WaterWired

CRS Report: 'Salton Sea Restoration'

The CRS 'dynamic duo' of Pervaze A. Sheikh and Charles V. Stern has authored this great report (1 December 2020): 'Salton Sea Restoration' . This report is desperately needed and very timely.

On 29 November 1905 (or thereabouts) the Colorado River flooded and started the formation of the current incarnation of the Salton Sea; Michael McGuire recounts that even on his blog and includes this map:

Click on the graphics to enlarge or display them.

 Download CRS_Report_Salton_Sea_Restoration_1Dec2020

Summary
The Salton Sea—a lake located in Southern California—is the largest inland water body in the state. The sea has few natural inlets of water and no natural outlets, and it is largely sustained by agricultural runoff from farmlands in the Imperial and Coachella Valleys. In recent decades, agricultural runoff to the Salton Sea has diminished due to changes in agricultural production, evaporation, and reduced precipitation, causing the sea to shrink and increase in salinity. High salinity levels, combined with greater concentrations of nutrients and toxins, have altered the sea’s ecosystem and surrounding habitat, making it difficult for most fish and bird species to survive. The Salton Sea’s diminishing size also has exposed lake bed (i.e., playa) around the sea’s shoreline; this playa contains toxic substances that circulate in the air and impair local and regional air quality.

Over time, federal, state, and private entities have developed proposals to manage and restore parts of the Salton Sea. These efforts have common objectives, including controlling salinity, maintaining some of the sea’s habitat, and stabilizing sea water levels. The current and most prominent restoration initiative, the Salton Sea Management Program (SSMP), was released by the State of California in 2017. The SSMP’s first phase is being implemented from 2018 to 2028. The initiative includes activities to convey water to the Salton Sea, reduce salinity in the sea, and restore approximately 30,000 acres of exposed playa. Phase 1 is estimated to cost $420 million. Some federal agencies, such as the Bureau of Reclamation, are collaborating with the State of California to implement the SSMP.

The federal role in restoring the Salton Sea is limited to a handful of projects that address issues on lands in and around the sea that are managed by federal agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Land Management, and Department of Defense. Unlike in areas such as Lake Tahoe, the Everglades, and the Chesapeake Bay, the federal government does not have a comprehensive program to restore the Salton Sea.

The scope and content of plans to restore the Salton Sea have generated debate among stakeholders and within Congress. Some stakeholders contend that the sea should not be restored; they argue that the area’s geological history demonstrates a pattern of water bodies naturally shrinking, disappearing, and reforming over time, and they assert that the Salton Sea is following a similar process. Other stakeholders argue that restoring the Salton Sea is worthwhile because of the sea’s ecological significance as a large wetland along the Pacific Flyway, role in providing habitat for fish and wildlife, and economic importance to the region. Some stakeholders also note that restoration might mitigate the effects of increasing playa exposure, which is linked to regional airborne pollution. Congress may consider these and other issues related to restoring the Salton Sea, including the nature and extent of federal involvement in restoration; how (or if) the federal government should collaborate with the State of California in restoration efforts under the SSMP; and what (if any) federal responsibilities exist for mitigation of airborne toxins that occur due to exposed playa on federal lands.

Cutting to the chase...

Concluding Remarks
In the future, Congress may be asked by various stakeholders to make additional commitments to Salton Sea restoration, potentially in the form of additional appropriations to one or more federal agencies to supplement or match state expenditures on the SSMP or specific directives related to federal restoration efforts. Some prior commitments, such as those in DOI’s 2016 MOU with the State of California, may not be fully realized without additional funding and authorities from Congress. However, the extent to which this is the case remains unclear.

Congress may be interested in several questions related to Salton Sea restoration and the effects of Salton Sea ecosystem degradation on environmental contaminants and human health. These questions may include the following:

 What are the effects of exposed playa on air quality and, consequently, on human health in the region? What is the federal responsibility for mitigating these effects?

 How do decisions related to water supply and deliveries in the Colorado River Basin affect the health of the Salton Sea ecosystem?

 What is the preferred federal role in implementing the SSMP? Does the project require additional funding, authorities, or other congressional direction?

 What are the cost, content, and duration of long-term restoration plans currently under way in the SSMP? How will these plans restore the Salton Sea ecosystem, mitigate the effects of exposed playa, and conserve species?

Great job, guys!

A note: On 29 November 1905 (or thereabouts) the Colorado River flooded and started the formation of the current incarnation of the Salton Sea. Michael McGuire recounts that even on his blog and includes this map:

Enjoy!

"There are lies, there are damn lies, and there are hydrologist reports." - Texas legislative hearing, 2 February 2016 (thanks to Robert Mace)

Josh's Water Jobs and More! 1 December 2020

From Josh:

There are a lot of interesting positions in this week’s list, hence my heavy-handed “highlighted” section…

1) Josh's Jobs

Josh’s Pick:
 
1) Associate Environmental Affairs Officer (Water Convention) – United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) (Geneva): 24 December

Highlighted:
 
2) Legal Officer (Water Convention) – United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) (Geneva): 25 December
 
3) Chief Global Programs Officer – Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) (Home-Based): 3 January 2021
 
4) Regional Water Sector Manager – African Development Bank (AfDB) (Ivory Coast): 9 December
 
5) Deputy Director General (Research for Development) – International Water Management Institute (IWMI) (Sri Lanka or one of IWMI’s Africa offices): 29 December
 
6) Feasibility Study of the program: “Global Program on WASH and Human Rights” – Malteser (Home-Based): 3 December
 
7) Chief of Water Sector Group – Asian Development Bank (ADB) (Manila): 11 December
 
8) RFP: Legal Lead Person for Development of Framework for First Nations Safe Drinking Water Legislation – Assembly of First Nations (AFN) (Ottawa, ON, Canada): 7 December
 
9) Researcher (Global Diagnostic on Rural Water Services) – Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) (Home-Based): 8 January 2021
 
10) U.S. nationals: Foreign Service Limited Position Opportunity: Natural Resources Officer (Water Advisor) – U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)(Washington, DC): 4 December
 
11) French and German speakers: Leiter*in des Projekts "Unterstützung der Tschadseebeckenkommission im Tschad" – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) (Chad): 13 December

Jobs by Region: Africa jobs Asia-Pacific jobs Europe jobs

Latin America and Caribbean jobs North America jobs Home-based/Remote jobs

 
Deadline today (1 December)!
 
12) Post-doctoral research fellowship (Water resilience and environmental health) (Future Water) – University of Cape Town (Cape Town): 1 December
 
13) Climate Change Expert – Asian Development Bank (ADB)s (Nepal): 1 December
 
14) Cambodia nationals: National Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Specialist – Asian Development Bank (ADB) (Cambodia): 1 December
 
15) Nepal nationals: Environmental Expert – Asian Development Bank (ADB) (Nepal): 1 December
 

Minimum years experience requested:

0-2 years
 
16) Project Officer Youth Leadership – Global Center on Adaptation (GCA)(Netherlands): 4 December
 
17) Fishery and Aquaculture Statistics Specialist – United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (Rome): 12 December
 
18) German speakers: Senior Partnerships and Liaison Assistant – UNU Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES)(Germany): 6 December
 
19) German speakers: Junior-Spezialist*in Kommunikation und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit für den Wassersektor – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) (Germany): 13 December
 
20) Local recruitment: Assistant Environment Officer – United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (Tanzania): 6 December
 
21) The Gambia nationals: Support officer for the coordination of the Blue Peace/ OMVG project (UNCDF) – United Nations Volunteers (UNV) (The Gambia): 7 December
 
22) Research Associate (Water Quality) – The Ohio State University (Wooster, OH, USA): 6 December
 
23) Hydrologist II – Alaska Department of Natural Resources (Fairbanks, AK, USA): 9 December
 
24) Associate Engineer (Water Resources Planning) – Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA, USA): 11 December
 
25) Local recruitment: Associate Scientist I/II (Hydrologic Modeling and Analysis) – National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) (Boulder, CO, USA): 8 December
 
26) Entry Level Water Resources Engineer – Jacobs (Yakima, WA, USA): Until filled

3-4 years
 
27) Local recruitment: Communications Officer – International Water Association (IWA) (London): 4 December
 
28) Climate Policy Coordinator – Climate Action Network (Brussels): 4 December
 
29) International Climate Policy Coordinator – Climate Action Network (Brussels): 11 December
 
