A dire situation’: Mexico’s refusal to pay water debt grips South Texas border
Mexico’s refusal to pay back the water it owes to the United States has made for a “dire” situation in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, the head of the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission said.
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Geoscience Bulletin Board – 8 April 2024 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
M7.4 earthquake in Taiwan – reverse faulting near boundary between Eurasian & Philippine Sea tectonic plates – at least 9 dead, hundreds injured – aftershocks – regional impacts – video includes seiches & landslides
- https://currently.att.yahoo.com/news/one-feared-dead-dozens-injured-040546736.html
- https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000m9g4/executive
- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Edh6W5bsla0
Initial news of landslides & rockfalls triggered by M7.4 earthquake in Taiwan
M6.8 earthquake near Northern Mariana Islands – no tsunami warning – potential main shock
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/6-8-magnitude-earthquake-registered-near-mariana-islands-so-far-no-tsunami-threat-issued/ar-BB1l85b2
- https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000ma2w/executive
Meanwhile, New Yorkers are rattled by moderate M4.8 earthquake
- https://www.belgrade-news.com/townnews/geology/earthquake-centered-near-new-york-city-rattles-big-apple-northeast/article_a4db83d2-f35e-11ee-b51b-1b63003d2ef7.html
- https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000ma74/executive
Punxsutawney Phil is now proud papa of two pups who all live in Punxsutawney Memorial Library ready to carry on tradition of prognosticating the end of Winter
Natural variations in Rossby Waves and the Polar Vortex
The Khumbu Icefall on Mount Everest
Part 2: M7.3 Hegben Lake EQ & Madison Landslide – 1959
- https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/yvo/news/1959-madison-slide-part-2-recovery-and-remediation
- Part 1: https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/yvo/news/1959-madison-slide-part-1-a-deadly-consequence-hebgen-lake-earthquake
Cosmoselachus mehlingi – new shark-like species from Late Mississippian Fayetteville Shale in Arkansas
- https://www.sci.news/paleontology/cosmoselachus-mehlingi-12796.html
- Paper: https://sciencepress.mnhn.fr/en/periodiques/geodiversitas/46/4
Trash from International Space Station may have hit a house in Naples, Florida
US DOE to subsidize “endless” source of energy from enhanced geothermal systems - $60M for 3 projects to demonstrate efficacy & scalability – optimistic that geothermal could provide 10% of power demand
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/department-of-energy-announces-60m-investment-into-essentially-endless-source-of-energy-these-projects-will-help-us-advance/ar-BB1kUQGn
- https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/02/geothermal-energy-electricity
- Report Summary: https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-unveils-roadmap-next-generation-geothermal-power
- Report: https://liftoff.energy.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LIFTOFF_DOE_NextGen_Geothermal_v14.pdf
15 things to know about Devil’s Tower (slide show) – geology & cultural significance
Five new hydrothermal vents discovered by AUV Sentry & HOV Alvin in eastern Pacific
A good snow year in Utah
Tectonic movement on an average 36-million year-cycle results in evolution of ecological niches
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/an-explosion-of-life-happens-on-earth-every-36-million-years-now-we-know-why/ar-AA1dGn6B
- Paper: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2221149120
Evolution of Valles Caldera National Preserve
- https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2024/03/continuing-evolution-valles-caldera-national-preserve
- VCNR: https://www.nps.gov/vall/index.htm
Tooth structure of Feredocodon chowi – new Jurassic species - improves understanding of early evolution of mammaliaforms
Myrmarachne colombiana – new species of ant-mimic spider in copal (fossilized resin) from Colombia
99 myo marine tapeworm found encased in mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber from Myanmar
Experience climber falls to death while snowboarding in Crater of Mount St Helens – cornice broke away
Volcanic eruption of Santorini 1,300 years ago comparable to 2022 Tonga eruption
- https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/volcanos/santorini-volcano-freak-eruption-1300-years-ago-was-as-violent-as-2022-tonga-eruption
- Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-024-01392-7
Physics-based models integrate temporal slip evolution to forecast earthquake ruptures
- https://eos.org/editor-highlights/forecasting-earthquake-ruptures-from-slow-slip-evolution
- Paper: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023AV000979
