Hello Friends, Fugitive dust. What is fugitive dust? Fugitive dust is dust that should be staying put, but escapes to wreak havoc on the environment. The specific dust I’m talking about is from the Norlite plant located in Cohoes NY, near Albany.
This plant manufactures lightweight aggregate materials from shale mined on site. The problem is that the resultant dust is being blown off premises and impacting air quality in the surrounding communities—accumulating on windowsills, cars, swing sets, in AC units, and more. Dave Walker, retired geochemist and Higgens Professor Emeritus in DEES, shared with me recently the great news that, after a long effort to demonstrate the hazardous nature of the dust which is filled with tiny glass shards, the NYS DEC (Dept. of Environmental Conservation) has ordered Norlite to cease and desist any actions that result in dust leaving their property. Dave played a key role in arming local citizens and leadership with the scientific knowledge they needed to demonstrate the potentially hazardous nature of the dust. Chalk up a win for environmental justice and healthy air!
I have been asked by two of our admin staff to share some reminders. First, please upload your booster info if you have it. You can update your information here, or log into the ReopenCU app. The deadline for submission is February 28 for faculty, staff, and researchers. Please help lighten Virginia Maher’s workload, the person that will have to track down non-compliers. Second, our B&G Facilities Staff recently joined the rest of Columbia in using an online facilities service request management system known as Maximo. This system allows anyone with a uni to submit a service request for work to be completed. You will soon receive an email noting its benefits and a step-by-step guide to use when submitting your service requests. I am confident that this will streamline the process for everyone (and will most certainly make life easier for our facilities team).
Congratulations to Julian Spergel who passed his Ph.D. thesis defense today with flying colors! Julian's thesis, entitled "Modelling and remote sensing of meltwater drainage on Antarctic ice shelves", looks at what controls the flow of water across Antarctic ice shelves. This is important because meltwater can cause ice shelves to collapse, accelerating ice-sheet loss, ultimately causing sea level rise. One key insight provided by Julian's work is the important role played by ice surface topography in controlling how drainage systems grow in response to the melting caused by climate warming.
I’m looking forward to going to an in-person colloquium this week and hearing what Matthew Hayek, Assistant Professor in Environmental Studies at New York University, has to say about “Hamburgers in a Heated World: Providing Scientific Evidence in the Food Sustainability Debate”. #Holdthebeef! And of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the in-person TGIF taking place at Monell upon conclusion of the colloquium.
Finally, from fugitive dust to Mother Nature’s dust. Wow. See below. Megadroughts are the new dinosaurs! Really exciting to see the wide impact and recognition of Lamont Research Professor Jason Smerdon and Adjunct Associate Research Scientist Ben Cook’s work on the history of climate change and drought in the western United States. The news ain’t good, but better to know it than not.
Have a peaceful, dust-free weekend. Mo
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LAMONT IN THE MEDIA:
FEATURED NEWS
Tracking the Melting Ross Ice Shelf With New Probes
Polar Journal
February 16, 2022
Research led by Lamont scientist David Porter.
Lamont-Doherty/GISS – Western Megadrought Study Coauthored by scientists Jason Smerdon and Benjamin Cook in the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.
(Story picked up by a large number of news-aggregator sites)
What Is the Megadrought Gripping the US Southwest?
CNBC
February 16, 2022
Megadrought Plaguing Western U.S. Is Worst in 1,200 Years
Bloomberg News
February 15, 2022
Study Finds Megadrought Is Worst in 1,200 Years
NPR
February 15, 2022
Megadrought: The Worst in 1,200 Years
KABC TV
February 15, 2022
(no weblink)
Scientists Say Drought Is Worst in 1,200 Years
Cheddar TV
February 15, 2022
(no weblink)
U.S. Drought Worst in 1,200 Years, Researchers Say
NBC News
February 15, 2022
The American West’s ‘Megadrought Is the Worst It’s Been in 1,200 Years
Futurism
February 15, 2022
U.S. Megadrought Is Worst in 1,200 Years, Study Says
Guardian (UK)
February 15, 2022
Megadrought Severity Based on Tree Rings, Soil Moisture
2News
February 15, 2022
Western Megadrought Now Worst in 1,200 Years
KPIX
February 15, 2022
Western U.S. Suffers Worst Drought in 1,200 Years
Publico (Portugal)
February 15, 2022
Western Megadrought Is Worst in 1,200 Years
Scientific American
February 15, 2022
U.S. Megadrought Unprecedented in Last 1,200 Years; And It Is Man’s Fault
La Reppublica (Italy)
February 15, 2022
Study Finds Western Megadrought Is Worst in 1,200 Years
KUNC
February 15, 2022
Farmers, Ranchers in Southwest Adapt to Worst Drought in More Than 1,000 Years
NPR Marketplace
February 15, 2022
Western Megadrought Is the Worst in 1,200 Years
ClimateWire
February 15, 2022
Megadrought in U.S. Southwest, Boosted by Human CO2 Emissions, Is Worst Since 800 A.D.
Informed Comment
February 15, 2022
The U.S. Southwest Is Hitting Megadrought Status
Ars Technica
February 15, 2022
Western Megadrought Study Coauthored by Lamont scientists Jason Smerdon and Ben Cook
Southwest U.S. Is at Its Driest in 1,200 Years
Newsweek
February 15, 2022
Western Megadrought Study Coauthored by Lamont scientists Jason Smerdon and Ben Cook
Western Megadrought Is Worst in 1,200 Years, Intensified by Climate Change, Study Finds
Los Angeles Times
February 14, 2022
How Bad Is the Western Drought? Worst in 1,200 Years, Study Finds
New York Times
February 14, 2022
Study Finds Western Megadrought Is Worst in 1,200 Years
NPR
February 14, 2022
Underground carbon-dioxide storage idea is cracked. And that’s actually good.
The Washington Post
February 13, 2022
“In new experiments, researchers at Columbia University are learning more about the technique’s viability”. The article quotes Catalina Sanchez Roa, Columbia Climate School Fellow, Associate Research Scientist at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.
BLOGS
How Does a Major Subduction Zone Get Started? It May Begin Small
By Columbia Climate School
February 15, 2022
Megadrought in Southwest Is Now the Worst in at Least 1,200 Years, Study Confirms
By Columbia Climate School
February 14, 2022