オーストラリアのダーウィンからアデレードまで、約3,000kmをソーラーカーで走るWorld Solar Challenge ワールド・ソーラーチャレンジの季節がまたやっていました。今年は、東海大学、芦屋大学、そして、沖縄の中・高・大の異なる年齢の学生スタッフを中心とする約20人からなる「チーム沖縄 Team OKINAWA」が日本から参加します。全世界から40あまりのチームが参加して行われます。
" Scrutineering
Wednesday 12th - Friday 14th October
Foskey Pavilion, Royal Darwin Showgrounds, Winellie
Open from 8am until 5pm
Team members will be registered, drivers weighed and the solarcars themselves will be presented to the scrutineers for inspection and confirmation of their for regulatory compliance and structural integrity. Vehicles will be progressively dismantled for inspection and reassembled in a ‘production line’ process on the scrutineering floor. The hall is surrounded by a balcony from which a good view of the proceedings can be enjoyed.
Science Outside the Square
Friday 14th October
Foskey Pavilion, Royal Darwin Showgrounds, Winellie
10am - 12.30pm
RI Aus will be conducting their fabulous Science Outside the Square program, including interactive sessions with teams and officials. Drop in and participate in the fun.
Qualifying and Speed Trials
Saturday 15th October
Hidden Valley Motorsport Complex, Berrimah
Gates open from 7am (Darwin time).
One of the few times the solarcars and their teams are in the same place with time to talk. Following a team briefing, solarcars take to the track individually to complete a series of dynamic tests ? steering, braking and performance. The timed ‘hot lap’ will determine their starting position the following day. An electrifying atmosphere, with ideal viewing of ‘pit lane’ from the roof of the garages.
Following the pre-event briefing, a specific media briefing will take place. Details of time and venue will be provided to registered media representatives.
Event Start
Sunday 16th October
State Square Darwin
8.30am (Darwin time), on the Grid from 7am
Before the sun is even up, teams start to assemble in the State Square precinct, where final scrutineering checks are performed. At 0830 the Chief Minister will ‘flag off’ the solarcars as they commence their journey south. Solarcars must merge with their support teams once they take to the road ? but will all teams enjoy a smooth start?
Day 4
Wednesday 19th October
On past experience we may see the competition decided late in the afternoon of the fourth day.
Just north of Adelaide, teams cross the ‘Finish of Timing’ checkpoint, effectively determining the overall winner, however the journey is not over. Each solarcar must then proceed under its own power to the ceremonial finish line in Victoria Square in the heart of Adelaide.
The Finish Line
Victoria Square, Adelaide
Formally completing their challenge, the cars cross the finish line to enjoy a quick celebration and the attention of the media and photographers. Then follows final scrutiny, and the assembly of solarcars grows within the event’s public interactive showcase.
World Solar Challenge, Mission Control
Sun 16th to Friday 21st October
The Science Exchange Adelaide, 55 Exchange Place, Adelaide
10am - 5pm (Adelaide time)
Lunch-time talks, meets and greets, race updates at mission control centre. Free, just drop in.
RiAus Film Club ‘Race the Sun’
Monday 17th October
The Science Exchange Adelaide, 55 Exchange Place, Adelaide
6pm - 7.30pm (Adelaide Time)
Halle Berry, James Belushi and Casey Affleck star in the true story of a high school solar car team’s World Solar Challenge entry.
$10 for a 6 month film club membership.
Teams Reception
Friday 21st October
The Science Exchange Adelaide, 55 Exchange Place, Adelaide
5pm - 7pm (Adelaide Time)
Join WSC Officials and lead solar car teams for a competition debrief and refreshments. Free, but bookings essential.
Science outside the Square with Zoz Brooks
Saturday 22nd October
Victoria Square, Adelaide
11am - 3pm (Adelaide Time)
A family friendly event with hands on activities, displays and presentations. Free, just drop in!
Awards Presentation Night
Sunday 23rd October
Adelaide Convention Centre, North Terrace, Adelaide
As a final celebration of the event and the achievement of the teams, participants can finally relax for an evening of cultural performances, visual presentations, awards and of course, yarn-swapping and tales of adventure.
The evening continues with festivities shifting to a local venue and a night of dancing and partying.
* Please note that all references to event and challenge times are Darwin times.
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-----image(”Dave O’Gorman prepares to deploy a PMEL Argo float off of the R/V Wecoma in 2007.-Credit: ARGO/NOAA”) : 同リリースより
" Scientists can now remotely monitor the ocean’s changing chemistry with help from some of the five-foot-tall Argo floats that drift with deep ocean currents and transmit data via satellite back to land. A new and innovative method shows how readings of the acidity (pH) and total carbon dioxide (CO2) content of seawater can help scientists understand changes in the chemistry of the world’s ocean.
A U.S.-based research team and their Canadian colleagues developed the new approach by determining the relationships between seawater temperature, oxygen, pH and CO2 from observations collected on previous ship-based expeditions in the region in the last five years. These relationships were then applied to high-resolution observations of temperature and oxygen collected by an Argo float deployed in the North Pacific in early 2010.
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The journal Geophysical Research Letters published the new method today. The authors are from NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle, JISAO, and colleagues from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in British Columbia and Quebec, Canada.
To determine pH and total CO2 content, scientists need measurements of dissolved oxygen concentration; about 10 percent of the floats have the sensors that can measure dissolved oxygen.
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The ocean’s absorption of CO2 causes the level of acidity in seawater to rise. This process, called ocean acidification, can have adverse effects on organisms that form calcium carbonate shells, such as corals, mussels, oysters, and feed stock for salmon like pteropods. The NOAA scientists and researchers at the University of Washington will continue investigating how organisms are impacted by these conditions.
-----image(”NOAA scientists use data from some of the floats in the Argo array to monitor changes in ocean chemistry.”-Credit: NOAA) : 同リリースより "
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