Back from Honduras - was in the state of Cortés.
Geoscience Bulletin Board – 20 May 2024 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
Gas emissions & temperatures at new Tern Lake thermal area in Yellowstone
Fossils – an essential record of life on Earth – fossils accumulating today will reflect how humans disrupted life
Using plexiglass and Teflon to create a model that reflects fault interface
Mount Ibu erupts in Indonesia – volcano alert raised to highest level
- https://phys.org/news/2024-05-indonesia-mount-ibu-erupts-spewing.html
- https://www.terradaily.com/reports/Indonesia_raises_volcano_alert_level_to_highest_after_huge_eruption_999.html
Geology provides clue on where the Mona Lisa was painted – DaVinci include recognizable features of Lecco, Italy
- https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/article/2024/may/11/where-mona-lisa-was-painted-mystery-solved-geologist-claims
- https://lavocedinewyork.com/en/arts/2024/05/12/art-and-geology-expert-has-identified-the-background-location-of-the-mona-lisa/
Geological wonders of Appalachia – impact craters, gorges, tunnels, natural bridges, and more
Geohazards in Guatemala
75-year retrospective history of the Utah Geological Survey
Adapting geo-conservation strategies to protect celestial bodies from humans
Ultra-low velocity zones deep within the Mantle near the mantle-core boundary
NASA is training Artemis Teams in field geology
Satellite images of 11 May 2024 tailings failure at Siana gold mine in the Philippines
Documenting seafloor methane seeps on the US Atlantic margin (USAM) including sedimentary, geologic & oceanographic processes responsible for seep formation
- https://www.usgs.gov/centers/whcmsc/news/refining-distribution-and-evolution-us-atlantic-margin-methane-seeps
- Paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025322724000719
Geology Safaris delve into geological features of diverse landscapes in South Africa
Geological Trivia: who is the only human to be buries on the Moon?
Zircon crystals suggest freshwater & continents existed on Earth just a few hundred million years after forming
Energy potential of Maniamba Basin in Mozambique
Rethinking the periodicity of seismic activity on the San Andreas Fault at Parkfield
- https://www.zmescience.com/science/geology/san-andreas-fault-periodicity-parkfield-earthquake/
- Paper: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2024.1349425/full
Heavy rains created flash floods & debris flow of lahar material in Agam, West Sumatra province, Indonesia – at least 41 dead and still searching for missing victims
Solar flare X87 skimmed past Earth & triggered radio blackout & loss of signal at all frequencies below 30 MHz across the Americas
Heavy metals in volcanic ash from Tungurahua volcano in Ecuador
- https://eos.org/articles/how-tungurahua-volcano-dropped-heavy-metals-into-ecuadors-food-supply
- Paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651323014239
Post flash-flood satellite imagery in Baghlan Province of Afghanistan
Detailed overview of the atmosphere – functions & behavior in upper troposphere & stratosphere
Value in examining deep layers of the Crust to understand frequency, composition & magnitude of volcanic eruptions
- https://www.terradaily.com/reports/Deep_magma_study_enhances_volcanic_eruption_predictions_999.html
- Paper: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.add1595
Groundwater quality in the Mojave Basin domestic-supply aquifer – 2018 conditions in floodplain & regional areas
- https://www.usgs.gov/publications/status-and-understanding-groundwater-quality-mojave-basin-domestic-supply-aquifer
- USGS SIR 2024-019: https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2024/5019/sir20245019.pdf
Desert-SEA is prototype of new technique for mapping the water table using high-altitude aircraft in desert areas
Characterizing meltwater runoff in 3 sub-basins of the Urumqui River Basin
Projected depletion of groundwater aquifers across the US over the next 25 years – California at greatest risk
- https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-13430787/California-Texas-Midwest-states-groundwater.html
- Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-024-01306-w.epdf
Groundwater pathways – explanatory video
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Environmental Science Bulletin Board – 20 May 2024 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
New campaign wants to redefine “nature” to include humans – humans take what they want and have placed themselves above nature: domination versus dominion
Efforts to protect Rio Bosque Wetlands that would be impacted by any of 3 alternate routes for extending a highway through the El Paso area
- https://insideclimatenews.org/news/13052024/environmental-advocates-rio-grande-wetland-potential-highway/
- Corridor Study components: https://www.txdot.gov/projects/projects-studies/el-paso/border-highway-east.html
