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Geoscience Bulletin Board – 6 April 2020 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
Major ocean gyres are shifting poleward as part of natural variability
- https://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=20-P13-00013&segmentID=3
- https://www.awi.de/en/about-us/service/press/press-release/major-wind-driven-ocean-currents-are-shifting-toward-the-poles.html
- Paper: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2019GL085868
Using GPS trackers & drones to locate floating marine debris
Moving heat around the world
Bald notothen drastically adjusts blood oxygen level to remain active in frigid environments
Labrador Sea dubbed “the lungs of the ocean”
- Part 1: https://www.thetelegram.com/news/local/special-report-lure-of-the-labrador-offshore-429975/#
- Part 2: https://www.thetelegram.com/news/local/special-report-the-oceans-lungs-are-in-the-labrador-sea-429984/
Got dirt? Need dirt? There is an app for that
The Danakil Depression in Ethiopia – mining for “white gold”
- https://suitcasemag.com/travel/explore/danakil-depression-ethiopia/
- https://kawa-news.com/en/djibouti-white-gold-miners-still-braving-the-journey-through-hell/
Dendrochronology helps pinpoint the data of the disappearance of ancient Minoan civilization
Fatal failure in large sand pile in China
Debate over oldest fossils on Earth - stromatolites
Land animals began dying before marine species in The Great Dying
- https://www.sciencealert.com/land-animals-began-to-die-long-before-marine-life-vanished-in-earth-s-biggest-extinction
- Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-15243-7
Favorable court rule for Eritrean refugees allegedly subjected to inhumane treatment by Canadian mining company
Detailed mapping of the geomorphology of the river systems of the world
Sediments overlying subducting slab may play key role in determining magnitude & location of megaquakes
Sinkhole diverts water from 500-foot high San Rafael waterfall in Ecuador
Reduction of human produced seismic noise is beneficial to seismologists
Denman Glacier appears to be sinking into deep canyon
Virtual tour of Volcano National Park in Hawaii
Locating volcanic source of pumice raft floating in the South Pacific
Comparison of methods for calculating snow water equivalent and estimating snowpack
New models of methylated mercury content in the ocean
M5.0 EQ hits West Texas near town of Mentone
“Space Fence” radar tracking objects as small as 10 cm
Tracking migration of marine species adapting to temperature changes in the ocean
- https://www.terradaily.com/reports/Study_reveals_where_marine_species_are_moving_as_oceans_warm_999.html
- Paper: https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(20)30250-5
6.5M EQ hits near Challis, Idaho – complex strike slip faulting with prolonged shaking
- https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us70008jr5/executive
- https://apnews.com/ee4018c9240bd4768dbea25c40712198
Luming Mine tailings leak in China
- https://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2020/03/31/luming-mine-tailings-accident/
- https://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2020/04/01/luming-mine-tailings-leak/
Monitoring the melting of glacial ice
In Memoriam: Harold W Borns Jr (1928-2020) – glacial geologist
90 myo there was a rainforest near what is now the South Pole
- https://cosmosmagazine.com/geoscience/when-there-was-rainforest-near-the-south-pole
- https://www.slashgear.com/90m-year-old-antarctic-rainforest-raises-huge-climate-change-question-01615120/
- https://www.zmescience.com/science/rainforest-antarctica-032532/
Carbon was contained in the core during formative years of the planet – remains major reservoir
Paper: Microbial dynamics influenced by hydrocarbon seepage in sediments in Gulf of Mexico
Distinguishing between different geologic ages – International Chronostratigraphic Chart
Quantitative reconstruction of paleo-pressure that governs generation, expulsion, migration accumulation & preservation of petroleum
Mentos candy-soda geyser experiment at different altitudes
Geology of York County – take a drive along Interstate 83 from Baltimore MD to Harrisburg PA
New “slip law” for motion of ice to improve forecasts of glacier speed
Scarborough Art Gallery will display “map that changed the world” by William Strata Smith
Improving understanding of river deltas – natural solutions to man-made problems
- https://eos.org/research-spotlights/finding-natural-solutions-to-man-made-problems-in-river-deltas
- Paper: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2019JF005201
Lacustrine ecosystems needed 10M years to recover from end-Permian extinction
Geodetic infrastructure needs enhancements
- http://www.parabolicarc.com/2020/04/02/report-geodetic-infrastructure-needs-enhancements-continued-maintenance-to-answer-high-priority-scientific-questions/
- Report: https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25579/evolving-the-geodetic-infrastructure-to-meet-new-scientific-needs
Environmental Science Bulletin Board – 6 April 2020 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
Coronavirus COVID-19 statistics by country
Tracking spread of COVID-19 in the US & the World
- https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/03/16/816707182/map-tracking-the-spread-of-the-coronavirus-in-the-u-s
- https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/03/30/822491838/coronavirus-world-map-tracking-the-spread-of-the-outbreak
Coronavirus comparisons are pointless unless biases in testing are considered – causal model
Assessing the projections from the COVID-19 models
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/experts-and-trumps-advisers-doubt-white-houses-240000-coronavirus-deaths-estimate/ar-BB125ZfP
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2020/04/02/accuracy-of-estimate-of-100000-to-240000-covid-19-deaths-hinges-on-key-assumptions/#3cc2ea3e144e
COVID-19 pandemic is a crisis resulting from human actions upon the environment
- https://phys.org/news/2020-03-coronavirus-wake-up-war-environment-pandemics.html
- https://phys.org/news/2020-03-major-scorecard-health-australia-environment.html
Will emergence of coronavirus from global wildlife trade be enough motivation to end such trade?
