Game For Pace
Mirsad Langlais
Though used in English since the 19th century, the preposition pace has yet to shed its Latin mantle, and for that reason it's most at home in formal writing or in contexts in which one is playing at formality. The Latin word pace is a form of pax, meaning "peace" or "permission," and when used sincerely the word does indeed suggest a desire for both. This Latin borrowing is unrelated to the more common noun pace (as in "keeping pace") and its related verb ("pacing the room"); these also come from Latin, but from the word pandere, meaning "to spread."
Our ocean teems with life and many of its most vital species are invisible to us. Like on land, the ocean has deserts, forests, meadows, and jungles, providing habitats for many forms of life. The types of life in these habitats is determined by microscopic algae that float in our ocean. Known as "phytoplankton," these tiny organisms come in many different shapes, sizes, and colors. The diversity of phytoplankton types determines the roles they play in ocean habitats. It also determines how well they capture energy from the sun and carbon from the atmosphere.
Small particles suspended in the atmosphere are known as aerosols. Along with clouds, they affect how sunlight is reflected and absorbed by the Earth and its atmosphere. Aerosols and clouds can interact in complex ways, which are not well understood. For example, cloud drops can form on aerosols and aerosols can be washed out of the air by rain. The overall effect of aerosols and clouds on climate is quite uncertain.
Carbon exists in forms that range from invisible gases to diamonds. Most life on earth is composed of carbon, as well. In the ocean, a system of physical and biological processes drives the transition between forms of carbon. This system supports life and regulates our planet's livable environment. A key process in the carbon system is photosynthesis and its key players are phytoplankton. These tiny plants and algae convert carbon dioxide gas into organic matter. This organic matter, in turn, supplies food and energy to most life forms in the food web.
The PACE mission will provide a combination of global atmospheric and oceanic observations to benefit society in the areas of water resources, impact of disasters, ecological forecasting, human health, and air quality.
PACE Applications will partner with public and private organizations on ways to apply data from PACE and its scientific findings in their decision-making activities and services, helping to improve the quality of life and strengthen the economy.
The U.S. ocean economy contributes over $350B to the GDP (2014) and supports more than 3.1 million jobs (one in 45). Currently, this ocean economy, including the Great Lakes, is growing faster than the total U.S. economy in both contributions to inflation-adjusted GDP (15.6% since 2007 compared to 5.8%) and jobs (8.1% compared to flat).
PACE will be the first mission to provide measurements that enable prediction of the boom-bust of fisheries, the appearance of harmful algae, and other factors that affect commercial and recreational industries.
Phytoplankton provide food for small zooplankton, tiny animals that float in our ocean. Like humans, these grazers actively select their food. In the same way, larger zooplankton prey upon smaller zooplankton. Step by step, energy captured from phytoplankton transfers to bigger creatures. As the energy climbs the marine food web, it can ultimately be used by humans.
The ocean is a fluid that is constantly in motion. Hosting the largest three-dimensional living space on earth, it supports many habitats. For example, the North Atlantic is home to highly productive "forests" each spring. Its blooms of carbon-rich phytoplankton fuel the fisheries of New England. The crystal-clear waters around Florida host productive coral reefs and fisheries. At times, however, this area is plagued by toxic phytoplankton.
Today's satellites reveal the quantity of phytoplankton at the ocean surface. Yet we cannot detect the diversity of species. For the first time, PACE's unprecedented technology will:
- Reveal the diversity of phytoplankton found in our ocean on global scales;
- Allow us to understand the role that phytoplankton diversity has on life in the ocean; and
- Help us predict the "boom or bust" of fisheries along with marine hazards such as harmful algal blooms.
Why do we need PACE? To understand how phytoplankton diversity impacts human life.
As the PACE satellite moves around our planet, it takes about 98.3 minutes to complete an orbit. During one half of the orbit, PACE views the daytime side of the Earth. At the north pole, it crosses over to the nighttime side of Earth. When PACE is in daylight, it collects data. During nighttime passes, PACE sometimes does special maneuvers such as lunar calibrations.
The borrower must be a primary sector business as defined by NDCC 1-01-49 (PDF) and certified by the North Dakota Department of Commerce. A primary sector business is an individual, corporation, limited liability company, partnership or association which through the employment of knowledge or labor adds value to a product, process or service that results in the creation of new wealth.
For purposes of this program, new wealth means revenues generated by a business in North Dakota through the sale of products or services to customers outside of North Dakota or customers in North Dakota if the products or services were previously unavailable or difficult to obtain from a business in the state.
A holding company may qualify if the benefits of the PACE buydown flows through to the lessee. A minimum of 40% of the leased space must be used by a PACE-qualified business for the facility to be deemed as PACE-qualified.
A fixed or variable interest rate may be used in the loan participation. The interest rate to the borrower may be as much as 5.00% below the rate on the promissory note, but not less than 5.00% below Prime rate with a floor of 1.00%.
The buydown the borrower is eligible for is based on the total investment OR the number of jobs created. The first three years of job creation will be considered in the allocation. See Buydown requirements for more detail.
The BND buydown is based on either the total investment OR the number of jobs created. The first three years of job creation will be considered in the allocation. The interest buydown is based on the following matrix:
PACE provides a maximum interest rate buydown up to $500,000 per biennium that is matched by the community. The maximum buydown through any combination of PACE, Flex PACE and Flex PACE for Affordable Housing is $500,000 per biennium per borrower.
The buydown is matched by the community at the designated participation level listed under Community Percentage Factor. The interest rate to the borrower may be as much as 5.00% below the rate on the promissory note, but not less than 5.00% below Prime with a floor of 1.00%.
NASA is now publicly distributing science-quality data from its newest Earth-observing satellite, providing first-of-their-kind measurements of ocean health, air quality, and the effects of a changing climate.
The Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite was launched on Feb. 8, and has been put through several weeks of in-orbit testing of the spacecraft and instruments to ensure proper functioning and data quality. The mission is gathering data that the public now can access at _pace_data.htm.
PACE data will allow researchers to study microscopic life in the ocean and particles in the air, advancing the understanding of issues including fisheries health, harmful algal blooms, air pollution, and wildfire smoke. With PACE, scientists also can investigate how the ocean and atmosphere interact with each other and are affected by a changing climate.
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