e-learning Initiatives-Transboundary Waters; Integrated Water Resources Mgmt

This section provides a gateway to water-related e-learning efforts of UN-Water members and partners organized by UN-Water focus areas. The database includes the information from an initial inventory, additional information will be added in the coming months. Feel free to provide information to ais[at]unwater.unu.edu.

View All Focus Areas    

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Democratic governance
E-Course on TDA/SAP approach for transboundary waters
Cap-net IWRM tutorial

UN-Water Focus Areas :	Transboundary Waters; Integrated Water Resources Mgmt
Course Topics :	Integrated water resources management; Transboundary water diagnostic analysis; Governance; International water law
Target Group :	Local governments, communities, and businesses; Project developers
Type :	moderated; self-learning
Language :	en

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

Information on online water courses (UNESCO-IHE)
Educational platform for flood management
IWRM-Education [IWAS (International Water Research Alliance Saxony) & the German IHP/HWRP (International Hydrological Programme of UNESCO and Hydrology and Water Resources Programme of WMO)]

UN-Water Focus Areas :	Integrated Water Resources Mgmt; Drinking-Water,San & Health; Water Scarcity; Pollution; Climate Change & DRM; Transboundary Waters; Financing and Valuation
Course Topics :	Wetland management; Flood management; Water transport and distribution; Water quality assessment; Water and environmental law and policy; Urban drainage and sewerage; Solid waste management
Target Group :	Water sector professionals; Decision maker; University students
Type :	moderated; blended; self-learning
Language :	en

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Thematic category list of UNEP e-courses
Introduction to remote sensing
Marketplace for environmental training and on-line resources platform (MENTOR)

UN-Water Focus Areas :	Climate Change & DRM; Transboundary Waters; Green Economy
Course Topics :	Environmental assessment; Remote sensing; Technology support; Outreach and communication; Information and data sharing
Target Group :	Local government officials
Type :	moderated
Language :	en

United Nations University (UNU)

List of online learning resources from UNU
Home page for the UN Water Virtual Learning Center (WVLC)
Institute for Water, Environment and Health

UN-Water Focus Areas :	Integrated Water Resources Mgmt; Drinking-Water,San & Health; Transboundary Waters; Water Scarcity; Climate Change & DRM
Course Topics :	Climate; Natural disasters
Target Group :	Universities
Type :	moderated; self-learning
Language :	en

Scientists discover water ice on Mercury Ice and organic material may have been carried to the planet by passing comets.

Mercury, the smallest and innermost planet in our solar system, revolves around the sun in a mere 88 days, making a tight orbit that keeps the planet incredibly toasty. Surface temperatures on Mercury can reach a blistering 800 degrees Fahrenheit — hot enough to liquefy lead.

Now researchers from NASA, MIT, the University of California at Los Angeles and elsewhere have discovered evidence that the scorching planet may harbor pockets of water ice, along with organic material, in several permanently shadowed craters near Mercury’s north pole.

The surprising discovery suggests to scientists that both ice and organic material, such as carbon, may have been deposited on Mercury’s surface by impacts from comets or asteroids. Over time, this volatile material could then have migrated to the planet’s poles.

“We thought the most exciting finding could be that this really was water ice,” says Maria Zuber, the E.A. Griswold Professor of Geophysics in MIT’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, and a member of the research team. “But the identification of darker, insulating material that may indicate complex organics makes the story even more thrilling.”

Zuber and her colleagues published their results this week in the journal Science.

Mounting evidence for ice

The possibility that water ice might exist on Mercury is not new: In the 1990s, radar observations detected bright regions near Mercury’s poles that scientists believed could be signs of either water ice or a rough planetary surface. However, the evidence was inconclusive for either scenario.

To get a clearer picture of Mercury’s polar regions, Zuber and her colleagues analyzed observations taken by NASA’s MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging) mission, a probe that has been orbiting the planet and mapping its topography since April 2011.

Perspective view of Mercury’s north polar region with the radar-bright regions shown in yellow.
Image: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

Mapping the planet’s surface is a challenging task, as the craft must weather the sun’s intense radiation, which can “play havoc with electronics,” Zuber says. What’s more, the probe moves from pole to pole in an elliptical orbit, making for an extremely tricky mapping mission, both dynamically and thermally. Despite these challenges, MESSENGER’s onboard laser altimeter has amassed more than 10 laser pulses that have been used to map topography and measure the near-infrared reflectance of the surface.

Last year, researchers analyzed the probe’s topographic observations and created a high-resolution map of Mercury; they then overlaid previous radar observations. They found that the bright regions detected in radar lined up with permanently shadowed craters at the planet’s north pole — regions that never see the sun, and which are potentially ideal places for ice to survive. This finding was one more piece of evidence that Mercury might harbor water ice.

Revealing shadows

In this latest analysis of MESSENGER’s observations, scientists believe they have found conclusive evidence for water ice on Mercury, although the data was at first puzzling.

