Christmas comes early!
Dr. Elaine J. Hanford is solely responsible for the entries below.
Enjoy!
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Geoscience Bulletin Board – 24 December 2023 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
Winter Solstice begins season of storytelling and ceremony
M5.9 earthquake in north-central China
- https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000ljvg/executive
- https://apnews.com/article/chine-earthquake-gansu-qinghai-6255dcb3ce03a570f6aaaf565230afb1
- https://www.reuters.com/world/china/magnitude-61-earthquake-strikes-qinghai-china-emsc-2023-12-18/
- https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/21/12/2023/china-erects-temporary-shelters-after-earthquake-destroyed-14000-homes
- http://en.people.cn/n3/2023/1221/c90000-20113236.html
Volcanic eruption has started on Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland
- https://eos.org/articles/icelandic-fissure-finally-erupts
- https://en.vedur.is/about-imo/news/a-seismic-swarm-started-north-of-grindavik-last-nigh
- https://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/news/2023/12/18/volcanic_eruption_has_started/
- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=804nPrAUAxg
- https://www.icelandreview.com/ask-ir/whats-the-situation-on-the-reykjanes-peninsula/
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/iceland-volcano-erupts-after-weeks-of-earthquakes-and-evacuations/ar-AA1lHAyl
Prediction of how long volcanic eruption in Iceland will last – the obvious answer is it depends on volume of magma and length of time necessary for it to extrude
Why mammals survived multiple mass extinctions – survival of the unspecialized
Density gauge missing in Los Angeles County – potentially hazardous if mishandled or radioactive element is damaged
Mexico City still sinking - now at rate of 50 cm per year – loss of structural support – compaction & loss of storage capacity for groundwater
NSF grant to advance geoscience education in the Grand Canyon
Challenges of conducting field work in Bison Country
Arizona may soon regulate groundwater across the state not just Active Management Areas
Iconic Elephant Trunk arch collapses into the sea in Taiwan
New use for Ivory Soap – 700 bars used to lubricate and move 220-ton Elmwood Hotel in Nova Scotia
Rock slide at Echo Summit closed Highway 50 for approximately 3 hours overnight
95% of water loss over past 2 decades occurred in the Southern Hemisphere
The role of bubbles in the eruption of Old Faithful – steam oscillations in laboratory geyser
- https://eos.org/articles/steamy-bubbles-may-control-old-faithfuls-clock
- Abstract: https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm23/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/1430012
Shipwrecks provide habitat for a myriad of marine life – from microbes to sharks
Monitoring speed of flow of rivers by satellite could provide forecast river discharge
- https://phys.org/news/2023-12-satellite-analysis-rivers.html
- Paper: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023GL105839
Atomic bomb testing made using C-14 for ocean sediments difficult – alternative approach: regional reservoir age database
- https://phys.org/news/2023-12-mollusks-polar-reveal-ocean.html
- Paper: https://gchron.copernicus.org/articles/5/451/2023/
Vertebrates help shape the seafloor of the North Sea
- https://phys.org/news/2023-12-vertebrates-north-sea-seafloor.html
- Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-023-01102-y
Megalake Paratethys
Roughly 8.5-year Inner Core Wobble in both polar motion & length-of-day variations
- https://phys.org/news/2023-12-assumptions-year-rhythm-earth-core.html
- Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-43894-9
Mapping the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and its environs
El Niño reputation as “legendary rainmaker” in California is not warranted
· https://phys.org/news/2023-12-el-nio-reputation-legendary-rainmaker.html
Megalodon tooth found partially embedded in situ on a sea mount in the central Pacific Ocean
· https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/first-ever-3-5-million-year-old-megalodon-tooth-found-undisturbed-on-deep-sea-floor/ar-AA1lP81J
· Paper: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08912963.2023.2291771
Hydrothermal mercury from mid-ocean ridges not significant compared to human activities
- https://phys.org/news/2023-12-hydrothermal-mercury-natural-story-contaminant.html
- Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-023-01341-w
Oxidation of minerals in thawing permafrost believed responsible for tuning rivers in Brooks Range orange
· https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/75-alaskan-rivers-turn-bright-orange-tainting-water-supply-endangering-humans-and-wildlife-scientists-investigate/ar-AA1lOJ1J
Fossil of 19 myo blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) found in banks of the Murray River in South Australia
· https://theconversation.com/19-million-year-old-fossil-jaw-bone-hints-the-biggest-whales-first-evolved-somewhere-unexpected-219961
Defense strategies of Cretaceous insects
· https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1029716
· https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004223026986
3D trilobite fossils show soft tissues reveal convergent evolution of ventral adaptations
