#park ranger -> data scientist

[parcai]

ngl this study is so sad 😩 it's not supposed 2 b but whatever i liked coding + doing the analysis 4 it instead, this interview shit is bullshit

like u gotta hear what they want to b vs what they think they're gonna b realistically ☹️ wtf.

[msenvs3000f24]

Unit 2 Blog

In my ideal role as an environmental interpreter, I would act as a vital conduit between the natural world and the public, fostering a deep understanding and appreciation of ecosystems, wildlife, and environmental challenges. My primary objective would be to inspire a profound connection between individuals and nature, motivating communities to proactively engage in environmental conservation. By making complex ecological concepts both accessible and engaging, I aim to cultivate a sense of stewardship and encourage sustainable practices among diverse audiences.

My role would involve:

Designing and leading educational programs for diverse audiences, including school groups, families, and tourists. These programs would include guided nature walks, interactive exhibits, and workshops on topics such as biodiversity, climate change, and conservation, aiming to create immersive experiences that deepen understanding and appreciation of the natural world.

Collaborating with educators, scientists, and designers to create informative and engaging exhibits at nature centers, parks, or museums. These exhibits would use multimedia elements to enhance visitor learning and interaction. 

Leading workshops for educators and community groups to provide them with the tools and knowledge to integrate environmental education into their activities and daily lives.

Organizing community clean-up events, facilitating discussions on environmental issues, and working with local schools and governments to promote sustainability.

Assisting with data collection, wildlife monitoring, and habitat restoration, and translating scientific research into accessible information to bridge the gap between conservation science and public understanding.

The key responsibilities for this role involve creating and delivering engaging interpretive programs that educate the public about local ecosystems, wildlife, and environmental challenges, with the aim of inspiring a deeper connection to nature and promoting sustainable behaviors. Additionally, the role includes collaborating with professionals to design exhibits that provide visitors with informative, hands-on experiences related to environmental conservation and natural history, with a focus on not just informing but also inspiring action. Community engagement is a significant part of the role, encompassing activities such as organizing local environmental events and leading discussions on conservation and sustainability, while building relationships with local communities. Another critical aspect involves supporting ongoing research efforts and creating compelling educational content, such as brochures, social media posts, and website articles, ensuring that all content is scientifically accurate and engaging. Collaboration with other environmental professionals, such as park rangers, biologists, and educators, is essential to keep interpretive materials and programs current and aligned with conservation goals. 

The ideal location for this role would offer rich biodiversity and diverse ecosystems, such as national parks and nature reserves like Yellowstone or Yosemite, which provide opportunities for outdoor education and direct engagement with visitors in natural surroundings. Wildlife sanctuaries or nature reserves, such as the Galapagos Islands or Serengeti National Park, also offer hands-on roles in conservation and education, working to protect endangered species and fragile ecosystems. Coastal areas, mountains, or wetlands with diverse ecosystems would present various teaching opportunities about local habitats, wildlife, and the importance of sustainability. Alternatively, urban settings like museums, environmental learning centers, and outdoor education hubs would offer platforms for engaging a broader audience, including school groups, tourists, and community members, to raise awareness about environmental issues in city environments.

To excel as an environmental interpreter, a range of skills are essential. Strong communication skills, both in public speaking and writing, are crucial to effectively convey complex environmental issues in an engaging and accessible manner. A deep understanding of environmental science, ecology, geology, and local ecosystems is necessary to provide accurate and relevant information. Creativity plays an important role in developing interactive, hands-on activities and engaging programs that create memorable learning experiences. Interpersonal skills are key for working collaboratively with diverse groups, including park rangers, biologists, educators, and volunteers, to deliver effective interpretive programs. Adaptability is also required to tailor educational programs based on varying audiences, environments, and emerging environmental concerns. Proficiency in technical skills, such as using digital tools, social media, and multimedia, is important for creating educational materials and engaging with the public. Finally, a strong personal connection to the natural world, combined with a passion for sharing that enthusiasm, is essential to inspire others toward conservation efforts.

[spacenutspod]

