States that care about the health, well being and longevity of their people need to assess each such incinerator on a regular basis and offer research grants to develop a better method to capture and contain any Greenhouse Gas Emissions, but, more importantly emissions that cause harm or potential down wind infections. Not all medical waste, including bacteria or viruses, are killed in an incinerator.
3.2 Emissions And Controls 2,4,7-43 (click here)
Medical waste incinerators can emit significant quantities of pollutants to the atmosphere.
These pollutants include: (1) particulate matter (PM), (2) metals, (3) acid gases, (4) oxides of nitrogen
(NOx), (5) carbon monoxide (CO), (6) organics, and (7) various other materials present in medical
wastes, such as pathogens, cytotoxins, and radioactive diagnostic materials.
Particulate matter is emitted as a result of incomplete combustion of organics (i. e., soot) and
by the entrainment of noncombustible ash due to the turbulent movement of combustion gases.
Particulate matter may exit as a solid or an aerosol, and may contain heavy metals, acids, and/or trace
organics.
Uncontrolled particulate emission rates vary widely, depending on the type of incinerator,
composition of the waste, and the operating practices employed. Entrainment of PM in the incinerator
exhaust is primarily a function of the gas velocity within the combustion chamber containing the solid
waste. Controlled air incinerators have the lowest turbulence and, consequently, the lowest PM
emissions; rotary kiln incinerators have highly turbulent combustion, and thus have the highest PM
emissions.
The type and amount of trace metals in the flue gas are directly related to the metals contained
in the waste. Metal emissions are affected by the level of PM control and the flue gas temperature.
Most metals (except mercury) exhibit fine-particle enrichment and are removed by maximizing small
particle collection. Mercury, due to its high vapor pressure, does not show significant particle
enrichment, and removal is not a function of small particle collection in gas streams at temperatures
greater than 150°C (300°F).
Acid gas concentrations of hydrogen chloride (HCl) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) in MWI flue
gases are directly related to the chlorine and sulfur content of the waste. Most of the chlorine, which
is chemically bound within the waste in the form of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and other chlorinated
compounds, will be converted to HCl. Sulfur is also chemically bound within the materials making up
medical waste and is oxidized during combustion to form SO2
Oxides of nitrogen (NOx) represent a mixture of mainly nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide
(NO2). They are formed during combustion by: (1) oxidation of nitrogen chemically bound in the
waste, and (2) reaction between molecular nitrogen and oxygen in the combustion air. The formation
of NOx is dependent on the quantity of fuel-bound nitrogen compounds, flame temperature, and
air/fuel ratio.
Carbon monoxide is a product of incomplete combustion. Its presence can be related to
insufficient oxygen, combustion (residence) time, temperature, and turbulence (fuel/air mixing) in the
combustion zone.
Failure to achieve complete combustion of organic materials evolved from the waste can result
in emissions of a variety of organic compounds. The products of incomplete combustion (PICs) range
from low molecular weight hydrocarbon (e. g., methane or ethane) to high molecular weight
compounds (e. g., polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans [CDD/CDF]). In general,
combustion conditions required for control of CO (i. e., adequate oxygen, temperature, residence time,
and turbulence) will also minimize emissions of most organics.
Emissions of CDDs/CDFs from MWIs may occur as either a vapor or as a fine particulate.
Many factors are believed to be involved in the formation of CDDs/CDFs and many theories exist concerning the formation of these compounds. In brief, the best supported theories involve four
mechanisms of formation.2 The first theory states that trace quantities of CDDs/CDFs present in the
refuse feed are carried over, unburned, to the exhaust. The second theory involves formation of
CDDs/CDFs from chlorinated precursors with similar structures. Conversion of precursor material to
CDDs/CDFs can potentially occur either in the combustor at relatively high temperatures or at lower
temperatures such as are present in wet scrubbing systems. The third theory involves synthesis of
CDDs/CDFs compounds from a variety of organics and a chlorine donor. The fourth mechanism
involves catalyzed reactions on fly ash particles at low temperatures....
Sunday, October 29, 2017
Medical waste incinerator (click here) is mainly used for burning wastes produced by medical research facilities, veterinary facilities and hospitals. These wastes generally include both infectious medical wastes as well as non-infectious, general housekeeping wastes. Three types of incinerators are used for burning wastes: controlled air incinerators, excess air incinerators, and rotary kiln incinerators. Controlled air incinerators are dominantly used medical waste technology, and controls the market for new technology systems at numerous hospitals. This type of technology is also referred to as starved-air incineration or two-stage incineration.
