Book from my friend and former @UNMwater colleague, Dr. José A. Rivera: 'The Zanjeras of Ilocos - Cooperative Irrigation Societies of the Philippines' bit.ly/39khz9c
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PDF: Download Bulletin_Boards_30November2020
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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
Explaining the tectonics in the Caribbean that caused 2010 Haiti Earthquake
Determining earthquake magnitude
A boon in seismic survey demand in the Atlantic?
Volcanic eruptions ignited coal & oil in Siberia to help usher in P-T Mass Extinction Event
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
Strong stratospheric polar vortex coincided with Arctic Oscillation pattern during 2019-2020 winter
Retrospective on climate prediction of Budyko
Rockfalls, landslides, debris floods
Visualizing which countries are mapping the ocean floor
Emissions from international ship exhausts have significant impact on cloud behavior
India to launch “Deep Ocean Mission” to explore for energy & Minerals
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
First two Jurassic dinosaur species fossil remains found in Northern Ireland
New genus & species of medium-sized abelisaurid dinosaur found in Argentina
“Superbolts” of lightning are real – can be 1,000+ times brighter than typical lightning flashes
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
Russia announces giant Bostok oil project in the Arctic – may produce 100M tonnes per year
Polar ice exhibits “seesaw” behavior
Toward a better understanding of the formation of iron hydroxides
Process of headland bypassing is eroding beach at Byron Bay in Australia
Scythe-like beak on Falcatakely forsterae is distinctive among Cretaceous birds
Simulating the next volcanic eruption in the Cascades
Runoff from glaciers carries nutrients for oceanic phytoplankton
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
China completed soil conservation work on 55,000-square-km area on the Loess Plateau
Court over-rules governor decision on geothermal well project in Çeşme, İzmir, in western Turkey
Book Review: Wonders of Sand & Stone – history of Utah National Parks & Monuments
Geological Society of Africa (GSAF) & International Association for Promoting Geoethics (IAPG) signed agreement of cooperation
Cornish Geothermal Distillery Company (CGDC) submitted plans for plans for ultra high-tech £10M rum distillery inside a biome heated by geothermal energy
Lake beds will be core sampled to assess earthquake risk & lake health in Hamilton, New Zealand
Nevada Bureau of Mines & Geology (NBMG) 2021 calendar now available
2018 eruption of Kilauea triggered by cascade of events
Complexity & origin of life inspire poetry
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
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
Sir Tannatt Edgeworth David – a geologist – and history of Antarctica and Australia
Environmental Bulletin Board – 30 November 2020 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
Niagara Power Plant reaches milestone in ongoing $1.1B modernization program
Grand Rapids PUC approved solar array & energy storage battery as part of $6M project
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
Playing politics with water: transparency, water quality standards, WOTUS, wastewater, permits
Community continues battle against proposed petrochemical complex in “Cancer Alley” in Louisiana
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
New euthanasia rules in the Netherlands
Forest ranger in Spain charged with poisoning of brown bear in Pyrenees
CRS Report: Federal Scientific Integrity Policies – A Primer
National Risk Index provides interactive map approximating levels of risk
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
$6.5M Heidlersburg solar project to help power natural gas pipeline operations in Pennsylvania
Epidemic of teenage vaping
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
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
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
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
Invasive shovel-headed garden worms found in Georgia – produce tetrodotoxin
Animals are using the first wildlife bridge in Utah – animal deaths across highway are down dramatically
Permit application for Pebble Mine in Alaska denied under Clean Water Act & Rivers and Harbors Act
Replacing Interstate 5 bridge with mothballed Columbia River Crossing project estimated at $4.81B
New test nuclear reactor at Idaho Falls will cost estimated $3B to $6B
Rain garden at University of North Carolina Wilmington to reduce polluted stormwater runoff
Ben Franklin called them “a noble fowl deeply rooted in American tradition”
Comparing the population of China and India: 1800 to 2020 and beyond
Hookworm exists in impoverished areas in Alabama with poor sanitation
Significant benefits of returning the “three sisters” of corn, beans & squash to Native American farms
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
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
Just for fun: National Parks Quiz & Trivia #20 – Grand Teton
Environmental & safety challenge of “Crab Island”
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
Perspective: Increase entrance fees for National Parks
Tourist oversteps lookout & falls to death in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Fields of hemp set burned because THC levels exceed federal limits
Overcrowding at Crater Lake National Park with staffing shortage
Environmental Audit Committee accuses tech giants of fueling “e-waste tsunami” by planning short shelf-life of products
Texans hunting wild hogs Teas style – rifles, drones, digital pig calls, baying dogs, helicopters…
As of 1 January 2021, China will no longer import solid wastes – already banned plastics, car parts, textiles, paper, scrap steel or wood
Running half-marathon in Delhi is “suicidal” with soaring air pollution
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.”
“energy & money is being wasted on surface disinfection” – disinfecting sprays are often toxic chemicals that significantly affect indoor air quality & human health
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
Bloated mink carcasses are resurfacing from mass graves in Denmark
Cuomo to get Emmy award for briefings - Really?
“Accidental” half-dose of vaccine proved to be 90% effective
Perspective on vaccine by Dr Rodney E. Rohde
Mutation 614G increased likelihood of transmission
Did “lockdown” measures simply prolong the inevitable?
CDC may shorten length of 14-day quarantine
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
Pandemic reduction in atmospheric pollution was “just a tiny blip”
12,706 mutations in the virus are not surprising – question is whether it will mutate due to selective pressure from introduction of vaccines
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
• 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
Baltic Sea ferry runs aground in Aland Islands between Finland & Sweden – 400+ on board
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 50th 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
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