3 Min Read NASA’s Scientists and Volunteers Tackle the October 14 Solar Eclipse In this image captured during the October 14 annular solar eclipse we can see that the disk of the Sun was almost totally blocked by the smaller dark Moon. Between the horns of the crescent is a Baily’s Bead, a spot of sunlight peeking through a valley on the Moon’s apparent edge. Credits: Clinton Lewis, West Kentucky University Did you see October 14th’s solar eclipse? Most of the time we can easily forget that we are on a planet spinning and orbiting in space with other celestial bodies. Watching the Moon move across the face of the Sun reminds us of our place in the solar system.  Several NASA science teams and many NASA volunteers used the October 14 eclipse to collect data and test observation protocols, software, hardware, and logistics. They met enthusiastic crowds of people taking in the spectacle and making unique observations. The October eclipse was an “annular” eclipse, meaning that some sunlight always leaked around the edges of the moon. The next solar eclipse, on April 8, 2024, will be a total eclipse. Total eclipses are rare scientific opportunities, so NASA teams used the October eclipse to practice and prepare for the upcoming April eclipse. In New Mexico, the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta rolled right into an Annular Eclipse event! An estimated 100,000 people took in the view of the annular eclipse of the Sun from Albuquerque, which was directly on the path where the eclipse reached its maximum – the path of annularity. The crowd gathered for the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta and annular eclipse. Credit: Heather Fischer The 3-D NASA logo sits outside an exhibit tent at the Albuquerque Balloon fiesta and subsequent eclipse viewing event. Credit: Heather Fischer Elsewhere in New Mexico, the Eclipse Soundscapes team gathered in the Randall Davey Audubon Center & Sanctuary in Sante Fe. The project team deployed eight AudioMoth recording devices the day before the eclipse and retrieved them the day after the eclipse to support research on whether or not eclipses affect life – and sounds – on Earth.   They also recruited staff and visitors to the nearby Valles Caldera National Preserve to participate in Eclipse Soundscapes as Observers. Many folks used the prompting worksheets – and eclipse glasses – provided by Eclipse Soundscapes to record and report their multisensory experience of the eclipse.  Eclipse Soundscapes Team members Dr. Henry “Trae” Winter and MaryKay Severino, getting ready to deploy an AudioMoth device at the Randall Davey Audubon Center & Sanctuary in Sante Fe, NM Credit: MaryKay Severino Valles Caldera Park visitors used the Eclipse Soundscapes worksheet and eclipse glasses distributed by Park Rangers to learn more about the Eclipse Soundscapes project, take notes on what nature changes they heard, saw, or felt during the annular eclipse, and then use a QR code to submit their observations to the project.  Credit: MaryKay Severino The SunSketcher team gathered in Odessa, TX, together with other eclipse chasers,  to test their new cell phone app. This app will allow volunteers to help measure the size and shape of the Sun during April’s total eclipse. Credit: Clinton Lewis, West Kentucky University In this image captured during the October 14 annular solar eclipse we can see that the disk of the Sun was almost totally blocked by the smaller dark Moon. Between the horns of the crescent is a Baily’s Bead, a spot of sunlight peeking through a valley on the Moon’s apparent edge. Credit: Clinton Lewis, West Kentucky University The Dynamic Eclipse Broadcasting Initiative was also on the move. Project leader Bob Baer, student Nathan Culli, and collaborator Mike Kentrianakis gathered in Midland, TX, for a good view of the annular eclipse. They tested their set-up and managed to successfully broadcast their telescope view from sunny Texas back to their home institution of Southern Illinois University in cloudy Carbondale.  The DEB Initiative set up for testing pre-eclipse. Credit: Bob Baer and Mike Kentrianakis Members of the DEB Initiative under their reflective tent in Midland, TX, ready to broadcast their telescope view of the eclipse back to the stadium at their home institution of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Credit: Bob Baer and Mike Kentrianakis. Members of the Salt Lake Astronomical Society, NASA volunteers and others gather in anticipation of the October 14, 2023 annular eclipse. Credit: NASA volunteer Danny Roylance All in all, the day was a great success! On to April 8, 2024 and the total eclipse! More information:  Curious about the other eclipse science projects that you can join? Check out this website https://science.nasa.gov/heliophysics/programs/citizen-science/ and this cool video: https://twitter.com/i/status/1713910355842257261  Want to know more and keep up to date on all the Heliophysics Big Year events? Follow @NASASun on X.  Want another chance to see the October 14 annular eclipse? Check out the recording of NASA’s live stream of the eclipse at https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1zqKVqymlNPxB M Websites: https://debinitiative.org/ https://eclipsesoundscapes.org/ https://sunsketcher.org/ NASA’s Citizen Science Program:Learn about NASA citizen science projectsFollow on XFollow on Facebook 

[dear-indies]

This might sound stupid but I’m struggling coming with occupations that aren’t your usual doctor:nurse/firefighter/cop (yuck on the last) and could do some help <3

It's not stupid, anon! When I'm stuck for ideas I always ask my friends for inspiration. I would personally love to see muses who are blue-collar workers or unemployed but here are a random list of occupations in no particular order — zoologist, zookeeper, geologist, biologist, palaeontologist, microbiologist, librarian, retail worker, content creator / influencer, teacher, professor, barista, bartender, artist, singer, musician, professional athlete, writer (fiction? ghost writer? lyricist?), photographer, videographer, lawyer, store owner, massage therapist, beautician, hair dresser, makeup artist, fashion designer, interior designer, graphic designer, costume designer, web designer, farrier, actor, mechanic, developer, architect, childcare worker, B&B owner, animator, illustrator, chef, baker, sweet maker, stylist, programmer, data analyst, dog groomer, dog trainer, dog walker, receptionist, factory worker, florist, flight attendant, glass blower, groundskeeper, museum curator, handyman, carpenter, hotel employee, journalist, landscape architect, gardener, magazine editor, marine biologist, model, movie critic, nail technician, bodyguard / personal security, janitor, ranch hand, seamstress, tattoo artist, tour director, truck driver, au pair, sculptor, jeweller, fisherman, contractor, electrician, comedian, dancer, events organiser, wedding planner, taxi driver, researcher, interpreter, midwife, doula, personal trainer, tour guide, park ranger, scientist, nutritionist, veterinarian, judge, private investigator, blacksmith, chemist, engineer, magician, psychologist, and waiter.

[endlingmusings]

[ A female Sumatran rhinoceros, photographed by Cyril Ruoso. ]

“There is little doubt about the threats to Indonesia’s biodiversity. Sumatra, home to six critically endangered, iconic mammalian species found nowhere else—the Tapanuli orangutan, the Sumatran orangutan, the Sumatran tiger, the Sumatran rhinoceros, and the Sumatran elephant—has lost more than 80% of its lowland forests since the 1990s, to make room for pulpwood and oil palm plantations. Conflicts between humans and wildlife have become increasingly common. News stories frequently report elephants poisoned by angry farmers, tigers snared by poachers, and orangutans stranded in plantations.

Scientists and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) say producing reliable population estimates and mapping remaining habitats are crucial to conservation. The environment ministry’s provincial conservation agencies (BKSDA) and national park rangers have supported such work on the ground, for example by counting orangutan nests, collecting elephant dung samples, and setting camera traps for tigers. But researchers say KLHK’s headquarters has kept data from such efforts under wraps.

Wulan Pusparini, an Indonesian wildlife conservationist at the University of Oxford, says her DNA-based population survey has shown the elephant population in a national park in southern Sumatra declined by 75% between 2001 and 2015. Provincial BKSDA officials were “very supportive” when she presented those data in 2018, she says, “but it got stuck in Jakarta.” KLHK’s central office has not allowed her to publish the findings, Pusparini says.

