Do you know of a colleague and/or student who would be interested in receiving these Bulletin Board listings? Please forward to them. A quick email to with the word “subscribe” in the subject line and the email address will be added to the weekly distribution.
Geosciences Bulletin Board – 11 January 2016- compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
Science Advisory Board says EPA went too far in proclaiming fracking is safe…EPA findings do not follow the actual data
First ever digital geologic map of Alaska for evaluation of land use in relation to resource extraction, conservation, natural hazards and recreation
- Image:
- Map:
Winter weather conditions cause rockslide in Yosemite National park forcing road closure
On average, each year 49 persons get struck by lightning, but animals get struck too
EPA orders installation of barrier to protect nuclear waste from underground fire near St. Louis
Seems some dinosaurs had bird-like mating rituals and dug trenches to woo mates
70 Earthquakes have been recorded in Oklahoma in one week, with magnitudes of to 4.8
GEO says decisions and actions for the benefit of humankind should be informed by coordinated, comprehensive, and sustained Earth observations and information
Selected views of WATER round the world captured in amazing photographs
- “Water”
January 29, if EPA does not receive response, an abandoned copper mine near Yerington, Nevada, will be designated a Superfund Site and placed on the NPL
4.5 billion year old meteorite found in the Australian Outback
At end of last glacial epoch, melting “ice lid” released CO2…in other words, yet more evidence that the temperature increases than the CO2 level increases
Apatite is not just a mineral in the Mohs scale…it can fingerprint magma chemistry & petrogenesis
Seismic monitoring and air sampling to determine whether North Korea has hydrogen bomb
Mining coal mining waste to extract rare earth elements
Greatest increase in Phanerozoic marine biodiversity was a result of the Ordovician ice age that changed ocean circulation, instigating thermohaline circulation in the oceans
El Niño just fully developed, now they can’t wait to predict the next La Niña
While other headlines proclaim that worst of El Niño is yet to come
- Importance of clouds:
- Bring on the snow:
El Niño and “The Blob” help determine weather patterns for the Western US
Complex geology characterizes the region of the recent M6.7 EQ in Manipur, India
- Prediction for Big One:
Planetary geology: Most stars have strong magnetic fields
Oxygen levels in the atmosphere of early Earth awaited the evolution of animals
New mission (actually revival of an old one) to study clouds in Antarctica
Oregon releases new geologic maps of southern coastal region
Tracing the history of volcanic eruptions in Iceland by finding volcanic ash particles in sediments in Laker Tiefer See in Germany
Mineral of the month: iron & steel slag
These flowering plant seeds date to theCretaceous between 110 -125 million years ago
New understanding of the mechanics of glide (aka: wet slab) avalanches (video)
Reading the ABCs in NOAA Earth Observatory satellite imagery….like playing “I Spy”
Periodic table just got a little bigger with addition of elements with atomic numbers 113, 115, 117 and 118
A look back on events surrounding Wegener’s introduction of Continental Drift
New seamounts are mapped among the 70 seamounts of the Galapagos Islands
**************************************
Enviro-Sciences Bulletin Board – 11 January 2016– compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
From a legal perspective, “Fix America’s Surface Transportation Act,” Public Law 114-94 ("FAST Act") contains numerous environmental provisions
We are in the post-antibiotic age….listen to the TED talk by Maryn McKenna on the miracle of antibiotics and development of antibiotic resistance…we need to remember that what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger….and not every individual is guaranteed a long lifespan
Zoo workers in Oregon have tuberculosis transmitted from three elephants who are infected
New dietary guidelines released by USDA keep meat on the dinner table
- Guidelines:
What is the cost of the Renewable Fuel Standard…is it worth the cost to put ethanol in our tanks?
Under terms of NAFTA, TransCanada is suing US Government & government officials over rejection of Keystone XL Pipeline
We are in the nuclear age….newly released animated map showing 2,055 nuclear tests since 1945
Los Angeles is not resilient when it comes to floods, shunts run-off to the ocean as it flows down the Los Angeles viaduct which can no longer be called a river
Scientific studies are supposed to be reproducible, but that is often not the case with biomedical studies
Scientific studies should be multi-disciplinary
U.S. Stakeholder Forum on Antimicrobial Resistance (SFAR) seeks to address antibiotic resistance to protect human, animal and plant health
World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) focuses on animal health issues, particularly at the animal, human and environment interface
New ecological model using public health surveillance to signal when a disease is approaching eradication
- Need big picture:
Researchers warn against humans using antidepressants to extend lifespan
New map pinpoints hotspots for zoonotic viral diseases transmitted by bats predicts likely emergence in Sub-Saharan Africa
Why do humans put food out for wild animals?
Decades-long legal battle against Dupont for chemical pollution in Parkersburg, West Virginia
The most difficult part of dealing with disasters is that humans oftentimes fail to learn a lesson
Can purified wastewater become “too clean” and be more susceptible to uptake of arsenic?
Environmental groups may sue US F&W to protect Monarch butterfly as an Endangered Species
Stand-off at an Oregon Wildlife Refuge is result of long-standing fight for land rights in the West
- Modern Sagebrush rebels:
Human activities have led to increase in hypoxia in fresh waters around the world
- What can Ag do?
The battle against food poisoning by Campylobacter may start with monitoring flocks of chickens
Is this new polymer the “completely recyclable, biodegradable” plastic of the future?
Christmas buying binge often results in glut of unwanted “gifts” and needless cost to the environment of all that producing, shipping, and throwing away
Test plots growing crops from seeds with more than 2,000 microbial coatings
EPA to decide in 2016 if it will ban organophosphate pesticide chlorpyrifos to protect public health from effects of this developmental neurotoxicant and endocrine disruptor
Sea lamprey mating pheromone registered by USEPA as first vertebrate pheromone Bio-pesticide
IRS challenging environmental deductions….even on golf courses…and considering how much golf Obama plays, seems he would not want to eliminate golf course easements but he did
Technology has obliterated boundaries between work & personal life….STRESS results and causes numerous collateral problems
IBMP has signed new winter operation plan to reduce number of bison in Yellowstone National Park to include hunting and capture & relocation
In winter, humans complain about the snow or revel in it…what do other species do?
US Army Corps of Engineers assessing Mississippi River flood waters…and considering options to reduce flooding downstream
Wet winter in California will likely mean more disease-carrying mosquitoes come Springtime
Recycled water becomes a hot commodity in California
Largest roof-top garden is in the windy (and sometimes COLD) city of Chicago…but is a very productive greenhouse
Two big bio-energy plants to be built in Ireland…anaerobic digesters transform food waste into fertilizers and bio-gas and then into electricity and heat
Hoping to bring all states into compliance with laws to protect public security
Federal judge suggests the “Ag-Gag” law in Wyoming may be unconstitutional
US FDA withdraws approval ofall applications for nitarsone (arsenic-based drug) in animal feed
Arizona Fish & Game detects pneumonia in bighorn sheep in Black Mountains
Dam safety still depends on human caretakers….not high-tech monitoring
The media distorts what is said, other media lays out the truth about “missing whales” in Hawaii
Paterson, New Jersey, may face fines over failure to control soil erosion
Origins and evolution of abiotic species with implication for evolution of biotic species
Invasive Asian carp in Lake Erie could be good for some native species but bad for others
Pollution wrought by humans is being returned by sea birds when they defecate on land