Combustion of waste in controlled air incinerators takes place in two stages. In first stage, waste is injected into the primary combustion chamber, which is then operated with substantial amount of air required to carry out combustion process. Combustion air enters through the primary chamber from below the incinerator hearth. This air is known as primary air. Primary chamber, the low air fuel ratio facilitates the volatilization of the waste, and large percentage of the residual carbon in the ash burns.
In second stage, excess air is then added to volatile gases produced in the primary chamber to complete the combustion process. Secondary chamber temperature is generally higher than primary chamber temperature. Depending on the moisture content and heating value of the waste, extra amount of heat may be required. This can be achieved by auxiliary burners located at the entrance of the secondary chamber to maintain the desired temperature....
Combustion of waste in controlled air incinerators takes place in two stages. In first stage, waste is injected into the primary combustion chamber, which is then operated with substantial amount of air required to carry out combustion process. Combustion air enters through the primary chamber from below the incinerator hearth. This air is known as primary air. Primary chamber, the low air fuel ratio facilitates the volatilization of the waste, and large percentage of the residual carbon in the ash burns.
In second stage, excess air is then added to volatile gases produced in the primary chamber to complete the combustion process. Secondary chamber temperature is generally higher than primary chamber temperature. Depending on the moisture content and heating value of the waste, extra amount of heat may be required. This can be achieved by auxiliary burners located at the entrance of the secondary chamber to maintain the desired temperature....
Only 10 to 25 percent is considered regulated.
Sharpes are only one aspect of medical waste. They are the ones most frequently thought about.
There was a policy developed in 1987 by the CDC called "Universal Precautions"(click here). It was a higher standard of setting a barrier between patients and healthcare practitioners which increased the volume of medical waste.
There is also a term for medical waste that is not "sharps" called OPIM, Other Potentially Infectious Materials. OPIM also increased the volume of medical waste:
OPIM is defined in 29 CFR 1910.1030(b) as:
- The following human body fluids: semen, vaginal secretions, cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid, pleural fluid, pericardial fluid, peritoneal fluid, amniotic fluid, saliva in dental procedures, any body fluid that is visibly contaminated with blood, and all body fluids in situations where it is difficult or impossible to differentiate between body fluids;
- Any unfixed tissue or organ (other than intact skin) from a human (living or dead); and
- HIV-containing cell or tissue cultures, organ cultures, and HIV- or HBV-containing culture medium or other solutions; and blood, organs, or other tissues from experimental animals infected with HIV or HBV.
The Bloodborne Pathogens Standard allows for hospitals to use acceptable alternatives [OSHA Directive CPL 02-02-069, (2001, November 27)] to universal precautions:
- Alternative concepts in infection control are called Body Substance Isolation (BSI) and Standard Precautions. These methods define all body fluids and substances as infectious. These methods incorporate not only the fluids and materials covered by the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard but expands coverage to include all body fluids and substances.
- These concepts are acceptable alternatives to universal precautions, provided that facilities utilizing them adhere to all other provisions of the standard.
- For compliance with OSHA Standards, the use of either Universal Precautions or Standard Precautions are acceptable.
The CDC recommends Standard Precautions for the care of all patients, regardless of their diagnosis or presumed infection status.
- Standard Precautions apply to 1) blood; 2) all body fluids, secretions, and excretions,except sweat, regardless of whether or not they contain visible blood; 3) non-intact skin; and 4) mucous membranes. Standard precautions are designed to reduce the risk of transmission of microorganisms from both recognized and unrecognized sources of infection in hospitals.
- Standard precautions includes the use of: hand washing, appropriate personal protective equipment such as gloves, gowns, masks, whenever touching or exposure to patients' body fluids is anticipated....
Concentrated efforts to control medical waste began in the 1980s with the discovery of HIV/
On June 5, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) publish a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), describing cases of a rare lung infection, Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), in five young, previously healthy, gay men in Los Angeles. All the men have other unusual infections as well, indicating that their immune systems are not working; two have already died by the time the report is published. This edition of the MMWR marks the first official reporting of what will become known as the AIDS epidemic....