In 2020, the Sumatran Elephant Conservation Forum, a consortium of scientists and conservationists from various NGOs and BKSDA offices, produced what it called an Urgent Action Plan describing remaining elephant populations, the threats they face, and how they could be protected. KLHK’s director of conservation signed and released the document, but the ministry retracted it a year later. Among the reasons was what KLHK called “a counterproductive statement against the government” in the plan.

Studies on other species have met a similar fate. KLHK has not approved a consortium’s estimate for Indonesia’s tiger population, submitted in 2016; the data remain unpublished. (“It is the best available knowledge so far,” says an Indonesian member of the team.) The ministry also disputes a recent report from a specialist group at the International Union for Conservation of Nature that estimates there are fewer than 50 Sumatran rhinos left in the wild. KLHK says it’s between 67 and 75.

As to orangutans, the op-ed by Meijaard and his colleagues took issue with an upbeat assessment by KLHK Minister Siti Nurbaya on World Orangutan Day, on 19 August. The minister stressed Indonesia’s commitment to conservation but said all three species in the country—including the Tapanuli orangutan, whose existence is threatened by a hydropower project in North Sumatra—would continue to “grow and thrive.” Yet “A wide range of scientific studies … show that all three orangutan species have declined in the past few decades and that nowhere are populations growing,” the authors countered in The Jakarta Post.”

- Excerpt from “Indonesia bans five foreign scientists, shelves conservation data” by Dyna Rochmyaningsih.

[themanilafolders]

Good News: Apparently Park Rangers Have Conducted Science!

Due to Intern Laureen reflexively biting a gnome, the scientist have said that park rangers accidentally conducted science.

They were very insistent that we write down any reactions that the gnome might have and asked to see the “data“ once we were done.

[mountrainiernps]

How do you measure a glacier?

Maybe you use photographs to make records of a glacier’s location over time?

Perhaps you use surveying equipment like theodolites or their current day equivalent with lasers and computers? Then you could repeatedly measure distances and elevations across the glacier and its surrounding lands.

Or you could use satellites and lidar-equipped aircraft to gather data from on high to analyze with computers?

And my favorite, steam drills and ablation stakes. Then you can study the lower stretches of a glacier over the year to look at changes as it melts and loses mass. (Compare this to the upper parts of the glacier where the snow and ice accumulate and add to the glacier’s mass.)

All these methods, and more have been used to study the Nisqually Glacier. When Longmire to Paradise road was developed early in the park’s history, it crossed the Nisqually River just a little bit below the end (or terminus) of the Nisqually Glacier. That made the Nisqually Glacier some what easy to access and study. With advances in transportation and scientific tools, the opportunities and data have increased.

Though the glacier is no longer visible from the road today, there are many viewpoints available. Do prefer the view from right outside your car at Ricksecker Point? Or maybe you enjoy the hikes at Paradise, like Nisqually Vista Trail or the Glacier Vista view from the Skyline Trail? What is your favorite place to enjoy the Nisqually Glacier? ~ams

NPS/Spillane Photo. View of Mount Rainier and Nisqually Glacier from Glacier View on the Skyline Trail at Paradise. August, 2014. NPS Photo. Black and white image of Nisqually Glacier and ice cream stand from location near current road and bring over the Nisqually Bridge. 1915. NPS Climbing Ranger Photo. Park scientists placing an ablation stake in lower Nisqually Glacier. 2013.

More information on Mount Rainier’s glaciers can be found here https://www.nps.gov/mora/learn/nature/glaciers.htm

[theprettyflow]

Why global warming Occures?  

Global warming is a gradual increase in temperature near the Earth's surface. This phenomenon has been observed over the last 1-2 centuries. These changes have affected global climate standards. However, while the concept of global warming disagrees, scientists have provided important data to support the fact that global warming is on the increase.

A lot of things cause global warming and it's bad for people, plants and animals. The causes can be natural or result from human activities. Understanding the negative aspects of the world is crucial to solving the problem. The reasons for global warming are as follows ------

Change in Solar use

Changes in solar radiation are not the main cause of the global warming seen a few years ago, according to a new study.

Scientists have traced the changes in our parental energy released starting in the 17th century and found that the solar cycle, which takes place almost every 11 years, still has no significant role in global warming.

Global warming has been observed by climate change which began in the 17th century over 100 years ago. Most studies show that this increase in temperature can be attributed to the greater number of greenhouses in the global climate.

Cutting trees  

British Columbia's Rangers cut down on state park surveillance, and hunters took the opportunity to steal cedar lumber from protected areas. 800 year old block of red cedar in Carmanah Walbran Provincial Park. , Vancouver.

By the time the park staff saw what was going on, it was too late. Since 80% of the base of the giant cedar has already been cut, rangers have no choice but to smash the tree and let it explode into the ground. But these selfish, fearless poachers returned, chopped logs, loaded lumber into trucks, and ran with thousands of dollars worth of cedar. When you add this demand to wood products as well as the demand for agriculture, oil and land, the problem of deforestation gets worse every day. And although it may sound depressing, deforestation has a major impact on global warming..

Earth's  Feedback Loop 

There are drawbacks of the air inlet loop and advantages of the air inlet loop. A good feedback loop results in an additional increase in temperature, and a negative feedback loop results in an increase in temperature.

The security system has multiple entry loops. An example is melting ice. Because ice is brightly colored and reflective, more sunlight hits the ice in space, limiting the warming of the ice. But as the earth warms, the ice melts, exposing brown or water below. As a result, more solar energy is absorbed, more heat, more ice melts, and so on. An example of negative feedback is when the temperature rises as the air rises. Cloudy or congested weather can reduce solar radiation and limit heating. However, it is not clear where the latitude and when new cloud cover will occur. It is not yet clear what type of cloud can be created. Thicker clouds are more likely to block sunlight than overhead cirrus clouds.

Industrial Reasons 

Scientists have long pondered the link between industry and global warming, but major research into the issue did not begin until the 20th century. In 1896, Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius was the first to say that the bone marrow could add carbon dioxide to the Earth's atmosphere and raise the Earth's temperature.

