#anthropogenic — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #anthropogenic, aggregated by home.social.
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[G]lobal Decline In Endorheic Basin Water Storages
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https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-018-0265-7 <-- shared paper
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endorheic_basin <-- shared Wikipedia page
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“Endorheic (hydrologically landlocked) basins spatially concur with arid/semi-arid climates. Given limited precipitation but high potential evaporation, their water storage is vulnerable to subtle flux perturbations, which are exacerbated by global warming and human activities. Increasing regional evidence suggests a probably recent net decline in endorheic water storage, but this remains unquantified at a global scale. By integrating satellite observations and hydrological modelling, [they] reveal[ed] that during 2002–2016 the global endorheic system experienced a widespread water loss of about 106.3 Gt/yr, attributed to comparable losses in surface water, soil moisture and groundwater. This decadal decline, disparate from water storage fluctuations in exorheic basins, appears less sensitive to El Niño–Southern Oscillation-driven climate variability, which implies a possible response to longer-term climate conditions and human water management. In the mass-conserved hydrosphere, such an endorheic water loss not only exacerbates local water stress, but also imposes excess water on exorheic basins, leading to a potential sea level rise that matches the contribution of nearly half of the land glacier retreat (excluding Greenland and Antarctica). Given these dual ramifications, [they] suggest the necessity for long-term monitoring of water storage variation in the global endorheic system and the inclusion of its net contribution to future sea level budgeting…”
#water #hydrology #hydrography #global #waterresources #waterstorage #Endorheic #Basin #watersecurity #arid #semiarid #rainfall #precipitation #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #globalwarming #climatechange #humanimpacts #anthropogenic #regional #remotesensing #GIS #spatial #mapping #earthobservation #surfacewater #groundwater #soilmoisture #exorheic #watermanagement #hydrosphere #waterstress #SLR #sealevelrise #monitoring #waterbudgets -
[G]lobal Decline In Endorheic Basin Water Storages
--
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-018-0265-7 <-- shared paper
--
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endorheic_basin <-- shared Wikipedia page
--
“Endorheic (hydrologically landlocked) basins spatially concur with arid/semi-arid climates. Given limited precipitation but high potential evaporation, their water storage is vulnerable to subtle flux perturbations, which are exacerbated by global warming and human activities. Increasing regional evidence suggests a probably recent net decline in endorheic water storage, but this remains unquantified at a global scale. By integrating satellite observations and hydrological modelling, [they] reveal[ed] that during 2002–2016 the global endorheic system experienced a widespread water loss of about 106.3 Gt/yr, attributed to comparable losses in surface water, soil moisture and groundwater. This decadal decline, disparate from water storage fluctuations in exorheic basins, appears less sensitive to El Niño–Southern Oscillation-driven climate variability, which implies a possible response to longer-term climate conditions and human water management. In the mass-conserved hydrosphere, such an endorheic water loss not only exacerbates local water stress, but also imposes excess water on exorheic basins, leading to a potential sea level rise that matches the contribution of nearly half of the land glacier retreat (excluding Greenland and Antarctica). Given these dual ramifications, [they] suggest the necessity for long-term monitoring of water storage variation in the global endorheic system and the inclusion of its net contribution to future sea level budgeting…”
#water #hydrology #hydrography #global #waterresources #waterstorage #Endorheic #Basin #watersecurity #arid #semiarid #rainfall #precipitation #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #globalwarming #climatechange #humanimpacts #anthropogenic #regional #remotesensing #GIS #spatial #mapping #earthobservation #surfacewater #groundwater #soilmoisture #exorheic #watermanagement #hydrosphere #waterstress #SLR #sealevelrise #monitoring #waterbudgets -
[G]lobal Decline In Endorheic Basin Water Storages
--
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-018-0265-7 <-- shared paper
--
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endorheic_basin <-- shared Wikipedia page
--