- Planning & Environmental Study Overview: https://ftp.txdot.gov/pub/txdot-info/elp/projects/border-highway-east/project-documents/pel-study/study-report.pdf
Attempting to amend the Endangered Species Act to protect species habitats from human activities
First recipient of genetically modified pig kidney transplant died about 2 months later – kidney expected t last 2 years
Camels helping to replant and save Joshua trees from extinction
Native American voices factoring into energy projects on tribal lands – scars remain from past projects
Estimated cost of phasing out use of coal for energy in India & China would exceed $2.4 Trillion
- https://phys.org/news/2024-05-price-tag-phasing-coal.html
- Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-47667-w
Association of cancer with mRNA vaxxing needs to be thoroughly investigated and results fully disclosed
Construction collapse of George Building in South Africa – investigating cause, death toll at 33, searching for missing, questionable building practices
- https://www.africanews.com/2024/05/14/south-africa-updates-on-the-george-building-collapse-investigation/
- https://www.george.gov.za/media-statement-1800-update-on-building-collapse-site-in-george-western-cape-south-africa/
- https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/hope-fades-44-trapped-collapsed-south-africa-building-2024-05-09/
Federal government proposes 10 National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors (NIETC) Phase 2 - $4.5B funding – would allow FERC to issue permits even if states have denied an application – open for public comments until 24 June 2024
- https://www.pv-magazine.com/2024/05/15/us-government-proposes-10-national-interest-transmission-corridors/
- NIETC Report: https://www.energy.gov/gdo/national-interest-electric-transmission-corridor-designation-process
Lake County, Illinois, requires newly constructed government-owed facilities to use bird-friendly glass on exteriors from ground level to 100 feet high
EPA issues updated estimate of $630B required for water infrastructure
- https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/new-epa-survey-highlights-wastewater-infrastructure-needs-protect-waterbodies
- Clean Watersheds Needs Survey: https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2024-05/2022-cwns-report-to-congress.pdf
Developer blocks wild horse access to Steamboat Creek - water the horses have been drinking in their habitat for hundreds of years - want to guess who will win this battle?
European Bison flourishing in southern Carpathian Mountains since being reintroduced in 2014 – trophic rewilding being touted as “carbon captures solution”
New Executive Order being touted that would shut down Southern Border when illegal crossings reach 4,000 per day – that still means potential of almost 1.4M illegals each year plus the ‘got-aways’ with 1.5+M encounters so far this year – Pew Research Center estimates added in mean 15.2M illegals in the US
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/biden-plans-order-to-shut-border-when-crossings-hit-4k-daily-report/ar-BB1muRdj
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/the-incomprehensible-unattainable-scale-of-trump-s-deportation-plan/ar-BB1msg4B
Former NIH top official (Fauci supervisor) admits origin of covid still debatable, lab-leak theory is not conspiracy & no scientific evidence to support draconian social-distancing – HHS implements immediate government-wide suspension on all funds allocated to EcoHealth Alliance that facilitated gain-of-function research at Wuhan Lab in China & made false statements to NIH
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/exclusive-former-top-public-health-official-admits-covid-origins-not-settled-no-science-to-back-social-distance-guidance/ar-BB1mv3Iu
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/covid-origins-hhs-suspends-ecohealth-alliance-grants-after-finding-taxpayer-funds-used-in-risky-research/ar-BB1ms8yP
Bad policy decisions in California will also impact energy prices in Nevada & Arizona
Technological hazard: Telecoms fault resulted in pump stoppage & intermittent release of raw sewage into Lake Windermere in the Lake District of England
New method of homogenization of daily mean temperature data in China – impacted by moving station, methods of calculating daily mean temperature & transition from manual to automatic measurements
30-year study in US shows high consumption of ultra-processed food linked to higher risk of early death
- https://www.terradaily.com/reports/US_study_links_ultra_processed_food_to_higher_risk_of_early_death_999.html Paper: https://www.bmj.com/content/385/bmj-2023-078476
PFAS forever chemicals rain down in the water cycle on all five Great Lakes in relatively similar concentrations – fate of chemical in each lake differs – accumulating in Superior, Michigan & Huron versus elimination in Lake Ontario & steady state in Lake Erie
- https://phys.org/news/2024-05-chemicals-great-lakes.html
