Fracking in Arizona Could Lead to the Next Helium Boom

The high desert of northern Arizona was once a tropical forest, home to large animals with sharp teeth—crocodilians, small dinosaurs, and reptiles. Freshwater sharks swam in the streams. Trees fell, animals died off, and the whole mess fossilized in layers of primordial muck. Millions of years later, the desert heaved up petrified logs, sharks teeth, and bones. We know this area today as Petrified Forest National Park—a place where tourists can hike and take in sweeping views of the Painted Desert. https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/fracking-arizona-could-lead-next-helium-boom-petrified-forest-national-park
Article courtesy of Sierra by Ron Duncan

How Hydrogen is Transforming These Tiny Scottish Islands

Scotland’s Orkney islands produce more clean energy than their inhabitants can use. Their next step? Hydrogen. Here’s why that matters – and what the rest of the world could learn.  http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20190327-the-tiny-islands-leading-the-way-in-hydrogen-power
Article courtesy of BBC-Future by Diego Arguedas Ortiz

Stopping Human-Caused Air Pollution Would Prevent 5.6 Million Air Pollution Deaths Per Year: New Study

If humans stopped emitting air pollution, an astonishing 5.6 million premature deaths per year due to global outdoor air pollution could be prevented, according to research published Monday. About 65% of these deaths are due to burning of fossil fuels, with the remainder due to such activities as biomass burning and agriculture. Eliminating human-caused air pollution would also significantly reduce drought in monsoon regions, but it would allow more sunlight to reach the surface, increasing Earth’s surface temperature by at least 0.36°C (0.65°F). Overall, the effects would be hugely beneficial.  https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/Stopping-Human-Caused-Air-Pollution-Would-Prevent-56-Million-Air-Pollution-Deaths-Year-New
Article courtesy of Weather Underground by Dr. Jeff Masters

The Giant Rodents Eating Louisiana’s Coast

In 2010, AN explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig made an oil-soaked pelican the prevailing symbol of the precarious relationship between industry and the environment on Louisiana’s Gulf Coast. But long before the rig pumped 200 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico — and still today — the people of southern Louisiana have had           another such symbol: Large, invasive, semi-aquatic rodents called nutria, which have been chewing up the marshes for decades.  https://undark.org/article/the-giant-rodents-eating-louisianas-coast/

Article courtesy of UNDARK truth, beauty, science by Nick Chrastil

Polar Warning: Even Antarctica’s Coldest Region Is Starting to Melt

East Antarctica is the coldest spot on earth, long thought to be untouched by warming. But now the glaciers and ice shelves in this frigid region are showing signs of melting, a development that portends dramatic rises in sea levels this century and beyond.  https://e360.yale.edu/features/polar-warning-even-antarctica-coldest-region-is-starting-to-melt
Article courtesy of YaleEnvironment360 by Nicola Jones

https://www.todayonline.com/commentary/whats-life-after-climate-change-one-city-offers-plenty-clues

The Russian Arctic is increasingly hot. The vast area that covers an overwhelming part of the country is undergoing unprecedented warming. At record speed.

A new climate report from the Russian meteorological institute Roshydromet states that the polar parts of the country have become almost 2,3 degrees warmer over the past 30 years.  https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/arctic/2019/03/warmest-ever-winter-northern-sea-route

Article courtesy of The Barents Observer by Atle Staalesen

What’s life like after climate change? One city offers plenty of clues

This is what adapting to climate change looks like. Last year, Cape Town nearly became the first big city on earth to run dry. Daily water rations dropped to 50 litres per person per day, with the spectre of 25 litres if supplies ran out on “Day Zero”.
https://www.todayonline.com/commentary/whats-life-after-climate-change-one-city-offers-plenty-clues
Article courtesy of Todayonline by Simon Kuper

An iceberg twice the size of New York City is about to split from Antarctica

Two rifts on the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica are close to creating an iceberg over 560 square miles in size. Scientists say the calving event could happen any day now.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/03/28/climate/antarctica-brunt-iceberg.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fclimate&action=click&contentCollection=climate&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront&mtrref=www.dailyclimate.org&gwh=7C2E660F6E6796AD3BCBD1E1EEE8CB8A&gwt=pay
Article courtesy of the New York Times by Jugal K. Patel

HOT TOPIC: Insect protein.

