“The CO2 geological storage information in this Atlas was developed to provide a high-level overview of CO2 geological storage potential across Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The location and areal extent of promising geological storage formations and the CO2 resource estimates presented in this Atlas are intended to be used as an initial assessment of potential geological storage opportunities.” Quote from the Atlas introduction.
Researchers monitored the response of wildlife and plants in parts of New Mexico where there is significant human activity and noise related to natural gas production.
“The goal of the Historical Topographic Map Collection was to create an electronic collection of all printed quadrangles – all maps, all scales – beginning with the earliest editions prior to US Topo, a new generation of topographic maps.” Quoted from the USGS press release.
A Washington Post article explores the impact of natural gas exports on the United States energy economy. Some fear that they will increase the price of gas in US markets and increase the use of hydraulic fracturing.
“The oceans act like a sponge to draw down excess carbon dioxide from the air. The gas reacts with seawater to form carbonic acid, which over time is neutralized by fossil carbonate shells on the seafloor. If too much carbon dioxide enters the ocean too quickly, it can deplete the carbonate ions that corals, mollusks and some plankton need for reef and shell-building.” Quote from the National Science Foundation press release.
“Atmospheric oxygen really took off on our planet about 2.4 billion years ago during the Great Oxygenation Event.” Quoted from the Rutgers press release.
“The frigid McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica are a cold, polar desert, yet the sandy soils there are frequently dotted with moist patches in the spring despite a lack of snowmelt and no possibility of rain. A new study found the salty soils in the region actually suck moisture out of the atmosphere, raising the possibility that such a process could take place on Mars or on other planets.” Quoted from the Oregon State University press release.
LiveScience has an interesting article on the forms of life encountered around a deep-sea vent system at the boundary of the Cocos and Caribbean Plates off the west coast of Costa Rica.
USGS investigates the long-term decline in water-levels in basalt aquifers near Mosier Oregon. “…water levels continued to drop at approximately the same, nearly constant annual rate of about 4 feet per year, resulting in a current total decline of between 150 and 200 feet in many wells with continued downward trends.” Quoted from the USGS press release.
Russian scientists have successfully drilled through two miles of Antarctic ice to reach Lake Vostok, a freshwater lake that has been isolated from the atmosphere for possibly 30 million years.
“Since the establishment of the Acid Rain Program, of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, there have been substantial reductions in sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides emissions from power plants that use fossil fuels, which are known to be the primary causes of acid rain. As of 2009, emissions of SO2 and NOx declined by about two-thirds relative to levels in the 1990s.” Quoted from the USGS press release.
“This project aims to map the location of a graveyards around the globe and then use marble gravestones in those graveyards to measure the weathering rate of marble at that location.” Quoted from the project website.
Faith Fitzpatrick outlines the importance of habitat to the health of streams and shows examples of connecting people to urban streams through rehabilitation efforts across the USA.
Sinkholes are a common geological hazard in many parts of Pennsylvania. The state geological survey has an educational publication and small website to inform the public about sinkholes.
If you didn’t get to see the Dig It! The Secrets of Soil exhibit at the Smithsonian, you can see videos and other information from the exhibit on the Smithsonian website.
Pictured at right are two of the interactive topics.
The National Ground Water Association has a website where teachers can find a collection of classroom experiments and activities that are age appropriate for grades K-3, 4-8 and 9-12.
An article in Crain’s New York Business titled “Natural-gas drilling is a great divider” explores why natural gas drilling has enormous support and enormous opposition in the state of New York.
Researchers at Montana State University are monitoring geothermal change beneath Yellowstone National Park in an effort to determine if commercial development of geothermal energy outside of the Park might damage Old Faithful and other park resources.
An article on The College of William and Mary news blog highlights a recent lecture titled: “Why do we study geosciences?” given by Heather Macdonald, Chancellor Professor of Geology.
An article in The Guardian reports that frogs, newts, toads and salamanders are meeting extinction at a very rapid rate – with half of the world’s species in decline.
An article on the Platts.com website explains how Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is studying how explosive detonations can be used as an alternative hydraulic fracturing in the production of natural gas from shale.
A new satellite to monitor the atmosphere for conditions that could lead to severe weather has been launched. NOAA’s NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite will begin transmitting data in about 90 days with the goal of replacing data from the NOAA-19 satellite.
For surface life, the greatest biodiversity is generally found in the tropics. However, researchers are finding that biodiversity levels of underground life can be very high at almost any latitude.