- Paper: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.3c10098
Early (forced) retirement of older vehicles will not save the planet
- https://phys.org/news/2024-05-early-vehicles-wont-planet.html
- Paper: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2634-4505/ad397e
DOJ submitted Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to reclassify marijuana from Schedule 1 to Schedule III under Controlled Substances Act - subject to 60-day public comment period – claims it has low to moderate potential for physical & psychological dependence
BLM proposing end to new coal leasing from federal reserves in Powder River Basin, Wyoming & Montana – existing leases would be preserved – 30-day public protest period
Great era of globalization may be coming to an end
Technological hazard: Google issues warning of critical vulnerability of Chrome users security
Humans now consume more than a quarter of the biomass produced each year on Earth – 2.5 X the recommended amount for sustainability as plans for tackling ‘man-made global warming’ call for using even more biomass
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/humans-use-a-quarter-of-all-the-biomass-created-by-plants-on-land/ar-AA1gFNeo
- Paper: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adh2458
Colleges & universities choosing to “educate – not indoctrinate” are dismantling DEI programs or playing word games by creating DEI “proxies”
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Coastal Zone Management Bulletin Board – 20 May 2024 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
Native Americans fighting Rio Grande LNG 750-acre facility and adjacent Texas LNG facility – trying to protect the identity and tradition of the Indigenous people in the Rio Grande Delta
- https://insideclimatenews.org/news/13052024/native-elder-fights-fossil-fuel-companies-rio-grande-delta-texas/
- Rio Grande LNG Project & net-zero: https://www.next-decade.com/rio-grande-lng/
- Rio Grande LNG Final EIS: https://www.ferc.gov/final-environmental-impact-statement-rio-grande-lng-project-and-rio-bravo-pipeline-project
- Texas LNG Project Final EIS: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_MBtmIsf0tp_KVvDunPSHQ5Olj-eXiCT/view
Water crises across the Caribbean Islands resulting from rapid urbanization & industrialization, water-intensive tourism industry, lack of appropriate management practices & increasing human demand
$1.4B Gateway Investment Program included deepening the channel at Norfolk Harbor to 55 feet – will be deepest & widest port channel on the US East Coast
Controlled demolition of Francis Scott Key Bridge – video
Massive $2.92B Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion coastal restoration effort in Louisiana is in jeopardy due to impacts on fishing industry - $422+M already spent – Louisiana may have to pay up to $500M in damages
2-year $2.3M Callahan Beach restoration project in Fort Salonga, New York, wins multiple awards – damaged by remnants of Hurricane Ida
- https://patch.com/new-york/kingspark/callahans-beach-fort-salonga-reopens-after-seawall-collapse
- https://patch.com/new-york/smithtown/smithtowns-callahans-beach-reconstruction-wins-awards
- https://tbrnewsmedia.com/tag/callahans-beach/
Population living in low elevation coastal zones (LECZ) sharply increased over past 3 decades – put more people (particularly the elderly) at risk from floods and other hazards – Florida coastal growth
- https://www.prb.org/articles/crowded-coasts-put-1-in-10-americans-at-risk-for-floods-other-hazards/
- https://mynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2024/03/18/people-flocking-to-two-space-coast-cities
Private insurers are fleeing high-risk areas – FL, CA, LA, MA, and NC
Protecting beachfront lifestyle of plovers
British tourist gored by bull on beach at Cabo San Lucas after being told to leave the bull alone
- https://ktla.com/news/nationworld/woman-gored-by-bull-after-ignoring-warnings-from-beachgoers-in-mexico/
- https://www.mensjournal.com/news/tourist-attacked-wild-bull-los-cabos-mexico-beach
Margaritaville at Sea Paradise cruise ship failed surprise health inspection by CDC
Partial collapse & oil spill results from barge hitting bridge connecting Galveston & Pelican Island
Update: NYC to control redevelopment of 120 acres at Brooklyn Marine Terminal – NYC to transfer ownership of 225-acre Howland Hook Marine Terminal to Port Authority
- https://news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-and-energy/new-york-city-nabs-stretch-of-brooklyn-coastline-to-redevelop-1
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/construction-giant-awarded-multimillion-dollar-contract-to-transform-major-seaport-into-one-of-nation-s-largest-offshore-wind-projects-here-s-its-expected-potential/ar-BB1mBPlN
New law in Florida will ban offshore wind turbines and promote common-sense approach to energy policy
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