“Endorheic (hydrologically landlocked) basins spatially concur with arid/semi-arid climates. Given limited precipitation but high potential evaporation, their water storage is vulnerable to subtle flux perturbations, which are exacerbated by global warming and human activities. Increasing regional evidence suggests a probably recent net decline in endorheic water storage, but this remains unquantified at a global scale. By integrating satellite observations and hydrological modelling, [they] reveal[ed] that during 2002–2016 the global endorheic system experienced a widespread water loss of about 106.3 Gt/yr, attributed to comparable losses in surface water, soil moisture and groundwater. This decadal decline, disparate from water storage fluctuations in exorheic basins, appears less sensitive to El Niño–Southern Oscillation-driven climate variability, which implies a possible response to longer-term climate conditions and human water management. In the mass-conserved hydrosphere, such an endorheic water loss not only exacerbates local water stress, but also imposes excess water on exorheic basins, leading to a potential sea level rise that matches the contribution of nearly half of the land glacier retreat (excluding Greenland and Antarctica). Given these dual ramifications, [they] suggest the necessity for long-term monitoring of water storage variation in the global endorheic system and the inclusion of its net contribution to future sea level budgeting…”
#water #hydrology #hydrography #global #waterresources #waterstorage #Endorheic #Basin #watersecurity #arid #semiarid #rainfall #precipitation #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #globalwarming #climatechange #humanimpacts #anthropogenic #regional #remotesensing #GIS #spatial #mapping #earthobservation #surfacewater #groundwater #soilmoisture #exorheic #watermanagement #hydrosphere #waterstress #SLR #sealevelrise #monitoring #waterbudgets -
[G]lobal Decline In Endorheic Basin Water Storages
--
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-018-0265-7 <-- shared paper
--
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endorheic_basin <-- shared Wikipedia page
--
“Endorheic (hydrologically landlocked) basins spatially concur with arid/semi-arid climates. Given limited precipitation but high potential evaporation, their water storage is vulnerable to subtle flux perturbations, which are exacerbated by global warming and human activities. Increasing regional evidence suggests a probably recent net decline in endorheic water storage, but this remains unquantified at a global scale. By integrating satellite observations and hydrological modelling, [they] reveal[ed] that during 2002–2016 the global endorheic system experienced a widespread water loss of about 106.3 Gt/yr, attributed to comparable losses in surface water, soil moisture and groundwater. This decadal decline, disparate from water storage fluctuations in exorheic basins, appears less sensitive to El Niño–Southern Oscillation-driven climate variability, which implies a possible response to longer-term climate conditions and human water management. In the mass-conserved hydrosphere, such an endorheic water loss not only exacerbates local water stress, but also imposes excess water on exorheic basins, leading to a potential sea level rise that matches the contribution of nearly half of the land glacier retreat (excluding Greenland and Antarctica). Given these dual ramifications, [they] suggest the necessity for long-term monitoring of water storage variation in the global endorheic system and the inclusion of its net contribution to future sea level budgeting…”
#water #hydrology #hydrography #global #waterresources #waterstorage #Endorheic #Basin #watersecurity #arid #semiarid #rainfall #precipitation #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #globalwarming #climatechange #humanimpacts #anthropogenic #regional #remotesensing #GIS #spatial #mapping #earthobservation #surfacewater #groundwater #soilmoisture #exorheic #watermanagement #hydrosphere #waterstress #SLR #sealevelrise #monitoring #waterbudgets -
[G]lobal Decline In Endorheic Basin Water Storages
--
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-018-0265-7 <-- shared paper
--
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endorheic_basin <-- shared Wikipedia page
--
“Endorheic (hydrologically landlocked) basins spatially concur with arid/semi-arid climates. Given limited precipitation but high potential evaporation, their water storage is vulnerable to subtle flux perturbations, which are exacerbated by global warming and human activities. Increasing regional evidence suggests a probably recent net decline in endorheic water storage, but this remains unquantified at a global scale. By integrating satellite observations and hydrological modelling, [they] reveal[ed] that during 2002–2016 the global endorheic system experienced a widespread water loss of about 106.3 Gt/yr, attributed to comparable losses in surface water, soil moisture and groundwater. This decadal decline, disparate from water storage fluctuations in exorheic basins, appears less sensitive to El Niño–Southern Oscillation-driven climate variability, which implies a possible response to longer-term climate conditions and human water management. In the mass-conserved hydrosphere, such an endorheic water loss not only exacerbates local water stress, but also imposes excess water on exorheic basins, leading to a potential sea level rise that matches the contribution of nearly half of the land glacier retreat (excluding Greenland and Antarctica). Given these dual ramifications, [they] suggest the necessity for long-term monitoring of water storage variation in the global endorheic system and the inclusion of its net contribution to future sea level budgeting…”
