"Page 2" - Scientific Topics of Interest

                    U. S. Drought Monitor  The Top Five Climate Stories of 2020 (Andrea THOMPSON, Scientific American ; December 22, 2020) https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-top-five-climate-stories-of-2020/ Climate change:  Threshold for dangerous warming will likely be crossed between 2027-2042 (News, MCGILL University ; December 21, 2020) https://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/climate-change-threshold-dangerous-warming-will-likely-be-crossed-between-2027-2042-327290 Selected Research Articles : An observation-based scaling model for climate sensitivity estimates and global projections to 2100 (HÉBERT et al., 2020) https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00382-020-05521-x Return to different climate states by reducing sulphate aerosols under future  CO 2 concentrations (TAKEMURA, 2020) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-78805-1 Websites : United in Science   [ World Meteo...

Milky Way over San Francisco Peaks by Deborah Lee SOLTESZ, USFS , Link Best map of the Milky Way reveals a billion stars in motion                                                         (David CASTELVECCHI, Nature ; 03 December 2020) https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03432-9 This 3D Map of the Milky Way is the Best View Yet of Our Galaxy’s Warped Twisted Shape  (Charles Q. CHOI, Space.com ; August 1, 2019) https://www.space.com/milky-way-3d-map-warped-shape.html GAIA creates richest star Map of our Galaxy - and beyond                                                               [News Release, European Space Agency (ESA) ; 25/04/2018] https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_S...

Arecibo Radio Telescope, Arecibo Observatory, Puerto Rico by Mario Roberto Durán ORTIZ;   CC BY-SA 4.0 , Link Update: Gut-wrenching photos document Arecibo telescope’s collapse                                                   (Alexandra WITZE, Nature ; 02 December 2020) https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03421-y Arecibo Observatory’s 305 meter telescope suffers collapse                                                           [News Release, National Science Foundation (NSF) ; December 1, 2020] https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=301737 ___________ Famed Arecibo telescope, on the brink of collapse, will be dismantled                       ...

New Study Reveals United States a Top Source of Plastic Pollution in Coastal Environments (Newsroom, Ocean Conservancy ; October 30, 2020) https://oceanconservancy.org/news/new-study-reveals-united-states-top-source-plastic-pollution-coastal-environments/ Featured Research Article: The United States' contribution of plastic waste to land and ocean (LAW et al ., 2020) https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/44/eabd0288 By Our World in Data, CC BY-SA 4.0 , Link Website: Plastic Pollution                                                                                                                                     (RITCHIE and ROSER, 2018) https://ourworld...

(Charlotte HSU, University of Buffalo ; October 23, 2020) Legacy pollutants found in migratory terns in Great Lakes region Featured Research Article: Evidence of continued exposure to legacy persistent organic pollutants in threatened migratory common terns nesting in the Great Lakes (TRAVIS et al. , 2020) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412020320201

By Achira HANSAJA, CC BY-SA 4.0 , Link Ground-breaking discovery finally proves that rain really can move mountains                            (Press Release, University of Bristol ; October 16, 2020) http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2020/october/rain-moves-mountains.html Featured Research Article: Climate controls on erosion in tectonically active landscapes                                                       (ADAMS et al. , 2020) https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/42/eaaz3166

By Phoenix7777, 水雨情报告专栏 (Water and rain report column), 长江水利委员会水文局 (Bureau of Hydrology, Changjiang Water Resources Commission), CC BY-SA 4.0 , Link

Ocean acidification risks deep-sea reef collapse (News Release, University of Edinburgh; September 16, 2020) https://www.ed.ac.uk/news/2020/ocean-acidification-risks-deep-sea-reef-collapse#:~:text=The%20underlying%20structures%20of%20the,rising%20levels%20of%20carbon%20dioxide. Featured Research Article: Crumbling Reefs and Cold-Water Coral Reef Habitat Loss in a Future Ocean:  Evidence of “Coralporosis” as an Indicator of Habitat Integrity (HENNIGE et al. , 2020) https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2020.00668/full By NOAA,  Public Domain;  Link By HeikeM, Public Domain;  Link

