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SATURDAY • MAY 31 • 2014
Tax draw misses by millions, again
‘IT’S DEFINITELY CHANGING’
A MASSIVE ICE MELT [AND THE KU RESEARCH TEAM THAT HELPED SPOT IT] By Ben Unglesbee
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bunglesbee@ljworld.com
ecent reports from scientists of a giant melting ice sheet in Antarctica, which they say could potentially collapse within centuries and add more than 10 feet to sea levels, has garnered international media attention and wary concern from the scientific community. Missing from most of the news reports is the Kansas University-based research center that gathered much of the data the studies relied on. The Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets, or CReSIS, has been studying the mechanics of ice on the Antarctic continent, as well as Greenland, since the 1990s and making its data publicly available for other scientists to study. On airborne missions CReSIS researchers have been using increasingly refined radar technology to penetrate the ice and map the submerged topography in three dimensions, which is essential to understanding how glaciers move, change and melt. Understanding that, in turn, is critical to understanding how high and how quickly the oceans might rise in a warming world. Scientists have been developing radar technology since World War II, but CReSIS, which is funded largely by the National Science Foundation, has used radar to penetrate and map the thick glaciers with a precision never seen before, said Prasad Gogineni, director of CReSIS and a distinguished professor of electrical engineering and computer science at KU.
State’s May shortfall: $217M off estimates By Scott Rothschild Twitter: @ljwrothschild
TOPEKA — Kansas state tax collections took another nosedive in May, which prompted renewed debate over Gov. Sam Brownback’s tax policies. The state collected $217 million less in taxes than earlier estimated, according to figures released Friday. That follows April when the state fell $92 million below projections. Recently, Moody’s Investor Services downgraded the Kansas credit rating over concerns about the state’s long-term financial health. Brownback and his key aides said the dropping revenues were a temporary problem caused by federal tax policy. “Even with today’s news, we are projected to end the fourth fiscal year of my administration with an ending balance of more than $400 million,” Brownback said. “There are many positive indicators showing that our economy continues to grow, including more Kansans working than ever before in the history of the state, a 4.8 percent unemployment rate and the creation of more than 53,000 private sector jobs since January 2011,” he said. House Minority Leader Paul Davis, of Lawrence, who is running for governor, said the April and May revenue figures
Contributed Photos
SCIENTISTS WITH THE CENTER FOR REMOTE SENSING OF ICE SHEETS have gathered data using radar aboard NASA’s P-3 aircraft, pictured here. Photo courtesy of Richard D. Hale, a Kansas University professor of aerospace engineering. Mapping the ice Two recent studies found that glacial ice in West Antarctica is rapidly melting as naturally warm ocean water flows under the glaciers, pulled by Antarctic winds that many scientists think have intensified with climate change. If true, the glaciers could disintegrate within centuries, causing sea levels to rise. Of critical interest is the topography of the ice. A team led by Ian Joughin, a glaciologist with the University of Washington, found that as the Thwaites Glacier retreats, it has few obstacles, such as mountains or hills, to slow its journey to the water. “It’s similar to when you’re driving a car,” Gogineni said. “If the road is smooth and nice, you can go fast on it. If it’s a really
rough road, you have to go slow.” And the faster glaciers can move, the sooner they can release their ice into the ocean. Were the Thwaites to fully retreat, it could clear the way for the massive West Antarctic Ice Sheet to release its ice into the ocean, further adding to sea level rise. Joughin made the findings by combining satellite measurements with data from Operation IceBridge, a collaboration between CReSIS and NASA. Historically, IceBridge data were gathered in NASA’s D-8 aircraft, flown from Chile over Antarctica. Last winter, IceBridge was launched Please see ICE, page 2A
THIS PHOTO OF WEST ANTARCTICA, below, was taken from NASA’s P-3 aircraft in November 2013 during that year’s installment of Operation IceBridge, a collaborative project between NASA and the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets. The photo was taken by Bruno Camps-Raga, a research engineer with CReSIS.
Please see TAX, page 2A
Back and forth
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There are many positive indicators showing that our economy continues to grow, including more Kansans working than ever before.” — Gov. Sam Brownback
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There is simply no way Gov. Brownback can still claim that his tax experiment is working.” — Paul Davis, House Minority Leader
Police headquarters size a hot topic By Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com
Lawrence city commissioners in the coming weeks won’t only be deciding whether to build a new $30 million police headquarters building. They’ll also be asked to make a bet on how much Lawrence is going to grow in the future.
Already, city comsome differences of missioners are beginopinion on what size ning to show mixed this building needs to thoughts about how be,” said Mayor Mike large a new police Amyx. headquarters buildCurrently, the Lawing should be, in part, rence Police Departbecause planners are ment operates out of using aggressive numabout 39,000 square bers to predict Lawrence’s feet of space. The operations are future growth. Please see POLICE, page 2A “There probably will be
Business Car Classified Classified Comics
Low: 68
Today’s forecast, page 10A
Chad Lawhorn
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I pity the poor guy who occasionally speeds a bit to get to work on time at the East Hills Business Park. There’s a chance that he may not have to avoid just a single patrol car, but rather the whole Lawrence police force. There are new signs that the city’s proposed police headquarters building may go on industrial land
clawhorn@ljworld.com
INSIDE
P.M. showers
High: 85
Town Talk Industrial site in the mix
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Press pass Kansas City, Mo., native Josh Earnest is the White House’s new mouthpiece. Page 5A
Please see TOWN TALK, page 2A
Vol.156/No.149 30 pages