Shijie Ning et al. investigated the response of #Grassland #AbovegroundNetPrimaryProductivity (ANPP) to naturally occurring #PrecipitationExtremes, found that #ExtremeDrought decreased ANPP by an average of 40%, while #ExtremeWetness had a neutral effect on ANPP. The aridity-dependent response of ANPP to precipitation extremes demonstrates the ambient #Climate-dependent resistance of grasslands to these events.
Details: https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtae084
#ExtremeDrought and #InsectHerbivores can affect #PlantCommunity non-independently, and their interaction may be influenced by drought pattern. Ye Luo et al. proved this point.
Details: https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtae041
Yalong Shi et al. explored the responses of #PhotosyntheticRate (Pn) of dominant species to #ExtremeDrought in Inner #MongoliaGrasslands. Both CHR and INT significantly decreased dominant species Pn, with INT causing more negative impacts on Pn regardless of grassland types.
Details: https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtae027
Humanity's Chance to Reverse #AmazonRainforest's Slide Toward #TippingPoint Is 'Shrinking'
The world's largest #rainforest showed "ominous indicators," including #wildfires and #ExtremeDrought, in 2024.
The Amazon, sometimes called the '#LungsOfThePlanet,' this year showed signs of further inching toward a much-feared tipping point, threatening the very existence of the world's largest rainforest.
"Rampant wildfires and extreme drought ravaged large parts of the Amazon in 2024. The fires and dry conditions were fueled by deforestation and the El Niño weather pattern, and also made worse by climate change, according to the World Economic Forum. 'The number of fires reached its highest level in 14 years this September,' the group reported in October.
"#Drought has also impacted the #AmazonRiver, causing one of the river's main tributaries to drop to its lowest level ever recorded, according to October reporting from The Associated Press. The drop in the river has negatively impacted local economies and #FoodSupplies.
"Andrew Miller, advocacy director at #AmazonWatch, told the AP last week that the fires and droughts experienced across the Amazon in 2024 'could be ominous indicators that we are reaching the long-feared ecological tipping point.'
"'Humanity's window of opportunity to reverse this trend is shrinking, but still open,' he said.
"The Amazon plays a vital role in keeping the planet healthy. 150-200 billion tons of carbon are stored in the Amazon, and it also carries 20% of the earth's fresh water to sea.
"According to the World Economic Forum, if the Amazon tipping point is reached, 'it will release billions of tonnes of #CO2 into the atmosphere through fires and plants dying off. This would further exacerbate climate change and make the 1.5°C goal impossible to achieve. It would also alter weather patterns, which would impact agricultural productivity and global food supplies.'
"A paper published in the journal Nature in February indicates that up to half of the rainforest could hit a tipping point by the middle of the century. 'We estimate that by 2050, 10% to 47% of Amazonian forests will be exposed to compounding disturbances that may trigger unexpected ecosystem transitions and potentially exacerbate regional #ClimateChange,' explained the researchers behind the paper.
"However, it wasn't all bad news out of the Amazon in 2024. According to the AP, the amount of #deforestation in #Brazil and #Colombia declined in this year. In Brazil, which houses the largest chunk of the Amazon, forest loss dropped 30.6% compared to the year prior, bringing it to the lowest level of destruction in nearly a decade.
"The improvement is an about-face from a couple of years ago, when the country registered 15-year high of deforestation during the leadership of former #FarRight President #JairBolsonaro. Brazil is now led by the left-wing President Luiz Inácio #Lula da Silva, who—despite presiding over this drop in deforestation—has also come under scrutiny, as AP noted, by #environmentalists for backing projects that they argue could harm the environment."
Source:
https://www.commondreams.org/news/amazon-rainforest-tipping-point-2024
#Rain is finally coming to the #drought-stricken #Amazon. But it may not be enough
By Carrie Kahn, NPR
Published October 30, 2024
MANAUS, #Brazil — "Dark clouds rumble over the tiny #AmazonRiver community of Nossa Senhora do Livramento.