Parameterizations of turbulent mixing and fall velocity of precipitation & cloud ice may help alleviate long-standing biases in climate models and simulations
- https://eos.org/editor-highlights/tuning-improves-high-resolution-climate-simulations
- Paper: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023MS003701
Comparison of contemporary & historical hydrology & water quality in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
- https://www.usgs.gov/publications/a-comparison-contemporary-and-historical-hydrology-and-water-quality-foothills-and
- SIR 2024-008: https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2024/5008/sir20245008.pdf
Seabed 2030 only 25% done – using technology to fill bathymetric blank spaces
GOES-U to be launched in late June following repairs to latest NOAA satellite
Daily motion of Ross Ice shelf due to ice stream activity in Antarctica
- https://www.terradaily.com/reports/Antarcticas_Ross_Ice_Shelf_Moves_Daily_Due_to_Ice_Stream_Activity_999.html
- Paper: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023GL108040
Water planning tool with forecasts up to 205 in Austria
Role of groundwater in ecosystem sustainability – recognizing that surface & groundwater is one resource in California
- https://phys.org/news/2024-04-groundwater-role-ecosystem-sustainability.html
- Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s44221-024-00221-w
Recognizing the total futility of using submarine curtains to “protect” glaciers in West Antarctica
New step in tectonic processes that transform seafloor into mountains
- https://phys.org/news/2024-04-tectonic-seafloor-mountains.html
- Link to pdf Paper: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article/doi/10.1130/G51918.1/635693/Detrital-isotopic-record-of-a-retreating
Sand may be “solid” and appear difficult to compress or it may easily flow like liquid
Anvil clouds & their limited impact on climate
- https://scitechdaily.com/unlocking-the-mysteries-of-anvil-clouds-and-their-climate-impact/
- Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-024-01414-4
Fossil Cycad National Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota lost NPS status when site was eroded and fossils were deliberately removed by humans – de-authorized in 1953 then abolished as National Monument
Ice Memory Foundation concerned that glaciers are melting – but that is what glaciers do!
Noble gases in volcanic rocks from Cook & Austral Islands reflect Earth history for 2.5+ billion years
- https://phys.org/news/2024-04-pacific-samples-glimpse-earth-billion.html
- Paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0012821X24000256
Meteorite plowed up from field in Dane County goes on display at University of Wisconsin Geology Museum
Castle Rock is durable because of high opal content
Underwater robot reveals mud volcanoes and active fault in Lake Baikal in Siberia
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Environmental Science Bulletin Board – 8 April 2024 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
Shelters for illegal aliens in Chicago are reporting not only measles but also tuberculosis – illegals bringing the disease with them when they illegally cross our Border – increase since 2020 - vaccine requirements not being enforced – one has to wonder what other diseases the illegals bring
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/chicago-officials-raise-new-outbreak-alarm-as-medieval-disease-spreads-across-shelters/ar-BB1l52rv
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/tuberculosis-is-making-a-comeback-in-the-u-s/ar-BB1l5oji \
- CDC Data: https://www.cdc.gov/tb/statistics/reports/2022/national_data.htm
Big Pharma job security: developing mRNA vaccines for diseases linked to vaxxing
Scare-mongering in advance of the next pandemic – despite fact that only diagnosed human case of avian flu had minor symptoms of conjunctivitis that were easily treated - many human cases suspected of being asymptomatic – believe Big Pharma and WHO?
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/bird-flu-pandemic-could-be-100-times-worse-than-covid-scientists-warn/ar-BB1l4BZ6
- CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2024/p0401-avian-flu.html
- https://insideclimatenews.org/news/02042024/todays-climate-bird-flu-migration-disease/
There is no consensus about the value of attempting to geoengineer the climate – risks and collateral damage of unknown proportions
- https://phys.org/news/2024-04-climate-national-countries-extreme.html
- https://theconversation.com/climate-engineering-carries-serious-national-security-risks-countries-facing-extreme-heat-may-try-it-anyway-and-the-world-needs-to-be-prepared-222120
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/us-tests-1st-cloud-powered-sun-blocker-tech-to-fight-global-warming/ar-BB1l7l7n
Open-border policies have created terrorist threats in the US – not a question of “if” but “when” will they strike against Americans and how many hundreds of them are already in our country?