Concern for the potential health hazards of medical wastes grew in the 1980s after medical wastes were washing up on several east coast beaches. This prompted Congress to enact The MWTA of 1988. The MWTA was a two-year federal program in which EPA was required to promulgate regulations on management of medical waste. The Agency did so on March 24, 1989. The regulations for this two year program went into effect on June 24, 1989 in four states - New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Rhode Island and Puerto Rico. It expired in 1991.
EPA concluded from the information gathered during this period that the disease-causing potential of medical waste is greatest at the point of generation and naturally tapers off after that point. Thus, risk to the general public of disease caused by exposure to medical waste is likely to be much lower than risk for the healthcare workers.
When I started to look at the way medical waste was handled, I was pleasantly surprised to realize medical waste is heavily regulated. Not just a little bit regulated, but, heavily regulated.
Go figure.
Except, of course, unless it is regard to a dead body. It is absolutely ghoulish.
October 24, 2017
By Brian Grow and John Schiffman
Las Vegas – The company stacked brochures in funeral parlors (click here) around Sin City. On the cover: a couple clasping hands. Above the image, a promise: “Providing Options in Your Time of Need.”
The company, Southern Nevada Donor Services, offered grieving families a way to eliminate expensive funeral costs: free cremation in exchange for donating a loved one’s body to “advance medical studies.”
Outside Southern Nevada’s suburban warehouse, the circumstances were far from comforting. In the fall of 2015, neighboring tenants began complaining about a mysterious stench and bloody boxes in a Dumpster. That December, local health records show, someone contacted authorities to report odd activity in the courtyard.
Health inspectors found a man in medical scrubs holding a garden hose. He was thawing a frozen human torso in the midday sun.
As the man sprayed the remains, “bits of tissue and blood were washed into the gutters,” a state health report said. The stream weaved past storefronts and pooled across the street near a technical school....
Go figure.
Except, of course, unless it is regard to a dead body. It is absolutely ghoulish.
By Brian Grow and John Schiffman
Las Vegas – The company stacked brochures in funeral parlors (click here) around Sin City. On the cover: a couple clasping hands. Above the image, a promise: “Providing Options in Your Time of Need.”
The company, Southern Nevada Donor Services, offered grieving families a way to eliminate expensive funeral costs: free cremation in exchange for donating a loved one’s body to “advance medical studies.”
Outside Southern Nevada’s suburban warehouse, the circumstances were far from comforting. In the fall of 2015, neighboring tenants began complaining about a mysterious stench and bloody boxes in a Dumpster. That December, local health records show, someone contacted authorities to report odd activity in the courtyard.
Health inspectors found a man in medical scrubs holding a garden hose. He was thawing a frozen human torso in the midday sun.
As the man sprayed the remains, “bits of tissue and blood were washed into the gutters,” a state health report said. The stream weaved past storefronts and pooled across the street near a technical school....
Regulated Medical Waste. That was REGULATED Medical Waste. REGULATED.
In 1991, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) promulgated the Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens Standard . This standard is designed to protect approximately 5.6 million workers in the healthcare and related occupations from the risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens, such as the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and the Hepatitis B Virus (HBV).
The Bloodborne Pathogens Standard has numerous requirements, including the development of an Exposure Control Plan. The Standard also includes rules specific to certain types of wastes generated at healthcare facilities, termed “regulated waste.” Regulated waste includes blood and items contaminated with blood or other potentially infectious materials (OPIM). This section of the HERC Center contains a summary of OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standards relating to regulated waste.