#water #hydrology #hydrography #global #waterresources #waterstorage #Endorheic #Basin #watersecurity #arid #semiarid #rainfall #precipitation #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #globalwarming #climatechange #humanimpacts #anthropogenic #regional #remotesensing #GIS #spatial #mapping #earthobservation #surfacewater #groundwater #soilmoisture #exorheic #watermanagement #hydrosphere #waterstress #SLR #sealevelrise #monitoring #waterbudgets -
Fatal Debris Avalanche On An Anthropogenically Disturbed, Earthquake-Perturbed Slope During Antecedent Rainfall [Turkey]
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https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-026-02713-0 <-- shared paper
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https://eos.org/thelandslideblog/gungoren-hillslope-1 <-- shared technical article
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https://geohazard.itu.edu.tr/en/news-detail/2025/01/23/could-the-g%C3%BCng%C3%B6ren-arhavi-%28artvin%29-landslide-be-predicted <-- shared technical article
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https://zenodo.org/records/14625940 <-- shared technical article/paper
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#rainfall #precipitation #pluvial #massmovement #monitoring #Turkey #Türkiye #Güngören #Artvin #remotesensing #earthobservation #GIS #spatial #mapping #LiDAR #UAV #InSAR #radar #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #massmovement #risk #hazard #geology #landslide #engineeringgeology #anthropogenic #humnacimpacts #manmade #quarry #highway #stability #earthquake #trigger #slopestability #naturalhazard #disaster #debrisflow #fatal #lossoflife #publicsafety #fieldwork #model #failure #geomorphology #kinematic #geomorphometry #creeping #extremeweather #multiple #recurrence #progressive #groundmotion #susceptibility -
Climatic And Anthropogenic Controls On Late Holocene Sediment Transport To The Gulf Of Mexico By The Mississippi River
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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2026.105401 <-- shared paper
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#water #hydrology #hydrography #humanimpacts #human #settlement #anthropogenic #levees #engineering #spatialanalysis #spatialtemporal #erosion #weathering #Mississippi #River #Sediment #Provenance #Zircon #grainsize #alluvial #alluvium #hydrogeomorphology #headwater #coast #coastal #delta #geology #Holocene #geochemistry #Sr #Nd #isotope #Strontium #Neodymium #detrital #climate #GulfofMexico -
Earth Has Tilted 31.5 Inches. That Shouldn't Happen [groundwater pumping]
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https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a65515974/why-earth-has-tilted-science/ <-- shared technical article
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https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL103509 <-- shared paper
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“ • When humans pump groundwater, it has a substantial impact on the tilt of Earth’s rotation.
• Additionally, a study document [link above] just how much of an influence groundwater pumping has on climate change.
• Understanding this relatively recent data may provide a better understanding of how to help stave off sea-level rise…"
#hydrology #groundwater #depletion #pumping #extraction #sealevelrise #SLR #global #globe #earthtilt #humanimpacts #waterresources #anthropogenic #climatechange #model #modeling #monitoring #earth #rotation #water #redistribution #drift #pole #observation #spinaxis -
Using Beaver Capacity Models - The Importance Of Local Knowledge [habitat restoration, mitigation, etc]
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https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.70135 <-- shared paper
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#GIS #spatial #mapping #water #hydrology #anthropogenic #beaver #habitat #restoration #multiuse #resilence #ecosystem #mitigation #extremeweather #model #modeling #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #ecoregions #suitability #surfacewater #dams #landscape #geomorphology #grazing #forest #tree #vegetation #sediment #runoff #energy -
Quantifying Methane Emissions From United States Landfills
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https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adi7735 <-- shared paper
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#GIS #spatial #mapping #aerial #remotesensing #earthobservation #methane #US #USA #landfill #landfills #emission #solidwaste #waste #anthropogenic #climatechange #greehousegas #imaging #spectrometers #spatialanalysis #systematic #monitoring #measurements #exceedance #wastemanagement #mitigation #engineering #AVIRIS -
Scientists Are Warning of A Brand-New Kind of #AcidRain
Story by Darren Orf
Key points:
- While acid rain caused by sulfur dioxide is an environmental threat of the past (at least, for now), a new kind of acid is proliferating in rain water—as well as groundwater, ice cores, and even human blood.