Perspective: What “Walden” can tell us about social distancing and life’s essentials
- https://theconversation.com/what-walden-can-tell-us-about-social-distancing-and-focusing-on-lifes-essentials-134524
- https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2020/0331/Pondering-a-Walden-experience
How to understand COVID-19 numbers reported in the media
USFDA approves addition of malaria drugs for COVID-19 to stockpile – “emergency use authorization”
- https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/03/30/823987540/fda-oks-addition-to-stockpile-of-malaria-drugs-for-covid-19
- https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/03/fda-approves-the-emergency-use-of-chloroquine-for-covid-19/
Uneven distribution of COVID-19 cases across the US
- https://www.yahoo.com/news/partisan-reaction-uneven-covid-spread-125700500.html
- https://usafacts.org/visualizations/coronavirus-covid-19-spread-map/
The media is not doing the best job possible in reporting on COVID-19
Messages in the media from officials and politicians causing added fear and confusion
8 genetic strains of COVID-19 – few genetic changes compared to flu virus
COVID-19 epidemic in UK appears to be starting to slow down
India lags behind other countries in testing for COVID=19
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/doctors-only-matter-time-virus-210000850.html
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/indias-coronavirus-lockdown-is-having-a-dramatic-impact-on-pollution/ar-BB11ZmD5
Beginning to analyze the impacts of social distancing
- https://blogs.iadb.org/efectividad-desarrollo/en/the-coronavirus-impact-dashboard-measuring-the-effects-of-social-distancing-on-mobility-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean/
- https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/3/24/21192528/coronavirus-social-distancing-economy-deaths
Rats are going hungry in New Orleans – more visible when searching for food
As humans vacate streets to shelter indoors, wildlife returns to claim their territory
- https://www.yahoo.com/news/nature-takes-back-worlds-empty-city-streets-163102488.html
- https://www.terradaily.com/reports/Nature_takes_back_worlds_empty_city_streets_999.html
- Photo-essay: https://www.yahoo.com/news/coronavirus-animals-reclaiming-cities-covid-19-pandemic-140503907.html
- https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-what-the-lockdown-could-mean-for-urban-wildlife-134918
Perspective: Malthusian Theory of Population in Pakistan
Everglades restoration project also includes 5,000-acre water treatment facility
New wastewater treatment system may effectively remove conventional pollutants & recover resources – combines chemically enhanced primary sedimentation with acidogenic fermentation
Smuggling tunnel discovered under US-Mexico border in San Diego - $29M worth of drugs seized
Plans to remove 4 hydroelectric dams on lower Klamath River spark competing interests
NASA releases global groundwater maps reflecting drought monitoring
The texture of cities influences major weather events
- https://phys.org/news/2020-03-layouts-textures-cities-extreme-weather.html
- http://news.mit.edu/2020/discerning-texture-of-urban-resilience-0330
- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lh6EslaN49U&feature=youtu.be
Virtual tours of 5 National Parks
Perspective: despite temporary decreases in air pollution, single use plastics still must be banned
Copernicus Sentinel-1 studying the major rice-producing region in southwest Vietnam
- https://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Copernicus_Sentinel_1_studies_rice_fields_across_Vietnam_999.html
Feasibility of using satellites to track locust invasion
Epigenetic changes are key to adapting to climate change
Drought and wildfires in the Amazon are killing off dung beetles – necessary detritivores
Perspective: 7.5B and counting – How many humans can the Earth support? – carrying capacity
When people downsize to tiny houses they adopt more environmentally friendly lifestyle
New decision by TC Energy to construct major section of Keystone XL Pipeline
Lead pollution in glaciers in the Alps connected to conflict & civil unrest in 12thcentury Britain
Natural history of Mount Rainier National Park
- https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/review/2020/04%E2%80%8B/tahoma-and-its-people-natural-history-mount-rainier-national-park
- Book: https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/mora/adhi/contents.htm
Roadmap for essential actions to allow marine life to recover to full abundance by 2050
Winter of 2019-2020 was one of the driest in California – thin snowpack in the Sierra at half of average