Face Shield or Face Mask to Stop the Spread of COVID-19? : FAU College of Engineering and Computer Science researchers illustrate why face shields alone don’t work and how a face mask with a valve allows droplets to pass through the exhale valve unfiltered. (Gisele GALUSIAN, Florida Atlantic University ; September 1, 2020) Featured Research Article : Visualizing droplet dispersion for face shields and masks with exhalation valves (VERMA  et al. , 2020) https://aip.scitation.org/doi/pdf/10.1063/5.0022968 Also... Risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission by aerosols, the rational use of masks, and the protection of healthcare workers from COVID-19 (SOMMERSTEIN et al. , 2020) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7336106/pdf/13756_2020_Article_763.pdf By NeoBatFreak, CC BY-SA 4.0 , Link

The University of Arizona says it caught a dorm's covid-19 outbreak before it started.  It's secret weapon:  Poop. (Jaclyn PEISER, Washington Post ; August 28, 2020) https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/08/28/arizona-coronavirus-wastewater-testing/ WEST monitors wastewater to keep  safe (News Release, University of Arizona ; August 24, 2020) https://west.arizona.edu/news/2020/08/west-monitors-wastewater-keep-campus-safe UArizona Tracking Coronavirus Through Wastewater Across US (Rosemary BRANDT, University of Arizona ; April 2, 2020) https://news.arizona.edu/story/uarizona-tracking-coronavirus-through-wastewater-across-us By Steven PAVLOV, CC0 , Link

By Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2019, European Space Agency (ESA) Attribution, Link A Stupendously Huge Raft of Volcanic Rock has floated across the Ocean to Australia (Peter DOCKRILL, Science Alert ; August 20, 2020) https://www.sciencealert.com/a-gigantic-raft-of-volcanic-rock-drifted-across-the-ocean-all-the-way-to-australia Volcano F is the origin of the floating stones (News Release, EurekAlert! ; 9 December 2019) https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-12/hcfo-vfi120919.php Selected Research Articles: The largest deep ocean silicic volcanic eruption of the past century (CAREY et al. , 2018) https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/advances/4/1/e1701121.full.pdf On the fate of pumice rafts formed during the 2012 Havre submarine eruption  (JUTZELER et al. , 2014) https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms4660/ Rapid Long-Distance Dispersal of Pumice rafting (BRYAN et al. , 2012) https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=...

A & S Researchers Lay the Groundwork to Reconstruct Global Climate through Earth's History (Dan BERNARDI, Syracuse University ; August 13, 2020) https://news.syr.edu/blog/2020/08/13/as-researchers-lay-the-groundwork-to-reconstruct-global-climate-through-earths-history/ Featured Research Article: A Dynamical Framework for Interpreting Ancient Sea Surface Temperatures (JUDD et al. , 2020) https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2020GL089044 Also of Interest... Stable isotopes in atmospheric water vapor and applications to the hydrologic cycle (GALEWSKY et al. , 2016) https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2015RG000512 By <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Glen_Fergus" title="User:Glen Fergus">Glen Fergus</a> - <span class="int-own-work" lang="en">Own work</span>; data sources are cited <a href="#Data">below</a>, CC BY-SA 3.0 , Link

After three decades, most polluted U. S. neighborhoods haven't changed (Nicola GROOM, Reuters ; July 30, 2020) https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-environment-pollution/after-three-decades-most-polluted-u-s-neighborhoods-havent-changed-idUSKCN24V3BS Featured Research Article: Mapping the clean air haves and have-nots (MA, 2020) https://science.sciencemag.org/content/369/6503/503 N. B.:  Article abstract only! Also... Disparities in a common air pollutant are visible from space [News Release, American Chemical Society (ACS) ; August 5, 2020] https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/newsreleases/2020/august/disparities-in-common-air-pollutant-visible-from-space.html Website : Disparities In the Impact of Air Pollution ( American Lung Association ; April 20, 2020) https://www.lung.org/clean-air/outdoors/who-is-at-risk/disparities By Jisaac9 ( Own work ) - http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/particle-sizes-d_934.html ( archive ...