The team found that the probe’s reflectance measurements, taken via laser altimetry, matched up well with previously mapped radar-bright regions in Mercury’s high northern latitudes. Two craters in particular were bright, both in radar and at laser wavelengths, indicating the possible presence of reflective ice.
However, just south of these craters, others appeared dark with laser altimetry, but bright in radar.

The observations “threw us off track for a long time,” Zuber says, until another team member, David Paige of UCLA, developed a thermal model of the planet. Using MESSENGER observations of Mercury’s topography, reflectance and rotational characteristics, the model simulated the sun’s illumination of the planet, enabling precise determination of Mercury’s temperature at and below the surface.

Results indicated that the unusually bright deposits corresponded to regions where water ice was stable at the surface; in dark regions, ice was stable within a meter of the surface. The dark insulating material is consistent with complex organics that would already be dark but may have been darkened further by the intense radiation at Mercury’s surface.

In addition, MESSENGER’s neutron spectrometer detected elemental hydrogen in the vicinity of Mercury’s north pole. The combination of the compositional, spectral and geometric observations and the thermal models provided a strong, self-consistent explanation for the unusual radar backscatter observations.

Paul Lucey, a professor of geophysics and planetology at the University of Hawaii, points out that MESSENGER has also revealed a number of regions where surfaces were much darker than in previous radar measurements. Lucey interprets these results as possible evidence of receding ice on Mercury’s surface.

“This suggests that in the past, ice was more extensive on Mercury, and retreated to its current state,” says Lucey, who was not involved in the research. “Even Mercury experiences global warming.”

MESSENGER will continue to orbit Mercury, and Zuber says future data may reveal information beyond the planet’s surface. “There are still some really good questions to answer about the interior,” Zuber says. “I’ll tell you, we’re not done.” 
 Jennifer Chu, MIT News Office
 http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2R1fwB/http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2012/scientists-discover-water-ice-on-mercury-1129.html

Slogan Contest: International Year of Water Cooperation and World Water Day 2013

	Slogan Contest: International Year of Water Cooperation and World Water Day 2013 Create a slogan for the UN International Year of Water Cooperation and win an invitation to the kick-off meeting in Paris in January 2013. The slogan contest was open until 15 November 2012 and we are not accepting entries anymore. We have received 12 151 slogan proposals, from 5 654 people in 180 countries. We thank all of those who participated and shared with us their vision of water cooperation! We invite you to check back on the website on 30 November 2012 to discover the 3 pre-selected slogans and participate in our poll until 25 December 2012. This final poll will determine the official slogan for the International Year of Water Cooperation and the World Water Day 2013! **** Conditions of the contest: Eligibility: The contest is open to anyone regardless of age, country of origin, etc. UN-Water and UNESCO employees or immediate family members, as well as those of any of the partners involved in the campaign for Water Cooperation 2013, are not eligible to enter the contest. Submissions: Submissions are exclusively online. Entrants are entitled to submit any number of slogan proposals, but must complete a separate form for each proposal submitted. Judging: Selection of the top three entries will be made by a committee comprising representatives from UN-Water, UNESCO and their partners. An online poll taking place from 30 November to 25 December 2012 will determine the overall winner of the contest. Submission of entries: 27 August - 15 November 2012 Online Poll to vote for winning entry: 30 November - 25 December 2012 Announcement of the winner: 31 December 2012. The winner will be notified by email prior to an announcement appearing on the website. Language: all entries should be submitted in English. Criteria: The slogan must be written in clear, concise English and reflect the aim of the campaign for Water Cooperation 2013. We are looking for a short, catchy slogan that is easy to understand and appeals to a wide audience. The slogan should encapsulate the aim of the campaign, i.e. –raising awareness of the potential for increased cooperation surrounding water, while addressing the challenges facing water management and allocation in light of the growing demands for water to satisfy multiple needs. The Selection committee will evaluate entries based on originality, creativity, and relevance to the topic and purpose of the campaign. - UN-Water and UNESCO reserve the right to refuse any slogan they deem inappropriate. By entering the contest, the winner grants UN-Water exclusive rights to the winning slogan for use in any format during the campaign for Water Cooperation 2013. Prize: The winner will be invited to the kick-off meeting for the UN Year of Water Cooperation 2013 campaign, taking place in January 2013 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France. The prize includes return economy airfare to Paris and two nights’ accommodation for the winner.

Campaign Materials

On this page we will be providing you with campaign materials to help create a buzz about the International Year of Water Cooperation and also World Water Day 2013. Check this space often because we will keep producing fun stuff before and throughout 2013. Soon you will also find material to help you learn more about Water Cooperation.

The success of Water Cooperation 2013 depends on you. Please, tell your friends and colleagues about these materials to help us spread the word about the website. And if you’re using these items, let us know. Share your successes with us by writing to us and telling us about your event, or uploading your event photos to our flickr group.