- #TrifluoroaceticAcid (#TFA) is a subclass of “#ForeverChemical” that’s been steadily increasing in concentrations around the world.
- With calls to consider this rise in TFA a planetary threat, some governments are starting ban chemicals linked to TFA—but the threat will require global cooperation."Acid rain may have a sequel, and like most sequels, it’s arguably worse.
"While the world’s first bout of acid rain (at least, in modern times) came from increased concentrations of sulfuric acid produced largely from coal plants, this new #anthropogenic source is possibly more pervasive, more persistent, and more sinister. Its name is Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a kind of 'forever chemical' that, for decades, has been steadily increasing in #RainWater—but not just rain water.
"Countries around the world have found increasing concentrations in #groundwater, #ArcticIceCores, #wine, and even #HumanBlood. In fact, TFA is likely the most pervasive form of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl (#PFAS)—technically, a subclass known as ultrashort-chain perfluoroalkyl acid (#PFAA)—on Earth due in part to the fact that longer-chain PFAS degrade into TFA via #incinerators or #SewageTreatment plants. They’re also used in #refrigerants instead of #chlorofluorocarbons and #hydrochlorofluorocarbons, which were famously known to deplete the Earth’s #OzoneLayer.
"In October of 2024, a team of European environmental scientists raised the TFA alarm, stating that a rise in concentration could be considered a threat to '#PlanetaryBoundaries' — a system designed to make sure the planet remains #habitable for human life (which we are doing a real bang-up job at following).
" 'Since the 1990s, it has been suggested that hazard-related concerns of TFA and other short-chain PFAAs are much lower than those of PFAAs with longer perfluoroalkyl chains, which are more #bioaccumulative and generally more #toxic,' the authors wrote back in October. 'However, these early reports did not consider TFA’s ubiquitous accumulation in the environment, in particular its observed accumulation in water resources and #bioaccumulation in various plants, including crops.'
"One of the most dangerous things about PFAAs is what we don’t know about them. Unlike other PFAS (of which there are, sadly, thousands of different kinds), TFA is so small (a.k.a. ultrashort) that it’s water-soluble, meaning it likely passes through the human body pretty quickly. A new Nature article reports that some scientists find this evidence compelling enough to not even consider TFA a kind of PFAS, but a growing chorus of voices are raising concerns that increased concentrations of TFA in water and food sources could render TFA’s fast-moving nature a moot point.
"In fact, TFA’s water-solubility could be a long-term headache. If scientists and governments eventually decide that TFA does need to be removed from drinking water and other sources, current filtration technologies are not up to the task. In other words, ridding the world of TFA will not only be immensely difficult, it’ll also be incredibly expensive. Current regulations to eliminate certain forms of PFAS are already proving to be fiscally onerous.
"Thankfully, some governments are taking action. #Denmark, for example, banned 23 substances earlier this month known to contain PFAS that contribute to rising TFA concentrations. Meanwhile, the #US is lagging behind—the Environmental Protection Agency [#EPA] doesn’t even define TFA as a 'forever chemical,' much to the dismay of #environmentalist groups and to the merriment of many #industry leaders.
"Rising concentrations of TFA is the acid rain sequel no one wanted. But just like every terrible sequel ever made, it seems like we’re getting it anyway."