30) Canada nationals: Hydrologist – British Columbia Public Service (Various, BC, Canada): 9 December
 
31) River Sustainability Director – Cahaba River Society (Birmingham, AL, USA): 9 December
 
32) Environmental Analyst (Long Island Sound Regional Coordinator) – NEIWPCC(Stony Brook, NY, USA): 11 December

5-7 years
 
33) Nature-based Solutions Project Officer – International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (Serbia): 6 December
 
34) Global Apparel, Textiles & Cotton Lead Specialist – World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) (Europe): 4 December – Will have a water component
 
35) Regional Migration, Environment and Climate Change Specialist – International Organization for Migration (IOM) (Bangkok): 3 December
 
36) Technical Adviser (Information, Knowledge Management and Brokerage) (Pacific Climate Change Centre) – Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) (Samoa): 4 December
 
37) Technical Adviser (Science to Services) (Pacific Climate Change Centre) – Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) (Samoa): 4 December
 
38) French speakers: Climate Resilience Project Manager (West Africa) – Practical Action (Dakar): 9 December
 
39) Spanish speakers: Programme Management Officer – United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) (Panama): 9 December
 
40) German speakers: Project Manager (Climate Policy Analysis Team (CPT)) – Climate Analytics (Berlin): 10 December
 
41) Programme Management Officer – United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) (Athens): 11 December
 
42) Environmental Economist – The World Bank (Ethiopia): 11 December
 
43) Head of Funds – Nexus for Development (Cambodia): 16 December
 
44) Water Quality Technician – NIWA (New Zealand): 6 December
 
45) Call for CVs (USAID Sri Lanka/Maldives Climate Change Activity) – DAI (Sri Lanka and Maldives): 4 December
 
46) U.K. nationals: Project Officer (Blue Corridors) – North York Moors National Park(United Kingdom): 8 December
 
47) Local recruitment: Natural Resources Management Specialist – The World Bank(Jakarta): 7 December
 
48) Kyrgyzstan nationals: Climate Change Adviser/ NAP Project Manager – United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (Kyrgyzstan): 2 December
 
49) Ghana nationals: Climate Change Specialist – United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (Ghana): 9 December
 
50) Canada nationals: Program Coordinator (Environment and Climate Change) – Government of Nova Scotia (Halifax, NS, Canada): 11 December
 
51) Director of Freshwater Policy (Midwest Division) – The Nature Conservancy (TNC) (Midwest, USA): 4 January 2021
 
52) Watershed Science Director – Rio Grande International Study Center (RGISC)(Laredo, TX, USA): 4 December
 
53) Research Program Manager – The Water Foundation (Alexandria, VA or Denver, CO, USA): Until filled
 
54) Program Manager (Water Stewardship) – NTT Data Services (San Francisco, CA, USA): Until filled
 
55) Sustainability Director (including water stewardship) – Ardagh Group (Chicago, IL, USA): Until filled

8-9 years
 
56) Team Leader (International) ("Preparing the Water Resources Sector Development Program”) – Particip (Georgia): 6 December
 
57) French speakers: Expert(e)s en gestion intégrée de zones côtières – GFA Consulting Group (Various): 3 December
 
58) Project Officer – Asian Development Bank (ADB) (Manila): 10 December
 
59) Senior Environmental Engineer – The World Bank (Rwanda): 7 December
 
60) Senior Environmental Specialist – The World Bank (Malawi): 7 December
 
61) Local recruitment: Senior Environment Specialist – The World Bank (Nigeria): 4 December

10+ years
 
62) French speakers: Coordinateur du projet Mangrove – International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (Dakar): 6 December
 
63) Hindi speakers: Team Leader – CTRAN Consulting (HP, India): 11 December
 
64) Local recruitment: Program Director – Pure Earth (New York): Until filled
 
65) Watershed Project Manager – Jacobs (Austin, TX, USA): Until filled

Not specified:
 
66) Team Leaders (Climate Change) – Oxford Policy Management (OPM) (Various): Until filled
 
67) Associate or Senior Editor (Environmental Social Science), Nature Communications – Springer Nature (London, New York or Berlin): 8 December
 
68) Finnish speakers: Hydrologi / Ohjelmistosuunnittelija / Kehitysinsinööri – Suomen ympäristökeskus SYKE (Helsinki): 7 December
 
69) Netherlands nationals: Data analist water – Rijkswaterstaat (Netherlands): 9 December
 
70) Netherlands nationals: Adviseur Waterverdeling en Ecologie – Rijkswaterstaat(Netherlands): 9 December
 
71) German speakers: Junior- Berater*in für das Projekt "Stärkung der Resilienz gegenüber dem Klimawandel" – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) (Cambodia): 10 December
 
72) Australia nationals: Project Officer (Murray Darling Basin Plan) – Government of South Australia (Berri, SA, Australia): 3 December
 
73) Australia nationals: Director Water Assessment – Northern Territory Government(Palmerston, NT, Australia): 6 December
 
74) Australia nationals: Program Manager (Water & Catchments) – East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority (Bairnsdale, VIC, Australia): 7 December
 
75) Australia nationals: Director (Water Resource) – Victoria Government(Melbourne, VIC, Australia): 6 December
 
76) Consultant Economist (Environment, water or agriculture specialist) – RMCG
(VIC, Australia): 9 December
 
77) Australia nationals: Senior Project Engineer – Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water(Horsham, VIC, Australia): 9 December
 
78) Local recruitment: Senior Project Manager/Team Manager – Westcountry Rivers Trust (WRT) (United Kingdom): 4 December
 
79) Hydrographic Scientist – APEM Limited (United Kingdom): 4 December
 
80) U.K. nationals: Technical Specialist (Hydrology) – Environment Agency (United Kingdom): 6 December
 
81) Local recruitment: Project Officer (Hanson-RSPB Wetland Project) – The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) (United Kingdom): 7 December
 
82) Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Consultant/ Senior Consultant (Water Practice) – Ricardo Energy & Environment (United Kingdom): 8 December
 
83) Local recruitment: Graduate catchment scientist – Wessex Water (United Kingdom): 8 December
 
84) Senior Consultant for Climate Change – Arup (London): 8 December
 
85) E.U./U.K. local recruitment: COP26 Lead – Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)(London): Until filled
 
86) Global Social and Environmental Risk - VP Climate Risk – JP Morgan Chase & Co (London): Until filled
 
87) Project Development Associate (Nature Based Solutions) – Palladium (United Kingdom): Until filled
 
88) Principal / Associate Director (Water Catchment Management) – Jacobs(Scotland): Until filled
 
89) Canada nationals: Project Coordinator – Red River Basin Commission(Winnipeg, MB, Canada): 6 December
 
90) Canada nationals: Junior Remote Sensing Scientist – Natural Resources Canada(Canada): 8 December
 
91) Canada nationals: Regional Hydrogeologist – British Columbia Public Service(Nanaimo, BC, Canada): 10 December
 
92) Plumas Conservation, Restoration and Education in Watersheds (P-CREW) Program Manager Position – Sierra Institute for Community and Environment(Taylorsville, CA, USA): 4 December
 
93) Engineer I – North Carolina Division of Water Resources (Wake County, NC, USA): 4 December
 
94) Executive Director – Yolo Basin Foundation (Davis, CA, USA): 9 December
 
95) U.S. nationals: Lead Interdisciplinary (Hydrologist/Civil Engineer (Hydrologic) – U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Boulder City, NV, USA): 10 December
 
96) U.S. nationals: Program Manager – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)(Norfolk, VA, USA): 3 December
 
97) U.S. nationals: Hydrologist – U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) (Idaho Falls, ID, USA): 4 December
 
98) U.S. nationals: Hydrologist – U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) (Tacoma, WA, USA): 4 December
 
99) U.S. nationals: Hydrologic Technician – U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) (Iowa, USA): 9 December

Not specified (academic):

• Professors/lecturers

100) Tenure Track Assistant Professor Experimental Hydrology and Earth Surface Processes – Wageningen University & Research (Netherlands): 11 December
 
101) Lecturer in Geo-environmental Hazards – Cardiff University (Wales): 5 December
 
102) Assistant Professor (Environmental Protection) – University of North Carolina-Wilmington (Wilmington, NC, USA): 6 December
 
103) Assistant/Associate or Full Professor (Economics of Sustainability) – Clarkson University (Potsdam, NY, USA): 10 June 2021
 