Look out for more Posters, T-Shirt Templates, Educational Comics and much, much more on this page in the coming months.

http://www.unwater.org/watercooperation2013/campaign.html#logo

The official International Year of Water Cooperation 2013 logo

	The official International Year of Water Cooperation 2013 logo is now available for you to download and use to help the campaign at your event! Each logo is available as both eps and jpg files. The logo adopts national flavors in the form of traditional local patterns and designs. Each logo will be designed to contain one pattern from a country which speaks the language of the logo within one of the four numbers of 2013, with the other three numbers made up from patterns from three other countries around the globe. The stream of water which passes through the numbers takes on some characteristics of the different countries included within the logotype, this is intended to reflect the harmonious use of water between different cultures. Please make sure that you check our guidelines to use the logo properly. Download the logo guidelines >> Rollover each logo to see which national patterns are included. Look out for more languages in the coming months!

2013- Πανελλήνιος Διαγωνισμός δημιουργίας blog

Με την έγκρηση του Υπουργείου Παιδείας

Ο Όμιλος Σερρών για UNESCO  θέλει να  πραγματοποιήσει Πανελλήνιο Διαγωνισμό στα σχολεία της Ελλάδος  χρησιμοποιώντας την τεχνολογία , έχοντας θέμα το επιλεγόμενο από τα Ηνωμένα Έθνη και εφαρμοζόμενο από την UNESCO
*Παγκόσμιο Έτος συνεργασίας για το νερό 2013*.
 Τι ζητάμε από τους συμμετέχοντες
*Δημιουργήστε ένα blog με θέμα το *Παγκόσμιο  Έτος Συνεργασίας για το νερό 2013.*
Τι στοχεύει η πρόσκληση
Σκοπός της δημιουργίας του είναι
- Η παρουσίαση του θέματος  στην  τάξη  και πραγματοποίηση δράσεων .
- Η παρουσίαση των θεμάτων που αναρτώνται στο διαδίκτυο στο πλαίσιο του έτους αλλά και της *Ημέρας νερού 2013*. που έχει το ίδιο θέμα ,από όλο τον κόσμο
-  Η παρουσίαση και προώθηση σ άλλα συνεργαζόμενα τοπικά ,περιφερειακά ,αλλά και του εξωτερικού, προώθησης του θέματος του έτους, σχολεία και συνεργαζόμενους φορείς του σχολείου
Επιλογή
-  Η επιλογή θα έχει κριτήριο κατά πόσο μια τάξη προώθησε το θέμα αλλά και δούλεψε στην τάξη, στο σχολείο, στην περιοχή της, στην Ελλάδα, στον κόσμο
-  Η προώθηση της εργασίας της τάξη,  μέσα από τα κοινωνικά δίκτυα των δράσεων που πραγματοποιούν θα είναι αποδεκτά και θα πριμοδοτηθούν  στην επιλογή
-  Βραβεία θα δοθούν
α) Στην εργασία μιας τάξης
β) Στην εργασία μαθητού που θα ήθελε να κάνει δικό του blog με το θέμα του έτους
Πως θα δοθούν τα  Βραβεία
Στα Δημοτικά
1^ο και 2^{ο θέση}   ένα βραβείο
Τάξη 5^η 6^η
Μαθητές 5^ης και 6^{ης θέση}
 Γυμνάσιο ,όλες οι τάξεις
1^η και 2^{α θέση} ,  Ένα βραβείο
Μαθητής 1^{η  και}  2^{α θέση} .  Ένα  βραβείο
Λύκειο ,όλες οι τάξεις
1^η και 2^{α θέση}   Ένα βραβείο
Μαθητής 1^{ης και} 2^{α θέση}   .Ένα βραβείο
Σ όλες τις βαθμίδες εκπαίδευσης τα βραβεία είναι ίδια
Το πρώτο
Μια φωτογραφική μηχανή
Στην επιλεγόμενη τάξη και στο επιλεγόμενο μαθητή
Το Δεύτερο Βραβείο
Ένα USB
Στην τάξη και στον επιλεγόμενο μαθητή
Η επιτροπή αποτελείτε από δημοσιογράφους ,εκπαιδευτικούς, κοινωνικούς φορείς
Που θα σταλούν
Serres.for.unesco@gmail.com
Τελευταία ημέρα αποστολής  22 Μαρτίου 2013 * Διεθνής Ημέρα νερού
Αποτελέσματα  Πρώτη μέρα επιστροφής από τις διακοπές του Πάσχα
Αποστολή δώρων Mια βδομάδα μετά την αναγγελία στο www.serresforunesco.org
Ο Όμιλος θα ενημερώσει τους βραβευθέντες μέσω των  e-mail που θα έχουν στείλει για  το blog  που δημιούργησαν
Φόρμα αποστολής ΜΟΝΟ στο serres.for.unesco@gmail.com
 Σχολείο
Ταχ Διεύθυνση
Τάξη
Μαθητής
e- mail
BLOG
 http://antiratsismos.blogspot.gr/
τηλεφωνο 6932755008

 http://www.serresforunesco.org/?p=1199