Book review!
Bjorn Lomborg | Copenhagen Consensus Center, USA | 2023, 290 pp
Glad to have a book review from friend and colleague G. Tracy Mehan III, AWWA's Executive Director of Government Affairs,
Click here to read th review: https://bit.ly/476Lnlh
Enjoy!
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Geoscience Bulletin Board – 31 July 2023 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
Photo essay: Large landslide at Seatown Beach on Jurassic Coast in Dorset
Batagay crater touted as largest permafrost crater in the world – video
- https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/arctic/siberias-gateway-to-the-underworld-megaslump-is-revealing-650000-year-old-secrets-from-its-permafrost
- https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/worlds-biggest-permafrost-crater-russias-far-east-thaws-planet-warms-2023-07-21/#:~:text=BATAGAI%2C%20Russia%2C%20July%2021%20(,the%20world%27s%20biggest%20permafrost%20crater.
New 240 myo species of scorpion discovered in a fragment of dolomitic rock from the deposit Unesco of Besano-Monte San Giorgio (Varese) in the collection of the Milan Museum of Natural History in Italy
Santa Monica, California, removed unstable portion of cliff above Pacific Coast Highway
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/santa-monica-officials-will-move-crumbling-portion-of-cliff-above-pacific-coast-highway-after-weird-al-yankovic-s-wife-spotted-a-crack-and-alerted-authorities/ar-AA1elg0c
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/crews-rush-to-move-crumbling-piece-of-the-santa-monica-bluff-above-pacific-coast-highway/ar-AA1eoSh0
Collapse of the AMOC as early as 2025 – dire warning or is it just hype?
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/gulf-stream-system-could-be-on-the-verge-of-collapse/ar-AA1elKNV
- https://metro.co.uk/2023/07/25/catastrophic-collapse-of-global-climate-could-begin-as-early-as-2025-19189721/
- Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-39810-w
Potential impact of Antarctic meltwater on deep ocean currents
- https://eos.org/articles/meltwater-from-antarctic-glaciers-is-slowing-deep-ocean-currents
- Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-023-01695-4
Trying to relate socio-economic dynamics and the climate system
- https://eos.org/editor-highlights/constraints-can-reduce-regional-climate-projection-uncertainty
- Paper: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023AV000887
Visualizing the top cobalt producing countries
Visualizing the global water supply
Photography in Death Valley
The hyper-efficient breathing system of dinosaurs
“The Great Dying” mass extinction event due most likely to climatic change – not “man-made global warming”
Calibrating GPS readings with Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite
“Likely tornado” hits Switzerland
Techniques for estimating magnitude & frequency of peak flows on small streams in Minnesota
- https://www.usgs.gov/publications/techniques-estimating-magnitude-and-frequency-peak-flows-small-streams-minnesota
- USGS SIR 2023-5079: https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2023/5079/sir20235079.pdf
Guidelines for calibration of Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) for remote sensing data
- https://www.usgs.gov/publications/guidelines-calibration-uncrewed-aircraft-systems-imagery
- USGS OFR 2023-1033: https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2023/1033/ofr20231033.pdf
Mambachiton fiandohana – Triassic archosaur had armored plates overlying backbone
Minimocursor phunoiensis – Earliest known Upper Jurassic neornithischian dinosaur from SE Asia
- https://www.sci.news/paleontology/minimocursor-phunoiensis-12123.html
- Paper: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/7/851
Miocene fossil forest of Wataria parvipora well preserved in Japan
- https://www.sci.news/paleontology/wataria-parvipora-fossil-forest-12120.html
- Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-37211-z
Lokotunjailurus chinsamyae and Dinofelis werdelini – two new species of Saber-toothed cats in South Africa
- https://www.sci.news/paleontology/langebaanweg-saber-toothed-cats-12117.html
- Paper: https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(23)01289-0
Was Nessie really a giant eel? – not likely based purely on statistical considerations
- https://www.sciencealert.com/what-if-the-loch-ness-monster-was-actually-a-giant-eel
- Paper: https://xbio.jmir.org/2023/1/e49063
Swarms of earthquakes in central Utah provide insight into geothermally active area
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230724182459.htm
- Paper: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023GC010867
Petrified trees reveal history of droughts in Yellowstone
- https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/996887
- Paper: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2023GC010988
Prognosticating when the East African Rift System will rupture apart – not for a long, long time
Geodetic observations reveal redistribution of Earth surface loads, deformation & variations in gravity field
- https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/996313
- Paper: https://satellite-navigation.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43020-023-00113-6
