John Sanchez

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on the atlas — 34

highlights — 43

There is no widely accepted and operationally feasible quantitative method for determining modest changes in secondary silicate mineral content in soils; clay content of soils is typically expressed as a percentage of clay-sized particles, and mineralogy is determined by X-ray diffraction. Thus, detection of new secondary clays requires either significant enough clay formation to shift the percentage of clay in the soil column or quantitative formation of clay mineralogies that are distinct from the initial assemblage (unlikely for modest pH change in soils with similar moisture retention; see…
Enhanced Weathering in Agriculture — Isometric
CO 2 e Weathering, RP should be determined by calculating the total CO₂ removal in the treatment and deployment areas separately before adding them together. In soils, this will take the following form
Enhanced Weathering in Agriculture — Isometric
Project Proponents using soil-based measurements for quantification must demonstrate a statistically significant loss of cations between the start and the end of the Reporting Period to be eligible for crediting (see Section 9.3.4.2.1).
Enhanced Weathering in Agriculture — Isometric
The mean value from the validation method (List 2) must be within the 99.7% confidence interval of the quantification approach. If this is not the case, Projects must conduct an audit and work in consultation with the Isometric science team to surface an explanation for this discrepancy.
Enhanced Weathering in Agriculture — Isometric
The validation approach must be conducted within both a treatment and control area that represents at least 2.5% of the Project area.
Enhanced Weathering in Agriculture — Isometric
A shallower definition of the NFZ may be used in circumstances where meeting these criteria is not feasible (e.g., shallow water table which cannot be accessed through conventional sampling methods). Such deviations must be reported and justified in the PDD. Where aqueous phase measurements are used for quantification, base cations can be credited within the NFZ once they have entered the porewater.
Enhanced Weathering in Agriculture — Isometric
It is the whole that perfectly integrates all the contradictions, all the paradoxes, that balances all shadow and darkness and with an equal amount of light. This love stands above paradox. It pulls our hearts up beyond time and space, drowning our little worries and wants in its twin sister, wonder. Together, they call us to look at that driver who cuts us off on the highway and think: “what a miracle that you exist in all your astonishing complexity and beauty, and what grief that you have to die like everyone and everything else.”
Is love the exception? - by Oliver Sabot - Commonplace
We only truly love ourselves when we love the darkest, ugliest corners of our being, the worst things we have ever done, ever said, ever thought. We only truly love our family and friends when we love them while they frustrate and wound us. We only truly love humanity when we love the worst of us in our worst moments—the tyranny and massacres and abuse. We only love life if we love death.
Is love the exception? - by Oliver Sabot - Commonplace
Due to the difficulty and uncertainty in quantifying the impact of these processes at this time, acceptable treatment of loss terms in this Protocol include: avoiding the likelihood of these losses by identifying avoidance strategies around conditions which lead to non-negligible loss terms, with corresponding monitoring to demonstrate adherance to those guardrails estimating a conservative upper limit of alkalinity loss based on scientific literature, first principles calculations, and/or experimentation process-based modeling studies direct measurements alternative approaches that are suffic…
Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement from Coastal Outfalls — Isometric
This represents a more conservative approach to quantifying CO₂ uptake as the initial air-sea exchange is expected to be large due to the enhanced pCO₂ deficit before full dilution, and there are increased uncertainties regarding air-sea flux parameterizations in coastal areas on short timescales
Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement from Coastal Outfalls — Isometric
Therefore, unless the feedstock is "fast dissolving," the dissolution and sinking of the feedstock in the ocean needs to be robustly demonstrated through coastal modeling and/or measurements.
Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement from Coastal Outfalls — Isometric
We pledge to fight 'blue-sky thinking' wherever we find it.
Cloud Appreciation Society Manifesto - Cloud Appreciation Society
There’s no easy solution. There are ample incentives for individuals to convert farmland, with few consequences for doing so. Strong global demand for cattle and grain around the world and weak traceability throughout the value chain make farmland conversion a rational, yet unfortunate, choice for many farmers. As Fernando summarizes, “the tension between GDP, development and exports against conservation, biodiversity and environmentalism is the biggest moral dilemma Brazil faces in the near future.”
The Brazilian Way - by Ariel Patton - Topsoil
She paid deep attention to every plant in her care—a friend quipped that she could write each one’s biography. As McClintock put it: No two plants are exactly alike. They’re all different, and as a consequence, you have to know that difference. I start with the seedling and I don’t want to leave it. I don’t feel I really know the story if I don’t watch the plant all the way along. So I know every plant in the field. I know them intimately. And I find it a great pleasure to know them.
