Elaine informs me that today is National Licorice Day! Who knew?
But it is also the 60th anniversary of the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's historic flight - the first human in space. Read about it here..
Gagarin later (1968) died when his MiG-15 fighter jet crashed, but he had his day in the sun in 1961.
Here is his Vostok spacecraft.
Also on this date in 1861 Confederate troops under General P.G.T. Beauregard bombarded Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Union troops surrendered the next day. The Civil War had started.
Enjoy!
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Check out Elaine's coronavirus/COVID-19 section in the Environmental Science Bulletin Board.
Geoscience Bulletin Board – 12 April – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
April brings meteor showers, a supermoon & planets visible in the night sky
Third stream of lava issuing from fissure on Mount Fagradalsfjall to Geldingadalir Valley in Iceland
Global warming alarmists once again decrying the increase of CO2 in the atmosphere – “halfway to doubled CO2 [is] not of any physical significance” - have warmed since end of last Ice Age – humans contribute 0.0016% of CO2 in the atmosphere
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/carbon-dioxide-spikes-to-critical-record-halfway-to-doubling-preindustrial-levels/ar-BB1fktCA
- https://www.carbonbrief.org/explainer-how-the-rise-and-fall-of-co2-levels-influenced-the-ice-ages
Improved understanding of San Andreas Fault activity in Southern California
- https://www.sjsu.edu/transform/spartan-spotlight/kim-blisniuk.php
- Paper: https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/7/13/eaaz5691
Every day is “Geologists Day” – Hutton, Lehmann, Steno, Mary Horner Lyell, Gutenberg, et al.
Private well owners urged to test water quality – bedrock may contribute naturally occurring elements
- https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Press-Room/Press-Releases---2021/Private-Well-Owners-Urged-to-Test-Water-Quality--New-Report-Shows-High-Arsenic-Uranium-in-Some-Wells
- USGS OFR 2020-1111: https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2020/1111/ofr20201111.pdf
Świętokrzyskie (Holy Cross Mountains) Geopark in Poland awarded UNESCO status
Geology is not always a precise science
In Memoriam: Mark Joseph Davis (1960-2021) – Geologist & Fellow with American Ceramic Society
In Memoriam: Edmund “Ross” Sawtelle (1930-2021) – International petroleum geologist
Phosphate is abundant in Florida – phosphate wastewater reservoir on verge of collapse
- https://www.winknews.com/2021/04/06/what-is-phosphate-and-why-does-so-much-of-it-come-from-florida/
- https://www.winknews.com/2021/04/05/live-news-conference-on-water-reservoir-emergency-in-manatee-county/
Interacting geological processes can cause complex cascades that pose hazards to humans who turn them into disasters by their actions
Increased glaciation in North Patagonian Andes influenced tectonic dynamics over past 7 million years
Volcanic eruption forecasting may be improved by examining EQ mechanisms & clustering
- https://eos.org/editor-highlights/relating-seismicity-and-volcano-eruptions
- Paper: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2020JB021294
Calibration of Mid to Late Jurassic Polarity Time Scale using multi-scale marine magnetic anomaly data in the Pacific
Thundersnow spotted near southern Texas
Dendrochronology from oak trees provide continuous climate record for Central Europe
Rethinking oceanic overturning and exchanges of water between North Atlantic & Nordic Seas
Apparent increasing stability of the pycnocline – part of extremely complex oceanic interactions
Tectonics, weathering and erosion & climate are all inter-related
5,000+ tons of extra-terrestrial dust fall to Earth each year
SW US, including Colorado River Basin, will be subject of more frequent hydroclimatic events
Record precipitation over China resulted from combined influence of air masses from 3 oceans
Arctic seafloor data project will use new distributed acoustic sensing interrogator system
Early indicators of magma viscosity could facilitate forecasting eruption style
Speed of sliding glacier in SW Greenland related to water pressure changes at base of the ice
- https://phys.org/news/2021-04-glacial-river-reveals-greenland-ice.html
- Paper: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2020GL091418
Fossiomanus sinensis & Jueconodon cheni – two related species of Early Cretaceous herbivorous mammaliamorphs in China
Rare Earth mining plays role in political voting in Greenland
ROV Jason sampling hydrothermal vents on the seafloor of the East Pacific Rise (long video)
La Soufriere volcano on St. Vincent Island erupts
Sauropods swallowed gastroliths and then transported them long distances