However, during this period and many years later,  Arheniuss's  findings on the greenhouse were rejected by major research communities, determining that the changes These extreme weather events will not occur by humans and can occur. slowly produce over tens of thousands of years. . At the time, scientists generally believed that the great oceans would absorb most of the carbon dioxide produced by industry.

[doineedastone]

Prompts: Careers

The four types of Jobs: Thinkers, Builders, Improvers, and Producers. Thinkers produce an idea, Builders convert the idea into reality, Improvers make it better, and Producers do the work in a repeatable manner to deliver goods and services to customers. (Source-Amtec.com)

Horticulturist

Wildlife specialist

Fortune cookie writer

Sommelier

Antique Doll Maker

Art therapist

Master distiller/winemaker/brewmaster

Railroad conductor

Nurse-midwife

Scuba diving pizza delivery man(its a real thing)

Bounty Hunter

CIA analyst

Waterslide tester

Warden of The Swans

Park Rangers

Data scientist

Ash Artist

Chocolatiers

Fake Facebooker(write a love story outta that)

Professional Mourner

Teddy Bear Surgeon

Iceberg mover

Panda Nanny

Optometrist

Mangaka

Ayurveda Healer

Feng Shui Consultant

Color expert

Pick-up artist instructor

Knocker-upper

Ressurectionist

Zombie

[swissmissficrecs]

Best Fics of 2018

Once again, this was a bumper year for fan fiction in the Sherlock BBC fandom*, with a few very long-anticipated fics coming to completion alongside some recent smash hits from established authors and even a couple of newer and lesser-known writers hitting it out of the ballpark. My picks are all, unsurprisingly, long, plotty, angsty Johnlock fics, featuring in particular post-series 4 fixits and Parentlock along with AU's, especially other professions and fusions/crossovers. What they all have in common though, is being of absolutely stellar quality not just in the technical aspects of the writing, but also the handling of themes, the character work, and the emotional impact. Any one of these could be a published book, and perhaps in the near future, some actually will be!

* (I also snuck in one ACD series because it’s my list and I can.)

My caveat as always: this list is obviously skewed toward my own personal preferences and reading habits. There are plenty of other fics that I loved, and even more that I simply didn’t get around to reading (yet), so it’s not a judgment if your favorite (or one you wrote) isn’t on here. Think of this as a sampling rather than a definitive list. I hope this will help you to re-acquaint yourself with fics you loved, give a chance to others you may have skipped the first time round, and possibly discover something entirely new and astonishing.

So here they are, in descending order of length:

The Men Who Talked Between the Words (439746 words) by Odamaki Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade Summary: John expected to be a father some day; he expected to have the house, and the wife and the nice suburban job. Sherlock never expected to have children, in part because he never expected to make it past 30. As it turns out, you don't get a choice. Crammed into Baker Street with a baby, John struggles with single-parenthood and his own fears, while Sherlock treads the fine line between doing too little and saying too much.

Gravity (English Version) (282983 words) by kirin_calls Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Greg Lestrade/John Watson, Sherlock Holmes/Victor Trevor, John Watson/Victor Trevor Summary: Part 1: When John takes up mixed martial arts training, he doesn't expect it to lead to a new relationship. But there are darker things afoot at the gym, and John is soon drawn in deeper than he wants. When an old flame from Sherlock's past turns up, it's time for everyone to declare their loyalties... and for John to finally discover where his heart truly belongs. / Part 2: John is struggling with his loss. Plagued by nightmares, his life gone topsy-turvy, he is no longer able to lead a normal existence. As he seeks out some stability, some way to slowly pull himself up out of the morass of his grief, old rivals become friends and details about Sherlock's past come to light, leading John to discover something strange that won't let him go.

Radioactive Trees In A Red Forest (280332 words) by Maribor_Petrichor Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Summary: John Watson is what happens when a man can no longer see a reason to go on. John Watson is what happens when a man starts to let go. "It is what it is." John Watson is what happens when what "it is" becomes too much to bear. This is a story of the life, death, and resurrection of John Hamish Watson.

The Bluest of Blue (196473 words) by SinceWhenDoYouCallMe_John Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Molly Hooper/Greg Lestrade Summary: John Watson's 10th season as a Denali National Park Ranger was shaping up to look like all the years before. Until a special team from Europe was flown into the Park for a summer-long wolf-tracking research project, and the head of that research team was wearing a perfectly tailored suit.

Scar Tissue (192179 words) by J_Baillier, 7PercentSolution Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Summary: John has scarcely recovered from his Afghanistan tour when Sherlock is injured at work, putting their already strained relationship to the test.

A Game of Hearts (162553 words) by zmethos Rating: Mature Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, John Watson/OMC Summary: Seven stories written circa 2010, after the first series/season of Sherlock but before Season 2. Therefore, none of these stories reflect anything from Season 2 onward! Think of it as an alternate timeline or something. Slow build of a relationship between Sherlock and John. Gets quite dark in places. [Note: This is an AO3 repost of a fic from fanfiction.net.]

Drift Compatible (130546 words) by J_Baillier Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Summary: A washed out war hero struggling with his past. A prodigy who wants nothing to do with his family legacy. Both are looking for something—and someone—worth fighting for in a world where human civilisation is constantly under threat.

The Burning Heart (119461 words) by May_Shepard Rating: Mature Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, John Watson/Original Male Character(s) Summary: When Sherlock dies, John Watson feels like his life is over too. He’s completely shut down, until Mark Morstan, a new nurse at John’s medical clinic, catches his attention, and helps him uncover the long buried truth of his attraction to men. Although he’s certain he’ll never get over Sherlock, John plans to move on, and build a new life with Mark, unaware that Sherlock is not quite as dead as he appears, and that Mark is hiding secrets of his own.