Church of Reality: Barbara McClintock on Scientific Mysticism and Plant Consciousness
I found that the more I worked with [the chromosomes] the bigger and bigger [they] got, and when I was really working with them I wasn’t outside, I was down there. I was part of the system. I was right down there with them, and everything got big. I even was able to see the internal parts of the chromosomes—actually everything was there. It surprised me because I actually felt as if I were right down there and these were my friends.
Church of Reality: Barbara McClintock on Scientific Mysticism and Plant Consciousness
It’s worth noting that this program doesn’t have a clear institutional home in academia, industry, or government. The ratio of grungy engineering to novel insights is too low for academia. At the same time, it is still speculative research that would make a terrible business proposition until the technology is more advanced. Nanomodular electronics is too far outside of the government’s Overton window to merit support from organizations like DARPA or legislation like the CHIPS Act.
Nanomodular Electronics
Navigating those tradeoffs requires tight coordination between the groups working on each component and iterating on a complete system as early in the process as possible. Building a functional system acts as a forcing function for coordination – no individual project can be considered successful unless the entire system hits its goals.
Nanomodular Electronics
The program would occur in three phases and require roughly 5 years and $10 million: Projects to “derisk” the most existential threats to the technology: Ink stability, component contamination, and circuit routing (~12-18 months). Proof-of-concept work on each of the system components: Component inks, circuit design software, component deposition, and circuit wiring (~18-24 months). Integrating of the components into a functional system and iterating (~18-24 months).
Nanomodular Electronics
A student competition is a powerful “forcing function” for creating a general purpose technology. It ensures the system will be flexible and consistent enough to accommodate unexpected ideas and non-expert users. Both synthetic biology and VLSI electronics became widespread because immature tools were put in the hands of creative and energetic students.
Nanomodular Electronics
Incremental improvements to the current system are possible, but won’t get around the fundamental limitations of the underlying process paradigm – the planar process.
Nanomodular Electronics
Project Proponents pursuing Determination 2 are required to install 1 porewater collection device (e.g., lysimeter, rhizon) per 25 hectares of total project area to facilitate fluid sampling. The type of porewater collection device and methodology must be stated in the PDD and be consistent throughout the project lifespan. Otherwise, Project Proponents pursuing Determination 1 must install porewater collection sampling devices at a frequency of 1 per 50 hectares for validation purposes. Porewater sampling devices should be installed at the depth of deepest soil sampling for crediting (typicall…
Enhanced Weathering in Agriculture — Isometric
Soil organic carbon (SOC) -- e.g., ISO 10694:1995. SOC is required for baseline samples and post-application samples if tilling occurred as part of rock spreading. SOC must be analyzed every two years during the project lifetime, though annual SOC analysis is recommended.
Enhanced Weathering in Agriculture — Isometric
At a minimum, Project Proponents are required to conduct soil sampling shortly before rock application (to verify the alkalinity application rate; see Section 9.3.4.4) and annually after feedstock application.
Enhanced Weathering in Agriculture — Isometric
demonstrate the treatment area is sufficiently representative of the deployment area. This can be demonstrated through one of the following: 1) at the end of the Reporting Period, the base cation concentration is not statistically different between the deployment area and the treatment area (if not significantly different at the start of the Reporting Period), or 2) the change in base cation concentration over the entire Reporting Period is not statistically different between the deployment area and treatment area
Enhanced Weathering in Agriculture — Isometric
A statistically significant decrease in the concentration of base cations in the weathering horizon (30 cm) must be observed in the treatment plot between the beginning and end of a Reporting Period. We recommend using a one-tailed t-test to demonstrate this statistical significance44. Alternative statistical tests may be appropriate and may be justified based on characteristics of the data distribution (e.g., use Mann-Whitney U-test if data is not normally distributed). The Project Proponent may alternatively use a two-dimensional interpolation framework to estimate the spatially integrated w…
Enhanced Weathering in Agriculture — Isometric
Proponents are required to provide some constraints on alkalinity export from the chosen sampling depth (typically 30 cm) to the watershed (see Section 9.3.4.6.4)
Enhanced Weathering in Agriculture — Isometric
Project Proponents meeting this criteria are required to trace the evolution of alkalinity down to 1 meter depth using both soil and porewater measurements in the treatment and control areas.