Medical Love Song by Monty Python (click here for official website - thank you)
Inflammation of the foreskin
Reminds me of your smile
I've had ballanital chancroids
For quite a little while
I gave my heart to NSU
That lovely night in June
I ache for you, my darling
And I hope you get well soon
My penile warts, your herpes
My syphilitic sores
Your moenelial infection
How I miss you more and more
Your dobie's itch, my scrumpox
Our lovely gonorrhea
At least we both were lying
When we said that we were clear
Inflammation of the foreskin
Reminds me of your smile
I've had ballanital chancroids
For quite a little while
I gave my heart to NSU
That lovely night in June
I ache for you, my darling
And I hope you get well soon
My penile warts, your herpes
My syphilitic sores
Your moenelial infection
How I miss you more and more
Your dobie's itch, my scrumpox
Our lovely gonorrhea
At least we both were lying
When we said that we were clear
Our syphilitic kisses
Sealed the secret of our tryst
You gave me scrotal pustules
With a quick flick of your wrist
You gave me scrotal pustules
With a quick flick of your wrist
Your trichovaginitis
Sent shivers down my spine;
I got snail tracks in my anus
When your spirochetes met mine
Sent shivers down my spine;
I got snail tracks in my anus
When your spirochetes met mine
Gonococcal urethritis
Streptococcal balanitis
Meningomyelitis
Diplococcal cephalitis
Epididymitis
Interstitial keratitis
Syphilitic choroiditis
And anterior u-ve-i-tis
My clapped out genitalia
Is not so bad for me
As the complete and utter failure
Every time I try to pee
My doctor says my buboes
Are the worst he's ever seen
My scrotum's painted orange
And my balls are turning green
My heart is very tender
Though my parts are awful raw
You might have been infected
But you never were a bore
I'm dying of your love, my love
I'm your spirochaetal clown
I've left my body to science
But I'm afraid they've turned it down
Streptococcal balanitis
Meningomyelitis
Diplococcal cephalitis
Epididymitis
Interstitial keratitis
Syphilitic choroiditis
And anterior u-ve-i-tis
My clapped out genitalia
Is not so bad for me
As the complete and utter failure
Every time I try to pee
My doctor says my buboes
Are the worst he's ever seen
My scrotum's painted orange
And my balls are turning green
My heart is very tender
Though my parts are awful raw
You might have been infected
But you never were a bore
I'm dying of your love, my love
I'm your spirochaetal clown
I've left my body to science
But I'm afraid they've turned it down
Gonococcal urethritis
Streptococcal balanitis
Meningomyelitis
Diplococcal cephalitis
Epididymitis
Interstitial keratitis
Syphilitic choroiditis
And anterior u-ve-i-tis
Streptococcal balanitis
Meningomyelitis
Diplococcal cephalitis
Epididymitis
Interstitial keratitis
Syphilitic choroiditis
And anterior u-ve-i-tis
The US House certified the nuclear agreement, but, drew up new sanctions on Iran's ballistic missile program. I have a few comments.
I thank the US House for certifying Iran's compliance with the nuclear agreement. However, it is going to be difficult to enforce UNILATERAL sanctions on anything. There are other countries that will accept from Iran for requests that might be under USA sanctions.
October 27, 2017
By Zeesham Aleem
The House of Representatives (click here) overwhelmingly passed a bill that would hit Iran with a fresh batch of sanctions for its ballistic missile program in a vote held Thursday morning. The bill now moves to the Senate for its approval; if it becomes law, it would further strain already tenuous US-Iran relations but not outright violate the terms of the nuclear deal with Iran.
The House bill would require the Trump administration to identify companies and individuals, Iranian and non-Iranian alike, who are supplying the ballistic program. The sanctions options would include, among other things, freezing the US assets of suppliers, restricting their travel to the US, and banning imports from them.
Iran’s ballistic missile program isn’t covered by the Iran nuclear deal, which means these sanctions don’t violate the terms of the deal. But along with other recent sanctions on Iran’s foreign policy operations, they represent an escalation of pressure that could cause the country to try to retaliate against the US....
No one wants to hear over and over how much the Iraq invasion was in the way the world perceives the USA.
October 29, 2017
Dubai (Reuters) - Iran will continue to produce missiles (click here) for its defense and does not consider that a violation of international accords, President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday in a speech broadcast on state television.
Rouhani spoke days after the U.S. House of Representatives voted for new sanctions against Iran’s ballistic missile program, part of an effort to clamp down on Tehran without immediately moving to undermine an international nuclear agreement.
He also meet the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog in Tehran, who again vouched for Iran’s compliance with the 2015 accord that curbed its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief, which has drawn fire from U.S. President Donald Trump.
“We have built, are building and will continue to build missiles, and this violates no international agreements,” Rouhani said in a speech in parliament....
Just as a reminder, when the USA invaded Iraq it was in compliance with UN Resolutions. The talk in the USA by FOX News and Conservative Talk Radio is that Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi military helped and harbored al Qaeda. That was proven to be false, even by David Kay, and other than the political engine of the GOP no other country every thought Iraq was harboring or assisting al Qaeda. I am not saying Saddam was a benign entity in the Middle East, but, he was not involved with the attacks on the USA on September 11, 2017.