"Breaking" news!  A new idea of how Earth's outer shell broke into tectonic plates (Media Release, University of Hong Kong; 19 July 2020) https://hku.hk/press/news_detail_21307.html Featured Research Article: Breaking Earth's shell into a global plate network (TANG et al. , 2020) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-17480-2 Also... The Development of Continental Margins in Plate Tectonic Theory (FALVEY, 1974) https://www.researchgate.net/profile/David_Falvey/publication/276271191_FALVEY_DA_1974_-_The_development_of_continental_margins_in_plate_tectonic_theory_The_APEA_Journal_vol_14_pp_95-107/links/555437fc08ae980ca6087217/FALVEY-DA-1974-The-development-of-continental-margins-in-plate-tectonic-theory-The-APEA-Journal-vol-14-pp-95-107.pdf By "Eric Gaba for Wikimedia Commons", CC BY-SA 3.0 , Link

Dramatic Increase in Flooding, Drought Expected in California by 2100 : California may see a 54 percent increase in rainfall variability by the end of this century, according to new research from the lab of Assistant Professor Da Yang, a 2019 Packard Fellow and atmospheric scientist with the University of California, Davis. (Diane NELSON, UC Davis ; July 17, 2020) Also... Four Theories of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (ZHANG et al. , 2020) https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2019RG000685 Madden-Julian Oscillation:  Bridging Weather and Climate (ZHANG, 2013) https://journals.ametsoc.org/bams/article/94/12/1849/91852

FSU researchers find sun and rain transform asphalt binder into potentially toxic compounds (Kristin COYNE, Florida State University ; July 13, 2020) https://news.fsu.edu/news/science-technology/2020/07/13/fsu-researchers-find-sun-and-rain-transform-asphalt-binder-into-potentially-toxic-compounds/ By Seighean - Own work , Public Domain, Link Also... Thermal behaviors and harmful volatile constituents released from asphalt components at high temperature (XIA et al. , 2019) https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Wenjing_Xia4/publication/332160417_Thermal_behaviors_and_harmful_volatile_constituents_released_from_asphalt_components_at_high_temperature/links/5d65afb9299bf1f70b123b6c/Thermal-behaviors-and-harmful-volatile-constituents-released-from-asphalt-components-at-high-temperature.pdf Effects of Environmental Factors on the Chemical Composition of Asphalt Binders (MENAPACE et al. , 2018) https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ilaria_Menapace/publication/3...

Curtin study could rewrite Earth's History (Media Release, Curtin University ; July 8, 2020) https://news.curtin.edu.au/media-releases/curtin-study-could-rewrite-earths-history/ Featured Research Article : Archean lithospheric differentiation:  Insights from Fe and Zn isotopes (DOUCET  et al. , 2020) https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Luc-Serge_Doucet/publication/342322466_Archean_lithospheric_differentiation_Insights_from_Fe_and_Zn_isotopes/links/5ef4646592851c35353fc8f2/Archean-lithospheric-differentiation-Insights-from-Fe-and-Zn-isotopes.pdf Artist’s Impression of the Archean Eon By Tim Bertelink - Own work , CC BY-SA 4.0 , Link

Seeing is believing: Effectiveness of facemasks : Using flow visualization, researchers assessed the efficacy of facemasks in obstructing respiratory droplets. Loosely folded facemasks and bandana-style coverings provide minimal stopping-capability for the smallest aerosolized respiratory droplets. Well-fitted homemade masks with multiple layers of quilting fabric, and off-the-shelf cone style masks, proved to be the most effective in reducing droplet dispersal. Importantly, uncovered coughs were able to travel noticeably farther than the currently recommended 6-foot distancing guideline. Without a mask, droplets traveled more than 8 feet.  (News Release, EurekAlert !; June 30, 2020) Featured Research Article: Visualizing the effectiveness of face masks in obstructing respiratory jets (VERMA et al. , 2020) https://aip.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/5.0016018 By NeoBatfreak - Own work , CC BY-SA 4.0 , Link

Removing toxic chemicals from water -- New environmentally-friendly method : Researchers from Swansea University have developed a new environmentally friendly method for removing toxic chemicals from water. A newly invented machine, called the Matrix Assembly Cluster Source (MACS), has been used to design a breakthrough water treatment method using a solvent-free approach. (News Release, EurekAlert !; June 24, 2020) Silver Nanoparticles By Theivasanthi - Own work , CC BY-SA 4.0 , Link