- https://www.yahoo.com/news/rocks-made-1-000-mile-190327975.html
- Thesis: https://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1008&context=geogstudent
Environmental Science Bulletin Board – 12 April – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
Mountain lion P-78 died after being struck by vehicle in California – necropsy indicated 5 anticoagulant rodenticides in his system including 3 second-generation anticoagulants
Plastics are causing infertility in humans – “Count Down: How Our Modern World is Threatening Sperm Counts, Altering Male and Female Reproductive Development & Imperiling the Future of the Human Race”
Developing disaster-resilient food bank supply chains for disaster-response in Houston, Texas
ATX toxin from algae blooms can become airborne
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/a-dangerous-toxin-from-pond-scum-can-go-airborne-study-finds/ar-BB1fk9PT
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/meet-very-fast-death-factor-the-algal-toxin-scientists-are-finding-in-our-air/ar-BB1flygV
- Paper: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10402381.2021.1881191
Aetokthonos hydrillicola - Cyanobacteria that grows on invasive Hydrilla verticillate identified as cause of bald eagle deaths
- https://earther.gizmodo.com/mysterious-bald-eagle-killer-finally-identified-1846553172
- Paper: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/371/6536/eaax9050
82% of dead bald & golden eagles have anti-coagulant rodenticides (ARs) in their system
- https://www.terradaily.com/reports/Survey_finds_82_of_dead_eagles_with_rat_poison_in_their_systems_999.html
- Paper: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0246134
Outbreaks of zoonotic diseases stem from human exploitation of and impingement upon the natural environment – Nipah, SARS, MERS, Ebola, Lyme, HIV…
So-called “flushable” or “septic safe” wipes should NOT be flushed
Concept & detailed plans for future Compact Advance Tokamak (CAT) “compact nuclear fusion plant”
- https://www.ga.com/us-researchers-design-compact-fusion-power-plant
- Paper: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1741-4326/abe4af
Technological hazard: mass surveillance with facial recognition technology
Belgium seized 27.64 tons of cocaine being trafficked by criminals using encrypted phone network
Keystone XL pipeline permit cancelled but now Enbridge pipeline under Lake Michigan being touted as crucial infrastructure
Will endangered trout return to concrete corridor that is the Los Angeles River? Multi-billion $ proposal
Buying into the “global warming caused by CO2” mythology – Paris Accord targets not feasible
- https://www.yahoo.com/news/virtually-impossible-australian-scientists-sound-124426815.html
- AUS Report: https://www.science.org.au/supporting-science/science-policy-and-analysis/reports-and-publications/risks-australia-three-degrees-c-warmer-world
Largest sugar maple tree is being taken down – more than 240 years old
More cities assess stormwater fees to pay for flooding, erosion, water quality & repairs
New frameworks for conservation on working rangelands
- https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/newsroom/releases/?cid=NRCSEPRD1762446
- Rangeland Analysis Platform App: https://rangelands.app/
Hope the Easter Bunny brought you dark chocolate (not milk chocolate) because it is good for your health
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/nutrition/one-surprising-effect-of-eating-chocolate-new-study-says/ar-BB1fkgli
- https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/JAHA.116.005162
PG&E faces new criminal charges for 2019 California wildfire
A moor frog has turned blue for first time in 700 years amid calls for reintroduction to Britain
Irreplaceable 1,000-year-old Native American petroglyphs vandalized in Chattahoochee National Forest
Ubiquitous carcinogenic TCE (trichloroethylene) may be cause of increasing rates of Parkinson’s Disease
Interacting geological processes can cause complex cascades that pose hazards to humans who turn them into disasters by their presence & actions
California needs to openly acknowledge that it is STILL in drought – precipitation at 50% of average
- https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/546778-third-driest-year-reported-in-california
- Snowpack report: https://water.ca.gov/News/News-Releases/2021/April-21/Statewide-Snowpack-Well-Below-Normal-as-Wet-Season-Winds-Down
Advances (?) in wind energy – bigger blades & taller towers take more precious resources but still only generate about 8.4% of US electricity demand
- https://www.asme.org/topics-resources/content/6-advances-in-wind-energy
- https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/electricity/electricity-in-the-us.php
Is it wise – or even feasible – to artificially cool Earth by “geoengineering” the atmosphere?