104) Lecturer in Data Science (Environmental Intelligence) (E&R) – University of Exeter (United Kingdom): 9 December
 
105) Assistant Professor Global Change Modelling – Utrecht University(Netherlands): 10 December
 
106) Tamil speakers: Teaching Staff – WASH Institute (India): 10 December

• Postdocs

107) Postdoctoral Scholar (Land Surface Hydrology) – University of California-Berkeley (Berkeley, CA, USA): 4 December
 
108) Postdoc in Emission of greenhouse gases from Siberian inland waters – Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Amsterdam): 6 December
 
109) Postdoctoral Researcher (Spatial and temporal patterns of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in urban streams) – Idaho State University (Pocatello, ID, USA): 7 December
 
110) IDEWA Post-Doc: simulation of the impact of irrigation on drainage and streamflow – Fundació Observatori de l'Ebre (Spain): 9 December
 
111) Postdoctoral Scholar (Predict COVID-19 virus in water treatment and in food industry) – University of California-Riverside (Riverside, CA, USA): 10 December
 
112) Postdoc position on multiobjective water and forest management – Technical University of Valencia (Spain): Until filled
 
113) Postdoctoral Researcher in Hydrology and Water Resources – University of Louisiana-Lafayette (Lafayette, LA, USA): Until filled
 
114) Postdoctoral Researcher (Water Resources and Coastal Engineering Group) – Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, LA, USA): Until filled

• Researchers/other

115) Research Associate in Coastal Aquifer Sustainable Management Modelling – The University of Sheffield (United Kingdom): 9 December
 
116) Research Assistant/Associate in Sustainable Water Consumption and Consumer Behaviour – Newcastle University (United Kingdom): 10 December
 
117) Research Associate (Physical Geography) – Newcastle University (United Kingdom): 4 December
 
118) Global environmental change and biodiversity, resilience and adaptation in coastal marine ecosystems – Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (Italy): 4 December
 
119) Seasonal Hydrological Econometric forecasting for hydropower production optimization – Libera Università di Bolzano (Italy): 4 December
 
120) Cartographic heritage and history of the water governance for an exhibition promoted by the “Palazzo delle Acque" – Università degli Studi di Parma (Italy): 11 December

WASH:

0-2 years

121) French speakers: Water and Sanitation Specialist – Médecins Sans Frontières(Netherlands): Until filled
 
122) Hygiene Promotion TL – GOAL (Syria): 4 December
 
123) Hygiene Promotion TM – GOAL (Syria): 4 December
 
124) Somali speakers: Water & Habitat Engineer – International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) (Somalia): 6 December
 
125) Iraq nationals: Shelter and Infrastructure Assistant (WASH) – Danish Refugee Council (Iraq): 6 December
 
126) Hindi speakers: Menstural Hygiene Management Officer – Pragati Gramin Vikas Samiti (Gaya, BR, India): 5 December
 
127) Sierra Leone nationals: WASH Officer – United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) (Sierra Leone): 10 December

3-4 years
 
128) French speakers: Associate Shelter / WASH Officer (UNHCR) – United Nations Volunteers (UNV) (Burundi): 3 December
 
129) Philippines nationals: Water and Habitat Engineer – International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) (Philippines): 7 December
 
130) Nepal nationals: Technical Coordinator (Governance & Public Health) (Purnima WaSH) – Oxfam (Nepal): 8 December
 
131) Nepal nationals: District Engineer (Purnima WaSH) – Oxfam (Nepal): 8 December
 
132) Niger nationals: Facilitateurs WASH (2) – World Vision (WV) (Niger): 4 December
 
133) Yemen nationals: Hygiene Promotion Officer – International Rescue Committee (IRC) (Yemen): Until filled
 
134) Rural Development Specialist (Environmental) – Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) (Utah, USA): Until filled

5-7 years

135) WASH Technical Manager – Relief International (South Sudan): 5 December
 
136) Country Director – Bremen Overseas Research & Development Association (BORDA) (South Africa): 20 December
 
137) WASH Officer – United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)(Sudan): 7 December
 
138) WASH Sector Leader Nepal – SNV Netherlands Development Organisation(Nepal): 9 December
 
139) Arabic speakers: Senior Technical Specialists (Lebanon Water, Sanitation and Conservation (WSC) Project) – Tetra Tech (Lebanon): Until filled
 
140) WASH Coordinator – International Medical Corps (Nigeria): Until filled
 
141) Local recruitment: Water Supply and Sanitation Specialist – The World Bank(Haiti): 3 December
 
142) Telugu speakers: Assistant Project Officer – WASH Institute (Bhadrachalam, TG, India): 3 December
 
143) Myanmar speakers: Deputy Coordinator (WASH) – Pact (Myanmar): 3 December
 
144) Local recruitment: Water System Infrastructure and Performance Manager (Leveraging Investment for Transformational Water and Sanitation Systems (LIFT) Program) – Tetra Tech (DRC): Until filled

10+ years

145) Chief of Party (USAID South Sudan Gender Aware Sustainable Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Activity (GASWASH)) – DT Global (South Sudan): Until filled
 
146) French speakers: Chief of Party (USAID Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Sanitation Activity) – DevWorks (Congo (Kinshasa)): 10 December
 
Not specified
 
147) Local recruitments: Head of Corporate Partnerships – WaterAid (Melbourne, VIC, Australia): 11 December
 
148) Hindi and Punjabi speakers: Block Resource Coordinator – WASH Institute (PB, India): 10 December

Consultancies:

149) Rural Water Marketing Intelligence Expert – Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) (Home-Based): 8 January 2021
 
150) International Consultant In Land And Water Engineering – United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (Sierra Leone): 4 December
 
151) Consultant to support preparation and launch of the GEF-UNDP/UNEP-IOC UNESCO IW:LEARN5 Project – United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) (Home-Based): 4 December
 
152) Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Specialist – Asian Development Bank (ADB) (Home-Based): 4 December
 
153) Four consultants: Pre-Feasibility Study for the Programme for Integrated Development and Adaptation to Climate Change in the Zambezi Watercourse (PIDACC Zambezi) – United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)(Home-Based): 4 December
 
154) Consultores GWP-NDC CAEP Paraguay – Global Water Partnership - South America (GWP-SAM) (Paraguay): 4 December
 
155) Spanish speakers: WASH Information Management (IM) roster – CANADEM(Honduras): 2 December
 
156) Technical Specialist/Advisor for Integrated National Resource Management (International consultant, Cambodia residence) – United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (Cambodia): 3 December
 
157) Dam Safety Expert (Mosul Dam) – United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (Home-Based): 3 December
 
158) French speakers: Consultant: Hand Hygiene for All (HH4A) Coordinator – United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) (Dakar): 6 December
 
159) Consultant/Regional Expert (Systemic analysis and assessment of the required capacity and operational costs to deliver the UNEP/MAP Medium-Term Strategy) – United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) (Home-Based): 6 December
 
160) Environmental Management Specialist – United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) (Home-Based): 7 December
 
161) LAKI-MENA Consultant – United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) (Home-Based): 9 December
 
162) Disaster Risk Preparedness and Resilience Expert (USAID Water for Africa through Leadership and Institutional Support) – DAI (Home-Based): Until filled
 
163) French speakers: Chercheur International (Migration & Changement Climatique) – International Organization for Migration (IOM) (Niger): 10 December
 
164) Hindi speakers: Consultant WASH – WaterAid (Unnao, UP, India): 2 December
 
165) Sierra Leone nationals: National Irrigation and rural infrastructure Engineer – United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (Sierra Leone): 4 December
 
166) Bangladesh nationals: National Consultant, WASH (Development of communication strategy and IEC/BCC materials for arsenic contamination risk mitigation) – United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) (Bangladesh): 7 December
 
167) Vanuatu nationals: Sanitation Program Lead – Asian Development Bank (ADB)(Vanuatu): 10 December
 
168) Vanuatu nationals: Water Program Lead – Asian Development Bank (ADB)(Vanuatu): 10 December
 
169) Myanmar nationals: Infection Prevention and Control and Water Hygiene and Sanitation (WASH) Specialist – Asian Development Bank (ADB) (Myanmar): 11 December
 
170) Philippines nationals: Water Sector Group Project & Event Coordinator – Asian Development Bank (ADB) (Manila): 3 December
 
171) Philippines nationals: Strategic Knowledge Management Specialist – Asian Development Bank (ADB) (Philippines): 3 December
 
