Hello Friends, Lots of great stuff has happened this week, not the least of which was that the R/V Marcus Langseth set sail out of Newport Beach, Oregon after a complicated, but ultimately successful quarantine. Oh, to be back on the high seas again…
The week began with a huge bang when seven of our junior scientists were featured with painted portraits in The New Yorker! Even better, it was the “Culture Desk”…talk about breaking out of the STEM box. Una, Christine, Jonny, Elise, Benjamin, Indrani, and Laura, you all looked very hip and cool and are clearly inspiring individuals working on globally important problems. I bet your families were thrilled…even I was getting excited emails from my relatives around the country. Nicole deRoberts emailed me “if I ever die in some really noble way and they want to paint me, make sure it’s the person who painted those portraits for The New Yorker.”
Our scientists were all over the news with scientific insight and commentary this week (links at end), especially on wildfires (Park, I think we are going to have to get you your own publicist). In particular, tomorrow at 7pm, WABC-TV (channel 7 in NY) will air a half-hour special devoted to sea level rise and resiliency efforts in Lower Manhattan that will feature Radley Horton. The partnered digital docuseries will premiere the following Friday (September 4th) on their website and connected TV apps. There will be four short episodes, each premiering one week apart.
Some big “funding” fish were landed this week as well (which makes me very happy now that Lamont finances are in my wheelhouse). Lamont Associate Research Scientist Dan Westervelt was officially awarded a $2M, 5-year NSF project titled "Clean Air Monitoring and Solutions Network (CAMS-Net)" this past week. Dan will run an international network that unites scientists, decision-makers, city administrators, citizen groups, the private sector, and other local stakeholders in co-developing new methods and best practices for real-time air quality data collection, data sharing, and solutions for air quality improvements. Truly solutions for pollutions. Congratulations to Dan!
Lamont Research Professor Andreas Thurnherr and colleagues also will receive six years of funding to participate in the US component of the new GO-SHIP program, a $30M program that will include 19 cruises funded by NSF and NOAA. This program will coordinate a network of global hydrographic sections as part of an ocean/climate observing system, including physical oceanography, the carbon cycle, marine biogeochemistry and ecosystems. This critical work will (1) document large-scale ocean water property distributions, their changes, and drivers of those changes, and (2) address questions of how a future ocean will increase in dissolved inorganic carbon, become more acidified and more stratified, and what changes in circulation and ventilation are likely to occur due to global warming and an altered water cycle. For those of you up on your acronyms this new program is the renewal of the WOCE and CLIVAR programs—IMHO is OSM.
As we think about all these climate impacts, extreme heat, storms, sea level rise, ocean acidification, etc., we can’t escape the fact that the negative impacts are felt disproportionately by the poor and marginalized. To better examine the intersectionality of race, poverty and climate, a group of our graduate students have organized a new course that will be offered this fall in DEES. Working with faculty members Mingfang Ting and Maya Tolstoy, graduate students Clara Chang, Lauren Moseley, Kailani Acosta, Anna Barth, Roger Creel, and Elizabeth Case have designed a curriculum that form the basis of GR9810: Seminar in Race, Climate, Change, and Environmental Justice. Marie Aronsohn’s “State of the Planet” interview with the organizers can be read here. So inspiring!
In the news-you-can-use category, I’m sure more than a few Lamonters know Joshua Wolfe, a long-time friend of Lamont who co-founded the Climate Science Legal Defense Fund, which is housed on the Morningside campus. Josh and colleagues just announced their newest resource, Participating in Political Activities: Guidelines for Federally Employed and Federally Funded Scientists. It is a “must-read for politically engaged researchers” and “explains what’s allowed and what’s restricted when it comes to donating to a candidate, volunteering for a campaign, and participating in other political activities.” You can read more about the guide on their blog and/or download your free copy. Furthermore, scientists with questions about their political engagement can contact the CSLDF and request a free, confidential consultation with one of their attorneys.
And what of our COVID condition? The good news is all our campus employees, scientists, and students are currently healthy, and to my knowledge, all testing negative. Compliance with protocols is excellent—we are all over-achievers. The bad news is we have some challenging logistical and financial problems in keeping important Lamont partnerships afloat—in particular, I am referring to Rich and Angela and our excellent cafeteria operation. Do I want you to worry about Lamont finances? Of course not. But please know that customer counts matter—the more people that eat at the cafeteria, the faster our subsidy will fall allowing us to use funds for more scientifically rewarding causes, such as shiny new instruments or new hires. All our COVID protocols are fluid and evolving, with the overarching goal of keeping everyone safe. A mighty thanks to Rich and Angela for their ongoing commitment to our sustenance during these trying times. And if you haven’t reserved food in advance, just go in…I’m sure Rich will be able to feed you something.