"After two years of devastating drought, you might think that residents in this parched and isolated town of about 350 families would be elated that it's finally raining. But many just shrug at the brief torrential downpour. Some liken it to that burst of energy a patient can get moments before death.
"Such pessimism is understandable given the devastation this and hundreds of other communities have been experiencing throughout the Amazon. Dependent on its vast riverways for nearly everything, millions of residents have been left high and dry.
"In the more than 100 years since river levels have been monitored, never has the mighty #AmazonRiver and the major tributaries of the world’s largest river system recorded such little rainfall. In October, the #RioNegro hit the lowest levels since records were first kept in 1902."
#NorthShore brush fires sent smoke to #Boston — and eluded #AirQuality readers
Story by Steph Solis
October 28, 2024
"The smoke from brush fires around #Salem wafted over Boston on Monday, puzzling residents who got no indication of it from air quality readings on their phones.
"Why it matters: As #ClimateChange makes wildfires more likely and severe in the U.S., #Massachusetts residents will have to learn to detect the signs and protect themselves.
"Catch up quick: Firefighters are battling brush fires across #Salem, #Peabody and #Lynn, sending smoke as far south as Foxborough.
"More than 130 acres of brush have burned since Saturday, NBC Boston reported.
"Between the lines: Smoke inhalation can harm people with all sorts of health conditions, from those with asthma and emphysema to heart attack survivors.
"It's especially risky for children, whose lungs are still developing, says Anthony Wexler, director of the Air Quality Research Center at UC Davis.
"Multiple studies show air pollution can hurt lung development.
"How it works: The smoke smell caught locals' attention in the morning, as opposed to Monday afternoon, because smoke stays close to the ground after the Sun sets, Wexler says.
Once the Sun rises, it warms up the ground and mixes low-lying air with cleaner air above, causing the smoke to dissipate as the day progresses.
"Yes, but: The smoke didn't show up on some air quality readings, like the ones on iPhones.
"That's because the state and federal governments only have a few air quality monitors in a given community. If a plume of smoke passed through your neighborhood but missed the monitor, the reading will end up lower.
"Commercial air quality readers like #PurpleAir monitors are inexpensive and more common, so they can give better readings, Wexler notes.
"#AirNow, the federal government's service, also has better readings on its smoke and fire map."
#AirIsLife #WildfireSeason
#ExtremeDrought #ClimateCrisis #NorthShoreOfMassachusetts
#EssexCountyMassachusetts
#SalemMA #MiddletonMA #LynnMA
#Salem High School dismisses early as brush fires cause unhealthy air quality
Tuesday morning was the worst the air quality has been since the first significant fire broke out in Salem, based on data from the EPA
By Thea DiGiammerino and Alysha Palumbo
Published October 29, 2024
"''The fire itself is not the danger. It’s the air quality this morning,' said Chris O’Donnell, Salem Public Schools Director of Communications. 'As we arrived on campus this morning we could smell quite a bit of smoke. There’s always initial concern but we made it clear that the fire is not the danger.'
"According to the Environmental Protection Agency's #AirNow Fire and Smoke Map, air quality in Lynn had reached #HazardousLevels - over 300 PPM - early Tuesday morning, the worst alert level listed and considered an emergency. As of mid-morning it had dropped into the 'very unhealthy' level - between 201 to 300 PM - a category where the risk of health effects is increased for everyone. Levels may fluctuate depending on the fires and weather conditions. The public is advised to limit outdoor activities when possible.
"This is the second day of air quality concerns from the fire. On Monday the smell of smoke was strong all over the #Boston area due to a weather phenomenon called #inversion. That's when warm air traps cool air and smoke close to the ground, and that can be a concern for air quality because #wildfire smoke has been shown to carry #pollutants."
#AirLisLife #WildfireSeason
#ExtremeDrought #ClimateChange
#ClimateCrisis #NorthShore
#NorthShoreOfMassachusetts
#EssexCountyMassachusetts
#SalemMassachusetts #AirQualityAlert
Meanwhile, back where I grew up... Massachusetts brush fires scorch nearly 400 acres of land
"This is sort of crazy ... you think like #California ... you would never think this here in #Massachusetts."