#WaterIsLife #Dupont #DowChemical #3M #ForeverChemicals #EPACuts #Deregulation #TrumpSucks #USPol #WorldPol #Environment #EnvironmentalDamage #GenXChemicals #3MLied
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Declining Freshwater Availability in the Colorado River Basin Threatens Sustainability of Its Critical Groundwater Supplies
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https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL115593 <-- shared paper
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https://thehill.com/policy/equilibrium-sustainability/5320154-colorado-river-basin-study-groundwater-crisis/ <-- shared media article
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#GIS #spatial #mapping #ColoradoRiverBasin #water #hydrology #waterresources #aridification #anthropogenic #climatechange #humanimpacts #groundwater #depletion #pumping #wateruse #agriculture #irrigation #management #planning #monitoring #remotesensing #earthonservation #satellite #NASA #GRACE #GRACEFO #landsurface #model #modeling #sustainability #surfacewater #waterrights #droughts #USA #Mexico #watershortages #waterstorage #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #strategy -
Vertebrate Diversity In Stormwater Sewer Systems Of Alachua County, Florida
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https://www.eaglehill.us/URNAonline2/access-pages/075-Ivory-accesspage.shtml <-- shared paper
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[not NYC, but Florida, a fascinating Friday afternoon read for me…]
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#urbanization #urbanisation #animal #Vertebrate #Diversity #StormwaterSewerSystems #AlachuaCounty #Florida #humaninpacts #urbananimals #subterranean #tunnels #monitoring #cameratraps #anthropogenic #mapping #spatial #spatialanalysis #amphibians #reptiles #birds #mammals #raccoons #alligator #urban #urbanplanning -
Vertebrate Diversity In Stormwater Sewer Systems Of Alachua County, Florida
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https://www.eaglehill.us/URNAonline2/access-pages/075-Ivory-accesspage.shtml <-- shared paper
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[not NYC, but Florida, a fascinating Friday afternoon read for me…]
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#urbanization #urbanisation #animal #Vertebrate #Diversity #StormwaterSewerSystems #AlachuaCounty #Florida #humaninpacts #urbananimals #subterranean #tunnels #monitoring #cameratraps #anthropogenic #mapping #spatial #spatialanalysis #amphibians #reptiles #birds #mammals #raccoons #alligator #urban #urbanplanning -
Vertebrate Diversity In Stormwater Sewer Systems Of Alachua County, Florida
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https://www.eaglehill.us/URNAonline2/access-pages/075-Ivory-accesspage.shtml <-- shared paper
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[not NYC, but Florida, a fascinating Friday afternoon read for me…]
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#urbanization #urbanisation #animal #Vertebrate #Diversity #StormwaterSewerSystems #AlachuaCounty #Florida #humaninpacts #urbananimals #subterranean #tunnels #monitoring #cameratraps #anthropogenic #mapping #spatial #spatialanalysis #amphibians #reptiles #birds #mammals #raccoons #alligator #urban #urbanplanning -
Vertebrate Diversity In Stormwater Sewer Systems Of Alachua County, Florida
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https://www.eaglehill.us/URNAonline2/access-pages/075-Ivory-accesspage.shtml <-- shared paper
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[not NYC, but Florida, a fascinating Friday afternoon read for me…]
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#urbanization #urbanisation #animal #Vertebrate #Diversity #StormwaterSewerSystems #AlachuaCounty #Florida #humaninpacts #urbananimals #subterranean #tunnels #monitoring #cameratraps #anthropogenic #mapping #spatial #spatialanalysis #amphibians #reptiles #birds #mammals #raccoons #alligator #urban #urbanplanning -
Vertebrate Diversity In Stormwater Sewer Systems Of Alachua County, Florida
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https://www.eaglehill.us/URNAonline2/access-pages/075-Ivory-accesspage.shtml <-- shared paper
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[not NYC, but Florida, a fascinating Friday afternoon read for me…]
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#urbanization #urbanisation #animal #Vertebrate #Diversity #StormwaterSewerSystems #AlachuaCounty #Florida #humaninpacts #urbananimals #subterranean #tunnels #monitoring #cameratraps #anthropogenic #mapping #spatial #spatialanalysis #amphibians #reptiles #birds #mammals #raccoons #alligator #urban #urbanplanning -
Oceanic Evasion Fuels Arctic Summertime Rebound Of Atmospheric Mercury And Drives Transport To Arctic Terrestrial Ecosystems
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https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56300-3 <-- shared paper
