Elaine J. Hanford's Bulletin Boards: 1) Geosciences; 2) Enviro-Sciences Awareness - 16 December 2013

Geosciences Bulletin Board – Compiled by Elaine J Hanford
16 December 2013

 

JUST FOR FUN:  Need help with Christmas gift ideas for that fellow geoscientist??!!
http://www.earthmagazine.org/article/gifts-holiday-gift-guide

 

A warmer Earth?  This comes as no surprise to Quaternary Geologists!!!
http://dailycaller.com/2013/12/13/study-earth-was-warmer-in-roman-medieval-times/

 

Fossil horse jaw bone shows horses grazed on Ethiopian grassland 4.4 million years ago
http://news.yahoo.com/fossils-4-4-million-old-horse-found-161400062.html

 

New oil drilling in LA causes foundation issues for homeowners
http://news.yahoo.com/analysis-u-drilling-boom-leaves-homeowners-big-hole-143950297--finance.html

 

Florida mapping and rating areas for the potential for sink holes 
http://www.nature.com/news/florida-forecasts-sinkhole-burden-1.14337?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20131212

 

What if Chamberlain & Moulton were wrong?  What if there was no Big Bang?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/10/rainbow-gravity-theory-universe-beginning_n_4418017.html

 

Lunar geology:  Rover made soft landing on the moon & will explore using GPR
http://www.space.com/23938-china-moon-rover-landing-lunar-prospecting.html

 

50th anniversary of Baldwin Hills Dam failure
http://www.cenews.com/news-50th_anniversary_of_deadly_california_dam_failure_marked-2578.html

 

CRS Report   --   Proposed Reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43136.pdf

 

CRS Report   --   Hydraulic Fracturing: Selected Legal Issues 
http://nationalaglawcenter.org/wp-content/uploads//assets/crs/R43152.pdf

 

Construction projects and spending hit 4-year peak
http://www.cenews.com/news-construction_spending_hits_four_year_peak_in_october-2577.html

 

Looking for mantle plumes as sources for potential mega-eruptions
http://www.nature.com/news/earth-science-under-the-volcano-1.14323?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20131212

 

Geoengineering to “control” the climate will likely NOT succeed
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Geoengineering_approaches_to_reduce_climate_change_unlikely_to_succeed_999.html

 

Decoding how subduction zone fault movements create large tsunamis
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/10/science/decoding-a-tsunamis-source.html

 

Re-examining the Mid-Continent Rift…why did it start, why did it fail, why is it still active?
http://www.nature.com/news/geology-north-america-s-broken-heart-1.14281

 

Update on coal mining in the Powder River Basin
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=powder-rive-basin-coal-on-the-move

 

Seismic network MERMAIDs to detect structure and processes in the mantle
http://www.livescience.com/41833-floating-seismic-stations-reveal-mantle.html

 

Studying submarine cliff for evidence of meteor impact that may have caused demise of dinosaurs
http://www.livescience.com/41843-undersea-cliff-dinosaur-extinction.html

 

Planetary Geology:  exploring & discovering in Yellowknife Bay on Mars
http://www.earthmagazine.org/article/curiosity-finds-ancient-habitable-environment-mars-gale-crater

 

Landsat locates COLDEST place on Earth!!!  minus 93.2 Celsius (-135.8 F) in Antarctica
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131210111039.htm

 

Economical approaches to maintaining deltaic stability
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131209143353.htm

 

There are some 60 metals that are mined to produce cell phones….take care of them!
http://www.technology.org/2013/12/10/metals-smartphone-substitutes/

 

A brief historic overview & interesting facts on aqueducts (with link to full pdf)
http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/5/4/1996

 

Enviro-Sciences Awareness Bulletin Board – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford 16 December 2013

 

An example of how social/political reactions to steps in the scientific method can be severe
http://news.yahoo.com/once-condemned-doctor-turns-helping-haitians-142230344.html

 

There are some 60 metals that are mined to produce cell phones….take care of them!
http://www.technology.org/2013/12/10/metals-smartphone-substitutes/

 