Secretary Mayorcas (Homeland Security Secretary) impeachment trial was scheduled to begin in March – failure to comply with immigration law – articles of impeachment to be sent to US Senate on 10 April
- https://www.kennedy.senate.gov/public/2024/3/kennedy-senate-must-hold-mayorkas-impeachment-trial
- https://www.kktv.com/2024/02/26/dhs-secretary-mayorkas-impeachment-trial-expected-start-senate/
- https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4561860-house-mayorkas-impeachment-charges-senate/
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/if-the-senate-needs-evidence-of-mayorkas-impeachable-offenses-look-no-further-than-his-abuse-of-parole/ar-BB1l7vn4
New legislation would limit “chain migration” that allows family-sponsored illegal immigration into the US
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/republicans-have-plan-to-upend-legal-immigration/ar-BB1kXs2k
New legislation in several states would require donor vaxxing status to be disclosed
Romancing the River: To Halve and Have Not
Even trusted measles vaccine does not prevent all from getting measles – 30% of vaccinated will get measles if exposed to the virus & likely have milder illness & be less contagious – measles has less than 0.01% case fatality rate
“Valley of the Drums” was cleaned up but “Gully of the Drums” remains as imminent threat to human health and the environment
- https://insideclimatenews.org/news/03042024/louisville-gully-of-the-drums-hazardous-waste/
- Website: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/d914bd376b82442780ccd4064bc31078
California leads the nation in use & emissions of sulfuryl fluoride – pesticide & potent GHG – 260 to 1,367 metric tons released into atmosphere each year
Employing new tactics & equipment in next phase of python telemetry scout project in Florida
White pine beetle decimating whitebark pine trees reducing primary food supply for grizzly bears – increased human-bear interactions as grizzlies seeking food – not good for the bears
Publlc urged to help keep grizzly bears wild as they emerge from dens
Update: Biden cancels plan to refill Strategic Petroleum Reserve that he depleted in failed attempt to lower gas prices due to inflation
265,000-gallon spill of liquid nitrogen fertilizer into drainage ditch reached East Nishnabotna River in Iowa and resulted in massive kill of at least 749,000 fish along 60-mile stretch – another 40,000 fish died in Missouri River
Do not touch tussock moth caterpillars in Florida – hairs can cause rashes, burning & itchy skin
US F&W plan to save spotted owls in Pacific NW involved shooting hundreds of thousands of barred owls over 3 decades - F&W says “sparred owls” should also be shot
$1.5B subsidy for partner-driven conservation & “climate solutions” that will be ineffective in “fixing” a climate that is not broken
Giving up agriculture in favor of wildland proves profitable & increases biodiversity in the UK
Updated family tree for birds – part of Bird 10,000 Genomes (B10K) Project
- https://www.sciencealert.com/largest-ever-bird-genome-study-unveils-new-tree-of-life-but-one-species-is-a-mystery
- B10K Project: https://b10k.genomics.cn/
Brown rats came on exploration ships from Europe in the mid 1700s – invaded & thrived
Lungworm parasite of invasive pythons is threatening native snake species in Florida
Oil India to open Numaligarh refinery by 202 & export products to Bangladesh
- https://www.offshore-technology.com/news/oil-india-new-oil-refinery-opening-2025-oil-price-concerns/
Visualizing 10 most common primates in the world – excluding humans
“Green” manufacturing boom ironically is not powered by renewable energy
Species colonize new ground exposed by melting glaciers
Tennessee Valley Authority to retire Kingston Fossil Plant that has been operating for more than 7 decades
PACT promoting effective packaging recycling with the cosmetics industry
Addressing the escalating problem & challenges of global e-waste
- https://www.environmentenergyleader.com/2024/04/e-waste-crisis-turning-challenges-into-opportunities/
- Link to download report: https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Environment/Pages/Publications/The-Global-E-waste-Monitor-2024.aspx
Wind turbine blades may be source of micro-plastic pollution & toxic chemicals as blades are worn through use – pollutants endanger wildlife, can enter waterways & food chain
Paper: New water accounting reveals why the Colorado River no longer reaches the sea
Aira Solar Project in Alberta, Canada, is threat to migration of pronghorn antelope
Genetically modified cow produces milk that contains human insulin – “biofactories” – injected special hormones to trigger lactation – plan is to clone this cow
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/genetically-modified-cow-makes-milk-with-human-insulin/ar-BB1jUsWf
- Paper: https://analyticalsciencejournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/biot.202300307