172) Local recruitment: Hydrology Specialist (Multiple positions; retainer) – United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) (Kenya): 10 December
 
173) Local recruitment: Consultant - Situation Analysis of Water Security in Yemen – United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) (Yemen): 13 December
 
174) Local recruitment: WASH/NTD Expert – Sightsavers (Sierra Leone): 13 December
 
175) Local recruitment: WASH/NTD Expert – Sightsavers (Liberia):13 December

RFP:

176) RFP: Final Evaluation – Ruchika Social Service Organisation (RSSO) (India): 7 December

Internships:

177) Intern (Environment Affairs) – United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) (Japan): 7 December
 
178) Intern (Environment Affairs) – United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) (Paris): 8 December
 
179) Intern (Programme Management) – United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) (Paris): 10 December
 
180) Internships – European Environmental Bureau (EEB) (Brussels): Until filled
 
181) Internships in Water & Environmental Sanitation – Administrative Staff College of India (Hyderabad, TG, India): Until filled
 
182) Kenya nationals: Intern (Drylands Resilience Programme) – International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (Nairobi): 7 December
 
183) German speakers: Praktikant*in im Globalvorhaben Klimarisikomanagement – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) (Germany): 6 December
 
184) Local recruitment: Engineering Interns – Sydney Water (Sydney, NSW, Australia): 4 December
 
185) Legal Externship – Earthjustice (San Francisco, CA, USA): Until filled
 
186) Civil Intern (Water) (Summer 2021) – Jacobs (Austin, TX, USA): Until filled

Scholarships:

187) PhD position: River Ecosystem Management – Senckenberg (Germany): 4 December
 
188) CU-SEI Joint PhD Student/Research Associate – Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) (Bangkok): 4 December
 
189) Local recruitment: Graduate Research Assistantship (M.S. or Ph.D) – Florida A&M University (Tallahassee, FL, USA): 8 December
 
190) Graduate Assistantships in Remote Sensing, GIS, Ecological and Water Resources Engineering (M.S. or Ph.D) – State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) (Syracuse, NY, USA): 9 December
 
191) PhD: Regional assessment of the resilience of water supplies and environmental resilience – University of Oxford (United Kingdom): 11 December
 
192) Two PhD positions in Marine Geophysics – Dalhousie University (Halifax, NS, Canada): 12 December
 
193) Doctoral position in IRTG TransTiP: Modelling water fluxes in alpine catchments – Leibniz Universität Hannover (Germany): 12 December
 
194) PhD student opportunities on ecosystem modeling and remote sensing – University of Wisconsin-Madison (Madison, WI, USA): 13 December
 
195) PhD in Sustainability Science (Ghana case) – Lund University (Sweden): 18 December
 
196) PhD in Sustainability Science (Uganda case) – Lund University (Sweden): 18 December
 
197) PhD in Sustainability Science (Zimbabwe case) – Lund University (Sweden): 18 December

Fellowships:

198) Race to Zero Youth Fellowship – United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (Various): 13 December

Other:

199) U.S. nationals: Community Engagement & Ala Wai Watershed – AmeriCorps VISTA (Honolulu, HI, USA): 10 December
 
 
Last week’s list, in case you missed it
 
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Recruitment services

2) Additional Jobs from WaterWired

200) Position: @USAID (Washington, DC & elsewhere) - Foreign Service Program Officer. Closes: 1 March 2021. https://bit.ly/2G8tNW4 

201) Position: @USAID (Washington, DC) - Foreign Service Contracting Officer. Closes: 1 March 2021. https://bit.ly/2YLHwIG

202) Position: @Penn (Philadelphia, PA) - Tenure-Track Position in Water Science (Asst. Prof. preferred but higher ranks may be considered). OUF; App review: 20 November. https://apply.interfolio.com/78685 #JobWaWi    

203) Position: Universidad de O'Higgins (Rancagua, Chile) - T-T position in Geological Engineering or related areas, specialized in modeling in Hydrology & Hydrogeology, or Environmental Geology. Closes: 30 Nov. https://bit.ly/2HctgmT  

204) Position: @FAO (Rome, Italy) - Director, Land and Water Division. Closes: Ongoing https://bit.ly/3lY9hab #JobWaWi 

205) Position: @WWF (Berlin, DE) - @WWFWaterRisk Filter Officer. OUF. https://bit.ly/3eYGWOY #JobWaWi 

206) Position: @UUtah (SLC) - T-T Assistant/Associate Professor in Department of Geology & Geophysics. OUF; App review: 1 January 2021. https://bit.ly/2KdDcxL #JobWaWi

207) Position: @CSUSBnews (San Bernardino, CA) - Department Chair - Geological Sciences. OUF; App review: 4 January 2021 https://bit.ly/3lUbh3C 

208) Position: @NSF (Alexandria, VA) - Behavioral Scientist (Program Director, Human-Environment and Geographical Sciences). Closes: 20 Dec. 2020 https://bit.ly/39eyXw7 

3) Some General Employment Resources                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

AGU Career Center for research/academic jobs

GoodWorkCanada - Canada's Green Jobs Site

Congressional Research Service Positions

Check out @AidJobs - Vacancies in aid, development, humanitarian & nonprofit sector (volunteers, consultants or F-T employment) https://aidjobs.org

Conservation Jobs Board

UN Jobs in Water Resources

UN Jobs in Water Management

UN Jobs in Water and Sanitation

Global Water Jobs

WASH Vacancies

Academic Jobs Online

Higher Education Job Site

Get Hydrology Jobs

AAG Jobs

@BCWaterNews Jobs Click View Jobs

@EcologyWA - Current Openings - Updated every few days. Click here.

King County (WA)Jobs

Geoscience Job Board

California DWR Jobs

AZ Water Career Center

Florida Water Jobs

NYC DEP

Nature Conservancy jobs

State of Washington Careers

Idaho DEQ

OSU Water Resources Program

Water District Jobs

Academic Jobs in Schools of Physical/Earth Sciences

Mac's List - Jobs in Portland and Beyond!

New Zealand Hydrological Society Jobs Board

Government Jobs

Association of Oregon Counties Job Postings

Soil Science Societies Career Center

How to Find Work Overseas, with Marcelle Yeager. https://bit.ly/1pIopLT

For the full list of Josh's active water jobs, please visit www.joshswaterjobs.com/jobs

Enjoy! 

"I know the building is old. But asbestos is only dangerous if you disturb it. And, please don't eat the wall paint." - @ass_deans

Elaine J. Hanford's Bulletin Boards: 1) Geoscience; 2) Environmental Science; 3) Coastal Zone Management - 30 November 2020

Book from my friend and former @UNMwater colleague, Dr. José A. Rivera: 'The Zanjeras of Ilocos - Cooperative Irrigation Societies of the Philippines' https://bit.ly/39khz9c

Enjoy!

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Here are Elaine's BBs as a PDF and a Word document:

PDF: Download Bulletin_Boards_30November2020

Word: Download Bulletin_Boards_30November2020

Note: If a link does not work, try pasting the URL into your browser. 

Check out Elaine's coronavirus/COVID-19 section in the ES BB.

Geoscience Bulletin Board – 30 November 2020 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford

Oceanic plateau in uppermost lower mantle beneath Eastern Siberia provides clue to beginning of Hawaiian hot spot plume head ~100 myo

• https://phys.org/news/2020-11-piece-hawaii-formation.html

Explaining the tectonics in the Caribbean that caused 2010 Haiti Earthquake

• https://www.grunge.com/282110/what-really-happened-with-that-huge-earthquake-in-haiti/

Determining earthquake magnitude

• https://billingsgazette.com/outdoors/caldera-chronicles-how-big-was-that-earthquake/article_05cc97d2-e011-5e99-b56f-85071d3eb28f.html

A boon in seismic survey demand in the Atlantic?