Carbon capture will not rescue drought-prone regions nor will it remedy “man-made global warming”
- https://phys.org/news/2023-07-carbon-capture-drought-prone-regions.html
- Paper: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adg1801
A possible change in how plate tectonics operates – now involves subduction into the lower mantle
- https://phys.org/news/2023-07-proof-earth-plate-tectonics-underwent.html
- Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06304-0
A new model for worldwide streamflow response to climatic conditions - Percolation Theory & Ecological Optimality
- https://phys.org/news/2023-07-physicist-reveals-hydrology.html
- Paper: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2022AV000867
Earthquakes in Arizona
- https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2023/07/24/what-to-know-about-earthquakes-in-arizona/70458146007/
- https://www.kvoa.com/townnews/geology/usgs-reports-earthquake-in-yavapai-county/article_fb865b26-2a5f-11ee-803e-4f18e703fa3c.html
Potential explanation for the Indian Ocean Geoid Low (IOGL)
- https://www.techspot.com/news/99551-earth-gravity-hole-off-indian-coasts-has-finally.html
- Paper: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2022GL102694
Nickel-copper-platinum exploration in Northern Ireland
China accuses the US of hacking Wuhan Earthquake Monitoring Center seismic monitoring network
- https://therecord.media/china-accuses-us-hacking-earthquake-monitoring-wuhan
- https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202307/1295064.shtml
What causes diamonds to be transported upward from the mantle
Geology graduate student staked claim, won Next Gen Prospect Challenge, now stands to make millions in mining deal for a gold-silver-copper deposit in the Yukon Mountains
Perspective: A challenge to Adventist Flood Geology
Large-scale hydrogen storage estimates for Earth Salt Structure at Robinsons River Salt Project
NW Greenland was a green land from 424,000 to 374,000 years ago
Core sampling reveals geologic history of Vancouver Lake
Peter Benchley now concerned about impact of “Jaws” on people attitudes toward sharks
Washington State Dept of Natural Resources recognizes Taylor Swift as “honorary geologist”
Environmental Science Bulletin Board – 31 July 2023 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
California “green” policies have weakened energy grid – peasants need to get ready for “climate lockdowns”
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/california-wants-nation-to-start-pondering-climate-lockdowns/ar-AA1ebdqJ
- E. coli outbreaks in Yountville near Santa Rosa & Burney in Shasta County, California – boil water advisory
- https://www.newsweek.com/california-e-coli-outbreak-update-map-warnings-1814475
Industry purging itself of DEI officers and workers
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/companies-are-throwing-thousands-of-diversity-officers-overboard-report/ar-AA1ec18c
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/college-students-troll-the-living-hell-out-of-woke-gender-survey/ar-AA1ech5T
Federal government not doing their job of protecting our southern border but willing to criticize Texas efforts
Here we go again! – CDC begins fear-mongering on potential “tripledemic” – weakened immune systems as a result of prior dictated lockdowns – get exposed & get healthy
17 deaths associated with Rickettsia in Baja California – transmitted by ticks, lice, fleas & mites
Increase in arson fires in Reno, Nevada
The fallout of the 1945 Trinity test in New Mexico – the beginning of the Atomic Age - downwinders
- https://news.yahoo.com/trinity-nuclear-test-fallout-reached-173809344.html
- https://news.yahoo.com/nuclear-fallout-manhattan-project-trinity-035607453.html
- Paper: https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/2307/2307.11040.pdf
New “Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy” will be a disaster – lots of money to be wasted with little benefit but think how many dictates they will be able to issue by applying all that covid experience
Federal Appeals Court reverses lower-court ruling that barred completion of controversial power line through SW Wisconsin – any judicial decision is premature pending final decision from US F&W on refuge crossing
Story of the California condor – “rescued the species from the brink of extinction”
Engineers lower assessed risk level of Isabella Dam in California after substantial safe features constructed
More dumb humans who do not respect the space needed by nison in Yellowstone National Park and suffer the responding wrath of the bison – tourists ignore repeated warnings
- https://www.newsnationnow.com/nmw/woman-gored-by-bison-at-yellowstone-national-park-suffers-significant-injuries/
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/willskipworth/2023/07/18/bison-gores-woman-at-yellowstone-amid-repeated-warnings-and-close-calls/?sh=1810129e299f
- https://petapixel.com/2023/05/31/photographers-and-tourists-are-getting-way-too-close-to-bison/
- https://www.foxweather.com/earth-space/tourist-selfie-bison-yellowstone-national-park-wyoming
Phantom lion still on the loose in Germany – or was it a wild boar?