Maintenance and Repair (106650 words) by patternofdefiance Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, John Watson/OFC Summary: John wants to explain the rush of sensation and data, which is just another form of sensation (or is it the other way around?). John wants to say: Augmentation circuits report temperature, pressure, various forms of quantitative input. Sudden changes are reported as pain, since sudden changes are dangerous, and pain is the quickest way to encourage reflexive extraction. But all John can manage is, “Nng.” Because this sudden touch is not reporting as pain.

The Wedding Garments (105390 words) by cwb Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Summary: This is the story of a young consulting detective who wants nothing to do with marriage and an army doctor who wants to find true love. It's 2020 post-Brexit England and the British government is encouraging arranged marriages. Candidates meet through state-run agencies and date in hopes of finding love (and tax benefits). Sherlock doesn't need or want a spouse, at least not until John Watson shows up. Hesitant to give in to his more carnal urges because of the way they derail his mind, how will Sherlock progress toward the more intimate aspects of a relationship? The answer lies in a very special wedding gift.

Kintsukuroi (91822 words) by sussexbound Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Summary: “I love you.” Sherlock sees the words hit John with almost physical force. He reels back a little, jaw twitching and eyes filling. “I love you,” he repeats, a little softer, a little more gentle, as earnest as he possibly can. Because they’ve been teetering on the brink of this thing for years, and it had become painfully obvious over the last few months that they were at a tipping point. This had to happen. Now it has. Now they can see where they end up. The tears in John’s eyes spill over, and he wipes at them angrily. “Do you even know what that means?”

Missing Pages (78852 words) by PlaidAdder Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mary Morstan/Violet Hunter Summary: This is a group of interlinked short stories (most between 2000 and 7000 words) which tell the story of how Holmes and Watson really came to be separated at the Reichenbach Falls, and how they found each other again. Each story is in the form of a document--a letter, a journal, a surveillance report, an affidavit, etc.--which is linked to one or more ACD canon tales, and which tells us something about that story that was changed or suppressed in Watson's published account of it. Holmes/Watson, with glimpses of other relationships.

Summit Fever (78782 words) by J_Baillier Rating: Mature Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, James Sholto/John Watson, James Sholto/OFC Summary: After graduating from medical school, John Watson followed his heart to the Himalayas. Ten years later, he's a haunted cynic working for his ex-lover's trekking and mountaineering company. Will leading an expedition to Annapurna I—the most lethal of all the world's highest mountains—shake John out of his reverie, and who is the mystery client added to the group at the last minute? 

The Vapor Variant (72684 words) by 88thParallel Rating: Mature Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade Summary: Little did Sherlock know that the vapor to which he exposed John was a bioweapon— containing a bioengineered hybrid virus. Now, John is fighting for his life in the early stages of encephalitis, and it’s down to Sherlock and a team of scientists to save him, if they can only find him first. Sherlock needs to keep fear and guilt from getting the better of him if he’s to salvage his relationship with John—and that’s assuming the love of his life even survives….

Roommates are for little people (69055 words) by alexxphoenix42 Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Summary: John was looking forward to seeing his friends back at uni, but a new year brings new complications, not the least of which is a dorm room with only one bed, and a stroppy roommate with an utterly spectacular arse. God, John doesn't need the headache.

Masters of Ink (67482 words) by Indybaggins Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Summary: John has a triple-coiled tattoo machine in his hand and a row of inks at the ready. He has gloves on, a willing client in front of him, and a detailed stencil. He is ready to win this bloody competition. Except he’s competing against Sherlock Holmes... First-meeting-on-a-reality-show AU, Ink Master edition! There is expert tattooing, slightly less expert flirting, and two men falling hard. But John is married, and they can’t all win.

floating through a dark blue sky (58872 words) by Lediona Rating: Mature Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Summary: Of course, I’d seen his films and always thought he was, well, brilliant -- but, you know, a million miles from the world I live in. *** Or, when John is the owner of a travel book shop and the famous Sherlock Holmes stops in one day. [Notting Hill fusion]

The Wolf (55817 words) by Laur Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Summary: Sherlock gets it wrong. Days, months, even years in the future, Sherlock’s oversight during the Baskerville case will continue to torment him, but nothing about that night will ever be as painfully vivid as the memory of John’s screams. This is how it begins.

Christmas Time After Time (41473 words) by PlaidAdder Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mary Morstan/John Watson, Clara/Harry Watson Summary: John's not really big on Christmas; and this year, the first after Mary's death, he's not feeling it. Everyone's away, Sherlock's on a case--alone--and Rosie's asleep. But that's all right. He's fine. He'll just have a quiet Christmas Eve by himself, drinking in front of the telly. Only out there in time and space, there's another Doctor who thinks that sounds like the saddest thing ever. And she's going to do something about it. Thirteen takes John on a whirlwind tour of Christmases past and future. The more he learns about this time travel thing, the more John starts to wonder: how did his current timeline become...what it is? And might these alternatives hold the key to a less miserable present, and maybe a brighter future?

Whiteout (37041 words) by SinceWhenDoYouCallMe_John Rating: Mature Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Summary: A documentary crew follows the Matterhorn aerial rescue team from Air Zermatt, profiling the mechanics, pilots, and paramedics as they save patients on the infamous mountain. Their camera may catch more than they're looking for, however, when it comes to a certain paramedic named John Watson. . .

The Winter Garden (31211 words) by Callie4180 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Summary: As Sherlock nears the end of his career, he's given the gift of a cottage in Sussex. The honey from the beehives out back is amazing. Almost...magical.

A Home for Us (30583 words) by sussexbound Rating: Mature Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Summary: He has been on the road for two years, and he is exhausted. He’s almost accepted that he will never see London (John) again—almost. But then there are nights like tonight, where he is weak, and all he can think of is the warmth of the flat they once shared, the crackle of the fire in the hearth, the teasing smile playing at the corner of John’s lips, the boxes of half-eaten Chinese takeaway balanced precariously in their laps. He aches at the memory of it, at the realisation that it is something he may never experience again.

Another Auld Lang Syne (30234 words) by DiscordantWords Rating: Mature Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Summary: There had been years of missed chances.