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#GIS #spatial #mapping #mercury #Hg #contamination #summerrebound #arctic #summertime #atmospheric #transport #contaminate #terrestrial #ecosystems #Hg0 #model #modeling #framework #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #concentrations #seaice #atmosphere #river #riverine #GDAS #GEOS #GEOSChem #MERRA2 #GTMM #global #NDVI #remotesensing #cycling #marine #ocean #water #hydrology #seawater #icemelt #anthropogenic #coast #coastal #tundra #permafrost #climatechange #evasion #vegetation #uptake #mitigation -
Oceanic Evasion Fuels Arctic Summertime Rebound Of Atmospheric Mercury And Drives Transport To Arctic Terrestrial Ecosystems
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https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56300-3 <-- shared paper
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#GIS #spatial #mapping #mercury #Hg #contamination #summerrebound #arctic #summertime #atmospheric #transport #contaminate #terrestrial #ecosystems #Hg0 #model #modeling #framework #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #concentrations #seaice #atmosphere #river #riverine #GDAS #GEOS #GEOSChem #MERRA2 #GTMM #global #NDVI #remotesensing #cycling #marine #ocean #water #hydrology #seawater #icemelt #anthropogenic #coast #coastal #tundra #permafrost #climatechange #evasion #vegetation #uptake #mitigation -
Oceanic Evasion Fuels Arctic Summertime Rebound Of Atmospheric Mercury And Drives Transport To Arctic Terrestrial Ecosystems
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https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56300-3 <-- shared paper
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#GIS #spatial #mapping #mercury #Hg #contamination #summerrebound #arctic #summertime #atmospheric #transport #contaminate #terrestrial #ecosystems #Hg0 #model #modeling #framework #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #concentrations #seaice #atmosphere #river #riverine #GDAS #GEOS #GEOSChem #MERRA2 #GTMM #global #NDVI #remotesensing #cycling #marine #ocean #water #hydrology #seawater #icemelt #anthropogenic #coast #coastal #tundra #permafrost #climatechange #evasion #vegetation #uptake #mitigation -
Oceanic Evasion Fuels Arctic Summertime Rebound Of Atmospheric Mercury And Drives Transport To Arctic Terrestrial Ecosystems
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https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56300-3 <-- shared paper
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#GIS #spatial #mapping #mercury #Hg #contamination #summerrebound #arctic #summertime #atmospheric #transport #contaminate #terrestrial #ecosystems #Hg0 #model #modeling #framework #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #concentrations #seaice #atmosphere #river #riverine #GDAS #GEOS #GEOSChem #MERRA2 #GTMM #global #NDVI #remotesensing #cycling #marine #ocean #water #hydrology #seawater #icemelt #anthropogenic #coast #coastal #tundra #permafrost #climatechange #evasion #vegetation #uptake #mitigation -
Oceanic Evasion Fuels Arctic Summertime Rebound Of Atmospheric Mercury And Drives Transport To Arctic Terrestrial Ecosystems
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https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56300-3 <-- shared paper
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#GIS #spatial #mapping #mercury #Hg #contamination #summerrebound #arctic #summertime #atmospheric #transport #contaminate #terrestrial #ecosystems #Hg0 #model #modeling #framework #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #concentrations #seaice #atmosphere #river #riverine #GDAS #GEOS #GEOSChem #MERRA2 #GTMM #global #NDVI #remotesensing #cycling #marine #ocean #water #hydrology #seawater #icemelt #anthropogenic #coast #coastal #tundra #permafrost #climatechange #evasion #vegetation #uptake #mitigation -
Planetary electromagnetic pollution: it is time to assess its impact
by Priyanka Bandara and David O Carpenter
Published December, 2018
"As the #PlanetaryHealthAlliance moves forward after a productive second annual meeting, a discussion on the rapid global proliferation of artificial #electromagnetic fields would now be apt. The most notable is the blanket of radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation, largely microwave radiation generated for wireless communication and surveillance technologies, as mounting scientific evidence suggests that prolonged exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation has serious biological and health effects. However, public exposure regulations in most countries continue to be based on the guidelines of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, which were established in the 1990s on the belief that only acute thermal effects are hazardous.
"Prevention of tissue heating by radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation is now proven to be ineffective in preventing biochemical and physiological interference. For example, acute non-thermal exposure has been shown to alter human brain metabolism by NIH scientists, electrical activity in the #brain, and systemic immune responses.
