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Geosciences Bulletin Board – 16 November 2015 - compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
How to escape quickly if you are trapped in quicksand
 http://www.howitworksdaily.com/how-to-escape-from-quicksand/
Enough about global warming…we will soon experience a solar minimum
 http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Cold-sun-rising-30272650.html
All thanks to lake effect snow off Pyramid Lake…1 to 2 feet here at the homestead and almost 36
hours without power (or heat or water from the well)!
 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2015/11/10/reno-nevadaplastered-by-freak-heavy-snow-event/
OMG, the ozone “hole” got bigger…it does that in its natural cycle depending on many factors!
 http://news.yahoo.com/ozone-hole-over-antarctica-nears-record-breaking-size-130439991.html
Microplate helps put age initial collision between India and Eurasia that began creating the Himalayas
 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/11/151109103908.htm
New Zealand-led international team study in Antarctica helps explain why the Mediterranean Sea dried
up 5.6 mya during the Messinian Salinity Crisis
 http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2015-11/11/c_134805200.htm
ACT benchmarks too high for STEM success? Don’t lower the benchmark…improve the K-12
education to get them there!!
 http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/high_school_and_beyond/2015/11/few_students_meet_ACT_
mark_for_college_readiness_in_STEM.html
USGS announces national repository of geographically referenced 33,000 geo-referenced field photos
 http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=4383#.VkN7rLerSM8
 Web portal: http://landcovertrends.usgs.gov/fieldphotomap/
Understanding the cause & effect relationship between glacial development and erosion &
local climate
 http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Climate_change_is_moving_mountains_research_s
ays_999.html
Las Vegas, Nevada, area holds key to studying climate change: springs, wetlands & desert
 http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=4384#.VkN7pLerSM8
New study shows brains can fossilize like bones…and seven half-million year old arthropod brains
support the conclusion
 http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-fossilize-brain-180957219/
 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/scientists-brains-fossilize_5640e6f9e4b0411d3071e378
Fossil skeletons suggest that 44,000 years ago, rats may have weighed 11 pounds and been a food
source for humans
 http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/fossils-show-ancient-rats-were-ten-times-largermodern-ones-180957221/
UK Meteorological Office now says world has warmed more than one degree since pre-industrial times
 http://www.canberratimes.com.au/environment/climate-change/global-warming-passes-1degree-mark-as-el-nino-builds-20151109-gkutqc.html
Planetary geology: Is gravitational pull of Mars tearing apart its moon Phobos?
 http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/1113410672/mars-is-tearing-apart-its-own-moon-phobos111115/
Can wormholes limit landslides?
 http://www.earthmagazine.org/article/wormholes-may-limit-landslides
Travertine accumulation reflects on water use in ancient Rome
 http://www.earthmagazine.org/article/travertine-buildup-reflects-ancient-romes-water-usage
New theoretical framework for understanding large-scale porosity structure of alpine watersheds
 http://www.technology.org/2015/11/06/researchers-advance-understanding-mountainwatersheds/
Breeding “super corals” to resist global warming and ocean acidification…is this really “helping
evolution” or not?
 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/scientists-breeding-super-corals-in-attempt-to-saveworlds-reefs_563fa821e4b0411d30716868
Will bentonite clay mean a better battery?
 http://www.technology.org/2015/11/11/clay-makes-better-high-temp-batteries/
Planetary geology: redefining trajectory of planetary evolution and the history of Early Earth
 http://phys.org/news/2015-11-early-earth-periodically-hazy.html
Southern California EQ Center uses USDOE Titan computer to develop physics-based earthquake
simulations for seismic hazards and strong ground motions
 http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-11/drnl-tto111115.php
All the dispersant used in the Deepwater Horizon spill did not accelerate degradation…oil not treated
degraded more quickly
 http://phys.org/news/2015-11-dispersants-oil-degrade-bp.html
Is ocean acidification really a threat to corals? Maybe not
 http://phys.org/news/2015-11-acidity-coral-reefs.html
Running a global weather simulation on the K computer
 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/11/151110082559.htm
Why smash an eight carat diamond? To get to the two clinopyroxene inclusions for age dating
 http://phys.org/news/2015-11-eight-carat-diamond-science.html
What impacts will result from big oil companies being investigated (prosecuted?) for their stance on
global warming?