- https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1011395
- Paper: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2023.2212
The science of snowflakes & how they move in response to air turbulence
- https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1029492
- Paper: https://pubs.aip.org/aip/pof/article/35/12/123336/2930274/A-universal-scaling-law-for-Lagrangian-snowflake
Mesopotamian bricks preserved evidence of strength of magnetic field 3,000 years ago
Gremlin slobodorum – new herbivorous Late Cretaceous dinosaur species discovered in Alberta, Canada
20-year extension on New Mexico ban on O&G leasing around the Greater Chaco region
Water-level data for Albuquerque Basin in central New Mexico
- https://www.usgs.gov/publications/water-level-data-albuquerque-basin-and-adjacent-areas-central-new-mexico-period-19
- Data Report 1186: https://pubs.usgs.gov/dr/1186/dr1186.pdf
2022 Chaos Canyon Landslide in Colorado – seismic analysis, field investigations & remote sensing
- https://www.usgs.gov/publications/2022-chaos-canyon-landslide-colorado-insights-revealed-seismic-analysis-field
- Paper: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10346-023-02179-4
Using fossil evidence to create a soft robotic replica of a 450 myo pleurocystitid
- https://new.nsf.gov/news/450-million-year-old-organism-finds-new-life
- Paper: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2306580120
Oldest known fossils of the Frankincense & Myrrh family
Preliminary geologic map of Southern Santa Rose Mountains & Borrego Badlands, San Diego County, California
- https://www.usgs.gov/publications/preliminary-geologic-map-southern-santa-rosa-mountains-and-borrego-badlands-san-diego
- Sheet 1: https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2023/1076/ofr20231076_sheet1.pdf
- Sheet 2: https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2023/1076/ofr20231076_sheet2.pdf
Surge of hydrogen sulfide may have been lethal to Cambrian marine life around 530 myo
Paper: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023GL105560
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Environmental Science Bulletin Board – 24 December 2023 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
USDA issued permit for Santa’s Reindeer to enter the US – good for one night only
History behind the iconic, traditional Christmas poinsettia
- https://www.latimes.com/delos/story/2023-12-14/christmas-holidays-poinsettias-latin-america-culture-plants-history
- History: https://diplomacy.state.gov/events-listing/minister-poinsett/
Epidemic thunderstorm asthma hit Melbourne, Australia
Characterizing 50 urban heat islands
- https://www.usgs.gov/publications/characterizing-urban-heat-islands-across-50-major-cities-united-states
- Fact Sheet 2023-3048: https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2023/3048/fs20233048.pdf
“Inconvenient Truth” – Al Gore’s investment fund makes money off companies that generate GHGs
FDA investigating what may have been intentional lead poisoning of cinnamon applesauce pouches
Texas family rejects development – sells 515 pristine acres of family ranch to Texas Parks & Wildlife to create State Park in the Hill Country – habitat of at-risk animal species adjacent to Guadalupe River State Park
These drugs do more harm than good
Outdoor recreation contributes more than $1T to US economy – need to keep US public lands public
FDA found quality control deficiencies at vaxx manufacturing facility in Massachusetts
Warning issued in Australia to those travelling to protect themselves against rabies in foreign locales
Psychotropic drugs: opioids, benzodiazepines, stimulants, antipsychotics – alter your brain
When inbreeding of a species might be a good thing
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/inbreeding-can-actually-be-beneficial-for-some-species-in-the-long-run/ar-AA1hiATr
- Paper: https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(23)01888-6
Carbon capture is becoming big business – “We’re not doing it to be green”
FBI officially changes LGBT+ to LGBTQIA+ - isn’t that redundant? – more “woke than trustworthy”
Marsupials are “far more evolved” than mammals and humans
- https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2023/may/marsupials-might-be-the-more-evolved-mammals.html
- Paper: https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(23)00457-8
Coming soon to a store near you – futuristic inbred & GMO fruits and veggies being called ‘eco-friendly’
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/scientists-are-creating-a-new-generation-of-melons-with-futuristic-features-apparent-drought-and-heat-tolerance/ar-AA1lz72u
- Paper: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/371981441_'Supermelon'_and_'Flavorific'_Two_New_Hybrid_Muskmelon_Cultivars_with_Resistance_to_Monosporascus_cannonballus_from_Texas_AM_AgriLife_Research
Canada reports 300% increase in deaths due to “unspecified causes” – call to investigate link to vaxxing
- https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/canada-reports-300-increase-in-unspecified-causes-of-death-sparking-calls-for-investigation/
- Report: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/daily-quotidien/231127/dq231127b-eng.pdf?st=xxWE_G9O
