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The opinions expressed in the BBs are solely those of Dr. Elaine J. Hanford.
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Geoscience Bulletin Board – 7 August 2023 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
Just for fun: The Silurian Hypothesis
Catastrophic dynamic rock failure known as rock or coal burst presents challenges in tunnels and mining
- https://phys.org/news/2023-07-quantifying-coal-energy-based-approach-geological.html
- Paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949741822000036?via%3Dihub
Rome, Italy, is surrounded by one of the largest volcanic systems in Europe
Meltwater from Parkachik Glacier may form 3 lakes in the western Himalayas
Litli-Hrútur in southwestern Iceland is the newest “baby volcano” in the Fagradalsfjall volcanic area – signs that eruption will soon subside as deflation occurs – explosions and tornadoes
- https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230724-earths-newest-baby-volcano
- https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/volcanos/earths-newest-baby-volcano-is-painting-icelands-fagradalsfjall-region-with-incandescent-lava
- https://www.terradaily.com/reports/Icelands_met_office_says_volcanic_eruption_slowing_999.html
- https://www.9news.com.au/world/volcano-iceland-explosions-and-tornadoes-plague-valley-where-erupting-little-ram-is/ab334350-ab80-4818-9813-f19ff65678e5
Assessment of the USGS study on PFAS forever chemicals in drinking water across the US – caveats & short-comings
Lawsuit filed by Frost River gear company claiming Indiana Jones used geological backpack without permission
Sinuous meandering channels formed in muddy floodplain sediments without vegetation 1.2B years ago
- https://eos.org/research-spotlights/mud-could-have-made-meandering-rivers-long-before-plants-arrived
- Paper: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023GL104379
No evidence for great 300 MA unconformity between Mesoproterozoic Xiamaling Formation & Neoproterozoic Longshan Formation in North China Craton
- https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/997058
- Paper: https://www.sciengine.com/SCES/doi/10.1007/s11430-022-1034-9;JSESSIONID=7fb7c66b-82d8-4073-9f10-9c2c01352489
Earthquake swarms in Utah may be linked to geothermal energy – still dreaming of geothermal energy
- https://www.crowrivermedia.com/national/news/seismologists-work-to-uncover-the-cause-of-earthquake-swarms-in-utah/video_770d1334-7ced-53e3-a034-fb551437bacd.html
- https://www.wired.com/story/fast-forward-enhanced-geothermal-systems/
Deadly earthquake swarm in Japan that began in 2019 linked to deformation of volcanic structure that was active in Middle Miocene – upward earthquake migration
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/deadly-earthquake-swarm-caused-by-ancient-dead-volcano/ar-AA1eH3sE
- Paper: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2022JB026047
USS Nimitz & USS Dwight D Eisenhower aircraft carriers being decommissioned by US Navy & plans to sell USS Jackson & USS Montgomery Independence class Littoral Combat ships to foreign navies – national security?
Ocean skin layer may be less than 1 mm thick but plays critical role in carbon cycle
Is the climate hotter than it has been over the last 100,000 years? Short answer is NO if one avoids the urban areas where Heat Island Effect is important and it varies naturally over geologic time
Two supermoons will appear in the sky in August
Evidence for rainfall-triggered intraplate seismicity in France in November 2019
- https://phys.org/news/2023-08-evidence-rainfall-triggered-seismicity-intraplate-domain.html
- Paper: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/15/9/2270
Geologic history is preserved in tin droplets of seawater
- https://phys.org/news/2023-08-seawater-ancient-world.html
- Paper: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adf1605
Simulations suggest formation of methane on Early Earth may have helped warming
- https://phys.org/news/2023-08-methane-formation-early-earth.html
- Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-39917-0
Modeling of global atmospheric circulation suggests planetary waves may affect atmospheric dynamics
- https://phys.org/news/2023-08-scientists-planetary-affect-atmospheric-dynamics.html
- https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/23/4105/2023/
Distinguishing between slow and fast earthquakes
Northern Hemisphere insolation affected climate dynamics of the Ice Ages
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230731110721.htm
- Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-023-00908-0
