Hurricane Beryl is the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season. Glad I left Honduras in mid-May.
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Elaine is solely responsible for the entries below.
Geoscience Bulletin Board – 1 July 2024 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
“Beachball” earthquake focal mechanisms at Yellowstone
Future asteroid strike – limited readiness to prevent impact – methods to inform the public not fully developed
New interpretation & mapping off offshore sedimentary basins of New Zealand reveal clues to continental evolution
Tracing anthropogenic radionuclides in helps reveal pathways & timing of mingling of Atlantic & Arctic currents
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https://eos.org/research-spotlights/radioactive-isotopes-trace-hidden-arctic-currents
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Paper: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023JC020813
Distinguishing atmospheric and oceanic tsunami waves from 2022 Tonga volcanic eruption
Experimental model may explain volcanic processes that carbonatite could transport green metals upward to the surface of the Earth in magmatic sulfide systems
Magnitude of horizontal & vertical displacements in December 2020 Petrinja earthquake in Croatia
Toward improved understanding of dust source in Gurbantunggut Desert in Junggar Basin in China
Reservoir of dissolved organic matter in the ocean
Large plume of Saharan Desert dust to reach the Atlantic Coast
Oil-sands production in Canada among most carbon-intensive sources of oil
Suggesting that Tunguska event was caused by black hole but evidence is lacking
2D hydraulic model for Chain of Lakes on Fox River in McHenry County, Illinois
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USFS SIR 2024-5056: https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2024/5056/sir20245056.pdf
Predicting depth to bedrock in Delaware River Basin using noisy data on multiscale performance
Dissolved arsenic concentrations of upper Klamath River Basin waters in Oregon & California
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USGS SIR 2024-5029: https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2024/5029/sir20245029.pdf
Impact of seamounts on ocean circulation due to intense turbulence
Direct measurement (using fluorescent dye) of cold deep water upwelling via turbulent mixing along slope of submarine canyon in Atlantic Ocean - observed rate was 10,000+ times the predicted global average
Active eruption cycle on Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland may continue for decades
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https://phys.org/news/2024-06-iceland-volcano-eruptions-decades.html
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Paper: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ter.12733
New model of “missing” aerosols and cloud condensation nuclei
Water transport in subduction zones includes nominally anhydrous minerals (NAMs) and water-bearing minerals – stishovite (SiO2) may retain large amounts of water but has limited stability deep in the mantle
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https://phys.org/news/2024-06-high-pressure-silica-mineral-deep.html
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Paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0012821X24002231
New method for visualization & prediction of sedimentation in soft-ground drilling
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https://techxplore.com/news/2024-06-method-visualization-sedimentation-soft-ground.html
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Paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123024005280?via%3Dihub
100-foot diameter sinkhole opens up beneath soccer field in Alton, Illinois– video
Deformation on Mauna Loa
Heap leach landslide at Eagle Mine in Canada
Possible causes of Sorte debris flow in Switzerland
Upwelling mantle plume created ocean basin in Mongolia 410 myo
Why the US has so many tornadoes – all about convergence & contrast
Reconstruction of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)
Ammonites were not in decline prior to Late Cretaceous event
Growth mechanism for golf ball & even grapefruit size hail
“Expert” opinions on the global methane budget
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https://phys.org/news/2024-06-fifty-experts-global-methane.html
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Paper: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023EF004234
Planetary geology: lower-temperature hydrothermal vents could create conditions that support if on “ocean worlds” in the Solar System
Klondike gold rush history from Seattle, Washington, to Skagway
Exceptionally well-preserved assemblage of Cambrian trilobites in High Atlas of Morocco
Geomyth - debunking popular claim that Protoceratops inspired legend of the Griffin
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https://www.sci.news/paleontology/protoceratops-griffin-link-13039.html
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Paper: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/03080188241255543
Visualizing Saudi Aramco oil reserves
Yeah, this is a brilliant idea: $60M scheme to pump carbon to bottom of the ocean to “solve” non-existent climate crisis
El Niño forecast for 18 months using physics-based model – explainable predictability
Inbreeding did not cause extinction of Wooly Mammoth – lack of genetic evidence to support inbreeding concept
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Environmental Science Bulletin Board – 1 July 2024 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
Targeting pests with pesticides using RNA – that’s like forcing mRNA vaxx on people – what could possibly go wrong?! No such thing as a “perfect pesticide” as there will be collateral damages
SCOTUS to hear case on States rights to prohibit use of puberty blockers & hormones for teens
Wyoming announces move forward on multi-phase contract to deploy small-scale nuclear reactors
South Korea plans to create small modular nuclear reactor industrial hub in Gyeongsang Province
Large-scale underground infrastructure project in Summerlin completed as Las Vegas sprawl increases
Romancing the River: Back to Basics?