 http://www.allgov.com/news/top-stories/exxonmobil-may-only-be-first -of-oil-giants-to-beinvestigated-for-obscuring-climate-science-151108?news=857807
 http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/energy-environment/259628-exxonmobils-war-againstclimate-scientists
Mantle plumes and plate tectonics…what set the tectonic movements in motion?
 http://phys.org/news/2015-11-plate-tectonics-plumes.html
Rapid climate change is not just a current phenomenon
 http://phys.org/news/2015-11-global-fast-today.html
As an alternative to potash as a fertilizer, feldspar releases potassium more quickly
 http://phys.org/news/2015-11-feldspar-potassium-higher-implications-agriculture.html
Detecting dust devils with seismometers may also be applicable to Mars
 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/11/151109135414.htm
Carbon-14 dating puts time frame on first Bronze Age mining in the Alps
 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/11/151109092015.htm
New study provides more efficient method of assessing ocean conditions in coastal areas
 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/11/151110120453.htm
How long is a bolt of lightning….and the implications for nitrogen oxide production?
 https://eos.org/research-spotlights/how-long-is-a-bolt-of-lightning
**********************************
Enviro-Sciences Bulletin Board – 16 November 2015 – compiled by Elaine J. Hanford
Can you plan on the most sustainable Thanksgiving dinner???
 http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/how-have-most-sustainable-thanksgiving-ever180957007/
Will climatic conditions and travel put us on the verge of another epidemic this holiday season?
 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-william-karesh/holiday-epidemics-the-el-_b_8506568.html
“No turkey shortage” for Thanksgiving since turkeys have been frozen since March, before the HPAI
epidemic and mass slaughter of infected flocks
 http://www.forbes.com/sites/megykarydes/2015/11/11/turkey-shortage-thanksgiving/
Let those autumn leaves stay on your lawn….don’t rake, vacuum, or burn them!
 https://www.yahoo.com/makers/why-not-rake-leaves-043559773.html
Bears are invading town in California…in search of berries and acorns to eat…and maybe an
occasional muffin
 https://www.yahoo.com/travel/drought-drives-bears-into-cali-town-in-search-of-205005277.html
Renewed debate over risk versus “benefits” of creating engineered viruses
 http://www.nature.com/news/engineered-bat-virus-stirs-debate-over-risky-research-1.18787
Comparing soils from urban lawns and residential prairie gardens…which is better?
 http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-11/asoa-gnt111115.php
Theory of adaptive resource management does not always properly translate to practice
 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/11/151111114829.htm
FDA seeking comments as it tries to define “natural food”
 http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/Labe
lingNutrition/ucm456090.htm
Natural disasters and man-made environmental changes are windows of opportunity for rats and the
diseases they carry
 http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=136855&org=GEO&from=news
New family policy in China could add 3 million babies per year to population
 http://www.sinodaily.com/reports/China_twochild_policy_to_add_3_million_babies_a_year_officials_999.html
Scientists need to improve their ability to communicate with the public
 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shannon-haymond/a-call-to-action-for-scientists-take-itpublic_b_8517410.html
Documenting the demographic impacts of West Nile virus on North American bird populations
 http://www.terradaily.com/reports/What_ever_happened_to_West_Nile_999.html
193 (and counting) lawsuits being filed against maker of drug that treats morning sickness but also
causes birth defects
 http://www.allgov.com/news/controversies/glaxosmithkline-hit-with-193-lawsuits-over-morningsickness-drug-that-causes-birth-defects-151111?news=857824
The real war on drugs should be waged against the legal drug companies
 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/allen-frances/why-are-so-many-college-a_b_8331958.html
City of Oakland, California, suing Monsanto over PCB runoff into San Francisco Bay
 http://sfbay.ca/2015/11/10/oakland-sues-monsanto-over-pcb-runoff/