There were also UN Inspectors in Iraq to investigate ANY possibility of Iraq having violated sanctions as well, including chemical and biological weapons. When the USA decided because Saddam could not produce paperwork that was grounds enough to invade.
So, the inspectors did not finish their work and the work they concluded proved Saddam and Iraq were in compliance with sanctions.
Now, in the year 2017, the USA has a President that doesn't like the work of his predecessors and rather than seeking proper channels to reengage talks, he simply steams forward as if he is a dictator and cannot be questioned. Does anyone actually believe after the invasion into Iraq and Trump at the helm, Iran is going to roll over and capitulate to all kinds of demands by a USA STILL operating unilaterally (which the invasion into Iraq was)?
Of course, not.
I am pleased to see the US State Department is taking a more reasonable stance to all this. There may be hope some dignity is left in the USA. But, Congress acting unilaterally does not instill international confidence.
October 27, 2017
By Zeesham Aleem
The House of Representatives (click here) overwhelmingly passed a bill that would hit Iran with a fresh batch of sanctions for its ballistic missile program in a vote held Thursday morning. The bill now moves to the Senate for its approval; if it becomes law, it would further strain already tenuous US-Iran relations but not outright violate the terms of the nuclear deal with Iran.
The House bill would require the Trump administration to identify companies and individuals, Iranian and non-Iranian alike, who are supplying the ballistic program. The sanctions options would include, among other things, freezing the US assets of suppliers, restricting their travel to the US, and banning imports from them.
Iran’s ballistic missile program isn’t covered by the Iran nuclear deal, which means these sanctions don’t violate the terms of the deal. But along with other recent sanctions on Iran’s foreign policy operations, they represent an escalation of pressure that could cause the country to try to retaliate against the US....
No one wants to hear over and over how much the Iraq invasion was in the way the world perceives the USA.
October 29, 2017
Dubai (Reuters) - Iran will continue to produce missiles (click here) for its defense and does not consider that a violation of international accords, President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday in a speech broadcast on state television.
Rouhani spoke days after the U.S. House of Representatives voted for new sanctions against Iran’s ballistic missile program, part of an effort to clamp down on Tehran without immediately moving to undermine an international nuclear agreement.
He also meet the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog in Tehran, who again vouched for Iran’s compliance with the 2015 accord that curbed its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief, which has drawn fire from U.S. President Donald Trump.
“We have built, are building and will continue to build missiles, and this violates no international agreements,” Rouhani said in a speech in parliament....
Just as a reminder, when the USA invaded Iraq it was in compliance with UN Resolutions. The talk in the USA by FOX News and Conservative Talk Radio is that Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi military helped and harbored al Qaeda. That was proven to be false, even by David Kay, and other than the political engine of the GOP no other country every thought Iraq was harboring or assisting al Qaeda. I am not saying Saddam was a benign entity in the Middle East, but, he was not involved with the attacks on the USA on September 11, 2017.
There were also UN Inspectors in Iraq to investigate ANY possibility of Iraq having violated sanctions as well, including chemical and biological weapons. When the USA decided because Saddam could not produce paperwork that was grounds enough to invade.
So, the inspectors did not finish their work and the work they concluded proved Saddam and Iraq were in compliance with sanctions.
Now, in the year 2017, the USA has a President that doesn't like the work of his predecessors and rather than seeking proper channels to reengage talks, he simply steams forward as if he is a dictator and cannot be questioned. Does anyone actually believe after the invasion into Iraq and Trump at the helm, Iran is going to roll over and capitulate to all kinds of demands by a USA STILL operating unilaterally (which the invasion into Iraq was)?
Of course, not.
I am pleased to see the US State Department is taking a more reasonable stance to all this. There may be hope some dignity is left in the USA. But, Congress acting unilaterally does not instill international confidence.
Saturday, October 28, 2017
Albert Einstein had a formula for everything, including, happiness.
Gal Wiener, owner and manager of the Winner's auction house in Jerusalem, holds two notes, including one on happiness, written by Albert Einstein in November 1922. Both notes were written in German on stationary from the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo.
October 25, 2017
By Laura Geggel
Two advice-filled notes (click here) Albert Einstein wrote to a bellboy in Japan 95 years ago, including one that advocated for "a calm and modest life," fetched more than $1.5 million at an auction on Tuesday (Oct. 24).