Story by Sera Congi and Brianna Borghi
October 29, 2024
"On Monday, firefighters in several Massachusetts communities continued battling #BrushFires that have scorched nearly 400 acres of land.
"A fire sparked Saturday evening in Salem near Spring Pond, which is near Highland Avenue, and burned 130 acres, said Alan Dionne, chief of the Salem Fire Department.
"Air National Guard helicopters continued water drops Monday to try to douse the fire, which has been burning in Salem and Lynn, Massachusetts.
[...]
"Crews in [nearby] Middleton, Massachusetts, also worked to contain a brush fire that started Sunday morning and burned about 250 acres."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/brush-fires-in-mass-scorch-nearly-400-acres-of-land/ar-AA1t3vy1
Stark before-and-after pics reveal dramatic shrinking of major Amazon rivers:
Brazil’s 2nd straight year #ExtremeDrought w/ "nearly 60% of country affected"
200+ dolphins found dead in 2023
shortage of food, medicine, livelihoods and transport
#FoodSecurity #ClimateChange #Ecosystem
https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/30/climate/amazon-rivers-drought-satellite-pictures/index.html
During #Brazil’s worst #drought, #wildfires rage and the #AmazonRiver falls to a record low
By FABIANO MAISONNAVE
Updated 2:47 PM EDT, September 10, 2024
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — "Brazil is enduring its worst drought since nationwide measurements began over seven decades ago, with 59% of the country under stress — an area roughly half the size of the U.S.
"Major Amazon basin rivers are registering historic lows, and uncontrolled manmade wildfires have ravaged protected areas and spread smoke over a vast expanse, plummeting air quality.
"'This is the first time that a drought has covered all the way from the North to the country’s Southeast,' Ana Paula Cunha, a researcher at the National Center for Monitoring and Early Warning of Natural Disasters, said in a statement Thursday. 'It is the most intense and widespread drought in history.'
"Smoke on Monday afternoon caused #SaoPaulo, a metropolitan area of 21 million people, to breathe the second most #PollutedAir in the world after #LahorePakistan, according to data gathered by #IQAir, a Swiss air technology company.
"About 1,100 kilometers (683 miles) to the north, a wildfire is sweeping through #ChapadaDosVeadeiros National Park, one of Brazil’s most famous tourism sites.
"'This year, the dry season started much earlier than in previous years, whereas the rain season was intense yet short,' Nayara Stacheski, head of the park, told The Associated Press. 'The wind is strong, the air humidity is very low and it’s extremely hot. All this worsens the wildfire.'"
#About 75 percent of water that flows into Great Slave Lake comes through the Slave River and other tributaries, with water flowing out to the Mackenzie River."https://cabinradio.ca/183235/news/yellowknife/whats-causing-the-nwts-low-water-and-where-did-the-water-go/
New #MysteryFungi Species Spark Disease Warning
Story by Jess Thomson, February 26, 2024
Several new species of fungus have been found lurking in waterways, and they might be harmful to humans.
The new species were discovered in the sediment of riverbeds across #Spain. Many are closely related to species of #pathogenic fungi that cause infection in humans, according to a new paper in the Journal of Fungi.
The paper notes that these types of fungus that grow in the sediment of riverbeds have not been very thoroughly studied in the past. During periods of #drought they could become airborne and infect humans and animals.
"When sediments are exposed to air, these fungi may begin to produce many spores that disperse in search of a more suitable environment, and it is during this dispersion that they can interact with humans and animals," study author Josepa Gené, a researcher at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Spain, said in a statement.
"The infections tend to affect only the most vulnerable population and are not transmitted between humans," Gené said. "Rather, they are the result of some form of injury, among other routes of inoculation."
These fungi may also be able to infect animals and humans that swim in the rivers where they are living.
"Other fungi are opportunistic pathogens of mammals, cold-blooded animals, and other creatures, which can cause mild and serious infections, not only in animals that live in the aquatic environment but also to those that they pass through it, like us when we have a swim in a river," Gené explained.
