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Dr. Elaine J. Hanford is responsible for the items below unless otherwise indicated.
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Geoscience Bulletin Board – 5 August 2024 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
Despite all the media hype, man-made CO2 has essentially no impact on the climate – peer-reviewed paper reaffirms “the madness bestowed upon humanity by a despicable cohort of greedy souls”
Rhinopteraspis dunensis - Devonian jawless fish were likely filter feeders
North American megafauna went extinct due to rapidly changing climate and spread of human population
Perucetus colossus – massive whale lived 39 myo, weighed up to 340 tonnes – not as large as blue whale
Oldest fossilized forest in the US in Green County, New York
The 23 July 2024 hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone
Complex life existed 2.1 byo coincident with major geologic upheaval in Francevillian sub-basin in SE Gabon
Laboratory evidence for growth of dolomite crystals – “the dolomite problem”
Evolution of birds following the Chicxulub Impact 65 myo
The 280 myo reptile fossil discovered in the Alps in 1931 was a forgery
Carboniferous was Age of Giant Insects
Seismic reflection data sets provide insight into geometry of offshore section of Palos Verdes fault near Los Angeles
SW Tianshan Mountains contribute majority of the Kyzylkum desert sand & dust – fluvial-aeolian action
Limited predictability of oceanic mesoscale eddy tracks in the South China Sea
Formation of blue sapphires in volcanoes
Fossil record reveals possible manifestation of seasonal & regional temperature changes in Europe
Can one rule predict fault deformation & earthquake cycle across wide range of conditions?
Need to rethink atmospheric oxygen levels during the Great Oxidation Event
Remnants of Typhoon Gaemi triggered 28 July 2024 landslide at Yuelin, China
Forecasting the probability of aftershocks
Phase-equilibria experiments illustrate & quantify complexities of shallow magma storage for Earthquake Flt Pyroclastics in Taupo Volcanic Zone in New Zealand
Fossil evidence for separation of South America & Africa and initiation of the South Atlantic Ocean
Praearcturus & Brontoscorpio – giant 400 myo scorpions were probably crustaceans
First land animals likely evolved in warm tidal nursery pools
Nuucichthys rhynchocephalus – first soft-bodies finless torpedo-shaped vertebrate discovered in Utah
Visualizing the largest silver producing countries
Visualizing the global demand for oil from 2022 to 2045
Asiatyrannus xui – new species of Late Cretaceous deep-snouted tyrannosaurid discovered in China
Methane-burping microbes discovered in hot springs in Yellowstone
Rethinking theories about the origin and early history of the Moon
“X” and “C” shaped structures identified in the ionosphere
Rare small shallow M2.9 earthquake near Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
We are in the Holocene inter-glacial so tropical alpine glaciers should be small
New theory on “cause” of Pleistocene Ice Ages
Glacial geology shaped Block Island off the coast of Rhode Island – US Army COE channel created Great Salt Pond from once freshwater pond
Rain-induced landslide in Wayanad, Kerala, India
Shishania aculeata – Cambrian spiny slug reveals origins of mollusks
Large uncertainties prevent accurately predicting “tipping points” for AMOC, polar ice sheets, tropical rainforests
Humans may be influencing ozone levels in upper troposphere
Role of groundwater in recharging lakes
Factors that influence fate and transport of PBDEs from soils at e-waste recycling sites
Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano in Tanazania erupting very viscous (<25% silica) carbonatite lava as the volcano is sinking
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Environmental Science Bulletin Board – 5 August 2024 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
Texas & Missouri lawsuit results in Final Judgement by US District Court ruling that Biden and federal government must finish building the Southern Border Wall - to protect US against invading illegal aliens. Note from MEC: President Trump promised to build the Southern Border Wall and get Mexico to pay for it. Neither happened on his watch.
“Border crossings spiked to 1,734,686 in Biden's first year in office, more than quadrupling the previous year and more than doubling the worst year on Trump's record” – “apprehensions continued to rise, hitting 2.4 million in 2022 and 2.5 million in 2023. The CBP is on track to hit a similar number for 2024, having already made 1.8 million apprehensions with three months remaining in the fiscal year”
Report of fraud forces Biden-Harris to put program of flying up to 30,000 illegals to the US each month on hold.