A Singular Friendship (28679 words) by agirlsname Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Summary: Sherlock is closer to John than anyone has ever been. It's almost like a relationship - but John isn't gay, so it's clearly not. Not even when they hold hands and hug every day, not even when they sleep in the same bed, not even when they cuddle every morning...

Stradivarius (20298 words) by Berty Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Summary: Life goes back to what passes for normal at 221B Baker Street. Sherlock's back and his scars have faded. John's still a confirmed bachelor and his nightmares have mostly ceased. So why are there awkward pauses and uncertain glances? Why are they both on their best behaviour? It's been a long, cold winter in London and there's more to come before spring arrives.

One Good Scare (17381 words) by blueink3 Rating: Mature Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Summary: Mummy invites Sherlock, John, and Rosie to the country for her birthday, which just so happens to coincide with the annual Harvest Festival, an event Sherlock loathes. With John seemingly making the wrong move at every turn and with ghosts hiding in each of their closets, what will it take for their (Halloween) masks to finally come off?

Oh, my friends, it's been a long hard year (11914 words) by splix Rating: Mature Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade, Mr. Chatterjee/Mrs. Hudson, Sherlock Holmes' Father/Mummy (Sherlock) Summary: Christmas is rubbish this year.

[scifigeneration]

Joshua trees facing extinction

They outlived mammoths and saber-toothed tigers. But without dramatic action to reduce climate change, new research shows Joshua trees won't survive much past this century.

UC Riverside scientists wanted to verify earlier studies predicting global warming's deadly effect on the namesake trees that millions flock to see every year in Joshua Tree National Park. They also wanted to learn whether the trees are already in trouble.

Using multiple methods, the study arrived at several possible outcomes. In the best-case scenario, major efforts to reduce heat-trapping gasses in the atmosphere would save 19 percent of the tree habitat after the year 2070. In the worst case, with no reduction in carbon emissions, the park would retain a mere 0.02 percent of its Joshua tree habitat.

The team's findings were published recently in Ecosphere. Project lead Lynn Sweet, a UCR plant ecologist, said she hopes the study inspires people to take protective environmental action. "The fate of these unusual, amazing trees is in all of our hands," she said. "Their numbers will decline, but how much depends on us."

To answer their questions about whether climate change is already having an effect, a large group of volunteers helped the team gather data about more than 4,000 trees.

They found that Joshua trees have been migrating to higher elevation parts of the park with cooler weather and more moisture in the ground. In hotter, drier areas, the adult trees aren't producing as many younger plants, and the ones they do produce aren't surviving.

Joshua trees as a species have existed since the Pleistocene era, about 2.5 million years ago, and individual trees can live up to 300 years. One of the ways adult trees survive so long is by storing large reserves of water to weather droughts.

Younger trees and seedlings aren't capable of holding reserves in this way though, and the most recent, 376-week-long drought in California left the ground in some places without enough water to support new young plants. As the climate changes, long periods of drought are likely to occur with more frequency, leading to issues with the trees like those already observed.

An additional finding of this study is that in the cooler, wetter parts of the park the biggest threat other than climate change is fire. Fewer than 10 percent of Joshua trees survive wildfires, which have been exacerbated in recent years by smog from car and industrial exhaust. The smog deposits nitrogen on the ground, which in turn feeds non-native grasses that act as kindling for wildfires.

As a partner on this project, the U.S. Park Service is using this information to mitigate fire risk by removing the invasive plants.

"Fires are just as much a threat to the trees as climate change, and removing grasses is a way park rangers are helping to protect the area today," Sweet said. "By protecting the trees, they're protecting a host of other native insects and animals that depend on them as well."

UCR animal ecologist and paper co-author Cameron Barrows conducted a similar research project in 2012, which also found Joshua tree populations would decline, based on models assuming a temperature rise of three degrees. However, this newer study considered a climate change scenario using twice as many variables, including soil-water estimates, rainfall, soil types, and more. In addition, Barrows said on-the-ground observations were essential to verifying the climate models this newer team had constructed.

Quoting the statistician George Box, Barrows said, "All models are wrong, but some are useful." Barrows went on to say, "Here, the data we collected outdoors showed us where our models gave us the most informative glimpse into the future of the park."

For this study, the UC Riverside Center for Conservation Biology partnered with Earthwatch Institute to recruit the volunteer scientists. Barrows and Sweet both recommend joining such organizations as a way to help find solutions to the park's problems.

"I hope members of the public read this and think, 'Someone like me could volunteer to help scientists get the kind of data that might lend itself to concrete, protective actions,'" Barrows said.

[rjzimmerman]

I’ll use one of my own photos of joshua trees, within Joshua Tree National Park, rather than the stock photo used in this article:

I was one of the original “citizen scientists” behind the study that is described in this Mother Nature Network article about the survival of joshua trees in our era of changing climate. So I feel like a part of this, which makes me feel productive and helpful. I worked for the scientists and rangers and staff who did the research and wrote the research article, which was published last month in Ecosphere. Here’s the link to the research paper, if you want to read it or look at the infographics. It’s exceedingly dense....very very science oriented.

Excerpt from this article:

Dramatic-looking Joshua trees have survived since the Pleistocene era, about 2.5 million years. Now, because of climate change, their extinction is looming.

In a new study, researchers and a team of volunteers gathered data on more than 4,000 trees in Joshua Tree National Park in southern California. They discovered the trees have been migrating to parts of the park with higher elevations that offer cooler weather and more moisture in the ground — safe zones for the trees. Adult trees in drier, hotter areas aren't producing as many young plants, and those that are produced aren't surviving.

Their findings were published in the journal Ecosphere.

Considering the predicted impacts of climate change, the researchers estimated how many of these safe zones — or "refugia" — would survive. They predict that in the very best-case scenario, if major steps are taken to lower carbon emissions, about 19% of the trees will remain after 2070.

