Lamont Weekly Report, February 18, 2022

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