• https://www.rivieramm.com/news-content-hub/atlantic-holds-the-keys-to-seismic-survey-demand-61940

Volcanic eruptions ignited coal & oil in Siberia to help usher in P-T Mass Extinction Event

• https://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/44725/20201120/volcanic-eruptions-igniting-coal-oil-siberia-helped-usher-permian-triassic.htm

Dinosaurs would have continued to flourish were it not for Chicxulub impact

• https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/research-shows-dinosaurs-flourished-were-222657271.html
• https://www.bath.ac.uk/announcements/new-analysis-refutes-claim-that-dinosaurs-were-in-decline-before-asteroid-hit/
• Paper: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.201195

Exposure to volcanic hazards in California

• California's Exposure to Volcanic Hazards Geo-Narrative (usgs.gov)
• SIR 2018-5159: California’s exposure to volcanic hazards (usgs.gov)
• Interactive website: California's Exposure to Volcanic Hazards (usgs.gov)

Sedimentology, geochemistry and paleobiology of the Chicxulub crater

• Life in the Chicxulub Crater Years After It Was Formed - Eos
• Paper: The Habitat of the Nascent Chicxulub Crater - Bralower - 2020 - AGU Advances - Wiley Online Library
• Paper: Whump, Slosh, Slosh, Slosh—Filling the Crater That Did in the Dinosaurs - Norris - 2020 - AGU Advances - Wiley Online Library

Characterizing sediments impacted behind Conowingo Dam on Susquehanna River – re-use potential

• https://www.ydr.com/story/news/2020/11/19/maryland-begin-sediment-project-behind-conowingo-dam/6328910002/

Strong stratospheric polar vortex coincided with Arctic Oscillation pattern during 2019-2020 winter

• An Extraordinary Winter in the Polar North - Eos

Retrospective on climate prediction of Budyko

• A 50-Year-Old Global Warming Forecast That Still Holds Up - Eos

Rockfalls, landslides, debris floods

• A Slippery Slope: Could Climate Change Lead to More Landslides? - Eos

Visualizing which countries are mapping the ocean floor

• Infographic: Which Countries are Mapping the Ocean Floor? (visualcapitalist.com)

Emissions from international ship exhausts have significant impact on cloud behavior

• International ship exhaust emissions shown to alter clouds' behaviour (terradaily.com)

India to launch “Deep Ocean Mission” to explore for energy & Minerals

• India Set to Launch 'Deep Sea Mission' for Exploration of Energy, Minerals (spacedaily.com)

Eel-like conodont teeth offer evidence of parallel evolution

• Identical evolution of isolated organisms › Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (fau.eu)
• Teeth from eel-like conodonts offer new proof of parallel evolution - UPI.com

Fossils of earliest animals revealed as algae

• Fossils purported to be world's earliest animals revealed as algae (terradaily.com)
• The World's Oldest Evidence of Animals Might Be From a Very Different Organism (sciencealert.com)

NSF begins planning for decommissioning of Arecibo Observatory 305-meter telescope – safety concerns

• NSF begins planning for decommissioning of Arecibo Observatory’s 305-meter telescope due to safety concerns | NSF - National Science Foundation

First two Jurassic dinosaur species fossil remains found in Northern Ireland

• Paleontologists Find First Dinosaur Remains in Ireland | Paleontology | Sci-News.com (sci-news.com)

New genus & species of medium-sized abelisaurid dinosaur found in Argentina

• New Carnivorous Dinosaur Unearthed in Patagonia | Paleontology | Sci-News.com (sci-news.com)

“Superbolts” of lightning are real – can be 1,000+ times brighter than typical lightning flashes

• Lightning ‘Superbolts’ Are Real, Two New Studies Confirm | Geophysics, Geoscience | Sci-News.com (sci-news.com)

New Late Devonian symmoriiform shark fossils found in Morocco

• Devonian-Period Shark Had Large Eyes and Unique Jaws | Paleontology | Sci-News.com (sci-news.com)
• Paper: A symmoriiform from the Late Devonian of Morocco demonstrates a derived jaw function in ancient chondrichthyans | Communications Biology (nature.com)

Planetary geology:  evidence of ancient megaflood in Gale Crater on Mars

• Field geology at Mars' equator points to ancient megaflood -- ScienceDaily
• Paper: Deposits from giant floods in Gale crater and their implications for the climate of early Mars | Scientific Reports (nature.com)

Most dinosaurs grew slow and steady – T. rex and closest relatives had huge growth spurts

• rex had huge growth spurts, but other dinos grew slow and steady: By cutting into fossils and examining growth rings, scientists learned how predatory dinosaurs got so big -- ScienceDaily

Russia announces giant Bostok oil project in the Arctic – may produce 100M tonnes per year

• Russian oil giant announces start of vast Arctic project (phys.org)

Polar ice exhibits “seesaw” behavior

• Ice sheets on the move: Evidence of the interconnectedness of global climate (phys.org)

Toward a better understanding of the formation of iron hydroxides

• Inside the black box of iron oxide formation (phys.org)

Process of headland bypassing is eroding beach at Byron Bay in Australia

• One of Australia's most famous beaches is disappearing, and storms aren't to blame (phys.org)

Scythe-like beak on Falcatakely forsterae is distinctive among Cretaceous birds

• Dinosaur-era bird with scythe-like beak sheds light on avian diversity (yahoo.com)

Simulating the next volcanic eruption in the Cascades

• What's It Like to Simulate the Next Cascades Volcanic Eruption? | Discover Magazine

Runoff from glaciers carries nutrients for oceanic phytoplankton

• Lakes below glaciers could enrich oceans near Antarctica and Greenland - ScienceBlog.com

Database maps and classifies glacierized volcanoes

• Fire and ice: New database maps and classifies the dangers of glacierized volcanoes (phys.org)
• Paper: Global mapping of future glaciovolcanism - ScienceDirect

Adnoc expands seismic survey in the Mideast – largest 3D seismic shoot in the world

• Adnoc expands world’s largest 3D seismic shoot - News for the Oil and Gas Sector (energyvoice.com)

China completed soil conservation work on 55,000-square-km area on the Loess Plateau

• China's Shaanxi gains ground in war on soil erosion- China.org.cn

Court over-rules governor decision on geothermal well project in Çeşme, İzmir, in western Turkey

• Court cancels geothermal wells project near olive groves in İzmir - english (bianet.org)

Book Review:  Wonders of Sand & Stone – history of Utah National Parks & Monuments

• Review | Wonders Of Sand And Stone: A History Of Utah’s National Parks And Monuments (nationalparkstraveler.org)

Geological Society of Africa (GSAF) & International Association for Promoting Geoethics (IAPG) signed agreement of cooperation

• African geoscientists and partnerships that save – Punch Newspapers (punchng.com)

Cornish Geothermal Distillery Company (CGDC) submitted plans for plans for ultra high-tech £10M rum distillery inside a biome heated by geothermal energy

• Plans drawn for £10m geothermal rum distillery in Cornwall - Business Live (business-live.co.uk)

Lake beds will be core sampled to assess earthquake risk & lake health in Hamilton, New Zealand

• Finding Fault: Researchers Team Up To Assess Hamilton’s Seismic Risk And Lake Health | Scoop News

Nevada Bureau of Mines & Geology (NBMG) 2021 calendar now available

• Geology-themed 2021 calendar available from College of Science | Mining | elkodaily.com

2018 eruption of Kilauea triggered by cascade of events

• Cascading events led to 2018 Kīlauea volcanic eruption, providing clues for forecasting | EurekAlert! Science News

Complexity & origin of life inspire poetry

• A Complexity of Life – The Poetry of Science (scienceblog.com)

Rate of uplift is greater than rate of erosion of the Swiss Alps

• The Swiss Alps continue to rise: Evidence from cosmic rays show lift outpaces erosion (phys.org)
• Paper: Late-Pleistocene catchment-wide denudation patterns across the European Alps - ScienceDirect

Radar surveys confirm five glaciers in Columbia River Basin are 38% thicker than formerly believed

• BC glaciers 38 per cent thicker than expected, surprising study finds | The Province

 Lithosphere of Eastern California Shear Zone resembles creme brule

• A dessert-like desert: Californian lithosphere resembles cr.me br.l.e (phys.org)

Primer on home geothermal heating & cooling

• Geothermal - A Home Geothermal Heating and Cooling Primer - Renewable Energy Magazine, at the heart of clean energy journalism

Sir Tannatt Edgeworth David – a geologist – and history of Antarctica and Australia

• The geologist and the war - The University of Sydney

Environmental Bulletin Board – 30 November 2020 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford

Niagara Power Plant reaches milestone in ongoing $1.1B modernization program

• https://www.niagara-gazette.com/news/local_news/niagara-power-project-upgrade-reaches-milestone/article_6415990d-1530-578e-ab86-79277df7a1c7.html

Grand Rapids PUC approved solar array & energy storage battery as part of $6M project

• https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/business/energy-and-mining/6769483-Solar-to-battery-storage-system-planned-for-Grand-Rapids