Researchers have found that streams in the United States contain significant amounts of carbon and that streams play a more important role in the carbon cycle than previously believed.
The Citizens Marcellus Shale Commission published a report titled: Marcellus Shale: A Citizens View. It contains numerous recommendations that include: creating state revenue from natural gas drilling activity, preserving citizen property rights, protecting natural resources and more.
When a development project destroys an acre of wetlands the responsible company is often required to create another acre of new wetlands in the same watershed. This has fueled a new business of “mitigation banks”.
An Associated Press article examines how people who favor and oppose Marcellus Shalenatural gas development have very different perceptions of problems and opportunities.
“A NASA-led study has documented an unprecedented depletion of Earth’s protective ozone layer above the Arctic last winter and spring caused by an unusually prolonged period of extremely low temperatures in the stratosphere.” Quoted from the NASA press release.
When natural gas is present in a well and no pipeline is available to move it to market or storage that gas has traditionally been flared. This practice causes concerns related to greenhouse gas production and waste.
Jessica Ball has posted an interesting question about how the EPA should regulate and monitor air pollution pertaining to natural events like volcanic eruptions and human events like fireworks.
“A U.S. Department of Agriculture scientist and his research partners have combined models of wind erosion and regional climate patterns to simulate the sources and dispersion of particulate matter—such as tiny bits of soil and other substances—blowing in dust storms around Mexico City.” Quoted from the USDA news release.
“New research shows that wastewater recycling processes may generate more greenhouse gases than traditional water-treatment processes. Despite this finding, there are good reasons to continue keep wastewater recycling among the water-resource tools for urban areas.” Quoted from the University of Cincinnati news release.
Scientists have estimated that there are 8.7 million species in the natural world and claim this to be the most accurate estimate ever. However, they say most have not been identified and it could take more than 1,000 years to catalog them.
A well service company has a patented hydraulic fracturing fluid that is produced from orange peel extract. It is supposed to have a smaller environmental impact than other fluids in current use.
Today, oxygen makes up about 21 percent of Earth’s atmosphere. However, Earth’s early atmosphere contained very little oxygen until a “Great Oxidation Event” occurred nearly 2.3 billion years ago. That event was necessary for the development of air-breathing organisms and the complex forms of life that we know today.
“These changes, though different at each pole, could be significant in their effects on not only the local environment, but also globally. While the central part of the Arctic is composed of ice over water, northern Canada, Alaska, Siberia and Greenland all have landmasses within the Arctic Circle.” Quoted from the Penn State University news release.
“Knowing the background rate of erosion for a place is extremely important,” says University of Vermont geologist Paul Bierman, “if you want to compare it to what’s coming off the landscape today because of human impacts like agriculture, development, and forestry.” Quoted from the University of Vermont news release.
One of the world’s largest unmined uranium deposits is located in southern Virginia. Although there is a strong interest in mining the deposit the state has a 30-year moratorium on uranium mining.
“Carbon dioxide remains the undisputed king of recent climate change, but other greenhouse gases measurably contribute to the problem.
A new study, conducted by NOAA scientists [...] shows that cutting emissions of those other gases could slow changes in climate that are expected in the future.” Quoted from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration press release.
The world’s driest desert received four times its normal annual precipitation in a single storm. Mountains in Chile’s Atacama desert that usually receive no precipitation were blanketed with as much as three feet of snow.
“The Northwest Forest Plan enacted in 1993 was designed to conserve old-growth forests and protect species such as the northern spotted owl, but researchers conclude in a new study that it had another powerful and unintended consequence – increased carbon sequestration on public lands.” Quoted from the Oregon State University news release.
“The study [...] reports that measurable amounts of the mercury emitted by coal-fired power plants is deposited in local soil and subsequently enters regional watersheds, contaminating fish and making them unsafe for human consumption.” Quoted from the Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis news release.
“Rather than just letting the forest sit there for a hundred or more years, the amount of carbon dioxide taken out of the atmosphere could be quadrupled in 100 years by harvesting regularly and using the wood in place of steel and concrete that devour fossil fuels, producing carbon dioxide, during manufacturing.” Quoted from the University of Washington news release.
“The question seems simple enough: What happens to the Earth’s temperature when atmospheric carbon dioxide levels increase? The answer is elusive. However, clues are hidden in the fossil record.” Quoted from the Syracuse University news release.
“Worldwide, 2010 was one of the two warmest years on record according to the 2010 State of the Climate report, which NOAA released June 27.” Quoted from the NOAA news release.
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