I’ll wrap up by saying conversations are continuing across Lamont and the Directorate about the mental health survey and the many great suggestions in it. I have it on good authority (Edie Miller!) that the Admin team in Butler are the advocates for therapy dog and puppy visits. The medical school interns downtown do this regularly (therapy dog visits, I’m not sure about puppy piles). I do know that our local organization Therapy Dogs of Rockland are in a full COVID shut-down—no surprise there—but, maybe we can reach out in the spring!
In the meantime, have a peaceful weekend and please curl up in a comfy chair with the draft Vision document for Lamont recently circulated by email from Christine McCarthy. A special thank you to the Vision Committee for their incredibly hard work and dedication to this process. I know the committee will be looking forward to getting feedback and, as always, I too am happy to hear from you.
Best, Mo
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LAMONT IN THE MEDIA:
FEATURED NEWS
Why Renewables Aren’t to Blame for California’s Blackouts
National Geographic
August 25, 2020
Article by Lamont graduate research fellow Alejandra Borunda.
Gulf Coast Evacuates in Anticipation of Hurricane Laura
The New York Times
August 25, 2020
Article quotes Lamont climate scientist Adam Sobel.
California Wildfires: Trump Declares Major Disaster
Carbon Brief
August 24, 2020
Article quotes Lamont bioclimatologist Park Williams.
California's New Normal: How the Climate Crisis Is Fueling Wildfires and Changing Life in the Golden State
CNN
August 24, 2020
Article quotes Lamont bioclimatologist Park Williams.
23 Million Year Old Fossilized Leaves Offer Proof of CO2 to Greening the Planet Link
Watts Up With That
August 24, 2020
Article on research co-authored by Lamont paleobotanist Tammo Reichgelt, paleoclimatolgist William D'Andrea, former intern Ailín Valdivia-McCarthy, and colleagues.
As the World Turns
The New Yorker
August 23, 2020
Article features illustrations of Lamont scientists Indrani Das, Benjamin Keisling, Laura Stevens, Elise Myers, Jonny Kingslake, Christine McCarthy, and Una Kim Miller.
Why Does California Have So Many Wildfires?
The New York Times
August 23, 2020
Article quotes Lamont bioclimatologist Park Williams.
California and Colorado Fires May Be Part of a Climate-Driven Transformation of Wildfires Around the Globe
Inside Climate News
August 22, 2020
Article quotes Lamont bioclimatologist Park Williams.
If Storms Hit California, Blazes May Be Tougher to Control
The New York Times
August 22, 2020
Article quotes Lamont bioclimatologist Park Williams.
The Ten Hottest Climate Change Books of Summer
EcoWatch
August 22, 2020
Article includes review of "The Hidden Life of Ice: Dispatches from a Disappearing World" by Lamont polar scientist Marco Tedesco.
Grim Global Warming Milestone: Record Loss of Greenland Ice in 2019 - 532 Billion Tons
SciTech Daily
August 21, 2020
Article on research co-authored by Lamont polar scientist Marco Tedesco.
California Fires Turn Deadly as Evacuees Worry About Their Homes, Covid-19, and Excessive Heat
CNN
August 20, 2020
Article quotes Lamont bioclimatologist Park Williams.
Fossil Leaves Prove Elevated CO2 Triggered Greening 23M Years Ago
UPI
August 20, 2020
Article on research co-authored by Lamont paleobotanist Tammo Reichgelt, paleoclimatolgist William D'Andrea, former intern Ailín Valdivia-McCarthy, and colleagues.
Science Says: Climate Change, People Stoke California Fires
AP
August 20, 2020
Article quotes Lamont bioclimatologist Park Williams.
Loss of Greenland Ice Sheet Reached a Record Last Year
The New York Times
August 20, 2020
Article on research co-authored by Lamont polar scientist Marco Tedesco.
Earth's Inner Core Is Doing Something Weird
National Geographic
Wednesday, August 19, 2020
Article quotes Lamont seismologist Paul Richards.
BLOGS
Antarctic Ice Shelves Vulnerable to Sudden Meltwater-Driven Fracturing, Says Study
August 26, 2020
A new study says that many of the ice shelves ringing Antarctica could be vulnerable to quick destruction if rising temperatures drive melt water into the numerous fractures that currently penetrate their surfaces.
E.I. Teach Arms Educators with Climate Change Lesson Plans and Confidence
August 25, 2020
The training programs connected teachers with renowned scientists and other educators eager to inspire a new generation of environmental stewards.
Fleeing the Climate: the ‘Great Migration’ Ahead
August 21, 2020
A new model finds that areas where humans can barely survive, which currently cover about 1 percent of the planet, will grow to about 20 percent within the next 50 years.
Greenland Ice Sheet Saw Record Loss in 2019
August 20, 2020
An international team of polar researchers says that the Greenland ice sheet experienced record loss in 2019.
Fossil Leaves Show High Atmospheric Carbon Spurred Ancient ‘Global Greening’
August 20, 2020
Scientists studying leaves from a forest that stood during a warm period 23 million years ago have for the first time linked high levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide with increased plant growth, as well with the high temperatures of the time.