight up, clear skies ahead. If it curls, then you can expect a rain soaked evening.

Check the grass – if it’s wet and dewy, that means it probably won’t rain. On the other hand if it’s dry, better break out the umbrellas!

Radar is all around us every day. However, what do we really know about radar? In the graphic “I Can See You: Radar Explained,” we learn the basics of Radar.

What is RADAR?

• Radar is short for ra(dio) d(etecting) a(nd) r(anging).
• Radar is in use all around us, although it is normally invisible.

What are the uses of RADAR?

There are three predominant uses for radar:

1. Detect the presence of an object at a distance
2. Determine the speed of an object
3. Map something

How does RADAR work?

Radar makes use of two techniques using radio waves:

1. Echo location
2. Doppler Shift

Our ears hear echo and Doppler shift every day; that’s the reason we can move toward sound and judge by sound if an object is moving or sitting still.

5 Ways RADAR is Used Today

#1 Air Traffic -

Airport radar shows traffic controllers information on aircraft in controlled air space, and possibly surrounding uncontrolled airspace.

Air traffic control (ATC) systems include:

• Primary radar – uses signals scattered off the bodies of aircraft to determine location and altitude. Normally available only close to major airports
• Secondary radar - interacts with signals carried by aircraft. It provides most of the radar coverage available to an air traffic controller. Has a much longer range than primary radar.

#2 Marine Radar -

Marine radars are used by ships for collision avoidance and navigation purposes. Vessel traffic services use marine radar to provide collision avoidance or traffic regulation of ships in the surveillance area.

#3 Weather Radar –

Weather radar, or weather surveillance radar (WSR) is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, estimate its type (rain, snow, hail, etc.), and forecast its future position and intensity. Modern weather radars are mostly pulse-Doppler radars, capable of detecting the motion of rain droplets in addition to intensity of precipitation. Both types of data can be analyzed to determine the structure of storms and their potential to cause severe weather.

#4 Radar Gun -

A radar gun or speed gun is a small Doppler radar unit (hand-held or vehicle-mounted) used to detect the speed of objects:

• Vehicles for the purpose regulating traffic;
• Pitched baseballs, runners or moving objects in sports.

It relies on the Doppler effect applied to a radar beam to measure the speed of objects at which it is pointed.

#5 Space Radar

Space-based radar refers to space-borne radar systems that have a variety of purposes.

• A number of earth-observing radar satellites, such as RadarSat, have employed synthetic aperture radar (SAR) to obtain terrain and land-cover information about the earth.
• Space-Based Radar (SBR) is a proposed constellation of satellites for the US Defense Department. It would allow detection and tracing of aircraft and other vehicles from space. This information is then relayed to regional and national command centers.

According to Audio Ecologist Gordon Hempton, silence is “the complete absence of all audible mechanical vibrations, leaving only the sounds of nature at her most natural. Silence is the presence of everything, undisturbed.” The question becomes, where is it? The search for quiet has begun.

4 Adverse Effects of Noise on Wildlife

Since humans are the source of noise pollution and that pollution has contributed to the depletion of wildlife populations, studies were conducted on the effects of noise on wildlife. In a surprising discovery, noise pollution adversely affects animals in four major ways.

1. Hearing Loss – Humans are not the only ones suffering from hearing loss. Noise levels greater than 85 db can cause animals to lose their hearing.
2. Masking – All the noise drowns out the sounds the animals need to hear, such as environmental cues and animal signals.
3. Physiological Effects – It seems noise causes animal’s heart rate to increase, respiration to increase and stress levels to skyrocket.
4. Behavioral Effects – In some cases, animals will abandon their territory resulting in lost reproduction.

The noise is so bad that Nobel Prize-winning bacteriologist, Robert Koch, stated, “The day will come when man will have to fight noise as inexorably as cholera and the plague.” So, what is being done to reduce the effects of noise?

First, What is Typical Noise?

Noise is measured in decibels (dB). The higher the decibel, the louder the noise. It takes just 80 decibels to damage hearing. Combine the decibel with length of exposure and you can lose hearing permanently.