Oldest impact craters on Earth are “disappearing”
- https://www.sciencealert.com/earth-oldest-impact-craters-are-disappearing
- Paper: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2022JE007721
Understanding LIDAR
Burgessomedusa phasmiformis - Oldest known species of free-swimming jellyfish
- https://www.sci.news/paleontology/burgessomedusa-phasmiformis-12147.html
- Paper: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2022.2490
Bees originated in Western Gondwana before continental breakup
Alternative groundwater-withdrawal scenarios in Kingsbury Pond, upper Chrles River Basin, Massachusetts
- https://www.usgs.gov/publications/evaluation-alternative-groundwater-withdrawal-scenarios-water-levels-kingsbury-pond
- USGS SIR 2023-5083: https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2023/5083/sir20235083.pdf
Hydrogeologic framework of SW Louisiana
- https://www.usgs.gov/publications/hydrogeologic-framework-southwestern-louisiana
- USGS SIR 2023-5004: https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2023/5004/sir20235004.pdf
Probing geochemistry & microbial diversity of Peruvian hot springs
- https://new.nsf.gov/news/geoscientists-probe-geochemistry-microbial
- Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-023-00787-5
Minnesota Supreme Court ruled Pollution Control Agency improperly granted permit to NewRange Copper Nickel mine – concealed environmental concerns which threaten Lake Superior and tribal lands
M5.6 earthquake struck SE of Eritrean capital – moderate magnitude, shallow depth
- https://www.terradaily.com/reports/Magnitude_56_earthquake_hits_Eritrea_999.html
- USGS: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000kxhj/executive
Upgrade in radiocarbon dating – may lead to better understanding of Ice Ages
- https://www.terradaily.com/reports/Another_step_forward_in_radiocarbon_dating_and_understanding_of_Earth_climate_and_environmental_processes_during_glacial_times_999.html
- Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-023-00929-9
Maverick surfers are ecstatic as waves along California Coast are getting higher
Rockslide on Donner Pass Road – 40- to 50-ton rock damaged the road – road may reopen by late August
Socorro Magma Body in Valencia County, New Mexico
Potential new technique for measuring ancient ocean temperatures & determining basin thermal histories
- https://today.tamu.edu/2023/08/03/chemists-geologists-join-forces-to-measure-ancient-ocean-temperatures-to-the-atomic-level/
- Paper: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adf1701
Scottish Geology Festival – 4th year of month-long event kicks off 1 September 2023
Volcanic phosphorus boosted Mesozoic Jehol Biota in northern China
Paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2095927323003419?via%3Dihub
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Environmental Science Bulletin Board – 7 August 2023 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
US Army to install whole-home filtration systems for drinking water in homes in Selah, Washington, to remove PFAS forever chemicals from contaminated water near Yakima Training Center
Podcast: Best practices for communicating about sustainability – can we say “more greenwashing”
Radioactive water from Monticello Nuclear Generating Station may have reached Mississippi River
SCOTUS vacates stays ordered by US Court of Appeals – Mountain Valley Pipeline to resume construction
Cost of cleanup of derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, now surges to $803M
BLM seeking public input on Greenlink West 350-mile transmission line project between Washoe & Clark Counties in Nevada – open for comment until 23 August
- https://www.fox5vegas.com/2023/07/27/nv-energy-wants-350-mile-power-project-lower-power-bills-critics-cite-tule-springs-impact/
- BLM: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2017391/510
- Draft EIS: https://eplanning.blm.gov/projects/2017391/200514145/20078627/250084809/Draft%20EIS-RMP%20Amendments.pdf
US DOE contemplating “clean energy” solar projects at Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington, at Idaho National Laboratory, at Nevada Nuclear Security Site, at Savannah River Site in South Carolina, and at Waste Isolation Pilot Plant site in New Mexico – US Energy Secretary falsely claims “sites are all safe now, they are completely clean and ready for redevelopment”
Population is more rapidly moving to regions at high risk of flooding, wildfire or extreme heat events
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/more-and-more-americans-are-moving-into-high-risk-climate-zones-why/ar-AA1evfjC