- https://www.kqed.org/science/1960807/as-april-begins-californias-snowpack-is-about-half-of-normal
- https://water.ca.gov/News/News-Releases/2020/April-20/March-Precipitation-Not-Enough-to-Offset-Dry-Winter
- Snowpack data: http://cdec.water.ca.gov/snow/current/snow/index.html
- Historical plots: http://cdec.water.ca.gov/reportapp/javareports?name=PLOT_SWC.pdf
Perspective: Can an economy destroy the environment and still be considered “strong”
USDA proposes National List of Reportable Animal Diseases
- https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDAAPHIS/bulletins/2845211
- List: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/monitoring_surveillance/nlrad-system-standards.pdf
- Submit Comments: https://www.regulations.gov/comment?D=APHIS-2017-0002-0001
Some levees damaged in 2019 on the Missouri & Kansas Rivers are still vulnerable
Bonnet Carre Spillway opened to reduce Mississippi River water levels in New Orleans
Viking Cruise ships will now ply the Mississippi River
Chad launched a major offensive against Boko Haram jihadists in Lake Chad basin
Coastal Zone Management Bulletin Board – 6 April 2020 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
Paper: Ancient coastal changes due to ground movements & human interventions in Roman Portus…
• https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/12/3/658/htm
Best-case & worst-case scenarios for San Diego – apocalyptic findings but no cost estimates
• Draft Report: https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/slr-va-draft-122019.pdf
• Related report: https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/ab691_report_san_diego.pdf
Redondo Beach, California, coastal gas plant will shut down by 2023
• https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2020-03-30/redondo-beach-coastal-power-plantclosing-2023
Nine projects along coastal North Carolina to receive funding for resilience & wildlife habitat
• https://www.coastalreview.org/2020/03/9-nc-resiliency-projects-receive-millions/
Cumberland Island National Seashore is located on Georgia coast
High water levels in Great Lakes posing challenges to coastal communities
CARES includes provision to help ensure full use of Harbor Maintenance Tax
• https://ajot.com/news/congress-reforms-harbor-maintenance-funding
Massive seawall construction completed in Shizuoka Prefecture in Japan
• http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13257178
Dauphin Island Sea Lab puts coastal creatures online in new digital learning series
• https://www.al.com/life/2020/03/dauphin-island-sea-lab-putting-coastal-creatures-online.html
Federal judge dismisses legal challenge to Coastal Resources Commission in North Carolina
• https://www.coastalreview.org/2020/04/federal-judge-throws-out-challenge-to-crc/
Historic Bay Mills Indian Community tribal burial ground in Michigan threatened by coastal erosion
Report on adapting to rising tides & rising ground water in the San Francisco Bay area
• https://mtc.ca.gov/whats-happening/news/new-report-takes-deep-dive-rising-seas
• Summary Report: http://www.adaptingtorisingtides.org/wpcontent/uploads/2020/03/ARTBayArea_Short_Report_Final_March2020_ADA.pdf
• Full Report: http://www.adaptingtorisingtides.org/wpcontent/
uploads/2020/03/ARTBayArea_Main_Report_Final_March2020_ADA.pdf
Authorities in China demolish luxury beachfront villas classified as illegal structures violating environmental regulations
• https://supchina.com/2020/03/31/qingdao-demolishes-ultra-luxury-villas-over-environmentalviolations/
Detecting tryptophan as marker for bacterial contamination in coastal waters using fluorescence
• https://newscenter.sdsu.edu/sdsu_newscenter/news_story.aspx?sid=77939
The importance of restoring marine biodiversity & ecosystems
• https://www.euronews.com/2020/03/31/the-importance-of-restoring-marine-biodiversity
Too much nitrogen & phosphorus in US waterways triggers coastal algal blooms
• https://phys.org/news/2020-04-nitrogen-phosphorus-waterways.html
China to launch 8-mont-long campaign to enhance marine environmental protection – “Blue Sea 2020”
• http://www.ecns.cn/news/2020-04-01/detail-ifzuwwmz9247290.shtml
Turquoise waters in Manilla Bay may be due to harmful pollutants
Closed beaches mean fewer people which may result in strong turtle nesting season
As coastal land subsides in Florida more carbonaceous material is buried
• https://eos.org/research-spotlights/florida-coastlines-respond-to-sea-level-rise
"No man thinks clearly when his fists are clenched." - George Jean Nathan
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