geoscientifix

[geoscientifix]

The remarkably preserved carcass of an Ice Age-era woolly rhino has been unearthed by locals in eastern Siberia, researchers have said.

The rhino was revealed by the melting permafrost in the Abyisky region of Yakutia in north-eastern Russia.

With most of its internal organs intact, the rhino is among the best-preserved animals ever found in the region.

Experts will deliver the rhino to a lab for further studies next month.

They are waiting for ice roads to form so they can take the remains to the city of Yakutsk, where scientists will take samples and carry out radiocarbon analyses.

[geoscientifix]

Sumitomo Forestry said it has started research on tree growth and the use of wood materials in space.

The partnership will begin experimenting with different types of wood in extreme environments on Earth.

Space junk is becoming an increasing problem as more satellites are launched into the atmosphere.

Wooden satellites would burn up without releasing harmful substances into the atmosphere or raining debris on the ground when they plunge back to Earth.

[geoscientifix]

Can Africa's forests help save the world?

In Uganda and Kenya, virologists and zoologists are trying to determine whether there's a connection between human contact with wild animals and the spread of viruses. They're concerned that a deadly virus like Covid can spread from humans to certain species of animals. At the Bwindi National Park in Uganda, Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, is working to protect mountain gorillas, an endangered species. She fears that the gorillas could fall victim to Covid-19, transmitted by humans. Her job has become more difficult, because a number of men who lost their jobs due to Covid restrictions have now turned to poaching gorillas.

Note: Rainforests are our lifeline. They are important for maintenance of species diversity, drug discovery, and controlling climate change.

[geoscientifix]

Workshop on Big Data and Artificial Intelligence for Earth Observation

On 19-20 November, the European Commission hosted a workshop on Big Data and Artificial Intelligence for Earth Observation (EO).

The two-day workshop presented nine research projects on big data and artificial intelligence for Copernicus and Earth Observation, funded under the Horizon 2020 Space Programme.

Access the REA’s introduction presentation.

Presentations and Event Recordings

Watch the event recording for day 1.

Watch the event recording for day 2.

[geoscientifix]

Note: From the Saint Helena island in the middle of the Atlantic, we move to the Kribati island in the South Pacific. The rising sea level poses risk to the Kribati to a level that people have to move out to save their life. Stranded in the Pacific, they brave the sea, and started breeding mangroves to protect their future. The DW has documented the emerging scenario precisely.

Kiribati: a drowning paradise in the South Pacific.

Climate change and rising sea levels mean the island nation of Kiribati in the South Pacific is at risk of disappearing into the sea.

But the island’s inhabitants aren’t giving up. They are doing what they can to save their island from inundation. Can COP23 help make a difference? UN estimates indicate that Kiribati could disappear in just 30 or 40 years. That’s because the average elevation is less than two meters above sea level. And some of the knock-on effects of climate change have made the situation more difficult. Kiribati can hardly be surpassed in terms of charm and natural beauty. There are 33 atolls and one reef island – spread out over an area of 3.5 million square kilometers. All have white, sandy beaches and blue lagoons. Kiribati is the world’s largest state that consists exclusively of atolls. A local resident named Kaboua points to the empty, barren land around him and says, "There used to be a large village here with 70 families." But these days, this land is only accessible at low tide. At high tide, it's all under water. Kaboua says that sea levels are rising all the time, and swallowing up the land. That’s why many people here build walls made of stone and driftwood, or sand or rubbish. But these barriers won't stand up to the increasing number of storm surges. Others are trying to protect against coastal erosion by planting mangrove shrubs or small trees. But another local resident, Vasiti Tebamare, remains optimistic. She works for KiriCAN, an environmental organization. Vasiti says: "The industrialized countries -- the United States, China, and Europe -- use fossil fuels for their own ends. But what about us?" Kiribati's government has even bought land on an island in Fiji, so it can evacuate its people in an emergency. But Vasiti and most of the other residents don't want to leave.

https://youtu.be/TZ0j6kr4ZJ0

[geoscientifix]

Aloe Vera maintains unique soil microbiome that's important for its growth. Moreover, such microbiomes are important players in the critical zone that dictates weathering and mobility of the elements. More information about the role of soil microbiomes can be found here.