US BLM Report:  Water in the Rio Grande basin & climate risk impacts
http://www.usbr.gov/WaterSMART/wcra/docs/urgia/URGIAMainReport.pdf

 

FDA attempting to get drug companies to reduce some antibiotics in animals raised for meat
http://news.yahoo.com/fda-takes-steps-phase-antibiotics-meat-201450324--finance.html

 

A need to remember ethical practices when using animals for laboratory testing
http://www.nature.com/news/failure-of-care-1.14332?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20131212

 

Supreme Court reviewing EPA rule on cross-border pollution
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2013/1210/Supreme-Court-examines-rule-on-cross-border-pollution-Did-EPA-overreach

 

Supreme Court to rule on one state polluting down-winders
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2013/1210/How-much-can-one-state-pollute-another-s-skies-Supreme-Court-to-hear-case

 

CRS Report   --   Proposed Reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43136.pdf

 

CRS Report   --   Invasive Species: Major Laws and the Role of Selected Federal Agencies
http://nationalaglawcenter.org/wp-content/uploads//assets/crs/R43258.pdf

 

CRS Report  --  Chemical Regulation in the European Union (EU): REACH (less toxic alternatives)
http://nationalaglawcenter.org/wp-content/uploads//assets/crs/RS22673.pdf

 

We’ve polluted the Earth…but have also put LOTS of junk into Space (with video)
http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/space-pollution-every-known-piece-space-debris-orbiting-earth.html

 

Was Immanuel Kant right? Or should animals be recognized for humane behavior
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/10/science/considering-the-humanity-of-nonhumans.html

 

Why you need a balanced intake of vitamins as part of eating healthy
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/10/science/vitamins-old-old-edge.html

 

Newly discovered industrial gas has 7,000 times greater impact than CO2 
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/dec/10/new-greenhouse-gas-powerful-chemical-perfluorotributylamine

 

Snowy owls to be trapped and relocated…instead of being shot at NY area airports
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/10/nyregion/snowy-owls-to-be-trapped-instead-of-shot-at-new-york-area-airports.html

 

Animal displays serve many purposes…the most amazing Chameleon colors
http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2013/12/the-more-rainbow-bright-a-chameleon-the-greater-his-battle-prowess/

 

Turkestan cockroaches likely came to the US with returning soldiers 
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-invasive-cockroach-20131209,0,4247320.story#axzz2n7YRVy84

 

Nelson Mandella was also a great conservationist
http://ens-newswire.com/2013/12/06/african-visionary-and-conservationist-nelson-mandela-1918-2013/

 

Using Alternative Energies as opposed to Fossil Fuels will be costly
http://www.npr.org/2013/12/02/248230187/slashing-fossil-fuel-consumption-comes-with-a-price

 

Biodiversity depends on the balance of species, as well as their numbers
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131208090631.htm

 

What factors influence how we determine the value of the ecosystem and its resources?
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131209121956.htm

 

EU has new policy rules on discarding fish & efforts to keep fishing sustainable
http://ens-newswire.com/2013/12/10/eu-bans-fish-discards-under-new-common-fisheries-policy/

 

A plan to restore the delta by piping fresh water in California
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=california-seeks-to-send-water-south

 

After being attacked by bark beetles, forests show quick recovery
http://www.livescience.com/41812-bark-beetle-forest-quick-recover.html

 

New rules for boaters in North Texas to try to combat invasive zebra mussels
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/white-rock-east-dallas/headlines/20131209-zebra-mussel-rules-for-boaters-to-take-effect.ece

 

Efforts underway to revive mussel beds in Hauraki Gulf in New Zealand
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1312/S00294/gulf-revival-begins.htm

 

Guadalupe River in Texas Hill Country is great habitat for trout
http://www.chron.com/sports/outdoors//sports/outdoors/article/Guadalupe-River-allows-year-long-life-for-trout-5045363.php

 

International agreement to desalinate water to begin refilling the Dead Sea
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-25308701

 

"Pathological altruism can be conceived as behavior in which attempts to promote the welfare of another, or others, results instead in harm that an external observer would conclude was reasonably foreseeable." - Judith Curry