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3 September 2021
Two Connected Images
The New Jersey State Climatologist posted a map of the rainfall from Ida Wednesday night. Look at these rainfall totals! Now, Look at this graph from Dr. Brian Brettschneider. He posted this on Twitter today. It might surprise you to know that August was the 543rd month with global ocean temps. above the average for the 20th century. The planet is about one degree C. warmer than it was one …
31 August 2021
All We Can Save book circles for the climate movement
Book circles provide the ideal structure for individuals to come together as a community and discuss climate solutions presented in the anthology All We Can Save
30 August 2021
AGU joins letter supporting visas for scientists fleeing Afghanistan
On 25 August 2021, AGU joined other professional societies asking the White House Office of Science, Technology, and Policy for P-2 visas for scientists and members of the STEM community fleeing Afghanistan. Dear Dr. Lander, As you know, the Taliban represent an immediate threat to the safety of anyone in Afghanistan connected with the western world. This includes engineers, scientists and technical professionals, many of whom are trying …
20 August 2021
Centering identity for inclusive teaching [AAAS-IUSE]
Imagine the impact this could have on your students (and how you might need to embed the activity and process the outcome). I encourage everyone to consider centering identity in their STEM courses, research groups, projects, and more.
16 August 2021
Unlearning Racism in Geoscience (URGE) — one pod leader’s experience
A group of two-year college faculty came together for the URGE program and generated a document of approaches and action items to deepen the knowledge and to implement strategies needed for the participation of BIPOC students and faculty in the geosciences.
5 August 2021
Understanding the recent monsoon landslides in Maharashtra, India
Understanding the recent monsoon landslides in Maharashtra, India, which killed at least 100 people in July 2021.
21 July 2021
Tulsequah Glacier, BC 2021 Glacier Lake Outburst Flood
Landsat images of Tulsequah Glacier on June 22 and July 5, 2021. Lake No Lake is between the yellow arrows with the margin of glacier extending upvally on June 22nd. By July it has receded back to main valley and lake has largely drained. The former location of Tulsequah glacier dammed lake is at red arrow. Tulsequah Glacier, British Columbia drains east from the Juneau Icefield and is best …
Federal budget sees movement in Congress Part 3; see highlights for NIEHS and DOE
On 15 July, the House Appropriations Committee approved the Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies bill on a 33-25 vote. This bill includes FY22 spending levels for the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). The Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies bill was approved the following day (16 July) on a 33-24 vote. The bill in question includes FY22 spending levels for the Department of Energy (DOE). In this post, we’ll detail the House’s proposed …
Federal budget sees movement in Congress Part 2; see highlights for NOAA, NASA, and NSF
On 15 July, the House Appropriations Committee approved the Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies bill on a 33-26 vote. This bill includes FY22 spending levels for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the National Science Foundation (NSF). In this post, we’ll detail the House’s proposed spending and programmatic highlights for those science agencies. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Budget (rounded to the nearest million) FY21 FY22 President’s Budget Request (PBR) FY22 House Appropriations Percent …
The extraordinary, almost unbelievable, rainfall in Henan Province yesterday
The extraordinary, almost unbelievable, rainfall in Henan Province, China yesterday, in which over 200 mm fell in a one hour period.
20 July 2021
AGU sends letter on spectrum issues to House Science committee leadership
On 20 July 2021, AGU, The American Meteorological Society, and the National Weather Association sent a letter to leadership on the House Science, Space, and Technology committee thanking them for their ongoing support on spectrum and 5G issues. Dear Chairwoman Johnson and Ranking Member Lucas, Thank you for your ongoing leadership to preserve diverse spectrum resources to sustain and advance crucial environmental information and forecasting. We appreciate that …
16 July 2021
Inden: a river changing course, eroding an old channel and flooding an open cast mine
Inden: a river rediscovering a previous course and flooding an open cast coal mine The floods in Germany, Belgium and Netherlands this week have been truly catastrophic. The same storm system also caused flash flooding in London. It is likely that the this event will have triggered landslides, but we will need to wait to get more information when the priority is rescue and recovery. There are suggestions that an …
13 July 2021
NASEM report – Call to Action for Science Education: Building Opportunity for the Future
“Scientific thinking and understanding are essential for all people navigating the world, not just for scientists and other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals.”
12 July 2021
Federal budget sees movement in Congress Part 1; see highlights for USGS, EPA, and Forest Service
On 1 July 2021, the House Appropriations Committee approved the Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies bill on a 32-24 vote. This bill includes FY22 spending levels for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and part of the U.S. Forest Service. In this post, we’ll detail the House’s proposed spending and programmatic highlights for those science agencies. United States Geological Survey (USGS) …
6 July 2021
The source zone of the Atami landslide
News reports and archive Google Earth imagery indicate that the Atami landslide might have occurred on manmade slope
5 July 2021
The Atami mudslides in Japan
The Atami mudslides in Japan Over the weekend there was considerable attention paid to the remarkable videos of the mudflows in Atami, Japan. This one in particular gained traction:- [embed_video width=”800″ height=”600″]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDOn46equP8[/embed_video] . But there are several others, which are helpfully combined into a compilation here: [embed_video width=”800″ height=”600″]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlPxFVDpW6Q[/embed_video] . I particularly draw your attention to the excerpt that begins at 8 minutes 16 seconds into the second video (the …
1 July 2021
The muskox’s odyssey: From Greenland to Alaska
By Ned Rozell Leaving cloven hoof prints from the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, more than 3,500 muskoxen live in Alaska. All of those shaggy, curly-horned beasts came from one group of muskoxen that survived a most remarkable journey in the 1930s. In 1900, no muskoxen existed in Alaska. Though the stocky, weatherproof creatures have survived in the Arctic since the last ice age, the last reports …
30 June 2021
AGU and other science societies express the evidence-based urgency of boldly addressing climate change and encourage Congress to act quickly
On 30 June 2021, AGU and 48 other scientific societies sent a letter to leadership in Congress expressing urgency for bold action on climate change. Dear Members of Congress, The undersigned major scientific organizations write to express the evidence-based urgency of boldly addressing climate change and encourage you to act quickly. Observations throughout the world make it clear climate change is occurring and rapidly intensifying. Rigorous scientific research …
25 June 2021
Employer views on higher education – takeaways from the 2021 AAC&U report
Although our discipline provides excellent data from employers through the AGI Workforce documents and the recently-released Vision and Change in the Geosciences: The Future of Undergraduate Geoscience Education report, it is important to also step back and take a wider view. Not all of our students will enter geoscience careers or stay within them – workforce preparation for our students needs to take into consideration what employers outside the geosciences identify as areas that will help our students succeed, no matter which career they pursue.
22 June 2021
AGU endorses the Supporting STEM Learning Opportunities Act
On 22 June 2021, AGU sent a letter to Senators Shaheen (NH) and Capito (WV) endorsing the Supporting STEM Learning Opportunities Act. On behalf of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and our community of 130,000 worldwide in the Earth and space sciences, I am writing to thank you for crafting the Supporting STEM Learning Opportunities Act and offer AGU’s official endorsement for this important bill. Experiential STEM learning opportunities are essential …
