Heatwaves at the Bottom of the Ocean

In 2013, a monstrous marine heatwave known as 'The Blob' developed off the coast of Alaska and soon stretched as far south as Mexico along the Pacific coast of North America.

It lingered far longer than anyone expected, decimating fisheries, triggering toxic algal blooms, disturbing kelp forests, and starving sea birds of food.

At one point, a buoy bobbing atop the ocean near Oregon detected frightening jumps in temperature of up to seven degrees Celsius in less than an hour. The ocean was sweltering.

But scientists, with their attention fixed on temperature data streaming in from ocean surfaces, had little idea what was transpiring in the depths below.

Now, new modeling led by researchers at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows that marine heatwaves can unfold deep underwater, too – sometimes in tandem with heatwaves that ripple across the ocean surface or else when there is no detectable warming signal above.

The new analysis, of continental shelf waters surrounding North America, also finds these so-called bottom marine heatwaves can be more intense and last longer than hot spells at the ocean surface, though it varies from coast to coast.

"Researchers have been investigating marine heat waves at the sea surface for over a decade now," says lead author Dillon Amaya, a climate scientist with NOAA's Physical Science Laboratory.

But they have been limited to the cache of data on temperature extremes at the ocean surface, logged by floating buoys or detected by ships or overhead satellites. It's much harder to probe ocean temperatures further down the water column and along continental shelves.

Some data exist, but the researchers behind this latest study mostly had to extrapolate from ocean surface observations, inputting that data into computer models to simulate ocean currents that upwell from the deep, bringing essential nutrients to coastal waters.  READ MORE...

Truth Drift

 

Marines

 

Game

 

Mondays

There is some controversy around whether the week begins on Sunday or Monday.  I have always thought that the week began on Mondays and that Sundays ended the week as well as ended the weekend.

However, if you look at the Monthy Calendars, they always begin on SUNDAYS and end on SATURDAYS.

So, does that mean they are right?

I suppose beginnng the week on Sunday makes sense from a religious standpoint...  so that we can infuse our religious teachings into how we work rather than informing us as to how we should have lived.

Still, it bothers me somehow that we begin a work week with a day off and end our work week with a day off...  Beginning with a day off does not seem to instill a strong work ethic...  although, some could argue that the day off is to prepare ourselves mentally for a hard week of work.

I suppose that makes sense.  But, my parents always told me to work first, then rest.  And, that still makes me think the week should start on Monday.

However, another logical conclusion to draw is that both Saturday and Sunday begin with "S"...   therefore and to avoid confusion, one should place one "S" on one side of the week and the other "S" on the other side...

I have always had the notion that you work for 5 days and have two days off...  sometimes you work for 6 days and have one day off...   it makes very little sense to have a day off, then work for five days and have a day off.

BUT...  this is just my weird way of looking at it.

City Street

 

Mind

 

Future Shock

From an anonymous Wisconsin State Trooper

Electric vehicles have too many variables affecting battery consumption. Definitely not suited for cold climates. The following experience just cements my distaste for EV’s, especially Teslas.

I get sent to a motorist assist the other day, at the start of our snowstorm. Tesla on the side of the interstate, dead battery. So, I arrive on scene and the occupants have the right-front door open. They tell me that they can’t open any other doors, because the battery is dead. 

Sure enough. Can’t open the doors from inside or outside. The driver also can’t get her license out of the glove box where she put it during their trip. Because the glovebox opens electronically… and the battery is dead. 

You actually have to use the computer in the center of the dash to open the glovebox.

They said they had 10% battery left, should’ve been plenty to get from that location to the charging station nearby. Then all of a sudden, the whole car shut off and they coasted to the shoulder.

So now I have to find them a tow. No one wants to tow EV’s. Finally found one company to do it. 8-mile trip to the charging station in Tomah. $1,000! Normal vehicle on the flatbed would’ve been $150.