Amtrak study says 110-year-old Hudson River rail tunnel has myriad of problems that need fixing

• https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-new-york-abed1e7592dd3356178767717dbbfcbd
• Hudson Tunnel Project: https://nec.amtrak.com/project/the-hudson-tunnel-project/
• Draft EIS downloads: http://www.hudsontunnelproject.com/deis.html

Circuit Court of Appeals allows construction to continue on $6B Mountain Valley natural gas pipeline

• https://wtvbam.com/2020/11/19/u-s-court-allows-equitrans-to-keep-building-mountain-valley-natgas-pipe/

Playing politics with water:  transparency, water quality standards, WOTUS, wastewater, permits

• https://www.eenews.net/stories/1063718667

Community continues battle against proposed petrochemical complex in “Cancer Alley” in Louisiana

• https://www.popsci.com/story/science/louisiana-formosa-chemical-construction-slave-cemetery/

Micro-plastics pollution found near the summit of Mount Everest

• https://www.ecowatch.com/microplastics-discovered-mount-everest-2648994713.html
• https://www.yahoo.com/news/weve-now-found-microplastics-very-164234633.html
• Paper: https://www.cell.com/one-earth/fulltext/S2590-3322(20)30550-9

CRS Report:  Reclamation of Coal Mining Operations

• https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R46610

New euthanasia rules in the Netherlands

• https://www.yahoo.com/news/dutch-doctors-allowed-sedate-dementia-191217260.html

Forest ranger in Spain charged with poisoning of brown bear in Pyrenees

• https://www.yahoo.com/news/forest-ranger-arrested-spain-over-162443937.html

CRS Report:  Federal Scientific Integrity Policies – A Primer

• Federal Scientific Integrity Policies: A Primer (congress.gov)

National Risk Index provides interactive map approximating levels of risk

• NRI Overview: National Risk Index Overview | FEMA.gov
• National Risk Index (NRI) | FEMA.gov

This is insanity:  rebuilding again on same spot after fires destroyed home twice in two years – most states do not require fire-resistant materials

• After fires destroyed their home twice, Reno family will build again in same spot (msn.com)
• How Home Builders Blocked Rules To Make Homes Fire-Resistant : NPR

Massachusetts Transportation Climate Initiative draws mixed reviews among multi-state participants

• Regional initiative targets transportation, climate change in underserved rural communities (gazettenet.com)

$6.5M Heidlersburg solar project to help power natural gas pipeline operations in Pennsylvania

• Enbridge begins construction of new solar facility in Pennsylvania | Reuters

Epidemic of teenage vaping

• The Risks of Another Epidemic: Teenage Vaping (yahoo.com)

US Army COE grants final permit for Line 3 crude oil pipeline replacement across northern Minnesota

• Army Corps of Engineers grants final federal Line 3 permit (apnews.com)
• Army Corps of Engineers issues Enbridge permit for Line 3 - StarTribune.com
• PUC gives construction OK to Enbridge for Minnesota pipeline - StarTribune.com

Utah contemplating traffic congestion in Little Cottonwood Canyon – considering 3 options

• UDOT Considering Gondola, Cog Railroad To Reduce Little Cottonwood Canyon Traffic (ksltv.com)

MTC giving second thought to telecommute mandate for Bay Area employees

• Regional planners back off from mandatory telecommute goal – The San Francisco Examiner (sfexaminer.com)
• Bay Area planners: Less remote work, more green commutes – Times-Herald (timesheraldonline.com)

Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships contemplating how to build resilient cities

• P3 2020: U.S. mayors talk city resiliency - constructconnect.com

Planting native trees en masse helps reduce flooding

• Study: New Trees Bring Stormwater Benefits Even Before Full Maturity - The Stormwater Report (wef.org)
• Paper: Native woodland establishment improves soil hydrological functioning in UK upland pastoral catchments - Murphy - - Land Degradation & Development - Wiley Online Library

US Army COE wants more time & $6M to study catastrophic failure risk of proposed Darlington Dry Dam

• Proposed Darlington Dam needs more time, money to assess risk of catastrophic failure | News | theadvocate.com

Yet again, plan to raise levees in New Orleans – estimated cost $3.2B

• Tulane study: Corps can elevate New Orleans levees to 200-year levels without OK from Congress | Environment | nola.com
• White Paper: pdf (filesusr.com)

Plug-in hybrids are up to 8X more polluting than reported/advertised

• Plug-in hybrids 'up to eight times more polluting' than official tests show when in engine mode (yahoo.com)

Invasive shovel-headed garden worms found in Georgia – produce tetrodotoxin

• Invasive Worm Species Spotted in Georgia (yahoo.com)

Animals are using the first wildlife bridge in Utah – animal deaths across highway are down dramatically

• Deer, bears, bobcats, oh my! Watch animals cross Utah wildlife bridge. (usatoday.com)

Permit application for Pebble Mine in Alaska denied under Clean Water Act & Rivers and Harbors Act

• Trump administration denies permit for divisive Alaska mine (msn.com)

Replacing Interstate 5 bridge with mothballed Columbia River Crossing project estimated at $4.81B

• Early estimates of I-5 Bridge replacement top out at $4.81 billion - Columbian.com

New test nuclear reactor at Idaho Falls will cost estimated $3B to $6B

• Bechtel Team to Build $3-$6B Nuclear Test Reactor in Idaho | 2020-11-24 | Engineering News-Record (enr.com)

Rain garden at University of North Carolina Wilmington to reduce polluted stormwater runoff

• Rain Garden to Reduce 1M Gallons of Runoff | Coastal Review Online

Ben Franklin called them “a noble fowl deeply rooted in American tradition”

• Bird of Courage (usgs.gov)

Comparing the population of China and India:  1800 to 2020 and beyond

• The Population Race: A 300-Year Look at China vs. India (visualcapitalist.com)

Hookworm exists in impoverished areas in Alabama with poor sanitation

• 'Waste' Activist Digs Into The Sanitation Crisis Affecting The Rural Poor : Shots - Health News : NPR

Significant benefits of returning the “three sisters” of corn, beans & squash to Native American farms

• Returning the 'three sisters' – corn, beans and squash – to Native American farms nourishes people, land and cultures (theconversation.com)

Rock art in Pinwheel Cave in California provides direct evidence people use hallucinogens

• Rock art in a California cave was a visual guide to hallucinogenic plants | Ars Technica
• Paper: Datura quids at Pinwheel Cave, California, provide unambiguous confirmation of the ingestion of hallucinogens at a rock art site | PNAS

Nuclear power plants are expensive – safety & indirect costs

• Why are nuclear plants so expensive? Safety’s only part of the story | Ars Technica

Young American alligators have ability to regrow tails up to 18% of body length

• Young American Alligators Can Regrow Their Tails, Study Shows | Biology | Sci-News.com (sci-news.com)
• Paper: Anatomical and histological analyses reveal that tail repair is coupled with regrowth in wild-caught, juvenile American alligators ( Alligator mississippiensis ) | Scientific Reports (nature.com)

Perspective:  Welcome to the Plastisphere

• Welcome to the Plastisphere (treehugger.com)

Just for fun:  National Parks Quiz & Trivia #20 – Grand Teton

• National Parks Quiz And Trivia #20: The Grand Teton Edition (nationalparkstraveler.org)

Environmental & safety challenge of “Crab Island”

• "Crab Island:" An Environmental And Safety Challenge For The National Park Service (nationalparkstraveler.org)

Almost half of human population not aware of relationship between climate & emerging diseases

• Effect of climate change on infectious diseases unknown to half of the population (phys.org)
• Paper: Perception and knowledge of the effect of climate change on infectious diseases within the general public: A multinational cross-sectional survey-based study (plos.org)

Promoting a geoengineering effort that could have disastrous collateral impacts

• Dimming Sun's rays could ease climate impacts in Africa (phys.org)
• Paper: Stratospheric Aerosol Geoengineering could lower future risk of 'Day Zero' level droughts in Cape Town - IOPscience

Visits to Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks increased significantly

• Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park have record October (yahoo.com)

Perspective:  Increase entrance fees for National Parks

• Raise the Entrance Fees for Our National Parks (yahoo.com)

Tourist oversteps lookout & falls to death in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

• Tourist taking photo at overlook falls to his death in Great Smoky Mountains, park says (yahoo.com)

Fields of hemp set burned because THC levels exceed federal limits

• Some of Iowa's first legal hemp crops set on fire because THC exceeds federal limits (yahoo.com)

