The Spoondrift

The Spoondrift

By Asher LeomundScience
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The Spoondrift episodes

  • How Has Climate Change Altered The Gulf Stream?

    In this episode of The Spoondrift, host Asher Leomunddiscusses the Gulf Stream and how it has been altered by climate change.

     

    Here are citations to the articles that were referenced in theshow:

    M. Andres, M.Muglia, H. Seim, J. Bane, and D. Savidge, “Observations of Shelf-Ocean Exchangein the Northern South Atlantic Bight Driven by the Gulf Stream,” Journal ofGeophysical Research: Oceans, vol. 128, no. 7, p. e2022JC019504, 2023, doi:10.1029/2022JC019504.

     

    W. M. Balch etal., “Changing Hydrographic, Biogeochemical, and Acidification Propertiesin the Gulf of Maine as Measured by the Gulf of Maine North Atlantic TimeSeries, GNATS, Between 1998 and 2018,” JGR Biogeosciences, vol. 127, no.6, p. e2022JG006790, Jun. 2022, doi: 10.1029/2022JG006790.

     

    A. Gonçalves Neto,J. A. Langan, and J. B. Palter, “Changes in the Gulf Stream preceded rapidwarming of the Northwest Atlantic Shelf,” Commun Earth Environ, vol. 2,no. 1, p. 74, Apr. 2021, doi: 10.1038/s43247-021-00143-5.

     

    J. Heiderich and R.E. Todd, “Along-Stream Evolution of Gulf Stream Volume Transport,” Journalof Physical Oceanography, vol. 50, no. 8, pp. 2251–2270, Aug. 2020, doi: 10.1175/JPO-D-19-0303.1.

     

    M. O. Baringer andJ. C. Larsen, “Sixteen years of Florida Current Transport at 27° N,” GeophysicalResearch Letters, vol. 28, no. 16, pp. 3179–3182, Aug. 2001, doi: 10.1029/2001GL013246.

     

    T. Kohyama, Y.Yamagami, H. Miura, S. Kido, H. Tatebe, and M. Watanabe, “The Gulf Stream andKuroshio Current are synchronized,” Science, vol. 374, no. 6565, pp.341–346, Oct. 2021, doi: 10.1126/science.abh3295.

     

    C. G. Piecuch and L.M. Beal, “Robust Weakening of the Gulf Stream During the Past Four DecadesObserved in the Florida Straits,” Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 50,no. 18, p. e2023GL105170, Sep. 2023, doi: 10.1029/2023GL105170.

     

    J.-L. Pinault,“Weakening of the Geostrophic Component of the Gulf Stream: A Positive FeedbackLoop on the Melting of the Arctic Ice Sheet,” JMSE, vol. 11, no. 9, p.1689, Aug. 2023, doi: 10.3390/jmse11091689.

     

    D. W. Townsend, N.R. Pettigrew, M. A. Thomas, and S. Moore, “Warming waters of the Gulf of Maine:The role of Shelf, Slope and Gulf Stream Water masses,” Progress inOceanography, vol. 215, p. 103030, Jul. 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.pocean.2023.103030.

     

    L. D. Talley, G. L.Pickard, W. J. Emery, and J. H. Swift, “Atlantic Ocean,” in DescriptivePhysical Oceanography, Elsevier, 2011, pp. 245–301. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-7506-4552-2.10009-5.

     

    Websites:

    https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/long-term-project-reaches-important-milestone/

     

    And Wikipedia is a great place to explore more topics!

    40 min
  • Equity and Inclusion in Engineering: An Interview with Jessie
    In this episode of The Spoondrift, host Asher Leomund speaks with Jessie,
    a mechanical engineer who has taken a close look at how to bring diversity and
    inclusion into engineering.
    Here are links to the articles discussed in the show:
    Picture a Scientist: https://www.pictureascientist.com/https://www.pictureascientist.com/
    Book: “Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men” by Caroline Criado Pérez
    Interview with Caroline Criado Pérez: “Why Everything From Transit to iPhones Is Biased Toward Men”, https://www.wired.com/story/caroline-criado-perez-invisible-women/
    Book: “Defined by Design: The Surprising Power of Hidden Gender, Age, and Body Bias in Everyday Products and Places” by Kathryn H. Anthony
    NPR Article: “The first female crash test dummy has only now arrived”, https://www.npr.org/2022/11/01/1133375223/the-first-female-crash-test-dummy-has-only-now-arrived
    INC article: “Emotionally Intelligent Leaders Use the 3 Percent Rule to Help People Embrace New Ideas, Products, and Processes”, https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/emotionally-intelligent-leaders-use-the3-percent-rule-to-bypass-hesitation-fear-help-people-embrace-new-ideas-products-processes.htmlhttps://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/emotionally-intelligent-leaders-use-the3-percent-rule-to-bypass-hesitation-fear-help-people-embrace-new-ideas-products-processes.html
    51 min
  • How Can You Create A Better Workplace?

    In this episode of The Spoondrift, host Asher Leomund discusses Fast Radio Bursts before identifying different strategies to improve the workplace.


    Here are links to the articles discussed in the show:

    “Scientists have picked up a radio signal 'heartbeat' billions of light-years away”: https://www.npr.org/2022/07/14/1111471532/space-science-stars-radio-waves-signals-galaxy-lightyears-mit

    “One Advantage of Trashing Time Sheets: Humanizing Work”: https://www.inc.com/magazine/202205/lindsay-blakely/the-mb-group-employee-benefits.html

    “How Great Companies Are Making Work Work”: https://www.inc.com/magazine/202205/inc-staff/office-benefits-best-workplaces.html

    “As Knowledge Workers Return to the Office, This Powerful Productivity Tool Is Primed for a Comeback”: https://www.inc.com/joe-procopio/as-knowledge-workers-return-to-office-this-powerful-productivity-tool-is-primed-for-a-comeback.html

    25 min
  • What Is Thermal Radiation?