In October 1922, Einstein was traveling to Japan to deliver a series of lectures when he received a telegraph announcing that he had won the 1921 Nobel Prize in physics. The physicist was hardly ever short on groundbreaking theories, but found himself short on cash when he wanted to tip a bellboy who had delivered an item to his room at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo.
In lieu of a monetary tip, Einstein gave the bellboy two thoughtful notes he had just written on hotel stationary. Einstein told the bellboy to keep the letters, "as their future value may be much higher than a standard tip," according to Winner's Auctions and Exhibitions, in Jerusalem, which auctioned the letters....
There was no land disturbance in Greenland during the time of the water vapor injection to the troposphere.
27 July 2017By Avi Steinber
For 10 years, Nasa has been flying over the ice caps to chart their retreat. This data is an invaluable record of climate change. But does anyone care?
...Imagine (click here) a thousand centuries of heavy snowfall, piled up and compacted into stone-like ice atop the bedrock of Greenland, an Arctic island almost a quarter the size of the US. Imagine all of modern human history, from the Neolithic revolution 12,000 years ago – when humans moved from hunting and gathering to agriculture, and from there, eventually, to urban societies – until today. All of the snow that fell on the Arctic during that entire history is gathered up in just the top layers of the ice sheet.
Imagine the dimensions of that ice: 1.71m sq km (656,000 sq miles), three times the size of Texas. At its belly – from the top layer, yesterday’s snowfall, to the bottom layer, which is made of snow that fell out of the sky 115,000-130,000 years ago – it reaches 3,200 metres (10,500ft) thick, nearly four times taller than the world’s highest skyscraper....
...When you fly over entire mountain ranges whose tips barely peek out from under the ice – and these are just the visible ones – it’s possible to imagine what would happen if even a fraction of this quantity of pent-up freshwater were unleashed. You can plainly see how this thing would flood the coasts of the world, from Brooklyn to Bangladesh.
The crew of Nasa’s Operation IceBridge have seen this ice from every imaginable angle. IceBridge is an aerial survey of the polar regions that has been underway for nearly a decade – the most ambitious of its kind to date. It has yielded a growing dataset that helps researchers document, among other things, how much, and at what rate, ice is disappearing from the poles, contributing to global sea-level rises, and to a variety of other phenomena related to climate change....
...In April, I travelled to Kangerlussuaq, in south-west Greenland, and joined the IceBridge field crew – a group of about 30 laser, radar, digital mapping, IT and GPS engineers, glaciologists, pilots and mechanics. What I saw there were specialists who have, over the course of almost 10 years on this mission, mastered the art and science of polar data hunting while, at the same time, watching as the very concept of data, of fact-based discourse, has crumbled in their culture at home.
On each flight, I witnessed a remarkable tableau. Even as Arctic glaciers were losing mass right below the speeding plane, and even as raw data gleaned directly from those glaciers was pouring in on their monitors, the Nasa engineers sat next to their fact-recording instruments, sighing and wondering aloud if Americans had lost the eyes to see what they were seeing, to see the facts....
...But at pre-flight weather meetings, polar ice is mostly of concern to him for the quirky way it might affect that day’s weather.....
...What’s needed is the ability to grasp constant dynamic change....
The caliper of intelligence and experience for this level of science cannot be understated. John Sonntag is at least as valuable as all his instrumentation.
Scientists like Sonntag make the leap from machine data to human understanding in the depth of the meaning of climate and weather to the human experience. Sorry, but, no instrumentation will provide that insight.
Who would want to take the chance of a machine misinterpreting what data means to the human experience?
...Each of the 63 flight plans for this season in the Arctic was the result of months of meticulous planning. A team of polar scientists from across the US sets the research priorities, in collaboration with flight crews, who make sure the routes are feasible; the mission is managed from Nasa’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.
Sonntag is there at every phase, including at the construction and installation of the scientific instruments, and he is the person in the field responsible for executing the mission....
...Sea levels, which were more or less constant for the past 2,000 years, have climbed at a rate of roughly 1.7mm a year in the past century; in the past 25 years, that rate has doubled to 3.4mm a year, already enough to create adverse effects in coastal areas. A conservative estimate holds that waters will rise roughly 0.9 metres (3ft) by the year 2100, which will place hundreds of millions of people in jeopardy....
The Greenland Icesheet is a real hazard to the countries that line the Atlantic Ocean. The meander of the icesheet is measured to be sure there is not a significant increase to indicate the icesheet could or is becoming unstable.