Impacts of cancellation of the only SMR (small modular nuclear reactor) to have received design certification in the US – project costs escalated from $5.3B to $9.3B and rising
Potential relationships between disease and childlessness – duh: “childless individuals 2X as likely to be single”
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/early-life-diseases-linked-to-lifelong-childlessness/ar-AA1lGx2F
- Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-023-01763-x
- Interactive dashboard: https://dsgelrs.shinyapps.io/DiseaseSpecificLRS/
New report confirms PFAS contamination of groundwater at 200+ US Military Bases
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/wellness/new-report-reveals-major-problem-at-more-than-200-us-military-bases-hundreds-more-communities-are-likely-at-risk/ar-AA1jO8B8
- Report summary: https://www.acq.osd.mil/eie/eer/ecc/pfas/docs/reports/Briefing-on-PFAS-in-Groundwater.pdf
Biden restrictions on O&G drilling in Alaska violates long-standing promises to Native Alaskans
Update Photo-essay: Construction of first EPR at Hinkley Point C Nuclear Power Plant in the UK – 245-tonnes dome put in place and will be sealed – but likely would not totally contain an accidental meltdown
Exposure to PFAS forever chemicals may enhance spread of cancer
Officials investigating after person with active TB infection reported to have visited 26 grade schools and high schools in Clark County, Nevada
Failures and turn-arounds of California energy policies – costing residents $billions
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/california-admits-its-reckless-renewable-energy-dream-is-failing/ar-AA1lHztF
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/california-admits-its-reckless-renewable-energy-dream-is-failing/ar-AA1lOrfd
Perspective: Shortages of drugs – potential or actual – or is it over-prescribing?
EPA to conduct risk evaluation prioritization under TSCA for vinyl chloride, acrylonitrile, benzenamine, 4,4-methylene bis & acetaldehyde,
- https://insideclimatenews.org/news/19122023/epa-review-end-to-toxic-flammable-vinyl-chloride/
- https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-begins-process-prioritize-five-chemicals-risk-evaluation-under-toxic-substances
Outbreak of “mouse fever” among Russian military units in the Kupyansk area in Ukraine – viral streptococcus infection
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/panic-among-russian-ranks-as-mouse-fever-ravages-troops/ar-AA1lJFPr
- https://news.yahoo.com/mouse-fever-breaks-among-russian-121000042.html
Do NOT kill coyotes – coyotes are natural pest control agents eating rodents that can carry disease
Romancing the River: Sun and Water
Study estimated decision of 7M people to move during 2000 to 2020 associated with flood risk – annual rate of population change by County is less than 3%
- https://apnews.com/article/climate-change-flooding-insurance-migration-rain-a43c10d60d5c4f0b9fe30e0a7fe024c4
- Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-43493-8
As peak demand for energy rises, 83 GW of planned retirements pose blackout risks for most of the US
- https://www.utilitydive.com/news/generator-retirements-threaten-grid-reliability-NERC/702504/
- NERC LTRA Report: https://www.nerc.com/pa/RAPA/ra/Reliability%20Assessments%20DL/NERC_LTRA_2023.pdf
Texas once again contemplating high-speed rail from Dallas to Houston – they need to take heed from the high-speed rail boondoggle in California – half a million dollars to start studying the corridor for a money pit that will collapse under its own financial weight
Planning to build the $4.5B largest new reservoir in California since 1979 – Sites Reservoir in Colusa County – get ready for cost overruns and project delays
More truth coming to light about US funding of research, Eco-Health Alliance & Wuhan Lab – spiking covid viruses in less safe lab conditions
Throwing away stockpiles of PPE worth $Billions – Ohio has $29M paid for with your tax dollars – all resulting from politically driven draconian policies
Potential consequence of literally stopping oil (i.e., fossil fuels) tomorrow? – impacts on economy, electrical demand, communication systems, deaths due to starvation, rampant disease, no water supply, no sewage flow
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/what-could-happen-if-we-just-stopped-oil-six-billion-might-die/ar-AA1lICoZMask mandates during pandemic caused harm – “the mask of ignorance” is again recommended by CDC – urging vaxxing & boosters even though they do not prevent covid & have long-vax adverse effects
- https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/a-major-new-study-shows-that-masks-dont-stop-the-spread-of-covid-will-the-mandaters-apologize
- Paper: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD006207.pub6/full
- https://www.city-journal.org/article/the-harm-caused-by-masks
- Paper: https://www.cell.com/heliyon/pdf/S2405-8440(23)01324-5.pdf
- https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/expected-cdc-guidance-n95-masks-outrages-health-care-workers-rcna104854
- Paper: https://adc.bmj.com/content/early/2023/12/06/archdischild-2023-326215
- https://www.knskashmir.com/-no-need-for-panic-over-new-covid-19-variant---medical-experts-advocate-for-precautionary-measures-to-mitigate-risks-183349
The implication is that having friendly gene is a disease – when will Big Pharma start selling a new drug?