So now we’re at the Tesla superchargers. Guess what. Can’t open the f’n charging port because the battery is dead!!! The ports open, you guessed it, electronically!!! . And we also can’t open the doors now (had to close the one open door when it was loaded onto the wrecker). The owner's manual is in the on-board computer, but the battery is dead.

I got the occupants to a store where they’d be warm while calling the rental company to figure out how to charge this POS, so I’m not sure of the outcome. I had to leave for a crash report.

EV’s may be the way, someday, but certainly not today!! I’ll stick with my dinosaur burner.

A Hole in the Sun

A giant, black region of the sun — called a coronal hole — was spotted on Monday by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.

Despite the name, however, this isn't a physical hole in the solar surface; coronal holes are cooler in temperature, so they don't glow as bright as other areas of the sun and therefore look black.

"The current coronal hole, the big one right now, is about 300,000 to 400,000 kilometers across," Alex Young, the associate director for science at NASA Goddard's Heliophysics Science Division, told Insider over email. "That is about 20-30 Earths lined up back-to-back."

Coronal holes are common; there is "nothing unusual here," Scott McIntosh, a solar physicist and the deputy director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, told Insider in an email.

Holes like this are part of the sun's normal activity, but McIntosh said that they are "not well understood" and called these events "the 'dark side' of solar activity."

Coronal holes are the source of rapid solar winds, which reach speeds of about 500-800 km per second, Young wrote — The solar winds from this coronal hole are scheduled to reach Earth by the end of this week.  READ MORE...

A Brief History of America

 

Dueling Banjos

 

A White Southerner's Perspective

The end of March has finally arrived and instead of walking at the Community Center and paying a $1 for each visit, I can walk outside and enjoy the fresh air.

The end of March has also put me into a position where I had to mow the lawn which might be a couple of weeks early this year.  But again, more outside time.

Before I got as old as I am, I preferred warm weather to cold but the heat of humidity forces me inside...  except when I am at Myrtle Beach as there is always a breeze and the humidity does not bother me...

It is hard to say how many Americans prefer warm to cold weather as there are still tons of people living up north...  and, as far as I am concerned they can stay up north.

I guess I am prejudice when it comes to northerners and southerners as my preference is with the latter.  The former are typically impolite and very rude and more often than not, are egotistical and stuck up with theirselves...

Does that make me racist?  Or, is being a racist just between blacks and whites?  For what it's worth, I think we have more blacks down south than in the north...  and, I wonder if making that statement makes me a racist?

Someone, not too long ago said Blacks could not be racist...  ONLY WHITES...  blacks act the way they do because it is a white society in the US of A...

Well, that shit got me to wondering...  and, it appears that Blacks only represent 12% of the population and whites represent 60%...  That breakdown has nothing to do with slavery...  what it means is that less blacks were brought to America than whites...   ERGO - it will always be a white society...   until the black population becomes greater than the white population...

Right now, Hispanics at 18% are more likely to challenge the whites than blacks are.  Then, we have the Asians who are building up their ranks as well...

HOWEVER, due to illegal immigration, Hispanics will now grow substantially faster than blacks...  so, I will be really interested in the new demographics data.

I know more northern whites than northern blacks so I am not really sure that the negative feeling held towards northerners actually applies to blacks.   What is interestingly curious is that I have no feeling at all towards southern blacks.

The only time I ever think about blacks at all is when BLM is bitching about whites not doing what they are demanding whites to do fast enough.  Personally, I am not going to do a damn thing for blacks, except be nice and respectful to them.

Will I ever invite them over to dinner?  Probably not.

Will I ever want to go to a black church with them?  Probably not.

Will I ever go vacationing with them?  Probably not.

Will I ever play golf with them?  I don't play golf.

When my wife gets a tan in the summer and changes her skin color from white to a dark tan, is she being a RACIST?

I never thought about it being a black face...  but I suppose one could argue that it is...

Is she making fun of  blacks when she gets a summer tan?