Typical Noise from Quiet to Loud

• Whisper – 30 decibels
• Quiet Room – Around 40 dB
• Moderate Rainfall – Approaching 60 dB
• Conversation/ Dishwasher – Just over 60 dB
• Busy Traffic/Vacuum Cleaner – Around 85 dB

Start Hearing Damage

• Alarm Clock/Busy Street – Approaching 90 dB
• Lawnmower/Shop Tools/Trucks/ Subway – Just over 90 dB
• Snowmobile/Chain Saw/Pneumatic Drill – Around 100 dB
• Timpani and Bass Drum Rolls – About 110 dB
• Rock Music/Model Airplane – Approaching 120 dB
• Jackhammer – Over 120 dB
• Car Stereo/Band Practice – About 130 dB
• Firearms/Air Raid Siren/Jet Engine – Approaching 150 dB
• Rock Music Peak – 150 dB

So where can you go to escape the noise and enjoy peace and quiet…

Quietest Places in the USA

In an effort to reduce noise pollution, people across the country have dedicated themselves to finding and maintaining quiet. In a list of the top six quietest places, you can see what they have done to preserve the peace.

1. Hoh Valley, WA – Deep in the rainforest resides the “One Square Inch Project.” In Olympic National Park, home of the largest roadless area in the U.S., a project has sprung up to keep one square inch of landscape free from human sound.
2. Muir Woods, CA - In 2008, Muir Woods instituted “quiet days.” You can find this location just outside of San Francisco. It is home to the famous 200 feet tall redwoods.
3. Anza-Borrego State Park, CA – In a desert and palm oasis, the click of hooves from the endangered Borrego sheep make the only sound. You might be surprised to learn this is only four hours away from 20 million people. It is a place of “real” quiet.
4. The Grand Canyon, AZ - How loud is the human breath? Divide that by half and you can understand why the box canyons off the Colorado River, where the noise is that low, are number four on the list.
5. Big Bend National Park, Texas - Diversity is the parks middle name. It has mountains, deserts, rivers and more species of bird, bats and cacti than any other park in the country. Add the fact that it is not part of many flight routes and you have a most unusual, noise free place. In fact, you won’t find any place like it in the world.

Central Park, NYC - Surprising everyone, Central Park made the list. Why? Simple, in the midst of a bustling and noisy city, you can wander into the park and start hearing birds and wind in the trees. While it is still not quiet, it is definitely quieter than the surrounding area.

Chimera, also known as ghost sharks or rabbitfish, are one of the oldest species of fish on the planet, having branched off from sharks nearly 400 million years ago. They live in deep water and use a venomous spine near their dorsal fin for defense.

The infamous viperfisfh is one of the most fierce predators in the deep sea. It is believed to lure its prey in with the light producing organ poised like a fishing rod at the end of its forsal spine. The viperfish’s teeth are so big, it wouldn’t be able to close its mouth if the teeth didn’t curve behind its head.

The pelican eel is a deep-sea fish that is rarely seen by humans. Its enormous mouth is much larger than its body. The loosely hinged jaw can open wide enough to swallow fish much larger than itself. Like the viperfish its tail glows pink and occasionally gives off bright red flashes.

With eyes on top of their heads and their large upward facing mouth, stargazers have a face only a mother could love. To catch prey, they bury themselves in the sand and leap upwards in ambush.

Grenadiers have large heads with huge eyes. Their thin bodies taper greatly into a rat-like tail.They like to live in structural oases, such as hydrothermal vents or shipwrecks

Fangtooth’s namesake teeth are so large they’ve evolved a pair of opposing sockets on either side of the brain to accomodate the teeth when the mouth is closed.

Oarfish look like giant silver ribbons floating through th sea. Mistaken by early sailors as sea serpents they can grow up to 36 feet! With no scales and hundreds of dorsal spikes up it’s back, its a truly fantastic fish.

Firefly squid, only grow to be about three inches, but these flashy fish can light up the sea! Each tenticle has a photophore, which produces a bright light, to attract prey. During mating season the firefly squid can light up its whole body like a Christmas tree.

No list of ugly fish would be complete without mention of the blobfish. This fleshy mass lives in depths of extreme sea-pressure and have little in the way of muscle. Their density is slightly less than water.

How could a shark be any more terrifying? What if you gave it a Richard Nixon nose and rows of thin needlelike teeth as jagged and uneven as a weed patch. That, my friend, is the goblin shark.

Just a tip, do not kiss a lizard fish. These spiky fish even have teeth on their tongues! It could probably be cast in Tim Burton’s Beetlegeuce.

Seemingly pulled out of a horror movie, hatchetfish are masters of cameoflage. Using bioluminscence they can make their bodies match the light intensity of the water surrounding them, making them invisible to predators and prey. Their large eyes can collect the faintest light allowing them to scope out food from great distances.

The winner of the cutest marine animal would go to the axolotl. Related to the tiger salamander, the only place on earth you can find these little guys is at Lake Xochimilco in Mexico.