Chronic exposure has been associated with increased oxidative stress and #DNADamage, and cancer risk."Laboratory studies, including large rodent studies by the US National Toxicology Program and Ramazzini Institute of Italy, confirm these biological and health effects in vivo. As we address the threats to human health from the changing environmental conditions due to human activity, the increasing exposure to artificial electromagnetic radiation needs to be included in this discussion.
"Due to the exponential increase in the use of wireless personal communication devices (eg, mobile or cordless phones and WiFi or Bluetooth-enabled devices) and the infrastructure facilitating them, levels of exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation around the 1 GHz frequency band, which is mostly used for modern wireless communications, have increased from extremely low natural levels by about 1018 times. Radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation is also used for #radar, security scanners, #SmartMeters, and medical equipment (#MRI, diathermy, and #radiofrequency ablation). It is plausibly the most rapidly increasing #anthropogenic #environmental exposure since the mid-20th century, and levels will surge considerably again, as technologies like the Internet of Things and 5G add millions more radiofrequency transmitters around us.
"Unprecedented human exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation from conception until death has been occurring in the past two decades. Evidence of its effects on the #CNS, including altered #neurodevelopment and increased risk of some #neurodegenerative diseases, is a major concern considering the steady increase in their incidence. Evidence exists for an association between neurodevelopmental or behavioural disorders in children and exposure to wireless devices, and experimental evidence, such as the Yale finding, shows that prenatal exposure could cause structural and functional changes in the brain associated with #ADHD-like behaviour. These findings deserve urgent attention.
"At the Oceania Radiofrequency Scientific Advisory Association, an independent scientific organisation, volunteering scientists have constructed the world's largest categorised online database of peer-reviewed studies on radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation and other man-made electromagnetic fields of lower frequencies. A recent evaluation of 2266 studies (including in-vitro and in-vivo studies in human, animal, and plant experimental systems and population studies) found that most studies (n=1546, 68·2%) have demonstrated significant biological or health effects associated with exposure to anthropogenic electromagnetic fields. We have published our preliminary data on radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation, which shows that 89% (216 of 242) of experimental studies that investigated oxidative stress endpoints showed significant effects.
This weight of scientific evidence refutes the prominent claim that the deployment of wireless technologies poses no health risks at the currently permitted non-thermal radiofrequency exposure levels. Instead, the evidence supports the International EMF Scientist Appeal by 244 scientists from 41 countries who have published on the subject in peer-reviewed literature and collectively petitioned the WHO and the UN for immediate measures to reduce public exposure to artificial electromagnetic fields and radiation.
"Evidence also exists of the effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation on #flora and #fauna. For example, the reported global reduction in #bees and other insects is plausibly linked to the increased radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation in the environment. #Honeybees are among the species that use magnetoreception, which is sensitive to anthropogenic electromagnetic fields, for navigation.
"Man-made electromagnetic fields range from extremely low frequency (associated with electricity supplies and #electrical appliances) to low, medium, high, and extremely high frequency (mostly associated with wireless communication). The potential effects of these anthropogenic electromagnetic fields on natural electromagnetic fields, such as the Schumann Resonance that controls the weather and climate, have not been properly studied. Similarly, we do not adequately understand the effects of anthropogenic radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation on other natural and man-made atmospheric components or the ionosphere. It has been widely claimed that radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation, being non-ionising radiation, does not possess enough photon energy to cause DNA damage. This has now been proven wrong experimentally.
"#RadiofrequencyElectromagneticRadiation causes DNA damage apparently through oxidative stress, similar to near-UV radiation, which was also long thought to be harmless.
"At a time when environmental health scientists tackle serious global issues such as #ClimateChange and chemical #toxicants in public health, there is an urgent need to address so-called #electrosmog. A genuine evidence-based approach to the risk assessment and regulation of anthropogenic electromagnetic fields will help the health of us all, as well as that of our planetary home. Some government health authorities have recently taken steps to reduce public exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation by regulating use of wireless devices by children and recommending preferential use of wired communication devices in general, but this ought to be a coordinated international effort.
We declare no competing interests. We thank Alasdair Philips for assistance with the figure and Victor Leach and Steve Weller for assistance with the ORSAA Database, which has enabled our overview of the scientific evidence in this area of research."https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(18)30221-3/fulltext