San Francisco’s Sutro Tower & The Fight Against Global Warming

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For many in San Francisco Sutro Tower is nothing but an eyesore, but due to the tower’s central location and height its now being employed to help monitor greenhouse gases as part of the California’s aggressive environmental legislation AB 32.

The California Greenhouse Gas Emissions Project, a pilot program known as CALGEM, is the brainchild of scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. They determined in 2003 that the greenhouse gases produced from burning fossil fuels could be measured regionally, a feat that would help sort out how much of the pollution can be blamed on humans.

Until now, monitoring sites operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other institutions – including some in the United States, Europe and Asia – were specifically designed to ignore local emissions and instead focus on global patterns. In this experiment, the scientists have to figure how much of the greenhouse gases are coming in from as near as Oregon and as far away as Asia.
- SF Chronicle

I’ve always found the nearly 1,000 foot tall Sutro Tower to be attractive in weird way. Perhaps now that it’s “green” and being employed to help gauge regional and global greenhouse gas levels as part of the fight against global warming others will find it a little more attractive.

Scientists gauge greenhouse gases above S.F. in warming experiment – SF Chronicle

Tower to gauge climate success – Sacramento Bee

Sutro Tower Sunset, San Francisco, photo by Jim M. Goldstein
San Francisco’s Sutro Tower at sunset

Technorati Tags: San Francisco, Sutro Tower, climate change, global warming, California Greenhouse Gas Emissions Project, CALGEM, climate, greenhouse gases, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Sacramento, California, AB 32, legislation, air resources board, ARB

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Posted by Jim on 10.17.2007 at 8:50 am
Tagged: California, Locations, News & Current Events, Photography, San Francisco, Stock Photo

http://terrychay.com/ terry chay

Why is it painted candystriped?
http://www.jmg-galleries.com jim

Terry I can only make the educated guess that it is so planes or helicopters can see it and don’t run into it. At night they have the flashing lights to do the job, but during the day the alternating red and white paint job must be to give pilots a visual warning of its presence.
http://www.jwallphoto.blogspot.com John W.

I kinda like the tower too, Jim. I see it out our bedroom window and judge how foggy it is, and how high the fog is, when I wake up in the dark. Before the landlord put in new double-pane windows with screens, I used to louver open the windows to shoot the tower during amazing sunrises and sunsets. I also like seeing it from way off outside of SF. When I see the tower, I know I’m getting close to home….
http://www.rwongphoto.com/fieldreport Richard Wong

Nice shot Jim. I’ve always wondered what that was. To me it’s always been kind of a third skyline behind downtown and the GGB.
http://www.jmg-galleries.com jim

John I think we’re on the same wavelength. When I first came to San Francisco I used to navigate around town referencing the location of Sutro Tower. I likely have a positive outlook on the tower because of the great memories of discovering San Francisco. My living room looks out to Twin Peaks and Sutro Tower so when the weather permits I slide open the window and photograph away in a similar fashion to how you used to photograph the tower. In the coming week I’ll be posting another blog entry revolving around Sutro Tower as a subject. I think you’ll enjoy it.