 

Classic Sunday Morning Newspaper Cartoons

 

Generating New Brain Neurons

Recently biologists discovered how to generate new neurons in the adult brain. This is an incredible breakthrough that has enormous potential to revolutionize neurodegenerative disease research. By generating genetically-mutated mice with a unique gene that activates dormant neural stem cells, scientists were able to generate new neurons in the brain. 

For years, scientists have been searching for ways to promote the growth of new neurons in the brain, especially in individuals with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. This new discovery could lead to new treatments and therapies that could help to restore brain function and improve the quality of life for millions of people around the world.

Leslie Samuel, founder of Interactive Biology, gives some context for the importance of genetic trading between organisms for scientific research, and notes how the loss of nerve cells in the brain is one of the hallmarks of neurodegenerative diseases. The ability to generate new neurons in the adult brain could be a game-changer in the field of neurology.

Leslie’s Thoughts
“Anytime you have a situation where extracts from one organism can have beneficial effects on another organism, especially if that other organism is a human, I think it’s an exciting thing. In my last video I spoke about how certain cordyceps fungi can have anti-cancer effects. But it doesn’t stop there.  READ MORE...

Egypt

 

Morning Reflections

 LIFE IS SHORT...  or, so it seems.  As we get older, each days seems to get shorter, when in reality it just moves by faster, basically because we are busy...  and, do not take the time to reflect upon its passing.

• At 25 years of age, we look back and wonder what took us so long to get here.
• At 40 years of age, we feel that we will probably live another 40 years.
• At 50 years of age, we can no longer double our age and begin to wonder if we can accomplish all that we set out to do.
• At 60 years of age, our physical body and sometimes our minds begin to betray us, as we experience health issues.
• At 70 years of age (67 for some) we see the need to retire unless we are not experiencing any work related issues, then we work as long as we can.
• At 80 years of age, we see each additinal year as living on borrowed time, even though some of us will live well into our 90s.

The common theme here is that time passes by quickly but we don't think about it until it is half over...  which is probably good because it keeps us from needless worrying.

Wars can end a life early as can illegal drugs, car accidents, and unexpected illnesses.  Most of us don't think about that unless it happens to us, a family member, or a close friend.  We are oblivious to the fragility of life.

Battle

 

A Bermuda Triangle of Financial Risks

The economy is headed into a "Bermuda Triangle" of danger, and markets should brace for a crisis that could rival the 2008, according to economist Nouriel Roubini.

In a recent interview on the McKinsey Global Institute's "Forward Thinking" podcast, the top economist warned that the economy was risking another financial crisis as central bankers continue to tighten monetary policy.

Federal Reserve officials raised interest rates another 25 basis-points this week, and have hiked rates 475 basis-points over the last year to control inflation. That marks one of the most aggressive Fed tightening cycles in history, and could place the economy under three different kinds of stress, Roubini warned.

First, high interest rates could easily overtighten the economy into a recession, experts say, which reduces income for households and corporations.

Second, high interest rates means firms are battling higher costs of borrowing and waning liquidity, which weighs on asset prices. Last year, US stocks plunged 20% amid the Fed's rate hikes, with warnings from other market commentators of an even steeper crash in equities this year.

Finally, high interest rates are pressuring the mountain of debt, both private and public, that was amassed during the years of low rates, Roubini said. He pointed to bankrupt "zombies", which include households, corporations, and governments.

"It's got like, a Bermuda Triangle. You have a hit to your income, to your asset values, and then to the burden of financing your liabilities. And then you end up in a situation of distress if you're a highly leveraged household or business firm. And when many of them are having these problems, then you have a systemic household debt crisis like [2008]," he warned.

Roubini, one of the experts who called the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis, has repeatedly sounded the alarm for another crisis to strike the US economy. The scenario he envisions combines the worst aspects of 70s-style stagflation with something like the 2008 crisis, with a severe recession, stubborn inflation, and mounting debt levels bludgeoning economic growth.   READ MORE...

Strictly Political

 

Paul Simon