Overcrowding at Crater Lake National Park with staffing shortage

• Summer at Crater Lake: Record crowds, staff shortage - Columbian.com

Environmental Audit Committee accuses tech giants of fueling “e-waste tsunami” by planning short shelf-life of products

• MPs accuse tech giants of fuelling an 'e-waste tsunami' by designing products with short shelf life | Daily Mail Online

Texans hunting wild hogs Teas style – rifles, drones, digital pig calls, baying dogs, helicopters…

• Texas tackles wild hogs with high-stakes hunts (yahoo.com)

As of 1 January 2021, China will no longer import solid wastes – already banned plastics, car parts, textiles, paper, scrap steel or wood

• China to end all waste imports on Jan 1 (yahoo.com)

Running half-marathon in Delhi is “suicidal” with soaring air pollution

• Doctors warn over Delhi's 'suicidal' half-marathon (yahoo.com)

CORONAVIRUS

Coronavirus COVID-19 statistics by country (click on USA to get State statistics)

• https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
• interactive maps: https://geodacenter.github.io/covid/map.html

Death rate in US has dropped from 0.9% to 0.6% - but media headlines emblazon at least 1 in 1,000 died which, in reality, is 0.01%

• More Americans Are Surviving Covid-19 (msn.com)
• In nine states, at least 1 in 1,000 people have died of coronavirus-linked causes (msn.com)

Data analysis article appeared & was then removed from Johns Hopkins web site – ironic:  “The total decrease in deaths by other causes almost exactly equals the increase in deaths by COVID-19.”

• A few days ago Johns Hopkins published a study saying corona is nbd. They then deleted it. Read it here in its entirety. | Not the Bee

“energy & money is being wasted on surface disinfection” – disinfecting sprays are often toxic chemicals that significantly affect indoor air quality & human health

• https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus-airborne-indoors-were-still-200413633.html

WHO now advises against using remdesivir

• https://www.yahoo.com/news/advises-against-gileads-remdesivir-hospitalised-020534521.html
• https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/who-recommends-against-the-use-of-remdesivir-in-covid-19-patients
• WHO guidelines: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/therapeutics-and-covid-19-living-guideline

Culling (i.e., deliberate slaughter) of mink in Denmark is ruining lives of many people – No new cases since September but the killing order stands – industry may never recover

• https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/denmark-s-mink-farmers-despair-as-livelihood-dies/ar-BB1bczTo

Bloated mink carcasses are resurfacing from mass graves in Denmark

• COVID-19: Bloated Danish mink carcasses rise up from mass graves - Business Insider

Cuomo to get Emmy award for briefings - Really?

• Governor Andrew Cuomo Will Receive an Emmy For His Daily COVID-19 Briefings (msn.com)

“Accidental” half-dose of vaccine proved to be 90% effective

• Dosing error in trials led to Oxford vaccine's 90 per cent efficacy by accident, say scientists (yahoo.com)

Perspective on vaccine by Dr Rodney E. Rohde

• Pfizer close to COVID vaccine, Dr. Rodney E. Rohde weighs in on what that means : Newsroom : Texas State University (txstate.edu)

Mutation 614G increased likelihood of transmission

• Evidence Builds That an Early Mutation Made the Pandemic Harder to Stop (yahoo.com)

Did “lockdown” measures simply prolong the inevitable?

• Could Today’s COVID Surge have been Avoided? - American Thinker

CDC may shorten length of 14-day quarantine

• CDC to shorten quarantine for those exposed to Covid-19 (yahoo.com)

Efficacy of AstraZeneca vaccine ranges from 62% to 90% with average at 70%

• Coronavirus vaccine: AstraZeneca could expand US trial to pursue 90% efficacious vaccine (yahoo.com)

First vaccinations perhaps as early as 11 December – herd immunity perhaps by mid-2021

• First COVID-19 Vaccinations Expected As Early As Dec. 11, White House Vaccine Czar Says | HuffPost

Pandemic reduction in atmospheric pollution was “just a tiny blip”

• The Pandemic’s Effect On Climate-Changing Pollution Was ‘Just A Tiny Blip’ | HuffPost

12,706 mutations in the virus are not surprising – question is whether it will mutate due to selective pressure from introduction of vaccines

• Researchers warn that Covid vaccines could cause virus to mutate (yahoo.com)

Related viruses found stored in laboratory freezers in Cambodia & Japan – both from bats

• Relatives of pandemic virus found in labs in Cambodia and Japan (yahoo.com)
• Paper: Coronaviruses closely related to the pandemic virus discovered in Japan and Cambodia (nature.com)

Coastal Zone Management Bulletin Board – 30 November 2020 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford

 Plankton survey will resume in the Gulf of Maine until 2024

• https://apnews.com/article/science-oceans-maine_0f9e78b2a9f5c315de4a056b0f35f8dd

 Marking the 50th  anniversary of the infamous Florence whale explosion in Oregon (video)

• https://www.popsci.com/story/animals/explode-whale-dynamite-video/

 Cyanobacterial toxin study along Cape Cod coastline using citizen science

• https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/news/2020/11/15/citizen-science-vital-cyanobacteria-bloomresearch/6295160002/

•  Report: https://www.brewsterponds.org/uploads/1/8/9/6/18965133/ripples_2021_web_version.pdf

 Mangroves in India face threat of sea-level change, lack of sediment & squeezed habitats

• https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/mangroves-including-sunderbans-face-triple-threat-of-sea-level-riselack-of-mud-squeezed-habitats-experts/articleshow/79321138.cms

•  Paper: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/abc122/pdf

 Perspective: what drives decision-making after coastal disasters

• https://hazards.colorado.edu/news/research-counts/leaving-the-shore-what-drives-decision-making-aftercoastal-disasters

 Baltic Sea ferry runs aground in Aland Islands between Finland & Sweden – 400+ on board

• https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/baltic-sea-ferry-runs-aground-in-finnish-waters-no-injuries/ar-BB1bexa1

 Staycations result in 60% rise in rescues of people taking part in recreational activities on the water and/or walking/running along the coastline

• https://www.yahoo.com/news/rnli-rescues-60-per-cent-164112473.html

Plankton survey will resume in the Gulf of Maine until 2024

Marking the 50^th anniversary of the infamous Florence whale explosion in Oregon (video)

·     Cyanobacterial toxin study along Cape Cod coastline using citizen science

Report:  https://www.brewsterponds.org/uploads/1/8/9/6/18965133/ripples_2021_web_version.pdf

Mangroves in India face threat of sea-level change, lack of sediment & squeezed habitats

·       Paper:  https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/abc122/pdf

Perspective:  what drives decision-making after coastal disasters

·       https://hazards.colorado.edu/news/research-counts/leaving-the-shore-what-drives-decision-making-after-coastal-disasters

Baltic Sea ferry runs aground in Aland Islands between Finland & Sweden – 400+ on board·       https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/baltic-sea-ferry-runs-aground-in-finnish-waters-no-injuries/ar-BB1bexa1

Staycations result in 60% rise in rescues of people taking part in recreational activities on the water and/or walking/ruing along the coastline

·       https://www.yahoo.com/news/rnli-rescues-60-per-cent-164112473.html

Charleston, South Carolina, considering 12-foot high, 8-mile long sea wall in attempt to protect peninsula

·       Charleston weighs wall as seas rise and storms strengthen (apnews.com)

Coastal areas facilitated survival and migration of early humans

·       Ancient people relied on coastal environments to survive the Last Glacial Maximum (phys.org)

Commission denies swapping 167,000 residential development for tech park at Pawleys Island, SC

·       0 to 182 units? Commission says no, 5-0 – Coastal Observer

Ongoing futile efforts to “save” Mississippi River delta lands

·       Fading Away: Louisiana's Battle Against Coastal Erosion (katc.com)

Battling saltwater intrusion – but they are not asking the question: “Why is intrusion occurring?” – might have something to do with humans pumping out freshwater to meet demand

·       Coastal harm from invading saltwater ‘happening right now’ (yahoo.com)

·       Saltwater Invasion – CNS Maryland

Perspective:  equitable retreat in relocating coastal communities

·       Equitable Retreat: The Need for Fairness in Relocating Coastal Communities - Yale E360

Sargassum beaching “brown tide” events becoming more common in Caribbean Sea

·       A Brown Tide Threatens Coastal Ecosystems (earthisland.org)