- Analysis: https://www.redfin.com/news/climate-migration-real-estate-2023/
NRC approves plan for Vogtle Nuclear Reactor Unit 4 to load radioactive fuel
Unlicensed Chinese Biolab with at least 20 potentially infectious diseases raided in Fresno County, California – dangerous criminal activity - all biological agents destroyed – 773 lab animals euthanized
PFAS forever chemicals found in “green” biodegradable straws
Zero Waste – Guide to Resource Recovery and Conservation: Refuse, Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle
Census shows significant increase in number of tigers in 5 reserves in Tamil Nadu in India
DiCaprio labeled an “eco-hypocrite” for jet-setting to exclusive locales in fuel-guzzling private planes & vacationing on super-polluting superyachts
They are producing EVs but people are not lining up to buy them – inventory grows to 92-day supply
York Wildfire in Mojave National Preserve – wind gusts of 25 to 30 mph help spread fire across state line
FRA has given environmental approval to high-speed rail from LA to Vegas not yet designed and built - $25M US DOT grant to fund design & construction of stations and facilities – ultimate cost estimated at $12B
Case of Leprosy (Hansen’s disease) diagnosed and successfully treated in Texas
“Ratcheting up the rhetoric matches the failure of any of the left’s hysterical predictions of doom to come true” – we lived through vaxxing & lockdown dictates but will likely soon have “heat” dictates from those in power
- https://donsurber.substack.com/p/global-boiling-sure-is-cold
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/as-the-world-boils-a-backlash-to-climate-action-gains-strength/ar-AA1ezliq
- https://apnews.com/article/biden-extreme-heat-climate-change-osha-d24be7fe0c7bb79bede655db10fe2e00
‘Houston, we have a problem’ admitting reality: Houston admits they are an Urban Heat Island
Did Florida waters really hit 100+ degrees? The short answer is: NO
First, they drained significant part of Strategic Oil Reserve & now Biden administration cancels plan t0 purchase 6M barrels to replenish the emergency stockpile which is at lowest level in 40 years
To put “sun umbrella” on asteroid to ‘slow’ climate change by reducing solar radiation by estimated 1.7% – will it work? NO – just another exorbitantly hair-brained scheme
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/scientist-sun-umbrella-tethered-to-an-asteroid-will-mitigate-climate-change/ar-AA1eBEPT
- Paper: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2307434120
Semi-trailer carrying 40,000 pounds of chocolate caught fire on I-80 west of Reno, Nevada
Lake Tahoe has serious case of over-tourism
Confirmed 4th breach of aquifer in northern Minnesota due to construction of oil pipeline replacement
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/enbridge-oil-pipeline-construction-ruptured-an-aquifer/ar-AA1eBSOc
Implications of Vogtle nuclear power plant progress for nuclear energy
High-speed rail in UK from London to Crewe deemed “unachievable” – significant delays & other problems
Irony: National Center for Science Education (NCSE) calling “Kids guide to the Truth about Climate Change” propaganda – NCSE is proponent of IPCC global warming alarmism
Fernley Canal dates back to the early Newlands Project days – controversial pilot project to line the canal to prevent seepage and will also prevent groundwater recharge & wells drying up
2 August declared “Overshoot Day” for 2023 – global population devouring resources equivalent to 2 planets
Adverse impacts of mandated lockdowns still reverberating in education system
Will quarantine of produce in Los Angeles be effective at fighting invasive Tau fruit fly?
Good reasons not to buy an EV
Asylum barge Bibby Stockholm in UK is described as “potential death trap” by British fire fighters
Despite the global warming alarmism hype, wildfires have been decreasing in number since early 2000s – a “fiery climate apocalypse” only when media focus on small parts of world with active fires
Infrastructure across Europe that supports eco-corridors & non-human life: bridges, tunnels, sculpted trees …
8 cases of locally acquired malaria reported for Texas & Florida – Is it due to “climate change” or is it a result of increasing numbers of people from parts of the world where transmission is relatively common?
Project 2025 is needed now to combat wasteful spending on “green” projects and “clean energy” development of questionable value and counteract the “man-made global warming” alarmism
Will lasers be an effective substitute for pesticides to combat agricultural weeds?