The new species of fungus fall into the category of ascomycetes, which include #yeasts like Saccharomyces cerevisiae (used in baking and brewing), filamentous fungi like #Penicillium (which produces the antibiotic penicillin), and various plant pathogens such as the powdery #mildews and #ergot fungi.
"Among their unique characteristics, fungi feed on organic matter by decomposing it, rather than ingesting it like animals do, or absorbing nutrients through roots, as plants do," Rodney Rohde, a Regents' professor of clinical laboratory science at Texas State University, told Newsweek. "Unlike bacteria, which have simple prokaryotic cells, or cells without a true nucleus, fungi have complex eukaryotic cells, which do have a nucleus surrounded by a membrane-like animals and plants.
"In the multi-level taxonomy, or naming system, that biologists use to classify lifeforms, fungi are in their own kingdom under the domain of Eukarya. Since fungi are eukaryotic-like human cells, antibiotics are not effective and we must rely on anti-fungal medications."
The research and a further investigation could help biologists understand the potential threat posed by these fungi, and identify more like them in different environments.
"These findings allow us not only to complete our understanding of the evolution of fungi but also to determine if some of these microorganisms may be a threat to our health," Gené said. "The research has just begun but the more information we accumulate in this regard, the more able we will be to determine, for example, if there is greater potential risk in a particular area and if access to some areas needs to be controlled."
The researchers plan to investigate the fungi in the lab to see how they operate and grow at human body temperature, thus determining their pathogenic potential. This will show how likely it is that the fungus could infect people during periods of drought.
"The thing is that we have a greater understanding of them now, so we can consider establishing environmental control measures. But, before we do, there is still a lot of work to be done," Gené said.
Another reason NOT to mine in the American #Southwest! If we need "critical minerals," than RECLAIM THEM FROM CIRCUIT BOARDS AND BATTERIES!
Is the Southwest too dry for a mining boom?
Critical minerals for the #CleanEnergy transition are abundant in the Southwest, but the dozens of mines proposed to access them will require vast sums of water, something in short supply in the desert.
by Wyatt Myskow, Inside Climate News
Jan 28, 2024
"To understand mining in the U.S., you have to start with the #MiningLaw of 1872. President Ulysses S. Grant signed the bill into law as a way to continue the country’s development westward, allowing anyone to mine on federal lands for free. To do this, all one needs to do is plant four stakes into the ground where they think there are minerals and file a claim. Unlike other industries that make use of public lands—such as the oil and gas industry—no royalties are paid for the minerals extracted from the lands owned by American taxpayers.
"The #SanCarlosApache tribe has fought for years to stop #ResolutionCopper’s proposed mine. It would be built on top of #OakFlat, a #SacredSite to the Apache and other #Indigenous communities, and a habitat of rare species like the endangered Arizona #HedgehogCactus, which lives only in the #TontoNationalForest near the town of #Superior. The fate of the mine now rests with the #USDistrictCourt in Arizona after the grassroots group #ApacheStronghold filed a lawsuit to stop it, arguing its development would violate #NativePeople’s religious rights.
"But for communities located near the mine and across the #PhoenixArizona metropolitan area, the water it would consume is just as big of an issue.
"Throughout the mine’s lifespan, Resolution estimates it would use 775,000 acre feet of water—enough for at least 1.5 million Arizona households over roughly 40 years. And experts say the mine would likely need far more.
"'By pumping billions of gallons of groundwater from the #EastSaltRiver alley, this project would make Arizona’s goal for #stewardship of its scarce #groundwater resources unreachable,' one report commissioned by the San Carlos Apache Tribe reads. In one hydrologist’s testimony to Congress, water consumption was estimated to be 50,000 acre feet a year—about 35,000 more than the company has proposed drawing from the aquifer.
"The Resolution #CopperMine isn’t the only water-intensive mining operation being proposed. Many of what the industry describes as 'critical minerals,' like #lithium and copper, are found throughout the Southwest, leading to a flurry of mining claims on the region’s federally managed public lands.