...The IceBridge data has also helped create a 3D map of an ice-locked land that no human eyes have ever seen: the territory of Greenland, its mountains, valleys, plains and canyons, and also a clear view of the layers of ice that have grown above it.....
The ice that could potentially fall into or slide into the Atlantic Ocean from Greenland is not a minor issue. It could ultimately cause tsunamis that would wipe out Washington, DC among the coastal areas of every continent, except, Asia and Australia.
"Fairfax Climate Watch" (click here)
Above is a graph from "Fairfax (Virginia) Climate Watch" clearly illustrating the loss of land, but, also displaced populations due to expected sea level rise caused by anthropogentic climate change. The study was conducted in 2013.
No one would expect Virginia to face the same flood problems as New Orleans, but, it is true. The climate crisis effects the lives of many Virginians.
...In April, I travelled to Kangerlussuaq, in south-west Greenland, and joined the IceBridge field crew – a group of about 30 laser, radar, digital mapping, IT and GPS engineers, glaciologists, pilots and mechanics. What I saw there were specialists who have, over the course of almost 10 years on this mission, mastered the art and science of polar data hunting while, at the same time, watching as the very concept of data, of fact-based discourse, has crumbled in their culture at home.
On each flight, I witnessed a remarkable tableau. Even as Arctic glaciers were losing mass right below the speeding plane, and even as raw data gleaned directly from those glaciers was pouring in on their monitors, the Nasa engineers sat next to their fact-recording instruments, sighing and wondering aloud if Americans had lost the eyes to see what they were seeing, to see the facts....
...But at pre-flight weather meetings, polar ice is mostly of concern to him for the quirky way it might affect that day’s weather.....
...What’s needed is the ability to grasp constant dynamic change....The caliper of intelligence and experience for this level of science cannot be understated. John Sonntag is at least as valuable as all his instrumentation.
Scientists like Sonntag make the leap from machine data to human understanding in the depth of the meaning of climate and weather to the human experience. Sorry, but, no instrumentation will provide that insight.
Who would want to take the chance of a machine misinterpreting what data means to the human experience?
...Each of the 63 flight plans for this season in the Arctic was the result of months of meticulous planning. A team of polar scientists from across the US sets the research priorities, in collaboration with flight crews, who make sure the routes are feasible; the mission is managed from Nasa’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.
Sonntag is there at every phase, including at the construction and installation of the scientific instruments, and he is the person in the field responsible for executing the mission....
...Sea levels, which were more or less constant for the past 2,000 years, have climbed at a rate of roughly 1.7mm a year in the past century; in the past 25 years, that rate has doubled to 3.4mm a year, already enough to create adverse effects in coastal areas. A conservative estimate holds that waters will rise roughly 0.9 metres (3ft) by the year 2100, which will place hundreds of millions of people in jeopardy....
The Greenland Icesheet is a real hazard to the countries that line the Atlantic Ocean. The meander of the icesheet is measured to be sure there is not a significant increase to indicate the icesheet could or is becoming unstable.
...The IceBridge data has also helped create a 3D map of an ice-locked land that no human eyes have ever seen: the territory of Greenland, its mountains, valleys, plains and canyons, and also a clear view of the layers of ice that have grown above it.....
The ice that could potentially fall into or slide into the Atlantic Ocean from Greenland is not a minor issue. It could ultimately cause tsunamis that would wipe out Washington, DC among the coastal areas of every continent, except, Asia and Australia.
"Fairfax Climate Watch" (click here)Above is a graph from "Fairfax (Virginia) Climate Watch" clearly illustrating the loss of land, but, also displaced populations due to expected sea level rise caused by anthropogentic climate change. The study was conducted in 2013.
No one would expect Virginia to face the same flood problems as New Orleans, but, it is true. The climate crisis effects the lives of many Virginians.
There was no eruption into the troposphere.
Series of large earthquakes hit Bárðarbunga last night. Icelandic Met Office
Four large earthquakes (click here) occurred in the Bárðarbunga volcanic system last night, the largest earthquakes since the 2014-2015 volcanic eruption.
The first earthquake of magnitude 3.9 on the richter scale occured at 23:02 last night, followed by a 3.2 earthquake at 23:03. The third quake hit the volcano at 23:26 and measured 4.7. The fourth earthquake of magnitude 4.7 occured 16 minutes past midnight.