- https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00869-4
- NASEM Report: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00822-5
- Link to download report: https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/developing-a-research-agenda-and-research-governance-approaches-for-climate-intervention-strategies-that-reflect-sunlight-to-cool-earth#sectionPublications
Removing dingoes as the apex predator has impacted vegetation in accord with trophic cascade theory
Visualizing the futility of the Paris Accord
How do humans fix something? They try to fix problems by adding stuff which does not work
- https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/04/the-takeaway-is-that-we-dont-tend-to-take-things-away/
- Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03380-y
Microbes found deep underground on 3 continents have been in evolutionary stasis for millions of years
Socio-economic impacts of HABs (harmful algal blooms) in the US
Lake Uru Uru in Bolivia is “made of plastic” – years of human garbage accumulation
Superior Judge halts Tejon Ranch development of 19,300 houses citing wildfire risks & GHG emissions
Draft Inventory of US GHG Emissions & Sinks 2021
- https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2021-02/documents/us-ghg-inventory-2021-main-text.pdf
- Perspective: https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2021/02/04/u-s-rejoins-paris-agreement/
5 possible future scenarios – not optimistic
- https://www.yahoo.com/news/long-range-forecast-future-world-110032606.html
- NIC Report: https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/GlobalTrends_2040.pdf
Volcanic eruptions in 536-537 darkened the skies & triggered Late Antique Little Ice Age (LALIA) – caution: news report contains obvious factual errors
Endangered flowering Tiehm’s buckwheat may stop proposed lithium mine in Nevada
Drought conditions and anticipating wildfire season in the Western US
4 myths behind the carbon tax
CORONAVIRUS
Coronavirus COVID-19 statistics by country (click on USA to get State statistics) & CDC tracker
- https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
- https://time.com/5800901/coronavirus-map/
- interactive map s: https://geodacenter.github.io/covid/map.html
- CDC Weekly Tracker: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/
Virus impacts highlight obesity that makes the health consequences worse
246 “fully vaccinated” Michigan residents diagnosed with virus – 11 hospitalized & 3 died
At least several thousand breakthrough infections since February
“we can stay ahead of the virus” is just wishful thinking and wanton hubris
Cannot legally mandate “emergency use” vaccines
CDC finally puts an end to “hygiene theater” – such protocols are not necessary as risk is low
- https://www.yahoo.com/news/end-the-hygiene-theater-cdc-says-173440864.html
- Guidance: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/science-and-research/surface-transmission.html
Clear link between AZ vaccine and potentially deadly blood clots in the brain
- https://www.yahoo.com/news/clear-between-astrazeneca-vaccine-rare-115707510.html
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/possible-side-effects-of-astrazeneca-vaccine-come-into-sharper-focus/ar-BB1fmh4V
South African variant can break through vaccine
Vaccination program in Mexico has some success but many problems and inconsistencies
Latest crisis: a shortage of individual serving packages of ketchup
Wallowing in mixed messages from “experts”
Fiasco in Europe – vaccine shortages, rising cases, AZ vaccine, deaths from blood clots, lock downs
“Pandemic treaty” must follow acknowledging mistakes of the current plandemic
PPE litter is polluting the environment & killing wildlife
- https://www.treehugger.com/scientists-document-how-ppe-is-harming-wildlife-5121110
- Paper: https://brill.com/view/journals/ab/aop/article-10.1163-15707563-bja10052/article-10.1163-15707563-bja10052.xml
- Report: https://oceanconservancy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/FINAL-Ocean-Conservancy-PPE-Report-March-2021.pdf
Coastal Zone Management Bulletin Board – 12 April – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
Coastal Habitat & Protection Webinar scheduled for 19 April
• https://www.coastalreview.org/2021/03/coastal-habitat-protection-webinar-april-19/
• Registration: https://web.cvent.com/event/33405678-8f68-4bab-8555-65486e27bd38/regProcessStep1
Mozambique government reclaimed coastal town of Palma from terrorist insurgents
• https://www.voanews.com/africa/mozambiques-government-regains-control-key-coastal-town
Louisiana F&W accepting applications for Wetland Education Teacher Workshop 2021
• WETshop: https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/index.cfm?action=pagebuilder&pageID=forteachers
Maerl bed habitats found in northeast Atlantic & now in Fal Estuary near Cornwall, England
• https://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/homepage/title_851452_en.html
• Paper: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/eva.13219
Updates on Piney Point phosphate plant waste reservoir threat to Tampa Bay – safe to go home?