    In this episode of The Spoondrift, host Asher Leomund discusses thermal radiation.


    Here are links to the articles discussed in the show:

    “What Causes Hot Things to Glow?”: https://letstalkscience.ca/educational-resources/stem-in-context/what-causes-hot-things-glow

    “What is a pyrometer?” [Video]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcBPy9tQeYc

    “How Thermocouples Work - basic working principle + RTD” [Video]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7NUi88Lxi8

    “Introduction to Infrared Pyrometers”: https://es.omega.com/temperature/Z/InfraredPyrometers.html

    The Science and Engineering of Materials by Donald R. Askeland and Wendelin J. Wright

    20 min
  • From The Archive: Should You Ever Suppress A Sneeze (S1 E20 Rerelease)

    In this rerelease of The Spoondrift’s 20th episode of Season 1, host Asher Leomund discusses the question of whether or not you should suppress a sneeze (the short answer is no). He then talks about the Nobel Prize in chemistry awarded for research into CRISPR-Cas9.

    Here are links to the articles discussed in the show:

    Suppressing a Sneeze: https://time.com/3975363/sneezing/

    Nobel Prize: CRISPR-Cas9: https://www.npr.org/2020/10/07/921043046/2-female-scientists-awarded-nobel-prize-in-chemistry-for-genome-editing-research

    How Genome Editing and CRISPR-Cas9 work: https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/genomicresearch/genomeediting/

    What is CRISPR?: https://biologydictionary.net/crispr/

    23 min
  • Meaningful Days: Permitting Interracial Marriage In The US And Mental Health Days

    In this episode of The Spoondrift, host Asher Leomund discusses the history of interracial marriage in the United States of America as well as the recent integration of mental health days into select public school systems.


    Here are links to the articles discussed in the show:

    “June 12 is Loving Day — when interracial marriage finally became legal in the U.S.”: https://www.npr.org/2021/06/12/1005848169/loving-day-interracial-marriage-legal-origin

    “More states are allowing students to take mental health days off”: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/06/10/1103939937/kids-mental-health-days

    Illinois Bill Permitting Mental Health Days: https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=1577&GAID=16&DocTypeID=SB&SessionID=110&GA=102

    Constitution of the United States of America: https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/

    Advisory on Youth Mental Health Crisis: https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2021/12/07/us-surgeon-general-issues-advisory-on-youth-mental-health-crisis-further-exposed-by-covid-19-pandemic.html

    22 min
  • What’s The Deal With Hydrogen Fuel Cells?

    In this episode of The Spoondrift, host Asher Leomund discusses hydrogen fuel cells.


    Here are links to the articles discussed in the show:

    “How Does a Hydrogen Fuel Cell Work?”: https://www.ecobattsolutions.com/how-does-a-hydrogen-fuel-cell-work/

    “Hydrogen Fuel Cell: How It Works” [Video]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFb5TKVPSiY

    “How Hydrogen Fuel Cells Work – GenCell” [Video]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ck6lTRvHROg

    “Fuel cell stack explained” [Video]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5E_MAZdO-k

    “Is a cathode positive or negative?”: https://www.quora.com/Is-a-cathode-positive-or-negative?share=1

    “Hydrogen may be a climate solution. There's debate over how clean it will truly be”: https://www.npr.org/2022/05/27/1096584260/clean-energy-hydrogen-energy-climate-change

    25 min
  • Data Is Everywhere: Using Data To Study Exoplanets and Whales

    In this episode of The Spoondrift, host Asher Leomund discusses how the James Webb Space Telescope will be using data to study exoplanets as well as how a company is using Artificial Intelligence to analyze data describing the sounds of whales and other marine mammals.

    Here are links to the articles discussed in the show:

    “A computer program designed to sort mice squeaks is also finding whales in the deep”: https://www.npr.org/2022/05/31/1102097099/how-deep-squeak-an-a-i-program-with-a-weird-name-is-detecting-whales

    “James Webb targets detailed as commissioning nears completion”: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2022/05/james-webb-first-research-targets/

    21 min
  • Boeing's Starliner And The Milky Way’s Black Hole

    In this episode of The Spoondrift, host Asher Leomund discusses Boeing’s recent Starliner mission and the image that was recently published of the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

    Here are links to the articles discussed in the show:

    “Boeing finally docks a capsule to the space station”: https://www.npr.org/2022/05/21/1100534373/boeing-docks-space-station-iss

    “This is the first image of the black hole at the heart of the Milky Way”: https://www.npr.org/2022/05/12/1098472567/image-black-hole-milky-way

    17 min
  • Is It A Butterfly Or A Moth?

    In this episode of The Spoondrift, host Asher Leomund goes over the differences between butterflies and moths. He then discusses an experiment that was recently conducted showing that growing plants in lunar soil is possible.

    Here are links to the articles discussed in the show:

    “What's the difference between a moth and a butterfly?”: https://www.livescience.com/34472-difference-between-moth-butterfly.html

    “Scientists successfully grow plants in soil from the moon”: https://www.npr.org/2022/05/14/1098753238/scientists-grow-plants-soil-moon-nasa-university-of-florida

    20 min

About The Spoondrift

From the publisher's feed

Let's talk about science, philosophy, and the weird idea that popped up the other day. Here on the Spoondrift, the conversation spans a little bit of everything. The word Spoondrift describes that spray of water that a strong gust of wind blows from the tops of the waves. I talk about the spoondrift from the ocean of ideas. The goal is to unearth new perspectives and inspire curiosity.