State of California takes protection of the public and firefighters from City of Oakland …will look into
illegal shipments of toxic waste and misuse of public funds
 http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/oaklands-toxic-failure/Content?oid=4572375
Improving methods to produce asphalt to include more recycled materials
 http://cenews.com/post/7823/recycled-materials-warm-mix-asphalt-show-steady-growth
Toxic algae bloom during the summer of 2015 is the worst on record
 http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/11/10/Toxic-algae-bloom-was-worst.html
New drought atlas tracks historical extreme droughts in Europe
 http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/new-drought-atlas-tracks-europes-extremeweather-through-history-180957185/
 Paper: http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/1/10/e1500561.full
Michigan using “Judas hogs” to help locate feral hogs for eradication
 http://www.gladwinmi.com/community/collared-feral-hogs-turn-traitor-to-theirherds/article_ed2466f2-87df-11e5-8467-7378b134e4e1.html
PETA secures release of 2011 CDC report that addresses M. tuberculosis in captive elephants in the
US that could be transmitted to humans
 http://www.courthousenews.com/2015/11/09/cough-it-up-peta-says-on-tb-positiveelephants.htm
Researching better (i.e., less?) packaging to get chocolate bars to the consumer
 http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-agriculture/700-chocolate-bars-could-reducepackaging-delicious-treats.html
Potential for disease epidemic could decimate US beef
 http://www.cattlenetwork.com/news/industry/when-disaster-strikes-beef
Antibiotic stewardship….and using electricity instead of antibiotics against resistant bacteria
 Stewardship: http://ccst.us/news/2015/1030ab.php
 Electicity: http://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/news/2015/11/researchers-develop-antibioticalternative-for-wound-infections.aspx
Why was another alternative not used to assess this wayward elk instead of slaughtering it?
 http://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/elk-killed-in-monona-county-iowa/article_76d4cb54-e45350b1-9a3b-918588b1ddae.html
Sites in 3 states may comprise Manhattan Project National Park
 http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/259698-feds-establish-national-park-marking-themanhattan-project
New study emphasizes the value of wetlands to protect coastal areas
 http://www.dredgingtoday.com/2015/11/10/using-wetlands-to-fight-sea-level-rise/
 Report download: http://baylandsgoals.org/
PM2.5 levels in smog in China are 50 times the WHO recommended maximum
 http://news.yahoo.com/china-smog-almost-50-times-recommendations-042958972.html
Collapse of two dams releases water, mud and iron-mine tailings, 28 dead & missing may not be
recovered (video)
 http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/nov/09/brazil-dam-burst-bhp-boss-to-inspectdisaster-zone-with-dozens-still-missing
Keystone XL Pipeline: an ugly mix of politics, environmentalism, and economic issues…and the
potential for resurrection
 http://news.yahoo.com/analysis-polarized-politics-dictated-obama-keystone-call081536279.html
 http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/nov/9/keystone-oil-pipeline-debate-could-riseagain-with/
Armed poachers continue to slaughter elephants in national parks in Africa
 https://www.yahoo.com/travel/armed-poachers-slaughtering-elephants-and-rangers234941369.html
A pragmatic approach to species extinction
 https://asunow.asu.edu/20151027-solutions-inventorying-ark-pragmatic-approach-extinction
Rabies continues to be of concern….reported cases represent fraction of what happens…education of
the public is critical
 http://www.nj.com/middlesex/index.ssf/2015/11/middlesex_countys_rabies_cases_2015_map.h
tml
Illegal pot farms in California are poisoning native wildlife
 http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/illegal-pot-farms-are-killing-rare-animalsbacon-scented-poison-180957159/
Battling flies with the introduction of dung beetles into Australia
 http://www.canberratimes.com.au/technology/sci-tech/the-humble-dung-beetle-could-save-youfrom-the-flies-this-summer-20151109-gku7zw.html
Efforts to restore orchids in Florida state park that were lost to poachers & habitat destruction
 http://www.npr.org/2015/11/10/455510053/scientists-work-with-cuba-to-bring-lost-orchids-backto-florida-state-park