California cities:  Monsanto settlement to fund water cleanup (John ROGERS, Associated Press ; June 25, 2020) https://apnews.com/1022361cbf96712ab4f0067ab16a0777?mc_cid=d005bf222f&mc_eid=72ff7df6e4 Bayer settles U. S. Roundup, dicamba and PCB litigation for more than $10 billion (Carey GILLAM, U. S. Right To Know ; June 24, 2020) https://usrtk.org/uncategorized/bayer-settles-u-s-roundup-dicamba-and-pcb-litigation-for-more-than-10-billion/ Dicamba By Jynto and Ben Mills - Derived from File:Benzoic-acid-3D-balls-B.png , File:Hexachlorobenzene-3D-balls-B.png and File:Hexamethylbenzene-3D-balls.png , Public Domain, Link Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)                                     By  Vicente Neto  -  Own work ,  CC BY 4.0 ,  Link Glyphosate (“ Roundup” ) By Benjah-bmm27 - Own work , Public Domain, Link

CSU atmospheric scientists identify cleanest air on Earth in first-of-its-kind study (Jayme DELOSS, Colorado State University ; June 1, 2020) https://engr.source.colostate.edu/csu-atmospheric-scientists-identify-cleanest-air-on-earth-in-first-of-its-kind-study/ Featured Research Article: Airborne bacteria confirm the pristine nature of the Southern Ocean boundary layer (UETAKE et al. , 2020) https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/05/28/2000134117 By Hogweard - Antarctic-Convergence-Map.TIF , CC BY-SA 3.0 , Link

Big Oil Loses Appeal, Climate Suits Go To California Courts (Brian MELLEY, Associated Press ; May 26, 2020) https://hosted.ap.org/kernradio/article/90beb424c3b6b9988d1fb91000d0518b/big-oil-loses-appeal-climate-suits-go-california-courts CC SA 1.0 , Link

Hurricane Dorian   By National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's GOES-East - https://cdn.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES16/ABI/FD/GEOCOLOR/5424x5424.jpg ,  Public Domain, Link Long-term data show hurricanes are getting stronger (Eric VERBETEN, University of Wisconsin-Madison ; May 18, 2020) https://news.wisc.edu/long-term-data-show-hurricanes-are-getting-stronger/ Video: GOES-S (GOES-17) High Definition Goes West  ( NOAASatellites ; February 26, 2018) 

Pūhāhonu Shield Volcano Remnants (Gardner Pinnacles) By Forest & Kim Starr , CC BY 3.0 us , Link Researchers reveal largest and hottest shield volcano on Earth : Researchers from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa revealed the largest and hottest shield volcano on Earth--Pūhāhonu, a volcano within the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. World’s Largest Volcano Isn’t What We Thought It Was (Michelle STARR, Science Alert ; May 15, 2020) https://www.sciencealert.com/the-world-s-largest-volcano-isn-t-what-we-thought-it-was UH Researchers reveal large stand hottest shield volcano on Earth (Marcie GRABOWSKI, University of Hawaii Manoa ; May 13, 2020) https://www.soest.hawaii.edu/soestwp/announce/news/uh-researchers-reveal-largest-and-hottest-shield-volcano-on-earth/ Shield Volcano Diagram Volcanic Landform Diagram Also... Controls on explosive-effusive volcanic eruption styles (CASSIDY et al. , 2018) https://www.nature.com/articles/s...

Cold Air Rises. What That Means for Earth's Climate. - UC Davis : Conventional knowledge has it that warm air rises while cold air sinks. But a study from the University of California, Davis, found that in the tropical atmosphere, cold air rises due to an overlooked effect — the lightness of water vapor. This effect helps to stabilize tropical climates and buffer some of the impacts of a warming climate. The study, published today in the journal Science Advances, is among the first to show the profound implications water vapor buoyancy has on Earth’s climate and energy balance. (Kat KERLIN, U. C. Davis ; May 6, 2020) Featured Research Article: The lightness of water vapor helps to stabilize tropical climate (SEIDEL and YANG, 2020) https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/19/eaba1951 By This figures, “Atmospheric Circulation”, was provided by Judith Perlwitz. The original figure is found in: Panel #1: NWS, cited 2016: Global Circulations in NWS Jet Stream: An Online Sc...