However, if things continue as they are and there's no attempt to reduce carbon emissions and temperatures continue to rise, only .02% of the trees will remain.

"The fate of these unusual, amazing trees is in all of our hands," lead study author Lynn Sweet, a plant ecologist at the University of California, Riverside said in a statement. "Their numbers will decline, but how much depends on us."

[sciencespies]

Human activities degrade hippopotamus homes at Bui National Park, Ghana, researchers find

https://sciencespies.com/nature/human-activities-degrade-hippopotamus-homes-at-bui-national-park-ghana-researchers-find/

Human activities degrade hippopotamus homes at Bui National Park, Ghana, researchers find

The Bui National Park is one of the few areas where the common hippopotamus resides in Ghana. The combined resources of the Black Volta River and the abundance of grasses make the area very suitable for hippopotamus. However, in an attempt to solve the electricity crisis the country faced in 2007, the government of Ghana constructed a hydroelectric dam in the heart of their home.

Knowing the consequence of dam creation on aquatic species, scientists Godfred Bempah, Martin Kobby Grant, Changhu Lu, and Amaël Borzée from Nanjing Forestry University, China, wanted to understand how the hippopotamus, a mega semi-aquatic species, was impacted by this project. The results have been published in the journal Nature Conservation. Assessing the impact of the dam construction can advise policy and decision making in future projects like this.

The researchers spent 24 days (2 days per month for 12 months) at the Bui National Park to estimate the number of hippopotamus individuals and understand local migratory activities, as well as to assess changes in land cover in the area after the dam was constructed. They then compared this information with historical data to understand the ecological changes within the area.

To complement the field surveys, the researchers spoke to local people familiar with the reserve before and after the dam construction. These included fishermen, canoe operators and park rangers. During the interactive discussion, all of them stated that the numbers of hippopotamus have declined compared to periods before the dam construction. They attributed the decline to poaching and habitat destruction.

The results indicated a decline in hippo numbers of about 70%: from 209 individuals in 2003 to 64 individuals in 2021.

The study revealed noticeable changes in land cover after the dam construction, and, most importantly, a decline in forest cover, as well as destruction of riparian grasses, the habitat preferred by the hippopotamus. The increase in water levels flooded the areas where the animals used to reside, forcing them to disperse to other suitable areas. As they dispersed, the animals became vulnerable to poaching, which combined with habitat loss eventually led to a decline in hippopotamus numbers. It is possible that some of the animals might have successfully moved to other areas outside the reserve.

The hippopotamus is listed as Vulnerable to extinction by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

In conclusion, the authors note that the number of common hippopotamus individuals in the park has declined following the dam construction, in connection with habitat destruction and poaching. Once these threats are removed, the hippopotamus can survive in the medium to long term, when effective management plans are implemented.

Story Source:

Materials provided by Pensoft Publishers. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

#Nature

[xtruss]

The World’s Oldest Tree Has Competition

Will a Patagonian cypress in Chile prove older than California’s most elderly bristlecone pine?

A gnarled bristlecone pine tree known as Methuselah has withstood thousands of snowy winters and blazing summers in California’s Eastern Sierra.

— By Alissa Greenberg | Wednesday July 27, 2022 | Nature | PBS—NOVA

"Methuselah," a bristlecone pine in California long considered to be the world's oldest tree. Image Credit: Yen Chao, Flickr

High on a ridge in California’s Eastern Sierra, a gnarled bristlecone pine known as Methuselah has reigned over almost five millennia’s worth of snowy winters and blazing summers. Methuselah, whose crooked and weather-beaten boughs make it look more like a sculpture than a living thing, is estimated to be 4,853 years old, based on data from a core sample taken in 1957—making it the oldest tree in the world.

Until now. This year, an upstart competitor has appeared to challenge California’s grizzly old-timer. Nicknamed Alerce Milenario, or Gran Abuelo, which means great grandfather in Spanish, it sits in a humid valley outside La Unión, Chile. As reported in Science in May, researcher Jonathan Barichivich says new data suggest the tree might hold a new record: 5,484 years old. (That record excludes clonal trees that share root systems, like aspen colonies, Science specified. In the search for the oldest tree, scientists focus on individuals with just one trunk.)

Gran Abuelo is an alerce, or Patagonian cypress, a type of conifer related to giant sequoias and coast redwoods. Like their Californian cousins, alerces can grow to very old age; at least one other alerce in southern Chile has been dated at 3,600 years old. That makes the species the second longest-lived in the world—older than sequoias but not quite at the bristlecone pine level. And Barichivich knows alerces well. He grew up around them, including Gran Abuelo, since his grandfather and mother both worked as rangers in the park where Gran Abuelo grows. He says his grandfather discovered the tree around 1972. “It’s a tree that’s very, very close to our hearts,” he told Science.

Standard practice in dendrochronology, the science of determining tree age, involves counting rings from a thin core taken from the living tree, then comparing those rings to patterns in cores from trees nearby. But Barichivich ran into a problem: Gran Abuelo’s trunk was so wide that his increment borer, the instrument usually used to take age cores, could not reach all the way through. And while in similar cases some dendrochronologists might take samples from the roots to supplement or confirm available data, Barichivich was concerned that that might damage the tree's roots, which have already struggled under the footsteps of curious tourists coming to see their arboreal elder. "It's not the point to make a big hole in the tree just to know that it's the oldest,” he told Live Science. “The scientific challenge is to estimate the age without being too invasive to the tree."

Intead, Barichivich used statistical modeling to estimate Gran Abuelo’s age, drawing on data from fully cored alerces nearby and incorporating possible growth rate variation and fluctuations caused by climate and environment. The result that the model suggested shocked him. The absolute oldest the tree might be was 6,000 years, it said. There was an 80% chance that the tree was over 5,000 years old, with an overall estimated age of 5,484. “It was astonishing,” he told Science.