An earthquake measuring 4.1 took place in the volano earlier this week and several earthquakes hit the volcano in September.
Bárðarbunga is the largest and most powerful volcano in Iceland. It is located under the northern part of the Vatnajökull glacier in South Iceland, Europe’s largest glacier. The Bárðarbunga volcanic system is approximately 200 km (120 miles) long.
Earthquakes of magnitude 4.7 are the largest quakes that have occured in the Bárðarbunga caldera since the 2014 eruption. The Holuhraun eruption began on August 31st 2014 and lasted until February 28, 2015. It is the largest eruption in Iceland since 1783 and produced a massive lava field of more than 85 km2 (33 square miles) in the middle of the island.Epicenter of largest earthquake.
October 25, 2017The wind forecast for tomorrow night. Map/ Iceland Met Office
The Iceland Met Office (click here) has issued a storm warning in North Iceland on Thursday night with winds up to 30-40 metres per second. On election day, Saturday, the weather is going to be cold and possibly snowy in North East Iceland.
Roads in South Iceland are icy, particularly in Mosfellsheiði and on highway no.1 between Selfoss and Hvolsvöllur.
21 October 2017
An earthquake at a magnitude of 3.4 (click here) was felt in the town of Selfoss last night. Locals reported cupboards shaking and crockery breaking. An ongoing swarm of earthquakes has continued into the morning.
The earthquake swarm started at around 4 pm last night and the second largest quake was measured at 2.9 on the Richter scale.
According to the Iceland Met Office the earthquakes are occurring on a well-known fissure area. The Met Office will be observing developments closely over the next few days. They do not rule out larger earthquakes occurring in the area but it's just as likely that the swarm will just subside.
Transition of the Greenland and Iceland glacial and ice sheet water vapor into the general circulation of Earth's troposphere.
1330.17z
UNISYS Water Vapor Satellite of the north and west hemisphere (click here for 12 hour loop - thank you)
October 28, 2017
0130.19z
UNISYS Water Vapor of the north and west hemisphere
0730.19z
UNISYS Water Vapor Satellite of the north and west hemisphere
To be noted Tropical Depression 18 has developed in the Caribbean Sea while the water vapor was moving from the Greenland-Iceland icesheets and glaciers. The formation of 18 began before the water vapor movement. While it was a formation, it lacked the water vapor content to build to a tropical storm.
Friday, October 27, 2017
Protect the governor. The emergency manager was blamed and charged, but, somehow Snyder is still on the loose.
October 26, 2017
By Ron Fonger
By Ron Fonger
Flint, MI -- The Flint water crisis (click here) occurred in part because of failures in the state of Michigan's oversight, a new report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says.
Two years in the making, the report says the state Department of Environmental Quality failed to properly oversee and manage the city's change in water sources in April 2014, resulting in the use of lower quality raw water from the Flint River.
"The circumstances surrounding the city's switch to a lower quality water source appear to have been unusual," the report says. "But MDEQ was unprepared to deal with this situation and failed to recognize how the (Lead and Copper Rule) should have been applied, resulting in a confused and ineffective implementation of the LRC in Flint."
Ya think? See, the problem was that the switch was ordered. There was no study leading up to the conversion of one water source to another. Snyder should have ordered a study from the MDEQ to tap the Flint River BEFORE the switch.
THERE WERE NO PROPER PROCEDURES USED. There are ways departments of a state handle themselves and communicate. This was bizarre and literally, MDEQ was stumped when the switch was ordered.
The report says many deficiencies in the state drinking water program stem from inefficient and antiquated data management systems in DEQ and suggests the hiring of additional staff or contractors with specific water data management expertise."Staff departures and retirements have caused a significant loss of expertise and technical knowledge ... staff have not been replaced due to lack of resources and/or hiring constraints, which presents a threat to future implementation of an effective program."...
This is still Snyder. Republicans love to deprive the agencies of sufficient operating monies when it comes to the environment. The department was under attack by a hostile administration, people retired or moved on looking for a job that mattered. What was left was low and inefficient staff.
This is typical of Republican administrations. The people are on their own. Snyder is the worst governor Michigan has ever had and this is more proof. The blame for Flint's water poisoning falls to his office over and over due to his very poor regard for safety and human rights allowing rushed procedures with ineffective monitoring and oversight.
Snyder also has a regulation czar. He is just as responsible as Snyder.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)