Wastewater being pumped into Tampa Bay to reduce risk of reservoir failure but could impact local sea life & waterway
• https://www.yahoo.com/news/florida-officials-pumping-leaking-piney-211936974.html
Ghost forests along East Coast are result of land subsidence (not sea level rise) and salt water intrusion due to humans over-pumping fresh groundwater
• https://www.yahoo.com/news/sea-level-rise-killing-trees-122907917.html
Collaborative effort recovers marine fishing debris from coastal waters – 3,000+ crab pots
• https://www.coastalreview.org/2021/04/lost-fishing-gear-recovery-project-complete/
• https://www.carolinacoastonline.com/news_times/article_a2ed7a4e-96e6-11eb-89ec-73ac00b2945a.html
Differences between coastal and inland wine regions
• https://www.winemag.com/2021/04/06/coastal-inland-wine-difference/
Beaufort, North Carolina, installs permeable paving to reduce stormwater runoff
• https://www.coastalreview.org/2021/04/towns-advance-water-quality-projects/
Law enforcement agencies in large coastal county ramping up UAVs to improve safety
Benefits of Louisiana coastal restoration to soil carbon sequestration
• https://phys.org/news/2021-04-paper-benefits-louisiana-coastal-soil.html
• Paper: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2020JG005832
Perspective: Everglades restoration will not fix water quality in Caloosahatchee Estuary
Ribble Estuary & Morecambe Bay under consideration as future marine national parks
WWII shipwreck unearthed in River Exe estuary
• https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/ww2-shipwreck-unearthed-river-exe-5245320
Lee County accepts Innovative Technologies Grant from Florida DEP for water quality & treatment research project
Freshwater discharges from Lake Okeechobee impacting oyster beds & seagrass in St. Lucie Estuary
• https://www.wflx.com/2021/03/31/freshwater-discharges-impacting-oyster-beds-seagrass/
Too many humans tromping in Roberts Bank Wildlife Management Area disrupting habitat & wildlife
Residents resisting free connection to sewer system in Indian River County, Florida
Perspective: Connecting sugar industry use of glyphosate & impacts on manatees is a “distraction”
• https://floridapolitics.com/archives/417168-glyphosate/
Perspective: Can Congress actually help protect manatees?
Keppel Marina East Desalination Plant in Singapore treats seawater & freshwater
• https://source.asce.org/singapores-newest-desalination-facility-treats-seawater-andfreshwater/
Steep decline in giant sea turtle populations off US Pacific Coast
• https://www.yahoo.com/news/steep-decline-giant-sea-turtles-153910073.html
$6.3M hurricane repair project to begin at Biscayne National Park
Regional habitat differences identified along Atlantic Coast for populations of threatened Piping Plovers
• Paper: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecs2.3418
4 dead gray whales have washed ashore in San Francisco Bay area
• https://www.yahoo.com/news/4-gray-whales-found-dead-233415228.html
"The Earth is mostly just a boneyard. But pretty in the sunlight." - Larry McMurtry
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