Enhanced Weathering in Agriculture — Isometric
unlikely for modest pH change in soils with similar moisture retention; see Wilson (1999) for an overview of the parameters controlling clay formation in soil
Enhanced Weathering in Agriculture — Isometric
Some project areas may have soil conditions where carbonate precipitation is not likely and not observed above analytical detection limits (e.g., low pH soils). Project Proponents operating in such areas may omit large scale soil inorganic carbonate measurements from routine monitoring with adequate justification in the PDD. In such instances, Project Proponents must conduct smaller scale measurements of soil inorganic carbon with each major sampling event to demonstrate that these assumptions still hold. If local geochemical conditions change over the course of a project and lead to measurabl…
Enhanced Weathering in Agriculture — Isometric
For their part, the NCRP’s Boice and Shore suggested that providing guidance for a “below regulatory concern,” or BRC, dose that agencies might be able to incorporate into their rule making would not be a bad thing. “If well crafted, they wrote in their response to Undark, “an approach defining BRC could be beneficial, as it would help alleviate over-regulation of exposures.” Still, that might be a bridge too far for some people — particularly those who believe in the precautionary principle, which in this case would dictate that where the impacts of low-dose radiation are uncertain, the safes…
Of Science, Fear, and Nuclear Radiation
“The LNT model is more like a religion than anything else. It certainly isn’t science,” Marcus’s petition continues. “Imposing it upon the citizens of the United States must stop.”
Of Science, Fear, and Nuclear Radiation
The petition argues that thousands of scientific papers show that the LNT is in error, claiming “the attitude of today’s regulators is reminiscent of the Catholic Church at the time of Galileo.”
Of Science, Fear, and Nuclear Radiation
The NCRP’s Boice and Shore observe in their emailed replies that “small doses evoke fears that are disproportionately higher than the potential risks from the low doses. Some scientists or health workers of questionable legitimacy stoke those fears by exaggerating the effects of low-level radiation in public forums and writings.”
Of Science, Fear, and Nuclear Radiation
“Overestimating radiation risks using the LNT model may be more detrimental than underestimating them,”
Of Science, Fear, and Nuclear Radiation
Second, the BBNJ creates new ground rules for environmental impact assessments of commercial activities on the high seas. Prior to launching any significant for-profit ventures on the open ocean, nations and companies falling under their jurisdiction are obliged to review and report publicly on possible harm that could result to marine ecosystems and organisms.
The High Seas Treaty Is an Extraordinary Diplomatic Achievement - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
George Nield, the top F.A.A. space-launch official at the time SpaceX sought approval for the site, acknowledged there might be gaps in the environmental review process. But he sees SpaceX as “leveraging” government land — not exploiting it. “What can we do to maximize SpaceX’s bold, grand vision?” Mr. Nield said, recalling the F.A.A.’s goal. “Fish and Wildlife has a mission. But it was different from ours and it did not include a lot of rockets.”
Wildlife Protections Take a Back Seat to Elon Musk’s Ambitions - The New York Times
Recently published studies of the complex hydrography of grounding zones suggest that warm ocean water can intrude large distances beneath the ice sheet, with dramatic consequences for ice dynamics. Here we develop a model to capture the feedback between intruded ocean water, the melting it induces and the resulting changes in ice geometry. We reveal a sensitive dependence of the grounding-zone dynamics on this feedback: as the grounding zone widens in response to melting, both temperature and flow velocity in the region increase, further enhancing melting.
Tipping point in ice-sheet grounding-zone melting due to ocean water intrusion | Nature Geoscience
Bottlenecks are things that a program can address, while key risks are potential game-stoppers internal to a program.
Research Leaders' Playbook
Good coordinated research programs... ...have a clear goal. Unlike many good research programs, the best coordinated research programs don't muddle forward while supporting wide-ranging work, even if it's great work. In part this is because there are plenty of organizations that run broad research programs and in part because a diffuse program can't get much done during the few years that characterizes a coordinated research program if it is appropriately ambitious.
Research Leaders' Playbook
This curve is a plot of the number of species as a function of the number of samples. Rarefaction curves generally grow rapidly at first, as the most common species are found, but the curves plateau as only the rarest species remain to be sampled
Rarefaction (ecology) - Wikipedia
Here, we describe the design of the Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement Pelagic Impact Intercomparison Project (OAEPIIP) – a standardised OAE microcosm experiment with plankton communities to be conducted worldwide.
EGUsphere - Technical note: Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement Pelagic Impact Intercomparison Project (OAEPIIP)
“And the beauty of a round decal is that I can make the eyes point any way I want them to,” he said. “It’s not relying on the train rumbling around to make the eyes move.”
Googly-Eyed Trains Lift the Spirits of Boston Riders - The New York Times
The cost of printing the nine-inch decals was “couple of dollars each,” Mr. Coholan said.
Googly-Eyed Trains Lift the Spirits of Boston Riders - The New York Times