Death in Sierra County, California, caused by Sin Nombre hantavirus – typically about 3 cases each year – infection typically from inhalation of dust particles of urine, saliva, or droppings of deer mice
Mexico once again refusing to pay back 1.7M acre-feet of water that it owes the US under Treaty
State of emergency declared in Khabarovsk, Russia, due to nuclear contamination
Net-zero a joke – only 57 corporate & state producing entities responsible for 80% of global emissions
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/news/net-zero-a-joke-new-report-says-57-sources-drive-80-of-global-emissions/ar-BB1l7rM6
- Database Launch Report: https://carbonmajors.org/site//data/000/027/Carbon_Majors_Launch_Report.pdf
News media deliberately omitted extent of wind farm encroachment on agriculture in New South Wales, Australia – media re-enforced the entrenched narrative
Misleading & erroneous figures released by the FBI on crime in the US
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/bad-data-from-the-fbi-mislead-about-crime/ar-BB1l7qDS
- https://counciloncj.org/year-end-2023-crime-trends/#offense-reports
FDA considering action on use of methylene chloride to decaffeinate coffee
- https://currently.att.yahoo.com/news/decaf-coffee-safe-drink-experts-195212278.html
- Test results: https://cleanlabelproject.org/are-there-chemicals-in-your-decaffeinated-coffee/
Throwing $20 billion to “green bank” network for “clean energy”
“Chemigation” distributes irrigation water blended with fertilizers & pesticides on crops – also using chlorin-based disinfectants to sprinkler irrigation to ensure “microbiologically safe water” – concerns: increased pollution of water and increased resistance in micro-organisms
- https://www.asce.org/publications-and-news/civil-engineering-source/article/2024/04/02/enhancing-farms-irrigation-chemigation-to-increase-yields-minimize-harm
- Paper: https://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/JIDEDH.IRENG-10176
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Coastal Zone Management Bulletin Board – 8 April 2024 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
US F&W report indicates loss of more than 50% of wetlands since 1780s – disproportionately impacted marshes & swamps in coastal watersheds of the Carolinas
- https://www.fws.gov/project/2019-wetlands-status-and-trends-report
- Report: https://www.fws.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2024-03/wetlands-status-and-trends-2009-2019-signed.pdf
Proposed plan to build $441M floating 12 MW natural gas power plant in south Louisiana in area prone to storms & extreme weather hazards – wants to bypass competitive bid process
Ongoing battle between mining and Okefenokee Swamp
Florida legislation precludes wind turbines from offshore & within 1 mile of coast & Intracoastal Waterway
Norwegian Dawn cruise ship stranded 8 passengers on African island of São Tomé and Príncipe
Portion of Big Sur Highway 1 collapses – highway closed – damage assessment – emergency response for initial safety & in-situ stabilization work
- https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-04-01/big-sur-tourism-on-standstill-after-its-connecting-roadway-crumbles-into-the-sea
- https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/highway-1-crumbling-cost-infrastructure-19379465.php
- https://www.constructiondive.com/news/teichert-california-highway-1-repair/712222/
Legislation to protect Okefenokee Swamp from dragline mining failed to get consideration/approval
Cruise ship stranded in port of Barcelona, Spain, when 69 Bolivians tried to disembark without valid documents to enter the EU
Enormous wind farm off coast of Martha’s Vineyard approved by Biden administration despite legal efforts to block similar projects – approving proposals at rapid pace – environmental damages
NPS to create Marine Reserve Zone at Biscayne National Park
Public urged to protect sea turtles as nesting season arrives on Texas beaches
Visualizing the most populated (human populations) islands in the world
NASA identifying salinity changes in coastal waters related to El Niño precipitation & runoff
- https://phys.org/news/2024-04-nasa-el-nio-saltiness-coastal.html
- Paper: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023GL106684
Denmark closes major shipping lane in Great Belt strait due to risk of falling missile fragments from missile testing
People jumped into the sea to escape raging fire on ferry in Gulf of Thailand - video
Sonar images detect wreckage of Francis Scott Key Bridge in Patapsco River in Baltimore
Perspective: Seeking a “sustainable” path for waterfronts in India to reverse adverse effect of industrialization & rapid urbanization
Environmentalists oppose $62M dredging project in San Juan Bay, Puerto Rico – lawsuit over endangering wildlife and humans - threatens to destroy corals, seagrass beds, turtles & other marine life
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"Those who are easily shocked should be shocked more often." - Mae West
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