[geoscientifix]

Source to Sink: A webinar series on the role of rivers in sediment transport and its implications.

https://youtu.be/gUglmm42nJQ

[geoscientifix]

St. Helena - A remote island in the Atlantic: Published on 28 Oct 2017

Every third week, a British Royal Mail ship begins its journey from Cape Town to Saint Helena, the remote island in the Atlantic where Napoleon was once in exile.

It’s like the end of the world in the middle of the Atlantic. Five days, with a northwesterly course, and only then do the sheer black cliffs appear in front of RMS St. Helena. The island’s 4500 residents are often waiting impatiently for the ship’s arrival and panic if the schedule changes. Director Thomas Denzel and his team went on the journey to Saint Helena and met the people living on the island. Many of the residents are descendants of people who were sent into exile there by the British crown - the most famous among them, the French Emperor Napoleon. This is a report about life at the end of the world, loneliness, unique vegetation, and a very special journey.

Note: The Saint Helena is a volcanic island that has formed in the Atlantic Ocean around 14 million years ago during Miocene. The rocks are mostly basaltic but have distinct isotopic signature indicating the mixing of pelagic sediments with the magma. More details are available here.

This island has several endemic plant species that needs protection. It seems that endemic species are closely related with geology and climate.

Of the 68 avifauna species, 67 have become extinct and only the wirebird, the Saint Helena plover, survives. More details are available here.

[geoscientifix]

Turmeric has a lot of medicinal properties, and it has been widely used in south Indian food as one of the ingredients. This picture shows the flower of the turmeric plant. But what's the ecological importance of turmeric? It influences the microbiome of the soil that promotes plant growth. That can have significance in global carbon cycle.

[geoscientifix]

A Strategic Coordination Team for Wetlands Management created by Indonesia’s Ministry of National Planning or National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) in October aims to streamline the country’s efforts to meet its international Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and prioritize low-carbon development.

[geoscientifix]

Farmers usually allow this legume species to grow in their land. After it attained sufficient growth, they plough the land that not only increases the soil organic matter, but enriches the soil with nitrogen. Such amendments are paramount importance in organic farming. Moreover, the humic substances released during the decay of the organic matter might play a significant role in the availability of soil micronutrients to the crop.

[geoscientifix]

#palaeobotany #flowers #extinction #evolution

[geoscientifix]

The mosses play a critical role in weathering and the biogeochemical cycling of several trace elements. The organic acids released by mosses may be important in complexing trace elements, thereby influencing their speciation, bioavailability, and toxicity. The microbial community that thrives on the mosses is largely unknown. In certain regions of the world, mosses may have a significant role in the critical zone biogeochemistry.

#mosses #biogeochemistry #speciation #trace elements

[geoscientifix]

Critical zones are very much crucial in mobilising elements and their biogeochemical cycling. Its importance is being studied in the Critical Zone Laboratories worldwide. The kinetics of geochemical reactions may have a significant impact on the mobility of the geochemical elements.

https://eos.org/special-topics#critical-zone

[geoscientifix]

Rainfall measurement in the villages made easy.

In rural India, the grinding stones (Āṭṭukkal in Tamil) are quite common. They are used to grind soaked grains to prepare food for people as well as cattle. Apart from that, I have used it to measure the rainfall by measuring the volume of collected water. Divide the collected volume of water (in centimetre cube) by the area (centimetre square). Then, you shall get the rainfall in centimetre.

#rainfall

[geoscientifix]

Universality and the origin of life.

The law of life is unfounded. However, the emergence of complex systems from simpler one is inherent to scale-invariant processes. I believe that the “Universality Principle” shall explain the origin and evolution of the universe and the life forms on the Earth. You can find more information about universality here.

#origin of life

[geoscientifix]

The universality of Tracy-Widom distribution.

The Tracy-Widom distribution is quite essential in the understanding of biological evolution. Often it has been found that the normal or, log-normal distribution is inadequate to describe the elemental distribution in the rocks and sediments. I believe that the Tracy-Widom distribution should help us to understand the geochemical distribution of the chemical elements. Tracy-Widom distribution is applicable when interacting variables are there in the system, and that forms the basis for its application in the geosciences.