Texas Legislature will be asked to approve $26B coastal defense network

·       Texas proposes $26 billion coastal defense network | AJOT.COM

·       Texans Need Ample Time to Study Coastal Barrier Plan | Turtle Island Restoration Network (seaturtles.org)

National Sea Level Risk Analysis Act would create NOAA-led national database

·       House Bill Would Create NOAA-Led National Database to Help Coastal Communities Confront Rising Seas - Nextgov

·       NSLRAA:  untitled (house.gov)

Value of strategies for oysters, seagrass & salt marshes to protect North Carolina coastal habitats

·       North Carolinas Coastal Habitats Economies Deserve Effective Conservation Planning | The Pew Charitable Trusts (pewtrusts.org)

·       Inside the Plan to Protect North Carolinas Coastal Habitat | The Pew Charitable Trusts (pewtrusts.org)

Approval of $234.6M funds from Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlement for restoration projects

·       Coastal restoration projects to be paid by Deepwater spill funds | AcadiaParishToday.com | Crowley Post-Signal, Rayne Acadian-Tribune, Church Point News | Acadia Parish, La. (raynetoday.com)

First phase of construction for North Coast Corridor Program – 40 years & estimated $6B but this is California so the cost will escalate

·       The regional importance of the LOSSAN coastal rail corridor - The Coast News Group

·       Transit district ‘expeditiously’ pursuing coastal rail fencing in Del Mar - The Coast News Group

Seeking coastal development permit (CDP) for installations & removals at Dana Point Harbor

·       OC Parks seeks Coastal Commission support for Dana Point Harbor application – The Log

Thanksgiving storm brought 12- to 17-foot breakers along Northern California coast – surfers happy as long as they watched out for rip currents

·       Surfer Delight; Forecasters Predict Large Coastal Swells For Thanksgiving Holiday – CBS San Francisco (cbslocal.com)

Offshore submarine freshwater discovery means humans will take more

·       Offshore submarine freshwater discovery raises hopes for islands worldwide -- ScienceDaily

·       Paper:  Marine electrical imaging reveals novel freshwater transport mechanism in Hawai‘i | Science Advances (sciencemag.org)

Investigating why Agelas oriodes sponge species disappeared along coast of Israel

·       Tel Aviv University Researchers Follow the Vanishing of Sponge Species from the Shallow Water of the Israeli Coast (israel365news.com)

Burdekin Falls Dam could have drastic effects on environment & threaten vital habitats

• Raising Burdekin Falls Dam could create environmental disaster, say expert and farmer - ABC News

"Education costs money, but then so does ignorance." - Claus Moser 

CRS InFocus Report: 'National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) FY2021 Budget Request and Appropriations'

This CRS InFocus two-pager (24 November 2020) was written by Eva Lipiec: 'National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) FY2021 Budget Request and Appropriation'.

Download CRS_InFocus_NOAA_FY2021_Budget_App_24Nov2020

Click on the graphics to enlarge them.

Introduction
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) mission is to understand and predict changes in weather, climate, oceans, and coasts; to share that information with others; and to conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems and resources. NOAA’s work is divided among six line offices: National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS); National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS); National Ocean Service (NOS); National Weather Service (NWS); Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR); and Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO). NOAA also has an overall Mission Support (MS) office, which provides planning, administrative, financial, information technology, and other services to NOAA’s line offices.

Congress generally funds NOAA, an agency of the Department of Commerce (DOC), in the annual Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS), and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. Congress provides NOAA with discretionary and mandatory appropriations. Discretionary appropriations support two broad accounts—operations, research, and facilities (ORF) and procurement, acquisition, and construction (PAC)—as well as several relatively small accounts. Mandatory appropriations generally provide a small percentage of total NOAA appropriations and are disbursed to a variety of funds that support programs in NOS, NMFS, and OMAO. This CRS product examines discretionary funding for ORF and PAC for FY2021 and potential issues for Congress, such as NOAA’s proposed changes to certain grant programs, satellite programs, the agency’s role in space commerce, and the Promote and Develop American Fishery Products & Research Pertaining to American Fisheries Fund (P&D Fund).

Read the rest of the report - not much left.

Enjoy! 

"The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom." - @IsaacAsimov (quoted in @TheAtlantic via @TheWeek)

CRS Report: 'An Overview of Rare Earth Elements and Related Issues for Congress'

Brandon S. Tracy of CRS addresses a very important issue - Rare Earth Elements - so important to our security (24 November 2020): An Overview of Rare Earth Elements and Related Issues for Congress. 

Download CRS_Report_REE_24Nov2020

Click on graphicss to enlarge them.

Introduction
The rare earth elements (REE) are a commonly recognized group of 17 elements included in the list of critical minerals identified by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) pursuant to Executive Order 13817. Although domestic resources exist for some REE, the United States is currently reliant on imports. In 2019, the United States imported 100% of rare earth metals and compounds it consumed, even though it exported some domestically mined rare earth element concentrate for further processing (due in part to a lack of domestic processing facilities).

As the United States currently imports all rare earth metals and compounds, an ongoing concern for many is maintaining unrestricted access to these supplies. REE are used in many products and sectors; examples of products containing REE include metal alloys, catalysts, magnets, motors, and electronic displays. More information on the consumption of REE in representative sectors and products is presented in the section “Demand for Rare Earth Elements” below.

This report provides an overview of REE, with a focus on domestic mineral resources and the potential for transforming REE sources (e.g., minerals, ores, concentrate, compounds) into inputs for other products. The United States has known deposits of REE, and one has been mined intermittently over several decades. While some deposits offer additional potential supply options, the United States currently does not have commercial-scale REE extraction capabilities. Ongoing research aims to lower the cost of extracting REE from mineral deposits and from recycled materials. Congress has shown interest in securing and enhancing the domestic supply of rare earth elements and critical minerals through proposed legislation.

Critical Minerals and Rare Earth Elements Defined
Many discussions of critical minerals employ the definition stated in, and the resulting list pursuant to, Executive Order (E.O.) 13817. The E.O. defines a critical mineral to be

(i) a non-fuel mineral or mineral material essential to the economic and national security of the United States, (ii) the supply chain of which is vulnerable to disruption, and (iii) that serves an essential function in the manufacturing of a product, the absence of which would have significant consequences for our economy or our national security.

The E.O. directs the Secretary of the Interior, who in turn directs the USGS, to work with other federal agencies to produce a list of critical minerals (and to update the list periodically). The Department of the Interior (DOI) accepted the final list from USGS, which includes the REE as critical minerals.

Seventeen elements are commonly considered to be REE, 15 within the lanthanoid group of elements, as well as yttrium and scandium. REE are often discussed or categorized as light REE (LREE) or heavy REE (HREE). LREE include lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), promethium (Pm), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), and gadolinium (Gd).

HREE include terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), and lutetium (Lu). Yttrium (Y) is generally considered a HREE, due to its similar chemical and physical properties. Scandium (Sc) is not included in either subcategory. Promethium is sometimes excluded from these subcategories because it does not occur in nature.

 Cutting to the chase...

REE Cooperative and Corporation
Among other provisions, S. 2093 and H.R. 4410 would establish a federally chartered cooperative to process domestic and international sources of REE ores and materials containing thorium into products for sale. Afederally chartered corporation would accept and store all radiological material (e.g., thorium) produced by the cooperative and sell any valuable materials, and could conduct research on new uses of such materials. The cooperative and corporation would be privately funded and operated.

The presence of thorium (or other radiological minerals) in REE deposits can add to overall costs of production, as the thorium becomes regulated source material during processing.62 A cooperative/corporation could create a scale of operations that could overcome these additional costs that may render smaller operations unprofitable. In the absence of federal funding, it is not clear whether the federally chartered cooperative and corporation would be any more viable than a similar cooperative and corporation created by private sector entities.

These bills suggest that a federally chartered corporation could eliminate the higher costs a REE mining operation faces if the ore body contains thorium by taking ownership of thorium materials produced by cooperative members. It is unclear how a federally chartered cooperative could reduce the costs associated with the presence of thorium, as thorium materials would be expected to be regulated at the mine, where physical refining (e.g., crushing, sorting, floatation separation) can increase thorium concentrations to those regulated as source material. If the cooperative and corporation were to receive ore directly from the REE mine, they would likely face the higher costs associated with transportation of the ore and disposal of the tailings.

Fascinating!

Enjoy!

"The ball does not stain." - Diego Maradona