Longhorn Cowfish. Git yer lasso and yer chaps pardner we’re gonna go rope us some cowfish! Unfortunately longhorn cowfish wouldn’t make good steak because they are extremely poisonous.

Don’t step on this stone! Stonefish hide in the sand and when they are stepped on or bumped into, their spines excrete horrible venom.

While the Wolf Fish has teeth like Edward Cullens, it probably isn’t getting too many dates. It’s powerful teeth crush its prey into edible pieces. These fish are incredibly aggressive and can injure divers and fishermen.

This little cutey, is a species of sea-cucumber known as scotoplanes, also called a sea-pig. They wallow around on the ocean floor extracting nutrients from the mud. Don’t you just want to cuddle with it? No? Me, neither.

You may need to change your pants after this  one. Lamprey are ancient parasites that have sucked the blood of fish for as long as their have been fish. Like giant leeches with razor teeth.

For the angler, nothing quite compares to the rush from catching a fish. For many, it is a bonding experience between friends and family where you can enjoy the beauty of nature and place the fast paced world on hold. If you have ever wondered what you can catch in your area, this is a quick guide to the most common fish in the United States and where you will find them.

Bass, Bass, and More Bass

If you thought there was only one type of bass, you were sorely mistaken. Here in the U.S. alone, you can find nine different types of bass. However, they are broken down into two main types:

• Black Bass – This freshwater fish has six species. They can be identified by their long yellowish-greenish bodies. (Listed below from largest to smallest)
  • Large Mouth Bass – The large mouth bass can be found in lakes, ponds and rivers throughout the U.S. and Canada. They are famous fighters and very tasty. Typical weight – 1-4 pounds.
  • Small Mouth Bass - Found in the U.S., Canada, Europe and South America, the small mouth bass can be found in large lakes and streams. Typically they weigh ½ – 4 pounds.
  • Spotted Bass (a.k.a Kentucky Bass) – You will find these little guys in deep clear reservoirs across the Southern United States. They are even smaller than the small mouth bass.
  • Guadalupe – Surprise, surprise. The Guadalupe bass can be found in streams in south-central Texas.
  • Redeye - The redeye can be found in streams in the Southeast.
  • Suwannee - Another big surprise, the Suwannee can be found in rivers in Northern Florida.
• True Bass – True bass can mostly be found in the ocean.
  • Temperate Bass - Between the silver color, two fins on the back, and the bold stripes, temperate bass are easily identified. In the U.S., there are four species: White Bass, Yellow Bass, Striped Bass, and White Perch. (The White and Yellow Bass live in freshwater.)
  • Sea Bass - With over 360 species of Sea Bass, we cannot name them all here. However, the largest Sea Bass is known as the Jewfish. At a massive eight feet long and upwards of 700 pounds, the Jewfish can grow larger than humans.

Looking for Salmon?

Salmon are among the most interesting fish around. They are born in freshwater, live in saltwater, and then can swim as far as 2,000 miles to return to the freshwater to spawn. With millions caught each year, identifying them should be easy.

• Chinook Salmon (a.k.a. King Salmon) – These 30 pound plus fish can be found anywhere from San Francisco bay to north of the Bering Strait in Alaska.
• Chum Salmon (a.k.a. Dog, Keta, or Calico Salmon) – While many link chum to shark bait, it really is a common Salmon. You can find chum in rivers from Sacramento to the Mackenzie River in Canada.
• Coho Salmon (a.k.a. Silver Salmon) ­- Found in clear-running springs, you might spot this Salmon in Alaska or British Columbia.
• Pink Salmon – Besides finding it in a can in the grocery aisle, you can find this fish in Northern California and throughout the Northern Pacific. Its average weight is 3½ pounds.
• Sockeye Salmon (a.k.a Red Salmon) – You can find this fish in California and up towards the Canadian Arctic. They feed on plankton.
• Atlantic Salmon – This fish is found in the Atlantic Ocean, in rivers going to the Atlantic, and in the North Pacific.

The Pike: Nature’s Fighters

The pike is a freshwater fish known for its appetite and fighting qualities. They are long, skinny, and have a duckbill shaped snout.

• Northern Pike – Northern Pike can be found in small lakes in Canada and in the upper Mississippi Valley. They grow to four feet in length and can weigh more than 40 pounds.
• Muskellunge - The largest of the pike, it can be bigger than six feet and weigh more than 100 pounds. They can live about 25 years and live in the lakes and rivers of southern Canada. They also can be found in the upper Mississippi, Great Lakes, and St. Lawrence and Ohio Rivers.
• Pickerel - Small but ferocious, the Pickerel are freshwater fish.