Third bridge collapse in Bihar, India, in past week – police are investigating
Colorado law bans sales of dental floss, clothes & household products containing PFAS forever chemicals
Lawsuits challenge EPA rule that limits PFAS forever chemicals in drinking water
Rapidan Dam resulted in downstream flooding in Minnesota – full failure imminent as debris accumulates
- https://www.fox9.com/weather/live-updates-rapidan-dam-suffers-partial-failure-home-danger
- https://www.startribune.com/dam-near-mankato-in-danger-of-imminent-failure/600375733/
- https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/rapidan-dam-fails-evacuation-blue-earth-county/
At least 22 killed by explosion and fire in lithium battery factory in South Korea
Carbon offsets are not a solution – they are part of the larger problem of setting bad policy for all the wrong reasons
Perspective: Pitting “clean” energy & conservation against each other is a zero-sum game – balance is not possible – battle for lithium also occurring in Argentina where water is critical resource
- NV: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/pitting-clean-energy-and-conservation-against-each-other-is-a-zero-sum-game/ar-BB1oNcal
- Argentina: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/battle-lines-redrawn-as-argentina-s-lithium-mines-ramp-up-to-meet-electric-car-demand/ar-BB1oRpnH
17 commonly used PFAS forever chemical are absorbed through human skin – dermal bioavailability
- https://phys.org/news/2024-06-chemicals-absorbed-human-skin.html
- Paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412024003581
Widespread flooding prompts Dubai to commit to $8B plan for stormwater runoff system
Man found guilty of diverting national park river to ease boat access to Lake Michigan - probation
Since 1980s particulates from burning fossil fuels have offset (i.e., reduced) warming caused by GHG – now as air pollution is slashed, warmer temperatures result – “inadvertent geoengineering” produces substantial heating
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/we-ve-been-accidentally-cooling-the-planet-and-it-s-about-to-stop/ar-BB1oQVS3
- Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-024-01442-3
Ironic: new book “Proven Climate Solutions…How to Accelerate Change” as “inadvertent geoengineering” consequences are now being acknowledged (see above listed paper) – messing around with forces beyond their ability to grasp
California may provide up to $14,000 in incentives (i.e., subsidies) for low-income EV buyers
Buyer Beware: “gas certification” is greenwashing to promote premium price for low-carbon fuel
- https://insideclimatenews.org/news/25062024/low-emission-gas-certification-is-greenwashing-climate-advocates-conclude-in-a-contested-new-report/
- Report: https://earthworks.org/resources/certified-gaslighting-how-gas-certification-has-gained-a-policy-foothold-even-as-it-fails-to-prove-it-can-accurately-detect-emissions/
Audacious scheme in India to re-route number of streams to build a mega-river – no transparency for the river-linking project as data is state secret - how could that possibly go wrong?!
Gas emissions from many municipal landfills contain PFAS forever chemicals
New analysis suggests Rapa Nui (Easter Island) supported a small resilient population – but then why did they disappear?
No big surprise! 20% (177,000) of almost a million immigrants released in the US cannot be found again – terrorism threats heightened
Illegal immigrants crossing our Northern Border also pose significant threat to America
Technological hazard: Large chunk of debris from SpaceX rocket landed in North Carolina
The Yakima Nation & the Goldendale “green energy” project – need to protect sacred spiritual teachings
Campaign donations under Biden reap huge profits (billions of dollars) for Arizona solar company
Charges of unethical conduct & inappropriately aggressive response to probe of East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment – report says sensors failed
- https://www.politico.com/news/2024/06/25/norfolk-southern-east-palestine-investigation-00164840
- https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/4738815-east-palestine-ohio-train-crash-rail-sensors-failed-national-transporation-safety-board/
SCOTUS to consider reviving critical approval for railroad project to transport crude oil & boost fossil fuel production in eastern Utah
Lifespan of a nuclear power plant? Average worldwide is 32 years & has never reached 60
$87M in funding approved by Migratory Bird Conservation Commission to conserve, restore or enhance 316M acres of critical wetland & associated upland habitat
San Antonio River Authority will re-introduce freshwater mussels into the river – more to come
More federal subsidies for solar power through WAP and LIHEAP programs
EPA formally asked US Army to sample & test Kendaia & Reeder Creeks for PFAS chemicals that may have migrated from decommissioned Seneca Army Depot into Seneca Lake in New York
Technological hazard: transportation cybersecurity over the past decade
- https://highways.dot.gov/public-roads/summer-2024/01
- Cybersecurity language: https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/73792
- US DOT research program: https://www.its.dot.gov/research_areas/cybersecurity/
Another $375M in federal subsidies committed to renewable “clean energy” projects - PACE
Brigham City, Utah, applied “Lace Guard Oxy” treatment to Mantua Reservoir to kill algal bloom – hydrogen peroxide-based algaecide – questions about impacts on birds, bees & insects
Life is what happens when you are offline
- https://www.fastcompany.com/91146404/gallup-emotions-report-2024-happiness-internet
- Global Emotions Report link: https://www.gallup.com/analytics/349280/gallup-global-emotions-report.aspx
- Global Happiness Report summary & link: https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2024/happiness-of-the-younger-the-older-and-those-in-between/
Connecticut starting the reverse trend – abandoned requiring all new cars sold to be EVs – other states will likely soon follow
Tourons learn the hard way – need to leave the grizzly bears & other wild animals alone!