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas? Not if you share your room with bedbugs
Suddenly, after more than 55 years, “concerned residents” are now opposing horse-drawn carriages in South Lake Tahoe
New US DOE proposal would require more efficient energy standards for water heaters & stoves
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/leave-us-alone-massie-responds-to-biden-s-plan-on-new-hot-water-heater-standards/ar-AA1eeXR0
- Proposal: https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-proposes-new-energy-efficiency-standards-water-heaters-save-americans-more-11-billion#:~:text=%E2%80%9CToday's%20actions%E2%80%94together%20with%20our,of%20Energy%20Jennifer%20M.%20Granholm.
- https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/faith-freedom-self-reliance/republicans-blast-doe-gas-stove-proposal-as-alarming-violation-of-law
- https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/energy-environment/energy-department-officials-refuse-to-testify-on-gas-stoves
STD infection rates continue to increase across the US – especially syphilis which is up 32%
Another “coke dust” release reported for refinery in Martinez, California - CCH hazmat crews could not confirm
Getting to the correct diagnosis and cause of death: Sin Nombre (Hanta) virus is endemic to Arizona
Mexican drug cartels cited as responsible for surge in retail thefts in the US - $70B a year organized retail crime
Nearly a dozen wild horses died in first 10 days of BLM mustang roundup in Nevada – “barbaric, cruel, intentional acts”
- https://www.rgj.com/story/news/2023/07/20/11-mustangs-die-in-us-roundup-in-nevada-caught-on-video-showing-horses-with-broken-necks/70438812007/
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/wild-stallion-s-fight-serves-as-poignant-call-for-change/ar-AA1ehn1o
Extending operations of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant could cost Californians $45 billion
- https://www.ewg.org/research/outrageous-costs-deadly-dangers-real-risks-keeping-diablo-canyon-open?auHash=BiukWuL2J21GWqDmoxv1m4exDi3Mlw6wayIjNdkK60Q
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/keeping-contentious-nuclear-plant-open-could-cost-californians-45b-report/ar-AA1ejqkn
South Korea touted as key partner for green energy in the US – but only with $9.2B load from USDOE
Invasive Asian carp are a significant problem in Kentucky – large size and reproductive capacity
Mystery company purchased $800M to buy almost 54,000 acres around Travis Air Base – Air Force Foreign Investment Risk Review Office currently investigating “Flannery Associates” – China buying US farmlands
Hydrogen (no matter the color) cannot stop the impending renewable energy disaster – green, blue, grey, black, brown, pink, turquoise, or white hydrogen
US District judge says temporary asylum rules are “both substantively and procedurally invalid”
Drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis are crossing our southern border – illegal aliens are not screened – average of 30% of those screened test positive & are more likely to have drug-resistant type of TB
Recycling campaign masked the glaring problem of over-production & de-emphasized other waste strategies – “recycling is not a get out of jail free card” – the “3 Rs” are not enough
- https://theconversation.com/decades-of-public-messages-about-recycling-in-the-us-have-crowded-out-more-sustainable-ways-to-manage-waste-208924
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/scientists-say-recycling-has-backfired-spectacularly/ar-AA1elB3M
Fire on cargo ship that burned 3,000 cars likely started by one of 25 EVs on board – ship evacuated
Calls to retract Fauci-influenced “Proximal Origins” covid paper to “disprove” lab leak theory
Visualizing the global distribution and density of livestock
Noise pollution – harmful for birds
- https://www.treehugger.com/what-is-noise-pollution-definition-environmental-impact-5191271
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0376635720302138?via%3Dihub
Microwaving plastic baby food containers can release billions of nano- and micro-plastics
“Oppenheimer” movie fails to address the devastation of uranium mining & nuclear testing on Navajo Nation – also does not address the threat of nuclear winter resulting from nuclear war
- https://nativenewsonline.net/currents/navajo-nation-president-oppenheimer-erases-history-of-nuclear-waste-caused-to-his-people
- https://www.sciencealert.com/oppenheimer-leaves-out-a-major-nuclear-risk-because-it-wasnt-known-until-the-80s
Heat waves are nothing new – just the extreme media hype & climate alarmism – not as hot as 1930s
Urban heat island cities cooking themselves
USDA program to protect agriculture from feral swine invasion & re-invasion
Climate Change (i.e., man-made global warming) lawsuits benefit lawyers
- https://insideclimatenews.org/news/27072023/climate-change-litigation-explosion/
- UN Report: https://www.unep.org/resources/report/global-climate-litigation-report-2023-status-review
A glut of EVs might lower prices but they still remain expensive to purchase and operate