Trout: Relative of Salmon

The most famous of trout is the Rainbow trout. Most species live in freshwater and streams. They have strong teeth and streamlined bodes.

Catfish: Tasty Bottomfeeders

The two pairs of whiskers on catfish are known as barbells. Unlike other fish, the catfish has no scales. With over 2,000 species living in various waters, identifying each type is difficult. The Channel Catfish is the most commonly fished variety in the U.S.

While the Channel Catfish can get up to 70 pounds, they are not the biggest. The European Catfish can grow 10 feet long and can weigh more than 400 pounds. The smallest, the Glass Catfish, is only 4 inches long.

Bluegill: Travel in Schools

Anglers finding a Bluegill are in luck. They travel in schools and the best time to catch them is at sunrise and sunset. They have a gold underbelly while the rest of the body remains a bluish-green color. They are found in freshwater across the U.S.

If you want to avoid a boating accident, you need to lower your odds of having one. Studying boating accident statistics is the first step. The next step is to identify the most likely causes of a boating accident. Then, with this knowledge, identify ways to minimize the risk of such accidents. To minimize the damage from an accident, you should also develop an emergency response plan.

If you were in a boating accident, odds are nearly 60 percent that you were in an open motorboat. Canoes and kayaks, although not nearly as dangerous as open motorboats, are involved in 20 percent of boating accidents that result in an injury. However, canoes and kayaks are only involved in about 5 percent of all fatal boating accidents.

TABLE: Vessel Types with the Top Casualty (Deaths) Numbers

Personal watercraft on the other hand, are involved in less than 8 percent of all fatal accidents, but about one-third of boating accidents that result in injuries.

TABLE: Vessel Types with the Top Casualty (Injury) Numbers

The number one to thing to look out for when you’re on a motor boat, is a collision with another vessel, which tops the list of the top five primary accidents. Of the types of accidents, a collision with another vehicle is over two times more likely than any other type of accident. This includes accidents that involve flooding, crashes into fixed object, falling overboard and skier mishaps.

TABLE: Top Five Primary Accident Types in 2008

If you’re in a motorboat, the one thing you want to be is extra cautious. And that does because careless operation and inattentiveness are the number one and two causes of boating accidents. But also make sure to pay attention to Mother Nature. She is only a half-percentage point behind. .

TABLE: Primary Contribution Factor of Accidents & Casualties That Result in Injuries, 2008

If you want to completely eliminate all the factors that contribute to boating accidents, consider not only inattentiveness, and carelessness, but also make sure that you appoint a person as look-out; about 15 percent of all boating accidents could be prevented with a good look-out. You can also prevent another 15 percent of accidents if you make it a point to avoid bad weather and hazardous waters.

To help here, make sure when you go out to sea that your satellite radio is tuned into the latest weather news, or you have a chartplotter display that provides real-time satellite weather radio. Also, make a point of downloading and studying hazardous zones on water maps. Then take some time to look at some underwater maps so you can have a look at the river or ocean terrain that you will travel over. And that’s especially true if you plan to take a dive. Rocky and turbulent waters, hidden under the surface of the sea, can quickly knock you unconscience and sweep you out to sea.

Electronics technology is another good way to lower the chance of a boating accident. Advanced collision detection warning systems are one way to prevent collisions with vessels. They can also be used, along with underwater object detection systems (sonar) to eliminate crashes with fixed objects, which ranks third on the list of boating accident types. Reliable GPS devices are also handy in an emergency.

Another factor examined in boating accidents is experience. And central to experience is information and training. So before you go out to sea, take a boat safety class. They will show you all the tips, tricks and latest technology you need to be safe.

However, as with all statistics, don’t take them on face value. They only tell part of the story. For example, where you boat is also a safety concern. Some places are just safer than others. Calm lakes are, of course, safer than rocky canyon rapids.

Although injuries in boating accidents far outnumber fatalities, if you want to avert a tragic death, the best thing you can do is to make sure everyone has a life jacket on and invest in an economical man overboard alarm system. The leading accident type that results in death is falling overboard. . And one of the reasons is that 86% of those who died while boating in 2008 were not wearing life jackets.

To prevent a boating death, you should also pay particular attention to the weather and the water. Over 25 percent of all boating deaths are directly attributed to bad weather and hazardous water conditions.

TABLE: Top 5 Accident Types Resulting in Death

And of course, you should watch the alcohol. Alcohol is a factor in about 8 percent of boating related injuries and about 28 percent of boating related deaths, just slightly ahead of bad weather and hazardous waters.

TABLE: Primary Contribution Factor of Accidents & Casualties That Result in Death, 2008