Mexican pharmacies selling full sealed bottles of “Adderall” that are counterfeit & may contain meth
Ancient Scythians did make leather out of human skins – Herodotus was right
- https://www.sciencealert.com/ancient-scythians-did-make-leather-out-of-human-skin-after-all
- Paper: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0294129
North Dakota official support Dakota Access Pipeline while Sioux raise concerns to protect water supply
- https://nativenewsonline.net/environment/north-dakota-defends-dapl-standing-rock-fears-for-its-water
De-icing products used at airports contain phosphorus that impact environment downstream
- https://www.usgs.gov/news/state-news-release/popular-ice-control-products-used-airports-can-increase-phosphorus-nearby
- Paper: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.3c03417
DEI mandates imposed at colleges are costing people their jobs for disagreeing with the ideology
Biden border policies provide “back-door amnesty” to illegal aliens – created chaotic free-for-all that puts Americans and America at risk
Contact tracing after person at UC Davis in California diagnosed with tuberculosis
Harms (i.e., adverse effects) were not reported in RTC health studies for urologic treatments – some improvement in reporting after harms guidelines issued – need to know to evaluate medical treatments
HEN Act would provide $1.5M annually for construction & maintenance of hen houses to increase mallard population & would also provide incentives to boost duck brooding habitat in California rice belt
“death calculator” developed that is described as 78% accurate – program not available to the public
- https://currently.att.yahoo.com/tech/die-meet-doom-calculator-artificial-010340536.html
- https://news.northeastern.edu/2023/12/19/predictive-ai-human-lifespan-model/
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Coastal Zone Management Bulletin Board - 24 December 2023 - compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
Biden administration setting up offshore wind for failure – but that is not a bad thing
Proposed $1.68B for fiscal year for coastal restoration & hurricane risk reduction projects in Louisiana, including living shoreline, lock complex & Mississippi River diversion
More & more & more people (because population is growing exponentially) exposed to tropical cyclones
Proposed 48-inch natural gas connector pipeline from Texas to Sonoran coast in Mexico for export 2.8B cubic feet of gas per day raises serious safety concerns – permitting process under scrutiny
$1.6B internal rail project at Port of Long Beach, California – includes $482M taxpayer dollars in federal funds
Tide levels in Puget Sound have risen only about 8 inches over last 100 years – King Tides pose flood risk
Marathon City in the Florida Keys to replace shallow sewage wells with new 3,000+ feet deep well – sewage contaminates marine species with pharmaceutical drugs
- https://news.fiu.edu/2023/city-of-marathon-to-replace-shallow-sewage-wells-following-research-findings-of-contamination
- https://phys.org/news/2023-12-florida-keys-city-sewage-wells.html
- Paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0045653523032198?via%3Dihub
Local rivers & streams are source of Salmonella enterica contamination along coastal North Caroline following Hurricane Florence in 2018 – genetic tracing - not from pig farms?
- https://phys.org/news/2023-12-genetic-sequencing-uncovers-unexpected-source.html
- Paper: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023GH000877
Using research to guide conservation practices on local farms in Chesapeake Bay watershed
- https://www.usgs.gov/publications/your-land-your-water-using-research-guide-conservation-practices-local-farms
- Fact Sheet: https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2023/3050/fs20233050.pdf
Non-native Rhizophora mangle as sinks for coastal contamination in Hawaii
- https://www.usgs.gov/publications/non-native-rhizophora-mangle-sinks-coastal-contamination-molokai-hawaii
- Paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666765723001175?via%3Dihub
Massive shellfish die-off in the Galicia region estuaries of northwest Spain
California Coastal Commission rejects UC Santa Barbara request for artificial turf at Uyesaka Baseball Stadium
Homes built too close to the coast now threatened by erosion of California coastal bluffs
Old landfill debris now littering Mussel Rock Beach in San Mateo, California
Coastal razor clam digs can begin the day after Christmas in Washington State
Preserving coastal wetlands in Honduras – improving policies & management practices can help
Undulata Asperatus – rare cloud formations along the coast of Oregon
Examining flooding in the Scuppernong River Basin in Albemarle-Pamlico region of NE North Carolina
"A grade change is a great last minute gift for your students, and very much in the spirit of the season!"- @ass_deans
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