We got 'our rain' on Friday here in western Oregon and that mitigated the smoke from the fires. About 1 inch fell here in Corvallis; more is expected mid-week.
As a favor to friends Will Logan of ICIWaRM and John Matthews of AGWA I am publicizing a free webinar on 24 September (the day I start teaching my class): 'Incorporating Climate Risks Into Decision-Making Through CRIDA: Perspectives from Zambia and Chile'. Here is the link to the registration page. A flyer is below.
We at AWRA are also having a webinar this week - on 23 September: 'Using Social Infrastructure for Urban Water Delivery When There's No Engineering Solution' 23 September, 1-2 pm ET (register so you can view archived version). Amber Wutich of ASU is the presenter. Click here.
Enjoy!
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Check out Elaine's coronavirus/COVID-19 section in the ES BB.
Geoscience Bulletin Board – 21 September 2020 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
The Autumnal Equinox 2020 – Visit the Sunwheel online
- https://patch.com/us/across-america/when-1st-day-fall-2020-5-things-autumnal-equinox
- https://www.umass.edu/newsoffice/article/umass-amherst-sunwheel-open-online
- Sunwheel: https://www.umass.edu/sunwheel/
Landslides cause collapse of 3 artisanal gold mines near Kamituga in the Congo – 50+ dead
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/more-than-50-killed-at-collapsed-gold-mine-in-eastern-congo/ar-BB18Xxh8
- https://www.africanews.com/2020/09/12/50-believed-dead-in-drc-gold-mine-accident/
Deep-sea mass extinction some 55 myo caused by volcanic eruptions - PETM
Toward a better understanding of hailstorms
New insights into geological structure beneath the Himalaya
Using clumped-isotope thermometry of 700 myo rocks to reveal climate swings during Snowball Earth
- https://eos.org/editor-highlights/measuring-paleoclimate-during-a-deep-time-deep-freeze
- Paper: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2019AV000159
New map of lithospheric thickness may highlight targets for large metal deposits
Braiding Indigenous knowledge into geomorphology
Carnian Pluvial Episode occurred in Late Triassic – Wrangellia volcanism may have triggered extinction event and subsequent explosive diversification
- http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/carnian-mass-extinction-08857.html
- Paper: https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/38/eaba0099
Well-preserved Ice Age cave bear found in Russia
- https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ice-age-bear-preserved-arctic-russia_n_5f5fa6b4c5b6e27db1312c3d
- https://www.businessinsider.com/ancient-cave-bear-carcass-siberia-permafrost-intact-organs-nose-2020-9
Rethinking the sequence of meteor bombardment on Early Earth
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200916094247.htm
- Paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012821X20304416?via%3Dihub
Turbulence impacts aerosols & cloud formation
Most landslides in Western Oregon triggered by heavy rainfall – not large EQs
- https://phys.org/news/2020-09-landslides-western-oregon-triggered-heavy.html
- Paper: https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/38/eaba6790
Seismic monitoring may improve warnings for glacial lake outburst floods
- https://phys.org/news/2020-09-seismic-early-glacial-lake-outburst.html
- Paper: https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/38/eaba3645
GEER Report: 2020 Puerto Rico M6.4 Earthquake
GEER Report: 2020 Elaziǧ, Turkey M6.7 Earthquake
ZOOM lecture on “The Granites of Joshua Tree”
Study highlights impact of human activities & local geology on groundwater in SW Wisconsin
New interactive role-laying game highlights geologic time
Dust may have controlled ancient human civilization and migration
Tropopause may provide early signals of persistent strong rainfall
Using virtual reality to bring geology of Lake Huron shoreline to students
Giant “Dragon Stone” found in Arkansas is septarian nodule
Winds in SW Alaska are picking loose volcanic ash from 1912 Novarupta eruption
October auction of “Stan” T. rex skeleton may fetch $6M to $8M
Oldest known animal sperm discovered in Myanmar amber (100 million years old)
Model suggests sea ice triggered Little Ice Age in Europe from 1300s through mid-1800s
- https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-09/uoca-sit091620.php
- Paper: https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/38/eaba4320
How caves form
Data competition on potential mineral resources in Gawler Region of South Australia yields targets
Volcano diplomacy and the future of eruption predictions – interview with Kayla Iacovino
“Globally significant” grades of lithium found within historic mining area of Cornwal
- https://www.mining.com/cornish-lithium-finds-globally-significant-grades-in-uk-project/
- https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/sep/17/significant-lithium-find-spurs-hopes-of-cornwall-regeneration
Earthquake swarm recorded at Yellowstone between Heart Lake and West Thumb
Perspective: The next geological epoch should be named the Heliocene
Bill introduced to expand boundary of Sunset Crater National Monument
Insight into the North Atlantic may help improve forecasts of atmospheric blocking
Sidereal (23 hours & 56 minutes) vs solar day (24 hours)
Glacial meltwater passed through crevasse and flooded Svalbard coal mine
Age of alluvial fan surface in Death Valley, California, reflected in desert varnish
Seismic events triggered by explosive blast caused rockfall at Gwalia gold mine in Australia