House Select Subcommittee to probe “development and implementation of overreaching, federal COVID-19 vaccination mandates” – detrimental consequences of coercive policy decisions continues to affect American
Explosive development of vaccines & antivirals may not be a good thing – may be thwarting human immune system & facilitating evolution of vaccine- and antiviral-resistant disease-causing organisms
Summary of meteorological & climatic drivers, cascading hazards, vulnerability, and impacts in 2002 in China
- https://phys.org/news/2023-08-sichuan-chongqing-spatio-temporally-compound-extremes-bitter.html
- Paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095927323003675?via%3Dihub
150-foot tall, $200M “The Vessel” remains closed – too many people used it to commit suicide
What are endocrine disrupting chemicals?
Addressing false narratives and our criminal justice system
Measles outbreak in Central Ohio – 85 confirmed cases - 94% of infected children were unvaccinated
- https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7231a3.htm?s_cid=mm7231a3_w
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/94-percent-of-children-in-ohio-measles-outbreak-were-unvaccinated-cdc/ar-AA1eNwtU
Update: Fremantle Highway cargo ship that caught fire was actually carrying 498 EVs – fire started in battery of an EV – ship being toward port of Eemshaven in Netherlands
Science blesses natural immunity – equivalent to or better than vaxxing without dangerous side effects
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/fire-ravaged-fremantle-highway-ship-carrying-20-times-more-evs-than-thought/ar-AA1eKGIl
- Paper: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)02465-5/fulltext
Still debating impacts of Los Angeles taking water from Mono Basin – Environmental Advocacy Group & Native American Tribe calling on SWRCB to suspend water diversions to protect Mono Lake & habitats
$3B Project Clean Lake intended to fully treat wastewater in Cleveland, Ohio
Prudent decisions lower exorbitant cost of Gypsum Sewer Plant from $120M to $75M to $77M
Patient tested positive for MERS in United Arab Emirates
Lawsuit challenges California law as being implicitly biased – Doctor does not want to teach preferred narrative
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Coastal Zone Management Bulletin Board – 7 August 2023 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
Predicting smaller dead zones in Chesapeake Bay & the Gulf of Mexico this summer
- Chesapeake Bay: https://stormwater.wef.org/2023/07/forecasters-optimistic-about-size-of-chesapeake-bay-summer-dead-zone/
- Gulf of Mexico: https://www.terradaily.com/reports/Gulf_of_Mexicos_oxygen-starved_dead_zone_smaller_than_expected_999.html
Did Florida waters really hit 100+ degrees? The short answer is: NO
Understanding rip currents
Plastic from artificial turf detected in coastal waters off Barcelona, Spain
- https://www.newscientist.com/article/2383869-huge-amounts-of-plastic-from-artificial-grass-end-up-in-the-sea/
- Related Paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749123010965?via%3Dihub
TCEQ denies “one-mile policy” – may not exist but has been followed on at least 15 cases in Texas, including controversial expansion of export terminal at Lavaca Bay
Construction completed on $8.9M underwater sill across Mississippi River at Myrtle Grove intended to block saltwater
Accurate maps of reef-scale bathymetry using synchronized underwater cameras & Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positions
- https://www.usgs.gov/publications/accurate-maps-reef-scale-bathymetry-synchronized-underwater-cameras-and-gnss
- Paper: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/15/15/3727
US Army COE drops 2000 buildings from $4B plan to protect St Tammany Parish from severe flooding
Coastal defense drone survey to be conducted along Jersey coast as part of Shoreline Management Plan
Pilot wave-power project installations at Port of Los Angeles to assess potential to generate power
Russian military attacks & bombs Black Sea port even though confirming ‘peace talks”
Chesapeake Bay Land Change Model – simulating land use scenarios & potential impacts on water quality
Flood resilience in Devonshire, England – artificially managing floodplain to a River Otter estuary
Flagler County, Florida, finishing new stormwater master plan
Photo essay: Drought and lower water levels that inhibit shipping will cause loss of funds for Panama Canal
Port & City of Corpus Christi seeking money to pay for proposed desalination plant
"Please quit comparing your department to a “living hell.” It makes it hard to recruit new faculty. Besides, hell has much nicer people." - @ass_deans
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