Scientists injected radioactive chips into live rhino horns in attempt to curb poaching – yeah, right, “the best idea I’ve ever heard”
****************************************************** Coastal Zone Management Bulletin Board – 1 July 2024 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanfor
BOEM gives final approval for Construction & Operation Plan for 924 MW Sunrise Wind offshore project
Harpswell harbor master looking toward steps to dispose of whale carcass floating offshore
Multi-well drilling program in Block 50 off coast of Oman competed
Presence of glauconite may preclude one-third of Massachusetts offshore wind site from construction
Merger of interests in Nigerian deepwater oil site to produce light to medium sweet crude
Conflict between enforcing laws to protect marine life and the Eastern Shore Jubilee in Alabama
Questioning logic of groin bill on Bald Head Island – costs & impacts on marine life
Dolphins in SE US have elevated mercury levels – highest concentrations found in Florida between St Joseph & Choctawatchee Bay – dolphins are “sentinel species”
- https://www.earth.com/news/elevated-mercury-levels-discovered-in-dolphins/
- News release: https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2024/06/research-finds-dolphins-elevated-mercury-levels-florida-and-georgia
- Paper: https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/12/5/327
Comprehensive & precise mapping of coastal dunes for conservation – “coastal squeeze” phenomenon
- https://phys.org/news/2024-06-dunes-decoded-comprehensive-precise-coastal.html
- Paper: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01431161.2024.2354135
Lifeguard “pirate” death caused by shark attack off Iaekahana Beach on Oahu, Hawaii
University of Maine designed floating wind turbine failed to advance in US DOE “FLOWIN Prize” competition – UMaine received $7.1M federal grant via 2009 Recovery Act & $10M grant to study offshore wind structures – wasted money
Reintroduction of Eastern indigo snakes in Conecuh National Forest in Alabama may result in improvement of coastal species range
Connections between tourism industry & coastal ports in Oregon
New multi-billion-dollar coastal Calabar-Lagos highway in Nigeria is modeled after PCH in California – only one of the problems – mired in controversy
Estimated surface-water flows using gradient-related discharge in Everglades network
- https://www.usgs.gov/publications/representation-surface-water-flows-using-gradient-related-discharge-everglades-network
- USGS SIR 2024-504: https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2024/5041/sir20245041.pdf
Chesapeake Bay Program failing in progress toward 2025 cleanup goals under 2014 Watershed Agreement
- https://insideclimatenews.org/news/26062024/chesapeake-bay-program-flunked-2025-cleanup-goals/
- Paper: https://www.eli.org/sites/default/files/files-pdf/54.10470.pdf
- 2014 Agreement: https://www.chesapeakebay.net/what/what-guides-us/watershed-agreement
Icon of the Seas – Newly-delivered, largest cruise ship sustained fire & lost power in port at Costa Maya, Mexico
Sewage treatment plants release wastewater into swamps in Louisiana that drains into Lake Pontchartrain & the Gulf – rely on “wetlands assimilation” to treat wastewater
Panama Canal Authority (ACP) warns waterway will continue to face water shortage
UNESCO issues urgent call for Australia to protect Great Barrier Reef
But, after trillion tons of CO2, Great Barrier Reef hits record coral cover for 3rd year in a row – “60% of man-made CO2 emissions have occurred since 198 but today corals are healthier than ever”
$16.7M in funding available for technologies & partnerships focused on coastal resilience
Lots of gray whales are swimming into San Francisco Bay – at least 71 different whales confirmed
Falkland Islands began public consultation of environmental impact of Sea Lion Field Northern Development Area based on floating production storage & offloading vessels
Engineers crafting $34B plan to protect Galveston coastline & Houston from the next big hurricane – right, structural controls will work this time
North Carolina coast starts summer with 150+ rip current rescues, alligator scare & shark bite report
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"To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often." - Winston Churchill