When tectonic plates began to shift (Juan SILIEZAR, The Havard Gazette ; April 28, 2020) https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/04/modern-like-tectonic-plate-motion-on-the-early-earth/ Featured Research Article: Paleomagnetic evidence for modern-like plate velocities at 3.2 Ga (BRENNER et al. , 2020) https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/17/eaaz8670 By Hughrance - Own work , CC BY-SA 4.0 , Link

Researchers modeling the spread of the coronavirus emphasise the importance of avoiding busy indoor spaces (News Release, Aalto University ; April 4, 2020) https://www.aalto.fi/en/news/researchers-modelling-the-spread-of-the-coronavirus-emphasise-the-importance-of-avoiding-busy Also... Aerosol and Surface Distribution of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 in Hospital Wards, Wuhan, China, 2020 (GUO et al. , 2020) https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/7/20-0885_article Website : Coronavirus Resource Center ( Harvard University ) https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/coronavirus-resource-center

Deep-Sea Worms and Bacteria Team Up to Harvest Methane | www.caltech.edu : Scientists uncover an unusual partnership at the bottom of the ocean. (News Release,  Caltech ; April 3, 2020) Featured Pre-Print Research Publication: Sequestration of Methane by Symbiotic Deep-Sea Annelids: Ancient 4 and Future Implications of Redefining the Seep Influence (GOFFREDI et al ., 2019) https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2019.12.23.887653v1.full.pdf Supplementary Materials for GOFFREDI et al., 2019 https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2019/12/27/2019.12.23.887653/DC1/embed/media-1.pdf?download=true By James St. John - Bispira brunnea (social feather duster worms) (San Salvador Island, Bahamas) 2 , CC BY 2.0 , Link

List N:  Disinfectants for Use Against SARS-CoV-2  ( U. S. EPA ) https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2 Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2  ( Image :   Felipe Esquivel REED ;   https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en )

Emissions of several ozone-depleting chemicals are larger than expected : Recovering and safely destroying the sources of these chemicals could speed ozone recovery and reduce climate change.  (Jennifer CHU, MIT News Office ; March 17, 2020) Featured Research Article : Quantifying contributions to chlorofluorocarbon banks to emissions and impacts on the ozone layer and climate   (LICKEY et al. , 2020) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-15162-7 Ozone Hole Recovery Projection 1960- 2100 (NASA, 2015)

First-time direct proof of chemical reactions in particulates (Media Release, Paul SCHERRER Institut PSI ; 13 March 2020) https://www.psi.ch/en/media/our-research/first-time-direct-proof-of-chemical-reactions-in-particulates Featured Research Article: On the fate of oxygenated organic molecules in atmospheric aerosol particles (POSPISILOVA et al. , 2020) https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/11/eaax8922 Website : Particulate Matter (PM) Basics (U. S. EPA) https://www.epa.gov/pm-pollution/particulate-matter-pm-basics Smog in New York  (Image:   Wikimedia Commons - Public Domain)

Geologists determine early Earth was a ‘water world’ by studying exposed ocean crust • News Service • Iowa State University (Press Release, Iowa State University ; February 27, 2020) By Austin Schmid schmidy - https://unsplash.com/photos/HOrR7PQMBj0 Image Gallery , CC0 , Link

Breaking Down Stubborn Molecules (Harrison TASOFF, The UCSB Current ; February 25, 2020) https://www.news.ucsb.edu/2020/019802/breaking-down-stubborn-molecules Image:   Wikimedia Commons - Public Domain Website : Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) http://bats.bios.edu/

Plutonian System ( Nix, Hydra and Styx not shown ) Meet the unknown female mathematician whose calculations helped discover Pluto (Meghan BARTELS, Space.com ; February 18, 2020) https://www.space.com/human-computer-elizabeth-williams-pluto-discovery.html Also... 5 Ways Society Sabotages Girls’ Interest in Science and Math (Marshall SHEPHERD, Forbes ; June 9, 2019) https://www.forbes.com/sites/marshallshepherd/2019/06/09/5-ways-society-sabotages-girls-interest-in-science-and-math/#2b3a97df7844

California adopts first air pollution measures targeting local emissions in Central Valley (Cresencio RODRIGUEZ-DELGADO, Fresno Bee ; February 15, 2020) https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article240319891.html Central Valley, California   (Image:  Ken LUND, September 19, 2015;   https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en )

A new study finds research gaps in environmental science disciplines across the Arctic (Press Release, University of Helsinki ; January 2, 2020) https://www.helsinki.fi/en/news/science-news/a-new-study-finds-research-gaps-in-environmental-science-disciplines-across-the-arctic Featured Research Publication: Identifying multidisciplinary research gaps across Arctic terrestrial gradients (VIRKKALA et al. , 2019) https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab4291 Mosaic of the Arctic ( NASA , 2012)