Biden-Harris record on climate action: committed hundreds of billions of dollars to subsidize “clean energy” & EVs – all meaningless & unachievable goals for 2030 or beyond, long after he will be gone from office
Biden-Harris commit to paying $400M to farmers in 11 states to reduce water consumption – program will encourage fraud without addressing over-allocation & excessive groundwater withdrawal
Fish species living closer to urban areas have more micro-plastics in their bodies than those in rural areas
Wild boars in Czechia Bohemian Forest National Park have high levels of PFAS forever chemicals – 5X safe limit
Toxic PFAS forever chemicals absorb through the skin & enter the blood stream – dermal absorption & bioavailability
Micro-plastic polymers found in uterine endometrial issue of women who had multiple miscarriages
Six species of wild cats in North America: bobcats, pumas, ocelots, Canadian Lynx, Jaguars & Jaguarundis
Parallel evolution in leaf-nosed bats toward bigger sizes of the Solomon Islands archipelago
Polystyrene packaging material could contribute to mental health issues
To address micro-plastics in the Great Lakes we need to reduce consumption - Plastic Pollution INC-4
NPS estimates 31,000 bison in North America – population had been deliberately slaughtered to near extinction with population of about 1,000 – pure bison DNA hard to find – new “Epic Plan” to save the species from extinction
PFAS forever chemical increasing in US pesticides – contaminating waterways & posing health hazards
Biden-Harris administration will leverage federal property at Hanford Nuclear Reservation for “clean” power
Monotremes - Egg-laying mammals are unique
In Nature, there is no distinction between ‘native’ and ‘invasive’ species – functional traits are important
Humans exterminated the dodo bird in 1662 – now planning to resurrect the species – de-extinction using edited DNA from real dodo specimens & genomes from closely related species to create new dodo-like species
Common acid reflux medications linked to 33% increased risk of dementia
Nano-plastics & PFAS forever chemicals disrupt biomolecular structures & functions – cause host of negative impacts on health & human development
20 last known images of animals that human activities drove to extinction (27-minute video)
Cases of Valley Fever diagnosed in 5 people who attended music festival in Kern County, California, in May at Buena Vista Lake – not contagious
India intends to build total of 12 new industrial smart cities - $1.15B for first year - 8 industrial cities under construction – all while more than 81% of the population lives in poverty earning less than $5 per day
Carbon credits have no value but present a risk to companies targeting “net-zero”
Visualizing the most visited US National Parks
Optimistically predicting that new class of dual-action antibiotics could make it 100 X more difficult for bacteria to evolve resistance – synthesized macrolones derived from older antibiotics
Illegal immigrants will cost Massachusetts taxpayers another $1B over each of the next two years
Construction begins in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, on 4th-generation nuclear reactor demonstration project will use TRISO fuel pebble bed design with molten fluoride salt as coolant - $303M subsidy – molten salt with impurities often corrode metals leading to cracks, weakened strength and failure
North Carolina environmental regulators not resolved on addressing PFAS forever chemicals even though testing showed levels exceed federal limits in 300+ water systems & up to 233X federal limits in water at elementary school
“Pure Water” multi-billion-dollar effort in San Diego, California, to recycle wastewater into drinking water
Update: Temporary halt negotiated by Arizona Governor to transport uranium across Navajo lands
Impacts of government policies & AI on economy – Intel given $8.5B in federal subsidies before layoffs
Changing weather patterns mean more reported tornadoes in Wisconsin – but of course they need to blame “climate change” despite a lack of long-term data
Have we ever had balanced resource allocation? And the need for NEPA
Three facilities identified as contributing 60% of chemical air pollution in Houston, Texas
Global metal pollution may be worse than thought – lead & arsenic found in tampons at levels “within the FDA safe food intake recommendations” – need to consider total exposure levels not just in one product
Minnesota settles “deceptive environmental marketing” lawsuit – Walmart & Reynolds Consumer Products will refrain from selling certain plastic bags for two and a half years & to pay $216,670
Imagine the noise of hundreds of audible “thumps” from a whole array of reversed wind turbines!! Just one more source of pollution from “green energy”
Still trying to devise a new plan to continue over-allocating (consuming, banking & trading) waters of the Colorado River
Big surprise: Fauci caught in lies to Congress about use of personal email to support taxpayer-funded research
“Cap and trade” never works – allowance prices for GHG emissions in California
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Coastal Zone Management Bulletin Board - 5 August 2024 - compiled by E.J. Hanford
Sri Lanka anticipates offshore natural gas development will help economy - $2.9B IMF subsidy & restructuring plan
Major French energy company withdrawal from offshore natural gas block off South Africa
Morocco begins construction process for offshore wind farm – 6GW by 2030
New interactive map tracking offshore wind developments in US coastal waters
Offshore wind farm survey completed in Polish sector of the Baltic Sea
US BOEM cancels offshore Proposed Sale Notice for portion of Gulf of Mexico due to lack of competitive interest – considers new bids
BOEM released final EIS on proposed offshore wind project off coasts of Maryland & Delaware
Update: failure of offshore wind turbine that sent large debris pieces washing up on Nantucket Island
Does Bali really need a $20B subway? – and that is just the cost of the first 2 of 4 phases
Long Island Sound suffers from passenger transport, fish & cargo vessels – environmental degradation that varies on a daily basis – chemical & nutrient pollution, algal blooms & hypoxia lead to mass die-offs & eutrophication
Offshore wind farms connected by future underwater power grid? – at least 30% federal subsidy for upfront costs
Billion Oyster Project in New York Harbor – oysters are functionally extinct in the Harbor – not increasing populations of oysters for consumption
Variability in mercury concentrations & bioaccumulation dynamics across the Mississippi River Estuary
Cleaning up estimated 34,440-gallon oil spill in Bayou Lafourche, Louisiana – investigating cause – oil flowed through open valve in secondary containment area around storage tank & then flowed to bayou
US Army COE committed to “forever” Sisyphean task of “renourishing” beaches and you pay for it – CSRM spent $3B just since 2010
Restoring sea urchins to the Caribbean reefs
“Dead Zone” in the Gulf of Mexico is larger than average – Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan
"Political office feeds your vanity but starves your self-respect." - former British lawmaker Matthew Parris (quoted in @TheTimes (UK) via @TheWeek.
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