“Water is going to be scarcer in the Southwest but the mining industry is basically immune from all these issues,” said Roger Flynn, director and managing attorney at the #WesternMiningActionProject, which has represented tribes and environmental groups in mining-related lawsuits, including the case over Oak Flat."
Read more:
https://grist.org/drought/is-the-southwest-too-dry-for-a-mining-boom/
One of the world’s biggest cities may be just months away from running out of water
by Laura Paddison, Jack Guy and Fidel Gutiérrez, CNN
February 25, 2024
"Alejandro Gomez has been without proper running water for more than three months. Sometimes it comes on for an hour or two, but only a small trickle, barely enough to fill a couple of buckets. Then nothing for many days.
"Gomez, who lives in #MexicoCity’s #Tlalpan district, doesn’t have a big storage tank so can’t get water truck deliveries — there’s simply nowhere to store it. Instead, he and his family eke out what they can buy and store.
"When they wash themselves, they capture the runoff to flush the toilet. It’s hard, he told CNN. 'We need water, it’s essential for everything.'
"#WaterShortages are not uncommon in this neighborhood, but this time feels different, Gomez said. 'Right now, we are getting this hot weather. It’s even worse, things are more complicated.'
"Mexico City, a sprawling metropolis of nearly 22 million people and one of the world’s biggest cities, is facing a severe #WaterCrisis as a tangle of problems — including geography, chaotic urban #development and leaky #infrastructure — are compounded by the impacts of #ClimateChange.
"Years of abnormally low rainfall, longer dry periods and high temperatures have added stress to a water system already straining to cope with increased demand. Authorities have been forced to introduce significant restrictions on the water pumped from reservoirs.
"'Several neighborhoods have suffered from a lack of water for weeks, and there are still four months left for the rains to start,' said Christian Domínguez Sarmiento, an atmospheric scientist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).
"Politicians are downplaying any sense of crisis, but some experts say the situation has now reached such critical levels that Mexico City could be barreling towards 'day zero' in a matter of months — where the taps run dry for huge swaths of the city.
Historic lows
"Densely populated Mexico City stretches out across a high-altitude lake bed, around 7,300 feet above sea level. It was built on clay-rich soil — into which it is now sinking — and is prone to #earthquakes and highly vulnerable to climate change. It’s perhaps one of the last places anyone would choose to build a #megacity today.
"The #Aztecs chose this spot to build their city of #Tenochtitlan in 1325, when it was a series of lakes. They built on an island, expanding the city outwards, constructing networks of canals and bridges to work with the water.
"But when the Spanish arrived in the early 16th century, they tore down much of the city, drained the lakebed, filled in #canals and ripped out #forests. They saw 'water as an enemy to overcome for the city to thrive,' said Jose Alfredo Ramirez, an architect and co-director of Groundlab, a design and policy research organization."
Read more:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/one-world-biggest-cities-may-103023024.html
With a week left in February our provincial government announced a #WildfireAdvisory yesterday after announcing a shockingly early start to #WildfireSeason the day before & an #ExtremeDrought warning in late December. Looking like a dangerous 2024 for Alberta
/3 Is this the earliest Alberta Wildfire Season start ever? Given that & an #ExtremeDrought, is this province, it's government & its people ready to start taking #ClimateChange seriously? (you may think we know the answer already but it needs repeated asking anyways) https://youtu.be/M1bxJHwxhmc?si=pTtce9slHs81Yh1T
"I have to correct myself when I think, "well, they can't have an #ExtremeDrought & still push through this coal project." I actually literally spoke out loud to myself after that thought & said, "you have to stop thinking like that because it's extremely likely that they will."'
"A rare uncontrollable #wildfire in #Louisiana has forced nearly 1,000 residents to evacuate the town of #Merryville in Beauregard parish, near the state’s border with Texas.
The unusual wildfire event is another consequence of the record-breaking US #heatwave fueled by the global climate crisis. Louisiana and the surrounding region have been suffering from an #ExtremeDrought. Residents are usually bracing for tropical storms and hurricanes at this time of year."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/aug/25/louisiana-wildfire-tiger-island-fire-evacuation