The driving range of EVs is worse than advertised – an average of 12.5% less & as much as 26% less
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/it-turns-out-the-driving-range-of-electric-vehicles-is-even-worse-than-advertised/ar-AA1erR15
- SAE Report summary: https://www.sae.org/publications/technical-papers/content/2023-01-0349/
Family “smuggled” 178 tons of aluminum cans & plastic bottles from Arizona to California and then cashed them in under Golden State CalRecycle Programs for $7.6M – being charged with fraud
Proposing to build nationwide network of 30,000 EV charging stations – but only 7.2% of new sales are EVs
Seeking public input on Draft EIR for expansion of Oakland International Airport – comment by 15 September
- https://abc7news.com/oakland-international-airport-environmental-impact-report-new-terminal-proposal/13547630/
- https://www.portofoakland.com/press-releases/oak-publishes-draft-environmental-report-for-proposed-terminal-modernization-and-development-project/
- DRAFT EIR: https://www.oaklandairport.com/wp-content/uploads/230717_Public-Draft-EIR_Web_v1.0.pdf
Lots of “hot air” but once again COP28 fails to reach deal to phase down fossil fuels
Columbia Gas Transmission Pipeline explosion in western Virginia
$4.6B plant in South Africa will make “green ammonia”
- https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/18/africa/green-ammonia-hive-energy-scn-climate-spc-intl/index.html
- Paper: http://www.vaclavsmil.com/wp-content/uploads/docs/smil-article-worldagriculture.pdf
New tool to estimate cost of dam removal projects – 650 dam removals to cost $1.52 Billion
The risks of transporting HAZMAT materials – 20% of all hazmat incidents in five Midwest states
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Coastal Zone Management Bulletin Board - 31 July 2023 - compiled by E.J. Hanford
“Cocaine sharks” circling coasts of Florida – addicted seeking their fix
“Coastal Celebration” ferry again in dry dock
2,000 mostly young penguins wash up on coast of Uruguay over past 10 days – likely starved due to humans overfishing and wiping out food supply for penguins
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/around-2-000-penguins-wash-up-dead-on-uruguay-coast/ar-AA1ec3WT
Construction begins of controversial commercial-scale offshore Vineyard Wind project off coast of Massachusetts
North Korea uses ballistic missile force to defend EEZ claims
Video – Divers free 5 whale sharks trapped in fishing net off coast of Indonesia
- https://www.news18.com/viral/watch-divers-come-to-the-rescue-of-whale-sharks-entangled-in-fishing-net-8397637.html
- https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-66254335
International Court of Justice (ICJ) rules on disputed sovereign rights between Nicaragua & Colombia over mineral0 & fish-rich waters in Caribbean Sea
Taiwanese research ship suspected of conducting marine survey in EEZ of Japan
Territorial disputes increasing military presence in South China Sea
Increase in number of brown pelican colonies attributed to restoration of coastal islands in Louisiana
Update: San Luis Obispo Superior Court rules California Coastal Commission does not have authority to prohibit motorized recreational & overnight camping at Oceano Dunes SVRA
Applying freshwater management techniques to inland and coastal wetlands
- https://phys.org/news/2023-07-freshwater-techniques-benefit-inland-coastal.html
- Paper: https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/ehs.0083
Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project (TCAP) launches coastal hazard modelling tool
Virginia is replica of 1607 ship and is now plying coastal Maine
The job of a Great Barrier Reef Coastal Ranger
Video of more than 350 endangered White’s seahorses being released in Sydney, Australia
- https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/watch-more-350-endangered-seahorses-131155541.html
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5N015eq4WQ
Transfer of crude from decaying tanker off coast of Yemen
- https://www.oilgasdaily.com/reports/Transfer_of_crude_from_tanker_off_Yemen_to_start_next_week_UN_999.html
- https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/07/1139112
Fish caught in drainage outlet where water flowed from Fukushima meltdown contained 180 times Japanese limit for radioactive Cesium
- https://globalnews.ca/news/9855221/fukushima-fish-radioactivity-wastewater-release-nuclear-plant/
- https://www.commondreams.org/news/fish-fukushima-radioactive-cesium
Port of New Orleans approves $8M for design & engineering of new terminal in St Bernard Parish – Louisiana International Terminal still in federal permitting process
Yantai Sun Tower nearing completion in northern China – oceanfront structure is 160 feet tall & resembles conical cooling tower of massive energy plant
“To know that we know what we know, and to know that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge.” - Nicolaus Copernicus
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