New evidence leads to re-examination of the origin of the Swiss Alps & Molasse Plateau Basin
- https://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/44443/20200918/origin-swiss-alps-molasse-plateau-basin-reexamined-due-new-evidence.htm
- https://phys.org/news/2020-09-detaching-uplifting-bulldozing.html
USGS & US DOE partner on mineral mapping project in Walker Lane geologic area of western Nevada
Indirect measurement of ocean temperature using speed of sound wave transmission
Explaining why glaciers “retreat” – fact-check: forward flow actually decreases and then glacier ablates
Environmental Science Bulletin Board – 21 September 2020 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
Perspective: A message from *Mother Earth”
Bring back the Bison
Center for Excellence for Bison Studies formally launched at South Dakota State University
Wildfires continue to ravage West Coast States – need to change how forests are “managed”
- https://www.yahoo.com/news/color-coded-map-shows-biggest-224800211.html
- https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-west-coast-fires-trump-161228395.html
Increase in wildfires in California linked to drier years not just heat since 1984
Toxic smoke from wildfires causes lingering heath impacts – may last years
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/damage-from-wildfires-toxic-air-lingers-long-after-the-smoke-clears/ar-BB19b648
- Paper: https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/8/3/53/htm
- https://www.yahoo.com/news/as-smoke-lifts-on-californias-coast-it-lingers-in-central-valley-where-farmworkers-have-no-refuge-194945873.html
Gray wolves reintroduced to Isle Royale National Park are playing critical role as top predators in reducing moose herd by 9% and reducing damage to vegetation
- kelleyi - bat ticks found for the first time in New Jersey – can transmit disease to humans
Waters from H Laura overwhelm aging water supply system infrastructure in Louisiana
City of Chicago plans to replace lead pipes that residents were forced to install – estimated cost $8.5B
Lawmakers asking US Army COE to designate “Corn Belt Ports”
Uganda & Tanzania agree to construct longest heated oil pipeline from oil fields to port of Tanga
“Super sire” – CRISPR genetically editing – surrogate sires – legal issues – moral issues?
Egypt building two 8-lane highways across pyramids plateau – a UNESCO world heritage site
Encounters increasing between hikers & rattlesnakes in Yosemite – increasing number of snake bites
Draft policy document: “Research Involving Free-living Wild Species in their Natural Habitat”
- https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=APHIS-2020-0087
- Link to document: https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=APHIS-2020-0087-0002
US District Court upholds revised NEPA
“Sea Caves” of the Chicago River were used to reverse flow in early 1900s for sanitation & shipping
Die off of thousands of birds continues in New Mexico – investigating cause
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/birds-are-dropping-dead-in-new-mexico-potentially-in-the-hundreds-of-thousands/ar-BB1949AD
- https://www.thecut.com/2020/09/new-mexicos-migratory-bird-die-offs-are-unprecedented.html
Repeated rebuilding after successive floods is now (finally) seen as bad policy
- https://www.bdcnetwork.com/relocation-neighborhoods-next-step-us-flood-strategy-underwayhttps://indianflipboard.online/u-s-flood-strategy-shifts-to-unavoidable-relocation-of-entire-neighborhoods/
- http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/dr20200831-u-s-flood-strategy-shifts-to-unavoidable-relocation-of-entire-neighborhoods
Mosquitoes also love the “vertical forest” apartment buildings
Did Smokey Bear get it wrong? – aggressive fire suppression leads to excessive fuel supply
South Carolina urges dam owners to lower levels in advance of floodwaters from H Sally
Toward a better understanding of halocarbons (CFCs, = etc.) & impacts in the atmosphere
How significant an impact do trans-Atlantic dusts have on nutrient loads in South America?
Climate warming may actually improve oxygen mixing in high-altitude deep lakes
Charting the $88T world economy
Animated maps of surface area, population, and GDP by continent
Clouds of mosquitoes in the wake of H. Laura – bitten animals become exhausted & may die
Workers allege Algoma Steel had “full knowledge” of exposure to lethal cancer-causing chemicals
Deadly Nile River floodwaters recede
Human activity has been degrading the Tropics for 500 years
Early humans hunted and then likely cooked their food in hot springs in Olduvai Gorge
- https://www.terradaily.com/reports/Did_our_early_ancestors_boil_their_food_in_hot_springs_999.html
- Video: https://vimeo.com/453940276
Moderate adolescent cannabis use may have adverse effects on cognitive functioning (verbal memory)
Thawing permafrost releasing mercury into Yukon River
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200916113409.htm
- Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-18398-5
Reforestation can only partially restore degraded tropical soils
90+% of conventionally farmed soils are thinning – 16% have lifespans of less than a century – conservation measures can help
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200914115905.htm
- https://scienmag.com/global-study-reveals-time-running-out-for-many-soils-but-conservation-measures-can-help/
- Paper: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aba2fd
How sustainable is your toothbrush?