Experts agree that relying on animal meat as our primary protein source in the future is unsustainable. Could the use of insect protein in human food and animal feed realistically decrease our dependence on meat? And could eating insects actually save insects from extinction?
https://soundcloud.com/isgps-the-forum/episode-90
Article courtesy of ISGP's The Forum

As Arctic neared 2019 winter max, Bering Sea was virtually ice-free

• One thing that stood out this winter was the extraordinarily low amounts of ice in the Bering Sea at the start of March, surpassing record lows seen in 2018 for the same dates. Seasonal ice in the Bering Sea is already known to be volatile, but it’s getting worse under climate change.
• A new study also found something remarkable on the opposite side of the Arctic: in recent years, according to the research, Greenland has been receiving more rain, including in winter.  https://news.mongabay.com/2019/03/as-arctic-neared-2019-winter-max-bering-sea-was-virtually-ice-free/

Article courtesy of Mongabay by Gloria Dickie

Flooded U.S. Air Force base underscores climate risk to security

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Flooding at a U.S. Air Force base in Nebraska that damaged buildings and forced the removal of a plane integral to the nation's nuclear attack response highlight the risks climate change poses to national security, experts said on Monday.  https://www.streetinsider.com/Reuters/Flooded+U.S.+Air+Force+base+underscores+climate+risk+to+security%3A+experts/15270632.html
Article courtesy of StreetInsider.com by Timothy Gardner

Iraq: where water used to flow

The Mesopotamian marshlands in southern Iraq were once the largest wetland ecosystem in Western Eurasia. But after years of drought and political turmoil, they're in danger of disappearing. https://www.dw.com/en/iraq-where-water-used-to-flow/g-47768267
Article courtesy of DW.com

As pollution gets worse, air-filtering face masks get fashionable

What is the average person supposed to do when the air around them is no longer safe to breathe? “It’s just impractical to tell people: ‘Don’t go outside. Don’t breathe,’” says Morgan Gorris, a PhD candidate at UC Irvine who researches valley fever and dust storms.

Enter the face mask, an accessory ripe for the market in these dystopian times. People who live in desert areas have long known to cover their mouths and protect their lungs from dust. But in the past few years, a handful of companies have started making air filtration masks engineered specifically for both fashion and function.  https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/3/19/18262556/face-mask-air-filter-pollution-vogmask-airpop
Article courtesy of VOX by Sarah Lawrence

Forget cars. We need electric airplanes.

If we’re going to limit climate change this century, we need to electrify everything. That includes air travel, a large and rapidly growing source of some of the most potent greenhouse gas emissions. Yes, high-speed rail could displace some flights, but for longer journeys, travelers will clearly still have to take to the skies. https://www.vox.com/2019/3/1/18241489/electric-batteries-aircraft-climate-change
Article courtesy of VOX by Umair Irfan

Australia records hottest summer: report

Australia's record-breaking summer ravaged the nation with temperatures so high fruit was cooked on trees while bushfires and floods caused havoc.  https://www.9news.com.au/2019/03/07/03/33/australia-s-record-setting-extreme-summer 
Article courtesy of nine.com.au by AAP

Oceans Losing Oxygen

Warmer water holds less oxygen than cool water does, so as the globe and the oceans heat up, they’re losing oxygen. The problem is heightened by pollutants like nitrogen and phosphorus, which contribute to oxygen-starved “dead zones” in the Gulf of Mexico and elsewhere. https://loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=19-P13-00010&segmentID=3 
Article courtesy of Living on Earth 

Get Off My Lawn

How a small group of activists (our correspondent among them) got leaf blowers banned in the nation’s capital. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/04/james-fallows-leaf-blower-ban/583210/
Article courtesy of The Atlantic by James Fallows

Climate change will increase violent turbulence on airline flights

Severe turbulence is expected to increase by several hundred percent in the crowded airspace over North America, Europe and the North Pacific by mid-century, when the CO2 in the atmosphere is double its pre-industrial concentration. It is expected to rise 149 percent in the busy North Atlantic flight corridor, according to Paul D. Williams, a professor of Atmospheric Science in the Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading, UK.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2019/03/11/climate-change-will-increase-violent-turbulence-on-airline-flights/#76da038423cd
Article courtesy of Forbes by Jeff McMahon

It’s raining on Greenland’s ice sheet. That’s a big problem.

Changing weather patterns have triggered a stark change in how Greenland is melting, according to a new paper published on Thursday. By combining data from satellites and weather stations, a team of scientists found that rainstorms are now driving nearly one-third of the frozen island’s rapid melt. https://grist.org/article/its-raining-on-greenlands-ice-sheet-thats-a-big-problem/?utm_content=buffer1752f&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
Article courtesy of Grist by Eric Holthaus