Though Science reported on Barichivich’s findings in May, he has yet to publish them fully in a peer-reviewed journal. His fellow dendrochronologists have therefore greeted his claims with a mix of intrigue and doubt. “I fully trust the analysis that Jonathan has made,” Swiss Federal Institute of Technology dendrochronologist Harald Bugmann told Science. “It sounds like a very smart approach.”

But others remain skeptical. “The ONLY way to truly determine the age of a tree is by dendrochronologically counting the rings, and that requires ALL rings being present or accounted for,” Ed Cook, a founding director of Columbia University’s Tree Ring Laboratory, told the publication via email. Similarly, Peter Brown, who has produced a database of the oldest trees on Earth and serves as Guinness World Records’ consultant on the oldest tree, told The San Francisco Chronicle that the project is “awfully interesting,” but he wants to see the details before coming to any conclusions. Plus, he pointed out to National Geographic, Gran Abuelo’s estimated age is over 1,500 years older than the next oldest alerce, which is a pretty big jump. (Barichivich stands by his estimate, citing the “growth-lifespan tradeoff” to Live Science, a theory that posits that slow-growing species tend to live longer—and alerces grow slower than both sequoias and bristlecone pines.)

Ultimately, Barichivich emphasizes that “the objective is to protect the tree, not to make headlines or break records.” He told Newsweek he was going public with his research out of concern for Gran Abuelo’s wellbeing, estimating that only 28% of the tree is still alive. (Trees possess a remarkable ability to compartmentalize decay, walling off areas that have been invaded by fungi and microorganisms and prioritizing growth in other areas.) Not only do tourists come too close for comfort, he said, but the tree is currently encircled by a platform that is crushing the remaining living roots. He and his colleagues would like to see the park where the tree lives erect a protective net and move the walkway further from those roots. "To me, this tree is like a family member,” he said. “Seeing him like this is breaking my heart.”

Meanwhile in California, the guardians of Methuselah told The San Francisco Chronicle that they’re “not concerned” about the southern challenger but are intrigued by Barichivich’s innovations. “Perhaps there are other older trees out there waiting to be discovered with this new potential dating method,” ranger Andrew Kennedy said.

That may include in Methuselah’s own backyard. In 1959, a tree ring researcher from University of Arizona collected cores from several of Methuselah’s ancient neighbors, suspecting some might be even older—but died before he could complete his analysis, The Chronicle reports. Then in 2010, another researcher restarted the project, finding one core that seemed to suggest a still-living tree might be 5,062 years old. But that researcher died before the work was complete as well—and then the cores were lost.

Meanwhile, these most ancient of trees, having witnessed countless births and deaths and virtually all of modern human history, live on.

[dendroica]

Scientists stunned by decline of birds during epic Southern African roadtrip

A two year project to repeat a famous bird survey by driving over 20,000km in a 4x4 across Botswana has confirmed researchers' fears: many birds of prey are fast disappearing from one of Africa's last great wilderness areas. Reported sightings of iconic species of eagle and vulture declined by as much as 80% compared with the previous survey, while some migrant species recorded last time have vanished, according to the study published this week in the international scientific journal Biological Conservation.

The data is based on a return trip to a network of roads criss-crossing most of Northern Botswana, an area first surveyed over twenty years ago by a former Wildlife Biologist with the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Botswana, Dr. Marc Herremans. Researchers retraced Herremans's route across gravel and tar roads in a similar vehicle to the one he used and driving at the same speeds. They spotted birds with the naked eye, only using binoculars to positively identify bird species—as per the original survey. The resurvey focussed on 29 raptor species and compared their encounter rate with Herremans's original records.

"The main motivation for doing the work was to explore whether vultures and other raptor numbers had declined in Botswana like they have in many other areas of Africa" says Associate Professor Arjun Amar from the Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology at the University of Cape Town which conducted the study in collaboration with conservation NGO Raptors Botswana.

Amar, who supervised the research, says the sharp decline in sightings is unexpected: "Although declines in raptor populations have been seen elsewhere in Africa, particularly across West Africa, we were not expecting these declines to be quite so dramatic in Botswana which has a relatively low human population size and where nearly 40% of the land is under some form of protection" Species declines were detected for 14 out of 29 species monitored. Eleven of these species declined by over half in the last 20 years.

Some of the species showing the greatest declines are the White-headed and Lappet Faced vultures, African Hawk Eagle, Secretary Bird, Bateleur Eagle, and Red-necked Falcon. Only three species showed an increase in their abundance: the Brown and Black Chested Snake-eagles and the Tawny Eagle.

The study does not pinpoint the cause of the declines. However, conservationists say vultures in particular are vulnerable to poisoning by poachers for whom the birds' habit of circling carrion is a threat—because it might draw attention of game rangers inside protected areas. Another recent study found a third of all vultures caught and tested in a separate Botswana study showed elevated levels of lead in their blood mostly likely due to ingesting bullet-contaminated flesh.

[mountrainiernps]

National Park Service employees cover a wide range of job titles. We have plumbers, engineering equipment operators, visual information specialists, park rangers, budget officers. We also have archaeologists, wildlife biologists and park geologists.

A geologist?

Yes, a park geologist. When your national park is a volcano with glaciers and rivers, it’s good to have someone who studies the earth, its structures (like volcanoes) and the processes that change it over time (like vulcanism, weathering, and erosion).

Because of Mount Rainier’s steep slopes, good size glaciers and strong rivers, our park geologist needs a lot of tools to study what’s going on around the mountain. One important tool are river gauges. With rivers on every side of the mountain, it’s hard to see what’s going on all the time. River gauges and their stations can relay the information to park computers and the web (http://www.morageology.com/). This lets park and regional scientists study and analyze data and patterns much faster. Then they can talk with park staff, management and outside groups about what to do. That’s a very important tool for geologists (and all us weather junkies). ~ams

NPS Photo (top). The White River and it’s river bed near a river gauge. NPS Photo (middle). Park scientist in the river affixing a tube to hold a sensor for the river gauge. NPS Photo (bottom). Park employee working on weather station that uploads river data for analysis.