Dire warning: “human-climate niche” may force folks to move to Canada
More stupid humans – harassing Bison by riding motorcycles near grazing animals in Yellowstone
As demand continues (and likely increases) Lake Powell & Lake Mead will decline
Harvest Information Program collecting data to allow estimate of migratory game birds in Texas
How to manage crop residues this fall – best to switch from convention to conservation tillage
Update: Dredging & construction of new lock at Sault Ste Marie Michigan
- https://www.sootoday.com/sault-michigan/soo-lock-construction-shifts-into-247-gear-2717934
- https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/usace-begins-1b-soo-lock-project/49788
Use no-till farming technique in post-derecho conditions in Iowa to improve soil health
Concerns remain following spill in Kibiro that contained natural gas, clay, drilling fluids & traces of petroleum
Anticipating the sequence: wildfire season is followed by debris flow season in California
Human activity causing high levels of intact ecosystem & wilderness loss –
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/shocking-wilderness-the-size-of-mexico-lost-worldwide-in-just-13-years-study-finds/ar-BB19bloi
- Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-18457-x
Atal Tunnel - Longest high-altitude highway tunnel located at Rohtang, India – 9.02-km long – 10+ years to construct
Oregon beginning task of removing debris & assessing damage to roads caused by wildfires
“Torch Tower” to be constructed as new tallest skyscraper in Japan – estimated cost 500B yen
Salt Lake City, Utah, $348.6M federal WIFIA loan for building new water-reclamation plant
Researching the potential of “sustainable” building materials made from earth materials
$681K worth of meth & marijuana confiscated & two arrested in drug busts along Texas-Mexico border – adds to CBP year-long efforts to protect the country & citizens
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/more-than-681k-worth-of-meth-marijuana-seized-along-texas-mexico-border/ar-BB19bh7k
- https://smcorridornews.com/texas-weekly-border-summary-cbp-seize-68m-in-drugs-counterfeit-sneakers-worth-4-3m/
CORONAVIRUS
Coronavirus COVID-19 statistics by country (click on USA to get State statistics)
- https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
- https://time.com/5800901/coronavirus-map/
- interactive maps https://geodacenter.github.io/covid/map.html
Discarded masks pose threats to wildlife
Perspective: The role of exceptionalism & hubris
Coastal Science Bulletin Board – 21 September 2020 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
New owner may demolish half-built Berkman II to replace it with mixed-use development on waterfront
Dams constructed on rivers alter & adversely impact nutrient loads to coastal ecosystems
• https://eos.org/research-spotlights/dams-alter-nutrient-flows-to-coasts
Working to improve coal & ecosystem resilience in the Mesoamerican Reef
• https://eos.org/articles/scientists-support-local-activities-to-rescue-the-mesoamerican-reef
• 2020 Report Card: https://www.healthyreefs.org/cms/wpcontent/uploads/2020/02/SmithReefs_RC19_Pages_BIL_f_E_LO.pdf
Understanding hurricane storm surge
• https://theconversation.com/what-is-a-hurricane-storm-surge-and-why-is-it-so-dangerous-145369
NPS proposes shoreside floating dock along USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor National Memorial
Tracking nutrient transport in the Gulf of Mexico
• https://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=301237&org=GEO&from=news
Increase in number of rattlesnake sightings on Tybee Island in the coastal Georgia sand dunes
• https://www.islandpacket.com/news/state/south-carolina/article245774150.html
Battle over desalination infrastructure continues in California
Residents of coastal California cities are moving elsewhere and driving up housing prices
Superior Court judge to decide whether conservation deed restrictions to decide should be removed from property to allow development
• https://www.coastalreview.org/2020/09/no-agreement-in-conservation-deed-dispute/
Part of Pensacola Bridge collapses amid 30-inches of precipitation from H Sally – month+ to repair
New York has figured out where to dump its garbage – they call Hempstead Reef an artificial reef
• https://patch.com/new-york/longbeach/state-expands-lis-artificial-reefs-old-train-cars
Why ecologists love soggy coastal soils
Concerns that 800,000 tonnes of mud dredged from old nuclear facility contaminated with plutonium to be dumped along Cardiff coast
Lawsuit claims US EPA failed to enforce pollution caps in Chesapeake Bay
• https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/east/2020/09/16/582840.htm
Tracking massive bioluminescent algal blooms in Virginia coastal waters
• https://chesapeakebaymagazine.com/massive-glowing-algal-blooms-overtake-va-waters/
Salmon farm planned on eastern shore of Chesapeake Bay
“Long duration” coastal flood event through multiple tide cycles forecast for Outer Banks
"May you live in REALLY interesting times!" - New Chinese curse
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